Everybody Knows (Razes Hell 2)

“Me too,” I choked out, hoping he couldn’t hear my mood through my voice.

Jason’s deep chuckle down the line caused goose bumps to sprinkle across my skin. “Are you okay?”

I swiped my hand across my forehead and shuffled further up the bed, trying to get a grip of my thoughts. “I… yeah, I’m… no.”

When he laughed again, I knew he’d heard what I was thinking and my cheeks flushed. Thank God he hadn’t video called me.

Ooh, video calls. That could be a whole new level of fun…

“We should change the subject,” he said, his own voice suddenly sounding slightly strained.

“Aww!”

“We’ll have plenty of time for that when I come home. Well, eventually. We’re taking it slow, remember?”

“I remember. But… talking to you and being with you makes me forget sometimes.”

“It’s not easy for me either. You’re amazing, and I can’t wait to be alone with you so we can…”

“Start taking things slowly?”

Jason chuckled. “Yes.”

The idea of being alone with him – really alone – made my blood fizz in my veins. He was right – we had to change the subject.

“So,” I began, “what do you have planned for tomorrow?”

“Sleep mostly. Then probably sightseeing with the guys. I’m allowed to be seen outside now, but we’ve got extra security until things cool down a bit.”

“How have the fans been since I left?”

“There were a couple of fans on the plane who were really supportive of us and said they hope we have a chance to be together once the tour is over. Aside from them I haven’t seen too many others yet. But nobody’s thrown anything at me, so maybe Derek’s statement helped.”

“I hope so.”

There was no way I could convey how much I meant that, and how much I wished Jason was coming home sooner. I knew the time apart was needed for the rest of the world to calm down about us, but I missed him. I missed having him close to joke around with. He was the only person who completely indulged my need to see and experience as much as possible, and knowing what we’d miss out on made me ache. Missing out on New York was especially hard, and I’d looked forward to Los Angeles too. Regardless of where we were, I just wanted to be beside Jason again.

“I saw your dad today,” I said, to distract myself from everything I wouldn’t get to do.

“You did? What did he say?”

“Lots of things, but the main point is that he thinks we should do whatever makes us happy.”

“And your parents?”

I sighed. “Not so much. Dad grilled me about whether or not I’m quitting uni and-”

“Wait. What made him think that?”

“I don’t know. I guess he thinks I plan to turn into a groupie and follow you around on tour.” I paused, wondering if I sounded harsh. “Not that that would be a terrible thing,” I added quickly. “Seeing the world with you would be incredible but… I want to finish uni.”

“You should finish, Luce. It’s what you’ve been working towards, and I would never expect you to give that up for me.”

“I know that. But my parents don’t. I hate that they’re being like everyone else and making assumptions. I feel like I have to stay in my room because I don’t want to be around them. And it kind of seems like they want to be around me even less. All of a sudden, I’m just a massive disappointment.”

“I’m sorry. I feel like I’m ruining your life and we’re not even properly together yet.”

“Please don’t say that. I don’t want you to talk yourself out of this. Out of us.”