Spinning.

“Alright, room assignments!” Tim shouted, approaching our group stood in the hotel lobby, card keys in his hand. After a long drive, we had finally arrived in New Orleans and we were finally checking in. The hotel, conveniently located on Canal Street and by the water, was one of the nicer hotels we had stayed in, and I silently thanked god that we had a day off to sleep in at this hotel.

Tim went down the list, handing out keys as people left to go to their rooms.

“Alright, John and Beret, you two are sharing room 341!” He held up the small envelope containing the cards, unaware that John and I had froze where we were. Things hadn't improved since my conversation with Garrett, and since the conversation back stage John and I hadn't even made eye contact.

“Hellooo?” Tim looked at both of us, slightly annoyed at our reactions.

John was the first to move, grabbing the keys from his hand before turning to me.

“I, uh, guess we should head up.” He mumbled, not making eye contact but instead staring at my bag.

I nodded, following him as we went to the elevator, hitting the 'up' button and sitting silently by the elevator. Neither of us spoke all the way to the room, John silently letting both of us into the room before stopping.

“So... which bed do you want?” His voice trailed off as his eyes darted between the beds.

“I don't really care, you can pick.” I spoke softly, too consumed by my own thoughts to really care about which bed I got.

He set his stuff down on the bed closest to the bathroom, and I took the bed closer to the window. Neither of us spoke until it was time to go to the venue, the only words being exchanged were “Here's your key” and a “thanks” on the way down to the lobby. I wasn't sure who's idea it was to pair the two of us together, but now I was dreading the two nights that we'd be sharing the room. So much for a peaceful day off.



“So... everyone wants to go to a bar after we shower and stuff, are you going to come with?” Jared caught up to me after the show, slapping my back as I walked back to the venue after signing for a while.

“I don't know, Jared. I'm pretty tired and--”

“You're stuck rooming with John and it's stressing you out?” Jared completed my thought, even if it wasn't what I was actually going to say.

“Well I wasn't going to say that, but yeah that too.” I shrugged.

“Oh come on, it'll be fun! I'll keep him from getting too drunk and as long as you keep yourself in check, no one will end up with hurt feelings. And he does feel really bad about it, even if he hasn't apologized yet.” He held the door and we began navigating the hallways of the venue while conversing.

“Jared I don't think he's ever going to apologize.”

“Oh, he will, he just has to get over his pride first. I've known him since we were in middle school, he doesn't like to admit he's wrong. Much like you, actually. Remember, you still owe him after he apologizes-- he did take care of you when you were too drunk and he did keep you from actually hooking up. He should apologize first, but keep that in mind.”

“Jared,”

“Beret,” he whined, “please. It'll be fun! I promise! And if it isn't, I will personally make it up to you.”

“Ugh, fine.” I rolled my eyes, grabbing my jacket from the dressing room. Mostly I didn't want to have him nagging me all the way back to the hotel, but getting a drink or two with the whole group didn't seem too bad. As long as Jared kept his word, it would be fine.

When we returned to the hotel, John took the bathroom first, only taking a few minutes to clean up before letting me take my turn. I took a quick shower, afterwards only bothering with minimal make-up before quickly redressing. John was gone by the time I exited the bathroom, already down in the lobby with the first people to be done freshening up. I grabbed my purse and jacket and made my way to the lobby, one of the earlier people to arrive from the group. Ian, Dave, Mason, Pat, and Garrett were sitting in the lobby, while John was surprisingly nowhere to be found.

“Ay! B!” Dave waved me over.

“Hey guys, what's up?” I put on a happy face for the group, despite my disinterest in going out tonight.

“Not too much, just waiting for everyone else and dumbass over there before we go.” Ian responded, receiving a jab in the ribs from Garrett. “What was that for?”

Garrett rolled his eyes at Ian. “We're not talking about this.”

“Wait, who's dumbass?” I had a feeling I knew who it was, but I wasn't going to assume anything since I didn't know if anyone besides Garrett knew what was up.

“John, duh. He's on the phone with his mom outside.” Pat simply shrugged. “Oh yeah and Garrett told us.”

“God Pat I told you guys not to say anything!” Garrett sighed dramatically.

“Dude, it's fine.” I interjected, thoroughly annoyed, before they could continue. “You guys gossip like high school girls though. And for crying out loud don't be assholes because of something that's between John and I! We'll get over it.”

Just as I finished, John came through the front doors and glanced around before slowly approaching the group.

“So, what are we doing tomorrow?” Ian asked as he approached, covering up that he had just been the topic of our conversation.

“Bourbon street. Duh. Chicks flashing for beads.” Dave let out a chuckle as he responded, Mason and Garrett nodding in agreement.

“I kind of want to hit the French Quarter, but I guess that's Bourbon street too I suppose.” I added. “Oh, also there's a restaurant around here somewhere that I'm supposed to have lunch at, Andy and Kelly recommended it to me. So I guess that's also on my agenda.”

“I'm with Dave, chicks on Bourbon Street are where it's at.” Pat laughed as I playfully shoved him.

“If you guys are interested in picking up chicks on Bourbon street we'd have to go at night, which means tonight or tomorrow night.” Garrett pointed out as the rest of the group finally came downstairs.

“What are we doing?” Alex and Ryan asked simultaneously. I rolled my eyes as they high-fived each other.

“Picking up chick on Bourbon Street!” Pat cheered.

I rolled my eyes again, cracking a grin as Jared sidled up to me. “They better have good jazz there at least, not all of us want to watch drunk girls show their tits all night.”

“It's New Orleans, they're known for their Jazz. Also, Jared, just because you've got a lady in your life doesn't mean that you can't laugh at drunk girls.” Kennedy pointed out. “Anyways, let's go. There's a bar somewhere around here with our names on it!”

We left the hotel and made our way over to Bourbon Street, which wasn't very far of a walk. Despite the cool winter temperature, the streets were almost packed full of people going between bars, music blasting from all over as we searched for a bar that didn't seem too crowded. Finally settling on one, we went inside and ordered drinks before finding a table to settle at. The sounds of a jazz ensemble were filling the space, along with the sounds of chatter from other people. It wasn't a particularly large bar, and it wasn't even a super clean bar, but it seemed homely and the overall environment made it pleasant for watching a Jazz ensemble.

It was as Jared had promised-- he sat by me and made sure John didn't get too drunk or try to bug me, and we had a great time listening to Jazz and laughing at people. Some of the other guys tried to hit on girls, trying to test the flashing for beads theory, which sometimes worked but mostly got girls to laugh at them. John had stayed pretty quiet, not hitting on anyone but laughing quietly at the failed attempts everyone else had.

“Hey, I'm going to get something to drink. Does anyone want anything?” I stood up and after getting drink orders, made my way over to the bar.

“Well aren't you a sexy little thing?” An older man put his hand on my shoulder and turned me around, blatantly checking me out. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and instantly my gut fell. “What's a pretty girl like yourself doing all alone on Bourbon Street?”

“Sorry, I'm not interested.” I firmly told him, turning around and making the rest of my way to the bar. However, this guy kept following me.

“You know, you'd probably look even better without your clothes. Especially underneath me.”

“I'm not interested.” I repeated. “Please stop.” I waved the bartender over and gave him the drink orders, hoping he wouldn't leave, but he hadn't gone anywhere.

“What else would a girl like you be doing on Bourbon Street than trying to find someone to go home with? Only dirty little girls come here alone.” He persisted, trying to put his hands on my hips before I shoved them off.

“Go away! I'm not interested!” I raised my voice, freaked out by this guy. I desperately tried to make eye contact with my tourmates but they were all too occupied in the conversation, except for John, who was now nowhere to be found.

“Well let me buy you a drink at least?” He kept moving closer and I kept backing up. How was no one even seeing this?

“No. Please leave me alone.”

“Bartender!” He waved a different bartender over. “Get the usual for this lovely--”

“No thanks,” I told the bartender firmly, trying to hint at getting the guy to leave me alone.

“But--”

“She's not interested.” I jumped a foot in the air as I felt a pair of familiar, skinny arms wrap around me. I looked up to see John glaring at him and let out a sigh of relief.

“Says who?” The guy spat at John, eyes moving between the pair of us.

“Her boyfriend. Now fuck off before there's trouble.” The gave me one last look before leaving, though as I watched him walk away he kept looking back at the pair of us.

“You okay?” I turned around to meet John's concerned gaze. “That guy was a creep.”

“Um, yeah. I'm fine. Just freaked out.” I mumbled, giving him a hug. “Thanks for saving me there.”

“Any time. That's what friends are for.” He kissed the top of my head as the bartender returned with the drinks for our table. I handed him the money and told him to keep the change before John helped me carry the drinks back to the table.

“Are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost.” Jared commented as we returned, giving confused looks between John and myself.

“Um, yeah. I'm fine.” I stumbled, trying to brush it off.

“Some people to learn what no means.” John added, giving me a reassuring smile. Pat and Garrett had joined into the conversation and were looking completely lost as to what was going on.

“So what does that mean?” Pat asked.

“This guy was trying to hit on me and wouldn't stop. Definitely moved into creepy territory. He wouldn't have stopped if John hadn't shown up at the right time.” The heat was rising off my cheeks as I tried to briefly explain what happened, though I felt like the response was just some word vomit.

“Speaking of, he's still looking at you.” John put his arm around me again, pulling me close. This whole act confused me even more about what was going on between us. Suddenly he's trying to be Mr. Prince Charming and save me? Jared could sense my confusion and sent me a sympathetic look.

As we sat back down at the table, John made sure to stay close to me and keep up the act we had started, saying that the guy was still keeping his eye on us. I was now too distracted to focus on what was happening, fiddling with the straw of my drink and getting lost in my own thoughts while everyone else was absorbed in whatever the conversation was.

“Hey, do you want to head back? You seem pretty distracted.” John broke me out of my thoughts, giving me a worried look.

“Um, actually yeah. That sounds good.” I finished the rest of my drink and stood up, putting on my jacket.

“We're going to head back guys, we'll catch you tomorrow!” John waved to everyone, following closely behind me as we made our way out of the bar and back onto Bourbon Street. As soon as we were out the door, I spotted the same guy from earlier following us again.

“John, he's following us.” I moved closer to him, the panic rising in my voice. John turned to look and glared at him, before pulling me through the crowded street.

“Beret, there's a cop over there. Want to report him?” He gestured to a police car parked near a street corner, with two officers standing against the doors of the car as crowd control. I nodded and we made our way over, John doing most of the talking before pointing out the guy.

“Wait, you're Beret Emerson aren't you?” The older of the two officers asked me, giving me the once over.

“Um... yes...” I trailed off, unsure of where this was going.

“Oh, my daughter's a big fan of yours. She was actually at your show tonight and said she got to meet you afterwards! It was her birthday present from her mom and I. Thanks for making her night so special.”

“Oh, anytime!” I forced a smile, relieved that he recognized me for a good reason instead of something else. “I'm glad that she had a good time.”

“So which guy was this?” The younger cop asked before I pointed him out again, plainly staring at us through the crowd.

“Oh, he's always causing trouble. We'll take care of it. Sorry he was bothering you.” The younger officer responded.

“We've tried restricting him from coming here but somehow he always sneaks his way back in. It's hard with the crowds.” The older officer added.

We thanked them again and continued our way back, turning back long enough to see him being confronted by the officers. Most of the walk back was in silence, John keeping his arm around me as we navigated the crowds.

“Are you sure you're okay?” We had turned back onto Canal Street, our hotel coming into view.

“I'm just really freaked out, sorry. I've never had that happen before and it's just really scary. Like, if you hadn't shown up when you did I don't know what would have happened.” John held the door as we made our way in, heading straight for the elevator.

“You don't have to apologize for being scared, that guy was way out of line.”

“I just... I feel like I should have been able to handle it better, you know? Like, I always swore I wouldn't let stuff like that happen to me.”

“Beret, you can't control what other people do. And you made it pretty clear you weren't about to put up with him.” John had completely switched gears from the avoidant, awkward John I had been around for the last week to a very concerned and caring John in a matter of hours.

He opened the door into our room and let me in, trailing after me as I fell onto my bed, rolling over onto my stomach. I felt the bed sink down next to me as he sat down, an awkward silence falling over us as we stayed that way.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” John's soft voice broke the silence, moving his hand so he could trace his fingers along my back.

“No...” I mumbled into the bed before pulling my head up. “I think I might just have a smoke and head to bed.”

“You smoke?” John gawked at me in disbelief as I moved to retrieve the emergency smokes from my bag. I had used more of them in the last week than I had cared to, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

“Only when I need to clear my head. It's not a habit. Besides, don't be so shocked. You smoke too.” Digging through my bag I pulled out a lighter and the small box before moving to the small balcony outside the room.

John followed me out, pulling out his own cigarette before lighting up.

“That's true.” The smoke curled out of his lips as he spoke. “I guess I've just never seen you smoke before.”

“I don't do it much, and I don't smoke around other people generally. It'd be bad for 'the image,'” I made quotes with my fingers after tapping the ashes off the cigarette.

“You really hate being famous, don't you?” John looked over at me.

I sighed, not really wanting to go into it. “It wouldn't be so bad if I could just be myself, but I can't. I'd love to successfully make music and be able to walk somewhere without people recognizing me, like you guys get to or like Andrew does, but I don't. People are obsessed with me and if I don't act how they want me to then they freak out. On the road I get some reprieve from it but people still nitpick every single thing I do, like Christ I'm 23 just let me live already. I'm not supposed to have it figured out.” I ended up venting, stopping myself with a deep drag of the cigarette.

We stayed in silence again, both slowly making our way through our cigarettes. Stomping mine out as I finished, I looked up at him.

“Well, I'm going to go to bed. Good night John.”

“Good night.” He weakly smiled at me.

I wasted no time getting ready for bed before crawling underneath the covers. I didn't fall asleep right away, laying with my eyes closed as I heard John moving around, presumably getting ready for bed. It wasn't until I heard the rhythmic sounds of a pen scratching against paper that I found myself lulling into a restless sleep.



“Beret.”

I rolled over, trying to ignore whoever was waking me up.

“Beret.” This time he was a little louder, gently shaking my shoulder.

“Beret!”

“What!?” I groaned, irritated. It was way too early to be woken up, the sun was just beginning to appear in the horizon which meant it was a good four hours before I had any intentions of getting up.

“Get up.” Peeling my eyes open, I turned to John, sitting on the edge of my bed, completely dressed.

“Give me one good reason why.”

“Because, I want to show you something.” he said simply.

“John, this was my day to sleep in. In a real bed.”

“You can do that tomorrow, we don't have to leave until noon. But for now, get up. Time's a-wastin'!” He tried to smile at me, but I returned it with an icy glare.

“Please Beret, I promise this will be worth it.” He sighed, a sad look in his eyes.

“Fine.” I grumbled, sitting up. “This is when I wish I was better at saying no to people.” I pulled a sweater and some jeans out of my bag and went to the bathroom to change, returning to find John had already grabbed my coat as well a hat and gloves.

“You'll want those, it's a bit chilly outside.”

I put on my boots and the jacket, afterwards adjusting the hat on my head until it was just the way I wanted it. I grabbed my purse and the gloves, and he led me out of the hotel.

“So... where are we going at this ungodly hour?” I asked him.

“For a walk.”

“Mr. Vague over here.”

For the first time in a few days, he really grinned. “Well, darling, that'd give away the surprise.”

We walked in silence for a couple blocks before he spoke again.

“Um, Beret?”

“Yes?” I still wasn't fully awake, and as a result I was disinterested in a conversation.

“Garrett told me that you overheard my argument with Jared a few days ago...” John stopped walking and paused, taking a deep breath. “And I'm really sorry about the whole... mess. It wasn't my place to tell you who you can and can't do stuff with, and I was really hungover and feeling pretty sick when I was arguing with Jared the next day. It wasn't right of me to say at all, especially since my actions don't really match up either. I guess I just get really protective sometimes, especially when I'm drunk, and I didn't mean to upset you so much with it.”

“Um... thanks.” My response was quiet, partially from my early awakening and partially from trying to maintain my composure. The apology was everything I needed to hear, even if it was at such an early hour.

“You okay?” John looked at me, worried.

“Yeah, it's just early and I'm just trying to process it all.”

“Okay...”

We continued for a couple more blocks, until we reached the water front.

“Hey John?”

“Yeah?”

“Jared told me about the rest of the night. And... thanks. You didn't have to do that.”

He smiled at me as we continued walking, moving along the water's edge as the sun slowly crept up from the horizon. “It was the least I could do. I felt pretty bad about yelling at you.” He confessed. “So... are we alright again? Because this awkward shit sucks.”

I laughed at the end of his comment. “Yeah, I think so.”

“Good.” We kept walking, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

“So...John, now that we're cool, where are we going?”

“That takes away the surprise, I told you!” He chuckled at my question.

“Yeah but I'm hungry and I need coffee.” I whined at him, jutting out my bottom lip.

John wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. “Don't worry about it, we're almost there.”

As we continued, Cafe Du Monde came into view.

“Have you ever had a beignet?” John inquired.

“A what?”

“I'll take that as a no.” Upon hearing my response, he laughed. “Welcome to Cafe Du Monde. They make Beignets, which are delicious breakfast pastries. Every time we come to New Orleans, I take a sunrise walk along the water and get a beignet and coffee for breakfast. It's relaxing for me, gives me time to clear my mind.” I nodded, catching the scent of fresh baked goods as it wafted through the air. We entered the small shop, John ordering beignets and coffee to go for us, before taking a seat while our order was put together.

“So... worth it?” He smiled at me from across the table.

“We'll see when we get the food. But so far, yes.” I returned the smile.

“Well the best part should be the walk back, the sun will be at prime sunrise viewing and we'll have food.” He told me, as our order was called out. We both stood up and he grabbed our coffees, handing me my drink before passing me a beignet and grabbing his. We exited the small cafe, making our way back down to the water's edge before finding a bench to park ourselves on while we ate.

I examined the pastry before taking a bite into it, noting the powdered sugar that was piled on top and the heat rising from the golden, flaky crust. To put it simply, the beignet tasted even better than it looked. It didn't take long before we both had finished our pastries, yet we remained on the bench, watching the sunrise over the water as various boats made their way through the ports. John had moved his arm so it was resting on the bench behind me, only an inch at most between the two of us. Neither of us felt the need to speak, the silence settling between us was pleasant as we each kept to our thoughts. Still a little sleepy, I leaned my head so it rested on his shoulder, and we stayed that way for a while.

“Well, I suppose we should probably start to make our way back.” John removed his arm from the chair and we both stood up, turning to walk back to the hotel.

John was familiar with the way, and casually strolled along without much concern as to where we were going. I followed next to him, taking in the waterfront of New Orleans as we made our way back to Canal Street. We were mere inches apart from each other, our arms occasionally brushing together as we travelled. Surprisingly, I felt his hand reach down and grab mine, his long fingers loosely intertwining with mine as he continued looking ahead. I smiled to myself as we walked the rest of the way back to the hotel, keeping my hand just where it was.

When we arrived back at our room, we split up and removed our jackets before John spoke up.

“Well it's pretty early still, I don't know if you want to do anything or not...”

“I think I'm going to go back to bed for a few hours. That was definitely worth it but I'm still pretty tired.” I smiled at him, pulling my yoga pants that I slept in out before going into the bathroom to change again. John was sitting on his bed, back in his pajama pants but with no shirt when I returned.

“Do you care if I watch tv while you sleep? I don't know that I can fall asleep again.”

“Sure, I don't care.” I laid down on my bed, starting to get comfortable when he interjected.

“You don't have to be a stranger over there, you know.” There was a slight chuckle at the end of his sentence, as if he was laughing at how I was curled up on the bed.

“And how exactly do I un-become a stranger?”

“Come over here, duh.”

I got up and moved over to his bed, stealing the extra pillow before crawling under the blankets next to him.

“Better?” I asked, burying myself under the blankets so only the top of my head was showing.

“Well...” John started, and I could hear the grin in his voice. I moved my head so it was resting against his leg, but he shifted down so his stomach was now acting as a pillow.

“This was a giant ploy to get me to cuddle with you, wasn't it?” I giggled, moving even closer to him as he settled into his place.

“Pretty much. I missed our cuddles.” He confirmed.

“I missed them too. We can't fight anymore, it's no fun for anyone.” I mumbled, sleep taking over faster than I would have liked as his fingers began raking through my hair.

“Nope. We won't fight anymore.”