Only In It For A Minute

“Are you seriously packing all of this?” John asked, as he looked at the pile of clothes I’d thrown on the bed.

“Yes,” I told him, pulling on of my suitcases from the closet.

“Babe, it’s a month long tour with a bunch of guys, you can’t take this much,” he told me.

“Well, I don’t know what to pack! I’ve never done this before,” I moaned.

“Lucky for you, you have a very handsome boyfriend who does this all the time who can help,” he grinned at me.

“Really? Where?” I laughed, as we sat on the bed and began to go through everything I’d thrown on there.

After a while of John tossing countless items of clothing to the floor telling me I didn’t need them all while giving me tips to packing lightly, the pile we had on my bed had shrunk by almost half. Then it was the task of fitting it into my suitcase, which we managed to do with space to spare as well.

“So what’s your plan for when you leave?” John asked, beginning to pick up the clothes we’d thrown on the floor.

“Halvo’s going to pick me up from the airport and then we’re going from there,” I told him. “You?”

“Tim’s going to get me and then I’ll meet up with the others,” he told me.

“Then I guess I’ll see you a few hours after that?” I asked, to which he nodded.

I was about to embark on my first full tour with a band and I was happy that it was with A Rocket To The Moon, who I already knew through John. When I found out it was them that I would be working with, any worries I had about traveling with a band began to disappear, knowing that there wouldn’t be any awkward initial introductions, but when I found out who else they were touring with, I was even happier. The tour consisted of A Rocket To The Moon opening, Taking Back Sunday were headlining and on in between was The Maine. This meant that I was getting to tour with some great friends, my boyfriend and a band that I grew up listening to during my teenage years.

Once we’d both finished packing, John began making our dinner, as I relaxed in the living room and painted my nails. It was the last night we’d be in our apartment for a while so we wanted to make the most of it just being the two of us and being in the comfort of our own home.

The next day, we headed to LAX airport to board our plane to Phoenix. As we made the short journey, I rested my head on John’s shoulder for some of the flight, but I couldn’t stop fidgeting.

“Tash, you have no reason to be nervous, please chill out,” John said, as I tapped a beat on my thighs with my hands.

“Who said I was nervous?” I asked, turning to look at him.

“Come on, I know your little traits, when you’re nervous you can’t sit still and you do this,” he smiled, as he picked up my hands.

As I looked at them, I sighed. I’d picked off most of the nail polish I’d put on last night.

“Why are you nervous?” he asked.

“I don’t know, probably because I’m going to be responsible for a bunch of guys traveling around the country over the next month and they’re all older than me so there’s a high chance none of them are going to listen to me,” I said.

“Well, if they don’t, I’ll soon put them in line,” he grinned.

“No, don’t do that, that’ll just make it worse and make it look like I can’t do my job.”

“Look, it’s your first tour, if you make a mistake, which I’m sure you won’t, it’s not the end of the world,” he told me. “But seriously, if you do need anything, I will be there to help.”

Once we had landed, grabbed out luggage and made our way into the terminal, we found Halvo and Tim stood together and me and John said out goodbyes and went our separate ways. The way we said goodbye, you’d have thought we were going to see each other for quite sometime, not just one day.

“So, tour manager, you ready for this?” Halvo smiled, as we got into his car.

“I hope so,” I sighed.

“Where are we going first?” he asked.

“Are you kidding me? You don’t even know where you’re playing on the tour?”

“Not really. I just pack some clothes, grab my bass and some equipment and get to where I’m told to be on time,” he explained. “After that, I rely on the tour manager to tell me what I’m doing, which in this case, is you.”

“Great thanks.”

Halvo drove us back to his, where we waited an hour for the rest of the guys to arrive in the tour van, which would be my home for the next month. John kept telling me I could stay on their bus with them, but I said that wasn’t fair to the Rocket guys as I was supposed to be working for them so should be with them. Once the rest of the guys arrived, we climbed in the van and started our journey to our first stop, Houston, Texas.

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“Great set, guys,” I said, as the band walked off stage. I high fived Justin as he went past me.

“You watching us tonight?” I heard John say behind me.

“Maybe. I’ve got a couple of calls to make and a few bits to sort, but I’ll try my best to catch some of it, alright?” I said, reaching up to kiss his cheek. “I’ll see you in bit.”

I left the stage area and went off in search of the guys, while I left the behind to load out the equipment. A Rocket To The Moon had just opened the second show of the tour in Dallas and after the show was finished tonight, we had an 18 hour drive and a day off ahead of us. Two days into the tour, it was still new and exciting for me as I was getting to explore more places in America, but it was stressful having to make sure everything was booked and planned properly for the guys.

Three phone calls and an email back to RAW later, I was stood side of stage watching The Maine do that they do best. I knew I didn't have much time to watch them but made sure I at least showed my face for a few songs to keep John happy. Plus, I still loved watching the guys on stage, seeing them play was something you couldn’t get bored of. Even watching the crowd was great, seeing them all sing along and love every minute of the show.

“Bus call is 12.30 tonight guys, and I’m taking first driving shift so don’t be late,” I told the guys a bit later when I found them all sat around in the dressing room. One of the requirements given to me when I was told they wanted to make me a tour manager, was that I had to get a valid license for driving over here so I could help share the driving in the van.

We were taking our bags out to the van as the last few fans had pictures with the bands and the last few autographs were signed. I spotted John looking over to where I was and shot him a smile, which he returned as he continued talking to fans. A few minutes later, he was walking over to me with a huge grin on his face.

“So, are you riding with us tonight?” he asked.

“I can’t, babe, I’m sorry, I said I’d take first shift of driving tonight. Plus I need to be with the guys to get the all check in at the hotel,” I told him, putting my arms around his neck and pulling him to me. “However, you are sharing with me at the hotel tomorrow night, pal.”

“‘Pal’?” John raised his eyebrows at me.

“Sorry,” I laughed slightly. “I guess being around all these Americans is getting to me now! Ah well, it’ll help me blend in more.”

“But I like that you stand out, it makes you special and I like that because you’re mine,” he smiled.

“Alright, alright, I’ll speak properly for you, sir, can I interest you in some tea?” I joked, using the stereotypical English accent that John always did when he was making fun of me.

“That’s more like it!” he laughed, bending down and kissing my lips.