Chance in a Dream

Ready for Baltimore

"Okay guys," Alex begins to shout until the roar of screams seems to quiet down just a bit. He smiles and starts to laugh at Zack.

"Seems like they are as pumped as we are," Rian laughs into the mic.

"So guys, we got a special treat for one lucky fan tonight," Alex begins. My heart is racing as the crowd starts to hush wondering what is going on. The concert is already over with 3 encores to the fan's delight. Alex looks at me with a big smile, and I know it was directed at me because he nods. The whole band was sweaty from playing and jumping around. I have never seen someone move so sporadic with an instrument in hand, let alone singing while doing so.

"Tonight we are doing a raffle," Zack continues for the group.

"That's right! We got all of your beautiful names and shoved them in this cup," Alex speaks loud as everyone cheers. Another man steps out to hand them an over sized cup with the word "DICK" written on it. I could not help but to laugh along with others at this display.

"What might they win," asks Rian in a sarcastic quizzical expression.

"I'm so glad you asked," Alex pipes up,"whoever I draw from this dick of a cup will get to spend a week with us!" With that I nearly became deaf. The screams and crying that burst through the venue could shatter the glass windows outside. The building felt like it was shaking. My heart begins to pound at the thought of having All Time Low for a whole week. I can only imagine what we would be up to, maybe we truly could be friends. Alex reaches down into the cup and the overly excited fans almost completely stop the noise. Pulling the piece of paper, he slowly unwraps it. A few people chant for him to hurry, but he smiles and takes his time.

"The winner is... Dickhead?" Alex looks quizzically before everyone starts busting out laughing, including himself. "Haha guys," he states before shaking his head and reaching for another. "Okay," he smiles as he reads the piece of paper, "Mr. Jack Barakat, get your cute ass over here." I start to cry. Did I hear him right? Me? How? What? When? I notice Alex's hand extend out to me and I shakily grab it. He helps pull me up and the crowd helps to make sure I get on stage with them. I look at my friends as they all cheer me on. I could see some angry faces because, hey, we all wanted to win. However, everyone seems very happy for me knowing what it would mean to any of them. I look at Alex, mouthing if this was real or not. He simply smiles and kisses my cheek.

"It's real," he breathes against my ear. I shiver at the feeling of his hot breath against my skin. He hands me the mic and everyone's ears perk to hear what I have to say.

"Oh my god, I won," I state still in shock. Everyone screams and laughs at my words. It was more than I could say right now. I look at the band, "thank you guys, seriously. It means a whole dick cup to me," I try to joke. Everyone was laughing now and Alex took back the mic.

"Well, you guys have been awesome tonight! Sadly we must go and party with Jack, goodnight," was all Alex said as we bow to the crowd, people throwing bras and gifts now. All Time Low smiles big at the crowd, waving as we exit to the back. I turn back to see my friends giving thumbs up and the crowd roaring and chanting for All Time Low. Alex just holds me closer, I could feel his sweat seep against my own shirt. I look up at him and he is looking into my eyes.

"Welcome to the crew," he softly says before Zack and Rian pat me on the back to congratulate.

"The newest part of All Time Low," each shout.

"This is one hell of a birthday," I breathe out, almost too low to hear from the noise behind us. We keep walking until we are winding down a hall toward the buses.

"That's the spirit," Alex smiles at me. Once we get out into the dark night, the air cool and comfortable, we walk through a lot of trailers and cars until we finally reach their tour bus. Zack and Rian run onto it, leaving Alex and I behind. Alex lets me step onto the bus first, the lights burning my eyes as they adjust. Alex smacks my ass and I slightly jump, moving faster. I can hear his sweet laughter and I can not help but to chuckle myself. I finally get to the top and my eyes go wide. In front were clean, plush sofas on either side with TVs and a mini kitchen just passed them. The hallway lead to what appears to be the bunks and further into there another room I could not see.

"Wanna drink?" Zack says as he passes Alex a glass of blue liquid. Alex takes a small sip and hands the drink to me, which I thoughtfully take and sip. The liquid was a delicious raspberry flavor but it burned going down my throat. I cough a bit, not use to drinking often. Alex softly pats my back and flops us down onto the sofa.

"It's good though, isn't it?" he asks as he turns to face me, smiling. Zack and Rian sit in front of us after getting themselves something to drink. I smile and nod, taking another small sip and handing it back.

"This place is incredible," I say looking around the bus. I feel a jolt and realize we are heading off to where ever the next destination is. A week with All Time Low. Wait. A week. Traveling. Oh shit mom. I gasp and start to spasm a bit, fumbling for my phone. They all look at me strangely.

"Mom," I mouth out before everyone nods and smiles understanding. They all begin quietly chatting about how awesome the show was and I zone out. My heart was pounding, not knowing how she was going to react. I quickly press call on my phone.

"Jack?" I hear her speak, slightly sleepy in her words.

"Hey mom, I have some news," I slowly start.

"What is it honey?"

"I'm on tour with All Time Low for a week, but but they are bringing me back and I promise to be safe and careful and call and," I rush out, getting breathless at the end. I hear her softly gasp.

"Just... just be safe sweetie. I know this all means a lot to you, so enjoy yourself. Happy birthday," she softly speaks. My jaw slightly drops and I look towards the guys who wait for a yes or no. Alex lightly traces his finger along my back, making me relax into the sofa.

"Thank you, oh my god, thank you," I quickly speak before muffling, "I love you," and hanging up. I thumbs up at them all and they begin to cheer. I can not help but to smile big at this opportunity.

"We will be in Baltimore tomorrow and you can crash at my place," Alex says with a big smile. He has his legs crossed and an arm around me. I look down toward his waist and see his shirt slightly up and exposing the skin underneath. I bite my lip and he chuckles. "Earth to Jack," he tries. I look up at him and nod with a smile. We all stand up, excited for the day to come and the night ahead.

"Party time!" Alex screams as the Zack and Rian begin to shout as well. They all head to the back of the bus, dragging me along. I smile in a daze as some lights start flashing around the room and the people here before us start getting up to dance. I assume part of the crew or friends of theirs. I could not care less at this point who they were, my eyes and heart were locked on Alex. He pulls me close to his body, us moving our hips and dancing to the loud music filling the room. Soon the whole bus becomes a party as people dance anywhere there is room and stumble around exchanging drinks and conversation. I keep close to Alex in a corner, our breathes being shared in this small space. His eyes show a desire I am not familiar with seeing. He slowly leans into me, our lips barely brushing as our hips move more jaggedly.

"I've had my eyes on you since I saw your profile for the meet and greet," he spoke over the music into my ear. Chills went down my spine and I lightly bit his ear, causing a deep moan to spark from the singer.

"I have had my eyes on you since I was just a teen," I chuckle into his ear. He smiles at this before closing the gap between our lips. Oh fuck were they soft. We start kissing eagerly, his hands on my hips and my arms wrapped around his neck. I pull back for a quick breath, us both staring into each other's blown eyes.

"I'm ready for Baltimore," I seductively whisper against his ear. My mind is too lost to realize just who I was with. All I knew was it was me and Alex. Not me and some star that shines bright every night to millions of fans. Just me and this man I have fallen for. I am ready to see what his life is like, what his home is like. What he is truly like behind the curtains. I'm ready for Baltimore.