"Lauren!" An almost silent voice wakes Lauren up from her sleep. She stirs but doesn't fully wake up. "Lo, wake up." The same voice tries again and this time she does wake.
She rolls over where she's lying and stretches her arms above her head and her eyes slowly open. It's pitch black but she can make out Joey's face who's standing outside of the bunks. "Joey, what the fuck?" She groans, annoyed that she's been woken up.
Joey smiles and gently shakes her arm. "I want to show you something." He whispers and bends down to kiss her forehead.
Lauren rubs her eyes. "What's the time?" She asks cautiously.
Joey winces and looks at the clock on the wall. "It's 4am.." He says slowly.
Lauren buries her face in the pillow. "Are you fucking kidding me?! Let me sleep!" She whispers back and closes her eyes. Joey doesn't give up though.
He gently shakes her arm. "Lo please, I want to show you something. Please?" He asks softly.
Lauren lies still for a moment and then turns to face him again. "But it's so cold," She protests.
Joey grins and holds up two travel mugs. "I know; I made you hot chocolate." He nods at her.
A smile finds its way onto her face and she rolls her eyes. "Fine! Can't believe I'm doing this for you." She grumbles and swings her legs out of the bunk.
Joey lifts her down from the bed and places her gently on the ground. It's pitch black and everyone else is asleep. Lauren grabs her jacket before they make it any further and wraps it around herself tightly. The bus obviously isn't moving right now so Joey opens the doors and takes her outside. It's so quiet and peaceful with absolutely no one around. He closes the doors again and takes Lauren's hand, who's standing extremely close to him out of fear.
Joey hands her a travel mug which Lauren holds close to her for warmth. He leads her down the street, making sure she's right next to him the whole time. "Where are we going?" Lauren asks quietly.
Joey smiles at her. "To see the stars." He replies and lets go of her hand so he can wrap an arm around her instead.
"Why were you even awake?" Lauren asks and looks up at him.
Joey shrugs. "I dunno, couldn't sleep I guess." He replies.
A thought suddenly pops into Lauren's mind and she stops walking. "Wait, aren't we going to get in trouble for leaving the bus?" She asks, her tone rushed.
Joey laughs at her and pushes her along the pavement so she carries on walking. "Stop worrying; you do trust me, don't you?"
Lauren smiles and nods. "You know I do."
Joey smiles back and kisses her hand lightly. "Good. Then let's keep going."
They walk for about ten minutes longer, making jokes and laughing with each other. It feels like time has frozen because of how still it is; there are no cars and no sounds, it's just the two of them. Lauren leans further into Joey as they walk up this hill that he's found.
Once they get to the top, Joey sits down on the grass but Lauren is still wary. "It's all wet JoJo," She wines and folds her arms.
Joey rolls his eyes at her and then gestures at his legs. "Come and sit on my lap then, Jesus." He laughs and Lauren grins before flopping down onto his legs.
He wraps his arms around her waist and holds her tightly as Lauren leans her head against his chest. The sky is black but covered in stars.
Lauren sighs softly as she stares at all of them. "Is this what you wanted me to see?" She asks quietly and turns her head to look at him.
