The next hour crawled by at an immensely slow pace, one that allowed Jane to drink a fair amount of alcohol, and she also smoked a blunt with a group of fans outside in a group, taking the buzz she had to the next level. She tried her best to be polite - answering questions and making small talk - until the blunt was on it's final rotation. "Thanks, guys. I gotta head out."

When the band confirmed it was time to leave, Jane couldn’t help but sigh in relief; the anxiety she was feeling had drained her. Fear still lingered of a moment alone with Rob, like a shadow that had followed her throughout the night.  

Silence was maintained for the duration of the ride home until Austin and Sam spoke up as they were pulling into the hotel's carport.

“Mia knows of some crazy after party I guess,” Sam mentioned. “Should be fun.” 
“I’m down, dude. I hope Jess isn’t there though.”
“J, you down?” Sam asked, nudging her shoulder.
“Huh?” Jane scratched her forehead. “Oh. Yeah, man. Sounds good.”
Austin shot her a concerned look, but ultimately decided not to question her now. She nodded at him conspicuously, as if to signal him that what he was thinking was correct. 

They all funneled through the lobby and up to their floors, agreeing they’d meet back downstairs in half an hour and head out to the address Mia had texted Sam.

Once Jane and Rob had entered their room, she immediately went to the fridge and nearly chugged a beer, and after a sigh, she looked to Rob and cleared her throat. “Hey, uh, have a minute?” She approached him, but left a few feet between them. An invisible barrier.

“Rob,” she said quietly. Adrenaline rushed through her as she pushed herself to continue. “Look, I don’t [i]do[/i] shit like this well. If fucking sucks. I can write lyrics for the world to read, but I can’t get my own emotions out without getting hammered first.” She chuckled at herself, growing more self-conscious with every word she spoke.

“I don’t know how…” she trailed on and tried to swallow the lump growing in her throat. “I…” 

[i]”Don’t do it, Jane.”[/i]

Her eyes locked on his for a moment, and her mouth formed an unintentional smirk. She shortened the distance between them in a few steps before tiling her head up to look at him.

[i]”Stop it, Jane. You’re gonna regret this.”[/i]

She reached a hand up to the back of his neck to bring his head down closer to her, and her feet rose so that she was on her tippy-toes. 

[i]”Fuck it.”[/i]

In a fleeting moment, Jane’s eyes scanned Rob’s face; she had never been this close to him before. Unblemished skin not affected by the sun like hers. The thick, dark hairs that joined together to make his beard. His brown eyes that she had looked into a thousand times.

She flashed a smile before her lips finally made contact with his, and current of electricity ran through her as her fingers slid up slightly into his hair and tightened their grip, the other hand placed on his chest. The kiss deepened, but lasted only until the realization of what was happening crashed over her, and every part of her body that was touching his was pulled way abruptly. A finger went to her lip to touch it, as if it would feel different after what had just occurred.

“I’m,” her eyes burned a hole in the floor, “I’m sorry.” In a moment of weakness, all the feelings she had attempted to bury deep inside of herself had been regurgitated. She had just removed a mask she couldn't put back on.

But, in an instant, Jane’s instincts began to take over, and thoughts of how that had just made her feel all flooded back to her. The warmth of his lips. His strong chest and arms. His rough hands. Jane’s eyes slowly glided from the hardwood floors back to Rob. 

“I’m sorry for what I said in your hotel room that night,” she blurted out as she began pacing back and forth. “I’m sorry for making you feel like this. You see? This is what I was afraid of.” It was hard to keep her eyes on him, but she compelled herself to do so. “I’m selfish. Nothing ever satisfies me. I always need more. I go after what I want without thinking how it effects anyone else, but I want…” her voice trailed off, and the eye contact she struggled to keep broke once again. Could she say what she was thinking? 

“I don’t know what this means. I don’t know how I’ll feel in a week, a month. I don’t even know how [i]you[/i] feel anymore. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted nothing to do with me, but,” 

She turned around, her back to him, and covered her face with her hands. “Sorry.” Her voice barely broke above a whisper as she pushed out the apology. Jane felt stupid. Embarrassed. But yet, it was all so relieving. Bittersweet.

 She took a deep breath and pointed her head up towards the ceiling. “I understand,” she began without working up the courage to face him, “if you don’t have anything to say, or if you don’t [i]want[/i] to say anything. I get it.”

Jane had never felt this vulnerable, especially in front of someone as close to her as Rob.   

"I don't think I wanna go to that party."