Two Kids Stupid and Fearless

Jack had instagrammed a picture of us not even twenty minutes ago, but my phone was blowing up with new followers, mentions and favorites. I bet Jack's was even worse.

The picture was of me smiling and Jack kissing my cheek while we were in Times Square with the caption my favorite princess @miajenovic. Within a matter of minutes, my twitter followers had gone from 160 to over nine thousand, with just as many mentions that ranged from congratulatory messages to fangirls ranting about how I didn't deserve it.

Just wait until they find out that Jack and I live together. Hah.

As of now, we were at a restaurant in Little Italy as the closer of Jack’s plans for today. “Whacha doin?” He asked, peering over the table, trying to see the screen of my phone.

“Twitter is blowing up right now,” I answered. “They call us Miack.”

He chuckled slightly. “I like Jia better.”

“Whatever,” I said. “The fans have decided on Miack.”

He took a sip from his coke. “So how’s it feel to have a famous boyfriend?”

“The having a boyfriend part is nice,” I admitted. “But it’s kind of freaky that you have 13-year-old girls begging for you to impregnate them.”

“I can’t help it that I’m so irresistible,” he said, laughing.

My phone buzzed simultaneously with Jack’s. I had turned off notifications from people I didn’t follow, so it wasn’t going off as much as it was before. There were two replies to the photo from Alex and Rian.

@AlexAllTimeLow: @Miajenovic @JackAllTimeLow FINALLY!!

@Riandawson: @JackAllTimeLow i thought i was your princess :(

I quickly typed a reply.

@Miajenovic: @Riandawson dw, you’re the queen now

Jack laughed from the other side of the table upon seeing my reply. “You’d make a pretty good queen,” he commented.

“You’d make a good king,” I responded.

There was silence between us for a few moments as we sipped our drinks and continued looking at our phones. I decided now would be a good time to ask the question that had been prying at my mind all day.

“So, what’s all this for?” I asked bluntly.

Jack almost choked on his drink. “What’s what for?”

“All this,” I replied, gesturing to the restaurant and to the crown that I still had on my head. “There’s gotta be a reason.”

He looked down then shrugged. “Can’t I just take you out for a good time? I just wanted it to be special when I asked you to be my girlfriend,” He answered, blushing.

“You could’ve just asked me straight up. You had plenty of time; at the churro place, at the park, on the subway....” I protested. “Why all the buildup?”

He ran a nervous hand through his hair. “Okay, you got me,” he admitted. He hesitated before continuing. “Listen, I leave for Europe in ten days. I’ll be gone for two and a half months.”

Had time really gone that fast? It seemed like just yesterday that he lied to me and practically kept me hostage. And now that I was starting to get attached, now that things were starting to get serious....he was leaving. Just my luck.

“Oh,” I mumbled.

“Don’t look so sad,” he told me, chuckling. “I want you to come with me.”

Now it was my turn to choke. “What?!?!” I exclaimed in disbelief.

He took my hand in his from across the table and his brown eyes met mine. “Look, Mia, I like you. I really fucking like you. You make me happy, all the time. You make my knees go weak and my brain turn to jelly, and you don’t even have to try. I’ve gotten used to having you around, I’ve almost forgotten what it’s like to be alone. I can’t bear the thought of you staying here all by yourself while I tour Europe. I need you around....I think I’d go nuts having to live without you for three months. It just doesn’t seem right to leave you behind.”

I rubbed my temples; still trying to process the fact that I was going to tour Europe with my boyfriend for three months. “What about the guys? Won’t they be upset that they don’t get to bring their girlfriends on tour?”

“I don’t think they’d be mad, besides, Ryan’s bringing Cass and I’m pretty sure Evan’s girlfriend is in the band that’s coming with us,” he replied. “You and Cass could help out with merch and at signings, too. And maybe help pick up all the bras.”

I nodded, taking it all in. “When do we leave?”

“Nine days from now,” he answered quickly. “Band practice starts tomorrow.”

“Can I come watch you guys?” I asked, blushing.

“Sure,” he said. “Now, what do you want for dinner? I recommend the ravioli.”