The Story of Us

by Rebecca Harner

  For the next ten minutes or so, we took about fifty pictures with the fan. She was calm enough to actually have conversations with all of us, which made me smile on the inside. It was nice that people could see that we were just normal kids. Just having a simple conversation gave us the opportunity to treat them like we were all close friends.

  For another hour or so, we walked around the mall and looked around in the stores. Most of us were just fine with browsing and goofing off, while Sierra and Violet did their own thing.

  “Violet, I need some actual food. Where are all the restaurants?” Hayes complained for like the tenth time. She laughed and stole the beanie that he was wearing. “Give that back.” He reached out to grab her arm but she was too quick for him.

  I saw her bolt down the mall with him chasing after her. I rolled my eyes and looked at Cameron. “Aren’t you glad we are mature?”

  The rest of us laughed and sat down on a nearby bench. “Dude, Nash, you need to stop Annabelle. Her account is going crazy,” Carter said, but he didn’t look up from his phone.

  I sighed and pulled out my phone as well. She knew I had four hundred thousand followers and all she was tweeting were lies. If Violet sees this, it’ll break her heart.

  There was only one thing I could do right now, though.

  @NashGrier:

  That account is based on lies. Don’t believe anything they say. Trust me.

  @NashGrier:

  If any of my “so called fans” support that account, I will go through and block every single one of you.

  @NashGrier:

  If you were my true fans, you would love her as much as I do.

  I ignored all the attention my tweets were getting and went back to StopNashlet’s page. I was only able to block three hundred people before Violet and Hayes walked back up to us. I quickly locked my phone and grabbed Violet’s hand.

  “We have to get going, then,” I said to her. She smiled and intertwined our fingers as she sat on my lap.

  Carter wiggled his eyebrows at us and smirked. “Better use protection.” All of the guys laughed, and so did Violet.

  “We are only going on a date, you idiot.” She smacked his chest and he started to fake-cry.

  “But you know what happens after the date. Well, if Nash is lucky. S—”

  “Shut up!” Violet yelled, and started attacking him. We all sat back and laughed while he got beat up by a girl. “You are the most disgusting creature I have ever known.” She laughed while hitting him a couple of more times.

  “Creature? I’m a creature?” He chuckled and grabbed her wrists so she couldn’t punch him again.

  She tried pulling away but he held his grasp tight. “Let me go, Carter.” She looked over at me and pleaded for my help.

  I stood up and walked over to him. “Let her go, man.”

  “I was just messing around, Nash. Calm your hormones,” Carter snapped back. Cameron and Hayes exploded into laughter as I rolled my eyes.

  “Well, I guess Nash and I are going to go. We’ll see you all tomorrow?” she said while grabbing my hand. Everyone nodded and stood up.

  “Have fun,” Cameron yelled as we walked away. I did a puma face at him and he did one back along with the rest of the guys, except for Carter. It must’ve been his time of the month.

  Violet

  Nash told me to stay at my house while he went back to the hotel to get ready. To be honest, I was really excited about tonight. I missed going out on dates with him and eating at nice restaurants. He always knew how to make any night romantic and enjoyable for both of us.

  I curled my hair a little bit tighter and pulled it back in a black bow. I then fixed my makeup and did a natural smoky look to bring attention to my eyes.

  I didn’t have a lot of dresses but I had the perfect one for tonight. It was maroon and had a see-through lace pattern above my chest and down my arms. It was long-sleeved so I didn’t need a coat. I added a small belt to it to accessorize the look, since I don’t wear jewelry. Finally, I completed my outfit with my favorite black flats.

  The doorbell rang right on time. I checked myself in the mirror one more time before grabbing my clutch and heading out the door.

  Hayden let Nash in and they were talking in the entryway. When Hayden saw me come down the steps, he cleared his throat and nodded in my direction. Nash turned around and when he saw me, his jaw dropped.

  I looked down at the floor and blushed. I felt his finger lift my chin up and he gazed into my eyes. “You look absolutely beautiful, Violet.” I smiled and pecked his lips. He grabbed my hand and led me outside.

  “For you, my lady,” he said as he opened the door and helped me step into his truck. I laughed and played along with his game. It took about twenty-five minutes for us to finally arrive at the restaurant. When I read the sign my jaw dropped and Nash was grinning like a little kid. “How did you know that this was my favorite restaurant? Wait—Hayden suggested it, right?” He nodded and opened his door.

  I proceeded to open mine but he yelled at me. “Wait. I have to do it for you.” He ran over to my side of the truck and opened my door.

  “Thank you, Nash.” I wrapped my arm around his as we walked into the building.

  “Reservation for Grier,” Nash said to the hostess. She smiled at us and motioned to us to follow her.

  It was packed but Nash had gotten a private area just for us. “This is perfect,” I told him. The table was right next to a huge window that overlooked the river and there were three roses placed in a vase at the end of the table.

  He pulled out my chair for me and pushed me in before sitting down. I looked around for the menus but they weren’t there. I turned around to call for the hostess but she was already gone. “We need menus.”

  He shook his head. “It’s a surprise,” he told me, a smirk on his face. Oh, Nash and his surprises!

  We only had to wait fifteen minutes minutes before the food came out. I was actually glad he ordered for me because it looked perfect. In front of both of us was a juicy steak with loaded mashed potatoes and seasoned green beans. “This looks delicious!” I squealed.

  For the rest of the meal, we ate and talked about everything. We never had a moment of dull conversation between us. Nash was always acting like a goofball and I would play along with him. It was perfect, that’s all I can say.

  “There is one more place we have to go,” Nash said as he helped me back up in the truck. I looked at him, confused, but he didn’t say anything.

  We drove for another twenty minutes before pulling up into a small parking lot near the river. “What are we doing?” I asked him. He shook his head and grabbed my hand as we walked down the steps.

  In front of us was a tiny boat that had a few couples already on it. There was classical music playing and lights were strung all over the place.

  Once again we were seated in a corner just by ourselves. “Nash, we already ate,” I joked.

  “But we didn’t have dessert,” he teased back. He knew I loved my dessert.

  Again, I wasn’t able to order for myself but I trusted him. Once the boat left the dock, I finally had the chance to take in the scenery. It was beautiful the way the lights reflected off the water and the cool breeze brushed my skin. The stars were shining brighter tonight; the moon was extraordinary as well.

  I looked over at Nash and caught him staring at me. I made a puma face, which made us both laugh.

  Dessert finally came, which was a big slice of cake with chocolate drizzle and four chocolate-covered strawberries. We set the plate in the middle and shared the cake. I moaned over how delicious the strawberries were. Nash was enjoying them, too.

  After we were done eating, Nash grabbed my hand and pulled me out of my seat. He led me to where the band was and walked me onto the dance floor. There were about five other couples there dancing as well.

/>   He wrapped his arms around me and placed them above my waist. He had to keep it appropriate, since we were the youngest couple there. I wrapped my arms around his neck and we rocked back and forth with the slow beat. I caught him once again gazing into my eyes, which made me blush.

  He leaned in and kissed me so gently, but it felt so passionate. We pulled away after a few seconds and I rested my head on his shoulder. “I love you, Violet. I love you more than life itself. I won’t even stop loving you when my heart stops beating, because it’ll always beat for you.”

  I pulled my head back up and smiled. A few tears rolled down my face but I didn’t care. Nothing could express how happy I was at this moment. I finally found the love of my life. We were meant to be and nothing could change that.

  “I remember when I first moved into that house. I looked out my window and I saw this boy who was the most handsome kid I have ever seen. At the time I thought I would only have a crush on you, until we actually spoke. You helped me pull my suitcase out of my car. When I finally heard you speak and when you looked at me with those enchanting blue eyes, I was in love. At that moment I knew I would fall in love with you. You changed my whole world without even trying. Nash Grier, I am completely and hopelessly in love with you.”

  Nash

  “Do you have to leave?” Violet was crying on my shoulder as we were saying good-bye. This past week had been the best week of my life. I didn’t want to leave her but I knew I had to. Mom would kill all of us if we didn’t come home today. “I have to, baby.” I held her tight and we rocked back and forth in front of the hotel. I rested my chin on top of her head and closed my eyes.

  When she finally pulled away, I could see her makeup running down her porcelain face. I cupped her head in my hands before gently placing my lips on top of hers.

  “I’ll see you in a month. Okay?” she said as we pulled away.

  “No you won’t,” I responded. She stepped back in confusion and I could see her bottom lip start to quiver again. “We are going to FaceTime every single day.” I grabbed her hand and pulled her back into my arms.

  “Don’t scare me like that, Grier!” she yelled into my shoulder. We laughed for a couple of seconds before Will honked the horn. “I love you. See you soon.” I pecked her lips one more time before heading over to the truck.

  “I love you too, Nashty,” she said before waving good-bye to all of us. Hayden was comforting her and I watched her grow smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror.

  I reclined my seat and shut my eyes but jolted back up when my phone rang. When I saw the caller ID, I smiled. “Did I forget something?” I asked her when I answered the call.

  “No. I just wanted to tell you that you don’t have to worry about me. I’m going to be fine.”

  Honestly, she knew me too well. I told Hayden before we left that I didn’t want Chance coming near her. Hunter and I had become pretty good friends and he said he would keep an eye on her as well. It was nice knowing that she had people to watch her back when I wouldn’t be able to.

  “I know. Now go back home. I left a present on your bed.” She had not stopped talking about getting tickets to see her favorite artist, Austin Mahone, who was coming to Pittsburgh in the spring. Little did she know that I bought her and Steph tickets to see him. I wished I could see her face when she found them.

  “Oh boy. I’m scared now. Well, I’ll text you later. Love you, Grier,” she said, all sweet and innocent.

  “Love you too, babe.” The phone clicked off and went back to my home screen. I shoved it back in my pocket.

  I always liked to live life in the present. Not think about tomorrow but just play it day by day. Time didn’t usually bother me, until now. Now I wished time would go by faster, the way the world goes by when you are in a moving car. With my luck, time without her would just go by slower.

  Violet

  “Are you okay?” Hayden kept popping his head in my room every five minutes. He had officially crossed the border between checking up on me and stalking me.

  “I’m fine, Hayden. Seriously, I am.” He raised his eyebrows up at me, probably hoping that I would break.

  “Fine, be that way,” he said, all sassy, or should I say all like Skylynn. I could hear him stomp back into his room and slam the door. I burst into laughter and heard his laughter next door as well. I could never explain the relationship we had, it was just too special. Too perfect. No, I wouldn’t go that far, because nothing is ever perfect. Well, except my boyfriend.

  I admired the two tickets that were in my hands. I couldn’t believe he got them for me. Not only were they front row but also VIP, so I could actually meet him!

  Nash was always able to change my mood with a snap of his fingers, without even being here. That’s why I loved him so much.

  Violet-Boo: Thanks again for the tickets. I love you soo much! Just remember that.

  I watched the message go from sending to delivered.

  He was already back at his house and probably sleeping. We had a hell of a week and he was probably exhausted, not to mention he had school the next day as well.

  I pulled up Twitter and followed a few people, then watched their misspelled tweets roll in after they got my notifications. It’s crazy how happy I could make these people.

  @VioletLovesNash:

  I miss him already :(

  @VioletLovesNash:

  Cute username. I wonder who changed that . . .

  My head jolted up from my bed when I heard someone knocking at my door. “That’s it,” I mumbled while I scrambled out of my bed and onto my feet. I stomped my way over to the door and grabbed the handle. “Hayden, I told you I’m fi—” I started to yell, until I realized who it was.

  “Oh, sorry, Hunter. I thought you were Hayden.” I opened my door wider and let him in.

  “Hayden invited me over but he is on the phone. So are you okay?” He sat down on my chair at my desk and turned on my laptop.

  I sighed and rolled my eyes before flopping back onto my bed. “I’m fine.”

  “So you are going to the Austin Mahone concert, then,” he stated.

  “Yep! Wait, I just tweeted that like two minutes ago.” I sat up and saw he was scrolling through my Twitter feed. “Hey! Get off, Hunter,” I said.

  I heard him chuckle before he closed my laptop. What did he do?

  I loaded up my Twitter app on my phone and burst into laughter when I read his tweet.

  @VioletLovesNutella:

  Sorry I love Nutella more though @NashGrier

  “Hunter, you are such a butthole.” I clicked my phone off right when Hayden walked in. Hunter got back up and headed for the door.

  “Bye, li’l miss Nutella eater,” he said, smirking.

  I got up and locked my door behind them so they couldn’t come in.

  I pulled out a pair of comfy shorts and one of Nash’s T-shirts and set them on the counter in my bathroom.

  I waited for the water to get warm before stepping in. I couldn’t stand in the shower and wait for it to get warm while I was in freezing-cold water. That was like a law that I would forever stand by. Every time I took a shower, I felt like I was washing away that day for a new one. Anything that happened, whether stressful or not, could just be pushed aside for new memories. One day down, thirty more to go. That’s right, I was already counting down the days until I’d see Nash.

  After I was done, I dried myself off, brushed my teeth and washed my face, and climbed into my bed. I had no clue what the boys were doing but they were being quiet; that’s all that mattered.

  Nashty: Good night Violet. I love you!

  I quickly responded to his message before setting the phone down on my nightstand. Even though he wasn’t actually there with me, he still was, in my heart. He was always on my mind and only one text message away, so yes, he was there with me.

 
Violet

  “Attention, we will soon be landing in Los Angeles. It’s a beautiful day, around eighty-six degrees, and it’s one o’clock in the afternoon. If this is your final destination, then welcome home. If not, we hope you have more safe travels. Please fasten your seat belt and thank you for flying with Delta today.” The announcement woke me up from my six-hour nap.

  I was on a direct flight all the way from Pennsylvania to California and let me tell you, sitting in a seat for hours on end will make a person go crazy.

  I pulled up the window shade and let the sun shine in. I quickly shut my eyes. Damn, it was bright outside.

  The plane turned a few times and the ride started to get bumpy the lower we dropped. Before I knew it, we landed and were speeding down the runway.

  The school year was finally over and my two and a half months of freedom was finally beginning once again. I was more than excited to be reunited with the family and, more important, with Nash.

  Since November, I had only seen him four times. Once during Christmas break and his birthday, then an event in February and March, and then spring break in April. Over the summer, though, we would be together the entire time.

  The entire family of 26 MGMT would be going on a nonstop tour for two months across the nation. Our first stop would be in Los Angeles, then Las Vegas, Denver, Orlando, New York City, Boston, and Pittsburgh, finishing up in Chicago.

  Once it was time for my row to exit the plane, I grabbed my Coach cross-body that Nash got me for Christmas and walked out into the terminal.

  Violet-Boo: I just got out of the terminal. Where are you?

  My phone quickly buzzed right after I sent the message.

  Nashty: I see you.

  I automatically lifted my head and scanned the huge crowd of people around me. I was too short to see over everybody, let alone find him.

  I pushed my way past the people into an open area where I could breathe. My phone buzzed again.

  Nashty: Turn your head to the right. P.S. You look gorgeous babe :)

  I lifted my head back up and immediately locked my eyes with those enchanting blue ones. I saw him smile as he started to run toward me. I started running toward him and jumped into his arms when we met in the middle.