Die In California

52

Devyn's POV:

Working in Cleveland whilst the boys were living in LA definitely took some getting used to, I won't lie. For the first week or so, the boys were busy making the house their own and spending their spare time in the studio, whilst I was busy taking as many bookings as I physically could. That meant limited communication between us. But we kept pushing through it, with the promise of what was to come. 

One of the guys, I think probably Slim, had 'accidentally' left their car behind, so I was told to make the most of it. It was suspicious, of course, and I just knew that it had been left behind on purpose so that I could easily get myself around town without taking cabs on my own. That was probably JP's doing. But that could only mean one thing... taking Casie to and from school!

Within the first week of Casie and her mom living in the Cleveland house, we had a solid routine going; she'd sit in the passenger seat and choose the music, usually blasting it through the speakers as we rode through town on our way to school, the windows down as she showed off to her friends. I'd then drop her off and head to the tattoo studio, before leaving early to pick her back up and take her home (even if I had bookings later on, I always made sure to keep an hour free to pick her up). I think it was our favourite part of the day.

I also took Casie to LA with me on my weekend visits, so that she could see her dad every other weekend too. Kells would take her on cute little daddy-daughter dates, whilst JP would take me on our own cute little dates around LA. Or, he'd take advantage of the empty house and remind me of how much he loved me, cherishing the few moments we got alone.

Our nights mostly consisted of FaceTime calls until we fell asleep, and not a day went by without a good morning or goodnight text. Sometimes they'd be rushed, other times they'd be a bit cheeky (it was in JP's nature, it seemed), but either way we always made sure to keep in contact.

Some days were harder than others, that's for sure. Every now and then I'd notice how quiet the house was, despite Casie and Emma filling the empty bedrooms, or Kells' friends coming and going when they needed somewhere to stay the night. Sometimes I'd become hyperaware of how empty and cold the bed felt beside me, even if Chapo and Luna tried to fill JP's place.

I always tried my best to keep it together, but when times got particularly tough, I'd end up in tears with the heartache of missing my best friend, begging for him to answer the phone, or just come back home. I'd have sleepless nights over it, and sometimes struggle to eat with the unrelenting sense of missing a part of me. But he couldn't come back home.

JP most definitely couldn't come to Cleveland whilst the band were in LA. Plus, the guys had started playing more gigs, and were getting ready for the upcoming album release. They were promoting their latests hits, organising release parties, and were haphazardly pulling together a tour. He had his duties in LA. He had to stay in LA.

But JP would silently listen to me sob my heart out, and gently offer supportive words when he knew that I was ready to listen. He'd text me throughout the day, making promises of FaceTiming me, and reminding me of our goal - me moving to LA. He'd also text me every morning to remind me to take my meds, and would make me honestly answer his questions of how I was doing. Even with 2,300 miles between us, he still showed he cared every second that he could.

The weeks gradually turned into months, and, without realising it, the release of Machine Gun Kelly's newest album 'Bloom' was beginning to quickly approach. That could only mean that I was getting closer to moving. It was really happening!

My money was already beginning to rack up, thanks to taking extra bookings through excessive advertising on social media. It did mean that I more often than not had long and exhausting nights, and took in more than my artists. But my artists understood my goal, and continued to support me through it, proving themselves to be more than simply employees. They were probably the best employees, and friends, that I could have ever asked for.