ғʀᴏᴍ ᴘᴏʀᴛʟᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴏ ʟ.ᴀ. » ᴅᴀɴɪᴇʟ sᴇᴀᴠᴇʏ

Chapter Twenty-Four

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

I rub my eyes, trying to rid myself of the sleepy feeling still resting behind them, despite the nap.

After rising up from my bed, I make my way out of my room. My destination is the kitchen, but I stop once I reach the living room to stare outside the glass windows to the boys sitting on the rocks in the backyard in a small huddle.

I smile gently to myself as I witness the five of them of them doing what they love to do together. I've been living with them for about a month now and I've come to expect this from them. No matter if the songs they sing are going to be recorded or not, it simply is their passion and desire to be working on something as a group all the time.

The conversation that I had with Jack over two weeks ago flashes through my head every time I'm around Daniel.

Every time I see him in the morning with his messy hair and sweatpants, my stomach flips. Every time he talks to me, I find breathing to be a little more difficult than usual. Every time we make eye contact across the room, I break out in a blush and a small smile. Every time he smiles, I fall in love with him a little more.

***

"Hey, Daniel, come here!" I call out from the kitchen when I hear the boys making their way inside.

The grinning boy enters the room in seconds.

"You're up!" he says brightly.

"Would've been sooner if you woke me up when you were supposed to," I say.

When I got home from JTB classes at eleven this morning, I was falling asleep in the middle of attempting to edit. Daniel caught me and forced me to go take a nap. At first, I refused, but eventually agreed once he promised that he would wake me up at one. That obviously didn't happen because I woke up on my own at three.

"About that," he says, almost sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I really was going to wake you up at one, but when I went in there you looked so... never mind. You needed your rest, shorty."

Though I'm reluctant, I know he's right.

Four weeks into the JTB program has worn me down to the point where anyone can tell I'm exhausted just by looking at me.

I haven't slept for more than five hours at night since the course started and I'm always stressed because there's always something to do.

The past couple days have been physically difficult to push through and Daniel has noticed. That means longer and more frequent hugs, numerous questions asking if I need anything, and more caring about my emotional well being than ever.

What he doesn't know is that he makes my heart pump wildly anytime he's even remotely close and that's definitely not helping the already weakened state of my body at all.

"I know I do, but I'll rest when I finish JTB's program."

"You'll be there soon, right? How many more days?"

"Ten."

"Wow," Daniel says, shaking his head. "Time has passed so quickly."

I nod, agreeing wholeheartedly.

I feel as if I arrived in L.A. for the first time just yesterday. These past few weeks have flown by in a whirlwind of hard work, late nights, memories with some of my closest friends, and getting caught up in the mess of falling in love.

God has provided for me in ways that a month and a half ago, I couldn't have even imagined.

***

I sit down on the corner of the couch next to Zach. He and the other boys are undoubtedly excited, but I feel the exact opposite. I'm nervous to know the reasoning behind sitting me down to have a conversation that is way more formal than usual.

"What do we need to talk about?" I ask timidly.

"Something very important," Jonah says.

I have to refrain from gulping.

"So, we don't know if you're aware of this, but you sing out loud a lot. Whether it's absentmindedly or on purpose, you do it, and we've been hearing and listening to you since you moved in," Zach says.

"When Daniel came back from Portland, all he talked about was you," Jack says with a twinkle in his eyes.

Daniel looks down at the ground, trying to hide a grin, while I shift in my seat.

"He told us that you had an unexplainable amount of talent in the areas of writing and singing. He said the biggest shame of it all was that you kept it a secret from the world. We've been reading the chapters you've been submitting to JTB and listening to you sing for almost a month now, and we all believe that you're talented beyond compare, just like Daniel did in the beginning. If you are willing, and if you want to, we would like to help you take the next big step in your life and career."

I look around, totally dumbstruck and unprepared for what I'll be told next.

"Kai," Corbyn continues, "we would love you to be the guest artist on the single we will be releasing to the public in a couple weeks."

I think my heart stops after so many blows of shocking information are thrown at me with no pauses in between.

"What?"

Daniel smiles at me gently.

"You want... me to record a song with you that you will release to your fans?"

All in my presence nod. My mind spins.

"We have a tour coming up," Daniel starts after awhile. "That single we're dropping in a couple weeks will come out before the first show on October first."

My mouth drops open slowly, having a hunch about what will be presented to me next.

"We've already talked to and been approved by our manager about this... if you do decide to record the single with us, we would also love you to come on tour with us," Jonah says, breaking out into a smile at the end.

"We would sing the single together as a group and then if you're comfortable with it, there would be a section of the show when you would perform on your own," Zach says, Corbyn adding on right after him.

"Before you spiral into your typical fit of worry about how we've already given you too much and we're offering you something you feel you can't accept, believe me when I say that we want you to come with us."

I feel gratitude, love, acceptance, happiness, worry, and confusion all at the same time. My emotions push and pull at each other in my heart and mind like a bashing but silent battle.

"Kai," Daniel says softly, causing my clouded over eyes to turn to him slowly. "The decision is entirely yours. We will support you in whatever you choose, but just know... we are rooting for you. You have too much talent to stay hidden away from this world."