My Pen Pal: Jack Barakat

Chapter Thirteen - There's So Much Love In Your Smile

Danni's POV
I walked onto the tour bus behind Jack, still clinging onto his hand. In comparison to the size of my hand, his was huge but that felt comforting in a strange way. As the door to the bus closed behind me Jack let go of my hand and suddenly I felt uncomfortable and more nervous. I walked up the steps to see Alex, Rian and Zack sitting on the sofas. I froze up. "Guys I want to introduce you to Danni." Jack looked behind at me and I think he knew I was feeling a little uncomfortable. He walked back up to me and shuffled me forward. "It's nice to finally meet you!" Alex put his hand out and I slowly grabbed it, exchanging a handshake. The same was done for Rian and Zack. I tried to form the words to say hello but nothing appeared to leave my mouth. "I think she's a bit shy." I felt Jack slide his hand around mine and suddenly I felt better. "It's nice to meet you guys too. I'm sorry. This just all feels so unreal." I laughed it off, trying to act a little more confident. "Well that's okay. Jack has told us a lot about you." I raised my eyebrows at Alex and he just nodded. "What has he said?"
"Well-" Jack let go of my hand and ran in front of Alex and shouted, "WHO WANTS SOME ORANGE JUICE?"
"Don't change the subject Jack."

"I wasn't, I just asked if anyone wants some orange juice!" I giggled and Jack smiled at me. Something in the way he looked at me and the way he changed the subject made me curious. "I'll have some." I smiled at him. I was thirsty anyway, I could use some. He went down to the end of the bus to get me the drink as Alex patted the space next to him. I sat down, kicking my legs slowly back and forth in the air. "So tell me about yourself Danni." He leant back in the seat, which Rian and Zack followed along with doing. "Well I've been a fan of your band for eight years now I think."
"Eight?!" I nodded.

"That's insane, thanks!" I smiled and continued to talk. "I love doing live music photography and taking photos of general day to day things."
"So you must like Adam Elmakias' work then right?"
"Yep!"
"Pretty awesome." Jack came back down with a glass of orange juice for me. "Here, do you want a straw?"
"Why would she want a straw for a glass she can drink straight out of?"
"I'd love a straw Jack, thanks." I smiled and he opened the over-head cupboard and pulled out a straw, handing it to me. I placed it in the drink and took a small sip. He sat down on the other side of me. I was basically now sat in a Jalex sandwich. I looked over at Rian and Zack who had smirks on their faces. Compared to how close Alex was to me, Jack was incredibly close. Our thighs were touching and his arm was around the back of me, resting on top of the sofa. I took another sip of my orange juice as the guys began talking amongst themselves about the plan for the show tomorrow. I could see Jack glancing at me out of the corner of my eye. I turned to him and he looked away quickly. A small smile formed on his lips. I turned away and could feel my cheeks burning. What was going on? "Jack. JACK?"

"Hm?"

"Were you even listening to anything then or were you just watching Danni drink orange juice?" A silence filled the tour bus.

Jack's POV
"One, I wasn't looking at her drinking her orange juice. Two, I wasn't listening because I was thinking about other things like where we're going today on our day off." Danni chuckled whilst continuing to take sips of my drink. Banging could be heard on the side of the bus. Alex sighed. "Should we go out and meet them so they bugger off?" Rian and Zack nodded towards Alex. "I'll stay here because I've already done that." Alex winked at me before putting on his shades and leaving the bus with the others to greet the squealing fans. It was just me and Danni sat in silence. "So, nice orange juice?" She laughed. I could listen to that laugh all day. I was so fascinated by her and it was only the first 20 minutes or so of meeting her in person. "Yeah, it's nice. A bit warm but oh well."
"Well sorry it's not as cold as the ocean."
"The ocean isn't always cold."

"I didn't go to college, forgive me." She smiled and put her drink down. I could feel my hand twitching every now and again. It was so close to touching her shoulder or her hair. I wanted to, but I also didn't want to freak her out. I was her idol after all. I didn't want to look like a creep. She yawned. "Tired already?"
"I didn't get much sleep to be honest."
"You can go and take a quick nap on my bunk if you want?" She shook her head. "It's okay, I'll be fine." I folded my arms in an aggressive manner. "I insist you go and take a nap or I'll move you there myself." She rolled her eyes and I scooped her up. She squealed and I put her down on my bunk. "Sleep, we'll be out all day before you get home."
"Fine." I went and sat back down and looked over at her as she slowly closed her eyes. Damn. She looked even more perfect when she was sleeping. I felt myself staring at her for an awfully long time but I couldn't help it. "Hey." I jumped. Alex was sat right next to me and my heart nearly leapt out of my chest. "Fucking hell Alex. When did you get in here?"
"Well like 5 minutes ago."