Blogger | Josh Dun

Part 10

It had been a week since I'd started work experience with the boys, and to say I was enjoying myself would be an understatement.

I got to watch them sound check and perform every night, and each time was as magical as the last.

I took countless photos and wrote the blog, being praised by Mark every time he read a bit of my work. I was excited, knowing that I was good at what I wished I could do for the rest of my life.

I got on with all of the crew and band members, and I found that despite my lack of sleep, I constantly had a smile on my face.

But it was Sunday night, the night I was to publish my first blog post. Mark had read it over a few times, and he was confident that it was ready.

"I really don't know what you're worried about," he laughed, scrolling down the page once more. "I couldn't have done this better myself."

Taking a deep breath, I took the laptop back out of Mark's hands and pressed the button that made the page public. Mark quickly sent out the link on Twitter and Facebook, but I didn't want to read the reactions of the people who were looking at the blog.

Instead, I made myself a cup of tea, sipping on the hot liquid and trying to calm myself down.

Josh bounded into the lounge, coming from his bunk.

"Lizzie, it's great! And everyone loves it!"

I took his phone from his outstretched hand, and skim read the tweets that were in reply to the the link.

They were mostly compliments, or people laughing at what I'd written about the boys, or fangirling over the photos which were attached.

I smiled, realising that thousands of people had read my writing, and were actually enjoying it.

Josh pulled me into a quick side hug, and let go as Jenna and Tyler entered the room.

"Congratulations Liz! I knew they'd all love it."

Jenna hugged me, and then so did Tyler.

"Guys, if you weren't so much fun to write about, then I wouldn't have done so well."

Tyler bowed. "You're welcome."

Josh pushed his shoulder. 

"She obviously meant me, I'm more fun than you for sure!"

"But Josh, I'm the lead singer!"

They continued bickering as Jenna lead me to one of the couches and sat down. 

"Are you enjoying yourself here?" She seemed genuinely concerned about my happiness. 

"Honestly? I've never had so much fun in my life."

She grinned at me, her blue eyes sparkling. 

"You know, you're a lot of fun to be around. I know you've only been here a week but we were all really worried that we weren't going to get on and that we'd be stuck with some boring, fangirly teen for two months."

"I can start squealing now if you'd like." 

"Oh God, no!" We both laughed, and the boys joined us on the sofas. 

Josh was sat across at me, and when I looked over he smiled at me, scrunching up his nose adorably. 

"I say this momentous occasion calls for a group selfie!" Mark cheered.

We all gathered onto one sofa, with me in between Josh and Jenna. We all scooted close together as Mark stretched his arm out and took a picture of us all. 

As I'd turned on my Twitter notifications for all of the band and crew, my phone vibrated in my pocket. 

@reelbearmedia: celebrating with @joshuadun @jennaajoseph @tylerrjoseph @lizziegrooms

The photo was attached, and I looked at all of us smiling at the camera. Everyone, that is, but Josh, who was looking at me. 

I giggled and saved the picture, and began reading some of the replies. A lot of them were from fans saying how cute the picture was, but some were asking if Josh and I were in a relationship. A few were even going as far as saying that they hated me or that Josh deserved better. 

"I told you to ignore them," a soft voice said from beside me. Josh took my phone from my hand and shut down Twitter before locking the screen. 

I shook my head slightly, my blue hair falling in front of my eyes and hiding my face from Josh. I didn't want him to see how the tweets had effected me, especially since it was such a silly thing to be upset about. 

"Hey, please don't listen to them." Josh brushed a few strands of hair away from my face, his fingers lightly tracing my cheekbone as he did so. "Like I said, these people don't know you, so therefore, they can't form a proper opinion about you. They're jealous that you're talented, and that you're able to do what you want to do with your life, even if it is for a short time." 

I took a deep breath and smiled, thankful for Josh's words. He was right. Here I was, sat next to my favourite band, working with them, whereas the people who hated me were sat behind their screens, only knowing Josh and Tyler via what was shared on the internet. 

"Come here," he said, and I gratefully fell into Josh's outstretched arms. He held me tightly around the waist as I rested my head on his shoulder. I knew the others were in the room, but all I could care about right now was how I felt so safe in Josh's embrace. My cheek was rubbing against his cotton shirt, and he smelled really good. He was warm and strong, and his chin was atop my head. 

He quickly kissed my hair and then leaned back, smiling at me. I smiled back, and knew that I would be okay.