Romeo In Blue Jeans

The next morning, I opened my eyes to see John's peaceful sleeping face. His arms were still wrapped around me, pulling me close. He opened one of his eyes and smiled.

"Hi." I whispered.

"Good morning." he yawned and ducked his face under my chin.

"Your little beard's tickling me." I chuckled. He didn't have a lot of facial hair, but it tickled.

"Did you sleep alright?" he asked, staring into my eyes again.

"Yeah, because I slept on your arms." I smiled. He grinned and kissed me.

"Can you guys keep it down?" Pat groaned sleepily.

"Don’t do THAT when we're in the same room." Garrett added. We had roomed in the same room while everyone else was in the one next door. I threw them one of my pillows. I jumped up and bounced up and down.

"At what time do we have to be at your dad’s?" John asked.

"Eleven." I answered.

"Be careful, love," he added as I kept jumping on the bed. "I don't want you to fall and hurt yourself."

"I know, but I'm so excited and happy." I said before jumping on top of Garrett and Pat.

"Good thing she doesn't weigh anything." Pat chuckled.

"Good thing we love her too." Garrett said before he started tickling me.

"No fair!" I laughed. "You guys are stronger."

After several attempts of me trying to tickle them, and me losing every time, I gave up and jumped away. I left to shower.

I came back out drying my hair with a towel and the guys had fallen asleep again. I smiled, grabbed my camera, and took a picture of them. I covered John with the blanket more and kissed his forehead. I quietly closed the door behind me and I went downstairs to the front desk.

"Good morning," The boy smiled. He couldn’t be older than John. His chocolate brown eyes looked me up and down, making me feel awkward. "How can I help you?"

"I was wondering if someone could cater breakfast to our room." I said.

"Of course, but you could call us whenever you have another question." He gave me a flirty smile.

"I know, but I wanted to be the one to take it upstairs if that was okay?" I said and he nodded.

"You can come back in ten minutes." he said and I thanked him before leaving.

I wondered around the hotel for those ten minutes. I came back to the front desk and there was a big cart with breakfast waiting for me. I thanked him and handed him my bank card. He shook his head and smiled. I begged him to charge me, but he refused and assured me it was on the house. I thanked him and left upstairs with the cart. Of course I wasn't mentioning the free part to the guys. John would definitely get jealous. I went in the room and jumped in john's bed. He chuckled and wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm sorry we fell asleep." he said.

"Don’t apologize for that, you guys needed your sleep." I said. He smiled and kissed me.

"What smells so good?" Garrett asked.

"Breakfast." I said, jumping out of bed. I uncovered the trays. They were full of scrambled eggs, toast, cinnamon rolls, bacon, and sausages. There were also a jar of milk and orange juice. They had put extra plates, forks, and cups in the bottom part of the cart.

I went to the other room and woke up everyone. I had to drag Tim out of the bed. He decided to be funny and lie down in the floor and let me drag him to the other room.

"Fine, no breakfast for you." I said and locked the door. A second later, he was knocking and apologizing. I laughed and let him in.

"Another win for Carter." Aaron laughed.

We finished eating breakfast and picked up everything. The guys showered and we were in the bus less than 2 hours later. We were heading back to my dad's house.

Somehow, we had all managed to fit in my dad’s range rover and we went to my old high school. The huge field was empty, making me recall old memories.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” John asked, snapping me back to reality.

“Just thinking back.” I smiled and grabbed his hand. “Come on.” We both ran to the baseball field with everyone else following.

We were all warming up when a car parked behind my dad’s. Three people I recognized climbed out and waved over at us. My uncle and aunt made their way to us, giving me a tight hug. I introduced them to the guys and they were glad to meet. One person stuck behind them, ruining the positive vibe around me. She stood with her blonde hair flapping in the air. Her brown eyes were hidden behind her sun glasses and two earphones blocked out any outside sound. I smiled, seeing as I should at least try to be nice since she was my cousin, Jen. I didn't really get along with my cousin since she always thought she was better than everyone. She ignored my smile and sat in the benches under the shade. I grabbed my dad and dragged him away from anyone’s hearing range.

“What is she doing here?” I asked.

“She’s your cousin.” My dad answered.

“You know we have never gotten along. Now she’s just going to sit there with her bitchy mood and ruin everyone else’s day.” I said.

“Be nice.” He said before walking back to the field.

“I don’t guarantee anything.” I called after him. I groaned and looked up at the clear sky.

“So she seems nice.” Kenny said, trying to lighten the mood as the guys surrounded me.

“Never mind her.” I told the guys. “I’m not going to let her ruin my day.”

“That’s the spirit.” Vito said.

“Batter up!!” My dad called from the middle of the field, bouncing a baseball on his hand.

We played a few rounds of baseball. I was next to bat. John stood in third base cheering me on. My dad was pitching as everyone else was scattered around. I was in the team with John, Pat, Garrett, Tim, and Vito, and we were winning so far. The teams were uneven since Jen decided to be a bitch and sit in the benches by herself. We had fun without her nonetheless. My dad threw the ball my way and I swung the bat, hitting it head on and it flew deep into the sky. I didn’t stay long to watch. I dropped the bat and made my way to first base, then to second base and third. I heard my team assuring me I had time to make it to the last base. I ran as fast as I could, wondering who had the ball. I spotted my uncle in third base catch the ball and ready to throw it at Max, who stood in home base. I somehow managed to make my legs go faster. I slid into home base two seconds before Max caught the ball. My team erupted into cheers. I dusted myself off and John’s body crashed into mine, picking me up and spinning me around. I chuckled as he set me down and gently pressed his lips against mine.

Everyone made their way back into the cars so we could head home. The rest of the day was pretty simple. We made it back to my dad’s house at 3:30. As my dad and uncle made barbecue, the guys and I showered and cleaned up. After, we were all sitting in the big table outside. As we ate, I was laughing and joking around with the guys and I caught her staring.

The adults sat outside and in went inside with the guys to my room. We were playing on the wii with my flat screen when I noticed my door creek open. I walked over to open it to see my cousin standing there, angry.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I've stood your shit all night. How could you possibly have a better life than mine? It's obviously impossible. You've been sleeping with all of them like a little whore. You're just a clumsy unstable slut that no one loves. Just look at how great your dad's doing without you." She said, laughing. I just stared at her. How could she say such horrible things? I didn’t think I had ever been so pissed off in my entire life.

"You've stood my shit all night? I've stood YOUR shit all of my life. I'm still a virgin unlike you. You go through guys like there's no tomorrow. I'm experiencing true love and I've worked hard for what I'm doing today. What have you done with your life? Be a slut and bring everyone around you down. Get out of my life and I hope to never hear from you again." I slammed the door in her face. Her expression was completely shocked.

I could feel the guys staring at me, but I didn't want to turn around and face them. I sobbed and fell to my knees. Tears streamed down my face as I heard the guys rush over to me. Hands patted my back and hair, but I didn't want to look up. I couldn't believe they had witnessed me doing that.

"Carter, look at us." Kenny said. I sobbed and looked up at them. Their eyes were filled with concern.
John held out his hand to me. I took it and he helped me up. He picked me up into his arms and sat me down on my bed.

"Don’t cry, love. It's okay. You did the right thing." John said as he stroke my hair.

"I'm sorry that I acted the way I did." I sobbed.

"Why are you apologizing about that?" Pat asked.

"She deserved it for saying that shit." Jared said.

"If you didn't tell her off, I was." Garrett added.

"We’re proud of you." Kenny smiled.

"Proud?" I asked.

"Yes, because we know you don't let anyone step over you and that you know how to defend yourself." Tim answered.

"So you guys don't hate me for seeing me be a bitch?" I asked.

"You could never be defined as a bitch. In her case, her picture should be next to the definition in a dictionary." Max answered.

"You’re always going to be my perfect, kind, smart, beautiful, strong, talented, little angel." John said as he whipped my tears.

"We don't love you any less." Vito said.

"Yeah, like they said, we're glad and proud that you told her off." Aaron added.

"With friends like you guys, I could never hate myself." I chuckled.

"And there's no need for you to ever hate yourself." Garrett said.

"Ever." John assured me with a gentle kiss.

The guys continued playing on the wii and I was sitting in my bed watching. I started feeling sleepy. I lay back and started dozing off.

---------------------------------------------------

John POV

"I win!" Pat cheered. Jared handed the remote to Aaron and sat down on one of the extra chairs in Carter's room.

"Guys." Garrett whispered. We turned around and saw that Carter had fallen asleep. Her small form lay peacefully on top of her covers across her bed. I chuckled and stood up. I picked her up into my arms and Garrett moved the covers before I lay her down and covered her again. I lay down next to her under the covers and she snuggled closer to me, resting her cheek on my chest. I smiled and stroke her hair.

"It’s a good thing that she's taking a nap." Kenny said.

"Yeah, we always go to sleep late and she somehow always manages to wake up early." Garrett agreed.

"And besides that, she helps us with everything so she must really be exhausted." Max added.

I stroke her hair as I watched the guys. I kissed her head and smiled at how peaceful my perfect angel looked. Garrett had wanted to go downstairs and tell her cousin off, but we convinced him to let her be. We heard her leave with her parents a bit later and then someone knocked on Carter's door. I slowly got out of bed and opened the door to see Carter's dad.
"Hello, sir. Is it time for us to leave?" I asked.

"No, no. You boys can stay. Or were you going back to the hotel?" he asked.

"No, we were going to stay in the bus tonight." I answered.

"I see Carter fell asleep." he chuckled. He turned back to me and said: "Can you come outside with me to talk?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure." I answered, nervous, and followed him. I did get to see my friends' faces before I left. They had confused expressions like mine. I followed Carter's dad to the backyard and we stood by the lake, away from the house.

"Is something wrong, sir?" I asked after s minute of awkward silence.

"I wanted to talk to you about my daughter." He said, staring into my eyes, serious.

"What about your daughter?"

"I can tell that you two are in love." he said.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I've watched her closely these two days and I can see she really does love you, and that you love her as much, but how can you prove to me that your love for my daughter is real?"

"I've never met such an amazing person like her. When I'm with her, my whole life seems to be at ease and great. Since we met her, there hasn't been a bad day, a horrible show, and argument or anything of the sort. There's a strong connection between us and everyone's felt it. The day I met her, my whole life changed. We’re young, but I know that this is real. I want to give her everything I can because she deserves everything in the world. I want to be there, protecting her, always by her side. She’s the most important person in my life. Now and forever." The answer seemed to easily flow from me. He stared at me and I found it as the time to finally ask him: "If that does not prove how much I love your daughter, I know we've been dating for almost 2 months, but I want to ask you for your daughter's hand in marriage."

His eyes grew wide and I suddenly felt like running away. Or flying away. Fast.

"Sir?" I asked when he never said anything.

He looked down and chuckled. "Would it be wrong of me to say that Marie and I can also feel your connection?"

"Really?" I asked.

"Yes, and I can't tell you how great of a guy I find you to be. I know you can treat my daughter right and love her how she should be loved. So, yes." He smiled.

I swear I had never had such strong butterflies in my stomach, until that moment in my life.

"Seriously?" I smiled. He nodded. "Thank you so much!"

He chuckled and hugged me. "Welcome to the family, son."

--------------------------------

Carter POV

I opened my eyes. When had I fallen asleep? I sat up in my bed and the guys were still playing. John wasn't there, though.

"Where did John go?" I asked.

"Had a nice nap, sleepy head?" Tim asked. I nodded.

"He went downstairs with your dad." Pat answered my question.

"What?" I jumped out of bed and ran out of my room. I looked all over the house but didn't find them. I spotted them outside by the lake. I ran as fast as I could.

"What’s going on?" I asked when I reached them. I noticed a huge smile grow in John's face when he looked at me.

"Good morning, kiddo." my dad ruffled my hair.

"It’s passed nine p.m." I told him. "What are you guys doing out here?"

"Just needed to talk." My dad smiled, winked at John, and left. This confused me even more.

"I'm so lost." I sighed. John laughed, wrapped his arms around me, and spinned me around. I laughed and he settled me down. I turned to my dad, confused of what was going on.

"Think fast, sport." he said and threw me his range rover car keys. I actually caught them.

"What am I supposed to do with these?" I asked, confused.

"Go out with your friends and enjoy your last night here." my dad winked. I smiled and hugged him.

We called the guys downstairs and climbed into my dad's range rover. John sat next to me in the passenger seat and the rest of the guys were cramped in the back and trunk, but they still fit.
I didn't know where to drive at first, but then decided to drive north 30 minutes away to Fort Lauderdale. It was where I would always go for concerts. As I was driving, I recognized the street names

"So where are we going?" Tim asked.

"Beach.” I grinned and parked the car in the first spot I found. We climbed out of the car and made our way into the soft sand. It was dark as the waves smoothly crashed against the shore.

John wrapped his jacket around my shoulders and we walked down the shore, passing small stores, restaurants, and bars that were open late. We grabbed a few drinks and continued walking.

We didn’t realize how late it was. My phone had died long ago and we walked back to the car. The timer read 2 in the morning. The guys fell asleep in the back seat as John drove and I sat in the passenger seat next to him. His fingers tangled through mines.

“Did you have fun?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m happy we had the chance to come.” I smiled.

“I’m glad you’re happy.” He answered.

“Are you going to tell me what you and my dad talked about?” I asked.

“He wanted to make sure that I would treat you right and if I really loved you.” He said.

“And I’m guessing you won over his heart.” I grinned.

“I can’t deny how much I love you.” He smiled, giving me a quick glance before looking back at the road ahead. I gave his hand a soft squeeze and kissed it. His hand stroke my knuckles softly. John parked the car in my dad’s house 20 minutes later and the bus was on, waiting for us. The guys woke up and go out sleepily. I climbed out of the car and we knocked on my dad's house. He opened the door a minute later.

"You’re back." he sighed. "You gave me a heart attack, sport."

"Sorry we’re late, dad. My phone died." I said.

"You boys look exhausted." My dad told the guys.

"Yeah, we're heading out extra early so we can sleep." Aaron answered.

"I understand." My dad smiled. "It was great meeting you all."

After goodbyes, I hugged my dad.

"I'm going to miss you, kiddo.”

“I’m going to miss you too, dad.” I said against his chest, feeling tears sting my eyes. “Promise to visit us when we settle in Arizona.”

“Promise.” He smiled and hugged me again. After hugging Marie a goodbye, I climbed the bus with the guys. A tear slid down my cheek and John whipped it away.

“Hey, don’t cry.” He whispered.

“Sorry. They’re happy tears. I promise.” I answered, and it was true. I was happy. Nowhere near sad.

“I’m surprised nothing hit Carter today while we played baseball.” Tim said, making me laugh.

“I’m sorry my clumsiness didn’t entertain you today.” I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

We changed into our pjs as the bus drove into the highway, heading north towards Orlando. John tucked me in bed and hummed me a smooth melody. I felt myself drifting off. He kissed the top of my head and closed the curtain of my bunk, leaving to him. I sighed. I had finally seen my dad again after so many years and he liked the guys. He really did like John? I would have thought a background check, but nothing. There was something John hadn’t told me of what he and my dad talked about, and I was going to find out. I was determined to know what my dad had told him.