Jack opened the bathroom door, shaking a towel over his messy hair with one hand, and fixing the pockets of his tight jeans with the other. It was a little past six o'clock. All Time Low had finished their set over an hour ago. Jack was the last one to step into the shower and freshen up. He pulled the towel away from his head and tossed it in a basket by the bunks. In the living room area, he could hear conversation about the entire band going to the bonfire tonight, and a lot of rambling from Rian talking about how seeing Cassadee must hav been fate. He sighed and stepped back in the bathroom, deciding to at least brush his hair so he didn't look as much of a mess as he felt.

Bangs fell into his eyes, but with a shrug, Jack decided that he'd done enough. He didn't know for sure what time Alexa's set would be over, however getting there early was better than missing her entirely. It was moments like this he wished he was more comfortable giving out his phone number. Flipping the light off in the bathroom, Jack stepped back into the tiny hallway leading into the living room. Soft voices were coming from behind the cracked door, and he had to keep reminding himself that the entire band wouldn't hide anything from him because it was the only way to make himself feel better about their hushed voices. Shaking the thought from his head, Jack stepped over to his bunk and pulled down his cell phone and wallet, shoving both of them into his tight pockets. He was as ready as he'd ever be to hear the news.

His feet softly fell into the kitchen area, but before he could make a break for the door, he saw Alex munching on a bag of chips. The older boy smiled at him and wiped his fingers off on the seat. Alex sat the bag down on the table and stood up quickly, skipping over to his boyfriend to plant a kiss on his cheek. Jack tried his hardest to act happy about Alex's actions, but the pang of fear was still in his stomach.

"Where are you off to so early? The fire doesn't start for another few hours."

"I know that," Jack shrugged, reminding himself to act natural. "I'm going to meet a friend."

"It's not that Alexa girl, is it? She seems really odd to me. Maybe you shouldn't be friends with her."

"Well, ya know, I'm not too fond of Elana myself. Doesn't seem to be stopping you any."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I just have to go, okay? I'll see you in a few hours. Maybe if you get drunk enough you'll want to cuddle by the fire."

"Jack...."

But before Alex could finish what he had to say, Jack was closing the bus door behind him. If Alex was so uneasy about him visiting with Alexa, he could only imagine the excuses and lies he would feed him to make her look like the bad guy. The younger boy already had too much on his plate, and he felt bad enough about not trusting what Alex had told him and snooping around behind his back. He had always swore that his love and trust were given to Alex, now he could only hope Alex wasn't giving them back.

He pushed his way through the crowd, going in the same direction as the traffic since most of them were leaving. The sun was starting to sink against the large parking lot and trash was scattering in the wind. Jack pushed his hair back from his face and sighed, seeing the gate come into view. He slipped through the crowd, hiding his face as he stood where all the groups were exiting.

It only took about ten minutes for the crowd to fade away, leaving only a few people standing by, watching the bands come out of hiding or getting some last minute merch. Turning his attention away from those few loners, Jack noticed a small girl coming his way, and through the hood on her head, he could see Alexa's face. He awkwardly smiled at her, trying his hardest to mask the fear in his eyes.

"Hey," Alexa breathed, pulling the hood away from her head. "I almost thought you wouldn't show up."

"Well, I have to admit, I'm afraid of what you have to tell me."

The small girl frowned, pulling on the sleeves of her hoodie. She nodded her head to herself and looked up at Jack with sad eyes, making his heart break. Alexa knew she wasn't supposed to know any of Jack's secrets, but his best friend had gotten drunk with her best friends, and words were tossed around that probably shouldn't have been.

"I know about you and Alex."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. For just a moment, he was hopeful, hopeful that Alex had let it slip because he missed his boyfriend and wanted it to become a public relationship again, but the energy coming from the short girl in front of him said the story entirely different. The hope drained from his body, leaving Jack with nothing but a sigh.

"Who told you?"

"Elana. He let it slip the night they were drinking together. If it means anything at all, Jack, I support you guys. I don't think you should feel pressured to hide your love for one another."

"It's not even like that," Jack smiled through his pain. "Alex thinks that if he acts single for a while it'll draw in more fans... But I think all it really means is, he likes the attention he's been getting and doesn't want it to end. He was like that in High School, too. A ladies man. It was hard enough to tame him back then, I really don't know if I can do it again."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Yeah," Jack shrugged. "So what is it you need to tell me?"

Alexa paused, taking a moment to consider her options. She had come here tonight with the intentions of telling Jack something that he was never supposed to know, but having heard about the complications of Jack's past when it came to Alex, she found herself feeling conflicted. She knew it had to be hard, being two young men trying to be in love in a world that frowned upon their relationship, so perhaps the things she knew about Alexander Gaskarth had just been a result of fear. Perhaps it would be easier on Jack if she just kept her nose out of it. But there was something about Jack that made her feel sorry for him, something that kept pulling her in when she knew she should create a distance between them. Alexa felt as if she had known him her whole life, which made her feel far more protective over him than she should. This was his life, not her own, and he could put his trust and faith into who ever he wanted to. Her only job now, as a new friend, was to be there when he needed a shoulder to cry on.

"I, uh, I just-" The battle with herself had come to a close. She knew what she had to do. "I honestly thought you and Alex were just scared to let everyone know you were together, I'm so sorry to have worried you. I guess I just wanted you to know that I knew, and that you guys didn't have to hide it when you were around me, or my friends."

The way she averted her eyes from his own told Jack that she was lying, but the fact that his heart wasn't shattered into pieces made him feel as if he should thank her for protecting him from a cruel truth. A loud sigh of relief came from his lips as he pulled the small brunette into his arms, hugging her as tightly as he could without hurting her. For the first time since he'd told his bandmates about his love for Alex, Jack Barakat felt accepted. There was something special about the small girl in his arms, and he knew she'd be the type of person he'd want to keep in his life until he grew old.

"So if everything okay between the two of you now?"

"It will be now, thanks to you," Jack released the small girl from his grip and pulled out his cell phone. He pulled up the contacts screen and handed his phone to Alexa. "Put your number in. That way we can keep up with each other's set and hang out in between."

Alexa smiled faintly, typing her number into her phone. Finally, the unspoken bond between the two had been recognized. When she finished typing in her number, she handed the phone back to Jack and stood up high enough to kiss his cheek.

"Now go get your man!"

Jack nodded, shoving the phone in his pocket so that, when he took off running, it wouldn't fall out. He moved as quickly as his long legs would allow him, dodging people around every corner. He didn't know exactly why he was in such a hurry to get to Alex. Deep down, he knew there was still a dark secret floating around, but Alexa's words had simply reminded him that he needed to push Elana's text message from his mind and trust his boyfriend. And if by chance something had happened with Elana, Alex hadn't told him because he wanted to spare Jack pain from hearing about a mistake that would never, ever happen again.

The lanky boy burst through the door of the tour bus, not even caring that half the crew and his friends were lingering around the kitchen, having a good laugh and making food. He ignored the sounds of everyone shouting his name and went straight to the back of the bus, where he found his boyfriend pulling a hoodie over his perfect head in the living area. Jack waited until Alex adjusted the sleeves, and with no warning, he ran to his boyfriend. Their lips collided, leaving both of them breathless and lustful.

"Jack-"
"Don't," Jack whispered, resting his forehead on Alex's. "You're mine and I'm never letting you go. Nothing else matters so long as you feel the same way."

"I- I do," Alex whispered in return, using his thumb to lift Jack's chin and plant a soft kiss on his swollen lips. "I'm sorry for making you doubt that, again."

"Let's stay in tonight, Al. I've never wanted you more than I want you right now."

Alex hesitated, but nodded. He let go of his boyfriend long enough to close the door. The moment the lock clicked, their hands were exploring each other's bodies the same why they'd done when they were sixteen and just beginning the journey into sex together. It was romantic and intoxicating, leaving Jack Barakat weak in the knees. He was certain that, in this moment, life was perfect.

It's such a shame that Jack failed to remember that these moments never last for very long.

Notes

This chapter didn't turn out anything like I wanted it to, but I didn't realize it'd been so long since I updated!
I'm sooo sorry you guys! I just haven't been able to write the way I want to for a while. Hopefully that will come to an end soon.
Mucho love! <3.