𝐈 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮

Jonesy

  We finished our set with Somebody I Used To Know, which felt ironic given my current situation. The crowd had been interactive and a few stopped us afterwards to ask if we would ever go on tour.

  The rain had picked up again, coming down in a steady stream. I had hoped it would lift up by now, driving in the rain was never fun. After losing several consecutive games of rock, paper, scissors, it was decided that I should be the one to bring Kelli's van around to the back of the bar.

  None of us drove cars big enough to haul all of our instruments so Kelli had offered us her old Volkswagen van. It was old and loud, but sturdy enough to get us to and from places with all of our equipment.

  I pushed open the door to the Chunky Munky and was instantly hit with a large sheet of rain, drenching my face and clothes. I knew this was only the beginning of storm season and after living here for almost four years, you would think I would be more prepared.

"Fuck," I swore under my breath, fumbling the keys. I bent to pick them up when a flash of movement caught my eye. A figure was running towards me; someone who was not dressed for a run in this type of weather. They barely managed to dodge a large puddle, water splashed onto their legs.

  And yet, they were still running towards me. What the hell? I stood there, under the tiny canopy that hung over the door. The figure was steadily growing closer and for a second they seemed familiar.

  Althea?

  A flash of lightning lit up the sky and in the light, the figure became fully visible to me. Yes, it was definitely her. Her hair was plastered to her face and her clothes clung to her skin. She slowed down a few feet away from me, seemingly out of breath.

"What the hell are you doing in the rain?" I asked, stepping out into the rain to close the distance between us. I didn't care about the rain anymore, I was already soaking wet.

"I ran all the way here from Monty's." She answered between breaths. Her chest rose and fell frantically as she tried to regulate her breathing and her bottom lip quivered.

"Okay, but why?" I wiped my hair off of my forehead. "Didn't anyone tell you not to run in the middle of a storm?" I looked her over; she was wearing a pair of leggings and a thin long sleeved shirt. "And where is your coat? You'll catch a cold."

  Althea took several deep breaths and pushed the hair away from her face. "I forgot my jacket at Monty's with Aiden, and yes, I know not to run in the middle of a storm but...I needed to get here before it was too late."

  My brow creased in confusion and I tried to ignore the fact that she had mentioned Aiden. "Why did you feel the need to run almost three miles in the rain?"

"Because I need to see you." Her brown eyes were almost black and her face didn't hold an ounce of sarcasm. "I ran here from Monty's because I need to see you and-and tell you that I don't want you to leave. I don't want you to move into someone else's dorm and be someone else's roommate."

  I opened my mouth to speak, to tell her I had changed my mind about that, but Althea shook her head, her curls splashing water onto my face.

"No, please just let me continue. If I don't say this now, I might chicken out and never say it." She took my hand as a bolt of lightning lit up the sky again. "I broke up with Aiden tonight, and I told him it was because I couldn't be what he needed or wanted. I wanted something else, something that I've wanted for a really long time. I told him I liked girls, but not just any girl; you, Jonesy. I like you.

  "I have feelings for you, Jonesy, and honestly it scares me, but whatever feelings I have for you are stronger than my fear. My fear of my parents, my fear of my whole identity changing the moment I say the words "I'm gay." Yes, I am scared to death of having to talk to my parents but I don't want to lose you.

"I don't want to have to wake up and not see your giant pile of clothes sitting in the chair. I want to stitch up every cut, and kiss every bruise. I don't want our bickering to end, and-and goddamn it! I want to kiss you!"