Once Upon A Dream (Kris Bryant)

33- Counting Stars

Kris

As much fun as we were having on the European leg of the tour, it was about to come to a end. I was actually pretty sad about it, I didn't realize how much my heart wanted to travel. How there was so much out here in this world to see.

I've learned a lot being beside Jayden in a new country. She's one of the coolest people in the world and not because she's crazy talented or super great, but because she's always learning. Coming here, I would have never thought I would leave this place knowing what I know. It's one thing to go to these places looking through the same eyes I do back home. But to have wider and brighter eyes that sees that not everyone walks and talks like me, Well it's a real treat.

"Is it bad I don't want to go back" Jayden asks as we find someplace nice to sit outside and have a picnic. We always find time to have some fun and make memories.

"I don't want to either. Let's run away" I say only half kidding.

"I wish. But we wouldn't enjoy this as much if we saw it all the time. I'm sure people come to America and eat bbq and see the space needle in Seattle and look at it with the same pair of eyes we see this place" she explains.

"Maybe so, but I haven't heard one horn since we've been here so I like it" I tease and she rolls her eyes.

"You're crazy" she claims.

"Crazy over you" I say.

"Good one" she giggles.

"Anything to see that smile."

We pick up our picnic and head back to the hotel. We had to be at the venue for soundcheck and vip and other stuff. We grab Manny and head on over to the arena.

After the concert Jayden gets about a hundred standing ovations before she leaves the stage. The smile was tattooed on her face as she walks off.

"Oh my god, that was insane" she says taking off all the wires and stuff. She hands her guitar to someone before walking over to me. I wrap my arm around her and pull her into a hug. Her face gets buried in my chest as her arms try their best to wrap around me.

"I am so incredibly proud of you. You just sold out arenas in Europe for your first ever tour and performed every night giving a hundred and ten percent. And I know I say I'm proud of you at least twice a day but I really mean it. There no one to compare your success to because you're setting the bar. And none of those numbers or record sales or sold out concerts is what makes me most proud of you. I'm proud of what you do on that stage, I'm proud of how you command peoples attention then when you get it you don't wasted it. You tell them how it is, how it can be. It's a honor to watch you almost every night go out there and be this amazing person. And then you walk off that stage and you're still this amazing person" I say holding her shoulders.

"Literally how are you so perfect" she asks and I laugh.

"I'm not perfect, but this love we share is" I smile. I place a kiss on her forehead before tucking her under my arm. And for the last time in Europe we leave the venue.

We get back to the hotel the  she takes a shower and changes. She sits on the couch scrolling through her phone looking through pictures people tagged her in and thanking fans for coming tonight. She does this after every concert and I find it endearing. Sure she can't respond to all the tweets. That would be impossible. But she tries her best and that's something not a lot of people are capable of handling.

I take a huge blanket and toss it on her. Someone gave it to her at the meet and greet today and it was a huge thick blanket with Jayden and I's face on it. It was super cute if you ask me.

"What's this for" she asks.

"I'm taking you on a adventure" I claim and she raises a eyebrow at me. I pull her off the couch and wrap the blanket around her.

I drag her out of the hotel room and to the elevator. Instead of going down we go up to the top floor. We get up there and there was a little bench on the roof. It overlooked the city that rested peacefully below us. I sit on the bench and she wraps the blanket around the both of us. She rests her head on my shoulder as we look at the sky and the city. Such a beautiful sight.

"How is it the sky looks different now than in Chicago. I mean, we all sit under one sky. But the stars here, they're just a tad bit brighter" she insists.

"It's because all the background noise is gone. No car horns or people walking on the street. Just the stars and the sky, shining brighter than they ever had" I explain.

"I never want to lose sight of the stars. You know, you can't see them durning the day but you always know they're there. They just need a little bit of darkness to be seen. That's that same with life. We love to look at stars but we're afraid of the darkness. Some people will never see the stars because they will spend every moment of their life running from the dark. No one wants to put up with the dark in order to see the stars. And that's a shame, they're so beautiful" she claims.

"I've never thought about it that way" I admit.

"As a little girl I would spend all my nights in the backyard. Anthony and I had a tent in my backyard where we would sit out almost all night and look at the stars. We drew picture of them and told stories of how we used to think the stars got there. He always said there were stars so there could be Star Wars but I had a different theory" she explains.

"What was that" I ask. She smiles up at the sky as the balls of fire become trapped in her eyes.

"They're there as reminders. They're a reminder that there is a light in the darkness, there always is. No matter where you are, rich or poor, if you're looking from a castle or the backyard of your childhood home, they will always be there. We have stars to light the way to where we need to be" she claims looking from the stars in the sky's and into the stars in my eyes.

"If this world was filled with stars, you would be the sun" I say and she scrunches her nose. "Too much of a stretch" I ask and she laughs.

"It's a bit out there" she admits.

"Hey. I had to shoot my shot" I smile.

"I think you're the North Star. Because you guide me in the right direction and you're always right where I need you to be" she claims.

"See, that's so cute. All I got was you're the sun because you're hot and I need you to survive" I claim and she laughs.

"That's pretty bad" she admits.

"At least I tried" I shrug.

"That you did."