California

I yawned as I sat in the back of the old van, sandwiched between Mike and Tony. The gray clouds outside and the vast open fields whirled by as we drove down the freeway. It was eight in the morning as we travelled towards Norwich, where I would finally be reunited with Mikey. Excitement should be coursing through my veins, but all I felt at the moment was exhaustion.

We’d been in Europe a little over a week now, but the jet lag was wearing us thin. Between that and shooting sets every night, I’d been sleeping nearly every moment of the day, which was worrying me that I’d keep up the trend tonight when I finally got to see Mikey again.

I felt pressure on my shoulder and turned to see Tony’s head resting on my shoulder and him snoring lightly. I smiled and looked up to see Jaime looking at me with droopy eyes and a tired smile playing at his lips. “Are you excited to see Mikey?”

I yawned again and nodded. “I’d be more excited if I didn’t feel like I had just been hit by a truck, but you know.” He chuckled and nodded, resting his head on the window.

“Maybe you should take a couple days off while we’re here. You can spend a few days with Mikey without having to worry about shooting our sets.”

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Are you being serious?”

His lips twitched into a small smile. “Adam Elmakias is here, he said he would cover for you. I already cleared it with the guys and talked to Mikey.”

I wanted to squeal and pinch his cheeks but settled for reaching over the seat and hugging him. “Thank you so much, Hime. You guys are the best.” He patted my back and gave me a smile as we pulled off the freeway and into a hotel parking lot. I hated to do it, but it had to be done. I tapped Tony’s shoulder until his eyes popped open and he rubbed his eyes groggily. Jaime repeated the process with Vic and I tapped Mike, making him take his earphones out. We all climbed out and heaved our luggage out of the van. We trudged to the hotel, Vic checking them in. Jaime ate some candy off the desk and handed me some.

Vic got their keycards. He and Jaime were sharing a room, while Tony and Mike shared another. I followed them up the elevator and laughed when Tony got into their room and face planted on one of the beds. I set my luggage down and fell into a chair while Jaime climbed into the other bed and covered up. I pulled out my phone and pressed number one on my speed dial, calling Mikey.

It didn’t get past the first ring when he picked up. “Hello, my love.”

“Hey, my little ginger bean,” I laughed. “We just got to the hotel. Jaime told me you and the guys have been conspiring about me taking a few days off to spend time with you.”

“Did you take the offer?” he asked excitedly.

“I did.” I swear he squealed. I laughed. “So, when is my knight in shining armor going to come rescue me from the boring monotony of touring with four losers?” That earned a playful glare from Jaime, and I’m sure I would have gotten one from Tony if he hadn’t already drifted off into dreamland.

“I’m already on the train, so I should be arriving in half an hour to an hour maximum.”

“Alright, sounds good. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon, sweetheart.” I smiled and ended the call.

I saw my battery light flashing and dug through my bag, looking for my charger. After several fruitless minutes, I sighed in frustration and threw my bag to the side. “I left my charger in freaking Germany.”

Jaime chuckled, knowing the feeling. Being so forgetful, he almost always loses something on tour. He reached into his bag and tossed me his. I smiled gratefully and found the nearest plug. Once I heard the familiar ding indicating that it was charging, I stood up and made my way to the bathroom with some clean clothes in hand. I switched the water on and let it warm up while I stripped of the clothes I’d been wearing for the last day and a half. I looked under the sink and found some complementary shaving cream and some new razors. I grabbed them and stepped into the shower, careful to make sure I did not slip.

I slathered some shaving cream on my legs and began slicing the annoying hairs off. I repeated the process with the other leg and then my underarms. Once I was satisfied that I was hair-free, I grabbed some strawberry shampoo and conditioner, smearing the cream into my hair. I grabbed a bar of soap and scrubbed my skin free of any grime. I used the detachable shower head to wash my hair and body and then switched it off, trying to conserve the hot water so the boys could get a shower soon.

I used a fluffy red towel to pat myself off and then wrapped it around myself. I grabbed some strawberry scented lotion and coated every inch of my skin, making sure I was baby smooth. I slipped on my black lace panties and bra, then donned some tight fitting black jeans and a Fall Out Boy sweatshirt. I combed my hair out and decided to leave it down to dry. I scrubbed my teeth clean with mint toothpaste and washed my mouth out with matching mouthwash. After I felt clean enough, I gathered up my toiletries and walked into the room.

I smiled at Jaime, who was engrossed in a television show about monkeys. Tony’s snores still filled the room and I packed my dirty clothes in my suitcase. I discreetly double checked to make sure that I had packed the dice and lingerie. I zipped my suitcase up and checked my phone. I had a message from Mikey saying that he would be here in a few minutes. I smiled and slipped my shoes on, sitting on the bed with Jaime. The show was describing orangutans and we watched in peaceful silence. Vic and Mike entered a short time after, looking to see if we had packed some of their clothes. It turns out Tony had packed everyone’s clothes in his suitcase except for his own. I giggled but felt bad that he was so exhausted he couldn’t even pack. We brought all our suitcases in and opened them, sorting out the clothes. Mike had most of Tony’s clothes, while Jaime had some of his. Vic had a few shirts of Mike’s and most of Jaime’s. I somehow had some of Vic’s clothes in mine, and everyone seemed to have some of my clothes.
“We suck at packing,” I giggled softly, trying not to wake Tony. I zipped up my suitcase once I was sure I had all my clothes. My phone started buzzing and I smiled as Mikey’s name lit up the screen. “Hello?”

“I’m in the lobby. Are you ready or do you need a few minutes?”

“I’m ready. I’ll be down in a minute.” I hung up and grabbed my luggage, glad that I sprung for a luggage with wheels this time around. I said my goodbyes to the guys and thanked them for letting me have some time with Mikey. I walked to the elevator and pressed the number one, anxiously tapping my foot. It seemed like hours before the doors parted and I saw him. I don’t know how he did it, but he somehow managed to get even better-looking in the time we were apart. He was wearing a black t-shirt with a denim vest over it. His black jeans clung to him and his beautiful orange hair was hanging to one side of his face. His lips twisted upward when he saw me and we both sped to each other. I hurled myself into his arms and inhaled deeply, breathing in his comforting scent. He pressed several kissed in my hair and lifted me off the ground, spinning me around.

“God, I missed you,” he mumbled, pulling away. He placed his hand on my cheek and pressed our lips together fiercely. I grinned into the kiss and ran my hands through his soft hair. I love doing that. He pulled away and beamed at me. “Ready to go, my lady?” He bent forward and extended his hand to me. I laughed and nodded, taking his warm hand. He grabbed my suitcase and escorted me out of the building and into the open, where the weather didn’t seem as gloomy now that I was with him.

He loaded the luggage into the trunk of the waiting cab before holding the door open for me. It was such a simple gesture but it always managed to tie my stomach in knots. He slid in after me and left no space between our bodies. I snuggled into his chest and draped my legs over his. He hugged me close and kissed me once more.

“It feels like forever. Doing this is the only thing that’s been on my mind,” he whispered and stroked my hair. I smiled up at him and kissed him three times in a row for good measure. “I love you.”

“I love you too, baby.” We arrived to the train station and climbed out, him paying the cab driver. I knew he had a car, but it insisted the train was much faster this time around. We walked hand in hand to the booth where he got our tickets and we hopped on. The train was really nice. It had wood paneling and comfy leather seats. He put my luggage on the overhead compartment and then settled in next to me. I reclined in my seat and rested my head on his chest. I was fighting with my eyes that kept closing, trying to stay awake.

His chest rumbled when he chuckled at my failed attempts. “It’s an hour train ride before we get to Ely. Get some rest.” I yawned and snuggled closer to him, letting my eyelids win.

Notes