Catching Feelings

3

When she wakes the next morning, she finds herself lying tangled up with me on the couch and sits up with a start.
"Oh! I'm really sorry Justin...I must have fallen asleep. You should've just pushed me off." She apologizes with an embarrassed and worried look on her face.
I tug on a lock of hair that hasfreed itself from her bun "I don't mind..."
She clears her throat and scrambles off the couch "Well, either way...I'm sorry."
"It's no big deal Bobbi girl...Kenny's done it a thousand times." I smile and wink "Isn't that right Kenny?"
He looks up from his cereal bowl and gives her a sarcastic nod "Yeah, all the time."
She pulls her shorts down a little because they've ridden up her legs a bit during the night, through no fault of my own. I would never take advantage of a situation like this, no matter how opportune it might seem.
I'm watching her nervously readjust herself when my cell begins to vibrate on the table. I reach out to grab it and look down at the screen. Selena. I hit ignore and toss it back down. "So we've got the day free, want to do something?" I offer hopefully
"What did you have in mind?" she asks, seating herself in the same chair she dubbed "uncomfortable as hell" last night just to avoid sitting with me on the couch.
I shrug "Whatever you want...Kenny will set it up."
He pipes up "I love how you ask Kid...not like I have a life or anything."
I turn to face him and apologize sincerely "You're right, think you can make it happen Ken?"
He sighs and bobs his head in agreement. "Yeah probably, depends on what you have in mind though really."
I look at her and raise my eyebrows expectantly.
She thinks for a moment, and I can tell she's struggling to find something harmless that we can do together.
I decide to help her out "Let's get a hotel room." I say, realizing seconds later how it sounded and quickly running on to clarify "I mean, somewhere nice with room service...we can have lunch. It just works better that way, restaurants and I don't really mix most of the time. Too easy to be spotted, you know."
She looks relieved "Oh right...that makes sense. Just us or...?" she trails off looking uncomfortable, which causes a twinge of sadness in my chest.
"Whatever you want..." I assure her, I hate to think I'm the cause of the nervous way she's chewing on her thumbnail. "Fredo likes to eat, he'll want to tag along I bet."
"Okay yeah, that sounds good. Is he up yet? I'll go invite him now."
I shake my head "No, he stepped out...he'll be back in a few." I try to push my disappointment aside, I was hoping she'd be good with just her and I.
As if on cue, Fredo pushes the door open and climbs onto the bus. "Hey sleeping beauty!" He grins at her and slides his eyes over at me, making her blush with embarrassment again.
She recovers quickly "Hey Fredo...J and I were just talking about doing lunch at one of the local hotels...you up for it?"
He looks at me, knowing I don't really want him there...I look away quickly, not willing to give him the go ahead."
"Actually..." He sighs "I think I'll sit this one out...got some stuff to take care of today before we take off."
Her inner struggle is obvious as she tries to decide what to do. Until finally,deciding it would be rude to cancel altogether, she says the words I've been waiting to here. "Alright Justin, looks like it's just you and me."
***
I can't believe what I've gotten myself into and the fact that I woke up with myself wrapped around a 17-year-old kid. What are you doing here Bobbi? Get your shit together. I'm not really sure what his intentions are but he needs to know nothing will ever come of all this flirting. I mean surely he has to know that.
My mind won't stop spinning. What is he doing to me, why am I even thinking about this?
I shake my head, throw on my sweater and make my way out to the front of the bus. I find Justin sitting on the couch staring at his laptop.
I sit down on the chair across from him "I'm ready whenever you are, I'm starving."
He pushes his laptop aside and makes no attempt to hide that he's looking me over. He licks his lips "We can leave in a few Bobbi, Kenny set us up at the hotel down the street."
I nod my head and turn my attention to my phone. The way he looks at me...I just...I don't know.
Thirty minutes later we are sitting in a posh hotel suite perusing over menus. "So what are you in the mood for Bobbi girl?" he says looking up from his menu.
"Probably a grilled chicken salad, that's usually my thing." I laugh nervously.
He smirks and turns his attention back to his menu "I think I'll have a burger and fries."
We place our orders and wait "So tell me about yourself..do you have a boyfriend?"
I twirl my hair around my finger, one of my many nervous habits "No not really...I mean I've been talking to this one guy but nothing serious..how about you though? Selena, she's cute and seems like a really nice girl."
He shrugs his shoulders "Yea she's cool.. but I don't know..."
I feel like this conversation is going into dangerous territory so I quickly change the subject "So how much do you love touring? It's really rad and the bus isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."
He laughs a little..as if he can see right through me...odd. " Yea I love it, it can get rough sometimes but I love connecting with my fans all over and..."
We are interrupted by the arrival of our food. He silences his phone that has continued to go off the entire time we've been here. "Wow this looks great thank you!"
He smiles "It's no big deal..I like to do this sometimes, thank you for the company..it can get cramped on the bus sometimes."
I nod with a mouth full of food "Yea I can see that..do you ever get to go out and do anything fun?"
"Yea of course...we usually find something in each city, keeps me sane."
Our eyes lock and I quickly look away "Winter is coming...do you snowboard?"
His face lights up "Yea I do, do you?"
I shake my head yes "It's like one of my favorite things to do..."
"Well then we definitely have to shred!" he says excitedly.
We spend the next hour talking and with each minute I find myself becoming more comfortable with him. This isn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. He's really cool! We have way more in common than I ever thought possible...weird considering our age gap.
"Well Scooter is blowing up my phone, I didn't realize we've been sitting here talking for 2 hours...I guess we better head out."
I look down at my phone in shock that so much time has passed "Shit Justin I'm sorry! He won't be mad at me will he?"
He waves me off "Nah it's fine..I'm always late anyway."
As we are making our way out of the back entrance of the hotel as he turns to me and says "How about a movie night on the bus?"
I smile up at him "Sure! Sounds great!"
Later as we all settle in for a long drive and our planned movie night I am plagued that I slept so well last night. Maybe it was the alcohol. I almost never sleep more than a few hours at time and I haven't stopped thinking about it all day.