Destined To Explode

Four hours. Well, almost five, especially if you included the time that it took to board and get my duffel bag which I apparently had to check because it was too big to be put in one of the overhead storage.

It may have been an idea to tell Matt that I was turning up today, because finding a cab at LAX just after midday, is hectic and scary at the same time, because I did not want to get in one that was going to try and make a dick out of me because it was more than obvious that I wasn’t from the West Coast.

Thankfully it only takes twenty or so minutes to get to the hotel where everyone is staying on this short break in the tour, and just as I’m paying the driver, a whole group of them are just crossing back over from the beach, Travis being the one who spots me before he completely freaks out.

“Popsicle!” He yells followed by an extremely loud squeal, far too high pitched for it to come from a man, but hell, it does, and then he’s doing his manic laugh as he bounds on over with everyone else following in their own speed walk. “What are you doing here?!”

“I’m back.” I laugh as he continues bouncing up and down. “Christ, stop jumping and give me a hug, boy!”

There’s another yell before he’s squeezing me and everyone else seems to gather round as well, and everyone is going on about how I wasn’t supposed to be back before the weekend, and Alex was going to flip, and someone was going to call Matt and tell him that I was here.

“Whoa, whoa, if you’re all here, then where are the rest of you?”

It’s Cass who answers with a smirk. “Well, Alex is chilling by the pool on the roof, if that’s what you mean.”

I give a swift, but gentle punch to her arm before we’re hugging again, as everyone else laughs. “Seriously though, where’s my cousin and Zack, and where is Dan Dan?”

“They’ll probably be up there too, come on.”

“Do you think that I can change into my swimming stuff first? I’m not dressed for California at all.” I huff, looking down at my skinny jeans and hoodie combo – something that seemed perfect in the still chilly Maryland weather.

“You wanna put your shit in Alex’s room? I can go and get Jack’s room key and then he can come down here and freak out instead of falling on his ass by the pool.”

“We can get everyone else to come down and leave Alex to keep on moping and then we can all go back up and pretend like nothing’s changed!” Travis claps his hands before he’s running off with Vinny, who looks less than happy that he’s being dragged off by the hyper singer.

* * * *

Jack pretty much tackles me when he turns the corner and sees me stood outside of his and Alex’s room. Danny, Zack, Drew, Lipshaw and Evan all tagging along, confused looks on all their faces before they see me standing there with Jack attacked.

“Well, welcome back Bambi.” Zack shuffles on over as I’m pressed into another group hug. “Are you going up to see Alex at all or are you just going to wait in his room?”

“What? Are you expecting me to wait on his bed like some sort of creeper?”

“Well-“

I hit Jack in the stomach as he lets us all into the suite. “Do you not think that Alex is getting suspicious that you’ve all just disappeared so suddenly?”

“We said that we were switching to the beach and he said that he was staying there, so we’re clear for now.”

Everyone takes a seat where they can find one and we talk for a little while before the majority of them actually go to the beach or out to get some lunch and I change in the bathroom while Cass and Rian wait for me so that we can go up to the rooftop pool together.

Once we’re actually up there, I spot Alex reclined in the sun chair, sunglasses over his eyes, his foot tapping along to the music that was being played and the other couple wink at me as they go to take two chairs near him while I walk up and stand in front of the boy, blocking the sun and causing a shadow.

It takes him a few moments before he gets frustrated and he lifts his glasses off of his face, his eyes going wide as I stand there with my smirk in place, hands placed on my hips as I wait for the reaction that I know is coming.

“Poppy?!”

We’re both laughing as he pretty much falls out of the chair to get up and then he’s lifting me up off the floor instead of just hugging me like I had thought, Rian and Cass are both clapping and ‘whooping’ and drawing even more unwanted attention to the little scene that’s playing out and I’m still giggling as my feet touch back onto the tiles and Alex meshes his lips with mine.

“PDA!” Rian yells with a hearty laugh and I pull away from Alex with a blush, sending a glare in Rian’s direction before I bury my head into Alex’s bare shoulder.

Alex chuckles himself as his arms wrap around the top of my back while I let mine tangle themselves around his middle, enjoying the simple hug as he hums into my ear before he speaks. “What are you even doing here?”

“I’m back, for good.” I smile into his neck, letting him squeeze me just that little bit tighter. “I got the thumbs up from the Doctor and so I jumped straight onto a plane.”

“Holy shit, I’ve missed you.”

I nod as we carry on standing and then he’s unwrapping me, smiling at the pout I shoot at him before he tangles his fingers with mine, our palms pressed together tightly as he squeezes. “Can we go back to my room?”

I smirk at him, one eyebrow raised, leaning up onto my tiptoes until I can speak quietly into his ear. “I can’t have sex for another two weeks, babe.”

He shakes his head with a shy smile, one that he hardly ever shows. “I just want to catch up, be with you, without dozens of people watching.”

We both wave at Rian and Cassadee as we leave, Cass taking it upon herself to cat call and wolf whistle at us as we leave, the blush that had barely left my cheeks returning with only more heat as Alex tugs me so that we’re glued to each other’s sides, his lips pressing to the top of my head as we trail through the many corridors of the hotel, both of us unsurprisingly happy to be back with the other.

Notes