Lost in Japan

She couldn't wait to get lost in Japan with him. Even if they initially were supposed to get together only after the Australian-New Zealand leg of his tour, that one-and-a-half month, almost 7 weeks, 48 days apart was way too long.

It was just too much, more than either of them could handle. They missed each other to the point it ached. They had gotten so used to meeting all over North America. They had managed to keep a very good pace at getting together, almost once a week on average during the summer. She would join him in Tampa and her hometown of Miami to attend his show there, and he would fly to L.A. even on a short 2 days break in his intense schedule. They both put a real effort into shrinking the distance between them with a consistent obstinacy. In restaurants and other coffee shops that were their favorite spots to hang out, they would sit right next to each other, not worrying about the potential awkwardness of the configuration in public. Even walking down the street, he couldn't let go off her gentle tiny hand, their fingers systematically intertwined. And suddenly, absolutely out of nowhere, he would hug her so tight, letting himself instinctively respond to the sudden urge of feeling her even closer, of her body fitting right in his hands.

Of course, they were busy with their respective schedules; him sliding from one Asian show to the other, her promoting the very first songs of her new album to come, leading her to the entertainment pinnacle that was the iconic Saturday Night Live stage. And certainly, it helped them to be focused on being productive, making them feel less emotionally tormented. Still, his songs were filled with references of her. Even though he sang them with an even wider smile and a contagious enthusiasm now they had found a way to let their love fully blossom, he so wished she could be by his side, taking care of him the way she knew it best; by being a complete dork and making him laugh so hard; or by simply putting her hand on his chest to feel his heartbeat, creating a soothing connection. Touching was their way of expressing love, wasn't it?

As for her, the main theme of her album called Romance was newfound love, acknowledging true feelings and how a relationship could be so easy and comfortable when you are with the right person, the person you are meant to be with. She literally wrote songs to express how precious and meaningful her new feelings were. So, even during interviews where his name wasn't explicitly mentioned, or even live performances, images of him would pop up in her head, giving her a sense of comfort and at the same time frustration thinking how he was so out of reach, geographically thousands of miles away.

Yes, she needed to get to him as soon as possible, to stand her petite self right in front of his tall and muscular stature (the height difference made their combination all the more perfect) and slowly slide her hands into his soft curls (she loved that so much and it became quite the habit when they were alone...she loved playing with his curls almost as much as he liked it), to touch his face, to smell his sweet and spicy perfume mixing orange blossom and cinnamon, to kiss him in every spot she could think of.

He hadn't been feeling too well these last days. Not that he didn't love Asian food, far from it. But the excess of it had gotten him into quite a little food coma; the type his own girlfriend was very familiar with, as it had led her straight to a Roman emergency room during her last Italian holidays. Well, that's the type of side effect two crazy food lovers, who would show up in brunch spots and coffee shops every two hours to appease their frequent hunger, should expect at some point.

Besides the exhaustion and the stress of being on tour and away from his dearest ones, that was one of the reasons he had asked Andrew to fly Jocelyne to Tokyo. Her hands were pure magic and had such a holistic relieving effect, way more than what you could expect from your average chiropractor. Her deep massages would certainly regenerate him for the rest of the tour, with the help of a healthy Australian diet composed of vegetables, fresh-brewed coffee (his favorite spot of all time happened to be in Sydney) and green smoothies. And yes, his cheat treats may involve some gluten-free blueberry muffins anyway.

Australia was coming up next and that was a travel delight to him. He loved the Australian lifestyle. It reminded him of the Cali life but in a more laidback, less superficial way. By the way, he was contemplating buying a villa and settling for good in Los Angeles. The few houses he had visited in the Silver Lake area with his mom Karen, Aaliyah and Camila back in early July hadn't really convinced him. There was this one modern villa he liked though: located in the worldly famous Hollywood Hills, offering a superb panoramic view, an infinity pool and multiple glass doors making it hard to distinguish between the inside and the outside of the house. It was the type of Hollywood home he always pictured in his head since being a young teenager with big dreams from Pickering, Ontario. But still, something was missing. When you are a successful artist contemplating a potential acting career, a move in L.A. is a logical follow-up. Plus, he wouldn't admit it but deep in his heart, he knew it was also a way to live closer to her, the girl he had waited for, for such a long time, practically throughout all his teen years.

Their friendship had always been ambiguous. Of course, the feelings had always been there, at least since the "I know what you did last summer" era. The creative process of writing a song together really brought them together and connected them on a deeper level. But their friendship was just too precious, and being teenagers they didn't really know what to do with their feelings. Their chemistry was undeniable. But when asked about a potential relationship, they would just brush it off and minimize everything. Despite their paths not always crossing, they always kept contact and had each other's back. He, in particular, seemed to keep pursuing her with a loyal devotion, not letting any other girl really in. Finally, it took adulthood and the Señorita project to really take their relationship to the next level.

She wasn't used to travelling alone. Gian, or at least her mom Sinu would always be by her side, as she didn't even have her driving license. But the irrepressible urge to be with him could make her do anything. A 24-hour flight just to spend a day with him? Cancelling her "We can survive" appearance last minute? Meeting him halfway in Hawaii and being both lulled by the sound of the water and a gracious sapphire moonlight? All these things came to her mind until she finally realized the only plausible, realistic solution was to meet him for 3 days in Tokyo right after her SNL show. This way, she could make it back to L.A. in time to rehearse for her show at the Hollywood bowl the next Saturday.

On the Monday following, her mom dropped her at the LAX airport. Comfortably reclining in her first-class seat on the plane, she felt a little bit overwhelmed by pre-flight stress and instinctively decided to Facetime Shawn as he was one of the few people who could really help when it came to calming her nerves. It was past midnight in Tokyo and he was certainly already asleep but she also knew he would systematically answer her calls, whatever the time of night.

The only sight of his adorable sleepy face and messed up hair (despite his eternal S-shaped front curl showing some resistance) made her smile instantly on the outside and the inside. It made her reminisce about their mornings waking up together, all cuddled up under the soft duvet, their warm bare skin touching, and how they could stay forever like this, nestled within the closest feeling to bliss.

"Hi babe", he muttered in a low broken voice revealing he had already fallen wide asleep.

"Baaaaaaaaaabe", she repressively screamed in the microphone of her earphones, with the voice of someone super excited but surrounded by strangers. "I am about to take off! Just wanted to see your face before, to give me a little strength."

He first replied with a sweet smile, lay down on his stomach, the right side of his face crushed down on a white linen cushion. "I can't wait to see you my love. Remember, my driver will meet you at the airport. Please come quickly!"

"I'll do my best! Sleep well, the next days are going to be intense I guess," she replied with a little smirk on her face.

"OK babe. Have a safe flight. Love you".

"Love you too."

Thirty seconds of a Facetime call with him had been enough; enough to calm her and put her in a relaxed, serene place, falling asleep shortly after the plane took off.