Seize The Day.

Arin was the first out of the two of them to wake up the next morning. His arms were still wrapped around her and he smiled at her and kissed the top of her head. He rested his head back on his pillow and kept his arms the way they were. He closed his eyes and just listened, he could hear her heartbeat if he focused hard enough and he smiled. He never thought that he would be like this with anyone, especially someone as amazing as Jenny. He felt her twitch in her sleep and he loosened his arms a little so she could move. She didn’t wake up and he just gave a little sigh as he smiled at her. He heard the guys walking around in the main part of the bus and he wondered how long it would take for them to come looking for her in his room. He was hoping that they would just leave the two of them alone for a while and wait until they walked out before they started in with the jokes and comments.
Jenny woke up and drowsily turned back to Arin. She smiled at him and snuggled closer to him. He gave a quiet laugh, “Morning Sleeping Beauty.” She smiled up at him, “Morning.” He sat up a little and she did the same as she wrapped the covers tighter around her. He chuckled as he stretched and yawned. She took that moment to slide closer to him and he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close and kissed her on the cheek. Arin looked at her, “You sleep okay?” She smiled, “A lot better once I came in here.” They sat there for a while like that, not saying much of anything. Arin just stared at her in loving silence and tightened his arm around her as he watched her toy with their hands that were now entwined. She looked up at him, “Should we go out there?” He laughed, “If you’re ready for the onslaught of comments you’re gonna get, then sure.” She smiled and wrapped the blanket around her as she walked out of his room. Arin just laughed and shook his head as he grabbed a t-shirt to throw on.
She walked out and poured herself a cup of hot cocoa and sat down at the table next to Zacky who was looking at her with raised eyebrows. She set her mug down and looked at him, “What?” He just shook his head and laughed. Brian spoke up from the other side of the table, “Did Arin finally get it in?” Cocoa almost came out Jenny’s nose from laughing so hard, “Yea…that’s what happened haha. Give me a little credit okay? I’ve gotten this far with my virginity and I’m betting I can go a little while longer.” Syn laughed, “I give it a couple of weeks at the most before you lose it.” Johnny poked his head in from his room, “Are you seriously betting on how long Jenny is gonna keep her virginity?” Zacky laughed and nodded, “Seems that way.” Johnny walked in and put his hands on her shoulders, “I give it more than a month before she caves.” Jenny laughed and looked up at him, “Thanks for having so much faith in me man haha. I think you guys are forgetting that I dated a guy for three years without doing anything. What makes you think this will be any different?” Zacky laughed, “Oh, she has a point there.” They were all laughing when Arin walked in and sat down on the couch next to Syn, “Bro, I hate to break it to you, but you are definitely losing that bet haha. Now she’s just not gonna do anything because she wants to prove you wrong.” Jenny laughed, “Pretty much how it’s gonna go.”
She looked up at Johnny, “You wanna be awesome and get me a pancake?” He laughed as he went over to the plate and tossed her one. She caught it and balanced it on top of her cocoa mug as she started to break it apart. Zacky watched her and smiled as she tried to eat it without it falling into the mug. He nudged her shoulder, “You want a plate for that?” She laughed and shook her head, “Nah, I like a challenge haha.” She finished her pancake after a few close calls of it almost falling into her cocoa. She leaned back in her chair and wrapped the blanket around her, “So, is today our last day here?” Matt walked in and sat down on the couch on the other side or Brian, “Yea, we’re heading out tonight, why?” She looked down at the ground, “Oh, I just gotta do something quick before we go.” Matt nodded; he knew what she was talking about.
She got up from her chair and wrapped the blanket around herself again as she headed to the back of the bus to change and get ready. When she came back out she grabbed the folder with the contract in it and she snagged one of Johnny’s sweatshirts, “I’ll see you guys in a few.” She waved goodbye and gave Arin a kiss on the cheek before heading out the door.
She stopped at the store where Tyler worked before heading to the studio. He waved at her through the window and walked out to meet her, “Hey, did you sign?” She shook her head, “No, I gotta talk to him about some of the stuff in the contract first. I was wondering if you would walk there with me though. I don’t wanna go alone.” He smiled at her, “Sure.” He slid his hand into hers as they walked to the studio. When they got inside he sat down on one of the couches in the main lobby, “I’ll be here when you get out okay?” She smiled, “Okay, thank you so much.” She walked down the hallway and into Dan’s office.
He smiled up at her, “So, have we come to a conclusion?” She shook her head, “No, not yet. I have a few questions.” He raised his eyebrows, “What might those be?” She opened the folder with the contract in it, “It doesn’t say anywhere in the contract about what happens if I don’t make any money or whatever.” Dan shrugged, “Well, if you don’t, you lose whatever you’ve invested into the band and you have to pay a certain percentage of what we paid to help you get started.” She leaned back in her chair but said nothing. After a few moments of silence Dan looked her in the eye, “Look, I know that Tyler worked really hard to get a deal like this for you. I suggest that you don’t blow it off.” Jenny laughed, “Look, Tyler is an amazing kid, but he’s not worth throwing all my money down the tubes for. I don’t have that much to invest into a band anyway, let alone enough to pay your debts if I don’t make it,” she paused and slid the contracts onto his desk, “So thank you very much sir, but I can’t take you up on that. I’m going to stick with my backup vocals. Sorry.” She held her hand out and he stood up from his desk to shake it, “Alright, do what you please. But you’re giving up a really good chance here my dear.” She smiled as she opened the door, “I’ve got a pretty good thing going right now, I don’t need money and fame. I’ve got the family I’ve always wanted. I wouldn’t give that up for something that will probably crash and burn.” And with that, she walked out the door.
She walked into the main lobby and Tyler stood up and looked at her excitedly, “Well? How’d it go?” She laughed and shook her head, “I didn’t sign.” He looked kind of let down, “Why not?” She shook her head, “I didn’t want to risk everything I have on something that probably won’t work out in the end.” He sighed, “Oh, okay.” She smiled at him and nudged his shoulder, “Want to go get some mocha madnesses down the street?” He smiled, “Yea, sounds good.” They were walking down the street hand in hand and she was telling Tyler about how it was her last day here but that she’d come back and visit him when she could. What she didn’t notice though, was that Arin was inside the café getting his own coffee. He turned around and saw them holding hands and talking outside the door. His jaw dropped, he couldn’t believe it. He was actually watching Jenny flirt with some other guy. He knew that she would flirt with guys in the crowd while she was up on stage, but he figured that it would stop once the concerts were over. He never thought that she would do that to him. He saw Tyler lean over and kiss her on the cheek. He could feel his face getting hot in anger. He couldn’t just stand there and let that happen.
They walked in and Jenny was talking and laughing with Tyler. They were standing in line when Arin walked up behind Tyler, “Hey guys, what’s going on here?” Jenny’s face went paste white and she immediately jerked her hand out of Tyler’s. She looked down at the ground, to ashamed to meet Arin’s gaze. Tyler turned around with an expression on his face that could only be described as extreme fear. He looked up at Arin, since it seemed as though Arin had grown a few feet in anger, “I, I, it’s nothing man. I swear.” Arin glared down at him, “I’m giving you five seconds to beat it kid.” Tyler turned around and took off out the door like his hair was on fire.
Arin turned back to Jenny, “What the hell Jenn?” She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, “I, I’m sorry…” He just shook his head, “Why though? Am I really that shitty of a boyfriend that you have to go around flirting with other guys like that to be happy?” She shook her head in disagreement, “No! It’s not like that okay?” Arin ran his hand through his hair, “Then what’s it like? ‘Cause I am so fucking confused right now. I thought that we were okay. No, I thought that we were actually better than okay. Was I really that fucking far off?” Jenny put her face in her hands, “No okay? It’s not what you think. Tyler has just, he’s been through a lot and he likes me and I figured that since we were only going to be here for a couple of days-” Arin cut her off, “You figured that since we were only here for a few days that it wouldn’t matter if you went fucking around with other guys? That’s not the way it works babe, I hate to break it to you. And I don’t know what you want me to do about all of this but honestly, I don’t even know what to say or do right now. But you better hope that I don’t hunt that little motherfucker down and beat him for acting like that.” Jenny looked up at him, “I’m sorry.” He shook his head, “Don’t even.”
He threw his coffee in the garbage and walked out the door without giving her a backwards glance. She watched him walk out of sight and then she took off at a run towards the bus. She was going by the store and she saw Tyler sitting on one of the benches inside. She slowly opened the door and came and sat down next to him, “I’m sorry you had to go through that.” He jumped a little; he hadn’t seen her coming, “Why didn’t you tell me that you and Arin were serious? I wouldn’t have done anything if I knew that. I thought that you two were just like, a fling or whatever. I feel like a major asshole now. You didn’t tell me that he was that into you. I wouldn’t have gotten involved with you at all if I had known about all of that.” She looked at him, “So wait, you only did any of the things that you did because you liked me?” He shrugged, “More or less. I wanted you to stick around here. That’s why I wanted you to sign the deal. That’s why I showed you all the cool little places around here. I wanted you to stay. I wouldn’t have tried to convince you to though if I knew how serious things were with you and Arin and you and the band. I wouldn’t have kissed you or anything.” Jenny shook her head, “Alright, so, do you like me or not?” Tyler nodded, “Yea, but I don’t wanna screw things up with you and Arin. Now I think you should get going before he comes by here and sees you. He’ll kill the both of us if that happens.” Jenny gave him one last look and then walked out the door and went back to the bus.
She came in and Matt and Brian were the only ones there. Brian saw the look on her face. He patted the seat on the couch next to him, “What’s on your mind kid?” She flopped down on the couch next to him and sighed, “Arin’s is majorly pissed at me right now.” He raised his eyebrows, “Why?” She turned to him, “He saw me and Tyler…” Syn’s eyes grew wide, “What’d he catch you two doing?” She put her face in her hands, “Tyler and I were outside the café and we were holding hands and he kissed me on the cheek and Arin saw and he walked over and told Tyler to fuck off and then me and him were fighting. I haven’t seen him since.” He shook his head, “Look, I wish I could side with you on this, but Arin’s right. You can’t just go around like that with guys you meet in all the towns we stop in. It doesn’t work that way. I’m sure that Arin will come back around and all, but it’s gonna be rough at first.” She shook her head, “I didn’t think that it was that big of a deal.” Brian looked at her, “Do you honestly and truly like Arin?” Jenny nodded, “Yea, I do.” He waited for her to meet his gaze again, “Do you take your relationship with him seriously?” She shrugged, “Yea, I mean, I guess.” Brian shook his head, “Then I suggest you start acting like it. I haven’t seen him like this in a while, this happy I mean. I knew that this fight was coming the second I found out about you and Tyler, but still man, you gotta get your shit together.”
Jenny blinked back tears as she looked up at Brian who was now standing, “I know I fucked it all up okay? I know that. I was just hoping that he wouldn’t find out about everything and then I just wouldn’t do anything like that ever again with anyone that we meet. But I guess it’s too late for now.” Syn smiled at her and gave her a hug, “You’ll learn Jenn, don’t worry. And Arin will eventually get over it because he cares about you and doesn’t want to lose you. But in the mean time, don’t do anything else that’s stupid okay?” He walked to the back of the bus and Jenny was left there in the room with Matt. He was shaking his head at her.
She sighed, “What do you wanna say?” He looked at her, “Well, I agree with Arin and Brian. That was stupid of you to do. But you already knew that. But I just wanna know what made you do it.” She shrugged, “Well Tyler really is a sweet kid. And we really did hit it off like, right away. He’s been through a lot but he’s still so caring and everything. And well, I don’t know. I guess it was kind of just like, that few days where nothing could go wrong you know? Like, that perfect start to a relationship. And it was good because well, it was only ever going to be the start because we’re leaving.” Matt nodded, “So it was like all the fun of a relationship without worrying about getting attached or getting hurt?” She nodded in agreement, “Pretty much I guess.” He shrugged, “I guess I get where you’re coming from. But, don’t do it again. What you and Arin have could turn into something amazing. Don’t throw that away for a few days of a fling.” She nodded, “Yea I know.”
While all of that was going on, Arin was walking around town trying to clear his head. He was trying to figure out why all of it was happening. “What did I do?” he thought to himself, “Or what didn’t I do?” He had been trying so hard to be good enough for Jenny. He just wanted to have that happy relationship that everyone chases after. He wanted to have that romance that everyone says will never work out, but then does. Was it really that far out of reach for him? Was it really that impossible? Or maybe it just wasn’t meant to happen with her.
He was so consumed with his thoughts that he didn’t even realize that he was walking right up to the store where Tyler was working. Tyler saw him walking outside and decided that he had to talk to him. He didn’t want Arin to think that he was trying to screw him over. He walked outside and stood in front of Arin. Arin looked up at him and took a step back, slightly shocked since he wasn’t paying attention to what was going on around him. Arin was about to start going off on him but Tyler stopped him, “Look, before you kill me, at least lemme explain myself okay? I had no idea that you and Jenny were serious okay? If I knew that I would’ve backed off. I had no idea man. I’m sorry.” Arin stared at him in bewilderment, “You didn’t know that me and Jenny had something? You didn’t gather that from how we acted on stage together?” Tyler shrugged, “I just figured that that stuff was just for show.” Arin ran his fingers through his hair, “Well, thanks I guess man. Thanks for being honest with me anyway. But I still can’t believe Jenny.” Tyler looked down at his shoes, “I’m sorry man.” Arin shrugged, “Whatever.”
When he got back to the bus Jenny was still sitting at the table with Matt talking about the shows that were coming up on the tour and what she would be singing and things like that. She looked at Arin as he walked onto the bus; he just went to his room without speaking a word to her or Matt. Matt looked at her, “It’ll be okay.” She sighed and nodded slightly.
A few minutes later Zacky walked onto the bus and looked at the two of them, “We heading out?” Matt nodded, “Yea. Hey, can you drive though man? I need to get some sleep.” Zacky nodded, “Sure thing.” He headed up to the drivers seat and Matt patted Jenny’s shoulder before getting up and going to his room. Jenny ran her hands through her hair and put her earphones in. She looked out the window of the bus as they started to drive away. She felt chills go up her arms and wanted nothing more than for Arin to be right there to keep her warm.