The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 5: He's Good

I could feel the bass moving through me. The flashing lights made it almost impossible to see, which meant it made it almost impossible for anyone else to see me either. I loved music, but as soon as it it became my job, I wasn't allowed to truly enjoy it anymore. This is why I always looked forward to the last night of a tour; I was finally able to go out and reap the fruits of my labor.

I took Sam's hand twirling around. He laughed, pulling me closer. He was fun. 

I'm glad one of them were able to treat me like a human being. But then I looked over, seeing Danny and Jake sitting on the couch talking amongst themselves. I didn't blame them for not enjoying this kind of thing. It wasn't for everyone. But I did want them to lighten up. This was another reason I always toured with Don. We completely avoided the whole "getting to know you" period in the beginning. But it was a nice change of pace for someone to be excited about me, even just for a moment. You always want your significant other to be excited about you, no matter how long you've been together. But I guess it was nice we were comfortable with each other. 

But stil...

Then Jake turned around, looking right at me. Or so I'll tell myself. Our eyes locked and I could feel my cheeks burn. I couldn't help but smile. He really was sweet. And that's why I didn't want to drag him out here. The last thing I wanted was someone like him falling under all of the attention I was bound to give them. Sam seemed fine; he'd handle it well. But I wanted to keep Jake away from everything that was inevitably going to come out about all of us, just from this one night. I expected him to look away once we locked eyes, but he didn't. I held my stare.

"You make him nervous." Sam said leaning down into my ear. I smiled, not breaking our eye contact. But Jake looked away once Sam started talking. I sighed.
"Why?" I asked. Sam shrugged with a big smile.
"I honestly don't know. He's never usually like this, not this bad, anyway." He said with a giggle, taking my hand again. I gently moved away, finding Josh on the dance floor. I knew if I spent too long with any one of them, photos would be taken and people would talk. The last thing I wanted was any of this getting back to Don. Especially when there was nothing to talk about.

I pulled away from everyone and went back to the VIP lounge.

"Hey.." I said, plopping down on the couch next to Jake. He jumped, turning to face me.
"Well, hi." He said cheerily. I couldn't help but smile.

When you've spent your entire life surrounded by fake people, being around someone so genuine felt like a breath of fresh air.

"Are you having fun?" I asked, reaching over, gently placing my hand on his leg. He sighed, his smile growing.
"No." He giggled, leaning in close. I couldn't help but laugh. He stared back at me with dazed eyes and a gentle smile. I felt my cheeks burn.
"Where would you rather be?" I asked, leaning back, propping my hand up on my head on the back of the couch. He hesitated.
"Anywhere." He laughed. I nodded. Out of the corner of my eye I saw people start to gather with their phones out. My heart dropped. I looked down, gently scooting away from him.
"We.. um.. we can head out if you want." I said, quickly getting up. Amy could tell my change in demeanor and followed me instantly.

"Oh, um.. okay.." I heard Jake sigh before I got up. My stomach dropped. I didn't want him to think that was because of him. I'd explain on the bus. Maybe.

Tony gathered the guys and quickly helped them onto the bus. They were able to get outside and in the door before the paparazzi noticed what was happening. I wasn't so lucky.

"Juliette! Juliette! Who's the new boyfriend?" They shouted. This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. I kept my head down and eyes covered.
"Juliette! Where's Don? Who's the new boyfriend? Which one?" They shouted at me, getting closer. I moved closer to Amy, feeling my heart race. I could feel myself getting short of breath. I gripped onto her hand tighter. She pulled me closer and we finally made it onto the bus, slamming the door behind us.
"Drive!" She yelled.

I pulled away from everyone and quickly ran into the back room, shutting the door behind me. Gripping my pillow, I took a few deep breaths before Amy opened the door. 
"Is it happening again?" She asked. I nodded, gripping the pillow tighter. 

"Is she okay?" I heard from outside. 
"She has panic attacks. She'll be okay. She just needs a minute." Tony said. Sam got up and peeked his head into the room.
"Hey, you alright?" He asked. I peeked up at him and nodded, taking a deep breath.
"What was it? The photographers?" He asked. I nodded, breathing in.
"It just gets to be a lot." Amy said, rubbing my back. I breathed out. "They're everywhere. All the time. Screaming at her. You never get used to it." Sam went out into the kitchen area and grabbed a water bottle, bringing it back in. He sat down next to me on the bed, placing it next to me. I peeked back up at him, taking another breath. He gave me a gentle smile. I reached out and took his hand, holding tight. He giggled, squeezing my hand back. A smile escaped my lips.

"Thank you." I sighed between breaths. He nodded a "you're welcome."
"She should be alone." Amy said. I shook my head.
"He can stay." I breathed in. Sam smirked, his cheeks turning red. Amy flashed Sam a side smile, eventually getting up. She shut the door behind her on the way out. Sam sat there quietly for a moment, still holding my hand. I took another deep breath. I could feel my heart rate going down.

"I had fun tonight." He said, propping his head up onto his hand. I felt my cheeks burn.
"Keep breathing." He sighed. "It's okay." I nodded, smiling back at him.
"I think the rest of the guys had fun too." He laughed. "Well, they tried their best to." 

"J-Jake didn't." I giggled, taking another breath. His smile grew.
"He was fine." He said, gently rubbing his thumb around the palm of my hand. My face flushed again. I looked down at our hands. My chest started to loosen up.
"You're good at this." I sighed. He shrugged, flashing me a smile.
"I'm glad you're here." I said.
"Of course." He sighed.

"I hope I didn't hurt Jake's feelings tonight." I finally said. Sam shook his head.
"I'll talk to him."
"I.. I don't want him to get wrapped up in all of this. He's.. he's good." Sam nodded.

"He is."