"She's not answering!" Kendall hit redial on his phone. "I've called her seven times already and she hasn't answered a single one of my calls!"
"Obsess much?" Logan joked.
Logan sat on the couch in the living room with his laptop doing some work for school. He only had two classes but he was putting more than his heart and soul into them. Kendall sat in the brown recliner which was positioned at an angle to the couch with his legs dangling over the arm rather than have it in the reclining position.
"Jo said she had this morning off and I thought we could video chat, but she won't answer!"
"I'd call Camille and ask her what's up but she's currently in the air with your mom and Katie on her way here."
"Hey, Jo, call me when you get this. I thought you said you had the morning off. Well, maybe I got the day wrong. I don't know. Miss you. Love you." Kendall hung up his phone and placed it on the coffee table where Logan immediately stole it.
"Eight times is enough and I know that wasn't the first voice mail you left her."
Kendall pulled a face. "Just because your girlfriend is coming."
"That's right."
Kendall stood up and reached for his phone, but Logan held it away putting one hand on Kendall's chest so he couldn't move closer.
"Aha!" Kendall finally managed to claim his cell from Logan's grasp. He quickly hit the dial button twice to call the last number.
Logan just shook his head in defeat.
"It wouldn't matter," Kendall said when the phone went immediately to voice mail, "if I was here or there. She's so busy we wouldn't get to see each other anyway. I love that she's successful and I don't want to take that away," he hung up the phone after listening to her outgoing message, "but I do miss her."
Logan closed his laptop and placed it on the coffee table.
"Miss her later, because we have to pick everyone up at the airport."
"I see the grin on your face."
Logan put his hand over his mouth.
"What grin?"
Kendall removed the hand.
"That one. It's okay to be excited. I would be if I was in your shoes."
"Your feet are too big for my shoes."
"Carlos! James! We're going to the airport now!" Kendall called out hoping his voice reached to whatever corners of the house the other two were at, but being that it was such a big house that was unlikely. "Guys!"
Logan pulled his phone out and began texting.
"Who's John and Tom?" He asked Kendall.
"What?"
"Carlos texted back that he's out with John and Tom."
"Oh, those boys Carlos met."
James came down the stairs at that moment.
"Feeling better?" Logan asked.
"What?"
"You finally did your hair."
"Oh, ha ha. I wanted to look nice for Mama Knight and Katie."
"And Camille," Logan added.
"And Camille," James repeated.
Kendall, James, and Logan sat in the hard plastic airport chairs as they waited for flight 5546 from Denver to arrive at the terminal. He had received a text from Katie that they had arrived on time from Los Angeles to Denver where they transferred planes, but now they were forty-nine minutes late.
Logan tapped his foot on the floor, the shaking of his knee annoying Kendall. They were downstairs waiting by baggage claim. It used to be that one could wait for the arrival of whomever they were waiting on at the terminal, but Kendall didn't know about that. What he had learned was that 9/11 changed things and he had to wait elsewhere.
"Big Brother!"
"Baby Sister!"
Kendall and Katie ran at each other enveloping themselves in a tight hug. Following Katie was Camille who immediately wrapped herself in Logan's arms, surprisingly not knocking him over. Mrs. Knight hugged James who was the only one left. Behind his mother was—
"Jo!"
"Surprise!"
Kendall broke from his sister and enveloped his girlfriend in a good, long kiss. He thought he heard wolf whistling from James, but he didn't stop kissing Jo to make sure.
"What are you doing here?" He asked when they stopped to catch their breath.
"Jett got sick so I have today, tomorrow, and Friday off! I was supposed to shoot the opening scenes with him this week and with him sick nothing can get done."
"Oh that's too bad."
Jo playfully smacked his arm.
"You could at least pretend to show some sympathy."
"Eh, you know how I feel about Jett."
"He's not that bad."
"OK, now you're done welcoming your girlfriend, how about giving your mom a hug?" Mrs. Knight pulled Kendall into her arms. "I feel like I barely get to see you anymore."
"With the three month tour and then them leaving the very next week for Colorado, I'd say yeah," Katie remarked.
"Where's Carlos?" Camille asked.
"He made new friends," James said a little sourly.
"What?"
"He met some new guys and has been hanging out with them this week. They like to ride skateboards," Kendall explained. "He invited me to hang out with them, but I dunno."
Did it bother Kendall that Carlos was hanging out with someone new? Well, no. They had all had their own friends over the years. He just hoped he didn't lose Carlos. Carlos, as well as James and Logan, was not just his best friend, but his brother. Losing one of them would be almost as bad if not worse than losing Jo.
"What's this?" Jo waved her cell phone in Kendall's face. "Nine missed calls and two voice messages!"
"Yep, looks like teenage boys live here," Mrs. Knight stated the minute they stepped into the house. "Have you cleaned a single dish since you've been here?" She entered the kitchen to see the sink overflowing with dirty dishes.
"Oh, Mom, we were just saving that for you," Kendall claimed.
"Technically, we're adults," Logan stated.
"Stop worrying about the mess and take a look at the place." Katie reached for her mom's hand to drag her around the house.
"Let's put your stuff away in your room." Kendall grabbed Jo's suitcase with one hand and her hand with the other. "I'm so glad you're here."
"Me, too. I've missed you terribly," Jo admitted.
"Not as much as he's missed you," James remarked following them up the stairs. "I could write a sad love song about the way he's been pining for you."
Kendall made to back hand James when his mom appeared out of nowhere.
"Girls go in the guest room." She pointed to one of the rooms connected by a bathroom. "Katie and I will share the other one."
"Aw, Mom!" Kendall whined knowing it would have no effect. It wasn't like he was going to try anything with Jo with his mom in the house anyway.
Later that day, Kendall sat on the couch snuggling with Jo and Logan sat on the same couch with his arm around Camille. Katie sat in the recliner with her phone. Kendall hoped she was playing a game and not bugging Austin. Maybe she moved on to another boy. He hoped she wasn't bugging him, either.
"She's becoming a teenager," Jo said. "It's only natural for her to like boys. You have to lighten up."
"I don't want to," Kendall grumbled.
"I'm with Jo on this one," Katie spoke up.
"Of course you are."
"I think it's cute," Camille commented.
"That's because she's not your sister."
"Hey, you know I'm right here!" Katie pulled a face. "I know you're just being the overprotective big brother, but you've got to let me live."
"I don't want to let you live," Kendall paused. "That came out wrong."
"I know what you mean," Katie laughed.
"I was okay when you started liking boys. I was okay when you went on a date with a boy, um, what was his name, Kyle?"
"I wasn't!" James shouted from the kitchen causing Katie to roll her eyes.
"I was even okay with you wanting to talk about boys in front of me with my best friends. But, for some reason now it's all becoming real."
"You're afraid of her growing up," Logan remarked. "We all are, really. I've known Katie since she was about three or four and now she's thirteen."
"Well, I've known Katie longer and I'm not going to sit and let some creepy guy take her to the movies!" James entered the living room holding a snickerdoodle in his hands given to him by Mrs. Knight.
"Is someone taking you to the movies?" Mrs. Knight asked following behind James.
"You have a date?" Kendall asked.
"No and no. James is referring to when I was dating Kyle. He wasn't creepy, but you're right, he wasn't for me. I need to be able to make those decisions on my own, though."
"Kendall, she's growing up," Mrs. Knight said. "As much as I hate it you all are."
"I'm sorry, Mom." Kendall got up and gave his mother a hug. "If I could stay a little kid I would just for you."
"Thanks, sweetie, but I like that you're older and potty trained."
Logan, Camille, Jo, Katie, and James laughed.
"Me, too." Jo jumped up and gave her boyfriend a peck on the cheek.
"Much better than a video chat," Kendall whispered in her ear.
"Carlos!" Katie exclaimed when the Hispanic boy walked in from the foyer holding his skateboard and wearing his helmet. "What'd you do to your chin?"
"Skateboarding fall with Alexa last week."
"Looks nasty."
"Gives me street cred." Carlos jutted his chin out causing Katie to roll her eyes.
That night after everyone had gone to bed Kendall quietly snuck out of his room and made his way to the guest bedroom closest to his which just so happened to be where the girls were situated. As it goes, the more one tries to be quiet the more noise one makes. As he stepped toward the door the floor squeaked.
"Oh please no one heard that," he begged silently.
As quietly as possible but still loud enough for someone on the other side to hear Kendall knocked on the bedroom door.
"Jo, there's noth—oh, hey, Kendall," Camille answered the door clad in a pair of green plaid pajamas.
Kendall put a finger to his lips indicating she should be quiet.
"If you're coming to see Jo I'll just slip out and visit Logan," Camille whispered slipping by Kendall. He watched her casually walk into Logan's room without even knocking.
Wearing a yellow shirt advertising the 2009 North Carolina Azalea Festival and a pair of short navy blue cotton shorts, Jo sat on the bed holding a stack of paper that Kendall could only assume was a script.
Kendall looked down at his attire of a white t-shirt and a pair of black basketball shorts. So, he didn't think he looked as cute as his girlfriend. That's why she was his girlfriend.
"I think you look cute," Jo whispered.
"Not as cute as you." He sat on the bed and put his lips on hers catching her off-guard. "Let's go back to my room so we don't have to whisper."
"Much better," Kendall said in a normal voice when they settled into his bed with the door closed. "What's this?" He took the stack of papers from Jo's hand.
"An updated version of the script for the movie. There's a few scenes they want us to reshoot, but after that and getting the intro scenes out of the way we should be done."
"And you'll be able to spend more time here?"
"Well…" she hesitated.
"What? Is there another project?"
"No, but there are a few auditions my agent wants me to go on," she admitted. "I'm sorry. I hate being away from you, but this is my career."
"And your career is more important than me," Kendall replied softly.
"What? No! Well, you're putting your career first by staying here to appease Griffin."
"No." Kendall looked away for a second. "OK, yeah."
"Yeah? Really? You're something else, Kendall Knight." Jo climbed off the bed, grabbed her script, and headed for the door. "I flew all the way out here just to see you for what amounts to two days and that's what you say?"
"It's not like that."
"Then what is it?" Jo put her hand on the door knob and then turned around. "Are we really having a fight about this?" She rubbed her face. "I'm sorry."
"Me, too." He motioned for her to join him back on the bed. "I've been in the band for four years and I still don't know how to deal with this."
"My career is important, but so are you." She tossed the papers to the side, placed her hands on Kendall's face, and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips.
I've watched Survivor for years and I've watched Colton before, but watching this time I totally think he looks like Jett! I think they even dress alike!
News alert: The band did not break up. They're taking a break (and Kendall has said on Twitter that they took it out of context, so just hold on and see if/what they clarify...they will be performing Sunday night on Nick). Being a boy band is very demanding and they do have their own private lives that aren't a part of constant touring, album recording (and TV show filming—think about it, doing their show is a lot different than other sitcoms and even other Nick shows because it's both TV and boy band). No new stuff in the immediate future (as in this year, as in following the same road they've been on). I see them wanting to do more mature things (they are almost 25). This doesn't mean they're saying goodbye to BTR just that they need a break (and someone needs/wants to be with a certain girl he loves). Like I had Camille say in my story "[…] but you guys need the break. You've been working non-stop for four years." Real life they've been working for five years. With other shows after filming a season they go on hiatus. After filming a season of BTR what do they do? Go on tour. This is their chance to get the break they deserve.