A little bit of a short one, but I hope you guys enjoy it! I need to plan some more stuff out for this one before I update it again, but I know y'all won't mind it lol

Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy what I have for you for now! Much love, everybody!

I smiled from ear to ear as I fixed the shirt I was given by the costume coordinator.

"Thanks, Hailey. I'll take care of Jim from here." I looked over toward where Toby's voice was coming from as Hailey made a shift exit. Her presence being replaced with Toby's as he joined my side. "You look happy." My best friend crossed his arms over his chest as he was waiting for the soft click of the changing room door for him to continue. "I don't think I need to ask you why though from what I heard." I blushed slightly as I just gave him a wide smile.

"Yeah?" I grabbed the jacket that was picked out for me that I left on top of the counter beside me. I slipped it on as I kept my smile on my face.

"Oh yeah." I just gave a small laugh at him as I adjusted the jacket on my shoulders. "So? How was it? As good as teenage you would dream of?" I felt my blush deepen as I shot him a glare. "What? you can't tell me that you never dreamt of it."

"You're not wrong, but fuck you."

"You're not answering me, Lake." I looked away from him before letting out a soft chuckle. I put my hands on my hips as I gave him a half-hearted glare.

"I'm not going to."

"From what I heard, you don't really need to."

"Fuck you."

"Love you too, man." He reached out and put his hands onto my shoulders. "Seriously, I'm happy for the two of you. Both of you have been waiting long enough to get together. I honestly thought you two would break at this point if neither of you pushed a little further." He dropped his hands from my shoulders as he gave me a curious look. "You were safe though, right?" My face only got redder as I gave out a stuttering reply.

"T-Tobes! Can we n-not with this!?"

"You weren't were you? Your mother would be ashamed. I thought she raised you better, Jimbo."

"I swear to God, Tobes!"

"Hey! Again, I'm happy for the both of you, but I don't need Darci killing me over you putting Claire out of service for a little while." I brought my hands up to cover my face as Toby just laughed at my reaction. "Bro! You should look at yourself! You're like some kind of bashful sixteen-year-old! It's a little ironic that you've performed for thousands of people, but your girlfriend is the one to turn you into a pure mess." I dropped my hands to bite back at his remark as a knock came from the door.

"Boys? You in there?" I looked up toward the door as Claire's voice flowed through it with ease.

I opened my eyes slowly as I heard cheerful humming coming from the foot of my bed. I sat up from where I was laying to see Claire trying her best to tie her hair behind her head. My plain back v-neck covering her torso easily as she struggled with the hair tie.

"Stupid fucking-."

"Need some help?" She turned her head toward me to give me a gentle smile. The sunrise coming from the high glass windows gracing her face with ease as her smile shined brighter than anything I had seen before.

"Do you remember how?"

"Would you let me forget?" She gave a small giggle as I crawled over to where she was and took the hair tie from her. She turned her attention before her as I gathered the mass of thick hair at the base of her neck and followed the movements she taught me to bring it into a small bun at the bottom of her neck. Once I was done, she turned her head toward me to give another smile to me.

"Okay," She brought her arms up to wrap them around my neck as she pulled me closer to her. "You are officially the best boyfriend ever for remembering how to do my hair like that." I chuckled at her as I wrapped my arms around her waist.

"With how many times I had to do it, it's imprinted in my memory. I even remember that half ponytail thing you did when we were juniors."

"From when I had my hair dyed white?" She let out a soft laugh as we bumped our foreheads together. I only hummed in reply as she continued. "How many hair ties did I end up trusting you with at that point?"

"Enough to make my arm look like a rainbow barrage and it was worth every second of it." She giggled at me once more before leaning forward and placing a quick kiss on my lips.

"God I love you."

"I love you too."

I felt my blush deepen my cheeks as Claire entered the room. A large smile on her face as she walked up to us.

"Ready for a good show?"

"If Jimbo here doesn't die from embarrassment." I felt Toby pat my right shoulder as I shot him a half-hearted glare.

"Again, fuck off."

"Again, love you too. Here," Toby walked past her as he went to exit the room. "You two can have some alone time. Not too much though. Curtain is in thirty minutes and I rather not start the world part of a world tour late." After only a second of silence after Toby closed the door behind him, Claire spoke in a soft tone.

"He knows doesn't he?"

"Yup." I watched Claire with a skeptical eye as she just shrugged at the idea.

"Oh well. Honestly."

"You're not mad with me or anything?"

"Oh, I know you didn't say anything. Especially by how red in the face you are." I chuckled as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. The action pulling me into a loose hug as I wrapped my arms around her without a second thought. "Kind of dickish that he did that, honestly."

"That's Tobes and I for ya. We always fuck with each other like that."

"I will never understand you boys."

"Are you supposed to?" I gave her a cheeky smile as she just giggled in reply.

"No, I guess not." She brought her hands up and combed her fingertips through my hair as she just gave me a soft smile in return. "I don't mind the continued desire to keep trying though."

"Even if it leads you nowhere?"

"It lead me to you so I don't think that's nowhere." I gave her a wide smile as she planted a quick kiss on my cheek. "This is your first time performing in England, right?"

"Yup!" I gave a small airy laugh as a nervous feeling swelled within my chest. "I'm a little nervous, actually."

"Think about it as performing anywhere else." She combed her fingers through my hair once more as she gave me a sweet smile. "And if you get too nervous, I'll be right there in the wings. Just like old times." She leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead as I felt the heat from my cheeks subside. The feeling of her holding me calming my nerves with every second.

"What would I do without you?" I smiled at her as she just mimicked the action back toward me.

"Be a lost puppy dog? I have no clue." She unwrapped her arms from me and took both of my hands in hers with ease. "Now, let's get you on that stage so you can give them a show they will never forget." My smile only widened as I let her lead me from the dressing room and into the stage area. A single thought echoing within my mind as I watched her flash a smile over her shoulder at me.

And a lost puppy I would be.

I watched in the wings as Jim sang his heart out to the crowd. It was night and day in comparison from the first time I ever saw him sing.

When we were sixteen and he first sang for me, he was fidgety and careful. His eyes never leaving the fretboard of his old acoustic guitar as his voice was soft and obviously nervous.

But now, he moves along to the music. Even forgetting his guitar to his side while he allowed his voice to showcase the raw emotion within his words.

Yet somehow they were the same. The same guy that was bashful and cautious was the one before me performing as if it would be his last. Glancing over toward me ever so often as if to check if I was still there. My heart warming with each loving smile he sent to me before starting up another one of his songs.

"Don't kill us for this." I looked over to Toby that was just smiling as he kept his eyes on his best friend who had just finished what was supposed to be the last song of the night. "But we've got a surprise for you. Well, more like Jim's got a surprise for you." I gave him a confused look as Jim's voice came over the loudspeakers.

"Alright! I was going to end the night here, but I wanted to do something special today." The crowd roared as I looked over to see that he took the microphone off the stand after moving his guitar to his back. "I've toured for years now, but this one has meant more to me so far than any other. I usually enjoy thanking everyone personally for all the work that they put into bringing this experience to life. Yet someone very specific has been making this tour something I will never forget." I watched with wide eyes as he looked over toward me. He held out his hand toward me as he dropped his hand with the mic to his side.

"Go on." I looked over toward Toby who was now nudging me toward the stage. I turned my head toward Jim once more who just gave me a wide smile in return.

So much for his old awkwardness. With an act like this, it's obvious he has more confidence than he ever had before.

Maybe he isn't the same Jim as I remember him being?

I moved without a second thought as I made my way to join him on stage. The crowd's screams becoming almost deafening as I joined his side. Once he wrapped his arm around my waist, he brought the mic back up to his face.

"I know that I tell you enough that I don't know where I would be without you, but I wanted everyone to know how much you've impacted me in my life." I kept my eyes on him as he spoke as if the world wasn't listening within that moment. "If it wasn't for you, I know I wouldn't be here standing on this stage right now. If it wasn't for you, I don't even think I would have written a song in the first place." I felt a blush take over my face as I saw the sincerity in his eyes. "You've always been my pushing force and now is no different. You've been by my side through everything and you always made me feel as if there was more to me than what I saw in the mirror. When the world tore me down, it was you that put me back together." He gave me a sweet smile as his voice turned to a gentle tone. "And I know this has always been a two-way street with us, but I just wanted the world to know how much you mean to me. Especially this," He turned his attention toward me fully as he kept his eyes on mine. "I love you." I felt a smile appear on my face as he dropped the mic to his side once more. I couldn't help but pull the cheesy bastard in for a tight hug that he reciprocated with ease as I whispered my response to him in his ear.

"I love you too." He just chuckled against me as the sound of the crowd seemed to fade to me. His laughter being the only thing I cared about hearing within that moment. I pulled back from him to place a kiss on his lips as I cupped both sides of his face with my hands.

Yes, he's different in a way Jim than the guy I loved since high school. But he's also still the same guy that was too afraid for me to even read his poetry. Let alone listening to him sing it.

We pulled apart and I felt as if I was going to fall to my knees with the beaming smile he had given me afterward.

Yet either way, I love him all the same. Change or not. Similar or different, he's still Jim.

I pressed my forehead against his as we just giggled together like children.

And I wouldn't have him any other way.

The bliss of the moment was cut short when the sound of a loud bang came from the crowd. The sudden screams coming from the audience as Jim's face suddenly went pale. But the sounds of their screams were silent to me as Jim choked out my name.

"C-Claire?" I felt him fall limp against me as I felt a sudden surge of panic fill my chest. I tried my best to pull him against me as we fell to the stage floor together.

But the world has given us a tough time to get here.

And today won't be any different.