Only In It For A Minute

“Right let’s wrap it up guys, time to head out of here and back home,” I said, as the A Rocket To The Moon guys signed and took pictures with the few remaining fans at the show. The tour had come to an ended in Houston, Texas and even though this had been just a short tour, I was glad it was all over.

“OK, how long you got?” Justin asked me, turning away from the small handful of people stood in front of him.

“Ten minutes, fifteen max,” I told him, glancing at my phone quickly. “So don’t be long.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright boss,” he laughed.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’d like to have thought I’d done a pretty good job of keeping the guys in check on the road. They were the headliner this time, rather than the opener so even there was more to do it felt like longer days, the guys were definitely getting more out of it. But my mind was elsewhere half the time.

“Oi! I’ve got a boy to get home to, don’t you know,” I told him, letting out a laugh.

“Yeah, how is that going?” Justin asked.

“Yeah good I think, I mean, we haven’t really seen each other recently, but we’ve been talking constantly the past few weeks so I mean that’s good, isn’t it?”

“Course it is, and it’s nice to see you happy,” he told me.

“Things got pretty bad at the end of that last tour, didn’t they?”

“You could say that, yes,” Justin sighed.

“Right, I’ll be in the van, don’t be too long guys,” I told him. As a tour manager, I liked to think of myself as being quite relaxed and not being too strict with the guys. For one, they were guys and they were older than me and secondly, I didn’t want to get a reputation of being a bit dull.

As I sat down in the drivers seat in the van, I pulled out my phone out and began typing a message.

To: John
Hey, show’s over, just waiting for the guys to be done with fans and then we’ll be on the way to the airport. Got a really early flight so see you in the morning. x

I placed my phone down next to me and began playing with the stereo. We’d spent most journeys on the tour flicking between listening to the new Mayday Parade, New Found Glory and You Me At Six albums, which was fine by me as I liked all three bands. Around five minutes later the guys climbed in the van and all chatted away as we left the venue and I navigated to the airport, from there, I would be leaving the other guys to drive the van back so I could fly to LA.

The journey to the airport wasn’t too long and it was late so the roads were quiet. Most the guys in the van had their headphones on and heads on their pillows, except Andrew who was sat up front with me, chatting away.

“So how are things with you and John,” he asked.

“They’re OK, but we only really started talking the day before I had to leave so we haven’t really had a chance to resolve everything,” I told him. “The first day he was back at the apartment, we just sat and talked for hours, until the last moment when I had to go and meet Halvo at the airport. If I didn’t need to leave, I think we would have stayed up and talked all night.”

“It had been a while since you’d last spoken though, right?”

“Yeah, I had been almost two months,” I answered. “I’d really missed him though, so it was nice to be able to talk again. And we’ve been talking so much since, even just quick text messages. I just want to get back home to him now.”

“So are you back together now?” Andrew asked, carefully as if not sure whether to actually ask it so directly.

“I have no idea, that’s kinda why I can’t wait to get home, just to know where we stand and where we go from here,” I told him.

Once we were at the airport, I said goodbye to all the guys and Andrew took over the driving as I grabbed my bags. I quickly made my way into the airport as it was late and getting cold out. Managing to pass the time quickly between checking in and boarding my plane, it wasn’t long before I was in my seat and placing my headphones over my ears as I selected a song on my iPod and closed my eyes.

Soon enough, I was landing in LA and leaving the plane. I felt like all my body wanted to do was rush so I could get home quicker even though I was tired from little amount of sleep I got in the airport on the flight and the fact it was now around 7am. I waited impatiently for my bag to come around on the luggage claim, my hands tapping away on my legs as I constantly looked at the time on my phone. I didn’t need to be home so quickly, but something inside me just wanted to get back to my home and see John. After I grabbed my bag, I rushed back out of the airport and climbed into the first taxi I could. After how I felt the last time I arrived back in LA, this time couldn’t be any more different. I was so happy to see the sun rising the cab made it’s way down the streets to my apartment. He pulled up outside as I gave the driver some money and found my keys out of my bag and climbed out of the car.

Looking up at the building in front of my from behind my sunglasses, I quickly ran up the steps to the entrance and used my key to get in the main door before pressing the lift go up to the second floor to apartment. With my key in the door, I opened it to a quiet home, as expected and shut the door quietly behind me. As I walked into the living room, I placed my bags on the ground as silently as I could as I noticed the body lying on the sofa in front of me.

John was laying on his front along our couch, sound asleep. His head was balancing on a cushion at one end, his arm hanging off the side and his legs hanging way off the end because of his height. I smiled to myself seeing him lying there taking over the entire couch as I pulled off my shoes and denim jacket and walked closer to him. Trying not to wake him, I lifted up his arm slowly and laid down next to me, placing his arm back over me and snuggling into his body. He just looked so peaceful asleep and I wanted to be part of it. I watched him sleep for a few minutes before my eyes became heavy and I fell asleep myself.

I had no idea how much later it was when my eyes fluttered open and found John smiling down at me.

“Hi,” he grinned.

“Hey,” I said, wiggling slightly to get more comfortable as he held me close. “How long have you been awake?”

“Not long,” he answered. “When did you get home?”

“Sometime after 7, I didn’t want to wake you when I got here,” I told him.

“You should have, I wouldn’t have minded.”

I shook my head, “I was way too tired and just wanted to sleep,” I said. “Speaking of, why were you asleep on the couch?”

“I wanted to be awake when you got home,” he laughed softly. “That obviously didn’t work.”

“That’s sweet,” I smiled.

“It was nice to wake up wrapped around you though,” he said. “I missed that.”

“Me too, it was weird sleeping on my own.”

“Thank you,” he said after a few moments of silence.

“What for?” I asked, confused.

“Coming home to me,” he said. “I didn’t actually think you come back to me.”

“Of course, I would.”

“Yeah but thank you, for coming back to me,” he repeated. “I am still so sorry.”

“Don’t start that again, John,” I told him, curling more into his chest. “I don’t care about any of that now, all that matters to me is that you’re here right now.”

“I am, and I always will be. I don’t ever have to go without you in my life ever again,” he breathed into my ear as he kissed the top of my head. “I love you, Tash.”

“I love you too, John.”

“What do you want to do today?” he asked. I knew why he was asking. While I’d been on tour, he’d been between LA and Phoenix with the band and I said once I was home we should actually have a day to ourselves and do something. But my mind had changed.

“Absolutely nothing,” I told him, pulling away from him slightly and looking up at him. I looked at his eyes before closing mine and kissing his lips briefly. “I am happy just staying here all day with you.”

“You sure?”

“Of course I’m sure,” I smiled. “With you here, I don’t need anything else.”

“Then, for now, that’s how we’ll stay,” he said, before wrapping one arm tightly around me and placing the other on my cheek before pulling my face to his. I guess my dream had come true.