A Newfound Home - Adopted by Josh Dun

Forty-eight

V I C T Ø R I A
Getting to watch Josh and Tyler with Max made this show a whole lot better than the others.

Max was thoroughly enjoying the show, seeing as he hadn't seen them live before. It was fun watching him get excited over each song.

When Tyler sat down at his piano, he nodded over at Josh and then put his mic into the stand placed by the piano.

"For this next song, I want to bring out a last-minute guest onto the stage." Tyler motioned for us and I couldn't tell if he was motioning for me, or Max.

Josh got off of his drumset and walked over, dragging me onstage despite my fight to not be brought out in front of the crowd.

10,000 people were staring at me.

Tyler motioned for me to come over towards him as he stood up and walked around his piano while the audience was cheering. "This is my lovely friend, Victoria Dun," Tyler spoke up

I cringed hearing my full name.

"And she's going to be performing Taxi cab with me." The crowd got louder as I shot a nasty glare at Tyler.

I was perfectly fine playing in front of Josh and Tyler, and whoever was wandering around the stage, setting up.

Not 10,000 people.

I was led over to the piano and Tyler leaned down towards me. "Hey, don't let the crowd scare you. Close your eyes and picture only the ones you love sitting in front of you." I smiled at him and he adjusted the stand so that it was between us.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I pictured Josh, Debby, Jenna, Tyler, my friends, and Max sitting in that arena instead of 10,000 strangers who barely knew who I was.

I placed my fingers on the keys and pressed down, starting the song strong.

I opened my eyes and focused on my fingers moving across the piano rather than the people watching.

Tyler started singing the first verse and elbowed me to join along and harmonize during the chorus.

I had never sung in front of more than maybe fifteen people, and even then, that was too many for me.

And just like the song started, I ended it with my eyes closed, picturing only those I love sitting in front of me rather than a whole crowd.

Everyone cheered and I stood up, smiling. Tyler mimicked my actions and I waved to everyone as I left the stage and entered Max's arms that he held open for me.

I rested my head against his chest and took a deep breath, letting those anxious thoughts go.

♡

That night, Max and I were sitting in the back lounge, attempting to play Mario kart.

He was beating me and I was trying to get him to lose by messing with him. "Stop! Cheater!" He pushed me over and I continued to laugh, laying on my side.

Josh wandered into the back and watched us as Max's kart went over the finish line. "I'm not playing with you anymore! You're a cheater!" I tried to take his controller and he stood up, holding it over his head.

"You're the one who was shoving your foot in my face to distract me!" Josh chuckled and shut the system off, resulting in both Max and I complaining.

"It's getting late and everyone is exhausted. Go get some sleep." Max set the controller down and walked past Josh, grabbing his blankets from the middle of the floor and shoving them into his bunk.

Josh gave me a quick hug and a peck on my head before letting me go to my bunk, seeing it covered in my junk. I pushed everything to the wall and climbed in.

I opened up my laptop to look at the stuff I was working on while Jenna and I were chilling in the dressing room. I had started writing a song using all of these buried feelings I didn't want to share with anyone.

I closed the laptop and set that and my books and notebook on top of my laptop and threw my blanket over myself.

All of a sudden, my curtain whisked open and Max was pushing me over, climbing into my bunk. He laid down next to me and smiled as I readjusted myself so that I wasn't a giant burrito being suffocated.

"Hi," I rolled my eyes and hit him with my pillow. "I didn't deserve that, you rat." We started laughing and he sat up a little bit.

I was short enough that I could comfortably sit in my bunk without hitting my head on the ceiling.

"You're supposed to be in your own bunk, not mine." He shrugged, resting his hands on his stomach and looking at me.

"But I don't want to be separated from you anymore." I laid back down and faced him, watching him copy me.

He pulled me closer to his body and wrapped his arms around me, letting me rest my head on his shoulder.

We lay in comfortable silence for a few moments until he spoke up, "Can I tell you something?" I nodded into his shoulder.

He moved which made me sit up and I saw him sitting up. "This is gonna sound so stupid and typical so please don't laugh or anything,"

I motioned for him to continue.

"I can picture us having a future together. Getting married, traveling the world together, starting our own little family." I had no clue what to say.

Six months ago, I was still contemplating whether or not I should continue on with life, and yet he could see us living life together.

"Max, I don't know what to say." He pursed his lips and broke eye contact with me, looking down at his hands.

"I'm sorry, I probably should've kept it to myself." He began to leave my bunk, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him.

"Please don't leave. I think it's amazing you can see us doing all that together. I'm not saying I don't feel the same, but I have so much I have to do to even consider anything after high school. I'm still struggling with that mindset and deciding whether or not this is all worth it."

He looked up from our hands and locked eyes with me. "I hope I'm worth it." I smiled softly and nodded, making him grab my cheek and pressing his lips to mine.

Whenever I read books about how a true love's kiss is magical and causes sparks and is everything you could ever dream of, I always thought the authors were being overdramatic, until that moment happened.

And then I understood why they described it the way that they did.

That moment was nothing but perfection.