She's Got You High.

It took a while before anyone else found out about my relationship with John.

Mostly it was due to the reason that I was still under Garrett's watchful eye. I knew better then to even make the slightest slip up, especially since Pat now knew - one small mistake, and I was screwed. I never told John that someone else knew about us. I didn't even want to think of what he'd do.

Thankfully, the hickey John gave me had healed moderately quickly, and I banished the turtlenecks and scarves as quickly as I had welcomed them. Him and I didn't have much time to speak after that afternoon, or even continue where we left off. I was almost glad for that, in a way. I had no idea what came over me in that dressing room - all I knew was that with John, it felt right. Natural.

I noticed that after Pat found out, he focused his eyes on me more then usual. It was bad enough being kept under lock and key by Garrett, but Pat as well? It was getting a bit ridiculous.

But the tour went on, just like it should. If anything, the moods of the member of The Maine had brightened. Garrett and John seemed to be on friendly terms, and Pat wasn't acting suspicious in the slightest. Things were turning for the better for once, and I felt like I was safe from the storm.

Or, at least I thought I was.

----

The venue we were at for the day conveniently had a Starbucks and Panera Bread down the street. John had texted me earlier, asking if I wanted to go with him - "It's a date!", he had added. I agreed, and we devised a plan to leave seperately, and meet up at Panera first.

The midwest was colder then I thought it'd be - I still had to bundle up in my winter coat and boots. I almost felt like a turtle, the way I kept my head down on the short walk to Panera. Garrett had insisted upon going with me, until I reminded him that he never liked Panera back home at Arizona - and that I really just wanted some alone time.

He seemed to accept that, then, and kissed me softly upon the forehead.

"Be back before 6, alright?" He added, and I nodded. The clock on my cellphone told me that it was only 2:30 - more then enough time to spend with John.

When I finally arrived at Panera and walked inside, all I could think about was how warm it was. I didn't even remember why I was here, until I saw John, tucked away in a booth towards the back, waving at me. I smiled, knowing I was probably blushing, and walked over towards him. He wrapped his arms around me when I got close, pulling me into a quick hug.

"Hey, darlin'..." he mumbled, as I sighed. I looked down at our table, surprised that there was already food for the two of us.

"You wanted the Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, right?" he asked, and all I could do was smile.

"Yeah, thanks." He grinned at me, and we sat down to eat, not even thinking about being seen. Around halfway through our meal, John's hand found my own underneath the table, his fingers tracing patterns on my palm. And suddenly, he quickly pulled away, sat up straight. I looked up from my salad at him, curiously.

"John, what's going o-"

"Hey John!"

I leaned my head out of the booth, faintly recognizing the voice as Kennedy's. Pat was with him, and as soon as he saw me, his facial expression changed. He knew what was going on.

When they finally reached our table, Kennedy stared at John funny, before saying hi to me as well. Pushing himself into John's side of the booht, they started making small talk, about various members of the other bands on tour, what songs to play that night. I could feel Pat's eyes on me the entire time, even though I kept my eyes strictly focused on my salad and soup. It was just our luck, and our dumb mistake for them to come in.

Finally, when I finished my food, I looked up towards Pat. I wasn't sure if I glared or not, but it sure felt like it - a moment later, Pat mouthed the word "careful" at me, and I realized what I had to do.

"Well, John - thanks for letting me interview you for my grad project." I was good at making things up when I had to, and John played along just as well. "I should probably get back to the venue now. See you boys later!" After taking care of my plates, I walked out the door, but didn't head back towards the venue like I said I was. I took my time, walking down the street, waiting for my phone to vibrate.

FROM: John
Meet me in Starbucks in 10? I got Kennedy and Pat to finally leave me the fuck alone...

I laughed, and sent back a reply saying it was okay. I walked inside the Starbucks, and grabbed a table, watching out the window, waiting for John to come in.

It took him slightly longer then 10 minutes, but when he finally showed up, he didn't waste any time - walking up to me briskly, and connecting our lips in what felt like milliseconds. After a few seconds, he pulled away, before looking left and right.

"Before somebody else comes in here and ruins our time together..." he mumbled, and I smiled. Then the sudden realization that Pat knew, that Pat saw us together just then...

John went in line to get our drinks, and all I could think about was if I wanted to tell him or not. I didn't want him to be mad at me anymore - but I didn't want him to think that we were still off the radar. I was still fighting this internal conflict, trying to make a decision, when John came back with coffee for the two of us. Immediately, he could tell something was wrong.

"What's up?" he asked. When I didn't say anything, the tone in his voice changed - softer, more meaningful. "June, what's wrong?"

I now knew what Lindsay Lohan meant in Mean Girls, when she couldn't stop the word vomit from coming up. Next thing I knew, I had blurted it out.

"Pat knows."

John's expression didn't change much. He just sighed, and ran a hand through his hair absentmindedly. It took him a minute or two to say anything, but when he did, I could tell he was worried.

"When did he found out? And how?"

"A few days ago. He walked in on me getting dressed after taking a shower, he saw the hickey, and-"

"Hold up." John interrupted me, sounding serious. "You're saying Pat's seen you with hardly any clothes on? And I haven't? God June, I never knew you went for guys who looked like rats, c'mon now..." A smile tugged at the sides of his lips, and I knew he was kidding. Next thing I knew, we were both laughing, and I felt better - John knew how to make me feel alright, always.

"So, you're not worried or anything?" I asked, when we both finally calmed down.

"No, I'm worried." he started, and the smile fell from my face. "But not that much. I mean, who's Pat going to tell?"

"Um." I looked around, before continuing quickly, "I do hope you realize that Pat and Garrett have been friends almost as long as I have been friends with him. They know each other."

"Yeah, but I don't think Pat would just go running to Garrett screaming his lungs off about you and I being together, now would he?" John countered, but I still held my ground.

"That doesn't mean Garrett can't tell when Pat has a secret."

"June..." John sighed again, and I could tell whatever he was gonna say next was gonna hurt. "Garrett is going to have to find out eventually. And when he does, shit is gonna hit the fan. But right now...let's just enjoy this, alright? Let's enjoy us."

We dropped the subject after that. The sun was starting to set, and we walked back to the venue together, revelling in the silence that had set in. Garrett didn't say anything when he saw the two of us walk in together - instead, he just smiled at me, as he walked over to where we were.

"Have fun?"

"Yeah. I ran into John at Starbucks, and I got some information on him for my graduation project - relaxed, drank some coffee. It was a good afternoon. Yours?"

Garrett seemed to buy my story, and he went on about how he sketched some tattoo ideas. "You'll give me your opinion on them after our set, right?" I nodded, and figured since he let me out of his grasp for one afternoon, I could willingly spend some time with him.

I mean after all, what are best friends for?

---

I watched The Maine from the side of the stage that evening. The boys were excellent, per usual, putting their heart and soul into the performance. John especially was hamming it up for the crowd - his in between song banter playful and bright. At least, it was at first.

It was the time in the show where they'd play "The Way We Talk." - they had just finished "Count 'Em."

"How's everyone feeling tonight?!" John asked, as a chorus of teenage girls responded with screams and cheers.

"Well good!" A smile formed on his face, and mine too. It was silent on the stage for a moment, and someone from the audience took that to their advantage.

"John, I wanna fuck you!" The girls in the crowd screamed yet again, and John giggled.

"Whooooa, girl-" he responded, glancing my way for a brief second. "I already have somebody." Groans and boo's filtered out from the crowd, and John shrugged. "Sorry ladies!"

Pat began to count down into the next song, and John let out one final remark - "Well anyways, this song is called The Way We Talk - and it's going out to the girl I'm dying to fuck."

Screams filled the crowd yet again - and my heart froze. I knew that he had drank a bit before going on stage, but was he serious? Was everything he told me last week in the dressing room a load of bullshit? These thoughts preoccupied my mind for the rest of the set, and when the boys finished and walked off stage, I didn't even bother looking at John. Instead, I waited for Garrett, and grabbed his arm tightly, walking with him back to the dressing room.

"Whoa, June - you alright?" he asked, and I nodded.

I refused to leave Garrett's side for the rest of the night - he showed me his tattoo ideas, saying he was going to get it done when the tour finished in California. When he went outside to talk to fans, I did too - I didn't even want to see John.

But unfortunately when I finally did, I could tell he was drunk. We were all piled in the van, on the way to the hotel - Garrett driving, myself in the passengers seat.

"Dude John, I didn't know you were screwing somebody." Kennedy said, and I wanted nothing more to disappear in that moment. "Who?" I turned around, looking at Pat desperately. This could not be happening.

"It's, it's-" John started, and I made eye contact with him then. That seemed to sober him up, just a bit. "It's nobody, guys. I'm not with anybody. It was just.....stage banter, y'know?"

Kennedy seemed to buy that, and they all started talking about who they would fuck if they got a chance. I sighed, and faced forward in my seat. Garrett glanced over at me then.

"Aren't you glad I'm not that bad? John is such a whore though, I wouldn't be surprised if he was fucking somebody. It's in his nature." Again, another mention of John's promiscuity. Why was that all the boys ever talked about? The John I knew was someone completely different then that. And I really didn't want to be another name they could add to his list...

So when we got to the hotel, I was the last to get out of the van, opting to sit alone for a minute, collect my thoughts. A tap at the window surprised me, and the face behind the hand was definitely the last person I wanted to see.

"John, what the fuck are you doing." I mumbled, opening the door, and hopping out, into the cold.

"I came to talk to you, doll, what else? Seeing as you ditched me for Garrett all night long..." I could only hope that he had sobered up a bit since the van ride.

"Look, I really don't want to-"

"Are you mad because of what I said on stage earlier?" He knew. "Because I swear June, that was nothing, I was just...I had a bit too much to drink, my words got the best of me. I promise you - as slow as you want to take it. We could even go back to just talking, none of this-" his hand grabbed my own suddenly, his body pushing me to lean against the van. "Or this-" his other hand pulled my hair out of my face, brushing it back. His face crept forward towards my own.

"Or this..." he whispered, closing the space in between us, his lips making contact with mine. It was soft, gentle, and in that moment, I knew I had to forgive him.

We seemed to forget where we were though, as the kiss deepened slightly, my hands now running through his hair aimlessly. I was shaking to the bone when he finally pulled away, before kissing me one last time.

"C'mon, let's get you inside..." John's hand led me to the door, pushing in his card key into the slot. We walked down the hallway to where the two rooms were, and stopped outside of mine - both of his hands holding mine.

"Are we good now?" he asked, and the only thing I could do was nod. His lips met my own again, and then placed themselves on my forehead, briefly.

"Night, Junebug." He whispered, and walked over to his door, going in for the night. He looked over at me one more time, as I knocked on my room. Pat opened it up, and I walked inside.

"June?" I heard Garrett's voice call out, as I took my shoes and coat off, and made my way into the main part of the room. He saw me, and he looked concerned.

"June, we need to talk."