god, the universe, and everything in between

six

i laughed as i stood on the side of the stage, a red solo cup in one hand and the other on my hip. i stood in a circle with christina, lexi, and my brother, giggling hysterically as we attempted to play a game with our feet that noah had learned at some camp when he was twelve. "okay, i give up. this isn't working." lexi said breathlessly, brushing her hair out of her face with a small chuckle escaping her lips. christina and i nod in unison, agreeing with her. noah pouts, rolling his eyes.

"you guys are wussies." noah retorts, taking a sip from his own cup. i roll my eyes back at him before turning around, observing the venue as the audience started filing in. i exhaled, amazed at how fast caliban was growing. they were playing to an audience of five thousand people that night, the biggest audience they'd had yet. i have to admit, i was nervous for them. but i can honestly say that i had and still have never believed in a group of people more than them.

my train of thought was interrupted as i felt two strong hands on my shoulders. i smiled and turned my head back, "hi." i said to ryker, reaching up to rest my hand on his. he transferred his hand to my waist as he moved beside me, pressing a long kiss to the side of my head.

"hi, beautiful," he replied, resting his chin on my shoulder. "crazy, isn't it? sold out, too."

i nodded and let out a breath, "absolutely insane," i said, pausing for a moment. i turned to him and rested my free hand on his neck. "i am so proud of you. so stupidly proud, ryker. i can't even tell you."

he smiled, and i noticed his cheeks darken a few shades, which made me grin. he leaned down to press a quick kiss to my lips, "thank you. that's all i ever want, you know." he confessed, resting his forehead against my own.

i smiled tenderly, setting my cup down on an amp that was sitting next to us. i wrapped my arms around his neck and nuzzled his nose, "well you have it." i replied cooly, a small smirk creeping onto my lips.

"promise?" he asked with a small pout.

i chuckled, "promise."

"good." he hummed happily as he pulled me to him, peppering kisses on my neck. i giggled and nuzzled my face into his shoulder, tightening my grip around him into an embrace. "i love you," i told him honestly. i stayed there for a moment, in his arms, every worry in the entire world washing away, before pulling away. "now go get em." i grinned, looking up at him with an expression of genuine encouragement. 

"i love you more." he said, smiling widely down at me. "alright, three minutes to show time." called one of the crew members, which meant that it was time for the boys to go. ryker looked over at him, and my heart almost exploded when i saw the excitement present on his face.

i opened my mouth to reply, but he stopped me before i could say anything. "and don't even try to disagree." he said, pausing for a split second before deciding to kiss me one last time. he pulled away quickly and gave me a wave as he ran over to the stairs leading up to the stage to meet his band members. i smiled as i watched him, bringing my hand up to my lips. i laughed to myself, shaking my head as i felt a blush creep up onto my cheeks.

i made sure to grab my cup before walking to meet christina, lexi, and noah again in the vip section, feeling more love in my heart than i had for months. 

-

i walked back to the side of the stage to meet ryker after the show. i looked around for him, ready to give him the biggest hug of my entire life. i finally found him and when we made eye contact, his face lit up brighter than it ever had before. i laughed as i ran to him, practically leaping into his arms. "you were incredible!" i said, tears of pure joy forming in my eyes. i wiped them away when he finally set me down, chuckling to myself as i gave louis, grant, and jared big hugs as well.

i shook my head in disbelief, "you guys. that was fucking awesome." i said, looking around at the four sweaty boys in front of me. they beamed at me, running their hands through their hair or rubbing their faces with their shirts. other crew members and friends then came up to congratulate them, leaving me to reflect on my own.

when i saw dylan and kyle pass by, i almost fainted. i gasped, collecting my wits as i watched them survey the stage. after a few minutes kyle stopped to give ryker the most intense death stare i've ever witnessed. fortunately i had taken to concealing myself behind a stack of equipment, so i was obscured from his view. dylan however, who stood about ten feet in front of kyle, could see me perfectly. we made eye contact and my heart skipped a beat. he smiled sadly at me, nodding his head once to reassure me of something. i wasn't exactly sure what, but it didn't seem bad. i returned his small smile, watching as he nodded to kyle to urge him on. 

i watched the two walk away, surprised to be unharmed and barely worried. i was also surprised to see dylan act like that. so... normal? friendly, even?

"whatcha lookin' at?" i heard a voice behind me say as it approached me. i shook my head and shrugged, "nothing in particular. just thinking, mostly. about how impressed i am." i replied to ryker, which wasn't entirely a lie. he nodded and draped his arm around my shoulders. he was sweaty and sticky, but i didn't mind. we both let a sigh escape our lips at the same time, both of us laughing about it. 

"i really think this is what you should do forever, ryker." i said to him truthfully, looking up at him and into his breathtaking blue eyes. 

he just chuckled, shaking his head as he pulled away to light a cigarette. "come on." he said, returning his arm back to its rightful position around my shoulders. he let the cigarette dangle from his lips as we walked together to the golf cart that would take us to our next adventure.