𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐑𝐎𝐀𝐃𝐒, b.

[̲̅s][̲̅e][̲̅v][̲̅e][̲̅n] - you? an alessia cara fan?

my eyelids flutter open, and i sigh softly to myself, dreading another day of this. the only thing i'm looking forward to is the motel we're gonna sleep in tonight.

i slowly remove myself from jahseh's hold, surprised that he doesn't wake up and snatch me back up in his arms again.

i get up and quietly walk over to my duffle bag, pulling out my toothbrush and toothpaste, as well as a bottle of water. i slide open the car door, and sit criss cross near the edge. i proceed with brushing my teeth, spitting some of the toothpaste out, and going back in a second time.

i pour some of the water from the waterbottle in my mouth and swish it around, then spitting it around. i pick the waterbottle up and screw the top on, but a sudden bump on the train throws me off guard. i lose my balance and my body tilts heavily towards the edge-

but a tight grip on my shirt pulls me back from the edge, and the racing in my heart is enough to drive me insane, and the thought of my just-now near death experience made my life flash before my eyes. i turn my head to see jahseh, standing at his full height, staring at me with an expression that's a mix of annoyed and worried.

"next time you're going to do something like that, let me know so that i can hold you, because your dumbass almost fell outta the train." he says, his face now fully filled with worry and frustration, as he rolls his eyes. "sorry." i mumble.

"i don't want your apology." he says, walking over to his back and grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste.

"now hold me."

once jahseh's done brushing his teeth, i pull a pair of sweats on and take off my hoodie, pulling on a t-shirt. it's hot as fuck today.

i dig around in my duffle bag and pull out a huge bag of takis, opening the bottle and moaning at the smell. jahseh cuts his eyes to me, shaking his head lightly. "don't do that." he says. i choke on my spit, realizing he's talking about me moaning just now. "sorry."

"stop apologizing." he groans in frustration. i disregard his statement and pull three takis out of the bag, putting them in my mouth.

"do you usually stuff your mouth like that?" jahseh asks boredly. "do you usually run your mouth like that?" i fire back. "i'll stuff something else in your mouth, keep playing." he mumbles. i laugh and quirk and eyebrow. "what was that?"

"you heard what i said." he replies sharply. "mhm." i respond, nodding my head and continuing to stuff more takis in my mouth, and i've barely even chewed up the first three yet.

after a few more takis, i roll the bag back up and stick it in my duffle bag, then lay down on the floor with my legs folded. jahseh does the same thing, his body a bit close to mine.

i absentmindedly begin to hum the tune to "not today" by alessia cara, not even thinking about the lyrics in my head, but just humming the melody.

"oh you don't know, what the sadness means," jahseh sings out loud, surprising me, as he's in tune with my humming, and the fact that he knows the words catches me off guard.

"'till you're too sad to fall asleep," he continues, not missing a beat.

"one day i'll be snoozing peacefully," i join in singing with jahseh, and the harmony of our voices is probably one of the most beautiful thing i've ever heard.

"but surely not today, surely not today." we finish together, letting our voices die out with the last note. "you have a great voice." jahseh says. "so do you." i reciprocate the compliment. i turn my head to look at him, quirking an eyebrow. "you? an alessia cara fan?"

jahseh scoffs playfully, laughing a bit after. "well, not really. i just heard the song, and i thought the vocals were nice. lyrics are relatable too, that's all." he says. "you should sing more often."