Rekindled- Jake Kiszka

Chapter 37

"No, Sammy you can't look at me. They're candid shots." I groan, moving around in front of the stage where the boys were practicing. It was a small venue but they booked it for the night to get back into playing live. Tour prep was what most of their time was being spent on lately.

The bass player puts his hands up in surrender before going back to playing, the music coming back together when his bass line fills out the sound perfectly. I had been taking their pictures all day, so the frustration was mutual between the boys and me at this point, but we were all working.

Once they finish running through a couple of songs, Josh finally says that they can be done for the day, meaning everyone could part ways to get ready for the night. Of the band, Josh was second in line for the perfectionist throne, directly behind his twin. If they let Jake decide when to stop practicing, they'd all play their way into the grave.

I sit at one of the high-top tables, finishing my water while I wait for Jake to finish getting all of his stuff together. He makes his way over about 10 minutes later, placing his hand on the small of my back as he stands to my side. "Ready to go? We've got a few hours to kill."

I nod, looking up at him with lips puckered, smiling when I feel his lips press against them. When he pulls away I study his smiling face for a few seconds, kissing over his cheek multiple times.

"You wanna go home or find something else to do?"

"I think all the guys are gonna go out and get lunch before going home, does that sound okay?"

I nod quickly and stand up from my seat, grabbing my camera bag from the table. "Absolutely, but you're driving."

-

Once we pull into the restaurant that the guys had chosen, Jake parks, and I look over at him.

"What's up?" He asks, placing his hand back on my knee where he had moved it from to park the car.

I shrug with a grin painted on my lips,  gliding my nails lightly over his hand, looking up at him through my lashes, "nothing, just excited to watch you play tonight."

He uses his other hand to carefully lift mine off of his, placing it down in my lap, "you gotta stop giving me those eyes, you're driving me crazy."

I smirk works its way onto my face, not changing a think about how I was looking at him. Our eye contact is broken when I hear a knock on the window behind me, making me practically jump out of my skin and snap around. I roll my window down to a laughing Sam and look at him with my brows knitted together. "What the hell was that for?!"

He takes a break from laughing, clutching his side as I hear Jake laughing lightly behind me. "If you two would stop eye fucking each other, we're starving."

A sigh escapes my lips as I roll the window up, shutting out every "You should have seen your face!" that Sam was rambling on about outside of the car.

"I hate him."

"He's your best friend," Jake smiles, kissing my cheek quickly before we both open our doors and get out.

We all walk in together, getting seated at a table in the back where I sit beside Jake on one side, Danny on his other side, and Josh and Sam across from both of them. As soon as we get seated, Jake puts his hand on my thigh. Normally, he would place it on my knee, occasionally squeezing it when I'd zone out or he wanted my attention. This time, though, it was set on my thigh, his long fingers gripping slightly at the inner part covered by my shorts. My hand finds his quickly when I feel his placed there, squeezing it a little to get him to move, but he doesn't.

I move my hand away and look at my menu, focusing solely on that while the guys talk about the set they were going to play later. They debate which songs they'll play while Jake's fingers trace my inner thigh subtly. It was as if his mouth was speaking one language while his body spoke another.

The waitress comes and takes our orders, bringing our drinks over soon after.

"MJ, you're being awfully quiet today, what's on your mind?" Josh asks, looking across the table at me which resulted in all of the guys doing the same. I feel my cheeks flush red as I cross my ankles together, hoping to make Jake move his hand but he just moves it up despite my attempt.

"I'm uh, just feeling a little sleepy I guess," I nod, giving them a smile that was far smaller than the one Jake was giving me. He looked proud of himself, but I wanted nothing more than to drag him away from the table.

"You're red as a tomato, maybe you're sick," Danny suggests, nodding as he takes a sip of his water.

"Yeah, something like that."

The food comes and we all start eating, Jake's persistent teasing never dying down throughout the meal. He was subtle enough that no one else noticed, but I knew that this was his payback for getting cut off in the car. When his fingers dip under the hem of my shorts, I set my fork down and take a sip of my water.

"I don't feel very good, I'm gonna go get some air," I announce, moving Jake's hand away from me before getting up and going outside, walking to the car, and climbing into the back seat.

I pull my top off right on time for Jake to reach the door, opening it just enough to look in and see me, a smirk playing on his lips while I undo the button on my shorts. "Well get in, come on."

He smiles and gets into the back seat with me, closing the door behind him as I reach over and quickly undo his belt. "You were literally torturing me in there, Jacob."

He shrugs as he tugs his jeans down to his knees, "guess I have some pre-show jitters."

-

10 minutes later we headed back inside, Jake reaching over to fix my hair before holding the door open for me, which I thank him for. I return to my seat with red hot cheeks when all of the guys look at us. I avoid their eyes and eat some more of my food. I wasn't hungry, but keeping my mouth full meant not being asked questions.

"So now that you guys have 'gotten some air'," Danny starts, putting air quotes around the phrase, "have you posted about the show again today MJ?"

I nod as I set my fork down, taking my phone out and handing it to Danny with the post I had made a few hours ago pulled up. "I made sure to include the part about the 20 signed posters being sold, just like you guys said."

"Perfect, hopefully, people show."

-

Danny's hopes came true, to say the least. By the time the guys stepped onto the stage, the bar was packed. People had made signs, they were up at the edge of the stage, it was madness. We had collectively decided that I didn't need to take pictures for the entire show, since it was hard to move in the crowd and I obviously couldn't be on stage to get good shots. 

Watching Jake play had to be one of the most mesmerizing things I've ever seen, seeing how he can hone his focus so narrowly on the music when there was so much going on around him. He has an energy about him that just radiates professionalism when he's on stage. The way his fingers move up and down the neck of his guitar looks like he's working out complex equations, finding the exact right notes one after another to make the most beautiful sounds I've ever heard. Luckily, I was able to be pretty close to the stage on his side, watching in awe the entire performance. I didn't want to take any closer spots because I could see him play any time, for some people, this would be the only time they got to experience the band. 

Everyone else was amazing, too. They transformed so dramatically from the people I saw every day into real musicians, who had real fans coming to their shows. The idea simultaneously baffled me and made me the proudest friend in the world. This Jake was a different Jake than the one who played guitar so quietly to help me sleep. It was a different Sam than the one who scared the daylights out of me just hours before and laughed until his stomach hurt. 

After the show, I was backstage in an instant. The second I saw Jake I couldn't help but pull him into a tight hug, which he took gratefully, lifting me as he squeezed me tight. "I'm all sweaty," he chuckles, kissing the side of my head. "I couldn't care less, you did so amazing," I say, pulling back a little to look at everyone else as he sets me down, "You all did, that was the best concert I've ever been to."

I'm soon to be surrounded by the sweatiest group hug I've ever experienced, but it couldn't matter less, I was far too proud of my best friends to mind.