(Hart's POV)
She agreed to come on tour with me. How wonderful that she did. I thought I'd have to convince her a lot more before she said 'yes.' But I guess you have less time to say 'no' when someone springs a life altering question on you like I did. Lucky for me, though.
I get to spend three whole months with her. I can't wait to find out more about her.
The car ride to her house was amazing. I felt like we really connected. She answered every question I asked without objecting one bit. I was happy to learn she loves my all time favorite television show, Friends as well. Maybe she loves it as much as I do. If so, that would make her even more perfect.
But it's not even that she's perfect. It's that she's imperfect and it's her imperfections that attract me to her. Like her clumsiness she thinks I don't see. And the dirt on her white converse. Her timidity. Although I wish she would find more confidence within herself.
I also really appreciate how open she is with me. It seems like she has nothing to hide, which is a very good thing in my opinion. And she doesn't mind talking about things that are deep with me. She explained her family situation, which broke my heart. I don't know what I would do if my family didn't support me for what I do and most importantly, who I am. But she should know that she has my support, one hundred percent. I'll gladly be there for her when no one else is. Always.
Yes, I know. I just met her, but she's absolutely lovely. Is she not?
I love how her cheeks blush when I get close. I love the way my hand swallows hers whole when our fingers tangle together. I love how her lips taste. And I love the fact that I can still taste her on my tongue.
When I kissed her, she kissed me back. I'm not quite sure what I was even thinking, kissing her so suddenly. But the moment she grabbed my hand, sparks flew and I needed somewhere to set them off. Her lips seemed to be the best option at the moment. I never wanted the kiss to stop, but I think it was for the best. If we got carried away, I would want us to get carried away properly. And you can't exactly do that when you have to be as quiet as you can be. Plus, getting carried away this soon isn't the right thing to do. Not now. I want to know her well before I seriously consider sleeping with her and I want her to know me. I want her to realize I'm not the prick the media makes me out to be.
"Yeah... my rooms literally the smallest room in the house." She laughs her insult at her ceiling. Her cheeks are still painted a deep pink, from our kiss I'm assuming.
"No, I think it's cute." I tell her honestly with an affectionate kiss on her forehead.
"Such a gentleman." She gives her eyes a roll.
"I try my best." I smirk my smile.
We get caught up in a daze as we stare in each other's eyes before she breaks her blueish green eyes from mine and starts getting her things together.
"What are you gonna tell your family?" I question gently, not wanting to come across too nosy as I help her place her clothes in her army uniform-looking bag. "Not that they really deserve an explanation form you. If they don't treat you like a family should, they don't deserve for you to either. If I were you-
"Hart." She gifts me with her kind eyes.
"Yes?" I push my hand through my hair in frustration, taking a deep breath to calm down my sudden angry nerves.
"Choose love." She reminds me of my own logo.
"I know, you're right. It's just, some of the stories you told me makes me think they don't deserve your kindness. Like that one about your sister telling you you're not a good person just because you see the world in a different way then the rest of your family. And the way your father treats you. Saying he's only proud of you if you sing at your church but not anywhere else. And don't even get me started on your sister." I roll my eyes at the thought. "I know everyone deserves love and kindness, but it's hard to give it out when they're so cruel. I just don't understand why someone would treat someone like that. Especially you. It just gets under my skin." I confess with an embarrassed laugh.
I do need to calm down, though. But the thought of someone hurting Jordyn over and over again makes my insides turn. I didn't know I could be so mad at someone I hadn't even met before. Now here I am, getting all worked up at an entire family I only found out existed an hour ago.
"I'm sorry. I usually don't get angry that quickly. It's just... thinking of someone treating you like that-
"I know." She interrupts with her silky soft voice, meeting her hands with mine. "It's fucked up. A part of me's used to it, but another part of me just... breaks a little more every time they hurt me. And the worst part is I never have the chance to do anything about it."
"You do now." I offer a loving smile as my hand cups her face.
"Thanks to you." I see the tears in her eyes trying to break free.
She truly is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the out, if not more. But I doubt that's possible.
With that thought flouting about in my head, I kiss her softly.
"What time is it?" She asks when our lips part.
I check my watch. "1:26 Am."
"Okay. I'm just gonna text them in the morning and tell them I'm with a friend so I can have at least one day of peace without an interrogation. Then I'll tell them everything the day after tomorrow. That is if Sarah doesn't find out and get to it first." Her eyes roll.
"Sarah's your older sister, correct?"
"Yup. Then there's Charlie, my half sister. My older brother, Chris. My dad, Mitch and the stepmom, Emily. But I reefer to her as 'the step monster.'"
"Ew, that's can't be good." I cringe through my chuckle at her choice of words.
"Yeah, she's a real bitch. So is Sarah." Her head falls down as she giggles guiltily.
"So, what would she do if she walked in right now?" I gesture to the door with me head.
"Which bitch?"
"Um... both?" In wonder my head tilts a bit.
"Well... Emily wouldn't know who you are. And Sarah would just scream, 'oh my gosh! It's Hart Sloan!'" She mocks a high pitched voice that I'm sure belongs to Sarah.
"I thought you said Sarah hates me?"
The girls never even met me, but apparently she has a valid reason to hate me. But I can say the same about her-well.. hates a strong word.
"She says that she does, but if she saw you, she would just see you as a celebrity and want a selfie with you. Shallow, I know." She rolls her eyes once again.
You know, she does that a lot. I wish it were like Fifty Shades Darker and I could punish her every time she did so. I could explore other ways to punish her then just a little spanking... Like-
Anyway...
"You got everything? Song book, pjs, phone charger, snacks for the road?" I look around, trying to remember anything that I might of forgotten.
"I would get snacks, but the kitchens upstairs and my dad or Emily might hear me and wake up."
"Then I'll go. I'll be silent." I promise, closing the zippier on my lips.
"Hart," she sighs under a smile and catches my arm before I make it to her closed door. "You're as clumsy as I am and you don't know where anything is. Like the light switches. You would trip over something and wake them up and we'd both be dead." She explains quite confidently.
"But I'm starved." I pout.
"We'll run by a gas station."
"Don't waste your money. I've got this." I open her bedroom door and slowly tiptoe out into the hallway.
Wish I knew where I was going.
"Hart! If my dad wakes up and sees a man that he doesn't know in his kitchen, he will literally shoot you and I wish I was kidding." She whisper/yells.
I chuckle at how adorable she is when she tries to argue. "He won't wake up. Just show me where the kitchen is. Please, I'm hungry." I beg in my most charming voice.
"If you die, I'm blaming you, Hart."
"You just aren't able to tell me 'no' are you?" An arrogant smirk hops on my lips.
"Don't push it." Her eyes grow narrow, but I can see past her adorable poker face as she leads me to the stairs.
"You're so cute when you try to act like you're mad at me. So damn cute." I turn to face her and poke her nose. She playfully pushes me away.
"You're cute, too. Now shhh!" She pleads with a hushed giggle. Taking my hand once again, she leads the way. Flipping a light on and opening the fridge to grab some waters. "Take whatever you want. Not like they're gonna get to fuss me out for taking their food." A devilish grin grows on her lips.
That's sexy. So fucking sexy.
I take a few bags of chips and a couple little Debbie cakes. My eyes catch two bananas in her hand.
How sweet.
I smile as I remember our conversation about my favorite food in the car a few minutes ago. When I answer with, "Bananas." she rolled her eyes-big shocker there.
She said, "No, I mean a real food, Hart."
I was like, "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware bananas are fake!"
It was a good laugh. When I'm with her all I seem to do is laugh or smile. Except when I hear about her family... then I want to cuss them all out and direct them where they should go. Hell, that is.
We get back to her room. "Okay, you ready?"
"Wait. I need a wee." I realize.
There's that, I-can't-believe-you look again. So cute.
"Hold it." She demands.
"Sorry, can't." I begin tip toe my way out of her bedroom.
"If Sarah wakes up to use to bathroom, we're dead!" She whispers.
"I'll take a selfie with her. It'll be fine." I'm claimed by a smirk as laugh to myself.
"Not if she wakes up my dad screaming, 'OMG it's Hart Sloan!'" Walking backwards past her bedroom door, I take in all of her aggravated self and it's glory.
Again with the eye rolling! Why is that such a turn on, now? Damn you Fifty Shades Darker!
"I'll be quiet." I promise.
"Fine. It's right in there." She points down the blackness of the hallway.
"Thank you." I turn and walk quickly to the toilet, keeping a hand on the wall to keep me straight in the darkness.
"Oh, and leave the seat down!" She reminds in a stage whisper.
I give her a thumbs up. "Feels like we're already married." I mumble loud enough for her to hear before I shut the bathroom door. Regretting that I didn't watch her reaction before I did.
After we've crawl through the window one last time-looking like robbers, I take her bags out of her hands and throw them in the trunk of her car.
"I'll drive back." I tell her, knowing she can use a break.
"You don't have to."
"It's late and I know you're tired." I insists.
"Yeah, but-
"I'm driving." I smile as big and goofily as I'm able. "Keys?" I put my hand out, palm facing up towards the starry sky.
"In the car." She gets in and I follow shortly after everything's situated.
"What kind of music do you listen to?" It says there's a CD in so I turn it up to see what it is.
Oh god.
Her face turns as red as ever.
The CD in is my album.
I love you Jordyn Marshalls. You know, in a love someone before you know them kind of way.
"Aww... I'm, I'm touched." I sarcastically put my hand over my heart.
"I hate you." She lies with her face hidden in her hands.
"No, you love me." I drag out the 'L' word.
She knows I'm right.
"I listen to Tori Kelly, too. And Sam Smith and Billie Eilish and One Direction." I know she rolled her eyes when she admitted that she listens to One Direction even if I didn't see her do it.
Not that she should be embarrassed to listening to the band. I happen to listen to them when I workout.
"Nice. Very nice taste in music. Now let's hear another one of your songs." I point to the bag at her feet that carries her book of songs.
She digs through our snack bag, mumbling, "I really should've put it in last so it would be on top." She huffs in cute frustration.
Once she's found it, she begins to sing.
I want to shout and I want to scream
But I'm gonna sing
Sing for the voice that's not heard
Because this is where I find my words
To say I'm done
Today I'm gonna turn this page
I was too far gone to stay
I was too far gone anyway
After I've heard the whole song, a billion genuine compliments try explode out of my mouth. After I get about ten of them out, she begs me to hush then looks at me patiently when I do so.
"What?" I chuckle at the road instead of her, trying to be a safe driver.
"You're turn. It's only fair." I see her shrug out of the corner of my sight.
"Alright. Only for you." I take her hand in mine, thinking I should've held her sooner. "Any requests?"
"Can I hear something no one else has heard before?"
"Yes, you may." I smile warmly.
"Yay!" She claps her small hands together. I absolutely adore how excited she gets about music. She's so passionate about it, that's something we share.
I sing to her. The song is slow and emotional. I figured she would prefer this one over an up beat one. A slower, deeper song is more like her. Not that she doesn't like the up beat ones. We danced to a Jonas Brothers song on the way here.
I'll never forget that.
"That was amazing. You're so talented. The way you write it's... brilliant." She looks at me with genuine truth burning in her eyes.
"You're just as brilliant, you know? So many people sing and write about things that are easy to hear, but you, you're not scared to sing about the things that are real. You're incredible."
We argue about who's more talented until we both give up and leave it at a tie. For now.
"Hey, can you hand me a bag of chips?" I haven't eaten since dinner and that was past seven hours ago.
"Sure." She opens them for me, but keeps the bag. I reach over to get a chip when she stops me. "Both hands on the wheel, Sloan." Before I can question it, she's feeding me a chip.
With a mouthful I say, "Smooth." And chuckle.
"I know." I turn to her side to admire the grin that's overtaken her pale pink lips.
After she feeds me the entire bag-because lord knows I wasn't gonna stop her-she begins to suck her fingers clean.
"Wait." I grab her hand. "Let me." I put her finger tips one by one in my mouth and lick them clean. After I was done with my dessert, I free her hand. I glance at her sucking gently on one of her fingers for a split second, then she bits her lip.
Yup, she's definitely trying to seduce me. I decide.
"Alright, enough with the teasing. I'm trying to drive here. I can't be distracted by a beautiful, sexy woman. At least until I'm able to-
To what, exactly?
"To what?" Her voice was low, timid and innocent as ever. I have a hard time believing she's as innocent as she lets on. But then again, who is?
I clear my throat. "To kiss you the way you deserve. To take you in my arms and push you up against the wall. To be close to you."
Close enough to where the sheets can even get in between us and our bodies.
Subtle Hart, subtle.
"Damn." She answers breathlessly.
"You know what? On second thought..." I pull into the first empty parking lot I see and unbuckle.
"Please take off your seatbelt, love."
She stares at me with wide eyes.