The Flood

I closed my eyes and sighed, trying to hold the tears back. It was 4:00PM on a Wednesday morning and in less than 3 hours Max, Craig, Robert and Monte would be back on their bus. Once again we had found ourselves gathered at Robyn’s house sitting in silence. I looked at my friends.

Robyn sat with her head resting on Craig’s shoulder, their fingers laced together, Shayla sat curled up in Robert’s lap, her head resting on his chest, Eden sat stoic and silent the only one of us not romantically involved with someone else in the room with Monte beside her, his eyes full of emotion as he looked at the girl that he had feelings for but that didn’t return them.

As for me I sat beside Max, his arm around me my head resting on his shoulder. We hadn’t figured out just what to do yet. There were two options that we could take and neither of them seemed to fit. The first one was that we could stay here and they could come visit when they wanted but that came the problem of we’d both miss each other way too much. The second was that they could quit the tour but both parties had flat out refused to even consider that option.

I guess there might have been a third but it hadn’t ever been brought up or acknowledged. The fact that we could go on tour with them. I mean how would it work? How would they explain to people who we were? Think about it, doesn’t it sound a little odd that you were rescued by a fan and ended romantically involved with said fan? Yeah that’s what I thought.

So now we sat here our hearts breaking with every second that ticked by. The past few days had been amazing as we’d introduced the guys to our other friends and showed them a good time around town. We’d done everything that we could to forget about today. “I’m going to miss you.” I murmured into Max’s chest as I tried to get even closer to him. “I know baby.” he said and kissed the top of my head.

Out of nowhere Robert’s phone rang and he shifted so that he could pull it out of his back pocket without dropping Shayla on the floor. “Hello?” he said into the phone. He was silent for few moments before nodding and hanging up. “We gotta go back to the hotel.” he said simply. We all knew what that meant.

Silently we all stood up and walked downstairs to the car that the guys had rented to drive around in while they were here. Max pulled me close his forehead resting on mine, the difference in 5’6 and 5’9 heights clearer as I was barefoot and he had on sneakers. “I love you.” he whispered bringing his hands up to either side of my face. He tilted my head up and kissed my lips softly before deepening it. A few moments later he broke the kiss and pulled me to him and hugged me. “I love you too.” I replied and kissed him once again before he got in the car.

I watched as Shayla said good bye to Robert and Robyn shared a kiss with Craig a smile on her face. I wondered how she could smile right now. I watched as they drove away, Robert laying on the horn until they turned the corner. We stood there for a moment before heading to Robyn’s apartment.

I grabbed my shoes and purse and headed back outside bidding my friends good-bye. I got in my car and drove home. I hadn’t spent much time there lately and my room had gone from a mess to a disaster since I only came here to change or grab clothes to take back to Robyn’s. I hadn’t remembered it being this bad but like I said I really hadn’t been here and hadn’t paid attention to the room.

I bent down to begin picking up the various articles of clothing on the floor to take to the laundry when I caught sight of myself in the mirror. The day before I had ended up locked in Eden’s bathroom along with Eden, Shayla and Robyn and a relaxing kit. Between the three of them they had managed to apply the relaxing solution to my hair and straighten my naturally curly hair. After that had been done Eden, who was currently attending beauty school, cut my hair giving me bangs and brining it from mid-back to a little longer than shoulder length while Robyn and Shayla had ran a flat iron over my hair.

I liked it. It was different and Max had seemed to like it too. I felt a pain in my chest as I thought about Max and sunk onto my bed. It was void of sheets due to the fact I’d had to wash them after the day we’d come here before going to the beach. They were probably in the dryer but I was too lazy to go get them.

I just sat there in the silence for awhile until suddenly ‘Hollywood Whore’ by Papa Roach started playing from my phone causing me to jump a foot in the air. I was surprised, not by the phone but by the ringtone, it was the one that I’d set as a joke for Craig when everyone had traded numbers. “Craig?” I asked opening the phone. “Hey Max asked me to call you.” he said. “Why? What’s going on?” I asked. “Well all he would tell me was that you need to go outside. Now.” he said. “Okay…” I said and hurried outside. I walked down the steps of my porch and looked around, “What the fuck are you talking abo-AHHHH!” I screamed as someone grabbed me around the waist.

“Miss me?” a voice whispered in my ear. “Max!” I said and turned around throwing my arms around his neck. “So is that a yes?” he asked. “Of course it is!” I knew that it had been about an hour since I’d last seen him but it felt like a lot longer since I thought it’d be months before I’d see him again. “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Well the guys and I were talking and we decided that we couldn’t leave you.” he said. “What?!? You can’t leave the tour! I won’t let you! We won’t let you!” I said.

Max laughed, “Calm down babe we’re not leaving the tour. We’re talking you with us.” he said. “Y-You’re taking us with you? On tour? For the summer? On the bus?” I asked. He gave me a grin and took my hands in his. “Yes that would be what ‘we’re taking you with us’ means.” he said. I threw my arms around his neck again and crashed my lips into his. A moment later he pulled away, “Not that I don’t enjoy this but we need to get to the bus.” he said. “Oh my god you’re right! I have to go pack!” I said and hurried inside, Max on my heels.

I stopped midway into the house and he slid to a stop behind me, I turned around and smacked him on the arm. “Ow! What the hell was that for?” he asked. “That Maxwell Scott Green is for scaring the hell out of me a minuet ago.” I said. “Okay, I’m sorry now we need to-” he said but I cut him off and nodded and continued into the house.

I ran to my dresser and pulled it open the first drawer but it was empty as was the next one and the two below that. “Where the hell are all my clothes? They can’t all be dirty!” I said looking at the floor. I was a girl and therefore hadquite a bit alot of clothes so the pile by my door was only a fraction of what was in my drawers.

“I was going to tell you before you rushed in here. Yesterday when you and your girls were in the bathroom doing your thing Craig, Bryan and Robert and I went to all of your houses and packed your shit. It’s currently under the bus waiting for you.” he said. "You let your friends touch my underwear? Ew!" I said. He shook his head, "I took care of your clothes don't worry." he smiled "Wait, my friends knew?” I asked. “Robyn yes, Shayla and Eden no.” he replied. “But what about my-” I said but he cut me off,

“Your pillow, you ipod, Cds, laptop, everything is on the bus so lets go!” he said with a laugh. “Where’s the bus at?” I asked as we walked out the front door but he didn’t have to respond as I saw the big black tour bus parked right outside my house. I took off running toward the bus and climbed inside. Robyn, Eden and Shayla were already inside sitting on the couch. I saw Robyn and walked up to her first,

“You bitch!” I said. “What?” Robyn said with a smile. “You let me think that they were leaving! You let me get all depressed over the fact that my boyfriend was leaving so you could do my hair!” I said. “Hey at least you’re here now right?” Robyn asked. “Yes but that’s not the point!” I said sitting down across from Robyn. She smiled and I gave her a glare, “I hate you.” I said and her smile got wider, “Love you too.” she said.

Max came and sat beside me before lying back and resting his head in my lap. “I’m so happy you’re here.” he said with a smile. “So am I baby.” I said and leaned down and kissed him on the lips. “So are you two lovebirds ready to go?” Craig asked walking into the room. “More than ready Craigafer.” I said with a smile. “Then here we go.” he said and the bus began to move.

“Where are we going?” I asked. “First stop is Philadelphia so we have 11 hours on this bus.” Max said. “Awesome.” I replied and sat back to watch the city go by outside the bus while absentmindedly playing with Max’s hair, twisting it around my fingers and just running my fingers through it in general.

Eventually it got too dark to see out the windows and Max fell asleep on my lap. “Maxy? Max, wake up.” I said shaking his shoulder lightly. “What?” He mumbled in his sleep. “You’re asleep on my legs babe. Why don’t you go to bed?” I said. “Only if you go with me.” he said with a sleepy smile. “Fine just get off me please?” I asked. He rolled to the floor and stood up. He stuck his hand out for me to take which I did and fallowed him to the back of the bus.

“We had to rearrange a few things to make all your stuff fit. I don’t get why you need so much stuff.” he said with a laugh. “To make ourselves look good for you.” I said. “Oh so you blame it all on us I see how it is.” he said stopping in front of one of the bunks. “This is my bunk,” he said pointing to one in the middle of three, “And this one is yours.” he said pointing to one above his. “Sweetness.” I said and pulled the curtain back to find two giant suitcases and a big cardboard box shoved in there.

“What the fuck?” I asked and looked at Max who had a giant grin on his face. “Why is my bunk full of stuff?” I asked. “Because I figured that you’d rather sleep in my bunk.” He said still smiling. “Ah…gotcha. You want full access to sex 24/7 right?” I asked. He laughed, “That’s part of it and don’t deny that you’d like that as well but I want to be close to you too.” he said pulling me close. “Aw.” I said and kissed him. “Let me change clothes and then we can go to bed, ‘kay?” I asked. “Sure. All your stuff is up here, let me get it for you. What do you want for bed?” he asked scaling the bunks and unzipping one of the suitcases.

“Uh…is there a pair blue shorts in there?” I asked. “These?” he asked pulling out my blue pj shorts. “Yep and just hand me some random shirt.” I said. “Ooh…I like this one.” He said and handed me a black t-shirt. “Where is the bathroom?” I asked. “It’s the door just past that last row of bunks.” he said. I walked to the bathroom and walked into the cramped bathroom.

I pulled off my jeans and shirt and pulled on the shorts and shirt that Max had given me and laughed as I caught sight of the shirt. It was my Escape The Fate t-shirt I’d worn to the concert a few days before. I shook my head and pulled my hair up into a ponytail and walked out of the bathroom but Max wasn’t there.

“Max?” I asked and suddenly an arm snaked out of one of the bunks and pulled me into the bunk. Max’s scent instantly filled my nose and his lips met mine. We stayed like that for awhile until we both needed air. After that I rolled over so that my back was against the wall and he was on his side facing me. “I like your pillow.” I said and I did it was super soft. “It’s yours.” he said. “Mine?” I asked.

“Yeah sometimes is good to have the comforts of home on tour and I figured since we’re sharing a bunk that we could use your pillow and my blanket is that okay?” he asked. “Yes thank you.” I said. He put his arm around my middle and pulled me closer in the bunk if that was possible. “Good night.” I said and kissed him on the lips. “Good night.” he said and kissed me back and with the sound of our friend’s voices and the movement of the bus we fell asleep.