Count Me the Hours

"Do we really have to do this?" Garrett asked for the eighth time.

"Yes, Garrett, we do. But trust me, I'm not looking forward to this either," I said with a sigh.

"Well, I don't see why we have to do this."

"It's John and Mila's wedding...well, it's more of Mila's wedding, so we have to do things her way if we want to live past this wedding. And that includes ballroom dancing lessons. Hey, when you get married, you can call the shots," I joked as he pulled into the dance studio parking lot.

"Whatever," he grumbled, not sounding happy at all.

"Hey, it's only for two hours and you're not going to be the one in heels. I think you can deal. And besides, it could be worse," I assured him.

"How?" he asked, putting the car in park and turning off the engine.

"We could be here for ballet lessons," I teased, laughing as I stepped out of the car and straightened my dress.

For the lessons, Mila had requested that the girls all wear heels, that way we're already used to it for the wedding. It was just the bridal party at the lessons, so it promised to be interesting.

"You need smaller heels," Garrett commented as we walked along the sidewalk to the studio.

I glanced over at him and tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. I was just a bit taller than him in my heels and it was very strange.

"I'm sorry?" I guessed as he opened the door for me. Dree and Stephen were already inside, sitting in the chairs against the wall.

"Am I the only one who thinks this is a load of horse shit?" Dree asked when she saw us.

"Nope," Garrett said, raising his hand.

"At least you don't have to wear heels," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"That's exactly what I said," I mentioned.

At that moment, the bell over the door jingled and John walked in, followed by his younger sister Oakleigh.

"Hello, asshole!" Dree said, sounding a tad bitter.

John rolled her eyes and Oakleigh waved at me. I smiled and walked to her quickly before hugging her tightly.

"Where have you been?!" I demanded, holding her at arms length, looking her over. "I've been here for damn well a week and haven't heard a peep out of you!"

"I just got back from a month long trip to Rome to find out that my brother is getting married and I'm a bridesmaid," she said with a laugh.

"You look great, Oaks. And you're all grown up!"

"That's what happens when you haven't seen someone in three years," she joked, throwing me a wink.

"I guess you're right," I said with an awkward laugh.

In the years I'd spent dating John, Oakleigh had been a better sister to me than Mila could ever dream of being. We'd been close and like all of my other relationships, I'd cut it off when I left for college.

"Oaks, welcome back," Garrett said, hugging her tightly.

"Hey, bro!" she said excitedly. "Haven't cause too much trouble without me, have you?"

"Nah, just chilling."

In the next five minutes, Pat, Kennedy, and Jared arrived and while we all chatted, waiting for Mila to arrive, John was leaning against the wall, fiddling with his phone awkwardly.

"Is she on her way?" I asked, walking over to him.

He looked up at me, looking rather surprised. "Oh, um, I'm not really sure," he said with a quiet laugh. I simply nodded.

"I've been meaning to ask this; is she making all the decisions, or do you have any say in the matter?"

"Your mom's paying for it, so I'm letting Mila make all of the decisions," he said, shrugging.

"Bad move."

"What?"

"When I was seven and she was five, I let her pick which one of my Barbies she wanted to play with, and bam, ever since then, she's assumed she has control over everything when it comes to me and her.

"You've given her control o the wedding. Now, she's going to choose everything for you; color of paints in your apartment, the names of your kids, where you guys vacation, when you have sex, just everything," I informed him.

"Seriously?" John asked after thinking it over. I simply nodded before walking back over to Garrett and Oakleigh.

We waited another ten minutes before Mila walked into the studio, either oblivious to the fact that we'd been waiting there for twenty minutes, or simply not caring. She kissed John quickly and walked up to the desk to inform the woman sitting there that our party had arrived.

We were led into one of the private studios, compete with wood flooring and wall-length mirror on one wall. I looked around and nodded, rather impressed. The sound of our heels on the floor echoed through the room as we walked toward the instuctor.

"Welcome," she said with a warm smile. She was in her early fifties and her brown hair was cut in a short bob. Her English accent was very charming as well. "My name is Ella, and I'll be your instructor for the next three hours."

"Three hours?!" Garrett hissed, only quiet enough for me to hear him. I nudged him in the ribs and he smirked.

"The first dance a couple shares at their wedding defines their marriage and the love they share. While the two of you dance on your wedding day, your family and friends will be making bets on how long your marriage will last, and all you will have is each other and what you learn here today," she said, studying each of us individually before settling her eyes on Mila and John. "So, let us pair off and we shall get down to business. Miss Bishop, how would you like them?"

"Uhm, just pair off, we're not sure how it's going to be at the wedding," Mila said, turning to the rest of us.

We paired off, Garrett and I together, Dree with Kennedy, and Oakleigh with Jared. Pat and Stephen sat awkwardly in the corner, facing the mirror.

Ella spent half an hour going through each group, correcting our form and posture. She arranged Garrett and I very precisely. She placed his hand on my waist, mine on his shoulder. Our fingers laced together tightly.

Looking over at Dree and Kennedy, I couldn't help but laugh. Kennedy was constantly sending apologetic, guilty looks at Stephen, who seemed completely oblivious as to what was going on. His hand looked very tense as it barely rested on Dree's waist. Dree seemed indifferent to all of it, her hand firmly on Kennedy's shoulder.

She spent another fifteen reviewing simple steps. Finally, an hour into the session we actually started to dance, just back and forth, mostly in place.

I heard a quiet laugh out of Oakleigh, who was a few yards away with Jared. I glanced over and smiled. "How long have they been dating?" I asked quietly.

"A few months now. Is it that obvious?"

"Their fingers are laced. His hand isn't simply resting on her waist, he's holding her. They're not just standing there awkwardly like Dree and Kenny," I explained, shrugging slightly.

"Good observation," Garrett said, smiling. "You know, they kind of look like us."

"You think?" I asked with a frown, tilting my head as I looked over at Jared and Oakleigh.

"They look comfortable."

"They do," I agreed, smiling.

Several hours later, I had changed completely for the show.

Garrett had dropped me off after the lesson (which went really well) and informed me that Dree and Stephen would be picking me up for the show and that he would be taking me home afterwards.

Laying on my bed, waiting for Dree to pick me up, I dialed Sarah's number.

"I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, answering the call.

"It's been what, four days?" I asked with a teasing laugh.

"Well, a lot can happen in four days, including you dying."

"There is some truth to that,but I am, in fact, alive," I assured her.

"That's a good thing. How are things on the man front, with what's-his-name?"

"Alright, I suppose. We're just friends."

"That's how it always starts. With a friendship. Then some shared drinks, followed by passionate, drunken sex. There may be a child conceived, but then a quickie marriage to cover it up, then you're set for life."

"You can't be serious," I stated flatly.

"Oh, but I am. But, what are you two love birds doing tonight?"

"The band is playing a show tonight and he's requested that I be there."

"Wait, he's in a band?" Sarah asked, cutting me off.

"Yeah?"

"What does he play? Are they any good? Are they on iTunes?!" she asked in a whirlwind of questions.

"He plays bass, and yeah, they're good. And they're on iTunes. They're called The Maine," I explained slowly.

Sarah said nothing, but I heard the click of keys and finally she said, "Oh, hello."

I laughed. "I take it you found a picture."

"Oh, the things I would do to that boy. Which one is your ex?"

"The lead singer, John."

"He just looks like a douche," she said after a minute. "But dayum, why are you not in bed with that fine piece of man?"

"Because I'm not a slut, Sarah," I teased. At that moment, I heard the loud blare of a horn. "Shit, I've got to go. I'll text you later!" I said, leaping off the bed and grabbing everything and throwing it in my bag before rushing down the stairs, not even turning off all of the lights.

As I ran out of the garage, Dree blared her horn again. I gave her the finger as I walked around the car. I started to open the back door to get in, but Stephen, who was in the backseat, pointed to the front seat.

"You made Stepher sit in the back seat?" I asked in disbelief, shutting the door behind me.

"He's my bitch; he does what I tell him," Dree shrugged, putting the car in reverse.

"I perfer the term boyfriend actually," he interjected from the back.

"So, please tell me you're fucking Garrett tonight," she said, disregarding Stephen's comment.

I looked over at her and blinked. How could she be so blunt?

"We're not," I informed her, a blush slowly rising up my neck.

"Why the hell not? It's obvious that he wants to do very bad things to you, so just take a ride on his disco stick, you know, like a test drive kind of thing."

"You did not just make that referance," I said quietly, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I'm pretty sure she did," Stephen chimed in.

The rest of the twenty minute ride was quiet, mostly random, less awkward chatter took place.

When we got to the venue, we all piled out of Dree's car and headed toward the open garage door around back. Garrett was was waiting there for us. He smiled as we approached and once we got to him, he kissed my cheek.

"I'm glad you're here," he told me quietly, slipping his hand into mine. I said nothing, smiling up at him.

We walked silently back to the back stage area where the guys from This Century were getting ready to go on.

"How's the crowd tonight?" Stephen asked once we reached side-stage.

"They seem pretty good," Kennedy commented with a nod.

"Damn, I wish we were playing tonight," he said, shaking his head.

"Wait, you're in a band too?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, The Summer Set," he said with a modest smile.

"I see," I said, writing myself a mental note to check them out.

Soon, This Century was on and off the stage and A Rocket to the Moon followed. Garrett had headed back to the dressing room to change, leaving me with Kennedy and Pat. Dree and Stephen had wandered off somewhere, in search of alcohol probably.

When Garrett returned, he pressed his front against my back, snaking his arms around my waist. He kissed the crown of my head before resting his chin on my head as well.

"Are you comfortable?" I joked, elbowing him in the ribs lightly.

"Very," he mumbled quietly.

"What's going on after the show?" I asked, enjoying the warmth of his body against mine.

"Denny's, as always. I think we're having some drinks after that at John's."

"Ha, count me out for that," I said with a sharp laugh.

"I wasn't really planning on going," he said, shrugging.

"You can go, don't worry about me. I can get a ride from someone."

"You sure?"

"Completely. You don't have to spend every waking moment with me," I teased.

"Maybe I want to," he said quietly, toying with the hem of my tank top.

Rocket finished their set and ten minutes later, the rest of the guys were on side stage, doing their We Like to Party ritual. I smiled as I watched, very excited to see them play.

When I'd still been in college, I had seen them play with All Time Low, and it just blew me away when I thought about how far they've come.

"Kiss for good luck," Garrett asked with a wink, adjusting the strap of his bass.

I easily felt a blush start up my neck. "I, um, Gare," I managed, stuttering.

"I was kidding," he informed me, with a smile.

Before I could open my mouth to respond, someone from behind pushed me and the positioning was dead on and my lips landed on Garrett's in the most awkward kiss in history. My lips were against the corner of his, my mouth slightly open as I'd just started to speak. I had fallen into him as well, the bass pressing akwardly against my midsection.

I jerked away quickly, but before I could get too far to stammer an apology, Garrett slid his hand to the back of my neck and pulled me back to him, pressing his lips to mine for a second that passed too quickly. He pulled away with another wink, heading out on stage with the rest of the guys before anything else could happen.

I whipped around to see Dree, hand clamped over her mouth, her small frame shaking violently with barely containable laughter. Stephen held up his hands in defense and jabbed a finger towards her.

"I cannot believe you did that!" I hissed at her, my hands balled into fists causing my nails to dig into my palm.

"Oh, shut up! You liked it," she said once she'd regained her composure.

"I cannot believe you did that," I repeated, turning my back to her, focusing on the show.

In my opinion, the show didn't last long enough. The energy the crowd generated was insane and once the guys had left the stage, they demanded an encore, which the boys played.

Once they were completely done playing, Garrett set his bass down and wrapped his arms around me tightly.

"You're all sweaty!" I protested, laughing as I tried to escape his arms.

"Shower time," he said, walking back stage more.

"Wait," I said grabbing his hand.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I'm gonna stick around. Dree and Stephen are leaving now, so they've offered to drop me off," I explained, toying with his fingers as I spoke.

He frowned sadly, jutting his bottom lip out. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm beat," I said, smiling a bit.

"If you can wait a while, until I'm showered and have time to do some signing, we can skip Denny's and go straight home," he offered hopefully.

"No, go with the guys. Go to John's and don't rush to get home. I'll be there, most likely in a mini coma, but you know I want you there. You've barely had any guy time since I got here," I joked, knowing it was true.

"Okay. I'll see you in a few hours then," he said with a sigh, roping his arms around my waist, hugging me again. As he release me, he kissed my cheek, followed briefly by my lips. As we pulled apart, the tingling in my lips refused to go away.

"Yeah," I said, smiling, feeling the blush coming on again. I squeezed his hand before releasing it and walking away.

As I walked, I forced myself to stare straight ahead, knowing if I looked back, I'd stay, even though my body was begging me for sleep.

"Just take the plunge girl," Dree said on the way back to my house. "He kissed you already, so now it's your turn to make a move."

"That kiss hardly counts!" I argued. "It only happened because you pushed me in the first place, then he grabbed me. Besides, it was for good look."

"And what about the one before we left?" Stephen commented, leaning between the two front seats to guage my expression.

"You saw that?" I shot back at him quickly.

"Yep," he said proudly.

"Stupid Mexican," I muttered, looking out the window.

"Kid, the only way it could be more obvious that he wants you is if he was naked on your bed right now," Dree explained.

"Well, even if that is true, I don't know if I want to 'dive right in.' I don't know if I even want a serious relationship right now," I said defensively.

"Whether or not you want it to happen or not, that boy is falling for you," She said, stating what I already knew.

Hours later, I woke up to the sound of my door closing very quietly. I heard the light sounds of Garrett's foot steps and a flipped on the bedside lamp.

"Fuck, did I wake you up?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah, but it's alright," I said, smiling at him sleepily.

"Well, go back to sleep. I'm just going to change and I'll be right there," he said, grabbing a few things out of the drawer he'd claimed in my bureau before slipping into the bathroom.

Once he was changed, he pushed the door open like he always did. I left the bed and walked slowly toward the bathroom, leaning against the doorjam when I got there. I looked over my shoulder at my alarm to discover that it was nearly four.

"How was it?" I asked, smiling softly as he stood before me in a pair of sweat pants, shirtless.

"Good," he said, splashing some water in his face. "I wish you had been there though."

I smiled. "I was so tired I wouldn't have been any fun," I said honestly, shrugging a bit.

Garrett shrugged as well, wrapping his arms around me tightly, leaving us to lean against the doorjam together.

"Lu?" he asked quietly.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, half asleep, tilting my head up at him.

"Hi," he said quietly, pushing a piece of hair put of my face.

"Hi," I returned, smiling at him softly.

He sighed softly, leaning down and kissing my full on the lips.

Unlike the earlier kisses, he didn't pull away after a brief second, he stayed.

His lips were warm against mine and unbelieveably soft. I could taste the mint of his tooth paste, well mine actually, on his lips. His hand slid down my waist to my hip, his lips against mine flawlessly. My stomach fluttered as his tongue glided over my bottom lip before he
pulled away completely, leaving me a bit shocked.

He walked wordlessly to the bed and slid under the blankets and slowly I followed him. The second I was laying down, he pulled me to him, his body pressed against mine completely, not that I had any objections.