Blogger | Josh Dun

Part 4

After meeting the band and Jenna, Josh had offered to give me a tour of the bus. It was quite a short tour, but I'd found out that my bunk was one of the bottom ones, directly under Josh, and across from Mark. Ty and Jenna were across from Josh, and their main security guy, Michael, was above them. 

"It's a good thing you're on the bottom, seeing as you're so short. How tall are you? Five foot?" Josh chuckled, although it was just gentle teasing. 

"I'm five three actually, which according to the internet, is only two inches shorter than you." 

I crossed my arms over my chest as Josh shook his head at our friendly banter, a small grin threatening to take over his lips. 

"I like you already." I blushed and looked down at the floor as he chuckled quietly. "Anyway, where's a good place to eat in the UK? I'm hungry."  

...

We'd grabbed Tyler and Jenna from the front of the bus and they'd called Michael, so we could all set off to find something to eat. Michael wanted McDonald's, so we just went straight back into the airport as we hadn't left yet. 

As we waited for our food, we all sat down at the most secluded table, trying not to be spotted by any potential fans. However, a few giggling girls walked up, asking for photos. Tyler, Josh and Jenna were all sports, chatting animatedly with the fans and agreeing to photos. I took the pictures for them, smiling when I was done and passing their phones back. They all thanked me and left, squealing excitedly between each other as they walked away. 

I turned back to the band. 

"You know, that's really nice of you. Not all celebrities would take kindly to being stopped in public that that."

They just both shrugged.

"They made us who we are today. They're the ones who have spent their time and money listening to our music, and we're so grateful. If there's any way that we can show that, we'll do it, even if it is just a hug and a photo." Tyler paused. "Besides, all these people claim that we've saved their lives. When really, they saved ours."

Just then, Michael arrived back at the table with our orders. I'd offered to pay for my meal but apparently it was all paid for. 

Josh fell into step with me as we walked towards the bus with our food. He leant to whisper in my ear. "Don't worry about it. All food and necessities we get is paid for by our manager. Kind of like when people claim back money when buying stuff for work." I nodded in understanding, trying and failing to ignore the feeling of Josh's breath on my ear. Even though I could act like their presence didn't bother me, I was still internally freaking out that I was touring with my favourite band. 

...

Back at the bus, I was being interrogated. Tyler, Josh and Jenna were sat on one couch, with me on the one directly opposite. 

"Full name?"

"Elizabeth Lily Grooms. But only my lecturers call me Elizabeth. And my mum when she's angry."

"Age?"

"Twenty-four. Twenty-five in September."

"But you're in university?"

I shrugged. "I had some... personal issues back when I turned eighteen, and it took me a while to get over it. It's only been in the last few years that I built up enough confidence to move away from my mum and do a course."

Josh sensed my discomfort in talking about the topic and quickly asked me something else.

"Favourite colour?" 

I sent him a small, grateful smile. "Red."

"Favourite film?"

"The Nightmare Before Christmas. Or Beauty and the Beast. Or anything Disney or Tim Burton, really."

They all laughed at that. 

"What? I like kids movies, okay? But really, as long as it isn't horror, I'll watch anything."

"You don't like horrors?" Tyler seemed surprised.

"Well, not really. I don't mind Nightmare on Elm Street because I've watched it too many times to be scared of anymore, but one, I don't like how predictable horrors are, and two, even though they're predictable, I don't find any fun in being scared. I don't sleep very well as it is."

They all made noises of understanding, which I was thankful for. I didn't want to delve deeper into my sleeping problems and have them think they'd invited a mental person on tour with them. I wanted to prove to them that I could perform well at the job I had been given, and prove to myself that this was the kind of job I wanted for the rest of my life.