The One That Got Away.

Phase II

I need to talk to you. ASAP!

It was a text from Josh. Kelly had been staring at it for at least 10 minutes, the screen blurring in and out of her vision, her hands trembling. This is it, he knows about her and Jared. He knows and she is busted. This is going to blow up, and fast. 

"You look like you've seen a fucking ghost," Shayla's sharp voice snaps her back into reality. "You better close your mouth and wipe your drool, Josh is getting on the bus to have a word with you," Shayla warns, and behind her, Josh appears with a serious face. Kelly has no time to react, she just freezes in terror.

"It's like impossible to get a hold of you," he slides the cabin door shut behind him. "Are you ok?" he asks, finally noticing her terrified face.

"Uh, what- what's going on?" she stammers. "Is every- is everything ok?"

Josh sits down on the bed next to her and hugs her. "Yeah, everything is ok. I just haven't had a chance to really talk to you in what seems like weeks. Months! There's so much going on, I feel like I've neglected you."

"Oh," she sighs with relief, and her whole body sags into him. 

"This is like the best time of my life. I can't believe ... just ... everything!" his face lights up and he plows on, "I mean, all of it. I never thought- I never pictured that I would be in a band, playing on stage, to full arenas of fans! That's... so indescribable. And getting to know Tomo, and... and...," he's so excited, he's almost out of breath, "I - I just hope you're having as good a time as I am!"

A good time? Kelly can't remember what city they are currently in, let alone what having a good time actually felt like anymore. She is drowning between the Mars videos and the engagement party video. At least the engagement video is almost finished, thankfully. She fears she will succumb to burnout soon and had been wondering how Josh was able to cope so well. Apparently, he is having a good time. 

"I feel a different feeling on stage, and I love it. Like all my senses are heightened, it's immensely intoxicating. Like a drug, really." He explains that after a show he always has a lot of energy to burn off, and a lot of adrenaline to get rid of. Kelly didn't feel the adrenaline or the intoxicating part of it, she was not on stage and the crowd's adulation was not for her. 

She smiles, "I'm really glad you're having a good time. I don't feel neglected, you deserve to have a good time. Honestly, I mean that." Josh had always hated his job, breaking his ass, going above and beyond, never quite making enough money, even with loads of overtime, and despite his expertise and degrees was still always treated like crap by the boss and the company. He would come home from work stressed and defeated, like everyone in his department. They'd call each other after work and lament all night over the phone. It drove Kelly nuts for a few reasons but she understood he needed to vent. She could only take so much of his workplace-related venting before she got so frustrated that she'd beg him to quit.

"It's like this everywhere!" He'd counter. According to literally everyone they knew, this was mostly true for their age bracket. 

Now he is free of all that. A real dream come true. Like winning the Lottery, maybe even more fun than that. Josh harbored a secret passion to become a professional musician but he'd never told anyone that, not even Kelly. It was far too much of an impractical, pie-in-the-sky-idea, and he didn't indulge in pointless fantasies. Not out loud anyway. 

"You should get to know Victoria, she's really great, you'll just love her!"

"Oh, yeah, yeah I'm sure she's lovely. She seems really nice."

"Before a show, she runs around telling us, 'Enjoy this, you won't get it back!' And she's right. We only have right now to enjoy what's going on. It really helps quell the pre-show anxiety. Well, that and meditating with Jared before a show. Although Tomo swears a couple of beers work  wonders, too." Still talking a mile a minute, he continues, "I get why you don't want to stay on our bus. I know Jared is completely spent after a show and just wants to chill out and rest his voice. Shannon will still be drumming after a show, and it's like, dude, you were just on stage for 2 hours!" he laughs. "You and Jared like your peace and quiet, which is fine, and the rest of us guys are just way too rowdy. But hey, it's not forever. I mean, shit, this tour is gonna be over before we know it. Shannon predicts Jared is going to let us take a month off and then we'll go on tour again. Actually, he says Jared is most likely already planning the next tour and isn't going to tell us about it until we're back and have had a couple of weeks off to decompress so no one gets cranky about it. But I think everyone is really excited for another tour."