Stardust Chords || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 27: Commotion

The Next Night

I stepped back, admiring the backdrop, wondering if it would be high enough for the photos. I had never put together a "meet and greet" before, so I could only go based on what I had heard through other touring companies. As far as I knew, you lined up the fans, they came in, talked to the band for a minute, you took their photo, and that was it. In theory, it was nice, but I'm sure after however many shows it got old after a while.

The guys had never done anything like this either, now wanting to try out more organized ways to meeting and interacting with their fans. From what I had heard, the passes were handed out randomly to people who were waiting on line, which I felt better about. They deserved them. And if these people were going to be anything like that group of kids I met the first day, I'm sure things would run smoothly.

And I always felt that it said a lot about a person how they interacted with their fans so it would give me another opportunity to get to really see them in their element.

It wasn't long before I heard the door crash open, the guys slowly wandering in, admiring the space as they made their way over. My heart started beating faster, spotting Jake straggle in last, clutching his coffee, his sunglasses still shielding his eyes.

"Good morning." He muttered, forcing a smile. I smirked back at him.
"I missed you this morning." I said softly, careful to keep the conversation just between us. His smile grew as he peeked at me from over his glasses, giving me a questioning look. I shook my head, playfully rolling my eyes.
"You left." I whispered. "And.. were still asleep when I got up." He bit down on his lip, giving me a gentle nod.
"Y-yeah.." He managed, taking a sip of his coffee. "I'm sorry, I.. I mean, I.. I didn't know-"
"You could've stayed." I said, feeling my cheeks burn. His eyes instantly lit up.
"O-oh.." He exhaled. "I.. I wasn't sure, you know.. considering."

I nodded, appreciating the fact that despite the night I had, he still kept a respectful distance. Though, I wouldn't have minded if there was no distance between us at all.

"So, are you excited?" I asked, motioning towards the backdrop, wanting to change the subject. He nodded, giggling to himself.
"I am, actually." He said, admiring the setup. "I always enjoy getting to talk to everyone. It's still so crazy that enough people even want to meet us that we get to do this. I know the label had been pushing for it for a long time, but.. it was always just easier to meet everyone after the show. Now the venue's don't let us. They say we cause too much of a commotion."

"Well, I'm excited to see you with them." I giggled, feeling my cheeks burn again. He scrunched up his face, his cheeks burning a bright red.
"You're gonna be here?" He asked.
"Of course I am, who do you think is going to be making sure things run smoothly?" He nodded.
"I guess you're right. And.. I do feel better when you're around." My heart jumped.
"So do I." I muttered. His eyes lit up again, his smile growing.

And then I heard the loud crashing of the door again, slamming against the wall as someone made their way back. I turned around, my stomach dropping as I saw Noah, two coffees in hand, hastily making his way over to me. I saw Jake's jaw instantly tense up.

"I'll see you in a bit." He muttered, giving me a gentle smile before going back over to the rest of the guys, whom were still admiring setup, directing each other on how they'd be posing for the photos. I nodded, feeling the anxiousness grow as I saw Noah out of the corner of my eye, coming over, now holding out one of the coffees to me.

"Hi.." I muttered, unsure of where we stood after last night, but apparently we were good enough for him to bring me breakfast. Kind of.
"Hey." He said, motioning back down to the cup, insisting I take it. I sighed, grabbing it and taking a sip. It was his usual order. I stayed quiet, waiting for him to speak, knowing he was most likely waiting for the same.

"You didn't come back last night." He said, his face scrunching into an annoyed frown. I shook my head, avoiding his eyes.
"I didn't." I agreed. I could tell he was waiting for more.
"Why not?" He pried. I shrugged, taking another sip.
"Because you locked me out."
"Where did you stay?"
"Does it matter?" I asked. I saw him tense up.

It mattered.

"Of course it matters, Jewel."
"If it mattered to you where I was sleeping, you wouldn't have locked me off of my bus. That's my home too." I said, my voice getting louder.
"I didn't think you would just leave. I figured we both needed time to cool off and-"
"And you could just leave me out on the street? And I'd be okay with that?" He shook his head.
"No, of course not, Jewel." He muttered. "Look, we had a fight, I think we just need-"
"We didn't just have a fight, Noah. We broke up." I said simply.

I'm sure in the script he had written in his head, at this point in the conversation I would have already begged for him to come back. Now he was forced to improv.

"So then if you didn't stay on our bus, where did you sleep last night?" He finally asked, his tone getting angrier. I hated how he got when he was angry, no regard for anyone around us, I'm sure trying his best to embarrass me with his volume to the point where I'd agree to just about anything if it meant not having to deal with this anymore.

But it didn't effect me anymore.

"I stayed on their bus." I muttered, peeking back over at them. I couldn't help but smile. They all just looked so.. happy. What I would give for just an ounce of their happiness, and perhaps the more time I spent with them, the odds of some of it rubbing off on me would become greater and greater..

"So we have one fight and you don't waste a second running off and sleeping with your little friend?" He asked. His words cut like knives, like he had been saving that in the back of his mind from the moment we met them. I let out a deep sigh, shaking my head.
"I did not sleep with him." I snapped. "He was kind enough to let me stay because you insisted I sleep on the street." I saw his jaw clench, this grip tighten around his coffee.

"Then where did you sleep." He whispered, leaning in close. My stomach dropped. Despite everything, he could be terrifying when he wanted to be.
"That's none of your business." I muttered, trying my best not to let my voice shake. He had done this to me more than enough times. We weren't together anymore. He didn't get to scare me into anything ever again.

And then my body went cold as he reached out for me, his fist instantly tightening around my shirt, pulling me up against him. I closed my eyes, wincing away, preparing for what was to come, but before I knew it, I felt a shove and Noah's hand instantly releasing its grip.

When I forced myself to open my eyes, I saw Jake now standing between us.
"I think you should go." He said sternly, motioning towards the door. "We've got it from here." Noah held his glare on him before peeking over at me. Jake waved him off, now blocking his view.

"Don't look at her. I said you should go." He said. I felt my heart beat faster, having never heard anyone talk to Noah like that before, not at the expense of defending me, at least. Noah let out a deep sigh, and without another word he turned off, stomping his way out, slamming the door behind him.

"You alright?" Jake asked, turning back to face me, trying his best to subtly look me up and down to make sure. I nodded, giving him a gentle smile.
"Thank you." I whispered. He gave me an acknowledging nod, smirking back at me.

"Now, can you come help us?" He asked, motioning back towards the guys. "We've never done this before so I need you to make sure we look good."
"Of course." I laughed, following him back, but not before he carefully reached over, gently wrapping his arm around me.