Romeo In Blue Jeans

I couldn't help but fidget as the bus got closer and closer to the exit for Miami.

"Calm down." John chuckled.

"I'm sorry. I'm just so happy and excited." I answered.

We parked outside my dad's house ten minutes later. The same two floor beige house I use to live in. His car was parked outside and I ran out of the bus as the guys finished getting ready. I rang the doorbell but he didn't open the door. I tried calling him too but he didn't answer. I sighed and sat on the floor with my back against the door. I brought my knees against my chest and shivered.

"Of course, he knows we’re coming today and he decides not to be here. It's just like him to do this." I said and whipped a tear from my cheek. I heard the guys walking towards the door.

"Did she already go inside?" Pat asked. I guessed they couldn't see me since my dad's car was in front of me.

"I'm so glad that she's happy." Kenny said.

"Same he-" Jared started but stopped dead in his tracks when they saw me.

"He’s not here." I said and tears finally streamed down my face. John rushed over to be and wrapped his arms around me.

"Love, don't cry." he soothed me.

"How could he not be here if he knew we were coming?" I asked.

"He probably has a good reason why he's not here." Pat said.

Then, a car pulled over. I looked up from my knees to see a black Mercedes. The car turned off and my dad and his girlfriend stepped out. I stood up and ran to my dad. He enveloped his arms around me and I sobbed.

"Hey, kiddo," he chuckled. "Why are you crying?"

"I thought you forgot we were coming." I answered.

"Of course not. We were just getting some things to make for you."

I stepped back and whipped my eyes. I hugged Marie and waved for the guys to come over. They walked over shyly.

"Dad, this is John, Pat, Garrett, Kennedy, Jared, Aaron, Vito, Tim, and Max. They're the guys I'm touring with." I introduced the guys and they all shook my dad's and Marie’s hands.

We were helping my dad with the groceries and John and I were the only ones still getting bags from the trunk.

"Are you okay now?" John asked.

"Yeah, I'm sorry". I answered.

He stroke my cheek and stared into my eyes. "You don't have to apologize for anything, love." He pressed his lips against mine and I smiled.

"I love you." I smiled. He smiled and kissed me again.

"I fucking love you too." he said and I chuckled. I pressed my lips against his.

"What’s taking so long kiddo?" my dad said and John and I jumped apart. My dad looked at both of us. I grabbed the last bag blushing, entwined my fingers with John's and rushed inside. The house looked completely different. There was new furniture everywhere. We settled the bags in the kitchen and I looked to the backyard. Even the pool had been redone.

"What do you think?" My dad asked.

"You have a very beautiful home, sir." Jared said.

"Thank you." My dad smiled.

"Why did you change everything?" I asked.

"Marie moved in when you left with your friends and we woke up one morning with the urge to change everything." My dad answered.

"And that car?" I asked.

"Mine. My old car is Marie’s now." He smiled. I couldn't believe how great everything had become without me here. Not that it was bad at all when I was here.

“That’s great.” I faked a smile.

“Don’t be sad, kiddo.” He said, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. “It’s just a few changed. How about this, tomorrow, we’ll go play some baseball? Just like the old days.”

“Fine.” I couldn’t pass out on that.

"Show the guys your old room and then come back to help me cook." Marie said brightly. I sighed and the guys followed me up the stairs.

"What’s wrong?" John asked, entwining his fingers through mine.

"I guess I just pictured everything to be the same, but it's not." I answered. "I'm still happy though."

"That’s the spirit." Garrett said.

We stood in front of my old bedroom door now. I turned the knob and stepped inside. The walls were still white with the quote "we'll find peace while others change" written over my bed. It was still the same big queen bed with the extra comfortable stuffing purple comforter and extra pillows. I had grabbed some Christmas lights and put them over the quote. My computer desk was clean with just a couple of old books. Everything was just the way I had left it and super clean.

"Love the quote." Vito said. I laughed.

"Thanks." I grinned.

"Is your room still the same?" Jared asked.

"Yeah, it's intact. Just the way I left it." I smiled and looked around again. I could feel my eyes watering. "We should go downstairs."

They still noticed the stuffy sound of my voice. John wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him.

"I don't want you to cry, love. Be happy, please. You're too beautiful to cry, my angel." he whispered.

"You’re the one that's going to make me cry now." I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You guys are so cheesy." Kenny said.

"But it's cute" Max added.

We headed downstairs again and my dad asked the guys to follow him while I helped Marie cook. I pouted and John kissed my head since my Marie was there, and went outside with everyone. I was chopping vegetables as Marie washed the chicken. We were making chicken, mashed potatoes, and veggies.

"So, that boy." Marie winked.

"What about him?" I blushed.

"I can tell you really like him."

"No," I smiled. "We’ve been together for almost two months, and I know I don't like him. I love him."

"That’s good. I'm happy for you." Marie smiled.

"Has my dad said anything?"

"Yeah, he's going to talk to him."

"About what?" I asked.

"You know how he is." Marie chuckled.

"Oh, no." I sighed.

"What’s with the heavy sigh, sport?" My dad asked as he came back inside with the guys.

"You should know, dad." I eyed him evilly and chopped the veggies harder.

"Woah, we don't need one of your hospital drives." My dad laughed. I sighed again and let go of the knife. "Are you ladies almost done? I'm starving."

"Almost." Marie answered.

"Isn’t there a game on that you could watch while we finish?" I asked as I started cooking the chicken. The guys snickered with laugher behind my dad.

"Let’s go find out." my dad said and left to the living room with the guys. A minute later, I heard the flat screen turn on with a baseball game.

"So, how 'in love' are you with him?" Marie asked.

"Very in love." i answered.

"So you've gone that far with him?" she asked.

"What? No." I blushed and hurried putting another chicken in the frying pan. It slipped out of the fork and splashed some of the hot seasoning on my arm. That's what I get for pulling up my sleeves go cook and for being such a klutz. I yelled and jumped away from the stove. I grabbed my arm, it was burning a lot.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?" Marie asked, turning down the stove.

"It stings." I answered with tears streaming down my cheeks now. It wasn't a bad burn, just two drops had hit my skin, but it still stung.

"It’s okay, honey." Marie said as she dabbed it with a soft towel that she had wet with cold water.

"Carter?" John asked as he peeked his head into the kitchen. He noticed me crying and hurried to me. "I had a feeling that something had happened. Are you alright? What happened?"

"Some of the hot seasoning splashed and hit my arm." I answered. "It really stings."

"It’s okay, don't cry. I'll make it go away." he said and stroke my tears away. "Let’s go upstairs to your bathroom. I know the perfect cure."

He kept his arm around me as we walked upstairs to my room. I locked my room door and went into my bathroom. John picked me up and sat me in the counter of the sink and grabbed a tube of tooth paste. He squeezed a small bit out and put rubbed it in my arm where it was red now.

"I promise that this is going to help it." he smiled.

"And I'll smell minty fresh." I said and we both laughed.

"I love how you usually smell, though." he smiled, wrapping his arms around my waist as I was still sitting in the counter. "You always have a soft lavender scent and I love it."

I blushed. "I didn't know that."

"Now you know, then." He chuckled and kissed me. “I pay a lot of attention to you, Carter.”

"How’d you know something had happened? No one else did." I asked.

"Because no one has the same connection we have. I had this feeling that I needed to get to you. It was the same feeling I had when the crowd surfer kicked you, or when that mike guy showed up at your house. I never knew something like it could be possible, but now I know it can and I'm glad because I can protect you." he explained. I couldn't help but loosing myself in his eyes. Everything he said was just perfect. He was perfect.

"Every time I'm away from you for the few minutes, I feel anxious and not complete and I despise that feeling." he added.

"I've had that too. Like a piece of me is missing and I hate it. I love the way your arms feel protective around me. The way you look at me and I love the butterflies I still get when you kiss me." I smiled.

"Would it be weird if I said that I adore the fact that I still get those butterflies too every time we kiss or whenever I simply stroke your cheek?" he stroke my cheek softly and I smiled.

"Butterflies?" I asked. He chuckled and nodded. "Me too."

"I love the way you are inside and out. The way you're caring and kind with everyone. The way that you get along with everyone and that you're always cheerful no matter what. I simply love you." he said.

"You know, I've never believed in true love until now. You prove me wrong and now I understand that it is real and I couldn't be sharing it with anyone better than you." I said. He smiled and kissed me again.

"I think Kenny was right," he said in between our kiss. "We’re cheesy but it's cute."

I chuckled and agreed. All this talk about us had just made our whole kiss more intense. His arms were pulling me closer and I wrapped my arms around his neck. My legs were around him, allowing his chest to be against mine. I moved my hands down to his collar. I undid the first button of his shirt, then the second, and the third. He carefully ended the kiss and stared into my eyes.

"Love, we can't. Not now." he whispered.

"I'm sorry." I said and looked down at the floor, embarrassed. He softly lifted my cheek to look into his eyes.

"I want to, love, but we have to get back downstairs. Don't be embarrassed." he smiled.

"How could I ever be angry with myself with a boyfriend like you?" I smiled.

"There’s no reason for you to be mad at yourself. I wish we could right now too." he grinned.

I chuckled. "We should go downstairs, then."

"We should. How's your arm?" he asked, buttoning his shirt.

"You know I had completely forgotten about it." I chuckled.

"Good, my trick worked then." he smiled. He wet my arm with cold water so it wouldn't be sticky with toothpaste. He kissed me before we headed downstairs again.

We ate and all before we all went to shower and get ready for the show. We climbed in the bus at 3 and headed out to the venue. My dad and Marie were followed us in their car. We arrived to the venue and headed inside with this century. Marie and my dad left to the front to the bar as we hanged in the green room.

"I still can't believe my dad really showed you guys my baby pictures." I sighed when Garrett brought up a picture of me when I was five years old in the hospital with a cast covering my right my arm.

"There weren't any embarrassing ones." Pat said.

“Those are in another album. I made sure those were never opened around company.” I said. "Now you guys know how clumsy i really am, though.”

"That’s nothing new, though." Joel said.

"I love your clumsy self. No, I don't like you getting hurt, but it's who you are." John said and I smiled.

The guys performed and as I took pictures, I saw my dad and Marie in the bar watching the show. John attempted to keep the show pg-13 and I would chuckle when a bad word would slip and he would apologize.

My dad and Marie left the show early since they were tired, but we were all waking up early so we could go play baseball in the morning. We were staying in a hotel nearby their house and my dad gave me the extra house keys to go over the next morning. After the meet and greet, we headed to the hotel, exhausted.