To the Moon and Back

Long, Hot Summer

It felt like forever, but between FaceTime, and late night phone calls, the five weeks separating Hunter and I were made more bearable. Stephanie and I strolled downtown Toronto when I heard someone yell my name. We turned to see three girls running toward us with cell phones waving  in their hands. "Jenna! Can we have a photo?"

Stunned, I said, "Really? Me? Okay, sure." Stephanie took one of the girls phones and they gathered around me, smiling. They thanked me and carried on their way through Yonge and Dundas Square. When they were out of ear shot, I turned to Stephanie, "Did that just happen?" She nodded and we laughed it off  I texted Hunter, somewhat in disbelief, but also sort of flattered. 

We finished our shopping and hopped on the train back to town. Stephanie and I talked about the Boots weekend and what is next for Hunter and I. I shrugged, "It's hard to say. We are just taking it one week at a time.' Steph nodded, trying to understand how challenging our relationship must be. "August will be six months," I smiled, "and we talked the other night about me going to meet his parents at Thanksgiving." 

The next day, I woke up to my phone buzzing, it was Hunter. "Good morning my dear, I just wanted to let you know that we are an hour from your house."

"Perfect," hearing his voice always brings a smile to my face. "I'm all packed up so I'll be ready."

"Wonderful, see you soon."

I brushed through a few tangles in my long auburn hair, using my iron to straighten out a few kinks. I put on sunscreen and did a little eyeliner and mascara and fished through my closet to find my jean shorts. I threw on a grey tank top and tied a red plaid shirt around my waist  I slipped on my toms just as I saw a bus pull up in front of the house. I hauled my suitcase down the front stairs as Hunter emerged from the bus. "There's my country festival queen!"

Laughing, I paused and struck a silly pose before continuing my walk to the bus. "Well look at you, my music making king!" I kissed Hunter and he grabbed my suitcase and lead me into the bus. All the guys waved and said hello, hugs all around.

"Jenna, there is someone I would like you to meet," Sam said, standing up to introduce me to a pretty girl with shoulder length, black hair and striking green eyes, "This is Joelle. She's my girlfriend." We shook hands and grabbed a seat beside the dog. We headed onward toward the creek and campground in Barrie where the festival was being held.

Matt went over the itinerary for the weekend, "Ladies, you have your passes so that means you can access backstage and the VIP lounge. We play tomorrow and Sunday so today is just about having fun." 

We arrived and the guys did a check on the transport truck carrying the equipment which allowed Joelle and I to get to know each other. "I'm originally from a city just outside of Billings, Montana. Went to school for art, now I do photography and I just got hired at the Nashville Star paper." I told Joelle about doing my state accreditation for recreation and that I just finished my kinesiology degree. "Hunter said so many nice things about you - it's nice to meet you in person and spend this weekend with you," she smiled, "it's not often that I meet people I feel like I can become instant friends with." I nodded. There were a lot of country stars and their SO's who were a bit older than us and it made it tricky to connect with them on a personal level.

"How about we go check out the grounds," I said, "maybe the guy would like to go for a walk?" Cole lifted his head and wagged his tail. "That looks like a yes." I found his leash and we headed out to explore the festival.

Joelle and I continued to talk and realized we had a lot in common from our favourite artists and singers to food and had similar taste in clothes. We walked with Cole and were waved down by Hunter, "I see Cole is being escorted by two of the prettiest ladies here. Take him for walks and he will be your friend forever." I pat his head, "we were going to head over to the beer tent to grab some lunch." We walked Cole back to the bus and took the golf cart across the festival grounds to grab a bite and a drink. The afternoon was full of laughs and filming for Hunter's YouTube channel and Instagram. 

We drove past some iconic signage and I nudged Hunter, " Look- this would be the perfect photo opp for instagram." He smiled, asked if I was certain that I wanted to be posted on his insta and I think my smile convinced him. Joelle took a few photos for us and we looked at them when we got back to the bus.

"I like this one, and no filter." I showed Hunter the picture. "Let's caption it something like, Boots and the King of my Heart, or festivals with bae..." I got up, laughing, "aaand this is why you're the writer." I strolled over to the fridge to find some water.

"I like the festivals caption," Hunter laughed, "it's perfect."