Die In California

35

Devyn's POV:

"Am I out of my head, am I out of my mind? If you only knew the bad things I like. don't say that I can explain it. What can I say? It's complicated." I sang loudly from the side of the stage, my arm draped around Casie's small shoulders as she swayed along to the music with me, watching her father perform with an expression of complete and utter awe. It was clear to anyone that she idolised and adored her father, and that never failed to put a smile on my face.

We were home for the Cleveland shows, so Casie joined us for the shows, along with Pops and Andrea who had travelled around with us since Chicago - around a week ago. During that time, they'd gotten to experience one of my episodes, which scared the shit out of them. But the guys talked them through it and explained what usually happens, and they eventually came to terms with it and learned how to help me the best they could.

They were standing side-stage with Casie and I, whilst Ash was doing admin backstage to make sure that everything ran smoothly; there'd already been a few technical faults during soundcheck, and Kells and Mod seemed to be a little extra crazy due to being in Kells' hometown for the next two shows. Let's just say that Ashleigh had her hands full for the next few days.

As expected, the shows in Cleveland were wild. Mod and Kells were jumping around on stage, then dived into the crowd, giving security a heart attack in the process. They were probably the best shows of the tour, by far. And the whole band ran off the stage wearing huge beams, pumped with adrenaline, and soaked in sweat - sure signs of an awesome show. 

"Holy shit, that was the best." JP breathed as he surprisingly ran over to yank me into a hug, covering me in his sweat in the process. It took me off guard; he never usually hugged me straight after running off stage, in fact, he never usually hugged me after a show. But I didn't question it, deciding to let him hug me in his post-show high, and accepted my fate of stinking of his sweat. 

"That was so good! Well done, J." I smiled as I hugged him back, awkwardly patting his back in a way that would transfer as little sweat as possible. "'M proud of you, y'know?" I pulled away to look in his hazel eyes, letting him know that it came from the bottom of my heart.
"Thank you for being there for me through it all." He smiled back, his hand reaching up to cup my cheek as his calloused thumb rubbed across my light blush. I noticed the way his eyes flicked down to my lips as he licked his own, his head inching closer to mine. If I moved the slightest bit, we could close the distance-

"Dawg, that was awesome! Holy shit, motherfucker!" Kells boomed as he slapped his hands on his drummer's shoulders, snapping us both out of our daze as he took us by surprise. JP looked at me once more, before clearing his throat and turning to his best friend, as though nothing had just happened between us. "Devy, what did ya think?" The dirty-blonde giant asked with a wide smile as he draped his heavy arms around JP and I's shoulders.
"You were great, as always." I knew I was feeding his ego, but I couldn't deny his talent. Nobody could.

After the band had come down from their highs, we took advantage of the showers then headed out to the band's favourite restaurant in Cleveland - one that Slim and Kells had grown up going to together. We sat and laughed together, then began to share childhood stories as Slim and Kells reminisced about their friendship. That inevitably brought up stories of JP and I, as Pops and Andrea seemed to love talking about our high school relationship and sharing the stories we'd never willingly tell. 

Throughout the meal, JP would send me little glances from across the table, a smirk pulling at the corners of his lips every time Pops or Andrea would share a story about us. I longed to know what he was thinking, but turned my attention to Casie as she began to tell me a story about her and her friends from school. She was an adorable kid, and I loved to hear the stories of her day, or listen to her talk about what she was most passionate about. She held so much passion, it was admirable.