There's No Place Like Home (Marianas Trench / Josh Fiction)

Part 5

Izzy and I kept in touch after that weekend, I went back to Vancouver and she went back to Edmonton. We spoke every day on the phone or skype and texted constantly we had become really good friends, but I really wanted more. She had "Officially become a fan of the band"  she proudly told me during one of our chats, as she waved a copy of Masterpiece Theater in front of the camera.  It was the release day and she had rushed to HMV to get a copy. I told her I could have gotten her a signed one if she had wanted, but she said no, that she felt like she was helping us by purchasing it and I could always sign it the next time we got together.   I wasn't going to argue the point, but it seemed like it would be ages before we would actually be in the same room. Of course it wasn’t just over a month after Izzy and my first meeting, the band and I were going on tour playing small concert halls across Canada, and I was never so happy than the day I realized we were going to stop in Edmonton.  She’d booked time off work was going to spend the whole day with me. I was just so excited to see her in person again. I met her at the stage door, the second she texted and said she was there.  She looked so cute in her black skinnys, ADCD t-shirt, a pink silk scarf draped around her neck and pink converse.  She smiled and gave me a bear hug, that was when I realized that she was about 5 inches shorter than me. I guess at the resort she was either in heeled boots or standing on snow banks so I never noticed. I pecked the top of her head, just a little friendly kiss. That was all we had ever shared.  I took her hand and pulled her down the hallway to one of the dressing rooms that the guys were in. Walking to the room Matt and Mike both said “Hi!” and gave her a friendly hug, Ian on the other hand said the first thing that came to his mind “You’re Short! You look like Josh’s little dress up doll. And Josh likes to play with dollies.” My mouth dropped open, Ian was truly a sick human being. But she just laughed “Well Hello to you to Ian. I get that a lot... well not the part about the dress up doll... But yes I’m Short... Blame my genes.” Mike laughs “What! If you take your Jeans off you get taller.” *Oh this was just getting worse* I thought but Izzy didn’t miss a beat “Yes Mike if I take off my Jeans I become the 50ft Woman. These are the only thing that can stop me from crushing everything in sight.” I laughed and put my arm around her shoulder “You’re gonna fit right in.” That was her first true experience with the chaos that is our band dynamic and I was never so proud at how she just became one of us.

 We had to go do our sound check, I took her hand again as we walked towards the stage area. I pointed to some stairs that led to the front of house seats “You can go down there and watch if you want.” She smiled “I will but I’d rather see the stage first if that’s okay.”  “Sure, Come on this way.” I was loving that she was so interested in seeing every part of my life. I was standing at the side of the stage getting my guitar sorted but I couldn’t take my eyes off of her, she was walking across the stage, looking out at the seats and then up to in the balcony. She was in total awe of it all, like I had just given her the best present ever. She turned to me and said “How the Hell do you do it?  It’s huge... and all those seat... There will be thousands of eyes watching you. There is no way I could be up here...”   Mike and I walk over to her at center stage. “Yeah IT’S AWESOME!” Mike exclaims excitedly, a silly grin stretched across his face. She giggles, and I get that little thrill up my back as I put my arm around her shoulder again. “It’s not scary at all when you are doing something you love. As Mike said It’s Awesome.” Her smile broadens. “Well I will leave you Rock Stars to it then, and go to where I feel comfortable during a concert.” She steps away from me, I suddenly feel a little colder, and deftly Jumps off the edge of the stage on to the floor below.   Ian calls out “Hey Josh Your type of girl. I bet she could stage dive better than you.” I turn around and fling my guitar pick at him as he gets seated behind his drum kit. I can hear Izzy’s laugh ringing through the building behind me. I turn to see her seated in the front row seats looking quite proud of herself.  “Well maybe we need to have a stage dive challenge.”I say with a wink.  She shakes her head. “No it’s okay I’ll concede to the more experienced Diver.” “Thank you”  I say with a bow to her as I give Ian the finger behind my back. Matt and Brett come out “Are we Having Sound Check anytime soon?” they say in creepy unison. “Okay... Okay..” I nod  as I step up to the mic and hit the first cords of Cross My Heart. It was great watching her reactions during our sound check, I couldn't help but smile as she danced and sang along.  She had become a Fangirl, but she was my Fangirl, and I wanted to make it official.

After sound check a group of us went out for something to eat. My original plan was for just the two of us to go out but before I had a chance to speak Ian had invited himself and well... everyone else to go with us, so we had an intimate dinner for 10. We got back to the venue about an hour before we were to go on, so that meant vocal warm up. Izzy just sat on the couch in the dressing room looking though magazines while I walked around making all kinds of noises. I caught her smirking a couple of times, but you gotta do what you gotta do.  It was just minutes before the show when I finally got the chance to talk to her alone. I pulled her aside "Iz..." Why was I nervous now, I was just about to perform in front of hundreds of people and this made me more anxious than I had ever been going on stage. "Iz...um..." She looked me in the eyes and the nervousness disappeared. I wasn't afraid of her gaze anymore, I had started to crave it, it turns out there is something calming when someone can see into your soul, a feeling of peace that you don't have to hide anything anymore. I took a deep breath and started again "Isabelle I just want you to know that I really like you." "I like you to Josh." she replied, I shook my head "I'm not finished yet...I really like you and I was... (Damn it Ramsay just say it)  I was wondering if... well if you would like to be my girlfriend?” What was I in High School again, that’s how it sounded to me.  I was over 20 acting like some pimple faced 14 year old asking the school cheerleader out. To my surprise she smiled and said “I thought you’d never ask. I was beginning to think that the feelings I was having were only one way.” I’m sure I was smiling the biggest smile of my life, as I brushed her cheek with my thumb “They are so not one way.” I leaned in and kissed her lips for the first time. Just a gentle kiss our lips brushing lightly over each other, but still it sent my heart racing. It may have escalated but Matt yelling “JOSH, STOP SUCKING FACE! WE’RE ON!” forced me to pull away. As I turned to run off after the guys I thought for a second, and turned back to Izzy “Wait! You never actually answered me.” She giggled and smirked  “You gotta go, I’ll tell you when you get off stage, Rock Star.”  I laughed as Mike called this time “JOSH ASS HERE NOW!” I turned and jogged to the stage.

It was one of the best shows I had ever done. I was on such a high from that kiss and the prospect of her answer, I had so much energy and the crowd was feeding off it and sending back so much more. I’m surprised I didn’t crash though the old stage floor, I was bouncing so much. I caught glimpses of Izzy standing in the wings bouncing along with me throughout the show, could this night get any better?