California

Today’s show is in Charlotte, North Carolina. There are eight more shows until this leg of the tour is over and Mikey goes back to England. Neither of us had said anything about it, but we both know it’s been on the other’s mind. I’ve been trying not to think about not seeing him every day. Ever since the day we started dating he’s been sleeping no more than two hundred feet from me. The thought of attempting to sleep when he’s five thousand miles away makes me sick to my stomach. I’ve been spending every waking moment with him lately, eager to soak up as much time with him as possible.

“Skylar?” Sam asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked up to him from Mikey’s peaceful sleeping face and raised my eyebrows. “You’ve been staring at him for about five minutes now and it’s really starting to creep me out,” he chuckled.

I smiled and glanced back to Mikey. I brushed a stray strand of ginger hair out of his face and sighed. “Sorry, I’m just thinking about what’s going to happen when you guys go back.”

Sam nodded his understanding. “Have you talked about it?”

I nodded. “We’re going to try long distance. That doesn’t soothe my nerves any, though.”

“Why’s that?”

I shrugged. “He’s going to be on another continent. There’s going to be a massive time difference. Sure, there’s going to be phone calls and texts and video chats, but what if that’s not enough? He has a completely different life than I know. He’s going to go back and what if he meets someone better? What if there’s a beautiful girl that lives only five blocks away instead of five thousand miles.” Sam was quiet as I bit my lip and sighed again. “I’ve seen him every single day since I met him. It’s going to be so hard switching from that to seeing him what-twice a year? I don’t know if I can handle that. I’ve never done long distance before, and he’s definitely worth it, don’t get me wrong. I’m just worried it’s not going to be enough for him and he’ll forget that he has the heart of some photographer in San Diego.”

Sam set down his tea and motioned for me to follow him. “Come here.” I moved slowly as to not wake up the snoring man that was underneath me and tip toed after Sam. He led me to the bunk area and stuck his hand under Mikey’s mattress. He pulled out an old, worn out composition book and stared at it as he spoke. “I really shouldn’t be showing you this. But, I think Mikey would understand given the circumstances.” He handed it to me and I cautiously opened it. Various famous love quotes and what looked like lyrics adorned the page.

“What is this?”

“It’s his lyric book. Lately we’ve been playing around and trying out some new sounds and songs experimenting for when we write the new album. All of those songs? They’re all sappy love songs written about you.” I looked down at the book in my hands again and reread some of the previously skimmed over words with new understanding. My heart swelled with each word I read. I read a few pages before handing it over to Sam who gingerly put it back.

He turned to face me and smiled. “There’s something you have to understand about Mikey. He’s a one woman kind of guy. When he falls in love, he falls hard and fast. He is one of the most passionate guys I know and he doesn’t let go of the things or people he loves easily. He loves you, Sky. Anyone that lays eyes on you two can tell, just by the way he looks at you. It’s disgusting the lot of us to death, don’t get me wrong,” I laughed at that. “But, it’s a good thing. After his last girlfriend, I don’t think any of us thought he’d find a nice girl any time soon. You make him happier than I’ve seen him in a long time. If he’s willing to do long distance with you, then that there shows how much he cares about you. I’ve never known him to be a believer in long distance. He’s always been a here and now type of guy. He loves you. He does. He’s not going to go back home and just forget about everything that’s happened the last few months. And as for him meeting someone else, you know better than that. Mikey is dedicated to you and your relationship.”

I bit my lip and smiled. “Thank you, Sam. I needed to hear that.”

He nodded. “I have to admit though, I’m quite saddened you’re not worried about the rest of us going back.” He placed a hand on his heart and feigned hurt, making me shake my head and chuckle.

“Oh, Sammy boy, you know I’ll miss all of you like crazy.”

“We’ll miss you too. I’ve gotten so used to you hanging around and forcing us to watch Criminal Minds.” He smirked. I laughed and pulled him into a tight hug, glad I’ve found four new people I consider my close friends on this tour. I silently thanked the universe for sending the Mallory Knox boys on this tour with us.

Sam’s phone buzzed and he slipped it out from his pocket. He read what I assumed to be a message before glancing up at me. “The mates want to go grab some food. Do you want to come or are you going to creepily stare at Mikey some more?” He quirked an eyebrow at me and smirked.

I shrugged and made my way out to the lounge area, climbing back onto the couch with the sleeping ginger. “I’m gonna stay.”

He shook his head and laughed as he exited the bus. I pressed my lips to Mikey’s forehead and lingered there, inhaling his scent and trying to commit it to memory. I ran my fingers gently through his hair and nestled my head into the crook of his neck.
***

“That was such a good show!” I exclaimed, looking around at the sweaty faces of my four best friends. Jaime was as energetic as ever after a set and was practically bouncing off of the walls. Tony was standing in his underwear with a fan blowing on him, trying to cool down. Vic was trying to settle his breathing on the couch next to me and Mike was across the room opening a cold beer.

“Did you get any good shots?” He asked as he took a gulp and offered one to Vic, who refused.

I nodded and glanced down at the camera that was still hanging around my neck. I began to flip through the pictures. “I got a really good one of Vic singing to the girl.” I smiled as I looked at the picture. It was one of my favorite pictures I’ve shot so far; the emotion on both her and Vic’s face was astounding. It made me so incredibly happy that I got to capture moments like those on film.

Vic leaned over and grinned at the picture himself. He nodded. “I really like that one. Tell me when you’re done editing it so I can post it.” I nodded and continued scrolling through the pictures, deleting a few that I knew were beyond repair. We all sat in relative silence, save Jaime who was blubbering about wanting food. My low battery light illuminated my screen so I turned it off and slid the strap off of my neck. I grabbed one of my other cameras and waved to the guys as I exited the room. The sound of Sleeping with Sirens’ set instantly pounded in my head. I made my way down the hallways until I was out on the floor near the merchandise tables. I couldn’t help the smile that overtook my lips as I spotted the Mallory boys talking with some fans.

I made my way over and snapped a few pictures of Joe giving a young girl a hug. Mikey looked up briefly from the teenager he was talking to and winked at me before giving the boy his undivided attention. I looked at their supplies and noticed that they were starting to run low on copies of their music. That made me incredibly happy, seeing as they were already gaining fans on their first tour in America. They really deserved all the recognition they could get.

I stood to the side and continued snapping pictures of all the smiles and hugs exchanged. In my peripheral vision I spotted two girls no older than fifteen. One of them looked particularly nervous, fiddling with her hands and looking around anxiously. The other was nudging her, looking in the direction of the boys. I made my way over to them and smiled. “Hi. Did you enjoy their set?” The nervous one blushed and looked down, nodding.

“She’s loved them since their EP. She can’t get up the courage to go talk to them,” the other one stated.

I met the nervous one’s eyes and smiled. “What’s your name?”

“It’s Hayley,” she spoke barely above a whisper.

“Well, Hayley, I happen to know that they would all be thrilled to hear from you. They love talking to their fans and I’m sure it’ll make them happy to know you enjoyed their set.”

She frowned and stared at her friend who seemed to have understanding drawn onto her face. She met my eyes again before stuttering, “I get r-really nervous a-around p-people. I don’t want t-to make myself l-look stupid.”

I smiled warmly at her. “Even if you did, have you seen Dave? He looks stupid all the time so at least you wouldn’t be alone.” I joked. Her lips twitched into a small smile. “I could introduce you to them if you want, if it would make you less nervous.” She looked between me and her friend before taking a deep breath and nodding.

I gestured for her to follow me to the now empty of fans table the boys were at. I stopped in front of the table and cleared my throat, making Mikey look at me with confused eyes. “This is Hayley. She’s a little nervous about meeting you guys, but she’s been a fan since Pilot and really wanted to say hi.”

“Hello, darling,” Joe said as they all focused their attention on her.

“H-hi. Y-you guys s-saved my life and I w-wanted to say thank you,” she started to tear up, which made my heart ache for her. Sam corrected her gently and said that she saved her own life. The others chimed in with their own little bits of advice and encouragement. She started to cry more openly which made Mikey engulf her in a hug that looked bone crushing. I smiled and took a step back, snapping a few shots of the sweet interaction. They pulled apart and Dave said something to make her giggle. They all signed her copy of Signals and Asymmetry and then her friend got a picture of them all on her phone. Hayley thanked them and walked around with a smile as wide as the Nile on her face.

I turned back to the boys and grinned. “That was so sweet.”

“That poor girl, I feel for her,” Sam said and sighed. Mikey stared after her with a troubled look on his face and so I pecked him on the cheek, ignoring the salty taste of sweat.

“You probably just made her entire year.”

“I wish there was more I could have done,” he spoke so softly I didn’t know if I was meant to hear it or not. I grabbed his chin and forced him to look at me.

“Babe, you did everything perfectly. There’s nothing more you could have done. She seemed to be perfectly content having a chat with you all and getting a few pictures and hugs. You’re a good person.” He smiled at that and kissed my lips gently. We hung around for a few more minutes until the venue was void of any music playing and the crowd started to file out the doors. I grabbed a box and helped them pack up their table contents, letting James carry it to their bus since it was so heavy. Mikey and I trailed behind the rest of them, swinging our arms back and forth.

“You kind of smell,” I scrunched up my nose as a gust of wind flowed past us. He turned to me and chuckled.

“Do I?” Before I had a chance to react, his arms had swallowed my body into a sweaty, sticky hug.

“Ew! Get off!” I cried and tried to wriggle free, causing him to laugh and squeeze me even tighter. I started giggling as well, despite being grossed out that all of his sweat was rubbing off onto my skin. “You need a shower,” I groaned and hit his chest.

He finally let me go and grinned at me. “So do you.” I nodded and looked down at my shiny skin. I looked back up to see his pupils wide and a twinkle evident in them. “You know…” he trailed off, stepping closer to me and making my heart flutter. “We could conserve water and shower together.”

I smirked at him and pressed my body into his as an answer.

Notes