We Are The Tide

The sun shone through the curtains, a thin ray of light shining directly in Sam’s eyes awaking her from sleep. A quiet groan left her lips as she attempted to roll over, the slight pounding in her head reminding her of the night before. She moved to place a hand to her head, feeling a weight against her chest preventing her from moving. She peaked open an eye and saw a mess of dirty blonde hair against her shoulder, a blush creeping across her cheeks as she remembered last night’s events. She closed her eyes, not wanting to move from the position she was in, a smile on her lips as she attempted to drift back to sleep. Rex tightened his grip across her body, pulling her closer to him in his sleep and Sam curled into him, pulling the sheet up and around her bare frame.

She felt a kiss against her shoulder after a little while, peeking her eye open again to see him staring back at her, a smile playing on his lips.

“Mornin’.” His voice was laced with sleep as he whispered his greeting.

“Mornin’.” Sam rolled over to face him, the blush from earlier returning as her eyes trailed across the slope of his bare shoulder. Rex reached over and tucked a lose strand of hair behind her ear, grazing his fingers across her cheek. A comfortable silence fell between them as they held each other’s stare, neither knowing quite what to say and neither wanting to ruin the moment. Rex leaned in to kiss her, gentle at first but deepening the kiss once Sam moved her hand to the back of his neck in response. They moved together, Rex leaning over her as the back of Sam’s head hit the pillow before reconnecting their kiss. A repeat of last night’s events became first priority, Rex jumping back to his new favorite spot on her neck. Sam’s fingers laced through his hair as quiet ‘mmm’s slipped through her lips. He moved toward her collar bone, another spot he discovered she desired after they’d returned to the house from the reception. His hands blindly found their way toward her hips, pushing away the bunched up sheet between them and grazing across her skin. She pulled him back into a kiss, slightly more urgent than before as his body pressed against hers.

They stayed that way for a while, kissing and touching. Sam's name left Rex's lips in a deep sigh as she pulled his lips back to hers, the look they gave each other escalating the moment when they connected, their bodies moving in sync and repeating last night's actions.

"Hey, Rex, you up ye-whoa. S-sorry bro." Eric had burst through the door, quickly turning away when he noticed the two. Rex dropped his head into Sam's neck with a groan as a few choice words left his lips, pulling away to face him.

"What the fuck d'ya want, Halvo?" He stared at him annoyed as Sam pulled the sheet over her head, her face a new shade of deep scarlet.

"I's just, uhh, n-never mind. It's most definitely not important, I can tell you're already up. Hey Sam." A smirk spread across his face as he wiggled his brow, earning the finger from Rex.

"Hey Eric." Her voice strained and muffled by the fabric over her face.

"Will that be all? Okay great, now get the fuck out." Rex shook his head, wondering why he hadn't left yet.

"I'll come back later. Don't forget brunch is in an hour. Feel free to continue." He shut the door behind him and Rex put his face in his hands, a laugh leaving his lips.

Rex looked over at Sam and couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped his lips as he found the girl had covered her face with the bed sheet in embarrassment. He slowly uncovered her face, only to find that she had her hands shielding his vision of her.

“Don’t be embarrassed. At least it wasn’t Pat. That could have been 115 times more awkward.” He said with a laugh.

She giggled and finally removed her hands from covering her face, yet still avoided his eye contact.

“Come on, we need to go take a shower.” He said, with a suggestive smirk.

The two crawled out of the bed, adorning whatever articles of undergarments they found scattered across the floor and made their way to the bathroom without being seen.

“In a sense, we’re giving someone else the opportunity to take a shower in the other bathroom.” Sam said with a smirk. It wasn’t two seconds later before Rex’s lips were connected to hers and were shedding clothing, making their way toward the shower.



“Pst. Gary. Wake up, Sleepyhead." A tapping across his cheek pulled Garrett from slumber into consciousness. Confusion spread across his face as his eyes adjusted to the unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn't remember how he got to where he was, or even where he was until the pounding of his head and a giggle from Mel's lips brought his memory back.

"H-hey." He ran his eyes over her laying next to him, the sheet bunched around her frame, the thin strap of her tank top loose across her shoulder the only visible fabric of clothing.

"So, last night..." Mel's tone curved around the words suggestively as she trailed off, a smirk playing at her lips.

A blush crept across his face as she stared at him, and he wracked his brain trying to revive the memories of sex last night but as the hangover hit him, he came up short.

"Y-yeah, last night was, a-amazing." He tried to match her tone with a smirk, hoping she couldn't tell he had no memory of it.

"You're the first guy to ever do that to me, that's for sure..."

"Oh yeah? A-and what was that? Lemme guess, did I rock your world?" He winked at her suggestively and she rolled her eyes, the amusement gone from her expression.

"You passed out before you even got to second base, idiot. You still have your jeans on." She scoffed, pointing at him and he sat up slightly, noticing he was still clothed from the waist down.

"Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

"I mean, it started out great, don't get me wrong, considering your shirt was off before we even made it to my room, but I left to use the bathroom and when I came back, you were out cold."

"Fuck, I'm sorry. I blew it, didn't I?" He groaned in disappointment, a sheepish expression replacing the previous smirk.

"Yep. Big time, buddy. If you ever wanted to get with this, not anymore, sucks to be you." He slumped back against the pillow, disappointment seeping into him as her rejection settled in.

“But, y'know, before I left... I could possibly be willing to reconsider for that." The suggestive smirk returned to her lips as she trailed her finger across his shoulder, pulling him into a kiss before he could respond. His hand went to her neck to pull her closer as she untangled herself from the sheet, sitting up and leaning over him. He pulled her on top of him, his hands grasping firmly at her waist as she continued to kiss him. Her fingers found their way to his belt buckle, grazing across the sensitive skin of his abdomen before expertly tugging at the leather and metal as she kissed his jaw.

The two worked together, attempting to tug off his jeans but they refused to disconnect their mouths long enough, which made it a bit of a struggle. Garrett groaned a frustrated groan, pulling Mel's hands away from his jeans. He wrapped his arm around her frame, scooping her up and flipping her over onto the mattress, switching their positions and climbing on top of her. He focused on the taste of her lips as his hands roamed her body under the fabric of her thin tank top, his jeans half on, half off as he straddled her. Her fingers tugged at his belt loops, attempting to peel the fabric off of him while he kissed her, the moans and giggles escaping their lips as they struggled to multitask.

“Jesus, Gar, could your pants be any more difficult to get off?” Mel giggled as she pushed him off of her, focusing all of her attention on peeling the pants off of his legs. The two focused their movement to achieve their goal, jumping back on the bed and right where they left off as soon as the jeans lay discarded on the floor. His fingers slipped under the waistband of her shorts, slipping them easily off her hips and down her legs in one swift motion to the floor. He leaned back on his heals for a moment, grazing his eyes over her body below his with a smirk before leaning in to kiss her softly. His fingers toyed with the hem of her tank top, waiting for her permission to push the fabric up her frame as he kissed her slowly this time, a change of pace from moments before.

His name slipped from her lips as he moved his lips to the underside of her jaw, pushing her tank top toward her shoulders.

“Rise and shine, sweetie. Time to- MELANIE CHRISTINE. WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!” Garrett froze mid-kiss against her collar bone, his hands subtly pulling the fabric of her shirt back down to cover her frame as Mel struggled to sit up.

“Ma, get out of here!” She choked out, struggling to sit up. “It’s called sex Ma, I’m pretty sure you can recognize it, considering I exist means you’ve had it before with Dad.”

“Well I can see that...”

“Ma, why are you still here? I thought you were at work.”

Her mother left frantically wide-eyed and a few moments later, they heard the front door close and lock.

“Uh, you couldn’t have told me you still lived with your mom?” Garrett asked with bright red cheeks. They hadn’t moved from the compromising position her mother had left them in, too afraid she would come back.

“I-I thought she would have been gone by now.” She said avoiding the boy’s eye contact. They stayed frozen until Garrett rolled off of her and she cuddled into his side. He wrapped his arm around her and laid there silently for a bit until they realized they needed to get ready for brunch.

“I guess we should get ready now.” Garrett said, just above a whisper, interrupting the comfortable silence that had enveloped around them.

“Do we have to go?” She said with a pout.

“As much as I’d love to sit around here all day with you, especially with the hangover I am now well aware of, we have things we actually have to do.” He said with a laugh, regretting it seconds later as the action made his head pound.

Mel got out of bed and offered him her hand. “Let’s go find you aspirin.”

He took her hand and crawled toward her saying, “You don’t have a hangover? You drank more than me.”

“And I can clearly handle liquor far better than you. Chasers, psh.” She said with a smirk.

He just scoffed and followed her to the kitchen to find something to fix his current feeling of nausea.



It was now 11 and everyone was meeting at Lucy and John’s house to have a final brunch before they had to go their separate ways. People were gradually collecting in the kitchen, waiting for everyone to arrive from their respective locations. The O’Callaghan parents had ordered sandwiches from Subway and bought a bunch of sides from Whole Foods, since it was so close. Lucy's mother had insisted on making more traditional breakfast foods, putting Lucy's circus waffle maker to good use for those that wanted it. There was a wide variety for everyone.

After they were showered and changed, Sam and Rex went to track down Eric, making him swear he wouldn't tell John or Lucy about how he had caught them in their bed. Sam knew Lucy would kill her if she found out, checking the time to see about changing the sheets before brunch, but there wasn't time. She made a mental note to hopefully go back to it later and they made their way to the kitchen.

"John and Luce aren't here yet. Samantha honey, do you mind calling them?" Lucy's mother asked from the stove. "Find out if they want us to start without them. I don't want the food getting cold."

Sam nodded her head and pulled out her phone, taking a step toward the hallway away from the group. Lucy answered after the third ring, a few giggles leaving her lips before she spoke.

"Ya? Shh, baby, hold on, I'm on the phone. H-hi. What's up?" Sam cringed, afraid of knowing what she was interrupting.

"Uhh, sorry to interrupt the honeymoon, Luce, but uhh, are you and John on your way? For brunch? Everyone's waiting."

"Oh, uhh, y-yes." A few more giggles left her throat, interrupting her sentences. "Brunch. Now. Already? Oh, I guess you're right. Whoops. Y-yeah... John, we're late for brunch baby." Sam could hear John's muffled groan through the phone, followed by a ”We're busy, call back later. Start without us.”

"Babe, everyone's waiting." Sam could hear their conversation through the phone, clearing her throat to get Lucy's attention.

“You're killing the mood Sam, call back later." John's voice yelled from the background, spurring a new round of giggles and sounds from Lucy, distracting her from the phone call.

"We're not hungry." John's voice came through the receiver having grabbed the phone and Sam rolled her eyes.

"You guys," she scoffed. "Can you please stop having sex for like two seconds and come back to reality? Are you coming to brunch or not? Yes or no, that's all I need to know." Sam sighed, cringing at the sounds coming from their end. A few muffled groans and giggles followed by mumbles Sam couldn't quite decipher came through the phone before Lucy's voice came back.

"Yes Ethel, sorry, give us a half hour to be presentable and get ourselves over there. Start without us, but we'll be there." Sam rolled her eyes with a laugh, nodding before hanging up and heading back to the kitchen.

"They'll be here in a half hour and Lucy said to start without them. You don't wanna know." The group nodded with a few smirks and laughs, everyone digging in to the food set out before them. Sam took the initiative to run back to the room, dragging Rex with her as she searched for clean sheets. The two ripped the sheets and blankets off the bed, working together to remake the bed. As Sam reached over to tuck a side corner into the bed, she was being pulled back and into Rex's arms, their lips connecting as she twisted in his grasp.

"Not now Rex, we just changed the sheets." she mumbled against his lips as he laughed into the kiss.

"Ehh, it'll be fine. So we'll just do it on the floor then. Problem solved."

"It smells like sex in here."

"I wonder why..." his fingers curled under the fabric of her shirt, tugging it up her body as she squirmed in his arms. “So we’ll open a window...”

"We, we can't. I would, don't get me wrong, but not here." A sigh left her lips as she untangled herself, pulling away and climbing across the mattress. Rex ran his hand through his hair, nodding in agreement with a small smile on his lips. They made the bed in silence, replacing the pillowcases and collecting the sheets for the wash. Rex held the door open for her and she leaned on her toes to give him a peck on the lips.

"Rain check?"

He nodded with a smirk, mumbling an mhmm as they walked toward the laundry room.



“Sorry we’re late,” Lucy said to the group as she started to dish up. A smirk was permanent across John’s lips as he shrugged, getting a few nods of approval from the guys. They had arrived within the half hour, quickly finding a seat at the table as though they weren’t late.

“Well hello to the happy couple. From the looks of it, I see you two had a good night...” Eric smirked, a blush forming across Lucy’s cheeks as she cleared her throat. John wrapped his arms around her with a laugh.

“Oh I can guarantee it was a much better night than you had with your hand.”

“John!” Lucy slapped his arm, her jaw dropped as he snickered, earning the finger from his best man.

“Yeah right, Lucy’s still standing, you weren’t that great man.”

“Well, yeah she is now... you should have seen her when we--”

“JOHN.” Lucy’s tone of voice accompanied by a slap to the chest cut him off mid-sentence.

“Well I was. I did a great job last night, didn’t I, babe?” He pecked her cheek, the cheeky grin plastered across his face.

“Say one more word about our sex life to your best friend. Go on.” Her face beet red as she placed her hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry darling, we’ll stop.” He leaned in to give her a kiss, his tone softer and the smirk gone from his lips.

Eric on the other hand was snickering. “I only brought it up ‘cause of that disgustingly huge mark on your neck, Luce. Haven’t you heard of cover up? At least some people try to cover theirs up, not that they did a good job...”

Sam choked on her water, shooting him a glare from a few feet away, having caught the last bit of the conversation. She rubbed the back of her neck, the heat returning to her cheeks. Eric looked from her to Rex for a moment, a smirk across his face.

“Hey now, we’re on our honeymoon, so lay off. You should be happy we even showed up to this shindig.”

“Well we’re glad you took a little snack break from your sexathon to grace us with your presence.” John threw a piece of toast at his best friend, dishing himself up some food before they made their way back to the table.

They spent the better part of the hour, enjoying what was left of brunch, reminiscing about the reception and making plans for later visits for those who lived far away.

“Last night was amazing, so beautiful. Johnohh, I’m so incredibly happy for you. I’m just bummed you don’t live by me anymore.” John’s friend Richard commented from across the table. “I finally got used to you being home and us hanging out all the time now, making up for lost time. I’m gonna miss you.”

“Aww, thanks buddy. It means a lot to me that you and Spencer made the trip up here, and I know, I’m gonna miss you a lot.”

“I’m sure we’ll make a trip back here soon. I know this guy’s gonna be cryin’ when we get on the plane.” Spencer squeezed Richard’s hand with a smile.

“I’d love that.”

“Well, well, well, Mrs. O’Callaghan, how was your night last night?” Mel giggled, eyeing her neck as she sat down beside her.

“Better question, how wasyours?” She smirked back, avoiding answering the question.

“Oh it was great. Up until Gary fucking passed out cold on my bed five minutes after we got to my house. Apparently that idiot can’t hold his liquor.”

“Yeah, that boy can’t hold his liquor for shit.” Sam giggled, joining the conversation. “Three drinks and that boy’s ready for a nap. Any more and he’s out cold for the night.”

“You couldn’t have mentioned that to me earlier?” Mel grumbled, the frustration in her tone. “He woke up this morning with no memory of last night and tried to play it off like he ‘rocked my world’.”

“Lightweight.” Sam laughed, looking over at him from across the room. He glanced back at her with a smile before joining the conversation around him.
“Ser-i-ous-ly. He tried to make up for it this morning after I yelled at him, but then brunch got in the way, among other things. Cock-block.”

“Well I’m sure things will turn around. I can tell he likes you.” Lucy laughed, taking a sip of her coffee. “And what about you, Ethel? You and Rex seemed pretty close last night...”

“Oh yeah, well, uhh, y’know, just, uhh, yeah.” The blush across her cheeks gave her away as she tried not to kiss and tell.

“What does that even mean?” Mel scoffed. “C’mon. You gotta give us more dirt than that. The hickey on your neck says otherwise.”

“What?” Her eyes grew wide as Mel reached over and touched her skin.

“You guys totally did it. I can see it in your face. You got it on with Rex, didn’t you.” Mel stared her in the eye, waiting impatiently for her answer.

“Uhh, n-no, well, uhh...” Sam stuttered over her words, fighting the smile appearing on her lips. “Okay... yeah... we did.” She bit her lip, the smirk growing as she stayed silent.

“ETHEL!” Lucy’s jaw dropped and a laugh escaped. “Oh my god, no way.”

“Well I approve, ‘cause that boy is fiiiiine.” Mel giggled, turning her gaze toward the boy for a moment. Sam didn’t reply, the blush permanent across her face a satisfying response. John’s mother Jenny approached the three, pulling Lucy away for a moment and abruptly ending their conversation. Sam breathed a sigh of relief that Lucy didn’t press further, turning her gaze over to Rex in the other room. He caught her gaze, sending her a wink as he continued his conversation with Jared and Pat.

By this time, those who were flying out today had to head to the airport to catch their flights. The Maine boys and their loves were staying for The Kooks show that evening and leaving within the next few days, but otherwise virtually everyone else there had only planned on staying for the brunch. Jared and Pat had volunteered to drive the van and anyone who needed it to the airport, and they said their goodbyes, promising visits and phone calls before heading off to the airport. John closed the door after he and Lucy hugged his parents goodbye, a sigh leaving his lips as they arched south on his face into a frown. His parents insisted on saying goodbye now rather than later, knowing full well they were interrupting the honeymoon. They were heading back to Lucy’s parents house for a bit before they had to fly out that evening, promising to call before their flight left.

“Hey mister, you’re married now. You don’t live at home anymore, remember? And besides, you’re supposed to be on your honeymoon, and your parents are not invited.” Lucy leaned up to kiss him on the cheek with a smile, pulling him into a hug knowing how close he was with his parents.

“How could I forget, darling? Speaking of, let’s get outta here, shall we? I’d like to pick up where we left off before we were so rudely interrupted.” A suggestive expression replaced his frown, his eyes lighting up as he tugged at his wife’s arm.

“We’ll meet you guys at the show tonight, see y’all later.” Lucy said as they quickly grabbed their coats, heading for the door and racing to John’s truck parked by the curb.

Sam shook her head, laughing as they left in a hurry. She turned her attention to the group lounging in the living room, catching Rex’s stare and biting her lip. She joined the conversation around her, talking with Emily and Kennedy about their life on the east coast, how Emily’s Corgi hates Kennedy even after being together for a few years, and how school was going. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she pulled it out to check it, running her eyes over the text a few times before looking up.

Rain check?

She caught his stare as she looked up, nodding her head once before pocketing her phone. Rex excused himself, holding his box of cigarettes in his hand and stepping outside, shutting the front door behind him.

“I have a few errands to run, and some homework to do before tonight, so I’m gonna head back to my apartment. I’ll catch you guys at the show later, alright?” Sam reached to grab her purse by the door, slipping on her shoes and heading out, those in the living room waving goodbye and wishing her luck. Rex was leaning against Lucy’s car by the sidewalk, a smirk playing on his lips as she hopped down the porch stairs to meet him.

“No one’s home at my apartment.”

“I was hoping you’d say that.”

Sam pulled the keys from her purse, unlocking the car from the button on the key ring before placing the keys in Rex’s hands. He reached over to hold the door for her, shutting it behind her before running to the driver’s side. “Lead the way, navigator.”



Rex had barely cut the engine before Sam was hopping out of the car, tugging him toward her apartment building around the corner. Sam dropped their hands once they made it to the elevator, waiting anxiously for the doors to open.

Living on the ninth floor of the building took forever in the elevator with others who came and went on lower floors, but as soon as the doors opened to the right floor, Sam grabbed Rex by the hand, leading him around the corner and down the hallway to the apartment.

The door barely closed behind them before Sam's purse fell to the floor. Their lips attached at a fervent pace as they struggled to remove their coats. Sam stumbled backwards as they migrated down the hallway, littering the floor from the living room to her bedroom with various articles of clothing. Rex pinned her against the wall just outside her bedroom door, moving to her neck and running his hands against her soft skin. Sam fumbled with his belt, practically ripping it off blindly as he worked at a spot on her neck. The sounds escaping their throats as they undressed themselves in the hallway made Sam thankful they were home alone.

As Sam struggled to tug down the fabric of Rex's jeans, he pushed away to open the door a foot to their left. Sam ran ahead of them, pulling at his wrists toward the bed and collapsing onto the mattress to catch her breath. Her break was short lived as Rex's weight settled on top of her, having taken a moment to slip out of his jeans. His lips and hands expertly worked themselves all across her body, grasping behind her to unhook her bra as he returned to her lips. She barely had time to think before his fingers slipped south, slowing his pace slightly as he toyed with the only fabric left on her body.

Her heart raced as he placed kisses down her torso before moving to lean back on his heals for a moment and stopping. His fingers traced across the tattoo on her thigh as he caught his breath for a moment before leaning forward and pulling her into his arms against the mattress. She curled against his chest, placing kisses across his skin as he had just done to her. His name left her lips again and again in a breathless tone as he pulled her closer to him.

“I’M SEXY AND I KNOW IT” Sam’s ringtone interrupted the moment, ringing from her purse on the floor across the room. Sam broke away from the kiss, a groan leaving her lips as she contemplated answering it.

“I know exactly who that is....” She grumbled. Rex let out a frustrated sigh as the phone continued to ring. “Ehh, fuck it. I’m not answering.” She pulled Rex’s lips back to hers, ignoring the call and attempting to bring back the interrupted moment, wrapping her arms around his neck.

The phone rang a second time through, the same ring tone interrupting their rain check.

"Are you serious?" Sam snapped in frustration. "I'm not answering."

"Who is it?" Rex mumbled against her skin.

"No one who values their life enough to call again." Rex laughed into her skin at her response, attacking a sweet spot against her collarbone and pinning her against the mattress.

"I'M SEXY AND I KNOW IT" rang again, a third call interrupting their rain check. Rex broke away, hopping off the bed and stumbling toward her purse, snatching the phone and connecting the call without looking to see who was on the other line.

"What the fuck is so important that you need to call THREE times?!"

"Uhh, Sami? Isn't this Sami's phone? Who is this?" A male voice responded, confused.

“Wait, Garrett? That you?” Rex’s brow furrowed as he looked at the caller ID.

“Uhh, yeah... Who, wait, Rex? Why are you answering Sami’s phone? Where’s Sami?”

“She’s, uhh, busy. What do you want? Why the hell did you just call three times in a row?” His voice grew annoyed the longer he had to stay on the phone. Sam crossed her arms across her chest as she sat up, pulling the blanket around her with a heavy sigh.

”Uhh, well, we think someone stole Lucy’s car, ‘cause it’s not here at the house and we don’t know where it is.” Rex laughed as Sam grabbed the phone from his ear, impatience getting the best of her.

“Gary, what the hell is the problem? There’s a reason why I didn’t answer the first two times you called. I’m a little busy right now.” Sam snapped, trying to speed up the process before the mood was officially killed.

”Lucy’s car’s missing.”

“And why are you calling me about this? Why didn’t you call Lucy or John about this? C’mon, it’s their car. That’s their problem, not mine.” Rex leaned forward, tugging the blanket off of her as she stayed on the phone. He stayed silent as he grazed his hands against her bare skin, attempting to distract her from the conversation. Sam pulled the phone away for a moment as a low whine left her throat when his lips migrated across her skin toward her waist.

”Well, uhh, I didn’t want to interrupt the happy couple, you of all people know how awkward that is…”

Rex moved forward again to grab the phone from her hand, informing Garrett the car was fine and not to worry about it before abruptly hanging up on him and tossing the phone aside.

“Thank you. I’m not good at hanging up on people.” Sam pulled him into a deep kiss, attempting to pick up where they left off.

“Part time lover? I’m sexy and I know it? That’s his name and ring tone in your phone? Is there something going on I should know about?” He cut off her kiss, eyeing her as he leaned away.

“You’re really gonna let Garrett continue to cock-block you after it took so long to hang up on him? Or did you forget that you’re the one naked in my bed right now? I mean, I can get him back on the phone if you want…”

He shook his head with a laugh, moving back toward her waist in a trail of kisses across her skin.

“That’s what I thought.”



6:30 rolled around quickly, and while doors weren’t until 7, The Kooks were quite popular in Portland and Sam had drug Rex along with her early to get a good spot in line and everyone else would join them as they came along. When they arrived, the line was still short, only midway down the block and Rex rolled his eyes as Sam ran ahead to grab the next spot, moseying along several feet behind her.

“Remind me again why we’re here an hour and a half before the show starts? There’s hardly anyone in line right now, I don’t know why you were freaking out so much.”

“You have the patience of a five-year-old.” Sam scoffed, crossing her arms.

“I’m sorry that I’m hungry. I built up an appetite from this afternoon’s activities.” He smirked, sending the blush across Sam’s cheeks in response.

“Just wait, the line will fill up pretty quick. I come to shows here at the Crystal all the time, I know how it works. You’ll see.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest, turning away from him to face the front of the line. They waited a little while longer, a small number of people trickling in behind them in line, but nothing too significant. Rex was growing restless and hungry and volunteered himself to go find food for them while Sam stayed behind. She shooed him away, requiring her favorite lemonade and something from Baja Fresh, giving him directions to the market a few blocks away. After he had left, Sam pulled out her phone, texting Garrett and Mel asking where they were. Garrett was on his way, arriving alone shortly after he texted her back.

“Where’s Mel? I thought she was coming too. You two were practically attached at the hip when I saw you this morning.” Garrett blushed, clearing his throat and averting his gaze.

“Uhh, well, she, uhh, had to work. She’s gonna meet us here when she gets off at eight. Speaking of attached at the hip, you and Rex were looking pretty cozy earlier yourself. Where’s he at? Get tired of you already?” Sam punched his shoulder, her jaw dropping.

“Oh whatever, at least I’m getting some, not like some people, or so I’ve heard…” Garrett stared at her, speechless. He stuttered a few incoherent sounds before Sam continued with a smirk.

“Yeah, Mel told me about last night. You really gotta watch it with the whiskey, bro. I mean, I can only help you out so much with setting you up with a hot girl who’s more than willing to let you in her pants, buuuutttt, that only goes so far. You gotta meet me half way here, Gare.” Heat radiated from Garrett’s cheeks as he stood there, still speechless. He cleared his throat, attempting to respond but Rex interrupted them with a bag full of food in hand.

“Oh hey Garrett, nice to see you made it. Where’s, uhh, what was her name again? The girl that was hanging all over you at the wedding? Malorie? Or, uhh…”

“Mel.” Garrett mumbled, looking away still too embarrassed from Sam’s comment.

“Oh, how nice of you, bringing me back Baja and lemonade.” She kissed his cheek before taking the food from his hands.

“Uhh, you asked me to.” Sam playfully slapped his arm before attempting to open her bottle.

“Oh look Rex, remember that line I was talking about earlier?” Rex looked over her shoulder, taking in the line that had grew behind them. What was only a couple people behind them when he left had grown into a line that stretched down the block and curved around the corner continuing past his line of sight. “The show’s sold out, remember? Told you.”

Garrett snickered at the two, sneaking some chips from the bag Sam had him hold for her. Emily and Kennedy joined them shortly after, followed by Pat, Jared and Tess and the group waited for the doors to open. John and Lucy hadn’t arrived yet, but none of the group wanted to be the one to call them. Sam resorted to texting them while the group walked through the door.

Thanks to Sam thinking ahead, they scored front row off to the left side, which proved to be the perfect view later as the show started. While they waited for 8pm to roll around, they kept themselves entertained, taking bets on how and when John and Lucy would arrive. As the crowd started to form behind them, Jared noticed John pushing himself through the clumps of people with Lucy in tow. He waved the two over to them, pulling him into a hug as they stopped.

"Dude, you smell like sex." Jared scrunched his nose with a laugh as he pulled away.

"Yeah well, we lost track of the time and it was too late to shower, so..." John said with a smirk. Nods and laughs of approval from the men of the group were counteracted by Lucy's look and John shut right up. He mumbled a "sorry babe" as he kissed her head, the two separating into two different groups. The men carried on a separate conversation while the women talked amongst themselves, swooning over the Kook's lead singer Luke and talked about their favorite songs they wanted them to play. Sam's phone buzzed with a text from Mel asking where they were, she was a few blocks away. She quickly texted back and they waited for her to weave her way through the crowd. As with most shows, it wasn't jam packed yet because the opener was just beginning to play and a good chunk of the crowd would trickle in before the headliner.

She arrived in the middle of the opener set, slipping straight into Garrett's arms. Sam gave him a look that he stuck his tongue out to in response, a satisfied smile across his face.

By the time the Kooks graced the stage, the crowd had doubled in size, and everyone in their group was thankful for the perfect spot. Each sang along to the songs they loved, the excitement and energy from the crowd feeding the performers.

By the time "Do You Wanna" started playing, Sam looked around to their group, noticing how each couple reacted. Mel and Gary had stepped off to the side of the group, her tongue down his throat and his hands all over her. Sam laughed, knowing it was only a matter of time before they would sneak off together. Lucy and Emily both teased their men in various ways, singing and dancing suggestively against them to the music. Sam could feel Rex's hands against her hips, holding her close to him as she danced and sang along, giving her a look as she turned around to face him. She shook her head no at his offer, mouthing "rain check" to him before turning back toward the stage. Pat, Jared and Tessa were the normal ones of the group, the couple keeping their pda to an appropriate minimum but everyone still enjoying themselves.

After the last encore song, the lights from the chandeliers above them illuminated the room, signaling the end of the show. The group moseyed by the stage for another few minutes, reminiscing on the feeling of the show reminding them of memorable shows from when they used to tour.

Mel had her arms wrapped around Gary's waist, running her fingers across his belt buckle as they talked with Kennedy and Emily. Lucy noticed and giggled, nudging Sam as John, Rex, and Jared discussed something they weren't interested in.

"Well, I think it's time to say our goodbyes." Lucy grabbed everyone's attention, pulling at John's arm, turning him around." John and I leave for Ireland in the morning, so we should head out to get some sleep before our flight."

"Oh I bet you're gonna get some sleep." Pat snickered, earning a slap across the arm from Lucy and a nod of approval from John. Each gave their hugs goodbye as they headed toward the exit, commenting on how great the show was and wishing the couple a nice time.