Keep Your Heart Wide Open.

Soon enough the morning came and sunlight took over the bus. Gianna squinted her eyes, trying not to open them. She turned over, coming in contact with a body that was not her own. For a moment she was startled and finally opened her eyes, relief rushing through her body. She couldn’t help but smile at the boy who was next to her, still fast asleep. She cradled his arm around her and snuggled into his chest, feeling right at home. She could feel his steady breathing and bit her lip, grinning to herself.

Within a few minutes she felt the arms around her tighten and felt the boy behind her moving. She turned over, coming face to face with him. He opened his eyes and smiled, taking her in. “Morning, Gorgeous.” He pulled her closer and placed a kiss on top of her head, no sign of letting go. Gianna chuckled and played with his hair, which was a complete mess.

“Morning.” Their hands met and became intertwined, along with the rest of their bodies. It was physically impossible for them to get any closer and they would not have had it any other way. Joel held Gianna close, afraid to ever lose her again. He looked down at her, staring into her bright eyes.

“Why don’t we just stay in bed all day?” He pulled her closer and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Gianna chuckled and freed herself from his grasp, hovering over him. She placed a kiss on his forehead and smiled, landing beside him once more.

“I wish we could. But you have a show, remember?” Joel sighed and rolled over, throwing the white, fluffy pillow over his head. He stayed motionless for a minute, leading Gianna to believe that he had fallen asleep again. She inched closer, lightly placing her hand on his back. He immediately flipped over and began tickling her, causing her laughter to flutter throughout the bus. “Joel, stop it!” Gianna tried to contain her laughter as the boy continued to tickle her.

He finally stopped and they laughed together, settling back down in the bunk. Though neither of them wanted to admit it, they knew that they would have to get up soon to prepare for that night’s show. All of a sudden all of the guys from The Maine and This Century were in the back of the bus, gawking at Joel and Gianna. “God, finally! It’s about damn time.” Gianna rolled her eyes at John’s voice, but couldn’t help but inch closer to Joel.

All of the guys agreed that it had been way too long. “Yeah, I was really starting to get sick of Joel’s moping.” Gianna giggled as Joel hurled his pillow at Sean. The guys left and Gianna and Joel finally got up out of bed, separating to get ready for the show. Joel headed to soundcheck while Gianna started to bring boxes of shirts into the venue. She smiled at the already monstrous line that was forming outside.

As she passed she saw a group of girls whisper to each other, until they finally pushed one girl forward. The girl walked up to Gianna timidly and Gianna paused, curious. “Uh, are you Joel’s girlfriend?” Gianna could feel her cheeks flush with color and she chuckled lightly before answering.

“Joel and I are really close. But no, we’re not officially dating.” Gianna took a deep breath, hoping this didn’t get her into a cat fight with a fan. The girl smiled and reached into her bag, taking out a camera.

“Really? Hopefully he asks you soon, because you guys are perfect for each other.” Gianna was pleasantly surprised and smiled, whispering a thank you. “Can we get a picture with you?” Gianna laughed, shocked that she was of any importance to these girls.

“Sure, of course.” Gianna posed for a picture with the group of five girls, who seemed overwhelmingly grateful. She waved goodbye and headed into the venue to set up for the night’s show, a routine that she could now do with her eyes closed. Every night was the same thing over and over again. Sell some shirts, watch the bands, pack up, do it all over.

The night flew by like a blur and soon enough This Century was on stage. Gianna turned her attention to the stage to watch the set, which was her favorite part of the night. They broke out into a few upbeat songs, Joel putting everything he had into his performance. When the song ended he grew quiet, before stepping up to the edge of the stage.

“This next one goes out to Gianna, a girl who truly means a lot to me. She's shown me so much in the past few months and I am forever grateful for that.” He backed up a little and the music began to play. “Hey Aphrodite, don’t you see me, standing in your sunrise, soaking up your daylight. ‘Cause I know your smile will last for a while, but I need you more and more each day.” Gianna stood back by the merch table, eyes locked with Joel’s. Every once in a while she would see heads turn back, curious to find out exactly who this “Gianna” was.

“She comes, and she goes, she’s everywhere I want to be. When she’s high, when she’s low, she’s everything, everything. I follow her like satellites, around, around, she goes. She’s everywhere, she’s everything.” By this point Joel was singing with his eyes closed, straight from the heart. His passion was radiating through the venue. Gianna’s heart was racing as he sang every word and melody to her. The song ended and the sets began to change, the lights dimming as This Century walked off of the stage.

Gianna handled the now massive crowd at the booth, fighting to get their This Century merch. She handed out the t-shirts and posters, bracelets and CDs. Suddenly she was tapped on the shoulder and rolled her eyes, thinking it was another fan that had a problem with something. She quickly turned around and came face to face with a grinning Joel. They could both hear the fans screaming, but it didn’t matter.

Joel reached out and placed his hands on her cheeks, staring into her eyes. “You’re amazing.” And with that he leaned in, his lips meeting hers in one of the most passionate kisses they had ever shared. He kissed her lovingly, in front of all of those fans, but he didn’t care. In that moment, they were the only two that mattered.