You're the One - Part 2 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 206: Seen a Ghost

"We didn't hear anything, okay?" I said softly, looking up at Jake. He nodded, now visibly upset.
"Hey.. come here.." I gently took his hand, pulling him back over to the bed. He stared up at me with sad eyes, trying his best to hide them.
"You know this doesn't change anything right? I'm not going anywhere. Please don't think anything of this." He bit down on his lip, holding his stare on me, eventually nodding.

"That has nothing to do with us. As far as I'm concerned.. we didn't hear anything." I said, sitting down on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. "Sorry but.. you're stuck with me now." I giggled. Finally his lips curled into a smile, his cheeks burning. He reached up, gently running his fingers across my cheek.
"There is no one else I'd rather be stuck with." He sighed, pulling me into a kiss. I pulled him in closer, kissing him back harder.
"Good." I laughed. "Cause you're stuck with the three of us." His smile grew as he pulled me back in, kissing me again.

"Let's let him calm down. We.. we shouldn't go out there just yet." I whispered. He nodded, his gentle kisses moving down to my neck as his hands slowly made their way up my body.
"That's fine with me, I can think of plenty of things we can do in here."

Later That Night

After their final song, Jake ran off stage, wrapping me in a tight hug, pulling me into a passionate kiss. I felt my stomach flip, but I didn't want to say anything. This was one of my favorite parts of the night, and I didn't want him to stop just because I got a little nauseous. I got nauseous all the time; it was worth it for this.

"You really were amazing tonight." I sighed, wrapping my arms around him. He pushed the sweaty hair out of his face, staring back at me with his usual dazed eyes, still catching his breath.
"I hope you got plenty of shots from that last song cause I know that looked good." He laughed, showering me with kisses again. I couldn't help but smile, my heart beating faster. I always loved how he got after a show.

"Of course I did, but.. you always look good." I said, smiling back up at him. He moved his hand up, gently caressing my neck, pulling me back into a gentle kiss.
"I love you." He sighed.
"And I love you." His smile grew as he flashed me a look. I sighed, playfully rolling my eyes.
"Alright, I love you more." I said, kissing him again. His lips curled into a wide grin. He shook his head.
"No you don't, but I like when you say it anyway." I slipped my hand into his, intertwining our fingers, guiding us backstage.

"So.. when do we get.. our alone time?" I asked, peeking up at him. His smile grew, his cheeks burning red.
"I don't know what these little ones are doing to you, but I like it." He giggled to himself, pulling me in, kissing the top of my head. "How about tonight?" I nodded, feeling my heart beating faster.

"Little ones?" I heard from behind us. My stomach dropped. I turned around to see Josh, staring back at us, confused. My cheeks burned bright red as Jake's grip on me got tighter.
"Oh, um.. no. Just one. Just one little.. one." He said simply, flashing him a smile. Josh held his stare on Jake, his eyes then moving over to me.
"But you said-"
"Well, I misspoke." He said. Josh was quiet for a moment, before finally nodding.

"How.. how are you feeling?" He asked, turning back to me.
"She's fine." Jake said, forcing a smile. "Thanks." Josh nodded, eventually going into his dressing room. I pulled him in closer.
"He was just asking-"
"Yeah, well, it's no one else's business." He said, leading me into his dressing room.

As the days went on, Jake had been getting more and more protective. Most days I didn't think much of it, but sometimes.. I wished he could spend more time enjoying this time we had instead of worrying so much. He barely let me out of his sight anymore, and.. out of anyone, Josh was harmless.

I sat down on the couch, watching as he quickly got changed, cleaning himself up.
"So, when do you find out who your next opener is?" I asked. He peeked over at me as he hung up his jacket, running his fingers through his hair.
"Well, they told us they'd call us tonight, but apparently now they're going to meet us here so they can follow our bus to the next venue."
"And they still haven't told you anything?" He shook his head, pulling a clean t-shirt over his head.
"That's the label for you." He sighed, giving me a gentle smile. "But they're apparently a new sign, so.. that's exciting, I guess." I nodded.

When he was done, he came back over, sitting down next to me.
"What's wrong? You seem.." He shrugged. I sighed.
"I just.. the last time they brought a new band on-" He reached out, pulling me into a gentle kiss.
"Nothing happened then, and nothing's going to happen now. As far as I'm concerned, we're not even gonna know they're here." He giggled. "If I can spend every minute with you.. I'm happy."

He leaned down, laying his head in my lap. I couldn't help but smile as I gently ran my fingers through his hair.
"And that means you guys too." He giggled, gently kissing my stomach.
"I think for now, you might wanna stop using the plural." I said softly. He peeked up at me, his smile growing.
"Maybe you're right.. but.. I don't want either of them to feel left out. They're each their own person. I know.. I hated always being looped in with Josh. Sometimes it's cool, you always have your best friend with you but.. sometimes.. you just want to be known for you too."

He sat back up, facing me.
"So just, promise me that.. we're not gonna make them the kind of twins that always have to be the same." He said. I nodded.
"They can be whoever they want to be." I assured him, pulling him into another kiss.
"I'm so excited to see who they want to be."
"Me too.. and that means no forcing the guitar on them either." I laughed. He rolled his eyes, smirking back at me.
"Now, that may be where I draw the line." He said. "But.. come on, they're all probably waiting for us outside."

He grabbed my hand, leading me through the venue and out toward the buses where I could see a few fans waiting, talking to Danny and Sam. With them distracted, I figured we could easily make it on without anyone noticing.

As we got closer I noticed a smaller bus parked behind us.
"Hey.. I think they're here." I said, now feeling my heart beating faster. Suddenly, I felt this sinking feeling in my stomach. I placed my hands over it, rubbing it gently. I couldn't feel them yet, but just knowing they were there was more than enough.

But now I panicked over every small ache and pain.

Jake squeezed my hand tighter as he lead us over. Josh's head instantly perked up as he heard us, his eyes getting wider as he looked over at me.

And then my heart dropped. I instantly lowered my hands, backing away, feeling my chest get tight and my entire body go ice cold. It was as if I had seen a ghost; I never thought I would ever have to see him again. He flashed me his familiar smug grin, holding his stare on me.

"Hey, baby."