Ray of Sunshine

Lauren took a deep breath as she stepped out of the downstairs bathroom wearing her new outfit: long black flowy pants, and a silky pink sleeveless blouse with a floral design. She had also purchased a pair of cute pink flats, which tied her whole outfit together nicely. With the essentials she always carried in her purse, she had brushed her hair and put part of it back in a black clip then teased a few bangs out. She was grateful that she had taken the time to straighten her hair earlier that morning, otherwise it would have been a curly mess by now.
She walked upstairs and found Sam and Dylan on the couch playing a video game she didn’t recognize, and Matty sitting at the kitchen table talking to Danny, the band’s lead singer. She took a deep breath and approached them.
“I told you the pumps were a must have!” Matty said as she sat opposite him.
Lauren smiled. “Thanks Matty, I’ll have to take you shopping more often. Just kidding,” she said when he grinned.
Danny laughed. “Johnny’s right, you are a hoot. I’m Danny,” he told her as he extended his hand.
She shook his hand and replied, “It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Lauren.”
“I know,” he said, sitting beside her. “It’s nice to finally meet you as well. Johnny talks about nothing else, except Ava of course.”
“That’s not true,” Matty argued. “Why just this morning he and I discussed the weather!” They all laughed at this, and almost didn’t hear Nikki approaching.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, sitting next to Matty.
“Your boyfriend,” Danny answered. “He’s a riot.”
Nikki raised an eyebrow and faced Matty, who was still smiling. “You got that right.” She turned back to face Danny and Lauren. “So, you two have finally met.”
“Yes, we have, and I’ve got a billion questions for her,” Danny replied.
“About what?” Lauren asked.
“Johnny,” he answered. “I’m sure you’re privy to what goes on inside that head of his. I’ll bet you could tell me all his deepest darkest secrets.”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Johnny answered from behind him.
Danny jumped so suddenly he nearly fell out of his chair, which had the others laughing hysterically. “You guys could’ve given a brother a warning,” he said, catching his breath as he sat up straight. “Almost gave me a heart attack.”
Johnny patted him on the back. “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades man.” He turned to Lauren. “You, my dear, look stunning. Great call on the shoes, Matty.”
“Thank you,” he answered. “I’ve just been offered a job as her personal fashion advisor and shopping guide.”
“Somehow I doubt she was serious,” Johnny said with a smile. “And Nikki, nice call on the belt. Ties your whole outfit together, you look great.”
Nikki smiled. She had chosen a denim skirt stopping just above her knees, white flowy blouse, and gold belt. She also wore a pair of white pumps, and she had taken her hair out of the ponytail she’d had it in all day. “Thanks,” she said. “Is Charlie here yet?”
“He and Jorel are outside with James and Harley,” Johnny answered.
Nikki and Lauren exchanged a look of excitement and said in unison “Be right back!”
They sprinted toward the door and took a second to collect themselves before walking calmly outside. James and Harley were sitting opposite Charlie and Jorel at the patio table. They all looked up when they heard the girls approaching.
“Ah, the fangirls,” James joked, leaning back in his chair and smirking. “You guys jealous because we might’ve beaten you to the autographs and pictures?”
“Shut up James,” Nikki scolded him. “We wanted to come out and introduce ourselves, seeing as we’re all here hanging out together and all.”
“Yeah I’m sure that’s it,” James said. “Kidding,” he added when she glared at him. “Well guys, that’s Nikki. I guess it goes without saying, don’t make her angry.”
Nikki rolled her eyes. “It’s nice to meet you guys. This is Lauren.”
Charlie and Jorel stood to shake their hands. As Charlie took Lauren’s he smiled and said, “I’m sure Danny’s already said this, but we have a million questions for you. We have never seen Johnny so happy and giddy. He talks about you so much that I feel like I know you already.”
“Thanks, I think,” she replied cautiously. “It’s very nice to finally meet you guys. We’re huge fans.”
Jorel smiled. “Thanks. We’re fans of you guys too. And your organization, Lauren, I’m a huge admirer.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I appreciate that.”
“Hey look it’s Anna and Vanessa!” Charlie pointed at a black car that had just pulled up. “The gang’s all here!”
“Excuse me,” Jorel said as he made his way into the house to greet Vanessa.
“Shall we?” Charlie gestured toward the open door. The group went inside to greet the newcomers.
“Oh my god, I can’t believe we finally get to meet you two!” Anna squealed as she hugged Nikki, then Lauren. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I’m Anna.”
“Hey Anna,” Nikki said. “I’m Nikki, this is Lauren. We’re excited to meet you guys too!”
“Yes we are,” Lauren agreed as Vanessa came over to hug them as well.
“We’re so excited to meet you too,” Vanessa said. “We must have a girls day soon!”
“If the guys will let us,” Nikki said sarcastically.
“Oh I don’t think we have to worry about the guys,” Anna said with a laugh. “I’m sure they can find something to do to occupy themselves while we’re having fun.”
“Yeah, they can jam and write new music, while Dylan and Sam play video games of course,” Anna joked.
“Very funny,” Dylan said, wrapping an arm around her from behind and kissing her cheek. “I’m glad to see you girls getting along so well, but I think the food is done.”
Anna laughed. “You think? Come on girls, we’d better get in line first so these guys can all fight over what they think a suggested serving is.”
Nikki and Lauren exchanged grins. “Roger that.”

* * *

Later, the girls decided to go for a swim, and the guys hung out in the house. Dylan and Sam began playing Destiny upstairs in Dylan’s room. The rest of the guys got out RockBand and split into two groups, challenging each other to the songs: Charlie, James, and Jorel against Harley, Matty, and Danny. Johnny watched for awhile before going downstairs to do some work on his screenplay. It occurred to him, sitting on his couch experiencing writer’s block, that there might be a better way to focus. He took his laptop and a blanket outside, and took a stroll down the beach opposite the way the girls were. There, he spread out the blanket and sat in the center with his laptop. Now I get it, he thought to himself, this is very relaxing. He was amazed at how much better he was able to focus.
As the sun began to set, the girls decided to get out of the water and go back inside. As they reached the house, Lauren noticed Johnny, and started walking over to him.
“Knock, knock,” she teased upon reaching his blanket.
He looked up at her and smiled. “Come on in.”
She smiled and sat beside him, eyeing his laptop with curiosity. “I didn’t realize the Zone had made such an impression.”
“Oh but it did,” he told her, running his fingers through her hair. He kissed her forehead. “As did you.” She blushed, earning a chuckle from Johnny. “Oh that is just precious. You have managed to touch the depths of my soul in ways I never dreamt possible, and yet I can still make you blush like that. I hope that never stops.”
“Keep this up, and it won’t,” she replied with a wink, and laid her head on his shoulder.
He put his arm around her and the two watched the rest of the sunset together.
“It really is beautiful,” Lauren said in awe.
“Yeah, it really is,” Johnny agreed almost in a whisper, his eyes not on the sunset, but on her.
She looked up at him and smiled. It actually happened, she realized. I’ve actually managed to fall in love with this man. And I’m not afraid.
Unbeknownst to them, Matty, Nikki, James, Anna, and Charlie were watching from the patio.
“Any wagers on how long it’s going to be before either of them is willing to admit it out loud?” Charlie broke the silence with a chuckle.
“Admit what?” Matty asked.
“That they love each other,” Nikki answered.
Charlie raised an eyebrow and looked over to her. “You knew?”
Nikki smiled. “You didn’t?”
Charlie shrugged. “Not until now anyway.”
“What’s wrong?” Nikki asked James, who was being peculiarly quiet.
“I’m worried,” he admitted.
“Dude,” Charlie spoke up, “Johnny would put a knife through his own heart before he’d ever hurt her.”
“I know,” James sighed. “But Nik, you and I both know-“
“She’s fine, James,” Nikki rebuked him.
“It’s not her I’m worried about, Nikki. It’s him.” When she simply stared at him, he explained. “Yeah okay so she’s been through a lot. We all know it hasn’t been easy getting her to where she is. And yeah, she’s doing great. But eventually, he’s going to see a side of her that she’s desperately trying to hide from all of us. Once things really take off, once the real stress sets in, she’s about to be tested more than she knows.”
“She can handle it,” Nikki insisted. “And if she can’t, we’ll help her. So will Johnny, and he’s probably going to do a better job of it than we ever could. You know that, so what’s the problem?”
“The darkness,” James said simply. With that, he turned and went back into the house.