A Lovely Mess

"Happy birthday, man!" Rex yelled out to John, smiling at him as he walked up to him at the bar. John had a beer in his hand and he set it down to give Rex, one of his oldest friends, a hug. Two more of John's friends followed soon after, telling him happy birthday as well. It was John's twenty sixth birthday, one that made him feel extremely old for some reason.

They were on a small break from Warped Tour for the summer. It was just a brief one for his birthday, but he was happy to celebrate his birthday with his friends. He felt like he hadn't been able to have quality time with his friends in so long.

His oldest friend in his band, Jared, walked up with his girlfriend, Tessa, in tow. They both hugged him, smiling. Tessa kissed his cheek, then wiped at the leftover lipstick on his cheek. "We love you so much, John," she told him.

"I love you guys, too," he replied, then took a sip of his drink. He finished it off, then excused himself to use the restroom.

It was a shitty restroom that had writing all over the walls. He smiled to himself at the writing he did on his twenty first birthday. It was still there, from five years ago, which again, made him feel old. John stared at himself in the mirror, barely recognizing the face staring back at him. He remembered doing the same thing five years prior. His face looked aged and worn, even though he wasn't old at all. After splashing some cold water on his face, he left the restroom.

As soon as the door was opened, he ran into a girl, literally. She groaned as she touched her head, frowning. The girl looked very young to John, she couldn't have been older than twenty one, but she was absolutely beautiful.

"I'm so sorry," he told her, placing his hand on her arm. "Are you alright?"

She nodded while looking up. "I'm fine...," she trailed off, then smiled. "You're the birthday boy. Happy birthday."

"Thank you," he replied. "Are you... old enough to be here?"

Laughing, the girl nodded. "I'm twenty one, actually. I know, I look like I'm eighteen, but I promise I am older." He apologized sheepishly, which she waved off. "I'm Jamie."

"John," he informed. All he could think about was how beautiful she looked, smiling up at him. For a moment, they stayed connected, but she finally looked away, towards the ladies room. "Oh! Right... Sorry. I'll uh, I'll see you around, Jamie."

With a smile, she nodded and slipped past him. He let out a breath while walking back to his friends, who seemed to be drunk already.

For the rest of the night, he watched Jamie. She was with a couple girl friends, and he assumed they were having a girls night together. Their eyes met several times throughout the hours. People started dancing around, and Jamie's friends dragged her to the dance floor. The way she was dancing should've been illegal for a girl as beautiful as her, and John couldn't help but watch.

He watched as a guy made his way to her, going to dance with her. His hands touched her waist, and she tried to push him off, but he kept at it. She looked annoyed and desperate. John stood from his spot and walked over to them. He grabbed Jamie's waist, then pulled her into him. He kissed her, pushing his hand behind her hair and to her neck to hold her into the kiss. She kissed him back. Neither had noticed that the guy had left or both of the groups of friends were staring at them. When he pulled back, John let out a deep breath. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked.

Jamie didn't hesitate to nod. She followed him out of the bar and to his car. Her heart was racing as he drove, and she wasn't sure why. Neither spoke a word on the drive there, nor did they even really look at each other.

When they got to John's place, they both got out of the car and went to the apartment. She followed him to his room. She sat on the dresser, watching as he moved around the room. John knew that she wanted him to kiss her, but he felt like he shouldn't for some reason.

"You have... no idea of the things I could put you through," he finally said.

She was young, so young. He was sure he would break her heart, like he always did. He was a road worn fool with his heart under lock and key. "You should stay away," he said.

Jamie scooted herself from he dresser. She walked towards him, then pushed him back on the bed. He let out a breath as she crawled over him. Her mouth went to his again and he gave in, letting his body take over. He knew he shouldn't have, but he couldn't help it.

"I don't want to stay away," she murmured. Jamie's fingers pulled the shirt from his body and she kissed his chest. "I want to stay," she kissed his neck, "right here," she kissed his mouth, "with you."

~

John laughed as he watched her jump over him on his bed. He knew he should've been worried she would jump on him, but he wasn't. She stopped a moment later and landed over his lap. He gripped Jamie's waist, pulling her next to him. Jamie giggled, fixing John's shirt that she had pulled over her body.

"What are you doing for the rest of your life?" John questioned, kissing her neck.

Jamie bit her lip, smiling. She pushed on his chest and stood from the bed, heading towards the bathroom. She stopped at the doorway and turned so her back was to John. As John laid on he bed, he trailed his eyes over her body as she pulled the shirt from her torso.

Smirking, she let it fall to the floor. "You," she finally said, then disappeared into the bathroom completely. When John heard the shower start, he shot up from his bed, rushing towards her.

His night with Jamie was the last thing he ever expected it to be. When he kissed her, he felt something weird erupt in it him. It was different than anything he's ever felt before. He felt happy and whole with Jamie.

After they slept together, they stayed up talking and laughing. He felt like he had known her for his whole life and he was happy she stayed, even when he told her to leave. Even though he knew he was still right, that he was wrong for her, something in him told him that he needed her. She made him feel alive again, after feeling so dead for the past five years.

He kissed her as the water fell down her face from the shower head. "I'm not those men that made you cry," he murmured. "And I promise, I will spend my life just trying to make you feel alive."

Jamie put her hands on his cheeks. "John," she murmured as he moved his hips towards hers. She let out a sigh.

"Because you are broken and I am such a wreck."

"But we'll figure it out together."