You're the One - Part 2 || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 210: Time to Go

Jake tightly grabbed my hand as we trailed behind everyone on the way to the bar. As much as I would have liked a night with just us, there were going to be plenty of nights with just us once the babies were born, so I wanted him to at least get to celebrate his shows with his brothers while he could.

"As soon as you're ready to leave you just let me know." He whispered, leaning down close. I nodded, smiling up at him as I gently swung our arms. His smile grew as he leaned in, kissing my cheek.

Josh held open the door, guiding everyone in until Jake took it, motioning him inside. The guys instantly made their way over to the tables in the back surrounding the pool table. I kept my eye on Travis and Nick as they claimed a table, tossing their jackets over the tops of the chairs. As long as we kept our distance, I'm sure everything would be fine. Occasionally I'd see Sam talking with Nick, but everyone seemed to make a point of avoiding Travis all together. I held on tight to Jake's hand as he guided us over to the bar.

"Two waters with limes, please." He said quietly. "In whisky glasses, if you don't mind." I peeked up at him.
"That way he won't catch on." He said, smirking at me. "And as far as they're concerned.." He motioned over to Danny, Sam, and Josh. "Mine is real. So they won't give me a hard time either."
"You can drink if you want to." I said, now holding onto his arm. He shrugged.
"I feel better without it, and I want to remember all of my nights with you from now on." I felt my cheeks burn, my heart beating faster. Pulling him in closer, I leaned up, gently kissing his cheek.
"I love you." I whispered. His smile grew as he reached out, grabbing our drinks from the bar.
"I love you more." He leaned in, stealing a quick kiss before leading us back to the table we had claimed for ourselves.

The rest of the night was a romantic blur; the sounds of the bar now muffled and drowned out by his flirtatious laughter and raspy, tired voice that only ventured away from my ears for his turn at the table, only to return back by scooting his chair that much closer to me. As far as I was concerned, it was just the two of us tonight; he always made me feel like we were the only two in the room.

And this time I knew it wasn't the alcohol.

His hands ventured across the table, meshing their way into mine as our fingers danced over empty palms that only wished to be filled with each other's devoted embrace. I slid my chair even closer, my other hand now slowly moving to his leg, pulling him even closer. I could see his cheeks burning red as he bit down on his lip, trying to contain his smile.

It was impossible to look away; nothing more enchanting than his loving gaze that was saved for me, and only me, and I never wanted to miss a second of it.

By this point, I had no idea how much time had gone by, but I knew that there were way too many people around, and I wanted him all to myself.

I leaned over, gently pulling him into a kiss. It didn't take long before I felt his lips curl into a smile, his hand now tenderly caressing my face as he kissed me back. I gradually slid my hand up his leg, gliding up his chest, grabbing onto his shirt, pulling him in closer. By now, I had completely tuned out everyone and everything around us, and as far as I was concerned, him and I were the only one's there.

"Jake, your turn!" Someone called out. He sighed, hesitating before backing away and looking over to them.
"You play for me." He said simply, then instantly turning back to me. I reached up my hand, gently combing my fingers through his hair, pulling him into another kiss. My heart started beating faster as I felt his hand on my leg again, slowly moving up my thigh. My cheeks burned, my whole body now feeling like it was on fire. I leaned in close, my lips now gently grazing against his neck.

"Take me back to the bus." I whispered. His hand immediately stopped as he backed away, staring back with wide eyes and a flustered grin.
"Yep. Okay. Time to go." He giggled, sliding his hand into mine, intertwining our fingers as he helped me up from my chair.
"Hey, we're gonna head back." He called out, motioning towards the door. I clung to his arm, holding him close as he guided us through the bar.

Then my heart dropped as I felt a strong hand tightly grip my other wrist, pulling me backward.
"Where are you going?" Travis snapped. My body went cold.
"Let me go!" I yelled, trying to pull away, but it was no use. He swiftly yanked me out of Jake's grip, pulling me closer to him. My stomach flipped as I got close enough to smell his eye-watering cologne, instantly bringing me back to two summers ago. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"Leaving so soon?" He asked, flashing me his same smug grin. I looked away, avoiding his eyes where I could now see Jake glaring back, his face red with hatred and fury.
"We're leaving." He snapped, quickly reaching out for me, but Travis yanked me back towards the bar. I felt frozen in place, my heart racing. As badly as I wanted to run, I just couldn't bring myself to move.
"The party is just getting started, why are you leaving?"
"Travis, stop." I muttered, avoiding his eyes. He reached up, grabbing my face and turning it towards him.

"Don't touch her." Jake yelled, reaching out for me again, but Travis shoved him back.
"She's a big girl, she can handle herself." He laughed, his grip now getting tighter on my arm. I could already feel where the bruise would linger. I peeked over, flashing Jake frightened eyes, feeling them start to well up with tears, wanting nothing more than to just go home.

"Travis, leave it alone." I heard from beside us. Looking over, I saw Sam making his way over, pool stick still in hand. Travis giggled to himself, holding me close, now shoving a drink into my hand.
"We're fine, Sam. We're just having fun."
"Well, she doesn't look like she's having fun." He said, holding his glare on Travis.
"Just go back to your game." He said, rolling his eyes, pulling me up against him.

"Come on.." Jake said, now moving in closer. He reached out, taking the drink from my hands, placing it back down on the bar. "We've all had a lot to drink. Finish your night, we're going to bed." He grabbed my other hand, trying to pull me back when I could see Travis' face drop.
"You want her? Fine. Take her." He snapped, aggressively shoving me away. My heart dropped as I stumbled over, hitting the floor.

And in an instant, I heard glass shattering and what sounded like two bodies come crashing down next to me. I quickly crawled away, immediately feeling Jake's arms around me, pulling me up against him.
"Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded, frantically looking around until I saw Sam on top of Travis, both of their arms flailing but Sam's fists were the only ones consistently making contact until Travis was finally knocked out beneath him.

But even then.. he didn't stop.

Josh quickly ran over, grabbing Sam by his arms, pulling him away, but even then he still kept swinging.
"Sam, you got him, stop!" He called out, still trying his best to yank him away. But it was no use. Nick then grabbed him from the other side, finally dragging him off, shoving him away.
"I told you.. never fucking touch her, again!" He screamed, trying to go after him again. Josh turned to Jake, motioning towards the door.

"Get her out of here. Now. We don't all have to be involved once the cops show up. Get her on the bus, and you guys were never here." He said, now peeking over at me. I could feel my heart pounding in my throat, like I was going to be sick at any moment.

What had just happened?

Jake stood frozen in the doorway, his eyes jumping from Travis, who was still on the ground as Nick tried to wake him up, to Sam now in the corner with Danny with the bartender already on the phone.

"Jake, go!" Josh yelled again. I squeezed his hand, pulling him towards the door. He finally snapped out of it, giving Josh a gentle smile before he quickly lead me out to the bus.