Meet You in the Stars

I was pulled from sleep by the bed shifting and lips against my cheek. I shrieked and threw myself off the bed, crawling backwards until my back hit a wall. This couldn’t be happening, he couldn’t be here.

“Are you okay?” Jimmy asked, peeking over the edge of the bed. I sighed in relief, memories of last night coming back to me.

I laughed awkwardly. “I must have have been having a bad dream or something.”

Jimmy seemed to accept that and he fell back onto the bed. I got up off the floor and slid under the covers again.

“Last night was the best sleep I’ve gotten in a long time. All because of you lying next to me,” Jimmy said. He reached out and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. I held my breath, reminding myself that he wasn’t going to hurt me.

“I need coffee,” I muttered, stifling a yawn. Jimmy ecstatically agreed and shot out of bed and down the stairs. I shook my head, not able to manage a laugh. I knew I really needed to get my shit together before he started asking more questions.

After making my way into the bathroom, I used my finger as a makeshift toothbrush then combed my hair with a comb I’d found lying on the counter. I wasn’t really satisfied with my appearance, but it was the best I could do right now. I padded down the stairs and found jimmy sitting in a chair on his balcony, facing the ocean.

I grabbed a mug and filled it with coffee before joining him on the balcony. He looked up and gave me a small smile as I sank into the chair next to him.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked.

“Actually, I did. Better than I have in a while.” I was happy to actually be able to answer honestly. I had felt safe last night and that resulted in a dreamless sleep.

“Until the nightmare,” Jimmy pointed out.

I nodded and brought the coffee mug up to my lips, hoping he’d move on to another subject. I didn’t want to have to outright lie to him. We fell into a comfortable silence, both of us soaking in the beautiful view. At least I was, this was Jimmy got to see every day.

“Avery, can I ask you something?” He was fiddling with a string on his shirt, not meeting my eyes.

“Sure, Jimmy.”

“The burn scars. What happened?” I sighed in response and put my mug down on the glass table. I didn’t want to get into this, but I knew I couldn’t just brush this off.

“My ex was abusive. Please don’t make me go into any more detail than that.” He had a pained expression on his face, I’d made him uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered.

“You don’t have to be, none of it is your fault,” I said, reaching over to squeeze his hand gently.

“I know. Hey what do you think about meeting the rest of the guys today?” I was grateful for the subject change.

“I would love that. Is Syn really as much of a cocky bastard as he looks?”

“Worse and yes Johnny really is that short.”

“Well he’s probably not short compared to me,” I mused as we walked back into the kitchen to put our mugs in the sink.

Jimmy was going to take me back home and wait while I showered and got ready for the day.

“It’s not the nicest place ever, but it’s home,” I said as I let Jimmy into the apartment.

“It looks cozy,” Jimmy said.

“That’s what people say when they don’t like it,” I pointed out. Jimmy plopped his tall frame down on my couch while I hurried into my room to grab clothes then hop in the shower quickly. I was completely finished with new clothes, blow dried hair, and makeup in fifteen minutes. A new personal record. I finished up by pulling on my red chuck taylors and grabbing my wallet with wrist strap.

“That was fast,” Jimmy said when I entered the living room again. He was leaned back with his hands laced behind his head, watching something on tv. He flipped it off then got to his feet.

“Ready?” he asked and I nodded even though I was feeling nervous to meet everyone. I was a huge fan and hoped I didn’t embarrass myself.

“You won’t be embarrassed if I accidentally go into full fangirl mode, will you?” Jimmy threw his head back and laughed like I was joking. I wasn’t.

“You’ve been fine with me, they’re no different.”

He turned the dial to raise the volume on the radio and started singing along. I smiled, relishing in the fact that I was here listening to him sing in person. It was surreal.

Familiar music suddenly poured through the speakers and I looked over, grinning at Jimmy.

“I feel insane every single time I’m asked to compromise!” He sang loudly, trying his best to imitate Matt’s voice. He was drumming on the steering wheel.

Time passed quickly and all too soon he was pulling off the road and into a driveway. He parked behind another car and looked over at me. “Are you ready to meet these crazy fuckers?”

Notes