You rolled your eyes as you watched your best friend Ross flirting with a fan outside after a concert. “He’s at it again.” Riker mumbled. You were both standing just inside the side doors of the venue, waiting on the rest of the band. “Are you surprised?” you asked, turning to look back at Ross and the pretty blonde he was talking to. She tossed her hair and laughed, probably at some lame joke he had made. Riker chuckled as he shook his head. “No, not really.” Ross had always been a bit of a ladies’ man. Everywhere he went he always managed to snag the number of some lucky lady. It never lasted very long. One date, maybe two. Then he would find another girl at the next concert and the cycle would repeat itself. “I don’t think he’s ever been in a relationship for more than a month.” You said quietly. Riker shook his head again. “No…actually remember that girl we met in Toronto? Jessica? She was a month-and-a-halfer.” He commented. You thought for a few moments. “I thought Toronto was Beth?” you asked. “You’re both wrong. The Toronto girl was Kayley.” Rocky spoke up as he walked towards you. He was carrying his guitar case in one hand and holding his two year old daughter Emerson with his free arm. His wife Kristen was right behind him, carrying their newborn baby girl Everly. “I think Jessica was Atlanta.” She said quietly, gently rocking the sleeping baby in her arms. Riker shook his head. “No Atlanta was Ava…remember? That’s how we remembered where she was from. A-va. A-tlanta.” He emphasized the A’s in each word. Rocky shook his head as he watched Ross and the blonde exchange numbers. “I don’t care where any of them are from. I think we can all just agree that Ross needs to cool it for a while.” He muttered. Everyone nodded in agreement. You frowned as you turned back to watch Ross and the mystery girl once more. The ‘ladies’ man’ act had been ok when he was 18. Even when he was 21. But now, Ross was 24. Everyone was getting tired of it. All four of the other R5 members were married now, and all of them had kids. Ryland even; he was engaged. But Ross showed no signs of slowing down anytime soon. “Daaaaaddy.” Riker’s daughter Jaycee’s voice came echoing down the concrete-walled corridor. The four year old slowly approached, appearing as though she had just woken up. She rubbed her eyes tiredly as she made her way to her father. “Hey princess, have a good nap?” he asked, squatting down to her level. She immediately walked into his arms without hesitation, wrapping her tiny arms around his neck. He stood up, cradling her close to his chest. “Where’s your brother?” he asked as he rocked her back and forth. “With mommy.” She whispered, already drifting back to sleep. You smiled as you watched both Rocky and Riker with their little girls. You knew Ross would be just as amazing of a father one day; if he would stop messing around and actually settle down. Rydel and Riker’s wife Alexa approached moments later. Alexa was carrying their son Jaxon and Rydel was holding her own newborn, Derrik.“Ryland’s already out by the bus. We’re ready if you are.” Rydel said. Ellington stood behind her, his hand rested protectively on her waist. Everyone nodded, gathering up their things. “Hey Ross, let’s move it!” Riker called. Ross nodded and turned back to the girl. He said a quick goodbye and ran over to join the rest of you. Since most of the members now had growing families, they had expanded to three tour buses to transport themselves, plus their crew and equipment, across the county. Riker, his wife & kids, Ellington & Rydel plus their newborn, took up the first bus. Ryland and Rocky’s family took up the second, plus his fiancée Jennifer whenever she joined him on tour. You and Ross rode on the last bus with the crew, since neither of you were married or had families. You didn’t mind sharing a bus with Ross. As much as you complained about his womanizing ways, he was still your best friend. You had known the Lynch family for years. When you turned 18, they had offered you the position of their makeup artist/wardrobe manager. You had been on the road with them ever since. However, being on the road 24/7 made it difficult to sustain a relationship. You had only dated a few guys since you became a part of the R5 team, and none for more than a few months. You were 24, same as Ross. Seeing Rocky, Riker, Rydel, Ellington and their families made you long for the day when you would find that special someone and have a family of your own. They had all made it work on the road; why couldn’t you do the same? Whatever the reason, it just hadn’t worked out for you so far. You said a quick goodbye to the others and stepped onto the last bus. You flopped down on the couch just as Ross came strolling through the door. He pulled off his t-shirt and tossed it onto the floor before sitting down next to you. You looked down at your phone, ignoring his shirtless torso that was now inches from you. Ross walked around half-naked most of the time on the bus; after a while it had stopped bothering you. “I am EXHAUSTED!” he exclaimed, laying his head down in your lap. You absentmindedly began playing with his hair, continuing to scroll through your phone with the other. There had been many times in the past that you and Ross had been mistaken for a couple. You had a super-close friendship, and in many aspects of your relationship you acted like a couple. Every one of Ross’s siblings had asked you at some point in your life why you and Ross had never taken that step and begun to date. Truthfully, you used to like Ross. Oh who were you kidding? You had been in love with Ross, completely head-over-heels. But that had been in the past, back when you were both teenagers. Back when Ross’s flirty personality was actually a bit charming. At 24, you had begun to think that Ross would never change. You didn’t want to be with someone like that. He was a player. If you tried to get involved with him you would only get your heart broken. Besides, if he had ever felt something for you he surely would have said so; he was a very straightforward person and never held anything back from you. You would only ever be best friends, and that was okay with you. You felt the familiar ache in your chest, a longing feeling running throughout your body. Somewhere, deep inside of you, you still loved Ross. You knew it, even though you would never admit it. You kept it suppressed, buried deep within you. “Jasmine!” Ross’s voice cut through your thoughts. You snapped out of your daydreaming and glanced down at him. “You’ve been staring at that same picture for the past fifteen minutes. Everything ok?” he asked, concerned. You quickly smiled down at him. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.” You assured him. “Thinking about what?” he questioned. You quickly racked your brain, trying to think of ANYTHING. You obviously couldn’t tell him what you had actually been thinking. “How I’m going to coordinate your outfits tomorrow. I was thinking blue or purple.” You lied quickly. Ross thought for a few moments. “Blue.” He said, smiling hopefully at you. You nodded. “I think I can make that happen.” You replied, smiling as well. The two of you sat in silence for a few more minutes. “So what’s her name?” you asked finally. A smirk broke out across Ross’s face. “Mikayla. She’s 22 and just graduated with a bachelor’s in pre-law. She’s going to be a lawyer.” He said smugly. You mentally rolled your eyes. You truthfully didn’t care, you were just curious. You felt the familiar feeling of jealousy course through your veins. You gritted your teeth. As much as you tried not to care, you couldn’t help it. “Fascinating.” You mumbled. Ross looked up at you in confusion. “What?” he asked. You shook your head. “Nothing Ross.” You said quietly. He shrugged and went back to staring at the ceiling.
