Star Shines In Her Eye

Full Circle

I woke up feeling dehydrated from drinking in the sun all day. I smiled, despite my pain, I had never felt so connected to Josh. For the first time in a very long time I felt accepting of the place we were headed. Maybe one day when Sammy and I are very old and we're the only two left, we'll be together again, just because our souls are deeply connected. If that day ever comes, I'll know it was meant to be, until then I couldn't be more in love with Joshua. He rolled over, as if he could hear my thoughts and pulled me close to him. His skin was warm and smelled like cedar and juniper. He kissed my head and pulled back to look at me. "I'm going to marry you one day." Josh said with a groggy voice, looking deep into my eyes and pushing my hair behind my ear. "Oh really? Someone had a good sleep. Only if I say yes." I couldn't hide the giant smile on my face. "Oh you'll say yes and then you can have my babies and they'll have your blue eyes and my hair." I scrunched my nose and buried my face into his chest. It was something I had imagined a couple months ago, he clearly had too.
There was a loud knock at the door which made me jump. Josh shouted to hang on and put on pants and a tee shirt. I scrambled and put on a tee and underwear and sat back into bed. Josh opened the door and his twin came bounding in. "I see someone learned to knock!" I said before he jumped onto the bed and tackled me. "Jacob Thomas!" I yelled. He kissed my cheek, Josh was trying to yank him off of me. I laughed uncontrollably as Jake turned and wrestled his brother to the ground. They were 26 but acted 14 sometimes. They settled down and Jake sat next to me on the bed and ordered room service for the three of us. They had their last show tonight in Cali before we headed east, we had the morning to relax. "I really regret getting the room next to you guys. You scared my cougar away." He said, elbowing me in the ribs. "Ow! Y'all are identical, I'm not sure why your cougar wasn't screaming the same way." I said in a fake southern accent. Jake rolled his eyes and Josh laughed hard at my sass.
     We joined the rest of the group in the lobby after breakfast and decided we would take our last hike in the Hollywood hills before soundcheck. Sammy and I held back and let the group walk ahead. "Soo about that kiss the other night..." I said in a low whisper. "Yeah, I've thought about it too." Sammy responded, matching my volume. "Shall we shake to not let that happen again?" Sammy agreed and we pinky promised, as we always did and caught up to the group. It wasn't a long chat, like I had planned, but we didn't need that, we were on the same page. He seemed to be really into Brooklyn and if he was happy, I could get on board.

4 Months Later

The tour ended as quickly as it all began. It was November and we were finally going home to Michigan for the holidays. We had an amazing couple of months, Josh and I were stronger than ever and my friendship with Sam felt like it was back to normal. It had all come full circle, this time last year Josh and I shared our first kiss, before shit hit the fan and before we all found a new normal again. If I learned anything from the year it was that my bond with these boys was cemented. Nothing could break us and it became clear over every obstacle we cleared together.
     I sat at my desk, getting ready for a family Thanksgiving. My grandparents, aunts, uncle and cousins were coming over and Josh was going to meet at my house, eat dinner with us and then we would go to his house for dessert. It was the most normal couple activity we shared throughout the year. I heard the doorbell ring and I jumped up to get it. I was wearing a cowl neck sweater and leggings to make room for all of the food. Months on the road makes you appreciate home cooked meals more than ever before. I ran and grabbed the door to find Josh standing there with flowers in his hand. I reached for the flowers and he yanked them back, making me pout. "Not for you, for your mother. You look radiant, my love." Josh gave me a kiss on my cheek. "Well in that case, she's in the kitchen waiting for you to charm her."
     My parents greeted Josh with hugs and kisses, they hadn't seen him since we left all the way back in April. "Thank you, Joshua, they're beautiful, I love wildflowers!" My mom took the flowers and placed them in a vase with water. I stood back, feeling very proud of the boy I brought home to my parents. They were chatting and catching up, like old friends, it was so comforting to see my parents love someone I also loved. My extended family walked into the house and we were greeted with a lot of hugs and kisses. My 2 younger cousins blushed when they gave Josh a hug, even though they have met him at countless summer parties. My grandpa said something snarky about how long his hair was getting which made me do a spit take. It was a perfect family gathering and it felt like Josh was becoming a part of my family, as much as I had already been a part of his.
     It was a chilly November night and I put on a jacket for our walk over to the Kiszka's. Josh took my hand as we walked the path I had walked one million times. Josh stopped and held me back from walking any further. The moon was bright and it felt like we could see every star in the galaxy. He looked me in the eyes and just nodded, as if to confirm something. "What, weirdo?!" I said, giggling awkwardly. "This is going to sound cliché... but that line in Flower Power? It's about you..." "Joshua, what are you talking about? You guys wrote that song almost 10 years ago, what line?" Joshua sighed, slightly irritated that he had to continue to explain. "Star shines in her eye, makes me feel like I'm alive. I've just always loved you, I just wanted you to know, you're the girl I've always wanted." I immediately felt chills run down my arms, it was my favorite line of any song Josh had ever written, it was no wonder I felt so connected to it. I hugged Josh tight and kissed his cheek. "I love you more than anything, Joshua."