Don't Make This Easy, I Want You to Mean It

“Jack! What do you think of my amazing girlfriend and her amazing new jeans, bought for her by her amazing boyfriend?” Alex asked, pulling me close to his sweaty, post-show body. It was a few hours after our shopping trip and Alex and the guys had been beyond amazing that night, playing their hearts out. Kara, Marissa and I could tell they were putting on the best show they could muster, it’s just that we hadn’t been told why. Not that we were complaining, we loved seeing the guys putting their heart and soul into it. Well, more than usual.
“I think her amazing boyfriend needs to buy amazing jeans like that for his amazing best friend,” Jack grinned from over Marissa’s head, pushing her further into his sweaty chest.
“Yeah, well, Alex’s amazing girlfriend thinks you should stop drowning her amazing best friend in your gross sweat,” I told him before Alex could respond, eyeing the disgust on Marissa’s face. I hadn’t seen that look on her face since the first time she’d watched Jack arguing with me while eating. By now, of course, I was unfazed by his disgusting habits, but a lot of them were still new to Marissa.
“Whoops,” he said, looking down at her and smiling sweetly.
“I’ll give you fucking whoops,” she grumbled, wiping away the sweat as Jack loosened his grip on her.
“Love you, Maria!” He squealed, pulling her back into him.
“Wait, ‘love you’?!” Alex and I called at the same time as Marissa asked “Maria?” My stomach lurched. Had he manned up before us? I’d been so wrapped up in coming to terms with my own feelings, I hadn’t even thought about Jack being more of a grown up than me.
“Jasey made way too many typos and I liked the sound of it,” he shrugged. She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at Jack.
“I seriously don’t know if I’m okay with this.”
“I seriously don’t know if I’m okay with you guys ignoring us,” I scowled, eyeing the pair of them as they pretended to remain ignorant of Alex and I. I didn’t like not knowing things, especially when it was within my reach of knowing what I wanted to.
“Yeah, I mean, what the fuck man?” Alex’s grip tightened on my waist as we both stared at our best friends. “When did this shit happen? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Last night, and because I wanted her to be the first to know, okay? I haven’t seen either of you all day because you were too busy having fucking sex in a closet or something,” he replied, rolling his eyes and pulling Marissa close again, this time without forcing her face into any of his sweaty crevices.
“We weren’t having sex, asshat, we were just trying to get away from your annoying asses for some peace and quiet,” I stated, faking a glare.
“Either way, you two are behind us now.”
“We’re not behind you; it’s not a race,” Alex replied. “There is no winner or loser, which is a fucking shame because Holly would beat you all over anything you challenge her to.” I beamed brightly at Alex’s joking compliment. Jack opened his mouth, ready to start on yet another of his ‘you guys are so in love, admit it already’ rants, but his eyes landed on something behind me and he quickly shut up.
“Guys! Come on!” Zack called from behind Alex and I, causing Alex and Jack to jump. I snorted loudly, knowing Jack had already seen him, so having no idea why on earth he felt the need to jump. He’d clearly seen Zack coming. I noticed brief nerves on both boys’ faces before Jack turned to Marissa and Alex turned to me.
“Wish me luck, baby,” he grinned, kissing me swiftly. I didn’t waste time asking what I was wishing him luck for, reciprocating the kiss and allowing him to pull away.
“Good luck!”
Marissa and I fell back, sitting down next to Kara whom Rian had already left.
“What do you think this is all about?” Marissa asked Kara, hoping that her more long-term relationship had led to her knowing more than the two of us.
“No idea,” she shrugged. “I tried to ask what was going on but he just kept changing the subject. It’s something big, though, I can feel it.”
Marissa and I nodded solemnly, watching the door our boys had just left through. We didn’t know where they’d gone, just that they had. Kara was right. This was definitely something big, we could all feel that. Even if we couldn’t, the silence of the boys on the subject was a dead giveaway. We remained quiet in the minutes that followed, just watching the door and waiting for the boys. We heard their footsteps, but there were no voices. We didn’t know if it was a good sign or a bad one, not without seeing their faces. I’d seen Jack so excited he couldn’t speak before, so I could only assume that if the loudmouth I knew as Jack Barakat could be speechless from pure excitement, then Alex definitely could too.
“I’m gonna go call my parents, guys,” Zack said, looking between the six of us before leaving the room, taking his phone from his pocket as he did so. I eyed the back of his head briefly, his departure only confirming my belief that this was something serious, before looking to Alex and raising my eyebrow.
“Well?” I asked, glancing at Jack before returning my attention to Alex. The boys looked at each other.
“What’s going on, guys?” Marissa asked. She was firm, not taking her eyes from Jack.
“Yeah, we know you’re up to something, so fricking tell us already,” Kara added.
“We invited a talent scout from a label out here tonight,” Rian sighed. “That’s where we’ve been.” I felt my own excitement bubbling in my stomach. I knew they’d been signed before, but it was always an exciting step, and I was so glad I could share in this one with them.
“And not some stupid, tiny label with a recording studio in a basement. This is a real one. This is Hopeless,” Alex continued. I knew he wasn’t really scorning the chance Emerald Moon had given him, merely stressing the importance of this one.
“I mean, we’ve had scouts out before,” Jack told us. “But nothing as big as this.”
“It definitely never came to anything.”
They were babbling. I needed some confirmation here. I felt like it was good news, but they weren’t giving anything away. Not even Jack, who I knew like the back of my hand. I had nothing from any of them.
“Spit it out.” I scowled, sick of their babbling. I wasn’t known for being the most patient person in the world, which the boys all knew already.
“Well…” Jack said playfully, allowing a teasing grin to spread across his face. I maintained my scowl, and I could hear Marissa tutting next to me. I knew she was adding her own stern expression to my own, so of course the boys were going to break.
“There’s a contract on the table, and they want us to come down and sign tomorrow,” Alex grinned. I shrieked with the girls, pushing our way to our respective boyfriends.
“Holy shit, I’m so fucking proud of you!” I gushed, flinging my arms around Alex’s neck. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me closer.
“I’m proud of us too.” I beamed up at him, my heart surging as I saw just how genuinely ecstatic he was. To think I was still arguing with myself about the, well, the love I felt for him, was beyond me. The feeling in my chest terrified me, but it made it all clear. “I’m so glad you’re here with me for this.”
“Me too. I’m glad one day I’ll be able to say I was with Alex freaking Gaskarth the day he got signed and made his first step to stardom.”
“Yeah, but you’ll be saying it to me.” I snorted softly, rolling my eyes.
“Fat chance. You’ll be dating models. Just don’t forget me, okay?”
“Forget the infamous Jasey Rae? Never.” I shook my head, but didn’t reply. He would forget me, one day. He and I both knew this couldn’t possibly last forever.
“Yeah, but you’ll be famous one day.”
“And you’ll still be my favourite girl, my best friend.”
“I thought that was Jack.”
“You definitely beat Jack, trust me. I tell you shit I haven’t even thought about telling him.” I pushed a kiss to his lips, feeling once again the urge to tell him ‘I love you’ but not having the guts.
“This is definitely the best day ever.”
“You got fired today, Hols,” he laughed.
“I know, I’m just way happier about this than I am bummed out about me.”
“You know, I never thought Jasey fucking Rae would be this type of fucking sweetheart. You continue to amaze me.”
“I do my best.”
I pushed another kiss to his lips, detaching myself from him and grabbing his hand instead, pulling him over to our friends and their celebrations.