The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 66: A Town Like This

As we made our way back outside, I felt Jake slip his hand into mind, guiding us away from the group, over towards another truck in the driveway. It was old, having clearly seen better days, but such a gorgeous deep red that shone bright, even under the dull lights of their front porch.

"Now, it's nothing fancy like you're used to, but-"
"I love it." I assured him, giving his hand another tight squeeze. The last thing I ever wanted was for him to feel like he wasn't good enough. It was a problem I faced a lot with people growing up, all of them just assuming I would judge them based on how I had grown up, but deep down, I already loved this truck more than any of the cars that I owned.

Just because it was his.
I would love anything that was his.

He quickly made his way around to the passenger side, opening the door for me and helping me in, flashing me a timid grin before carefully closing it behind me, running around and hopping into the driver's seat, and shutting the door with a tight slam. I subtly held my hand out, inviting him to take it again as I looked around, admiring all of its quirks and imperfections as the faint smell of old car fresher mixed with the intoxicating scent of his cologne.

"Is your door shut all the way? If you don't slam it just right, sometimes it leaks."
"I think we're okay." I giggled, peeking back at him, not having noticed any rain trickling in. But even if I had, I don't think I'd tell him, already becoming aware of how self-conscious he seemed to be.

"This is so nice." I sighed, pulling down his visor from overhead, catching myself in its tiny reflection.
"Alright, I know it's not a lot but you don't need to make fun of it." He muttered, forcing an embarrassed grin.
"I'm not." I said. And I wasn't. Not at all. I couldn't even remember the last time I was in anything that had any sort of character. Everything always shiny and new, having never been touched, reeking of disinfectant and fresh paint.

I wondered how many memories he had made in this truck.

"I can't remember the last time I was in the front seat of a truck." I said softly, peeking over at him. "How long have you had it?" His face eventually relaxed, now realizing I wasn't being condescending, but simply intrigued.
"Since high school." He shrugged. "I bought it myself." My smile grew. I couldn't even tell you what my first car was. It seemed like I always just.. had them, long before I was even allowed to drive.

I couldn't even remember the last time I had driven anywhere by myself.

"You drove to school?" I asked. He nodded, now entertaining my questions that I'm sure seemed like common sense to him, but they couldn't have been farther from reality for me.
"And took your.. dates to drive-ins?" He shook his head, giggling to himself.
"We're not that old fashioned out here, Julia." I felt my cheeks burn, knowing that was just something I had seen in movies, but it always seemed so romantic.

How badly I had always wanted to experience it for myself.

"What about.. laying out in the back and looking up at the stars?" I asked cautiously, not wanting to get made fun of again. He noticed my reluctance, giving me a gentle smile.
"No." He said simply. "I've never done that."
"Oh.."
"But.. I'd love to do that with you." My heart jumped.
"Maybe when it's a little.. drier out." I smirked. He nodded.
"It's a date."

The drive to the bar was filled with old stories of when he was a kid, pointing out stops along the way, parks where him and his siblings had spent their long summer nights, their favorite shopping malls and childhood friend's houses. It was all so beautiful, commemorating his adolescence in flashes of his own recollection. I sat in silence, just listening, admiring him as he relived the memories within his mind, his eyes lighting up at the thought, unable to contain his contagious grin while reminiscing on some of his fondest experiences.

I felt like I was finally starting to see his true colors. Not the ones he painted himself with before he went on stage, or guarded himself behind when he had first tried to win me over, but the many hues that he was made of to the core; vibrant and dazzling, but still oh so delicate.

I had never truly realized just how sensitive he was, until he started talking about home. For him, that's what it all came back to, no matter how far he wandered, I knew that's where he would always return; that's where I would always find him.

"You love it here." I whispered. He nodded, peeking over at me.
"I do." He said simply.
"I can understand why." He was quiet for a moment.
"Don't you love where you're from?" He finally asked. I shook my head, avoiding his eyes.
"I've never truly felt like I belonged there." I muttered.
"Well.. there's always room for you here."

I squeezed his hand three times.
He did it back.

As we pulled up to the bar, I could already hear the muffled singing from inside. I secretly wondered if anyone would sing any of my songs, having heard that they're typically a crowd favorite in karaoke bars, but something told me that I probably wasn't going to be at the top of the list in a town like this.

"Now, I already called ahead and they reserved a big enough table for all of us in the back and we can put you in the middle of the booth just in case, so no one can get to you." He said, smirking over at me. I shook my head, smiling back at him.
"You know I don't mind meeting anybody, I just.. I don't want it to become a thing and then I ruin your family's night out." He reached over, caressing my face and pulling me into a long kiss.
"You could never ruin anything, Julia." He said softly, gently rubbing his nose against mine. I adored just how sweet he could be, even if I only saw the extent of it when we were alone.

All I wanted were moments alone with him.

"We're all just gonna hang out tonight, no pressure, and as soon as you're ready to go, you just.. give me the signal."
"And what's the signal?" I asked. He bit down on his lip, holding his stare on me before leaning in closer.
"You just let me know when you want me to take you home." He whispered, his breath on my neck making my heart pound. Home. It took everything in me not to have him take me back to his apartment right now.

But I knew they were waiting for us, and the last thing I wanted was someone else walking in on me all over him again. His sister was bad enough, I could only imagine if it was anyone else.

"Okay." I sighed, pulling him into a passionate kiss. He tangled his fingers in my hair, kissing me back harder until his predictable grin spread across his lips. It tasted just as sweet as it looked.

When he finally backed away, he leaned his forehead against mine, gently brushing the hair out of my face.
"We should go in before I change my mind." He laughed, leaning into one more quick kiss.
"You know.. I wouldn't mind if you did." I muttered. I could see his eyes instantly light up, his smile growing as he held his stare on me, as if considering it for a moment, before eventually shaking his head, reaching into the backseat.

"Don't tempt me." He giggled to himself. I then felt him place something down onto my head, positioning it into place.
"Not this awful hat again." I groaned. He playfully rolled his eyes, scrunching up his face.
"Oh, hush. I know you love wearing my things. Now come on, they're waiting for us inside."