Keep Your Heart Wide Open.

They continued to watch the rest of the set and barely spoke to each other, just happy to be together. By this time The Maine was more than halfway through their set and the crowd was as wild as ever, screaming along with John as he belted out the lyrics to My Heroine. Gianna looked up at the stage nodding towards John, silently thanking him. He smirked and continued to sing along, picking up the microphone and walking around to the other side of the stage. Joel’s mouth moved close to Gianna’s ear and he whispered. “Do you want to get out of here?”

Just the sound of his smooth voice sent chills throughout her being. It was a feeling that she had missed dearly. She turned to Joel and smirked. “Won’t your fans miss you?”

He shrugged his shoulders and shook the hair out of his eyes. “They’ll survive. I haven’t seen you in so long and we have some catching up to do.” With that he moved his hand to the small of her back, leading her out of the venue and to the place where the buses were parked. When they exited the club there was an immediate change in temperature and Gianna shivered. Joel wrapped his arm around her tightly, leading her onto This Century’s tour bus.

They sat at the table in the front of the bus with their hands out straight. Joel picked up Gianna’s hand, feeling each finger individually as if he never wanted to forget what it felt like. He turned her hand over so that her palm was facing the ceiling and he drew shapes lightly into her skin. Gianna couldn’t help but giggle at the tickle of his touch, sending a whole new set of butterflies into her stomach. She looked into his eyes and bit her lip. “How could I have ever been angry at you?”

Joel chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Trust me; I was the one that was being stupid. How could I have ever let you go?” He whispered the question and it hung in the air for the moment as the pair of them let it sink in. Gianna cleared her throat and looked down at their intertwined hands, nervously. Joel reached out and put his thumb and index finger under her chin, bringing her to look at him. “You know you’re amazing, right? The best girl I’ve ever known. And I’m never going to let you go, ever again.”

A scarlet blush and a cheeky grin took over Gianna’s face as she looked at Joel again, trying to figure out how on earth she was lucky enough to have him. His gaze went down to her lips and she closed her eyes, leaning in. Joel closed the distance, placing his hands on either side of her gentle face. The kiss grew more intense as time went on and their hands began to roam all over each other’s bodies. Joel moved to the other side of the table, sliding onto the bench next to Gianna. His lips caught hers once more and his hands moved feverishly to the skin that was exposed above her denim shorts.

His warm touch gave her goosebumps and she broke the kiss, allowing him to begin to kiss her neck. They kissed once more and finally pulled apart, their breathing uneven. Joel stood up from the bench smiling and grabbed Gianna’s hand, pulling her up. He led her to the back lounge and sat down on the couch, inviting her to join him. She sat down on the couch and laid her head in his lap as he turned on the television. They sat there together watching old re-runs of That 70’s Show, laughing at every stupid thing that happened. Joel ran his hands through Gianna’s long hair, brushing every strand with care. After what seemed like hours, Gianna stretched her arms and yawned, swinging her legs over the side of the couch.

She listened closely and heard voices outside of the bus, looking over at the clock that read 12:05. She stood up, looking at the boy beside her. “Well, it’s getting late. I should probably head back to the other bus.” Joel stood up and wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, holding her close. He nestled into her hair, not wanting to forget anything. He pulled away and looked down at her, a small smile on his face.

“Why don’t you just stay?” He bit his lip, waiting for her to say something. She smiled and ran a hand through her hair; something she always did when she was nervous.

“What?” She looked him in the eye and smiled. She laughed as a light blush crept onto his cheeks.

“You know, stay in my bunk. I’m not rushing anything. I just want to sleep next to you.” Gianna couldn’t help but smile at his nervousness, something that was uncommon for the normally outgoing and confidant boy. She bit her lip and nodded her head silently, grabbing Joel’s hand and leading him to where the bunks are. He slid in first, Gianna following him. He pulled the blanket up over them, pulling Gianna as close to him as he possibly could.

He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, thinking. “Gianna, I…I’m glad you’re here.” She placed her hand softly on his cheek and pecked his lips, looking back up at him.

“I’m glad I’m here, too.” And with that she turned over so that he could wrap his arms around her torso, pulling her close. She closed her eyes and felt entirely safe and secure in his arms. It was then that she knew that this was exactly where she was supposed to be. It was where she needed to be.