You're the One - Part 1 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 9: Missed Opportunity

I turned to look back up at him. He was already staring at me. My face was burning despite shaking from the cold. He smiled at me.

"Here.." He said, getting up and offering me his hand. "We can head back. You're cold." I shook my head, not wanting the moment to end.
"I'm fine." I said. He laughed, shaking his head. I sighed and grabbed his hand. When he helped me up, he pulled me closer to him, my face now inches from his.

"You are different after a show." I said, smiling up at him. He smiled, rolling his eyes.
"I'm the same guy.. I just.. You're just.. fearless.. after a show like that."
"Well, I like it." He was blushing now, gently pushing the wet hair out of my face.
"... should we head back?" I asked. He smirked.
"Whatever you want."

I wasn't sure what I wanted. There was no denying how he made me feel, but this was all happening way too fast. Of course I liked him, but what I really needed right now on this tour was a friend. And he was the closest thing I had to that right now. I didn't want to do anything to mess that up. But he was so cute...

"Come on, we'll head back. I got something else I wanna show you." He said, intertwining our fingers and leading us toward the bus. I held on tighter, following close behind him. 
"What else could you possibly have to show me?" I asked. He peeked back at me, giving me his sly grin.
"You'll love it, I promise."
"Okay.." I sighed.

As we got to the bus, I stopped him.
"Hey, um.. I.. I don't really think.. Josh wants to see me right now." I said quietly. He nodded.
"Alright, I'll see if he's in yet."
"Thank you." I said, he nodded, and made his way inside. It wasn't long before he popped his head back out and waved me in. He grabbed my hand and quickly pulled me through the bus into the back room. 

"Alright, here you go.." He said, handing me Josh's sweater from the other night. "Get dressed and dried off and I'll meet you back outside." I looked down at the sweater and back to him.
"Wait, is.. is this yours?" I asked. He bit his lip staring back at me. 
"Y-yeah." He said quietly. 
"Why did you tell me it was Josh's?" He was quiet for a bit. 
"Because... I.. I thought.. I mean.. maybe you do.. but.. I.. I don't know. I thought you liked him. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I just... didn't want you to get cold." 

I didn't know what to say. My cheeks burned as I stared back at him. He moved back, awkwardly leaning against the doorway now crossing his arms. 

"Turn around." I eventually said. He did.
I quickly changed out of my wet clothes and pulled his sweater over my head.
"Okay." I said. He turned back and looked down at his sweater and smiled. I smiled back up at him. 
"Now what did you want to show me?" I asked. He gently took my hand and lead me through the bus and back out side.
"You're not scared of heights, right?" He asked. I looked back at him wide-eyed.
"Why?" 

He lead me around the bus where a ladder was attached on the back. I looked up at him confused.
"The roof?" I asked. He nodded and started climbing up. I hesitated, but eventually followed him closely behind. Once he reached the top, he helped me climb up the rest of the way.
"And what is there to do up here?" I asked. He giggled, and carefully led me to the middle of the bus. 
"It's the perfect place.." He said, lying down. "...to stargaze. I know you like to, I saw some of the books you have on stars next to your bed." I couldn't help but stare back at him with a big stupid grin escaping from my lips. I carefully lied down next to him. 
"Alright, so what are we looking at?" He asked, turning to look at me. I looked around the sky. It was absolutely beautiful being out here. There wasn't much light so you could see the stars so clearly. 

"Well for starters, that's the Little Dipper." I said, pointing straight ahead. He nodded.
"And that's pretty much where you want to start. The end of its tail is the North Star, and that helps you find the rest of the constellations if you know where to start."
"You're so smart." He sighed, looking back at me. I giggled, peeking over at him.
"It's just interesting." I said, looking back up at the sky.

I reached over and held his hand, intertwining our fingers. I felt him squeeze mine a little tighter. Looking back at him, I could see he was still holding his gaze on me. I felt my cheeks burn. He propped himself up onto his arm and looked down at me. I continued to stare back, my eyes moving from his down to his lips. He began to lean in when we heard voices from the ground. He sighed, moving away and looking over the edge of the bus. 

"They're back." He said quietly. I sighed, sitting back up.
"That was nice while it lasted." I whispered. He smiled, nodding.
"Yeah.." He sighed. "Maybe next time. We should head back before they drive off without us." He laughed, standing back up. He held out his hand to help me up, making our way back over to the ladder. 

Before we got to the door, I stopped him.
"Jake?" I asked. He turned back.
"Hmm?" He said. 
"I.. um.. t-thank you. For tonight." He smiled.
"Anytime." He turned back to the door, turning the knob.
"Wait." I snapped. He turned back to me again.
"Yeah?"
"...N-nevermind." I sighed. "We.. we should go in." His face dropped a bit, but he gave me a subtle smile before turning the knob and leading us inside.