civilgroupie-gvf

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy in The Band

Chapter 9: Your song 

Josh Kiszka X Reader 

Summary: Josh’s mom throws you a baby shower, Sam wears a diaper, and the boys give you really thoughtful gifts. 

*Fluff the house down boots mama*

Being eight months pregnant is not for the faint of heart. You tried to get a glimpse of your swollen, throbbing feet but only saw the horizontal curvature of your enormous stomach. A large yellow button shimmered near your left shoulder that said “MOM”. Josh had disappeared a suspiciously long time into the house while you waited in the center of Karen and Kelly’s back yard. It was full of spectators, all wearing buttons that either said XX or XY in reference to what they hoped the sex of the baby would be. Sam, however, refused to partake in the gender binary and placed a sticky note with the word “baby” where the button was supposed to go. Karen had chosen yellow as the main color with decorations loosely based on Winnie the Pooh. Karen shared with everyone she chose yellow, not only because it’s the traditional gender-neutral color but because Elton John had told her it was his favorite color at the party the boys had recently performed at. “Who knows! Maybe there’s yet another rock star in the family.” Karen said followed by a soft chuckle. Tiny jars of honey sat at the table near the sliding door with labels that said, “Y/N and Josh’s Baby shower” with the date. A fancy (and frankly oversized) chocolate fountain sat at the center of the pastry table surrounded by fresh fruit and pretzels for dipping. The rest of the table was patterned with cupcakes, made graciously by Jita and Ronnie who were finishing up frosting the last batch in the kitchen. Finally, you heard a familiar rhythm of steps.

“I brought you a snack!” Josh said catching his breath. “And your vitamins.”

“Did you run all the way home for them?” You joked.

“Basically.” Josh admitted in a bashful tone. “You forgot them on the bedside table.”

“So you drove all the way home for them?” You asked in shock. 

“That’s so cute.” Danny said with his usual sincere and warm smile.

“What? What did he do?” Sam looked up from his phone demanding to be filled in.

“Maybe you should stop texting all your girlfriends and pay attention.” Danny told Sam. 

“Ever since my OBGYN told us I need to increase my prenatal vitamins, Josh has been on me. I’m so grateful too because baby brain is no joke. I have the memory of a goldfish lately.” You explained.

“She also said if you eat raw almonds as a snack right before, your body will absorb more of the vitamins.” Josh repeated the doctor’s orders verbatim.  

“I think Josh is practicing his daddy skills with Y/N!” Kelly shouted and all the guests began to laugh.

Everyone was present from the twins’ and Danny’s family to Charlotte, Beverly, and some other people from the GVF team. Your mom had made the drive for the shower and was seemingly hitting it off with everyone quite nicely.

“Oh leave him alone.” Karen waved her hand at Kelly in a gentle attempt to get the festivities started once and for all. After you ate your almonds and took your vitamins, you were asked to judge a variety of games. One of the games required partners of two to race in dressing one of the partners in a baby costume. The costume being comically large diapers Karen found at Party City, a baby bonnet, a bib and a pacifier. The only catch being they had to run across the yard and grab one item at a time and put it on before running back for the next one. 

The teams were naturally split into existing couples such as Jake and Jita, Danny and Beverly, Karen and Kelly. However Ronnie and Sam wanted to play and decided to pair up. The race began. Kelly and Karen took turns running back and forth, adding an item of baby clothes onto Kelly as they went. Jake and Jita went with a similar approach except Jita was the one wearing the costume. Danny had decided to run back and forth citing his incredible endurance, bringing Beverly each item of clothing, and helping her into them. You knew very well Danny was just being a gentleman so Beverly wouldn’t have to get all sweaty. For Sam and Ronnie’s team, Ronnie declared seniority and told Sam he had to bite the bullet and wear a diaper. While every team started with the diaper, Sam and Ronnie started with the easiest item, being the pacifier, and worked their way up. The diaper had proved to be difficult to get into, for the other teams, but having it out of the way allowed them to zoom through the remainder of the race. Sam and Ronnie were dead last. At the final countdown, Ronnie and Sam scrambled to get him into the diaper except Sam’s scrawny legs couldn’t hold it up. In a hilarious attempt to get the diaper adjusted to his waist, Sam laid on the ground while Ronnie pulled at the Velcro of each side bringing the diaper in before securing it again. Jake and Jita exclaimed in excitement when they had managed to beat everyone. Sam groaned, still laying on the ground like a giant toddler.

“What did we win?” Jake asked in a hurry.

“Isn’t bragging rights enough?” Jita playfully elbowed Jake.

“No.” Jake answered laughing.

Karen pulled out a box of roman candles and handed them to the winning couple with as much ceremony as if it was a golden Oscar.

“Aw man! That’s such a cool prize!” Sam whined after pulling the pacifier out of his mouth and getting up from the ground.

“You are so baby.” Josh teased.

“And for wahhh…” Jake added. The image of Sam in a diaper tickled Kelly especially, evidenced by his inability to stop cackling, arms crossed over his belly in joyful pain.

As the baby shower came to an end, people began to go home. Karen began to bring over all the presents for you to open.

Sam’s gift was a gigantic box of newborn diapers, and a tiny newborn size T shirt that said, “Future bassist.” Jake scoffed audibly.

“Don’t start.” Karen said through a smile and gritted teeth.

Jake and Jita’s gift came in a huge box full of packing peanuts that confettied onto the floor as Josh helped you pull out a child-sized electric guitar and a small amp.

“This is precious.” You said admiring the cherry red varnish as it glistened in the golden patio light.

It wasn’t long before Sam and Danny took turns playing on the amusingly small guitar.

“I know it’ll be a while before they’re old enough to play but Jake wanted to be the first to buy them an instrument.” Jita whispered to you. Finally, it was time to open Danny’s gift. He had ordered a handmade, custom crib-mobile with all the GVF instruments in plushie form hanging from it. There was a seafoam bass, Jake’s red guitar, Danny’s drum set, and even Josh’s tambourine that rattled when it moved. You couldn’t help but squeal from the cuteness. 

You thought you had finished with the gifts when Jake suddenly asked everyone to go inside for a surprise. Everyone sat in the living room where the baby grand piano, that Sam learned to play on, lived.

“Sam and I wanted to do something special for our first niece or nephew.” Jake announced. Sam strolled over to the worn-down wooden bench and got into playing position.

You were confused about the lack of guitar in Jake’s arms until you realized he planned to sing. You weren’t sure if it was the hormones, but you instantly felt your eyes tear up as Sam carefully played the first notes of “Your Song”, by Elton John.

You couldn’t hold your tears back as Jake started singing in his raspy voice. When the chorus came Jake got closer and sang directly to the dome of a belly in front of you.

“I know it's not much, but it's the best I can do My gift is my song and this one's for you And you can tell everybody This is your song It may be quite simple, but now that it's done I hope you don't mind I hope you don't mind That I put down in the words How wonderful life is while you're in the world.”

You looked over at Josh who was wiping streams of hot tears off his red cheeks. Your chest swelled up with so much emotion at how much you loved this man. This sensitive, beautiful, kind man who was the father of your first child and his family that you so gratefully inherited.

The night ended in the driveway with laughter and smiles that flickered in the light of roman candles as they shot sparkly fire into the sky.

[civilgroupie-gvf]

Thank you to all the besties that read my stories. I started writing these for fun and it feels good to share it with you all. Loves ya!

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy in The Band

Chapter 8: Breaking News 

Josh Kiszka X Reader 

Summary: Josh flies you out to Hollywood for the band’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! You get some test results back from your doctor that change you and Josh’s relationship forever. Fluff the house down. I’m living my fan girl fantasy.

“Baby?” 

Josh’s voice sounded muffled outside the bathroom door as you stared into the porcelain toilet. 

Before you had a chance to respond, you were sick again causing a magnificent splash into the toilet water. Josh busted through the door. 

“I’m ok. Maybe the sushi last night was bad.” You looked up at him through teary eyes. 

He handed you tissues, and paced in concern. You’d been feeling nauseous all morning, and you looked pale. 

“Josh, it’s ok. People throw up sometimes.” 

“I just don’t want to leave you like this.” 

Josh was packed and ready to get back on the road. By now, you both learned how to navigate a long distance relationship. Saying goodbye wasn’t necessarily easier, but it was a routine. 

“I’ll be ok. Promise.” You smiled and walked to the sink to brush your teeth. 

You walked Josh out to his Uber, carrying one of his duffels and his jingling tambourine.  

Before getting in the car, Josh turned to you. He looked just as concerned as he did inside the house. 

“Stop...” You pleaded. “I’m fine!” 

“Ok.” He said, kissing you on the forehead and then on your lips. 

It hadn’t even been 15 minutes since Josh left, when your phone started to buzz in your back pocket. It was your mom. 

“Hi mom.” You said.

“What’s wrong? What’s this about you throwing up? Do you have the flu?” She demanded. 

“HI MOM!” You emphasized. 

“Hi.” She said shortly. 

“So a little curly haired bird told you huh?” you asked.

“Yes and he requested I take you to the doctor if you don’t get better.” 

“Oh my g-” 

“Y/N you need to take care of yourself.” 

“Ok. I’ll let you know how I feel in the morning.” You rolled your eyes, but found it kind of endearing that Josh called your mom. You sent him a text: 

“Well played.”

The following morning you woke up feeling worse. You went to the doctor as requested. 

~~~

Later that week you found yourself walking aimlessly around the mall with Ronnie who had become one of your closest friends. You talked about life, and Ronnie talked about the dating scene and how men weren’t interesting in this town. You held a big yellow tub full of cinnamon pretzel bites and popped one into your mouth before saying with a full mouth, 

“Maybe you need to explore other places.” 

“Like where?”

“Like when you move for college.” You said smiling. 

“I don’t know if I can leave home...” She trailed off. She resembled Jake so much you had been stopped twice by Greta Van Fleet fans. One of them was crying, and did not hide her disappointment when she realized Ronnie was in fact, not Jake. 

You found yourselves in line for a smoothie when Ronnie pulled out her phone as it rang with a FaceTime call. It was Jake himself. 

“Hi twin!” Ronnie said cheerily. Jake just laughed his raspy laugh. 

“What’s up?” She asked. 

“Hey I just wanted to tell you we’re going to be on Jimmy Kimmel on Tuesday.” 

“What?!” She beamed at you. Ronnie pointed the camera at your shocked face. 

“Hi Y/N!” Jake said as he waved. “I’m glad you’re here! Josh was gonna tell you later today.” 

You and Ronnie tried to be cool but were overtaken by the fangirls in you. 

“This is a big fucking deal!” Ronnie whisper-shouted at her phone screen.

“Yeah...I suppose it is.” Jake laughed “That’s why we want to fly you all out here.” 

That only made the two of you more giddy and beside yourselves. You toned it down, however, so as to not draw too much attention. 

“You’re going to Hollywood!” Jake said in a British accent, imitating Simon Cowell.

~~~

Your frozen finger tips tapped on your phone, looking for your doctor’s contact, as soon as you sat down in the plane next to Ronnie. The air conditioner was stuck on high and you already knew this was going to be a long flight. The unexpected trip to LA conflicted with your follow up doctor visit, but you wanted to get an update.  You put your phone to your ear and held it up with your shoulder. You grasped at opposite sides of your thin hoodie, wrapping yourself tighter as if that would somehow make you warmer. 

“Dr. Cordova’s office, how can I help you?” The cheerful receptionist chimed. 

“Hi, my name’s Y/N. I’m calling to get some test results.” 

After giving the receptionist all your information she paused before speaking into the phone in response, “Is there any way you can come into the office this week? Dr. Cordova would really prefer to speak with you in person.” 

Your mouth started getting dry and you began to wonder what terminal illness you contracted, and how long you had left to live. 

“I’m going out of town and I really don’t want this hanging over my head the whole time.” You said taking a deep breath. “Can’t he come to the phone now?” You pleaded. 

“Unfortunately he’s booked until the end of the day, sweety. He’s usually able to send the results via email in situations like these.” She offered. 

“Okay. That would be great.” You said before thanking her and hanging up. 

You stared at your phone, waiting for it to glow up with a new email notification. You were so focused, Ronnie had to snap in your face to get your attention.

“Sorry”, You laughed, “My doctor’s sending me some test results to my email. It’s freaking me out.” 

Ronnie simply rubbed your shoulder and nodded at you that she understood. 

You knew it was just a matter of time before the flight attendants asked you all to put your phones on airplane mode. You really didn’t want to spend the entire flight wondering what the heck was in those results. You were convinced if it wasn’t anything bad, she would have just told you over the phone. Just as the intercom interrupted the chatter with a request to put your phone on airplane mode, a loud ding came out of your phone, making you jump. It was a text from Josh.

“I can’t wait to see you. Have a safe flight. I love you.” 

You responded and put your phone on airplane mode. You really wanted to let Josh know everything went well with the doctor visit and there was nothing to worry about. You weren’t too sure that was going to be the case. You started feeling sick to your stomach again. As the plane took off, you put your sunglasses and your hood on, tightening the string around your face, before adjusting yourself for sleep.

Turbulence woke you up as the plane began to descend. You yawned and rubbed your eyes. 

“We’re about to land.” Ronnie said without taking her eye mask off. She looked kind of funny leaning back into her neck pillow. 

The wheels had barely touched gravel when you had your phone out and ready to check your email. They finally gave the signal, and you turned the airplane mode off. 

You sat patiently waiting for your phone to turn all the way on, giving it time to catch up on notifications. Multiple Instagram messaged from Beverly, and a text from Josh. No email. You felt your heart sink until suddenly a Gmail icon popped up at you. You never clicked on something so fast. Everyone around you began to stand up, gathering their belongings, and making a line going nowhere since the door was still closed. Ronnie took notice that you were about to open the results. She wrapped her arm around your arm and smiled at you reassuringly. You couldn’t help it. Your heart rate was up and your breathing became shallow. 

“According to the blood and urine sample you provided at your last visit, you are 5-6 weeks pregnant.” 

You read it over a few times but the words made no sense. You put your phone down and looked at Ronnie wide-eyed. 

“Can I look?” Ronnie asked. She looked very concerned. 

You watched as Ronnie read the email. To your surprise her eyes became misty. She put your phone down and put a hand over her mouth. 

“Congratulations!” She suddenly let out. She wiped away a couple of tears and hugged you so tight, you thought you were going to faint. You felt frozen. The shock still coursing through your veins.

~~~

“What if he’s disappointed? I’m just so scared...” Your voice trailed off into silence. 

“Scared of what?” Ronnie asked. 

You had managed not to talk about it on the Uber ride to the hotel. You made chatty conversation with the driver about his main job as an APP designer, and his wiener dog Chancho. As soon as you arrived at the room, however, Ronnie had given you a stern but loving look that said, “Enough stalling.” 

“Scared of what? I’m scared of everything! A baby now? Greta finally has momentum. I don’t know if I’m ready for that type of commitment. What if our parents are disappointed in us? I’m scared this will break us, or worse, I’m scared he’ll see how much I want this that he’ll sacrifice his true desires and settle to a life he never planned just to make me happy.” 

Ronnie’s eyes laid gently on you. She was just listening. 

“What the fuck am I supposed to do?” You slumped your body into the hotel chair, and cupped your face with your hands. You kept the sobs inside but you could feel the tears welling up in your hands before they seeped through your fingers. Tiny drops made dark blue circles on your jeans. Ronnie rushed over to you and held you for a few minutes before saying, 

“Josh has never been someone that cares what our parents think. He’s always carved his own path. Don’t count him out just yet.” Ronnie squeezed you as you sniffled. You let yourself melt into a puddle of feelings in the safety of your friend’s arms. 

~~~

After a much needed nap, you and Ronnie showered and got ready to meet up with the rest of the family. You spent a lot of the time putting ice to your eyes to reduce the puffiness. Josh could always tell when you’d been crying and you didn’t want to distract from the band’s big moment. 

You and Ronnie sipped silently on some coffee as you sat on the comfortable hotel lobby couches. You both looked up at the sound of a familiar cackle. It was Karen who was accompanied by Danny’s mom, Lori.

“Hey!” Ronnie said greeting her mom, and Lori. You got up and hugged them both. 

“Ready to rock and roll?!” Lori said enthusiastically. 

“Ready Freddie!” You said, following them out to the car. 

~~~

The green room was packed with Greta’s team, their friends and family, and other random people you’d never seen before. The whole room was electric with excitement. As the four of you walked in, Jimmy Kimmel was on his way out. You all looked at each other in disbelief, Karen silently mouthed “Oh my god!” You all finally made it to the corner where the boys were hanging out. Sam was sitting on a chair with his eyes closed as a make-up artist patted powder onto his T-zone. His mouth kept moving as he still tried to be heard over everyone else’s voices. Jake was sitting on a velvet couch with his girlfriend, Jita, sitting on his lap. You could tell he was teasing her about something by the smile on her face. Danny’s back was to group as he poured what looked like 20 shots of tequila. You couldn’t see or hear Josh. Your stomach flipped as you realized you couldn’t say anything until after the performance. You had no idea how Josh would react to the news, but you knew you didn’t want to ruin this moment for him. 

“Hey you!” You heard him say. You felt at ease again. You turned to face Josh who was dressed in a mauve-pink silk jumpsuit with silver gem stones around the neck line. You could tell he had just trimmed his facial hair. 

“Look at you!” Josh exclaimed as he examined your look. 

“Look at you!” You said back. 

“You’re glowing.” You said before he gave you a warm kiss on the lips. 

You spent some time with Josh as he introduced you to the people around him. You were so happy to see him again but at the same felt like you were lying to him. After a few “nice-to-meet-you-toos’ you excused yourself to get something to drink. You walked over to the catering table and found Ronnie and Jita talking by the refreshment table.

“Oh there you are!” Jita greeted you warmly. She always gave the best hugs.

The three of you caught up and bonded over how surreal it was to be in Hollywood in a studio lot. In the midst of the banter and laughter Danny walked up to you somehow balancing 3 shot glasses in his two enormous hands.

You each grabbed one and thanked him before he went back for everyone else’s shot.

You awkwardly put the overflowing shot glass onto the table and instead reached for your water.

“Are you pregnant or something?” Jita asked you with a twinkle in her eye. Woman’s intuition.

You and Ronnie stared at her incredulously.

“Someone say something!” Jita said in a loud whisper.

Danny made a toast, and everyone gulped down their tequila. Everyone but you of course. 

You managed to catch Jita up before the TV producers rushed in and rushed you all out into the audience.

Before the performance began, Jita leaned in to congratulate you. There was genuine excitement on her face. She had known the Kiszkas a lot longer than you, so it made you feel better about what Josh’s reaction would be. The boys preformed their single. It was the song Josh had confided in you was inspired by an idea of a baby listening to the world from inside the womb. You spent the whole time thinking about how, no matter what, everything between you was about to change forever. 

~~~

~~~

As expected, the boys rocked the house down. After the show, Karen and Lori said goodbye to everyone. They had to take the red eye back to Michigan to help with some sort of charity walk.

The boys had planned to go out for drinks in celebration, but you managed to pull Josh away for a moment.

“Is everything ok?” Josh could read you like a book.

“What did the doctor tell you?” 

“Can we talk about it in private?” 

Your heart was thumping out of your chest. 

Josh agreed and let the boys know you would catch up with them later. Josh wanted to change into his civilian uniform anyway so you both headed to the hotel.

You were happy to see Charlotte again, who gave you both a ride in the SUV rental. You were relieved that you had more time to think about how you were going to break the news to Josh. 

Once inside the hotel room, Josh sat you down on the bed and he knelt down in front of you, holding your hands. 

“Ok what is it?” You could feel Josh’s pleading eyes but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at them. You stared down at his hands trying to find the words without choking up. 

“Y/N no matter what it is, it’s going to be ok. We’re going to get through it together.” He assured you, and you tried to believed him. 

“I’m pregnant.” You said finally. You didn’t see any reason to continue beating around the bush. The silence was deafening, and you mustered the courage to look at Josh if only to get a clue as to what he was thinking. 

Josh’s eyes and nose became pink, and his eyes became tearful the more he blinked. He was still holding onto your hands. He didn’t look upset, or scared. It was a mix of shock and genuine emotion. 

“Are you sure?” Josh asked looking straight into your eyes. 

“I’m 100% sure. The doctor did blood and urine tests.” You responded. 

“This is the happiest day of my life!” Josh shouted suddenly. He bear hugged you, lifting you from the bed and kissing your face over and over. 

“I didn’t know how you would react.” You said laughing as you felt relief wash over you as well as his wet lips. 

“Y/N, I love you. I know you must be scared but we can do this. I thought you had a terminal illness! Turns out we’re having a baby!” Josh choked back tears on the last sentence. You embraced each other, allowing the tears to flow for several minutes. Finally, Josh pulled away and wiped tears from your face. 

“Does anyone else know?” Josh asked still sniffling.

You explained how you got the results while you were with Ronnie, and told him that Jita pieced it together with what seemed like psychic abilities. 

“I haven’t even told Beverly.” You said surprised at the sudden realization. “She’s gonna be pissed I didn’t call her right away.” You considered calling her then but decided against it. You just wanted to enjoy the moment. Just you and Josh. 

"How about we celebrate with room service?” Josh offered. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to go out with everyone?” You asked. 

“Nah. I’m good right here. With my little family.” He said rubbing your stomach. “We’re now eating for 3!” Josh said and he flashed his white teeth and tooth gap at you. 

You both changed into pristine white bath robes, and feasted on a freshly made breakfast as well as little pastries topped with fresh fruit and interesting shapes made out of white chocolate. 

You were both stuffed, and cuddling each other in bed, watching The Martian on HBO. Josh turned to look at you.

“How are you feeling?” He asked. 

“Never been better.” You said. You meant it, too.

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy In The Band

Chapter 7 Josh Kiszka X Reader

Summary: Josh flies you out to a show, and you go on a double date. Fluff town! There is a smutty surprise at the end ;)

This was the longest you had gone without seeing Josh. 3 months into the North American tour, you were both growing tired of your developing relationship being constrained by distance and short phone calls. The boys were preforming opening acts, or festival sets,4-5 days a week in addition to incessant interviews promoting their upcoming full length album. You were lucky if you got a call from Josh once a week, usually past 2 AM when he was going to bed. The conversations usually lasted 5 minutes as he inevitably would begin to pass out when his head hit the pillow. You were never upset with Josh, but more concerned about him. However, the last couple of weeks you started to catch yourself being short with him as the lack of physical nurturing began to take a toll on you. 

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Josh asked in the sleepy voice you knew meant he was about to fall asleep on you. 

“I just miss you.” You said choking back tears. The sudden display of emotion shocked you just as much as it had shocked Josh. 

“Wait hold on. Don’t cry. I’m so sorry.” Josh sounded wide awake now.

“It’s ok. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to make you feel bad.” You sniffled, wiping away tears from your eyes. “I know you’re working really hard and missing me too, I just get so lonely.” You tried to muffle your sobs with a pillow but your sniffling could be heard by Josh on the other end. You had a bad habit of keeping your feelings bottled up until you exploded into a blubbering mess. 

“That’s it, I’m getting someone to fly you out this weekend.” Josh said. You could hear his fingers tapping at the phone screen as he sent a text to someone on the team. 

“I thought you were busy all weekend with the festival?” You said rubbing your eyes and nose trying to gather yourself. 

“I am. So what? If I can run backstage and give you a smooch that’s better than this bullshit.” Josh was quiet as he finished writing the text. 

“There. I’ll have Monti send you all the details in the morning.” 

~~~

You held on to your iced latte for dear life, as you sipped and tried to recover from the long day of traveling. You had been up since 4 AM and had made it to Charlotte’s SUV rental by almost noon. The flight itself had been too short and too loud for a proper nap. You flipped the mirror down to look at yourself, looking for eyebags and any other visible sign that you were exhausted. 

“You look lovely.” Charlotte said without taking her eyes off the road. 

“I haven’t seen Josh in three months. I’m a little nervous.” You said. 

“Trust me, Josh is feeling nervous too. They’re going to be in the middle of sound check when we arrive.” Charlotte winked at you. 

The energy surrounding the front gate of the festival was nothing less than chaotic. There was people everywhere and there was a general aura of excitement that infected you immediately. Your heart began to pound as Charlotte led you towards the security check-in. You were about to see Josh again, and you didn’t foresee it being such an intense environment. You weren’t accustomed to the fast-pace life that you now realized Josh was used to. 

You received a laminated badge that said, “Backstage Pass” on it. You secured it around your neck and followed Charlotte past several gates towards a small golf cart that had been waiting for you in the shade. You both hopped in and Charlotte zoomed out to find the stage where the boys were doing sound check. You heard Josh’s voice which cut through all the noise as he sang Heat Above without any instruments. 

“I hear him!” You said excitedly. Charlotte turned and smiled at you. 

Charlotte parked the golf cart and you walked side by side up the ramp to the stairs that led to the stage. Standing shirtless at the bottom step stood Sam, chugging an entire water bottle in one go. 

“Hey!” You yelled hoping he could hear you over Josh’s singing. 

“Oh hey!” Sam hugged you, still holding the empty bottle. “Josh has not stopped talking about you coming today.” Sam said with a side smile.

“Is that true or you just want to embarrass him?” You asked with a laugh.

“Hmm. Both.” Sam said smiling.

“Alright let me know if you need anything!” Charlotte shouted before walking to the golf cart. 

You waved goodbye to Charlotte and thanked her before turning back to Sam as he motioned with his head to come with him onto the stage. 

“Are you sure?” You asked not knowing how you felt about being perceived by a bunch of strangers while you reunited with your boyfriend you hadn’t seen in months. 

“C’mon! Josh is gonna lose it.” He said encouraging you with a smile. 

You followed Sam onto the enormous stage that blinded you with all the sunlight. You had been shielded from the light, standing in the shadow of the stage, and now you squinted as your eyes adjusted. The breeze felt good and you felt so small standing on the wide open stage without a crowd. 

Josh was front and center, concentrated on his communication with the sound engineer. He was wearing tan shorts and a button-up white shirt that was not buttoned up. His shirt flailed in the breeze like a cape, exposing his sun-tanned torso for everyone to see. A bandana hung loosely on his neck and his Ray-Bans protected his eyes from the brightness of the afternoon sun. 

“Josh!” Sam yelled. Josh turned quickly, and smiled big when he realized you had arrived. 

“Sorry one sec.” Josh said in a low voice into the mic. “Come here!” Josh waved you over and walked towards you at the same time. You met somewhere in the middle, where Josh enveloped you in the warmest, tightest hug you ever had. You kissed hello to which Sam said, ”Get a room!”

“I’ve missed you.” Josh said looking deeply into your eyes as if he saw no one else but you.  

“I’ve missed you so much!” You said bringing him in for second, tight, hug. 

“I’m almost done here. We can go get lunch if you’re hungry?” Josh offered. “Or a nap, I know you’ve been up since very early.” 

“Do I look that bad?” You said laughing. 

“You look absolutely stunning.” Josh said flashing his straight white teeth at you. You had survived on pictures and a couple FaceTime sessions, but it didn’t compare to seeing that Josh smile in person. 

You watched the rest of Josh’s sound check from the back of the stage. He kept looking at you throughout, and shared with the crew how he had written Light My Love after your first vacation together. Your cheeks hurt from smiling by the end of it, and you were relieved to know food would be in your near future once Josh finished. 

“Let’s blow this popsicle stand.” Josh said and took your hand as he walked towards the exit. Josh had to track Charlotte down for the keys to the SUV but was able to do so quite easily after borrowing a security guard’s radio. Josh’s voice was hard to miss. 

Once you were finally in the SUV, Josh turned the AC on and leaned in to properly French you. The wait made every touch so much more meaningful, you felt like you were flying. 

“What’re you hungry for?” Josh said finally pulling away once he heard your stomach grumble. 

“Honestly?” You said waiting for Josh to confirm. Josh shook his head emphatically. 

“Pizza!” 

~~~

You and Josh sat in the booth closest to the door as you ate your single slices, and waited for the medium pizza Josh ordered to take back to the boys. It was a mom and pop shop full of black and white pictures of all the different generations that inherited the small and quaint restaurant. A big red banner hung above the cash register that said “Pizza D’Oro” 

It was so wonderful to be face to face with Josh again so you could see his reaction at your ridiculous jokes and vice versa. He was mid chew on his veggie pizza and coloring the Leaning Tower of Pisa, on the disposable table mat, with crayons that were usually reserved for children. You just watched him and soaked in the joy of being able to enjoy his beauty in silence. 

“My mom loves you.” You said casually. 

“I love your mom! She cracks me up. I’m glad I didn’t scare her away.” 

“Yet...” You said and he squinted at you before playfully pinching your arm.

“My mom’s pretty fond of you too.” Josh said raising his eyebrows. 

“I love Karen.” You said taking a big bite of your slice of margherita pizza and gave Josh a stuffed-cheek-chipmunk smile. 

“She wants to know when I’m gonna propose.” Josh said. 

You choked on your pizza, and tomato sauce almost came out of your nose. 

“What?” You said coughing and drinking water to clear your throat. 

“I told her to relax.” Josh said “She’s just fucking with me.” 

“Oh.” You said giving a small laugh as you considered for the first time what it would be like to marry Josh. 

“That being said.” Josh said standing up. 

You just stared at Josh confused and wondering what gimmick he was about to pull. 

“I guess it’s a good time to ask you...” He said as he knelt down on one knee. 

You looked at Josh horrified that he might be serious. 

“No I’m kidding.” Josh said standing straight up and cracking up at his own prank. 

You laughed and Josh said, “You look a little pale!” 

“Shut up.” You said punching his arm softly. 

~~~

It was 10 minutes to showtime and backstage was bustling. Everywhere you turned you saw people in black ‘GVF Team” T-shirts rushing, or climbing, or plugging, and unplugging. Radios beeped, and distorted voices spoke out of them as security got into place. The sky still resembled daytime except for shadows were getting longer and longer. You kept to the side of the stage just watching the chaos unfold and moving out of people’s way. Josh had sent you out of his trailer because he wanted a few moments to meditate and set his intentions for the show. Slowly 75% of the band made it to the stage entrance on time. Danny arrived first, strutting calmly to the stairs that led to the stage, waiting at the bottom on the ramp. Sam followed briskly after running his hands through his hair, his face gave the impression he was getting himself in the zone. Jake arrived not too long after, holding a guitar pick with his teeth, and a full bottle of Jameson in hand. 

“3 MINUTES TO SHOW TIME!” A raspy male voice screamed to overpower all the noise and music from other stages. Josh was supposed to be there 2 minutes prior. 

“Where the fuck is Josh!” Jake sounded genuinely irritated. 

The boys were so concentrated on the show starting, they didn’t notice you watching them from the top of the stairs just out of view from the pulsing crowd that had been waiting anxiously for 45 minutes. 

You saw Charlotte running towards Jake’s trailer. You sighed knowing if anyone could get Josh to hurry up it was her. Just as you had thought, it was about 40 seconds before Josh appeared rushed and bashful for making everyone wait. 

“For fucks sake!” Jake said glaring at his twin who was doing jumping jacks, you assumed to get the blood moving. 

“IT’S SHOW TIME!” You heard the same raspy voice from before screaming through a megaphone backstage. 

“Alright boys.” Jake said initiating a preshow circle.  They all put a hand in “I couldn’t hear a robin sing.” Jake said leading the huddle. In unison they lifted their hands and said, “If not for you!” in the most accurate impression of Bob Dylan’s voice. They finally made their way up the stairs behind Danny. They had all finally noticed you and greeted you with a smile, Sam added a wink. Josh came up last and kissed you as you were starting to wish him a broken leg. 

“I love you!” he yelled over all the screams of the crowd as they welcomed the other boys. “Come back during Danny’s solo.” He shouted putting his earpiece in. You smiled and waved goodbye. Excited to see them preform all the new music from their upcoming album. 

~~~ 

The show was otherworldly. You had forgotten how exhilarating it was to see Josh perform live. From the photographer section in the pit you noticed he had a large vein that popped out of his neck during his belting, and saw a resemblance of the face he made while he sang, and the one when he fucked you. Jake was shredding as usual. Stoic and precise, he showered the crowd riff after riff, and at one point played the guitar behind his head. Danny was clearly surpassing the human plane as he pounded his drums giving a pulse to the music. Sam complimented the rhythm with his two fingers on the bass and a face that made him look like he was in pain or smelled something putrid. 

The crowd had grown significantly bigger since you saw them perform at Rusty Pete’s. The front row had people packed like sardines screaming every lyric and reaching for any of the boys to touch them. Before they performed “Light My Love” Josh made a little speech. 

“This next one is uh...really special to me particularly.” 

The crowd went feral. 

“It’s a song about love. Ain’t love grand?” Josh said finding you and smiling at you. You didn’t expect to blush so hard. Thankfully no one caught on he was looking at you. You sang every word along with everyone else.

When Danny’s solo began, you made your way back stage and waited by the stairs just as Josh had instructed. A few minutes later Josh appeared sweaty and smiling with adrenaline you had never seen in him. A team member ran up to him with cold water and a towel for his face. 

“How are you liking the show?” He asked wiping the last bit of sweat off the back of his neck and drinking from the water bottle. 

“It’s incredible.” You said staring at him with so much desire you thought you would burst into flames. 

“We have a good eight to ten minutes.” Josh said pulling you away from the stage. 

“You’ve actually lost it!” You shouted at him, but followed anyway. 

“Come here!” Josh said still pulling you towards an unknown destination. Not too far from the stage, you arrived at a small black trailer that was wide open and mostly empty except for a few pieces of equipment. You followed Josh inside. 

“Privacy.” Josh said exposing his adorable gapped teeth with a smile. He pulled you in close and began to practically eat your face. Sucking your tongue, and exploring your mouth with his. One of his hands was holding your face in place while the other caressed your bare arm down to your hips which he held for a moment before moving it to your butt. The sounds of smacking and heavy breathing were intensified by the small space Josh had sneaked you into. 

Suddenly you heard Charlotte’s voice coming from outside. “Alright you two. Danny gave the signal. Josh, get your ass back on stage.” She said playfully. Josh perked up and said, “One second please!” and continued to kiss you for a couple more minutes. 

Josh walked you to the exit, and ran back on stage as if nothing had happened. You took your place and laughed a little at the absurdity that had just taken place. The boys continued their set with “Lover, Leaver (Taker, Believer)” Josh looked right at you singing,

In the darkness way below

It’s my heart she’ll keep

He punctuated it with a wink in your direction. Your panties never stood a chance. 

~~~

A couple weeks after the festival you woke up on a Saturday morning to find a missed call from Beverly. You FaceTimed her, still rubbing your eyes as they adjusted to the sunlight. 

“Hi Bestie!!!!” Beverly shouted. 

“It’s too early for all that.” You said dryly. 

“C’mon! It’s Saturday, the weather’s perfect. I want to do something fun!” Beverly’s volume was still too loud and you winced at the commotion. 

“If I say yes will you stop screaming?” You said jokingly. 

“Hell yeah I will!” Beverly shouted. “Let’s go mini golfing!” 

“I thought you said mini golf is boring and stupid.” 

“Well I changed my mind! Get dressed, Oscar, I’m coming to get you in an hour.” 

“Who the fuck is Oscar?” You asked her confused.

“Oscar the grouch!” She said laughing. 

“Alright.” You rolled your eyes but broke out into laughter as well. 

~~~

The ride to the local mini golf course wasn’t very long. Just long enough to get caught up on Beverly’s life. She spilled all the details about her and Danny’s date at a steakhouse a couple months ago. 

“How did he look when you saw him? Like he missed me terribly?” Beverly said half joking and half serious. 

“Oh he looked devastated. He hasn’t eaten since that date, in fact he said he’s gonna quit the band to be with you 24/7.” You said with a straight face. 

“Oh shut up.” Beverly said laughing. 

When you arrived you and Beverly linked arms as you walked up towards the entrance. Sitting on a bench you saw two boys that resembled Josh and Danny. You looked at Beverly and she beamed at you. 

“Surprise!!!” She screamed causing everyone in the 5 mile radius to turn to look at you. Including the boys.

You ran up to Josh and leapt on him. He caught you and held you as you kissed him hello.

“I knew it was weird when Beverly was so set on mini golf.” You said laughing. 

“Oh yeah that was my idea!” Danny said smiling. 

“Double dates are so cute.” Josh said taking your hand as the four of you walked into the building.

~~~

You and Josh sucked at mini golf. So you both resigned to just goofing off the whole time. Danny on the other hand kept showing Beverly how to properly hit a golf ball by wrapping his enormous biceps around her and holding the club over her hands. It was an adorable sight. Danny had passed around edibles earlier that night and they began to hit when you all had made it to the ferris wheel. Danny got into position and tapped the ball so perfectly it rolled right in. The golf ball went around the ferris wheel and rolled out of a hidden opening down into the Kermit-green turf. The ball plopped right into the hole and the four of you cheered like he had just won the US Open. 

“Look at Danny! He’s a drummer and an athlete Hole-in-one!” Josh said grinning at his own pun. Everyone else groaned. 

The four of you made your way through the course laughing and teasing each other like you were all really old friends. It was all a blur by the end of it which was a sign that you had a great time. 

Once you finished the course you all chatted for a good while out in the parking lot. 

“You know what would make this conversation even better?” Josh said, “Salty dogs!” 

~~~ 

When you arrived at Silver Dollar Skye Lounge, Josh didn’t waste time ordering his favorite drink. 

“Irish mule?” Josh asked. You loved that he knew what you liked but didn’t assume and order on your behalf. 

“Yup!” You said nodding at the bar tender. 

The four of you sat around the fire pit that was positioned near the glass railing that allowed you to look over the downtown skyline as the sun began to set. The drinks finally arrived, and Danny took a giant swig of his old fashioned. Beverly sipped at her gin and tonic. Josh held his straw with his pinky out as he took a drink. You felt the tension on your neck relax as the whiskey began to hit you and felt euphoria as you took in the gratitude of being on a double date with half of Greta Van Fleet and your best friend. The four of you watched as the sun made the sky go from pink, to orange and finally indigo. You went around in a circle talking about films and music. Danny got louder as he began to feel the alcohol. His sense of humor was unmatched and had Josh in stitches. You could tell Beverly was falling for Danny just by the way she watched him tell stories. It was the same look you gave Josh when he talked. At one point Josh called you over to sit on his lap. The sky lounge was getting chilly and all he wore was a thin white long sleeve and he wanted you to keep him warm. You took a sip of Josh’s drink to see what all the fuss was about. Your face contorted in different directions as you swallowed the bitter grapefruit cocktail. Josh laughed at your face and took his drink back. 

“She doesn’t appreciate you like I do.” Josh said to his glass and finished the drink in 3 chugs. Josh stopped drinking a couple drinks in and so did Beverly since they were the drivers for the night. You and Danny clinked drinks as the last people standing. 

“To many more double dates.” You said. 

“I’ll cheers to that.” Danny said raising his glass up to yours and taking a healthy gulp. 

When the bill came Danny practically wrestled with Josh in order to pay it. 

“I want to pay. You all humored me with my mini-golf idea.” Danny pleaded. 

“Ok fine. You made me play a sport for the first time in over a decade, you deserve to pay it.” Josh laughed. 

You and Josh held hands as you followed Danny and Beverly in the elevator and out into the parking lot. They also held hands and you spotted Danny giving Beverly a quick peck on the lips. When you arrived at Beverly’s car, Josh offered to drive you home so Beverly and Danny could get some time alone. He later confessed he really wanted more alone time with you. The ride home was wonderful. Josh put his hand on your thigh while he drove and blasted The Fleet Foxes until you arrived outside of your apartment complex. You lowered the volume and asked him when he was returning to his tour. 

“I have to fly back in the early morning.” Josh said with sad eyes. “I’ll be back in two weeks for a week. We have a break before we head overseas.” 

Your heart sank but you were excited for the boys to continue growing and prospering. 

“I’m sorry baby.” Josh frowned and leaned in to kiss you. 

“It’s ok. Thank you for surprising me today.” You gave in to the kiss trying to make every second worthwhile. You ran your hand from his cheek down to his chest and onto the zipper of his pants. There was a growing bulge as you had expected. You pulled away from the kiss to watch his face as you squeezed his member. He moaned softly and leaned his head back exposing his neck and revealing his Adam’s apple. You unzipped his pants pulled out his cock that was warm and ready for you. You leaned down and licked Josh from the base of his balls to the tip of his shaft. Josh caressed your cheek and moved the hair out of your face. You opened wide and accepted him into your mouth as far as his cock could go. You began to suck and jerk him off. The windows began to fog up, and Josh’s moans began to get louder. 

“You’re doing so good baby.” Josh said in a slight whisper. 

You tugged at him harder and faster, sucking and licking as you went. Josh began to tense up and you knew he would finish in no time. 

“Fuck babe. You’re making me cum.” Josh said and moaned out, “I’m cumming.” A warm sweet liquid shot to the back of your throat and you swallowed it with pride looking up at Josh’s expression of complete bliss and satisfaction. You gave him time to enjoy his post orgasm elation until he finally opened his eyes and pulled your face in for a kiss. 

“I already miss you.” He whispered into your ear and continued his affection with his lips. 

“I’ll see you in two weeks.” You said finally rising up for air. It was never easy to say goodbye to Josh but the longer you waited the more it hurt. You gave each other a final peck and you climbed out of Josh’s Jeep. You stood outside your door to see him off. Josh rolled down his window and shouted,

“I fucking love you!!!” 

You cracked up at the thought of all your neighbors waking up to that. He rolled up the window waving as the glass went up. You watched as Josh drove away fading into the dark horizon as your heart dropped into your belly and you felt like you were about to cry. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

Desire Between The Lines

Sam Kiszka X Reader 

Summary: It’s your first semester of college, and you fall for your T.A. Fluffy and smutty. 

*I took some creative liberties with Sam’s age.

~~~

You knew your first semester of college was off to an interesting start, when you slept in that late August morning. You were practically running towards the East wing, praying you didn’t forget deodorant. Once you arrived and entered the class, your plan to sneak in inconspicuously was sidetracked by your panting, as you rushed past blank stares from other students on the way to the only available desk. 

“And you are?” A small woman with a bowl cut and round black-rimmed glasses asked from the front of the class. 

“Y/N. Sorry I’m late.” You said taking your laptop out and opening it. 

The white board said “Intro to Creative Writing”. You had taken this class mostly because you had no idea what you wanted to major in yet and thought it would be an Easy A. You loved to write, but you weren’t sure if it was something you were actually good at. The room was silent as everyone contained themselves within the tension and stress of starting a new term. The professor was petite but very intimidating. She didn’t smile, and her straight black hair sat perfectly on her cheeks, framing her thin face. The rest of the class was the typical syllabus routine that was not much different than high school. The professor laid out the structure of the class which was divided into four parts: poetry, short Stories, novels, and script writing, with a final work that could be in whichever format you chose. 

“You may assume I cover poetry first because it’s easy. You would be wrong. It’s first because it’s the most difficult. You have to have something worth saying in very little words.” You liked her already. You didn’t mind how cold she came across. 

“If you can survive poetry you can survive anything.” She said finally. Waving her hand at the class to signal it was dismissed. 

~~~ 

“White chocolate frozen latte with chocolate chips! Extra whipped cream!” The barista screamed over the crowd of students frantically waiting for their dose of caffeine to get them through the day. You made your way to the counter to pick up your drink when you heard someone talking to you.

“That’s uh, quite the drink!” 

You were surprised to find a lanky long-haired man looming over you with a bit of a goofy grin. 

“Yea...” You said trying to hide how incredibly attractive you found him. “I reserve it for when I’m having a stressful day. When I need something sweet.” 

“Makes sense. I can’t imagine being stressed after doubling down on chocolate like that!” He continued to tease. “Is it because you were late to Creative Writing?” 

“Are you in that class?” You asked, feeling the sudden embarrassment creep onto your face as you realized the whole debacle happened in front of this gorgeous man sculpted directly from the female gaze. He wore a brown sweater with a chevron pattern of white and beige. His brown hair cascading onto each shoulder. He had very defined eye brows that framed his face, and sat parallel to his tremendous cheekbones. 

“I’m the T.A. You must’ve missed when Professor Dupont introduced me.” He gave you a side smile and shook your hand. “I’m Sam.” 

“Right on.” You said trying not to think about how his first impression of you was you being late to the first class of the semester, panting, and sweating. 

“Well, enjoy your white chocolate with chocolate chip swirl drink thingamajig! I’ll see you on Wednesday.” He said picking up what looked like a black coffee from the counter.

“Oh I will!” you laughed and took a sip of your sweet concoction. 

~~~ 

You woke up Wednesday morning engulfed in anxiety over what to wear. This was unusual for you, but you decided to ignore it and the fact that it probably had to do with Sam. You arrived to class early and took a seat in the middle front row. As your classmates trickled in, you couldn’t help but get the urge to check if Sam had arrived. You felt silly and stopped looking up, until suddenly a familiar laugh coasted in from the hallway into the classroom. You felt your heart thumping as you gave into the rush of having a high school crush on this man you just met. Professor Dupont glided in, swiftly starting the first lesson on poetry. 

“Everyone take out paper and something to write with. Sam that includes you.” Dupont began to explain as she slowly paced from one side of the room to the other. “Write a poem about what you’re feeling right now. If you don’t know what you’re feeling, that’s an even better reason to write. We aren’t going to start by reading someone else’s work. To appreciate anyone else’s vulnerability and respect for the truth, we have to look in the mirror. In this class I will dare you to strip down, as raw and uncomfortable as that is. If you refuse to do that you’ll be wasting my precious time. I don’t like my time being wasted, and that will be reflected on your grade. ” 

The room fell silent. Slowly the dragging of led on paper could be heard, and intensified as people began to trust their thoughts enough to write them down. You looked around the room and spotted Sam in the upper right desk closest to Dupont’s desk. He was wearing a red turtle neck, with black slacks that ended right above his ankle, exposing his sock-less feet inside faux leather loafers. He was deep in thought, chewing on his pencil eraser for a few seconds before looking at you. It was as if he felt you staring. He gave you a small lego-hand wave and smile before getting back to his page and starting to write. You liked the way he dressed. It was interesting. It balanced simple with eccentric. The way he ran his fingers through his hair, in deep thought, made your stomach do flips. You turned your attention to the blank page right as Dupont noticed you were the only one not writing. 

“Y/N a blank page tells me you have no idea how you feel. Either that or you’re daydreaming about someone. Mind sharing which one it is?”

“I...” You let out feeling your ears getting hot. 

“Write. It. Down.” She said before turning to walk across the room. 

You looked down at the tauntingly blank paper and then closed your eyes trying to check in with your body. 

You began to write:

“Clouds are just water, 

That’s easy to be.

My mind is blue granite, 

My lungs cannot breathe.

Checked in with the sunlight,

And I fell asleep.

Was coated with mortar,

Don’t bother. Don’t weep.”

“Alright.” Sam said standing at the front of the class. “Everyone pass your paper’s forward without editing anything. I’m watching you!” Sam joked. “Make sure your names are on it.” The ruffling of papers took over the entire atmosphere until Sam held the complete stack. He straightened the stack out by tapping it on your desk. 

“I’m going to shuffle them and pass them back out. If you get your own let me know, and well,” Sam looked around the room, “You get it.” He shrugged. 

Your mind went wild, thinking about how depressing your poem was until Sam handed you someone else’s poem. The top right had the name: “Salix Stevenson” written on it. 

“Black tar trapped in a shrieking feedback loop. 

Taking my doses,

I pray the sticky dark drowns me.”

You suddenly felt better about your poem.

Sam took his place at the front of the class. 

“Now underline what you like, circle what can improve, and add question marks if it doesn’t make sense. Write a brief comment at the bottom. Sign your name. I’ll collect them in a few minutes, and pass them back to the writer.” Sam’s slender body made its way back to his desk. His hips swayed as he walked calmly. He was one of those people that never seemed to be in a hurry to do anything. Sam was very serious during class. A huge difference from the rambunctious goofy dude you talked to at the coffee shop. 

You felt like the air in your stomach was punched out when you received your poem signed at the bottom  “CB: Sam Kiszka, T.A.” Your cheeks were scorching, and you did not dare look in Sam’s direction. You simply hoped he had forgotten your name, and started to look through the red marks that matched the scarlet on your cheeks. He circled a couple things, and underlined a few others. Towards the bottom a small note: 

“Poignant. Reminds me of a Blues song. Keep working on it.”

You prayed class would end right then and there, so you could swoon in peace. 

~~~

It was Thursday night, after Intro to Chemistry. You walked across campus towards the library in the crisp dusk air. You had planned to meet up with a study group that was formed at the end of Creative Writing. Dupont had explained the homework for the next two weeks was to work on the poems you wrote in class. She heavily encouraged peer reviews before turning it in to her. 

“Hey.” You said as you walked inside the private room Salix had reserved. You took a seat between Salix and Tanner. Salix wore a black vest with patches, and a bright orange cap. Both nostrils had studs on them, and you could see their tongue piercing when they laughed. Tanner was a small guy with circle glasses. You knew he was a Virgo just by looking at him. His leg was crossed and shaking as he sipped his coffee. 

“Sam should be here soon.” Tanner said, putting the coffee down, and opening up his laptop. 

Salix gave you a nod for a hello. 

“The T.A.?” You asked. You suddenly felt sweaty everywhere. 

“Yeah, I figured we can have him help us out. I have no idea what Dupont is looking for, and I need to ace this class. My father has threatened to change my major to Architecture if I don’t. He doesn’t think becoming a novelist will actually pay the bills.” He said, sounding defeated. 

“I wasn’t expecting Sam to come...” You trailed off as you noticed Sam walking towards the door of the room and braced yourself as he opened it. The door swung open producing a sharp breeze that sifted through Sam’s long chestnut hair.

“HEY!” Sam shouted bringing life into the room. Everyone straightened up in their seats and waited for him to sit down. Everyone greeted him back, and you felt paralyzed by the fear of saying something stupid in front of him. 

“I’m not a professor guys, you can calm down.” Sam spoke through his side smile. He let out an exaggerated sigh as he finally took a seat and looked around the table. “So! Tanner asked me to join so I can give you the rundown of what Dupont is like and what she wants. Basically she acts super cold but she’s actually very lenient with her grading. She loves people who have a passion for writing like she does, and does everything in her power to help her students grow.” You all listened intently as he spoke. He shared that he initially wanted to major in Jazz studies but changed his major after taking a class with Professor Dupont. He explained that he suddenly realized writing is what gave him life. He shared that he plays in a band at local dive bars with his brothers and childhood friend.  “It’s a hobby on the weekends.” He explained. He looked very at peace as he shared he was content with the joy of writing and creating music without the expectation of money or fame. “Eventually I want to become a full time Literature Professor.” He said turning to look at you directly. “So tell me about yourselves. What brought you here?” 

Stunned by his eye contact you stumbled on your words.

“Uhhh...Oh. I just needed to take something to maintain my full time student status.” You said flatly. You immediately regretted how you answered. It wasn’t true but you were too shy to admit you had no idea what direction you wanted to go in life. 

“I mean I love to write. I’m not that good though.” You tried to recover but still cringed at how cynical you sounded. 

“What are you talking about?” Sam looked at you incredulously. “I liked your poem. I think there’s a lot of potential there. I’ve been meaning to ask, are you ok?” He teased. 

“Yes I’m ok.” You said laughing. 

The rest of the study session, Sam went around reading everyone’s poem and giving you all suggestions. Sam was so difficult to listen to because he looked like a renaissance painting of an angel, and it was very distracting. As he explained stanzas, thematic ideas and motifs, he adjusted his hair out of his face and licked his lips as he paused to think. He couldn’t help being goofy as he continued his lecture. His laugh made him throw his head back, and he had an adorable habit of touching the tip of his nose or rubbing his cheek and chin while he spoke. You wanted nothing more than to pounce on his delicate frame, and grab a fist-full of his hair as you fucked him. 

“Do you want a ride?” Sam said. You imagined yourself with your legs mounted on his naked body as his hands cupped your breasts, and you rode him on the verge of climax. 

“Y/N?” Sam said. 

“Huh?” You said snapping out of your fantasy. You hadn’t realized Sam had finished reviewing everyone’s poem. 

“Salix said you walked today. Do you want a ride home?” Sam offered again. 

“Sure thanks!” You said, taking the opportunity to talk to him alone. 

~~~

The car ride started off quiet, but not the kind of quiet that feels awkward. He was looking through his phone and started playing “California” By Joni Mitchell. Sam was good at the casual chit chat, asking how you liked college so far and reminiscing on his time as an undergrad. There was something about the way he looked at you that made you think he was coming on to you, even though the words out of his mouth were very casual and not flirtatious at all. You brushed off the thought, and kept cool. Fearing you were imagining it. 

“When do you graduate from your Masters program?” You asked, trying to keep the conversation going, and also to find out more about him. 

“This is it. I applied for graduation and now I just need to pass all my Fall semester finals.” He said with a hint of concern, but a lot of excitement. 

“How old are you?” You asked hoping it wasn’t a weird question. 

“I’m 26. You?” He responded. 

“I turned 21 over the summer.” You said feeling like a child as you said it. 

“You’re so young.” He said neutrally. You couldn’t tell if it was a good thing or a bad thing. “Your poetry’s pretty good for your age.” He said with a laugh. You appreciated the compliment but felt sad at the age difference. He obviously would see you as a kid from now on. It made your heart sink with disappointment.

“People say I’m mature for my age.” You were trying to recover. 

“Well I can’t wait to read more of your work and find out.” He said as he pulled up outside of your apartment complex. 

~~~

For months you contained your crush in your mind and your journal at home. You took any excuse to talk to Sam, and visit his office hours. You built a relationship that sat between professional and platonic friendship. You were very good at keeping things school-related, and somehow still intimate. He shared his poetry and lyrics, opening up about his dreams of writing a novel one day that he could dedicate to his partner and children in the future. After months of this dynamic you felt comfortable asking him a question you were dying to ask for a long time. You had been in his office for an hour talking about literature and art when you took a deep breath, and finally let out the question you had avoided asking for fear of making Sam uncomfortable. 

“Do you have a partner?” You weren’t sure if the room really fell silent or if your anxiety left you deaf. 

“Nah, I don’t have time for all that. You?” Sam said, looking at you before going back to arranging paperwork into different colored folders. He didn’t look offended by the question so you felt safe again. 

“Nah me either.” You said, “I don’t know if I stopped looking, or if no one’s attracted to me.” 

“Oh I doubt it’s the latter.” He said looking down at what he was doing. You noticed he was blushing and it made you want to shout at him and demand that he kiss you. You were both quiet for a moment while your heart thumped loudly under your sweater. 

“Welp! I think I’m gonna go get something to eat.” Sam said standing from his seat. He looked jumpy and a little pale. 

You walked out of the office together and faced each other. You looked into his eyes searching for any hint of his interest in you. Sam looked back so deliberately. He was definitely saying something behind those eyes. You noticed you were standing a lot closer than usual, and Sam put his hand on his chin, rubbing it pensively. It looked like he was mustering the courage to say something, and finally he said, “See you later.” He gave you a smile and took a left.  You took a right, walking to the library in a daze, trying to decode how Sam felt about you. You couldn’t help but want to follow that feeling. A feeling you hadn’t felt in a long time, and forgot even existed. He held your attention, and he understood you when you spoke. He was kind and goofy. He never judged your writing no matter how bad you thought it was. You put your earphones on and played a love song, all the while remembering the look on Sam’s face before he said goodbye. 

~~~

It was the eve of the creative writing holiday party that was planned by Tanner since before Thanksgiving. You were done with finals and were struggling to find an excuse to go to Sam’s office hours. You started your usual walk to his office anyway. You needed to know if he was going to the party. His door was slightly ajar with a sad looking wreath hanging from his door. It was green with nothing else on it. You held your fist up to the door ready to knock, pausing, while you tried to think of what to say. 

You heard Sam say in a British accent, “Who goes there?” in response to your knocking. 

“It’s just me.” You said walking in like you had so many times before. Sam sat at his desk looking up at you quickly without interrupting his aggressive typing. 

“Hey you!” Sam said as he continued working. It wasn’t unusual for you to just hangout while he worked. However you were on a mission this time. You plopped onto the green velvet couch and stared at Sam for a few moments before blurting out. “The holiday party is tomorrow.” Your brain couldn’t think of an ice breaker so you decided to just let it out.

“Yup!” Sam continued to type up a storm. 

“Are you going?” This question made Sam’s eyes dart over to you; the typing had stopped. 

“Yeah, most likely.” He said “Are you?” 

“Yeah I’ll be there.” You responded before changing the subject. You were always careful to bring things back to school work which inevitably went into tangents about different subjects. Most times it ended in heated debates about something philosophical or something frivolous. Whenever you ran out of things to talk about with Sam, you’d bring up a mainstream pop artist you liked just to piss him off. There was something about his pretentious stance on music that made you want him even more. 

~~~ 

When you arrived at Cantina that Saturday, you couldn’t feel your finger tips. It must have been the December chill that finally arrived in California. You considered maybe your heart gave up on pumping 100 miles an hour, from the anticipation of seeing Sam outside of class, and you were actually dead. You hadn’t had an excuse to hangout with him outside of school, let alone a bar, until now. You felt all the flirtations, and tension that built up throughout the semester was on the verge of exploding. Your nerves were begging for alcohol so that was the first thing you planned to do when you walked in. Cantina was an old dive bar known for it’s karaoke nights every Saturday. The bar was modeled after a Western Saloon which juxtaposed the shamrock green pool table, and neon beer signs. There was a makeshift stage in the corner near the dart board where an older man dressed like a construction worker drunkenly sang “I Walk The Line '' By Johnny Cash. The entire space was full of Christmas decorations that glittered as the Karaoke DJ lights flashed onto different directions. It was a warm respite from the cold outside. You spotted your group and waved at them before pointing at the bar to let them know you were getting a drink first. 

“I don’t think they have Chocolate-chip-ahoy drinks with extra whip here.” 

You turned to face Sam’s smug smile to your right. 

“I’m going for a tequila shot actually. Take a shot with me.” You felt daring in a new and more casual setting. He looked amazing. The red and white Christmas sweater sat perfectly on his thin body. His hair looked blow dried, and laid neatly around his shoulders and over his white scarf. 

“Sure why not. In the spirit of Christmas!”  He shouted. You were used to his loud antics by now. 

“Sam!” You could hear multiple people shouting from your cohort. Sam was beloved by everyone. His goofiness and readiness to assist with anything was appreciated by everyone. Especially the girls. 

“Hey!” Sam shouted across the small dive bar as he waved. 

When the two double shots appeared you and Sam clinked and downed the bitter liquid which sent heat throughout your body shortly after. You both sucked on a lime and shared a laugh before making your way to the party table. You both took the last two chairs which, luckily, happened to be next to each other. The first half of the gathering consisted of talking about finals, and next semester as more and more rounds of beer and liquor made their way around the table. As people loosened up, the topics began to include ranting about certain professors, and some started to share stories about their family and friends. Sam was very animated as a speaker but also as a listener. Whenever someone said something shocking, it was expressed on his face with a “No way!” that followed. Sam shared a wild story about his oldest brother setting fire to a Christmas tree in his childhood backyard in Michigan. 

“We had to call the fire department because the flames were getting huge! Our mom nearly killed us after she saw my friend Danny running out of the house with a fire extinguisher. Thankfully no one got hurt.” Sam put his hand on your thigh but quickly removed it. You knew he was drunk from his slurred speech and the boisterous laughter that was somehow louder than usual.  “From the fire anyway because we all got a well deserved smack from Karen when the fire department cleared our property.” Sam chugged his beer holding it with both hands as if he was looking for something to distract the wandering one. 

Sam was the first from the group to get up and sing. You expected him to perform an old country song or something by Bob Dylan. He stood behind the mic stand, his body faintly swaying from all the alcohol. 

“I’m not a singer, I’m a bass player so be gentle folks.” He said in a deep voice into the mic. The backing choir vocals from “I Say a Little Prayer” by Aretha Franklin sparked out of the speakers and the entire bar cheered for Sam as he closed his eyes and started to sing. His singing voice wasn’t bad but you could tell it wasn’t something he practiced. His dancing on the other hand can only be described as classic-white-Michigander. He definitely had two left feet but none of that took away from the burning desire that hid under your clothes and was exasperated by all the drinking. Everyone, except for you, took a turn belting songs. Tanner performed “Lucky” By Britney Spears. Salix mumbled the words to “Sedated” by Ramones. Eventually everyone started to chant your name begging for you to sing something. Sam seemed to have the most enthusiasm since he banged the table as he chanted. You finally gave in and walked up to the DJ to make your request. Following Sam’s unexpected choice of song, you requested “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” by John Denver. Everyone cheered as you sang right on beat to the surprisingly fast song. Sam was standing up clapping along, and you drunkenly mimicked line dancing you’d probably seen in a movie or TV show. When the song finished you took a bow and looked up to find Sam engulfing you with his gaze amidst the applause. If looks could fuck, you were now pregnant. 

The night was winding down, and people began to trickle out. Your voice was hoarse from all the singing and laughing, and you had to concentrate on walking as you and Sam made your way outside. Sam offered his arm, and you linked onto him without a second thought. You were now the last to be picked up by your Uber which gave you the opportunity you had hoped for. Sam pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and asked if it was ok if he smoked. You nodded, and thought about what you wanted to say. You watched as Sam lit his cigarette, cupping his hand around the flame to shield it from the wind. 

“Did you have a good time?” Sam asked after blowing thick white smoke out of his lips. 

“I always have a good time with you.” You heard yourself say. 

Sam looked at you stunned before smiling and saying “I always have a good time with you too.” 

You could no longer stand the starving appetite caused by Sam’s conspicuous and incessant flirting. The lack of inhibitions allowed you to go in with a full blown passionate kiss. You realized you were more drunk than you thought when you had to hold onto him so you wouldn’t topple over. Sam held you trying to keep you from falling as well. His right arm was wrapped around you, the other was lifting the cigarette away so it wouldn’t burn you. He kissed back. Your lips pressing onto his before sneaking your tongue into him. His tongue reciprocated the gesture as you ran your fingers along his scalp softly pulling at his luscious hair. The kiss was lengthy and smelled like tequila and IPA. You noticed his hand had made its way onto your right butt cheek and he was squeezing it as the kiss became more and more intense. The sudden sound of a car pulling up next to you interrupted the embrace and Sam said, “I think that’s your Uber.” and pulled away from you as if he had been caught doing something naughty. 

“Come home with me.” You said looking into his eyes after you opened the car door. You wanted to be direct. You didn’t want anything to get lost in translation. You were sick and tired of the insinuations and veiled mutual attraction. You pulled at his right arm as you stumbled backwards falling into the back seat.

“I think you had a lot to drink.” Sam said laughing and helping you up. You knew he was trying to play coy. He helped you get seated and pulled at the seat belt to strap you in. His face was so close to yours but he evaded your eye contact. 

“No, I'm not too drunk Sam. Let’s stop with the games.” You slurred out with your eyes closing from the inebriation. 

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.” Sam said, still laughing. “I canceled my Uber, I’ll Uber from your place. I want to make sure you get home safe.”

“Sure Sam we’ll go with that.” You said, “Hey why are you all sober all the sudden?” You asked, pointing at his face. 

“I’m not that sober.” He explained, “My brothers and I drink like fish. I’m just used to it.” You leaned onto his chest and laid your head on it. He didn’t fight you but you could tell he was nervous. 

“Is this ok?” You asked suddenly realizing how intrusive you were being.

“Yeah.” Sam said, smiling down at you. He let his hand lay on your thigh as you fell asleep for the rest of the car ride. You were lulled to sleep by the steady thumping heart you so badly wanted to belong to you. 

~~~

Sam walked you up to your apartment, and took care of the key-in-the-doorknob part because you couldn’t see straight. He helped you sit on your couch and took your shoes off. 

“Where do you want me Sam?” You asked, trying to be sensual. 

“Shh isn’t your roommate asleep?” Sam whispered somehow still loudly. 

“She’s out of town for the holidays. C’mere.” You tugged at his sleeve. “We have it all to ourselves.” Sam sat next to you and held your hand which would otherwise be creeping up his pant leg. 

“Y/N we can’t do this.” He said. looking deeply into your eyes. 

“Sure we can. Why not.” You slumped defeated for a second and then pulled yourself on top of him. “Why not Sammy?.” You said kissing his neck.

“Oh my god.” Sam whispered. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He grabbed your face and held it between both hands. Your lips were so out of reach from his face. Your cheeks were smushed inwards making you look like a goldfish. 

“Maybe if you weren’t so young, or one of my students, or maybe if you weren’t drunk. You’re all three right now.” He looked at you pleading with his eyes that you would understand. You sighed and sat back down on the couch once Sam released you. You stayed silent as you tried to fight the urge to feel embarrassed for throwing yourself at him. 

“I feel so dumb.” You let out, and leaned back on the couch covering your face with your hands. 

“No no, I want this too.” Sam leaned in taking your hands into his. “It’s just not the right time.” He gave you a soft kiss on the lips and stood up. 

“I’m going to head out.” Sam announced. 

“Ok...” you said, closing your eyes and laying down on the couch in a spinning room. “Please lock the door behind you.” 

“Goodnight.” Sam said, taking one final look at you. 

The last thing you heard was the door locking shut and Sam’s footsteps as he walked away from your apartment. 

~~~

You hadn’t seen or heard from Sam until the beginning of Spring. You were at the farmers market, that was held in the college campus parking lot, on a bright Sunday morning with your childhood friend Ozzy. You met as toddlers and were betrothed to each other by your moms who happened to be best friends. Unfortunately for them, you saw him as a brother, and Ozzy was into men. You chose an off the shoulder dress the color yellow to match the sun. Ozzy was in his usual emo black attire with a chain that hung down his right leg. You linked arms and walked through the crowd catching up on all the time you had been busy with school. Sam of course was a topic of conversation that Ozzy was very interested in. You had told him bits and pieces but you had promised to give him the full story today. As luck would have it, you were in a heated debate over which Beatle was the best Beatle, when you spotted Sam standing in line for spring rolls. He was wearing a pale blue paisley button up and tan shorts with his sunglasses holding his hair back on top of his head. He carried a cream colored tote with succulents printed on it.  You didn’t have time to consider avoiding him because as soon as the thought popped into your head Sam turned and looked right at you. As if he felt your presence. 

“Hey!” Sam said in his usual greeting yell. 

“That’s Sam.” You managed to say under your breath as you both walked over to him. 

“Hey, how are you?” You asked. 

Sam’s glaring was obviously directed at Ozzy as it disappeared when he looked at you and responded, “Pretty good.” 

“This is my friend Ozzy.” You said putting your hand on Ozzy’s shoulder. 

They shook hands but you could tell there was a coldness in Sam you hadn’t seen before. You wondered if he thought you and Ozzy were a couple. 

“What kind of spring rolls did you get?” You said trying to stay present so as to keep from remembering the last time Sam had seen you. Drunk, and horny on your couch. 

“I ordered strawberry. My favorite.” 

You and Ozzy picked up snacks as well and met up with Sam at one of the tables on campus. You laid out hummus and pita chips, while Ozzy opened a jar of candy coated cashews. The conversation flowed easily, and you enjoyed watching Sam devour the beautifully hand-crafted spring rolls with bright red strawberry slices peaking out from under the rice paper. You and Sam caught up and you were mortified when you saw a text from Ozzy that said:

“I’m gonna leave you two alone.” 

Ozzy recognized the panic in your eyes, and before you could chicken out he announced to the table that he had to get going. “I have to get back to water my plants.” You gave Ozzy a look that said “Bullshit.”

Alone at last, you and Sam could drop the act. 

“How’ve you been?” Sam asked, leaning in closer than before. “Is that your partner?” 

“God no. He’s like my brother.” You laughed. “I’ve been good honestly. I’m sorry I came onto you so hard after the Christmas party.” You said getting it out of the way. 

“Don’t be sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t reach out afterward. A lot of stuff with my family came up, and with work as well...” He trailed off. He looked sincere, but there was a sadness you couldn’t quite place. “To be honest, I also needed time to figure out what I was feeling towards you.” He was looking down at his hands now. 

“So...what did you land on?” You asked.

“About what?” He sounded shocked.

“About us.” 

“I want to show you something before we do all that.” He said standing up. 

You were confused but decided you’d go along with whatever he wanted. At this point this man had a chokehold on you like no other. After you put your snacks into your bag you followed Sam to the music wing. He led you through a building and multiple doors you had never been through and you finally made it to a cold and lonely recording studio. The lighting in the room was warm however, and highlighted the shiny black piano in the middle of the room. 

“I spent a lot of time here when I was majoring in Jazz.” He said walking to the piano, sitting down, and tapping different keys, making sure it was in tune. 

“Oh you’re going to play me something?” You said giving him a half smile like he always used to give you. 

He started slowly gliding his fingers back and forth, on the black and white keys, with his eyes closed. Sam furrowed his brow as he concentrated on hitting every note on time. The piece was beautiful. It hung somewhere between grief and hope. As the emotion built up, so did Sam’s movements. Long strands of his hair shook downward as he slammed notes, giving a performance so good you got goosebumps. The song softened as it started to come down from the climax into a dulcet melody that trailed off into the atmosphere and disappeared into the silence of the room. You gave it a beat before you gave it a well deserved applause.  

“That was beautiful, Sam.” Your voice sounded louder than expected in that sound-proofed room. Sam didn’t move from his seat on the piano bench. You walked up and sat next to him.

“What is it?” You asked, searching for his gaze. 

“I wrote it for you.” He said without looking up.

“I love it.” You said lifting his chin up so you could look him in the eye. 

“I’m moving to Spain to teach English by the end of the Month.” He paused and took a breath. You finally understood the look in his eyes. “I wrote it when I realized I wouldn’t see you again.” 

You felt as if your entire world crumbled around you. It felt like the air in your stomach had been knocked out. You felt disappointed, sad, but you also understood. You always knew Sam’s life would eventually be on a different path. You just hadn’t expected it to come to a crossroads so soon. There was so much you wanted to tell him, and so much you wish you would have done. You cursed at yourself silently for not kissing him sooner, and telling him how you truly felt about him. You felt that expressing that now would only exacerbate the already painful experience of having to say goodbye. Likely forever. So instead of saying it you decided to show him. You stood over him and said, “It’s ok.” As you pushed the hair out of his face and hugged his head tightly into your chest. Sam looked up at you and like magnets, your lips found each other once again. The kiss was passionate, and Sam’s hands were holding your hips from below. “I’ll be damned if I don’t take my chance.” You thought, and proceeded to straddle Sam on that thick wooden piano bench. You both accepted what was about to happen with your eyes, but Sam wanted to make sure.

“Is this ok?” He said pulling back only long enough for the question. 

“I want to make love to you.” You said. You wanted to appease his request for consent, but you made sure he knew just how bad you wanted it.

Sam unzipped his pants and you reached inside to find his rock solid penis desperate to come out. Sam’s hands pushed your dress up revealing the powder pink thong you wore underneath. You helped him by holding your dress up as he ran two fingers along your panty line. You pulled the top of your dress down to expose your breasts to Sam’s feasting eyes. He quickly began to suck on your nipples. It excited you so much you let out a small moan which you regretted after remembering you were still on campus. Sam’s fingers moved your underwear to the side, leaving you open for penetration. You pulled on his cock teasing him before you slid him inside your hot and wet pussy. The feeling was like tasting color, or seeing music. Your grinding was slow and steady while you got used to the feeling of having him in so deep. Sam’s hands were now on your hips, and yours were on his head pulling at the soft brown hair that teased you all Fall semester long. The grinding became bouncing as you both got closer and closer to orgasm. All that could be heard was whispers that said things like. “Does that feel good?” and “Fuck me harder.” The breathing got faster and the energy between you was electric. Finally it was time. You stared into each other’s souls as the pleasure induced an orgasm so magnificent, you almost shed a tear. You both shivered in the sudden culmination of sexual tension that had built up for months. As your bodies found stillness coming down from another plane, you held each other. There was heartbreak in the final moments of you being one flesh, but there was also a profound amount of gratitude. You felt so fortunate to have been able to experience something so intimate with someone like Sam who you admired, and felt so incredibly seen by. It was the only closure that could have possibly made sense at this point. That was your goodbye. 

~~~

Sam walked you to your car carrying his tote as well as yours. You sat in the driver’s seat and buckled in after opening the window for Sam. He handed you your bag and leaned down on the bottom of the window frame. 

“So that’s it.” You said looking up at Sam. You reached deep down inside yourself looking for the courage to smile, and found it. He smiled back. 

“Take care.” He said softly.  

“You too.” 

You backed your car out and drove towards the parking exit. In your rearview mirror Sam remained watching you go. His sunglasses were on, and he nervously ran his fingers through his hair. You watched his reflection until you had to turn, and were able to face towards him again. You sent a hand-wave, unsure if he could see it. He waved back. You turned onto the road and drove away from Sam the T.A., focusing on the wide open road ahead as you wiped a single tear from your cheek. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy In The Band

CHAPTER 6 - A Thanksgiving Special dedicated to everyone who has liked or shared my very first fan fic series! I hope you’re all having a great one with good food and family / loved ones. xoxo

Summary: Smut and fluff <3 Josh surprises you after arriving from a gig in the early morning. He joins your family’s Thanksgiving dinner and your relationship deepens. 

~~~

It had been a couple weeks since the bonfire at Danny’s. You and Josh had managed to see each other and stay in touch as he began to get busier with media promos, and performances for the new Greta Van Fleet album. My Way Soon and  Age of Machine were making waves in the music world, and things were looking bright for the boys. 

On that Tuesday morning you were shocked at the sound of the buzzer letting you know someone was at the door. You looked over at the laser red numbers on your night stand that read,” 2:45 AM”. You had taken the day off to spend it with Josh but you weren’t expecting him until eight or nine. You were wearing one of Josh’s T-shirts that he left in your apartment with thick fuzzy socks. You walked over to the door, half asleep, half creeped out. You looked through the peep hole and recognized the slim figure with a curly head of hair standing in the cold. He was rubbing his hands for warmth and smiled big when you turned the porch light on. You opened the door quickly to let him inside the warmth of your apartment. 

“Hi” He said rushing into your living room. He sighed in relief as the stuffy warmth started to hit him. 

“Hi” You said back, "This is a nice surprise.” you said hugging him. His clothes felt cold on your skin. 

He pecked your lips and said, “We just arrived and the plan was to catch up on sleep before our adventure but I suppose...I just couldn’t wait. So I got in my car and here I am.” 

You put your arms around his neck and you locked lips. 

“How was the gig?” 

“Quite good.” He said. You liked to talk between kisses so as to not waste any time. “But I’m happy I’m here now.” He said holding you tight for the remainder of the kiss. 

You led him into your room knowing you wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon. Being away from each other made you both painfully aroused the moment you were back together. You were in sync the minute you hit the bed. Taking each others clothes off, both giggling with excitement. Josh hovered over you,

 spellbound by your naked body, and you with his. You wrapped your legs around his waist as you tried to be patient, giving in to how good it felt to have Josh sucking on your breasts. Finally, you saw Josh look down at his penis before holding it steady and sliding inside of you. He bit his bottom lip as he took his time getting into position. He then made love to you, gently kissing your neck and whispering, “You’re so beautiful” as he continued to thrust into you. The sky outside was still waiting on the sun which made the room dark. You depended solely on the dim lamp on your nightstand, to watch Josh’s face as he closed his eyes and licked his lips at the pleasure he was experiencing. He leaned back and pushed your legs up making you tighter around his shaft. He held both of your legs with his strong right arm and held himself up on the bed with his left arm. He kept the rhythm steady and every now and then let out a mix between a moan and a sigh. 

“Y/N, I’m close. Oh fuck I’m close.” He said looking you right in the eyes 

He repositioned your legs around his waist and began to fuck you harder and deeper than before. He then leaned directly on top of you and began to kiss you passionately. By now you knew exactly what it sounded like when he was about to cum. You saw the opportunity to heighten his orgasm and you took it. 

You choked him slightly, holding the base of his face up as you said, “Josh, I want you to cum inside me.” Making direct eye contact, and biting your bottom lip. 

“Fuck I’m cumming.” Josh whispered, and you reveled in the relief in his expression as his semen shot out into you. Josh panted over you as he regained control of himself, his body softly jerking as his orgasm came to a close. Josh gave himself a minute before lifting himself up and prepared to eat you out. He used the moisture that had built up along with the cum dripping out of you to lube your entire pussy. Giving special attention to your clit, before diving in with his tongue. Josh was a generous lover. He knew what pleased you, and it was clear that he enjoyed giving it to you. He understood your moans, and was ready to modify his speed until he made you whimper in euphoria. Today was no different, and he didn’t stop until your whole body was shaking.

~~~

The day was cool, and a little gloomy. You both decided it was the perfect day for a hike to the river nearby. Josh wore a navy blue windbreaker with tan joggers and brown hiking boots. You also wore hiking boots, in work out leggings, a seafoam green pull-over-hoodie, and a white knit beanie. 

The fresh air cleansed your lungs as you walked towards the entrance of the trail. You entered into the mosaic painting of trees as Josh pulled out a plastic tube from inside his pocket. He popped the cap off and let out an earthy, skunky smell. It was a joint. Josh put it to his lips as he lit the other end. Once the joint was lit properly he inhaled two puffs of thick white smoke, before handing it to you. 

“This is my favorite place to hike. It’s not too crowded and I like to sit by the river and listen to music for a while before walking back.” Josh said as the smoke escaped between his words. 

“Lets do the damn thing then.” you said playfully pushing him and inhaling smoke at the same time. You both continued to walk in peaceful silence, enjoying the wildlife sounds that surrounded you. When you finished the joint, Josh pulled out his air pod case from his other pocket. 

He offered you an earbud. 

“Yessss.” You said taking the right one, and putting it in your ear. 

You loved when people shared their music with you. It made you feel like you knew them on a deeper level. Josh’s playlist had the essentials like Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan, and John Denver. It also had some unexpected artists like Adele, and Aretha Franklin mixed in with modern indie-folk / indie-rock bands. 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6YC07uiN73ggiiG1zX5fx3?si=kS9pahoZQ9WthDdnjWqFHw

The hike was more of a stroll as you both found joy in simply existing in nature. All the greenery against the pale blue sky was breathtaking, and the pot gave everything a euphoric glow. You wandered for a while, entranced by the music, holding hands and exchanging looks. At one point Josh grabbed you by the waist and you both swayed slowly, dancing in the open wilderness. He gave you a spin, and you both laughed at how cheesy it was.

You arrived at the river and you both sat on a large rock and continued to enjoy Josh’s music. Josh reached over and interlaced his fingers between yours. Your heart melted every time he did that. You could tell he loved feeling you close, and you were happy to satisfy him. After a while Josh let go of your hand briefly so he could scroll through his music. It seemed like he was looking for a specific song. 

“Ah, here it is.” He said finally, and "Can I Believe You” by The Fleet Foxes started to play. It was a dreamy, soft song. You were wondering if he was trying to tell you something when you felt his hand lifting your chin to line up your lips with his. He entranced you with a kiss. His breath was minty with a hint of pot. Josh moved slow. He touched you like you were a delicate flower made of paper mache. This kiss wasn’t like all the others. It was sexy, sure, but you felt like Josh was communicating something deeper to you with his lips, and finger tips. 

~~~ 

It was Thanksgiving afternoon, and you were on your way to pick Josh up. Your mom had invited him over for Thanksgiving dinner and he accepted without a second thought. You pulled up to the Kiszka household and blocked their driveway as you waited for Josh to come out. The garage door started to open slowly revealing dirty old vans. It was Jake. His hair was tied back and he wore a straw hat with holes in it, ironically, to protect him from the sun. Without the long locks, you could have mistaken him for Josh, except you could recognize Jake’s  corroded vans anywhere. He was dressed warm, and was dragging an old lawn mower out with his back facing you. 

“Hey!” You yelled out of the open window. 

Jake jumped in surprise. 

“Hey, how are you.” Jake said in his iconic raspy voice as he laughed at himself. He abandoned the lawn mower and walked over to the passenger car window, leaning in with his arms crossed. 

“I’m here to kidnap your feral counterpart.” You joked. 

“Thank God!” Jake said “I’ve been calling pest control for years.” 

Jake asked how you were doing and you gave him a brief run down of your completely ordinary life in comparison to his. 

“You’re about to cut the grass I see?” You said. 

“Oh. Yeah. We all still live here because it doesn’t make sense to move out when we’re never home. That means Karen gives us chores so we don’t spend all day smoking pot when we are.” Jake laughed.

“I understand. I’m taking Josh home. Like home-home to my mom’s and I can already see her giving us a list of things to do.” You said. 

“Fucking Josh is late to everything. Want me to go get him?” 

You looked at the clock on your dashboard realizing you were in fact running late. 

“Would you?” You asked. 

Jake disappeared into the garage and returned with Josh who was fixing his hair with his left hand, and carried a grey duffle bag with the other as he walked towards you. 

“Ok ok I’m ready!” Josh said, “Everyone please calm down!” Josh shouted jokingly. 

“Bye Joshy! Try not to scare Y/N’s mom.” Jake said turning to look at you and waved goodbye. You waved back, and he turned around to continue dragging the lawn mower to the grass. 

~~~ 

The drive was 3 hours but you and Josh were making the most of the alone time. You drove with one hand and held Josh’s hand with the other. Josh had prepared for the drive by bookmarking interesting podcasts, and listed them out for you to choose. You went with an episode of TED Radio Hour called, “Shifting Time.” Josh pressed play and pulled out a large hydro flask that filled your car with the aroma of vanilla flavored coffee when he opened it. 

“I think this is cool enough to drink.” He offered. You took a nice big drink trying not to spill it on your white blouse. 

“That’s good coffee.” You said licking the remaining sweetness on your lips. 

The rest of the drive consisted of making funny commentary on the podcast, and pausing it to discuss the interesting points you were learning along the way. You loved how much you both had in common. There was serenity between you that made you feel secure in your relationship. Josh had an excellent way of clowning around while also being very attentive to your needs. As soon as you took the exit to your moms house and hit the first red light, Josh leaned in to give you a kiss. 

~~~

“Come in, come in!” You could hear your mom yelling from inside the kitchen. You still had your house key and used it so as to not disturb your moms frantic straightening of the house. Your mom walked up to you as Josh stood behind you timidly. She dried her hands on her apron as she wailed and hugged you like she hadn’t seen you in centuries. 

“Hey mom.” You said enjoying her affection, but a little embarrassed in front of Josh. 

“I’m sorry the house is a mess, but trust me the food is worth it. Come in!” 

You and Josh looked around at the pristine living room, that was decorated to the nines with a fall aesthetic that you knew she bought exclusively at Hobby Lobby. 

“Hey!” Josh said moving towards your mom to greet her. 

“Josh it’s so nice to meet you! I kept hearing about you and I nearly had to put a gun to this one’s head to bring you around!” She said pointing at you before bringing him in for hug. 

“Mom he’s a rock star, he’s always out of town.” You explained trying to tease him a little.

“Oh. Stop it.” Josh laughed bashfully. “I am out of town a lot unfortunately, but I’m so glad I could make it today. My mother wasn’t too happy I’d be gone for Thanksgiving dinner, but I don’t know when I would get another opportunity to come up to meet you. Thank you so much for having me. You have a lovely home.” 

After all the pleasantries, your mom went back into frantic mode. She listed all the dishes she was still finishing up. 

“Here.” She said handing you and Josh an apron. They both had ruffles with a floral pattern, but Josh put his on immediately and without question. 

“Okay you guys will be in charge of the pumpkin muffins.” She said pulling out a big mixing bowl, a whisk, and all the ingredients you needed. 

“I knew you were going to use us for free labor.” You said. 

“Why else would I invite you over on Thanksgiving?” Your mom said laughing. 

You had a wonderful time cracking eggs, and pouring flour while you watched Josh interact with your mom. Josh was getting more comfortable with her, as you noticed his goofy side slowly making an appearance. Your mom’s cackling was evidence that she got his humor, and enjoyed it. 

~~~ 

Everyone was finally seated around the wooden table ready to feast. Your mom had invited her two brothers and their respective families. Uncle Jorge with his husband, Uncle Benja, and their 2 year old daughter, Dylan, who wore a rainbow tutu over her denim overall dress. Uncle Terry with his wife Joselyn and their high school son and daughter who happened to be twins. Their outfits were kind of matching, and it wasn’t clear if they had done it on purpose or if it was one of those unintentional-twin-moments. Tess was the girl, and Oliver was the boy. They only looked up from their phones briefly to greet everyone. Josh was warm with all of them, complimenting Dylan’s tutu and asking if he could borrow it one day. Dylan was shy and hid behind you. 

“It’s ok D!” You said picking her up and resting her on your lap as Josh played peek-a-boo with her. She finally gave in and giggled louder and louder as Josh’s faces became more and more silly. Time seemed to slow down as you allowed your heart to melt into your stomach. It was a feeling you had never felt before. It was something that transcended mere fondness and affection. 

“Okay everyone I want to start by welcoming Josh into our family. Josh, you took time out of your busy schedule, and disappointed your mom to be here today.” Josh let out a small laugh “We are just so grateful we finally get to meet my daughter’s boyfriend.” Your mom said as she stood at the head of the table. Josh’s ears were sticking out of his frizz, and you could tell they were red in embarrassment. However he spoke calmly, without a hint of nervousness, putting his hand on his chest to show how touched he was. 

“Thank you all for having me.” 

“Alright lets eat!” Your mom announced as the whole family started to exchange the assortment of dishes. Your mom carved the Turkey, and began to distribute the slices to everyone around the table. The chatter was indiscernible as everyone began to talk to each other. The room slowly started to quiet down as everyone enjoyed their food. 

“So Josh, what do you do? What takes up your time? How did you guys meet?” Uncle Jorge bombarded Josh who sat directly in front of him. Embarrassed by the sudden request to divulge so much information, Josh cleared his throat and took a sip of apple cider as he thought of what he wanted to say. 

“Well. I’m in a band with my brothers and a childhood friend. That takes up most of my time. I try to find time to disconnect from that world but I always seem to be working in one way or another. It’s living in the ordinary human condition that I get most of my inspiration for lyrics, and sort of, the art that we want to put out.” 

“Are you like famous?” Oliver asked, putting his phone down. 

Josh was uncomfortable with the question. “I uh...well we have a solid following, and we’ve played at Coachella. I’m just grateful I found something to do so I could skip out on college.” Josh laughed.

You reached over and squeezed his thigh. He smiled at you and then said, “I’ll let Y/N tell you how we met.” He smirked as he saw the embarrassment transfer over to you. 

“We bumped into each other at Life in Vinyl, which is the closest record store to us.” You shrugged hoping that would do it. 

“No no no. You’re saying it all wrong.” Josh said waving at the air. 

“Ok.” Josh said leaning onto the table ready to tell the story as vividly as possible. “So it was late August, and I walked into the coffee shop near the studio and standing there is an ethereal, sort of, angelic being looking at the pastries and I said to myself ‘who is that?’ I wish I could say I had the courage to talk to her but I didn’t. It haunted me for days. I really thought I’d never see her again. However, the stars had other plans. We went to the same record store on the same day, looking for the same band, and I just had to invite her to our show that weekend. She’s a beautiful soul, down to earth, and she’s gorgeous. I mean look at her.” Josh sneaked his hand onto your thigh.  “I’m really lucky, what can I say.” Josh said finally. In unison everyone at the table shouted, “Awwwwwww!” As adorable as Josh’s recount was, you knew your family was mostly teasing you. They loved making you blush whenever you brought someone home. 

~~~ 

After dinner, you decided to show Josh your childhood bedroom. Your mom used it for storage but otherwise kept it the same. As you walked up the stairs, Josh stopped at a baby picture of you on the wall. He grinned at you and said “So cute.”

When you reached the top of the stairs, you led Josh into a small purple bedroom. Holographic posters decorated the walls, with a few posters of your favorite artists. There was a shaggy discolored rug on the floor that had different shades of blues and purples in a circular pattern. Your mom had boxes of yarn and craft materials littered around the room. You both slowly navigated to the bookshelf where you started to show Josh your little childhood trinkets. Josh was very intrigued by everything you showed him. He sat down on the bed and listened to you talk about what you were like in high school. You shared how you were a bit of a loner because you were really into photography, and spent your lunches developing photos in the school dark room. Josh insisted you show him some of your work so you pulled out your portfolio for AP Studio Art. 

“You took these in high school?” Josh flipped through each page slowly. Taking every detail in and showed genuine astonishment when you said yes. 

“This one. This one right here.” He held the folder up as if he had just discovered an ancient treasure. You were both now sitting on the bed next to each other. It was open to a black and white self portrait of you. In the photo you sat against the wall of the bedroom you were both sitting in now. The sun was shining; creeping in through the closed blinds. The small slivers of light projecting bright vertical lines onto your face and body. Your gaze staring right into the camera.  

“Can I have it?” Josh asked. 

“Well what do I get in return?” You responded. 

Josh gave you an ardent kiss making sure the photo was safely off to the side, as you wrapped yourselves into one another. Josh pulled away suddenly looking like he had something serious to tell you. 

“I love you.”

The air stood still, as you processed what he had just told you. Your heart nearly thumping out of your chest. 

“You can have the picture.” You said smiling. “Fair trade.” 

~~~

The next morning you woke up to the clinking in the kitchen of your mom making breakfast. You and Josh had stayed in the guest room, and passed out early from the food coma. You looked to your left and saw Josh on his side facing you, asleep with the most peaceful expression. It was so serene, so pure, you had to do something about it. You got up slowly and walked to his side of the bed. You counted down from three, and leaped onto him. Landing in a straddling position, as you kissed him all over his face. Josh just laughed as you kept showering him with kisses. 

“Good morning.” You said finally resting your chin on top of your hands that were laying on Josh’s chest. 

“Good morning.” His raspy morning voice croaked as he smiled. 

“Sorry for waking you.” You said innocently. 

Josh closed his eyes as he let out a laugh.

“It’s ok. I prefer being here awake with you.” 

You pillow talked about nothing, goofing around, and laughing for a little while until Josh said, “Breakfast sounds good right about now.” 

You nodded and you both started to get up from bed to get ready for a shower. You wanted to enjoy time with Josh and your family before driving him back to the abyss of touring. You looked through your duffle bag on top of the dresser deciding what to wear, when from the corner of your eye you saw Josh was standing near the large window that was letting the morning sun in. It was hitting him from an angle that made it look like he was glowing in gold. It reminded you of the first time you saw him at the coffee shop all those months ago.  Josh was oblivious to his beauty as he moved around the room putting things away, and taking toiletries out. He didn’t notice you were standing there staring at him, as he made his way back into the sunlight, and lifted his white T shirt in one (but seemingly long) smooth movement. He revealed his sculpted abs that led your eyes down to the happy trail that peaked out as Josh stretched his body, before hiding under his boxers once again. 

“Josh.” You said. His eyes darted over to you, and he flashed you a smile without losing a single ounce of the gold glimmer that coated him. You walked over to him and gave him a fervent kiss. Absorbing the sunlight, and Josh’s scent.

“I love you too.” You said drowning in the honey-brown hues of his eyes before leading him towards the bathroom for a shower. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

Dessert with Danny

*This is just a cute cut away from the main story “The Boy in The Band” Where your best friend, Beverly, goes on a date with Danny. (: 

Summary: Flufftown! Danny and Beverly have dinner together, and enjoy dessert afterwards in Danny’s car. 

~~~

Beverly sat at a two person table in the patio, near the entrance. She wore an emerald green long-sleeve velvet dress that intensified her crimson hair. She had one leg crossed over the other that shook her black boot in the anticipation of waiting for Danny to arrive. 

Danny’s calm stride was interrupted as he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Beverly was already there. He smiled at her and directed his walk towards her. 

“Y/n said you’re always late so I wasn’t expecting you to be here.” He laughed half honest, half teasing. 

“Don’t listen to a word she says!” Beverly shouted letting out her infectious laugh. 

“Let’s go in.” Danny said helping Beverly up by the hand. 

The server sat them inside, near the large fireplace in the middle of the steakhouse that was open from both sides. 

“Are you a wine person?” Danny asked looking right into the hazel hues of Beverly’s eyes. 

“Like am I a wino?” Beverly said laughing.

“Yes.” Danny said laughing as well. 

“Then yes.” Beverly said jokingly, looking through the assortment of wines on the list.

The server took their orders before leaving the table, only to return with wine samples. Danny let Beverly choose, partly because he was really laid back about those things, but also just to see what she would pick. In the dim candle light and glow from the fireplace, Danny and Beverly started to reveal themselves to one another. Danny in his tranquil timbre but slicing wit. Beverly in her typical boisterous laughter, and animated hand gestures.

“So Danny, you’re the quiet one from the group it seems.” Beverly asked resting her chin inside her right palm. 

“I identify more with ‘the mysterious one’.” Danny said smiling and looking down as he swirled his wine in the glass. 

“That’s for sure. “ Beverly said sitting up and taking a sip of her wine. 

“So tell me what’s it like to be Danny?” 

“It’s pretty loud. Cuz you know...drums.” He said with a chuckle. “ I like to be incognito honestly. If I’m not busy with the band, or doing shrooms with the boys in the forest, I’m reading, painting or writing songs.”

Beverly’s eyes widened as Danny revealed he has a secret stash of music made only by him. 

“Have you shown it to anyone?” Beverly asked shaking her right knee under the table. Beverly was hyperactive, but she enjoyed the ease with which Danny kept her attention. 

“No...” Danny trailed off. “It’s a lot of deep stuff.” He said shrugging. Beverly nodded.

“It’s more of a diary for me I guess.” Danny added. 

The night continued effortlessly. With Danny taking Beverly into another dimension every time he smiled. His smile was breath taking. He had what Beverly called ‘Happy eyes” with his bottom eyelids arching upwardly leaving only tiny slivers for him to see through. His teeth were brighter than the sun, and Beverly was beside herself. They talked about music, and family. They compared lifestyles, and discussed the sheer absurdity of life and the impossible standards set by society. Beverly requested to hear a Sam and Danny story. 

“Now that’s a tall order.” Danny said adjusting himself in his seat. “It depends what kind of story you want to hear. Funny, cringe, or violent.” 

Beverly laughed as she put her finger to her lips to show that she was thinking. 

Beverly landed on, “Surprise me.” 

“Ok.” Danny said looking off into the distance. It was obvious he was sifting through an extensive amount of material. “Oh I got it.” Danny said, sitting up in story telling position. 

“I don’t know if you know this, but I was in Jazz band with Sam in middle school. This meant we had zero period at the ass crack of dawn.” Beverly laughed. “As you can probably assume”, Danny continued, “Sam was always clowning around and pranking our band leader, Mrs. Bannert. On this particular morning, Sam looked very giddy and I just knew he had something planned. I asked him and he showed me something he was hiding in his pocket. It was a deflated pink whoopee cushion, folded into a small square. I actually made fun of him because of how unoriginal his prank was, but Sam stood by it saying ‘Yeah man I’m going back to the basics.’ We arrived early that morning and Sam went straight to the wooden chair Mrs. Bannert always sat in to do role-call. Sam inflated the cushion and lifted the old knitted blanket that always laid on the chair. He set it down and covered it with the blanket as if it was a baby being tucked into bed. He patted it twice lightly before walking away. I don’t remember who else was in the room, but I remember we were all stifling laughter. We all just went back to talking amongst ourselves and I for one forgot about the whoopee cushion altogether.” Danny was leaning on both elbows, hovering over his dinner plate as he relived the story. “So fast forward to 7 o’clock when we were supposed to start rehearsal. We all expected Mrs. Bannert to stroll in silently looking through papers, ready to get down to business, but instead our Principal walks in.” Danny looked at Beverly who said, “No!” Danny nodded and continued the story. “Yup. So he explains that Mrs. Bannert is out sick and zero period would be used as a study hall hour. We all just nod, getting ready to find out who our sub is going to be. Well he reveals that there is no sub, and he’s going to supervise us for the remainder of that period. So we all just go silent. I look over at Sam who’s gone pale. Our principle was a hard ass, like he wasn’t the type to fool around.” Danny said closing his eyes as he laughed. “So we just watch as he walks around the class until he orders us to, you know, ‘take out a book or homework you should’ve done last night’. We’re all rummaging through our backpacks trying to find something to do, and suddenly we hear the loudest, wettest, most magnificent fart you could ever imagine.” Danny and Beverly both laughed. Beverly tried to imagine what Sam looked like at that moment. “Our Principal just turned red like a tomato and started barking about how we don’t respect our elders anymore, yadda yadda.” Danny continued, “We were all really close in Jazz, so no one was going to rat him out, but Sam just blurts out ‘Sorry that was for Mrs. Bannert!’ And we all just lost it. Roaring laughing. Of course our Principal didn’t find it funny, and sent Sam to the office. I didn’t see Sam out of school for a while because he got grounded by his parents.” Danny concluded, leaning back into his chair as he laughed.

“That’s great.” Beverly said laughing. “I bet middle school was fun with you both.” 

“Yeah you could say that.” Danny responded giving Beverly a sly smile. 

Once dinner was finished Danny leaned in to whisper in Beverly’s ear. 

“I want dessert but not here.” He said sitting up straight again. 

“Alright lets go.” Beverly responded, standing up, and putting her cross-body-purse on. 

Danny followed Beverly home so she could drop off her car, since he insisted on driving to a secret destination. 

“Where are we going!” Beverly demanded playfully. 

“You’ll see.” Danny said flashing his straight white teeth that glowed in the dim glow of the moonlight. 

Danny zoomed off, turning the volume up at “Voodoo Child” by, Jimi Hendrix. Beverly sat back enjoying how sexy Danny looked driving a car. His forearm muscles bulged out as he made turns. He drummed on the steering wheel with his fingers whenever he got the chance, until suddenly he reached over and held Beverly’s hand. Beverly welcomed Danny’s fingers, and intertwined them with her own. Her heart was a flutter, and for once Beverly was speechless. 

Danny slowed down and made a right turn into the Burgers N’ Sundaes drive-thru. 

“Ok so let me explain myself.” Danny said laughing. “They have the best Oreo milkshake in town! They blend actual Oreos with the ice cream fresh to order every time.” Danny’s excitement was palpable and Beverly recognized the inner child joy that she often tapped into within herself. 

“I can’t wait!” Beverly said clapping. 

Danny ordered a large milkshake with two straws, taking the time to ask the cashier how her night was going. Danny’s courteous personality made Beverly weak at the knees. Danny parked under the reflection of the enormous spinning Burgers N’ Sundaes sign. 

“Ok ready for your life to change?” Danny said in a serious tone. 

“Ready.” Beverly answered. They both leaned into one another and took a few sips of the deliciously thick and cold milkshake. “Like Real People Do” By Hozier emerged from the speakers, changing the vibe from a 1970′s basement party to a romantic date under the stars. As soon as Hozier sang, “Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips // We should just kiss like real people do.” Danny put the milkshake in the drink holder, and out of the way, gently pulling on Beverly’s face in for a kiss. Their lips, still cold from the ice cream, tasted sweet and felt more like dessert than the actual milkshake. Beverly relaxed into submission as Danny caressed her tongue with his, both of them transcending into a higher plane for several minutes. They both eventually pulled away slowly sharing a smile. 

“Do you want more?” Danny offered holding the milkshake up again. 

“Yes please.” Beverly said taking the straw and holding it up to her lips before taking a big sip. They enjoyed the rest of their milkshake along with Danny’s eclectic collection of music late into the enchanting night. Both knowing this would be the first of many. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

Hello

Chapter 6 won’t be out until Thanksgiving. I want to make it special and take my time with it. 

I am, however, writing a short story from Beverly’s perspective going on a date with Danny.

Stay tuned. :)

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy In The Band

CHAPTER 5 

Summary: Fluff, fluff, and more fluff (with a couple sexual references). Josh finally gets an answer, and he invites you to a bonfire in Danny’s backyard. 

~~~

The flight back home was both bitter and sweet. You wanted more time with Josh in paradise, but you also missed your own bed. You still hadn’t given Josh an answer about being his girlfriend or not. He didn’t pressure you though. He was as sweet and nurturing as he had been before he asked you. You wanted to get back to your routine with your friends and family to really think about how Josh would fit into your life. 

Charlotte dropped you off  at home first. Josh hopped out of the car to give you a proper good bye. The sky was gray, and all that could be heard was the cars passing by and an airplane overhead. It was a stark and unfortunate contrast to where you had just spent the most magical weekend of your life. 

“Well I...I suppose you’ll get back to me?” Josh said lifting one of his eyebrows slightly at you. 

“Just give me a few days. Is that ok?” You responded. 

“Sure.” He said in a sigh. “I get it” He said bringing you in for a hug. 

“How long will you be gone?” You asked.

“A couple weeks. We’ll be on the bus most of the time, but text me and I’ll make time to FaceTime you.” He answered. 

~~~ 

“Why do they only have sandwiches here?” Beverly whined. 

“This place is literally called Sandwich Inc.” You said laughing at her. 

“ANYWAY! So what happened?! Tell me everything!” Beverly practically shrieked. 

You went into great detail about the trip. How he kissed your forehead while you watched a movie on the plane. The romantic, barefoot, dinner. How you made a game out of everything, and joked about ridiculous scenarios that had you both in stitches. You told her that he got Jake to record an acoustic rendition of an Elvis song so he could sing to you. You told her he asked you to be his girlfriend.

“Shut. The. Fuck. Up! That is the cutest thing I’ve ever heard!” You swore Beverly’s eyes were going to pop out with any more excitement. “What did you say?” Beverly looked at you suspiciously. She was aware of your past, and how difficult it was for you to allow people in, romantically, these days. 

“I said I needed time to think about it.” You said looking down at the menu. 

“You what? I have no idea how you have that kind of will power!” Beverly huffed out. “You know he’s going on tour soon and he’s going to be all around his groupies. What are you gon-” 

“EXACTLY.” You said loudly, cutting her off. You were torn, and scared. You knew exactly what it meant if you said no. “I know he’s surrounded by girls, and that’s why I’m terrified to say yes and look like an idiot when he shags some girl in the green room.” You said feeling the jealousy running through you at just the thought of it. “This isn’t my first rodeo.” 

Lunch with Beverly ended with more laughs about the trip, and she caught you up on the fight she was having with her mom. All the while you felt a nauseous feeling at the pit of your stomach. You realized you were too far gone. You wanted to avoid being hurt, but you hadn’t considered how much it would hurt for Josh to leave on tour without being your boyfriend. If you said yes, he could cheat on you and shatter your heart into pieces. Or he could be your perfect partner that listens to you, nurtures you, and pushes you to be a better person. If you said no, you would never know. You’d be breaking your own heart before it even started. 

~~~ 

A laughing and smiling Josh appeared on your phone as the connection on FaceTime buffered. He was on a 7 hour drive to a gig at a venue the next state over so he happened to be available once you came home from lunch with Beverly. You could see Josh was talking but all you could hear was white noise.

“I think you’re on mute?” You said giggling. Josh's lips continued to move as his soundless speaking became more and more animated. You were so intrigued by what he was trying to tell you, you started to get impatient. You turned the volume all the way up on your phone and were about to tell Josh you couldn’t hear what he was saying, when you heard Sam’s voice booming out from behind Josh. 

“Where’s the booze!” Sam shouted. You could see him standing in the tour bus hallway in what looked like swim shorts, and a light yellow T-shirt. His hair up in a messy bun with a transparent blue sun visor that casted a blue tint onto his eyes. 

“I was trying to prank her, SAM! Thanks for ruining it!” Josh shouted back before breaking out into laughter. “I still got you!” Josh teased you showing off his adorable gap in his teeth. You laughed, in defeat, as he had indeed got you. Josh wore a white T-shirt and his curls took up a lot of the screen as he turned to kick Sam out of the bunk area. 

“Okay I’m back.” He said giving you the floor to finally give him an answer. He flashed you that classic Josh smile that puffed out his pink cheeks, and made your entire body melt. 

You took a deep breath, and began to explain.

“I did a lot of thinking, and I came to the conclusion that there is only one possible answer I can give you. The moment I saw you at Donna’s Corner, I felt electricity between us. This weekend was incredible. I’ve never felt so seen, and nurtured. I’ve made bad decisions, I’ve dated assholes, and I’ve given way too much of myself. I’ve been cheated on, and gas-lit. I’ve been through many things that keep me from trusting people. I could act on fear and compartmentalize my time with you as a fling, or a friends with benefits situation. I could convince myself that I’m ‘protecting’ myself. I could pretend what happened the last night in Mexico was just sex. I could pretend I didn’t just completely give myself to you. I could, but I would be lying. What I feel with you is out of this world. In the short time we’ve known each other, you’ve made me feel safe. You’ve inspired me, and helped me feel joy again. You’re helping me believe in love again. So I know this is a long answer for a yes or no question but I’m not done.” Josh laughed and waited for you to finish. “ If I let you walk away I’d be making a huge mistake. This might blow up in our faces. This might be the beginning of a beautiful thing. Either way I’m ready, and the answer is yes.” You searched Josh’s face for what he might be thinking. 

After a brief pause Josh screamed, “YEEE DOGGY!” and ran around the bus like a feral creature with rabies. You could hear Jake telling Josh to shut up. Everyone else was silent, probably used to Josh’s outbursts. 

“I wish I could see ya, and hug ya, and squeeze ya.” He said forcing a frown on his permanently joyful face. 

You laughed, happy with your decision, but unsure of the madness you had just signed up for. You wondered when you’d see him again, and how things would change now that it was official. The rest of the call didn’t feel much different except Josh kept calling you ‘girlfriend’ every chance he got. 

“Hold on girlfriend, I just got a text from Aaron.” The screen went on pause as you heard him typing a response. You ended the call after making plans to see each other in two weeks. Josh invited you to a bon-fire-get-together at Danny’s, and offered to pick you up at 7. Josh promised to FaceTime you at least once when they had down time and weren’t writing new music. Before hanging up Josh said,

“Talk to you later, baby.” Your whole face turned red and all you could respond was “Bye!”. Josh laughed and relished in your reaction before waving and hanging up.

~~~

Josh’s return felt like it took an eternity.  You spent your days listening to Fleet Foxes, imagining you and Josh frolicking in the forest. You went to an extra yoga class, and watched documentaries about random things like mushrooms, and the life of Ernest Hemmingway. All in the name of distracting yourself. There was an obvious divide between the time before Josh, and the time after Josh. However, you knew you would have to build a life around his absence. You went hiking and reconnected with yourself, reminding yourself how beautiful and resilient you are. How whole you are, and how lucky Josh is to be with someone like you. You had promised yourself a long time ago, that you would never disappear in a relationship again. 

~~~

One afternoon, as you made your way to your apartment you stopped to check your mail, and found a Postcard. It said,

“Missing you. - J” 

You grinned and put it to your chest. You really enjoyed the romantic gestures. It really helped remind you, that he was thinking about you too. You walked home and put it on the fridge next to the picture of both of you at the beach in Mexico. It was a little blurry because you were both laughing, but you loved how candid it was. 

In the remaining days of Josh being on the road, you found it almost impossible to think straight. Everywhere you looked was a soft shade of pink. Josh kept you in the loop as much as he could, by sharing funny anecdotes of the boys clowning around every now and then, and sending pictures of cute dogs he saw on the street. Josh was so endearing even when he wasn’t around. 

~~~

The Black Keys were blasting in your bedroom as you finished getting ready. You felt like you were going to meet Josh for the first time. You sprayed a little perfume on your wrists and rubbed them together. Your mind was going wild with flashbacks of Josh’s gaze as he pounded you into orgasm in Mexico. Your hands were starting to sweat and you felt relieved when the anticipation was over. The doorbell rang, and you knew it was Josh. 

You opened the door and nothing needed to be said. You pulled each other in and had a very long and overdue kiss. 

“Ready?” Josh asked when he was finally ready to let go. 

“Ready.” You said as you walked over to his Jeep. 

When you arrived, Josh introduced you to everyone, gently guiding you with his hand on your back. 

“Mother, this is y/n. She’s my girlfriend.” Josh grinned, “The one I told you about.” 

Josh’s mom had a joyous glow about her. You saw where the twins got their show-stopping smiles. 

“Hi Mrs. Kiszka” You said feeling your heart begin to race. You felt excited but a little overwhelmed by this big moment. 

“Oh honey, call me Karen.” She said welcoming you in with a hug. “Josh be a gentleman and get your girlfriend and your mother a drink!” She said laughing. “He hates when I tell him what to do.” She said hiding her mouth from Josh. 

Karen asked you about the trip to Mexico, and was curious about what you did for work. It was easy to talk to her. She didn’t take herself or anything too seriously. She was funny, and you were relieved when you managed to make her laugh. Josh reappeared with two copper mugs. 

“Oh wow a Moscow mule!” Karen said taking one from him. 

“No, Sam’s making margaritas but we ran out of glasses apparently.” Josh responded handing the second one to you. You and Karen took a sip at the same time. You both wrinkled your faces to the burning amount of tequila that overpowered the lime and burned the inside of your throat. 

“Samuel!” Karen shouted followed by her explosive laugh. “It was nice meeting you honey. I need to go teach my son how to make a proper margarita.” She said turning and walking towards the back door of Danny’s house. The bon fire was large, and you noticed there was remnants of cardboard and different charred materials laid like confetti around the fire pit. You could just imagine all the boys burning different things to pass the time. The back yard itself was quite large, and glowed with an ebbing and flowing between orange and red. Dark lines waved in abstract patterns as the fire created shadows against the patio furniture, and its guests. Everyone was socializing by the fire except for Jake, who sat at a distance playing “Take Me Home, Country Roads” By John Denver on an acoustic guitar. You thought you could faintly hear him singing but you weren’t too sure.  

You were introduced to everyone else as the night went on. There was a mix of family, friends, and people on the Greta Van Fleet team. You were particularly awestruck by how vibrant and sweet Ronnie was. Josh’s dad can only be described as jolly and free spirited. Danny’s family was soft in their demeanor and well spoken. His mom was witty and hilarious. You had waved at Jake after he finished playing the song, and he waved and lifted his chin at you with a smile. Danny came up and asked how you were, and where Beverly was. Sam was still in the kitchen making a mess for a while until he decided to come out to the party. Sam was one of those people who was heard before he was seen. 

“Hey!” Sam shouted “Y/N I heard Josh forced you to be his girlfriend. It’s ok you can be honest.” He said laughing. 

“Yeah the knife to the throat really did it.” You said chuckling. 

The night was wonderful as you watched Josh in his natural element, connecting with people and making them laugh. People were drawn to him naturally, and he had a way of getting people to get existential and deep. He was so good at including you in the conversation, and always made a point to listen when you were talking. As the night went on and people began to leave, the group became smaller and more intimate. Eventually it was just you and the boys, with Ronnie. Danny pulled out a joint from behind his ear and passed it around after lighting it, and hitting it. 

“Do we care for some music?” Jake asked plucking random notes on the guitar before starting to tune it. 

“Let’s jam it out.” Josh said getting up. He disappeared into the house briefly before returning with the marvelous jingling of his tambourine. 

Sam and Danny also left and came back with instruments. Sammy had another acoustic guitar. Danny brought his drum sticks and a single snare drum. You all sat in a circle as the joint continued to circulate. It made its way back to Danny who finished it and tossed the roach into the fire. 

“What’s it gonna be?” Jake asked the group. 

You sat between Ronnie and Josh which made you feel safe, but not bold enough to make a song suggestion. 

“Something groovy.” Josh said as he tried to think of something. 

“These Boots are Made for Walkin!” Ronnie shouted with her eyes wide with excitement. She turned to you and told you about how the four of them had learned this song and performed it at family events when they were little. Jake kicked it off with the slight twang in his playing. Josh joined with his tambo, and Danny filled in the drums. Sam tapped his foot for a little while before melding seamlessly into the fantastic ensemble. At first only Ronnie sang the words,

“You keep sayin' you've got somethin' for me Somethin' you call love but confess You've been a'messin' where you shouldn't 've been a'messin' And now someone else is getting all your best” 

When the chorus hit, you and everyone else belted the lyrics in unison. 

“These boots are made for walkin' And that's just what they'll do One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you” 

You had never felt anything like it. The energy emerging from the instruments, mixed with all of your voices made the hair on your arms stick up with goosebumps. You glanced over at Josh a few times, and each time he met your gaze smiling and shaking his tambourine with much fervor. Everything felt so right, like you had finally arrived. You all continued the jam session, with intermissions for more beer and grass well into the night. 

It was late and the energy was decreasing. Danny offered to let you and Josh crash in the guest room once you were ready to call it a night. 

“One last song. We should show the girls the song we just finished.” Josh said looking around at his brothers and Danny. 

“But then we’ll have to kill them.” Jake joked and he adjusted his guitar strap in preparation. 

“We won’t be releasing this for a while.” Josh said with the implication that this was exclusive, and super secret. You and Ronnie shared a giddy smile, and turned your attention to the twins who walked onto invisible marks, as if on a stage, in front of the fire pit. 

“Can you light my love? Flames glowing bright as the sun Deeper than oceans you run Watch as our world has begun “

Josh’s singing cut through the night air straight into your chest, and a sudden flutter tickled your belly from the inside as he belted out the words to the poem he wrote in Mexico. You swayed incredulously at the beauty, and power of Josh’s voice. Watching as red stardust lifted from the fire behind Jake and Josh. The night ended with the soft sound of singing, and guitar dissolving into the cold dark sky. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy In The Band

CHAPTER 4 

Summary: A lot of fluff, but ends with smut. Josh takes you kayaking and snorkeling. You guys share a passionate night, in the bungalow, that neither of you will ever forget. 

~~~

In the stillness of the morning, you witnessed the ocean waves and wild life sounds that surrounded you in Tulum Mexico. Uninterrupted, and untainted by people.

You decided to get up and make coffee.

As you walked up to the kitchenette, you noticed loose lined paper lying in many forms on (and around) the breakfast nook table. Some crumbled up into tight balls, and some folded, and some simply on the floor. There was one paper that was laid neatly on the center of the table however. The pencil still laying on it, just as the writer had left it. You picked it up and tried to make sense of all the scribbled words. As you started to understand Josh’s interpretation of letters, you started to decode what felt like a secret message.

“Your mind is a stream of colors

Extending beyond our sky

A land of infinite wonders

A billion lightyears from here now “

It was signed at the bottom “J.M.K.”

You let the beauty of that moment sink in. It felt like magic in the silence of Josh’s sleeping, and the water outside. It felt like he was somehow experiencing it with you, from beyond the spirit-dream realm.

You made coffee and enjoyed it on the balcony, overlooking the ocean and the sky. You had enjoyed the alone time but were pleased to hear the bed ruffling with the sound of Josh waking up. He eventually appeared next to you, shirtless in navy blue boxer briefs rubbing his bare chest, squinting at the brightness outside.

“Hey” His morning voice was raspy. You got butterflies when you noticed he was giving you a side smile.

“Good morning.” You said turning to hug him. He put his arm around your shoulders and you both unspokenly agreed to stand quietly in the hypnotic sounds of the crashing waves. A few moments later you softly mentioned you had made a pot of coffee. You both went inside and enjoyed coffee and breakfast. Josh picked up all the paper, tossing some into the garbage and saving some of the folded ones. You noticed he was more careful with the page with the poem you read. He put it in between the pages of a spiral notebook next to his bed. 

You smeared jam onto a slice of toasted white bread. Josh was messing with the very old radio on the kitchen counter, trying to find a good rock station.  More birds began to screech and chirp as the little town began to wake up. You enjoyed the crunch you made as you bit down into the warm strawberry goodness.

“I liked the poem you wrote.” You said mid chew. 

“Oh you saw that?” He sounded bashful. He was turned away from you changing radio stations quickly. “Yeah I woke up early, it was still dark and I was just thinking. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I had to put my thoughts on paper.” he said.  

“It’s really good.” You said and took a sip of coffee.

“It’s for a song. It’s this beautiful soft melody with a lot of piano. It’s so tender I was having trouble writing lyrics for it. I guess I get intimidated sometimes because I want my writing to match the depth that the music has.”

You nodded to signal you understood. You enjoyed the vitality of Josh’s personality but were excited to discover that morning Josh was softer, more gentle, and pensive. You felt relieved that silence wasn’t awkward between the two of you. You were together without having to speak. 

~~~ 

“Do you want to Kayak or snorkel first?” Josh shouted over the noise of a topless Jeep Wrangler running through jungle, and “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” by Rick Derringer blasted through the speakers. 

“Kayak!” You shouted. Your hair was flying and whipping behind your head. So were the beautiful brown curls next to you. You felt like you were in a movie, the air was clean and you welcomed it into your lungs as you held onto Josh’s right thigh. The bumpy road required both of his hands, but he put your hand on him. He said because he ‘wanted you close’, and he didn’t have to tell you twice. 

Once you arrived at the Kayak rental, the sun was up and out. You took turns putting sun screen on each other and walked barefoot to a small hut with dozens of yellow kayaks lined outside. 

You had been Kayaking before but never in Mexico with Josh Kiszka. 

“I love Nature. Nature rules.” Josh said as you were finally settled in the kayak.

“YEAH!!!!!” Josh yelled out, signing ‘Rock on’ with both of his hands in the air. The echo bounced 6 or 7 times.

Josh rented a two person kayak and insisted you sat in front of him. You sat between his legs stretched out along each side of the small boat. You spent a good while roaming around the water, talking about whatever came to mind. You discussed music, film, and future travel destinations. Josh talked about how he’s been to so many places but often doesn’t have to time to really experience them and their people. You loved how Josh talked about people. His love for humanity, and connection was evident. He loved to talk about performing on stage, and how united it made him feel when people knew the lyrics to GVF songs. You enjoyed listening to Josh and seeing the world through his eyes. His optimism was an icy cold mojito on a hot day. 

Snorkeling was great after rowing in the heat for over an hour. You both had fun waving at each other under water and chasing the fish. The water was clear and made the different shades of moss on the large rocks glow like they were radioactive. Of course you took a make-out break in between all the swimming and started a water fight towards the end. Josh led the way out of the water and back on the beach the moment you told him your stomach was growling. You finished the day at the beach eating tacos, standing under the shade of a large palm tree. The ‘taquero’ with his small food cart clinked his tongs on the metalic surface. You could hear the sizzling grill full of different kinds of taco meats and relished in the delicious smell as you both fed your tired bodies.  

~~~ 

It was early evening when you woke up from your post-shower-nap. The sun had gone down, and Josh read a book under the light of the lamp on his night stand. You grazed his arm and he redirected his attention towards you. “Hi” He said softly. He put the book down, and scooted down to cuddle you. 

“What are you reading?” You asked. 

“John Donne. I’m reading it sure, I don’t know if I understand it yet.” He chuckled. “How are you feeling?” He asked.

“Uhhmm...” You trailed off as you tried to check in with yourself. “I feel pretty good” You said cuddling into Josh closer. “I’m having a great time.” You said. 

“Me too.” He said. “I’ve been wanting to say something to you.”

Josh got up and unplugged his phone from on top of the dresser. 

“What is it?” You said trying not to sound inpatient. 

“Hold on.” He said as he concentrated on something on his phone. You waited and waited until suddenly you heard the ruffling of some sort of recording. You now know it was Jake adjusting his phone in order to record himself. You displayed your confusion plainly and exaggerated on your face. Josh noticed it and laughed. 

“Trust me.” He said setting the phone against the lamp so you could see Jake with an acoustic guitar. 

“Ok Josh, you bastard, I’m doing this in one take.” You heard Jakes voice through the screen. He began to play “Now or Never” by Elvis Presley. Josh got into position and you suddenly understood what was going on. 

“When I first saw you with your smile so tender,

My heart was captured,

My soul surrendered, 

I spent a lifetime waiting for the right time, 

Now that you’re near the time is here,

At last. “

Josh belted out, tapping his foot to stay on beat with Jake’s recording. He couldn’t help but preform even if it was just for you. The song ended, and you could see Jake picking up the phone and saying,

“Hope that was a good one. Hope she says yes.” The recording froze at the final frame with Jakes nostrils way too close to the camera. 

“Hope who says yes?” You looked up at Josh trying to decipher. 

“I know we just met. I know this is wild. But we’re wild. I’m going on tour for a long while when the new record is released. It’s now or never. Y/N will you be my girlfriend?” Josh said waiting expectantly. 

You were completely blindsided. You’ve rushed into things before. You had dated many people that hurt you before. What if this was just him being impulsive? What if he just wanted someone waiting for him at home? The concern was obvious to Josh, who quickly sat next to you and held your hand. 

“What is it?” Josh asked. 

You took a moment to answer, sculpting your words carefully as they went. 

“That is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I loved it.” You said looking at him and then down at your feet, “It’s not easy for me to simply accept someone into my life like that. Not anymore. I need to think it through before I make a decision.” 

Josh looked down in disappointment, but said, “Of course. Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” 

You didn’t know if you could survive being in a relationship with someone who was gone the majority of the year. What you did know is you wanted Josh to fuck you. Right away. You smiled at Josh, and he leaned in and kissed you. You took hold of his neck, and pulled yourself on top of him. You could almost feel his growing bulge pulsating through his pants. You grinded on him and kissed his neck. His expression was that of someone surrendering to pleasure. It made you want to suck his bottom lip, so you did. He took your top off and undid you bra. He held each end of the bra and kissed you so gently, so tenderly you felt like you could cum right then. He slowly moved his hands onto your rib cage, and made his way, painstakingly slow, up to hold your breasts in both of his hands. The heat coming off of your bodies, the moans, and heavy breathing created a forcefield of ecstasy and desire. You put your fingers on the button of his pants. 

“Josh.” You said softly. “I want you inside me.” 

You got on your knees and he scooted back in the bed, removing the barrier that kept him from you. As his pants pulled down, his penis popped out and bobbled slightly. You didn’t let him finish taking his pants off. You mounted him and began tugging at his cock. He was so close to being inside you, but you wanted him to want it more. His eyes were closed, but would slightly open every now and then to get a glimpse of you. He reciprocated and reached his fingers down and through your panties, into you and used all the moisture that had built up, to lube your clit and rubbed it in circles. He stuck out his tongue and reached for your right nipple. Once caught, he sucked on your tit and went faster on your clit. You moaned in pleasure and slowly got back into your knees. You pushed Josh back onto the bed, and directed your focus on his throbbing, veiny cock. You opened wide, and accepted him into your mouth until he hit the back of your throat. You pressed your tongue on his shaft and began to suck. At the same time, you used your right hand to keep jerking him off. You did this for a couple of minutes, as Josh’s breathing became heavier and heavier. You kept your eyes on his face, excited by the power you had over what he was feeling. The sounds of a wet penis being sucked were interrupted by Josh. 

“Fuck.” He said lifting his head and looking at you. This was what you were waiting for. You sucked for a few more seconds, and then mounted him again. You leaned over him and let him kiss you passionately. With your right hand you took hold of his cock, and guided it into your pussy. As it entered, you felt your nipples harden even more, you gasped as you accepted him as far as you could. As you rode him, your clit was rubbing up against his pubic bone, giving you the pleasure of penetration, and clitoris stimulation. Your moans began to get louder as you allowed the pleasure to take over you. He kept his hands on your waist, guiding the rhythm of your grinding. After exploring that for a while, he asked if he could turn you on your side. You got into position, laying on your right side, with Josh spooning you slightly as he put his cock back inside you but this time from behind. He started to thrust into you, pulling your left leg open so he could access your clit. The feeling was indescribable. He kissed your neck and his breathing tickled your ear. No other words needed to be exchanged. Your moaning was getting louder, Josh was going faster, and before your knew it you saw God. Your moans became small cries, and you felt like you were about to squirt. You never had before. You’d never been fucked this good before. 

Closer and closer to climax you both got. 

“I’m gonna cum.” You started to whisper. “You’re making me cum.” You pleaded with your eyes that he keep going. Josh fucked you harder, only moving his fingers from your clit, to spit on them, and then continued to rub you. You were both sweating now, The night was cool, but heat seemed to be steaming off of your naked bodies. Finally it was time. 

“I’m cumming.” You let out in a whimper. Josh maintained the intensity and speed to get you across the finish line. You let out a sudden shriek and your whole body tensed up, and began to convulse. It lasted forever, and in that time you locked eyes with Josh. His expression enveloping your eyes with pure sexual desire. As the shaking progressed you felt the orgasm release you back onto the bed, and your senses came back into the physical realm once again. 

You both panted for a moment, and you turned around to Josh who was laid out on his back with sweat beading down his face. You began to suck his cock again, vigorously pushing and pulling with both hands. You spit on it to make it a smoother motion. That’s when his orgasm began to form. Josh said very little, but the breathing was evidence enough that you were getting him close. Your motions were steady but you took your time with it.  Then it grew faster, faster, and faster. He came at last. All you heard was “I’m cumming.” and a warm sweet liquid shot out into your mouth. You kept sucking as you swallowed his gift for you. You felt like you had just won a trophy of some kind. You both laid on your backs next to each other, recovering from what had just occurred. Eventually you turned on your sides to face each other. Josh put out his hand, and extended it towards you. Your pressed your palm against his. His fingers stuck out farther as they were longer than yours. You connected through your eyes, not having to say much after the closeness you had just shared. You’re not sure how long you laid awake, but it couldn’t have been long. You were both exhausted, but happily recovering from the magic of the night. You felt cocooned in a pocket of space and time with Josh. You both enjoyed the relief from the tension that had been building since the day you met. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

The Boy In The Band

*Previously titled “How you met Josh Kiszka” 

CHAPTER 3

Summary: Okay you thirsty bitches, I can finally label this smut. A lot of fluff. Josh flies you out to Mexico with him on a weekend get-away. 

~~~

You expected Josh to take weeks to get back to you like before, but this time he texted you in the morning. 

“Good morning, I had a great time at dinner last night. Lets go kayaking and snorkeling in Mexico this weekend? The water’s warm, and the people there are incredible.” 

You rubbed your eyes and tried to process what you were looking at. The instinct to call your best friend took over and suddenly you heard the munching of cereal through the speakers on your phone. 

“Hi bestie!” Beverly said joyfully as she finished chewing the undoubtedly enormous, spoon-bite she had just put in her mouth as she answered the phone. 

“Bev! Josh wants me to go to Mexico with him! He’s out of his mind!” You managed to spit out. You felt excited. You wanted to go. You just wanted someone to talk some sense into you about going to Mexico with a boy you barely knew. 

“Ok. Yes. I get it. Would you go to Mexico with whatever ‘Chad’ you meet at the club? Probably not. I wouldn’t. Unless he’s super hot. But this is like a dream! This is Josh, the boy you’ve been gushing about for months!” 

“So I should go?” You said smiling and letting the excitement settle into your chest. 

“Yes. Send me all your locations, and flight numbers. If you’re ever feeling like you’re in danger just call me and I’ll figure out a way to get you home.” 

“I love you.” You said simply. 

“That’s what best friends are for” she replied.

~~~

You had only been out of the country once, and that was to visit your great uncle George in Toronto, Canada. Luckily you had renewed your passport recently after being nagged about it by your mom. She was right about never knowing when you were going to need it. 

The morning of the flight you got a text from Josh saying: 

“Hey :) I’m running late. I’m trying to get something down in the studio before I go and forget it. I sent our driver to get you and I’ll meet you at the airport. Terminal 2.” 

You had been ready for 45 minutes from the sheer excitement. You used the extra time to text your itinerary to your mom, and of course, to Beverly. You were starting to pass out on your bed with you heard the doorbell. You jumped up and out and met with a tall brunette woman with her hair tied in a pony tail. She wore all black with doc martens and a ring attached to her belt with a billion keys on it. 

“Hey are you y/n?” She said. 

“Yes, you’re Charlotte?” You said.

“Yup! Hop in!” She waved you over. 

You felt strange being driven around like a celebrity. You wondered how Josh felt about it. You looked around and tried to imagine what a car full of the Greta Van Fleet boys would be like. As you pulled up to Terminal 2, you tried not to focus on your stomach doing somersaults as you grabbed your duffle bag from beside you. You said goodbye to Charlotte, and headed inside. Not too long after, your phone began to buzz. 

“Hey!” You answered.

“Hi! I just arrived. I don’t see you.” Josh said. 

“Let me walk out to the street again” You said. As soon as you stepped out you saw him in a white tank top which laid his marvelous biceps bare for all to enjoy. He was wearing sunglasses and he carried a large black duffle bag. He had a white beaded necklace which dangled down his torso, ending in a small white tassle. 

“I see you. Do you see me?” You waved in his direction. You were so glad he was at the opposite end of the terminal so you could admire him for a little while longer. As soon as he saw you his face lit up. 

“Darlin! It’s been an eternity!” He yelled from afar, in some form of accent. 

You could hear him through the phone and with your other ear as he continued to act out a sailor returning home from the war. He ran up to you and spun you around only putting you down to give you a big soft kiss. You laughed at how ridiculous he was. You loved how much he didn’t care what others thought of him. He was lightning in a bottle, and it was bringing you back from the dead. 

“Lets blow this popsicle stand.” He said pulling you towards the airport doorway. 

~~~

The flight wasn’t long, so you watched Pulp Fiction, held hands, and took a nap. You arrived in Tulum, Mexico just as the sun was beginning to go down. The entire atmosphere was different there. The moment you walked out towards the street, you could smell a sweet, fresh ocean mist. It was a little humid, but Josh had warned you it would be. You rode a taxi to the bungalow Josh had rented out for the weekend. It felt like you were dreaming as you walked through the sandy paths under large palm trees. The first iguana you saw, startled you but by the 6th one you saw in that 5 minute walk you finally understood how magical this was going to be. The sky was a tangerine orange when you arrived at the door of the bungalow.

“After you.” Josh grunted as he opened the door with one hand and balanced the two duffle bags on his shoulder with the other. You went through the door to find wooden planks laid onto sculpted dirt and sand that created a staircase to another level. Once upstairs you could not believe what you were looking at. The California King Sized bed was glowing orange from the sunset that stared unapologetically into the room through an enormous glass window that faced directly towards the ocean. The window had glass panels that were turned inward which let the breeze in and circulated the small space as if to welcome us to our adventure. 

“Its beautiful.” You said. 

“I’m so glad you like it” He said putting the bags down on the floor near the end of the stairs. “I’m glad you didn’t have plans or anything.” He said. 

“Me too.” You sat down on the bed and bounced on it slightly to ‘test it out’. 

“Comfy?” Josh said walking over to you. Your heart raced like the moment you shared your first kiss. 

“Very.” You said smiling. 

He went from standing up, to leaning down to your face and began to kiss it. His arms shot down into fists that laid beside each of your thighs. You wrapped your arms around him and let him lay you on your back. He began to kiss your neck slowly, smelling you as he moved down to your breasts. Your V neck allowed your cleavage to peak through which he looked at as if in awe. 

“Can I kiss you there?” He said without looking up. 

“Please.” You begged him. He inhaled your scent from between your breasts and gave you soft and slow kisses all around your chest. Your hands were clinging to clumps of curly brown hair as you enjoyed the passion in his body that was clearly begging to come out. He finally crawled back up so as to face you eye to eye. His hair was all over the place, and you giggled at how adorable he was. 

“What?” He said squinting at you. Still smiling. 

“Nothing. You’re cute.” You said. 

“No you.” He said kissing the tip of your nose. 

“I arranged for dinner on the beach. Are you hungry?” He asked.

“Hell yeah” You replied as he helped you up from the bed. 

~~~ 

Dinner was fantastic. Candle-lit and barefoot, you both enjoyed a long conversation about the state of the world, and the human condition at the restaurant, on the sand. Lanterns in every color decorated the patio, lighting Josh’s face perfectly. His cleft chin cast a tiny shadow. He was gorgeous as always. He told you a story about an alien abduction that had taken place in the 60s in Frankenmuth, Michigan. At first you thought he was yanking your chain, but turns out he was completely serious. You told him about your mom, and showed him an impression of her at a baseball game when her team is losing. He understood your jokes, and added to them to make them even more ridiculous. You could imagine everyone in Tulum was able to hear the wild ride that was having a real connected conversation with Josh Kiszka. You couldn’t deny it was something different. Something big. He made you snort laughing when he acted out his dad getting pranked by Sam and Jake on Christmas morning. As the conversation progressed you were both staring into each other as you began to get deeper. Josh opened up about his rivalry with Jake. He said it was hard not to be compared to his twin, when they crossed every milestone together. He said he’s gotten better now, and has only ever wanted what’s best for his brother. You shared that you could relate to comparing yourself to Beverly since you had been best friends since you were 3 years old. You explained how you always felt ugly next to her, and she always got all the attention in high school. You told him how you started to see your own beauty, and started to be able to acknowledge those feelings of envy and letting them go as you told yourself life is not a competition. 

“You’re perfect. Exactly as you are.” He said leaning in for a kiss. You made out for a few minutes and looked up to find the sky was a mix of purple and navy blue tones.

“Lets get back to the bed.” You said standing up from your chair. 

Josh followed you to the bungalow. You both walked calmly, but swiftly, determined to be alone in private together at last. 

Once the door shut behind Josh, you both ran up the stairs taking off your shirts, shoes, and socks, leaving a trail of clothes. You were both in underwear once you arrived at the bed, and Josh immediately took control. His desire was evident in his eyes. All you could hear was waves crashing and Josh breathing heavy as he took pleasure in rubbing his hands all over your body. Still standing he took hold of your waist and pushed you gently onto the mattress. The sheets felt cool on your hot skin. Josh stayed at the edge of the bed and kneeled down. You heard him say softly, “I want you to let me please you.” He said sternly. “I don’t want you to worry about anything tonight. It’s just about you.” 

You nodded at him in agreement. 

“Josh I want you so bad.” You moaned out softly. 

He practically ripped your panties off and tossed them to god-knows-where. You could feel his breathing on the inside of your thighs, and then on your labia as he got closer and gave you small kisses. He looked up at you and reached his hands onto your breasts. Your nipples were hard, and he pinched them slightly between his middle and pointer fingers. Your moans were automatic, and seemed to be coming from a level deeper than you’d ever felt before. 

“y/n?” You heard from below. “Can I eat you out?” 

You laughed a little at his respect for consent. It made you feel safe, and horny.  

“Yes.” You said.

Immediately you felt his tongue sneaking into you, you could hear him moaning in pleasure as he tasted you fully and completely. His tongue ran circles around your clit, which caused you to arch your back in ecstasy. He switched to two fingers rubbing your clit in circles while he looked over at your face. Through half-shut-eyes you held your gaze at him and writhed in pleasure. His two fingers slid down to your vagina and lingered there a moment. He looked at you again and asked if you wanted him to finger you. You bit your lip and nodded. 

“How bad do you want it?” He asked.

“I want it so bad.” You admitted.

His fingers entered your vagina, and he began moving them in an upward motion making you gasp for air. The feeling of being penetrated was taking over your mind body and soul. He started to lick your clit as he waved his fingers in a come-hither motion. Frequently looking up at you to make sure you were enjoying yourself. 

“Yes.” You felt your body saying. 

“Oh god yes.” You whispered. 

Josh took this as his queue to finger you harder flicking his tongue on your engorged clit vigorously, with just enough pressure to make you start to feel the point of no return. Josh put his head down and focused on making you cum. Even his cunnilingus was passionate. The licking was taking it’s toll on you. Your clitoris was pulsating patiently in anticipation, you on the other hand begged Josh to go harder. You started to feel the pleasure climaxing into the biggest orgasm you had ever had. Your mind exploded into bright colors of fuchsia, blue, and yellow. Your back was arched as your legs shook on their own volition. Josh knew to keep going with his fingers, and his tongue until you couldn’t anymore. 

“Okay.” You gasped. “Okay.” You smiled approvingly. He began to pull his fingers out of you. A few more leg shakes, and a moan later he crawled up next to you and cuddled you. He, the big spoon. You the small. You both panted in silence and enjoyed the remainder of the tingles. 

You both must have fallen asleep because the next thing you remember is waking up under a white feather comforter in the brightness of the morning, next to a rosy cheeked angel, naked and breathing to the sound of the beach outside. You got closer and cuddled into him. He received you in his arms, and you let yourself go back to sleep. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

How you met Josh Kiszka

CHAPTER 2

Summary: More edging in this second part of how you and Josh started dating. You go on a dinner date, and Josh tells you how he feels about you. Then ya’ll MFs make out.

~~~

It had been weeks since you’d seen or heard from Josh. You were clinging onto the memories of his Rusty Pete’s performance, and how he glanced at you during “You’re the One” multiple times. You were aware of how busy all the boys were as they were getting ready to begin a new record, but you also worried he had moved on. 

Today you and Beverly were going to the farmers market. As you drove up to Beverly’s house, you spotted her standing at the edge of the sidewalk wearing a yellow off-the-shoulder long sleeve top and bell bottom jeans. The yellow made her red hair go from copper to candy apple. You could tell she was having an argument over the phone based on the quick hand gestures and dramatic hair flips. You pulled up right next to her and unlocked the door. 

“Whatever. Bye!” She shouted at the phone. 

“Hi y/n, it was my ex.” She admitted as she buckled her seat belt. 

“When are you going to block his number?” You asked for the millionth time. 

“I’m blocking him right now.” She lied as she looked through her instagram feed. 

Without looking up from her phone she said, “Did you text Josh?” 

You sighed and hit the gas. 

“How bout a ‘How are you’ before you start interrogating me.” 

Beverly laughed and rolled her eyes at you. 

“No. He’ll text me when he’s not busy.” You shrugged as you tried to convince yourself along with Beverly. 

“Well I bet he’s waiting on you to talk first. He seems like the type.”

“What does that even mean? All I’m saying is I don’t need to rush anything. AND I’m an independent woman who doesn’t need a man.” you declared. 

You arrived at the farmers market, ready to buy a ridiculous amount of hummus. You and Beverly secured your tote bags on your shoulder and linked arms and headed towards the entrance. It wasn’t until you both sat down at a café nearby that you noticed you had an unread message. 

“Girl.”, You said as you put your sun glasses on top of your head to see better. 

“What. WHAT!” Beverly shrieked. 

“It’s Josh. He sent me an audio message.” You blurted out. You played it on speaker as Beverly leaned her ear down toward the phone. The timer began to count down and you tried to keep calm. 

“Hey!” You heard Josh’s voice leap out of the speaker. “It’s me. Josh. I’ve been super busy with this new record. I wanted to check in and see if you wanted to go get dinner. I’ll be in town on Monday. Let me know!” 

You looked up at Beverly who looked at you bug-eyed but said nothing. 

You replayed the message just to make sure you heard it all correctly. 

“That’s in two days.” You said as you started to stress about what to respond. 

“You were right! He was just busy! Oh my god what are you gonna wear?!” 

“Hold on! I don’t even know what to say to him!” 

“Okay say yes!” 

“Yes but what do I say!” 

It wasn’t unusual to find yourself in screaming matches with Beverly whenever something exciting happened.

“Hey, I understand.” You wrote back. “Yes I’m free Monday after work. Does 7 PM work for you?” 

“7 PM at Dubois. See you then :)” He replied. 

~~~

Your cell phone lit up your face and read: ‘7:00 PM” as you waited outside the restaurant. You put your phone in your clutch and looked around. Moments later you heard the tip tapping of someone running. It was Josh. Out of the street corner you could see his apologetic smile coming right at you. He was wearing tight denim black pants and boots, with an olive green tunic blouse that was a tad loose on him. It was loose enough that you could see his right nipple starting to peak out as he moved. His curls were bouncing to the rhythm of his stride as he slowed down and arrived at your feet. He hugged you right away. He smelled so good.

“Sorry I’m late. Traffic was a bitch.” You heard muffled through his chest as he hugged you tighter.  

“You look beautiful.” He said as he pulled away to get a good look at you. 

“Thanks.” You said. “I’m starving!” 

~~~

For the first 15 minutes you caught him up on all the drama in town, and work. He was a great listener, asking questions and making a joke where ever he could fit one. He also updated you on drama at the studio, and all the new songs that were coming together to build the new record. His eyes lit up as he described the concept they all had in mind and how it’s turned into something much bigger and better than they could have ever expected. He paused to get your feedback, and was astonishingly good at balancing immersive story telling, and fucking you with his eyes. 

The food arrived, and so did two more glasses of wine. 

“I’m so glad you were able to have dinner tonight.” He said with a side smile. 

“I actually wanted to see you much sooner.” He continued. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you came to see us preform. The boys like you too. I’m pretty sure Danny has a thing for Beverly.” He chuckled. 

“No way!” You said laughing. “Beverly has a crush on Danny because she said he gets her sense of humor.” You tried to gloss over what he said about you. 

“That’s how I feel about you.” He said timidly. 

You felt blood rush to your face. Your stomach flipped. Your palms started sweating. 

He seemed embarrassed waiting for your response. It only made you want him more. 

“I don’t know how much time I can offer you.” He tried to cover up the silence, “I’m on tour all the time or in the studio. I just want you to know I want to keep getting to know you.” He concluded. You couldn’t tell if he was blushing or just tipsy. 

“I feel the same way about you. I’m sorry I’m not very good with words. I like spending time with you.” You smiled at him big so as to reassure him. 

You finished eating and drinking. Josh leaned back into his chair and said, “Please excuse me madam. My belly is about to bust out of these pants.” He unbuttoned his pants under his tunic. He sighed in relief and laughed at himself. You leaned back and stuck your belly out in the black mini dress you chose for the night. “I know the feeling.” You said sighing in relief as well. You both laughed and finally decided to head out. Josh walked you to your car laughing and teasing you the whole way. You teased him back and stopped at the drivers door and turned around to face him. 

“I have some days off coming up. We should go on an adventure.” He said as he leaned in for a hug. You looked up at his face, smiling, and closed your eyes in anticipation. He gave you a soft kiss on the lips and wished you a safe drive home. You weren’t sure if you should’ve pulled him back in for more, and in the indecision he said “Ok Bye” and walked away. You unlocked your car as you listened to his foot steps walking away from you. You stopped your hand from opening the door and heard yourself say, “Wait!” 

Josh turned to look at you, surprised. 

You ran up to him, and he readily embraced you. You felt your lips being drawn to his lips like a magnet. You held his face in your hands as you passionately showed him how you felt about him. His hands reached down and cupped your butt and pulled you up to him kissing you harder. 

“Thank God you stopped me from leaving like that..” He said between kisses. 

“I don’t usually move this fast, but I need something to think about while you’re busy working.” You responded and continued the passionate kiss for several minutes. 

The intensity diminished slowly. Your lips were in sync from beginning to end. You opened your eyes surprised you were still in the middle of a parking lot. 

“Okay so goodnight.” You said and bit the corner of your lip. 

“Okay goodnight.” He said with a smile that almost made you squint from how bright it was. 

You turned around, got in your car, and drove home, all the while replaying his lips on yours, his wandering hands. The butt grab. It was more than enough to keep you occupied until your next encounter. 

[civilgroupie-gvf]

How you met Josh Kiszka

CHAPTER 1

Summary: You bump into Josh at a coffee shop and later find out he’s in a band. He invites you to a gig at a local venue. And the rest well :)

Morning coffee was nothing out of the ordinary for you. Especially on a Saturday morning after sleeping in. However today was not going to be ordinary. You knew the moment you opened your front door and smelled the cool air. It smelled like a mixed fragrance of the end of summer and beginning of fall. There was a magic to the crisp and freshly showered feeling of leaving the house today, and you were intrigued by what it could possibly mean.

You arrived at Donna’s Corner at quarter to 9. Taking in the sweetness of the shop, and examining the pastries behind the glass, you contemplated whether you were hungry yet or not. A jingle redirects your attention to another patron. A curly haired boy, soft in his expression but brisk in his movements.

“Hey! uh How’s it going Tiff? Listen, I’m late...” His voice trailed as he noticed you standing there. You felt stiff but smiled not knowing what he was looking at. “Sorry. I’m late to the studio again.” He continued to the teenage barista, Tiffany.

“The usual?” Tiffany said without any reaction. “Yeah” he said simply as he pulled out his wallet. He waited silently for one chai, a hot tea, and two americanos. No other words or looks were exchanged that day, but there was electricity in that room. You still remember the morning sunlight shining through his brown fair curls as he waited for his drinks.

The next time you saw Josh was at the county fair. You had almost puked after getting out of the Gravitron when your best friend, Beverly, tugged on your sleeve toward the stage area.

"That sounds like Rock N Roll!” Beverly shouted.

You were captivated by the mix of  the organ, and what could only be described as angelic vocal melodies.

A tree of life in rain and sun / To reach the Sky, it’s just begun

To this day, Age of Man is your favorite Greta Van Fleet song.

It took a few minutes for you to accept that the lead singer was that boy. The boy from the coffee shop. You, and Beverly enjoyed the rest of their set, mesmerized by their poise and energy. You watched as Josh interacted with the audience, belting out lyrics and baptizing you all with runs and melodies that made your heart melt. You made note of the other boys as well. All very good looking, and it was apparent they were  very serious about their music. The audience loved them. Especially the girls in the front row that seemed to be wearing hand painted T shirts that said things like  “I’m a Jake girl” or “Danny, please spit in my mouth”.

By the end of the set everyone was sweating from the sheer amount of energy and that amount of rock n roll in one sitting. You wondered if you’d ever bump into Josh again.

That winter you were at the only record shop in the 100 mile radius, shopping for a birthday gift for Beverly. You knew her favorite band was Fleetwood Mac, so you B lined straight to the Rock section. flipping though and scanning all the labels until you finally spotted it. You pushed the label back and revealed their section to be empty.

“Sorry I took the last one.”

You heard from behind you.

You turned, and much to your surprise you were standing there. Face to Face with Josh again. There was a hint of Patchouli in the breeze that seemed to originate from his chest.

“Oh!” you laughed noticing he was holding the record “Rumors” by Fleetwood Mac.

“I let my brother borrow it and his dog chewed it up.” he sighed. “I can’t live without this record.” He said sincerely but also grinning at his own hyperbole.

“That’s fine.” you chuckled. “I was trying to find The White Album because my best friend Beverly doesn’t have it yet.”

“Well that works because I wasn’t about to give it up!” He chirped playfully.

You shared a giggle, and in order to avoid an awkward silence you said the first thing you could think of.

“I think I saw you preforming at the County Fair.” You said matter-o-factly.

“Oh you saw the band!” He said excited. “I play with my two brothers and my little brother’s friend. It’s fun.”

“Yeah you guys rocked.” You said, immediately blushing as you overthought your choice of “rocked” as a word.

“Thanks.” He smiled. You noticed a slight gap between his two front teeth. You were still thrown aback by how handsome he was, and how close he was getting to you as you talked.

“Aren’t you the girl I saw at Donna’s Corner that one time?”

You froze in embarrassment. You didn’t think he would remember you.

“Oh probably. I love that place. I go every Saturday morning.” You let out.

“It’s wild how we keep bumping into each other.” He observed.

“Do you have any other gigs planned?” You asked trying to hide your blushing.

“Yes!” He almost jumped out of his clothes.

“Have you heard of Rusty Pete’s downtown?”

“Yeah I think so...” You said trying to remember if you had or not.

“We’re playing for a couple hours on Sunday. My mom’s friend owns it and she arranged to have us play on Sunday for exposure.”

“That’s really cool! That’s the day after Beverly’s birthday party.” You said.

“Do you want to come? You can meet us in the back before we go on.” He said.

You were stunned by the invitation. So stunned you forgot he was expecting an answer.

“That sounds fun.” You said trying to be cool about it. “I have to see how I’m feeling after that party.” You laughed.

“Yeah for sure. Here let me give you my number.” He said.

You exchanged numbers and final looks before hugging goodbye.

“What. The. Fuck.” You said under your breath in disbelief at what had just occurred.

Beverly’s birthday party was as you had expected. Full of weed and alcohol. You crawled into bed around 4 AM and passed out until the evening. You peeled your face from your pillow case squinting at the daylight while you looked for your phone.

“How is it already 4 PM?” You groaned mostly at yourself.

“Shh. The rooms spinning.” Beverly said quietly from under the covers.

The ding from a Text jolted you awake, and further escalated as you realized it was Josh confirming that you’d be at his show at 6 PM for curtain call at 7:30.

“Hey y/n, I’m excited to see you later. We’ll be warming up around 6 and hanging out. Bring Beverly.” Read the message.

“Bev. I forgot to tell you I bumped into the guy from the county fair band at the record shop, and he invited us to a show in downtown today.”

“WHAT?!” Beverly leaped out of bed. “How could you forget something like that!”

“You don’t have to come I know its last-” You tried to say but Beverly cut you off.

“Oh I’m 100% going, bitch are you kidding me?! Did you see how hot those guys were.” Moments ago Beverly was the color of a rotten zombie hiding under the covers from a hangover. Now she glowed, and rummaged inside her closet looking for the perfect outfit for tonight.

“We have two hours to get ready.” You and Beverly moved over to your place so you could shower and put on a fresh outfit.

It was 5:45 as you hopped out into the living room on one foot, trying to slip into your chelsea boot with the opposite foot. “Shit” You said out loud as you realized you were going to be late.

“Hey, We’re running a bit late. We’re on the way though!” You texted cheerfully.

The three dots popped swiftly after.

“No rush :)” he texted back.

When you arrived you felt the sudden panic of what was about to unfold, that you had managed to ignore as you focused on getting to Rusty Pete’s as fast as possible.

You could feel your palms starting to sweat and your chest tighten. But you took a deep breath and reminded yourself that you are that bitch and winked at yourself in the mirror.

As you made your way from the street to the back alley, Beverly was going on about her ex and how he texted her ‘Happy Birthday’ last night. You tried to stay focused on her story but couldn’t help your eyes lazering to every corner in search of a very specific person.

Finally you heard a familiar voice. There was laughing from everyone as they watched Jake and Josh banter about the setlist.

“Safari song should be first. Obviously!” said Jake. “You just dsagree to annoy me Josh.”

“Jakey I would never!” Josh feigned shock.

And then he looked at you.

“Y/N! Guys these are my friends.” Josh announced to the rest of the band as he waved you closer and introduced the both of you.

Jake had a quiet confidence that could bring anyone to their knees. He smiled and shook your hand.

Sam was next, but he was busy trying to catch Peanut M&Ms with his mouth, for several seconds, before he realized Josh was talking to him.

“Oh Shii- Hi sorry!” He laughed and shook your hand. You were amazed by his joyful expression, and realized just how hot they all were.

“This is Danny” Josh led you towards an olive skinned tall boy with dark, long, thick, hair. He was shirtless showing a happy trail that sneaked into black denim jeans.

“Put some fucking clothes on.” Josh joked as he pulled you closer with his hand on the small of your back.

“Hi” Danny said smiling. “Blink twice if you want me to take care of this guy for ya.” He said with a deadpan expression.

You giggled.

“Hey it’s early enough to show you the venue while it’s empty.” Josh offered checking in with your eyes once again.

“Okay” You smiled and started towards the back door.

“OK byeee bitch” You heard Beverly shout at you as she teased you from beside Danny.

You flipped her off quickly as you followed behind Josh into the dark of the venue.

Once inside you felt yourself get goosebumps at the freezing airconditioned room with entirely too much open space. The emptiness of the room made you lean towards Josh’s warmth as his voice trailed off into different directions.

“So yeah this is it.” He flashed his tooth gap at you.

“Pretty cool!” You said looking around at all the old wooden art and neon signs. Above you sat a huge red neon sign that advertised a local beer brewery called “Ann Arbor Harbor”

“I like the vibe in here.” You added looking up at Josh’s eyes who was staring at your lips. He met your eyes and held his gaze.

You held your gaze back.

He leaned closer and asked, “Can I kiss you?” into your ear. His whisper tickled the side of your neck. His face glowing in a romantic red from the neon sign. The red light helped reveal the desire in his eyes as you nodded and whispered, “Yes.”

He wrapped himself around your body so softly, you felt like you were floating. His lips were soft and moved slowly but with a lot of intention. You let your tongue curl up into Josh’s mouth which led to him sucking it softly. increasing in speed and intensity, his hands gripped at your waist as you inhaled his scent and continued the passionate kiss as you saw stars, and ran your fingers up the back of his head and gripped his hair. The kiss could've lasted a second or an hour. Time stopped existing the moment his lips closed in on yours. His hands moving up as he slowed the kiss down and held your face with both hands. He pecked you a couple times before finally emerging from your kiss to smile at you.

You smiled back and wondered if the thumping was your heartbeat or his.

“Come on lets join them outside.” He held out his hand for you.

“Lets go.” You said  accepting his hand and letting him lead the way.