This Could Be All I've Waited For

You would be surprised at how hard it is to get an appointment with an advisor a couple of weeks before class registration. I had to call back several times just be told that they were booked for the rest of the week and that the only appointment time they had open for the next week was in middle of one of my classes so I’d have to skip which wasn’t that big of a deal.

However I wasn’t expecting for my first appointment to lead to us having to schedule yet another appointment with another advisor from the same department so that I could get a second opinion despite the fact that I was absolutely certain that I wanted to go completely online next semester for my classes.

I groaned leaving my second meeting. Apparently they seem to think that the dean should sign off on such a drastic change of schedule and they had scheduled another appointment with him for next week while they held my place in the classes I’d chosen so I didn’t lose my schedule considering it was registration week.

At this point I wouldn’t know if I would have my online classes until the week that I leave to go visit Jack again. I’d managed to talk my parents into going on a cruise for thanksgiving, making it easier for me to get away with a week with Jack and Derek wasn’t complaining either seeing as his new girlfriend was begging him to meet her family.

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out answering quickly when I saw Jack’s face on the screen. “Hey!” I said brightly forgetting about the frustration I felt towards the administration of my school for a moment.

“Hey,” he answered just as brightly, “I’ll be in Georgia tomorrow,” he added sounding excited.

I let out a little squeal unintentionally; a few people stopped to give me a strange look before shaking their heads and continuing on their way. I made faces at their backs as revenge. “What time do you think you’ll be at the venue?” I asked knowing that I wouldn’t really be allowed in until they got there.

I heard him yell at Flyzik asking him about tomorrow’s schedule. “Should be there by lunch time should I make sure that Flyzik orders you something?” he asked sounding hopeful.

I laughed, “Yeah I only have one class tomorrow at 8 o’clock so I’ll be way done by noon,” the idea of seeing Jack so soon made my heart hurt in the best way.

“Then I suppose I’ll be seeing you for lunch tomorrow,” he said a smile very apparent in his voice.

“I’ll be the weirdo sitting on the rock wall out front,” I said remembering that they would be at the Masquerade for their Atlanta show, “Gotta get there early if I want to be able to park outside the venue.”

“Are Momma and Papa Rick gonna come out?” he asked even though he probably didn’t care as much as he was just looking for an excuse to stay on the phone.

I chuckled at the names he used that I didn’t think I’d ever get over. “I don’t know if they will or not, I’m not even sure that they know that you’ll be in town,” I told him unsure if they were still watching the tour schedule like hawks now that I wasn’t on it with them.

“If they do come I hope you know that I will not tone down my inappropriateness and they should be prepared,” he joked. I wasn’t sure if he was talking about onstage or off.

“I think they’re used to you by now,” I told him making my way to the parking deck.

He scoffed, “So their completely used to me being all over their daughter?” he questioned.

“Depends on your definition,” I said shrugging, we’d never really been the kind of friends that kept distance between themselves at all times.

“I’m talking kissing you too much for the comfort of others around us, pushing you against walls, maybe cornering you in a utility closet if the opportunity presents itself,” Jack listed causing my cheeks to grow warm. I probably should have turned the volume down on my phone before getting into an elevator.

“Behave yourself,” I warned him scuffing the toe of my shoe on the floor.

“Are you still at school?” Jack asked, “Oh God that makes me feel like a pedophile to say.”

I stifled a giggle in the sleeve of my jacket. “I’m in college not middle school, Jack,” I said rolling my eyes.
A few people turned to give me a strange look and I just ignored them.

“True I don’t think I would be able to date you if you were in middle school,” Jack said sounding like he was thinking.

“Well of course not because that would be illegal,” I told him glaring as more people turned to look at me.

The elevator stopped on my floor and I quickly exited and made my way to my car that was parked relatively close to the elevators. I got it unlocked and threw my bag in the back seat before sliding into the driver’s seat and shutting my door. Then I turned my attention back to my phone.

“You only did that to embarrass me,” I complained calling Jack out.

He gave a throaty laugh in return. “You should have made it less obvious that there were people around you,” he said sounding pleased with himself.

“Right I’ll keep that in mind,” I told him switching him to speaker phone for the drive home.

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I sat outside the masquerade alone very aware of the eyes boring into my back. I definitely preferred not knowing that fans recognized me to this. Being oblivious had its perks. I had been there for a little over a half hour waiting for noon to roll around. My headphones were in blasting a playlist that Jack had created consisting mostly of Blink 182 and some angsty 90’s punk bands. I rolled my eyes as one of Blink’s more ridiculous songs started to play. Jack always seemed to spice up my iTunes.

I opened a game of Sudoku realizing that I probably looked lost watching the cars pass by.

I looked up just in time to catch the rear end of the tour bus pulling into the venue. I turned off my game and music before I started gathering up my headphones when I heard Flyzik shout my name.

“Cadence Erickson! If you don’t get this man child I will kill him!” Flyzik shouted drawing a lot of unwanted attention to me as I made my way towards the bus.

I didn’t quite make it to the bus before Jack pushed past Flyzik and pulled me into a bone crushing hug. “Cady!” he exclaimed in delight.

“You know for being so skinny you give hugs that could suffocate a person,” I told him not particularly minding the close proximity.

There was a commotion going on in the line somewhere behind me but that didn’t really bother me. However, Zack tackling me out of Jack’s arms and tossing me over his shoulder like a rag doll was no picnic.

“Why are you such a bully?” I demanded as he toted me inside, Jack laughing as he trailed behind.

Zack chuckled insisting that I loved him as he started humming the tune for that hi-ho song from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves which only made Jack laugh harder.

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“So I’m guessing that the rents won’t be attending the show this evening?” Alex asked in a posh tone.

I huffed at the thought. “No, I think they’re getting back at me for my disappearing act that I pulled to come out a couple of weeks ago,” I said, “They’ve gone out of town.”

Jack gave me a curious look. “What do you mean ‘disappearing act’?” he asked.

I shrugged concentrating on the patterns of the ratty couch that I was sitting on. “I just sort of left while they were out and left them a note instead of telling them face to face. So, they left me a note saying they’d be out of town for the weekend. I’m sure it’s meant to teach me a lesson,” I explained.

Jack groaned sinking into the cushion next to me. “Cady, your parents are going to hate me,” he whined.

I rolled my eyes, “If they didn’t like you I would have heard about it by now,” I assured him, “Mom still thinks you’re a saint.”

“Your mom is blind and deaf isn’t she?” Rian asked.

I chuckled because I had wondered the same thing after hearing my mom speak so fondly of Jack… Of course, I couldn’t stand him at the time so maybe that had something to do with it.

I looked to Jack who was obviously waiting for me to look his way with his bottom lip poking out in the most over exaggerated pout I’d ever seen. I leaned forward kissing his cheek and then used my index finger to poke his lip back in.

“You know that I’m coming home with you tonight right?” Jack asked clearly having moved on.

Alex barked out a laugh, “You are so smooth,” he commented smacking the back of his head.

“Bus call is 6:30,” Flyzik chimed in causing Jack to roll his eyes.

“Please don’t trick yourself into thinking that we’re actually going to be sleeping,” Jack shot back.

“And what makes you think that I won’t be sleeping?” I asked pulling my eyebrows together.

Jack smirked at me, “I get it you just don’t want everyone else to know how bad you want me,” he said sounding awfully sure of himself.

“You caught me,” I said rolling my eyes just before Flyzik called the guys to go out on stage.

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After the show Jack did come home with me complaining that I lived too far from the city the entire thirty minutes it took to get us to my driveway. As soon as I put the car into park he was flying out of the passenger side door running around the car to yank open my door, I barely got my seatbelt off before he was pulling me out of my seat.

“Jack you need to cool it,” I told him trying to locate my house key on my overcrowded key chain.

Jack took the keys from my hand easily finding the house key before grinning down at me and catching my lips in a soft kiss. I smiled dazed by the action as he pulled away and turned to unlock the door and lead us inside.

“I miss just hanging out with you, Cady,” Jack said taking my hand as we made our way up the stairs and to my room.

I nodded my head agreeing with him, “We don’t really get to do that anymore.”

“Well,” he began, following me into my room, “we have around six hours to do just that,” he said going to my movies.

I sat on the edge of my bed, “Oh, now you just want to hang out,” I teased as I took my shoes off.

Jack threw me a look over his shoulder. “Trust me, Cady, I would love to do more than just hang out,” he teased, “but that isn’t what a relationship is all about,” he finished seriously.

“Listen to you being all grown up,” I teased back.

Jack shrugged his shoulders before picking up a stack of four movies three of which were VHS’s and I knew immediately what movies he had chosen.

“Die Hard marathon!!” I shouted excitedly.

“Well I force you to watch my favorite movies all the time,” Jack said sheepishly, “It’s only fair that we watch yours every now and again.”

I grinned widely as he popped the first one into my VCR then came to crawl into the bed with me.

I kissed his cheek as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Jack?” I called his attention.

He hummed in acknowledgement, pressing his cheek to the top of my head.

“You’re kind of the best boyfriend ever, you know that right?” I asked.

He chuckled and turned to kiss the top of my head before ducking down to my ear. “I do whatever it takes to keep you around,” he whispered.

I smiled to myself snuggling even closer to him as we watched the movie.