*Warning* Mia and Jay are not together yet in this story. I am putting this here because I caused my sister great distress when she started reading this and thought they might have broken up. So. Just so you guys know, they are not yet together in this story. *End of Warning*

Mia could see her packed suitcase sitting on the ground out of the bottom corner of her eye. She could hear movement coming up through the floor from downstairs. Music had been put on and the general volume of chatter was slowly rising with each slamming of the front door as more and more guests arrived.

Mia felt her good manners try and pull her away from the comfort of her room, trying to get her to join the party. But she willed herself to stay.

It didn't help that her feet felt frozen to the carpet underfoot. It was the sound of that one voice, that certain laugh, that she didn't think she could bear to hear that somehow dragged her downstairs, out of her neatly tidied room and away from the pile of luggage waiting for her to return, her plane ticket home sitting right on top.

The wave of butterflies she had been fighting off reared up in a swarm as soon as her feet hit the bottom step. It had been the same infestation that had punched her in the gut as soon as her sister had dropped her off at the airport six days before and a million miles away.

She had steeled herself enough as she had boarded the plane, endured the six-hour flight with minimum loss of calm but was not prepared for the wave that hit her as she slowly descended the escalator towards the LAX airport entrance.

There he was, standing, waiting for her, backlit by the soft Californian sun that refused to ever dim. He was smiling and she thought she saw his smile widen when he caught sight of her. She felt a warm rush of blood invade her cheeks and she glanced down to make sure she had all she needed to hide her face.

He was tanner. And prettier, somehow, she noticed immediately. The time spent on the west coast had treated him well.

She remembered when she had maintained that same warm glowing skin. But she kicked that memory out as soon as it popped up as it only brought to mind memories and relatives that didn't live too far away and they were the last thing Mia wanted to think about as she walked across the terminal towards Jay.

She let herself believe his face was bright because he was seeing her and accepted his welcoming hug. It started stiff, as Mia felt her shoulders jump up to her ears but his familiar scent helped break the tension and she allowed herself to sink into the embrace. But she didn't dare let it last too long.

She was the first to break away and made sure her smile was the appropriate width as she smiled up at him, praying to the heavens above that it didn't betray just how nervous she really was.

"It's so good to see you!"

His words were genuine and voiced the look he was sending down to her. Her smile shifted more towards a realm of genuine and she felt her shoulders drop another half an inch.

"It's good to see you too."

She couldn't feel it, her nerves and her determination to keep it together occupying the full force of her attention, but the past four months were slowly fading from her memory. The feeling of awkward tension was naturally dissolving itself as they stood together in the middle of the busy terminal and exchanged the traditional greetings two friends usually exchange after having spent an extended period of time apart.

Mia didn't have much to catch him up on since the last time they had talked, as it had been just before she had boarded the plane but he was just as interested to know how her flight had gone.

When he reached forward and grabbed a hold of her bag, Mia's smile melted completely and she left any trace of something resembling insincere or false behind in that terminal as she followed him out to where he had parked the car.

Jay warned her of the long car ride ahead of them as he pulled out on to the freeway and headed south. Mia merely shrugged in response. She had her sunglasses on and the window rolled down. The fresh ocean air was blowing back her hair and the sweet smell of the salty ocean water only a few yards away was melting away the anticipation she had been building up in her head.

She was back in California for the first time in a long time and the atmosphere, present company included, seemed to have reset her mood. Plus, she saw only a long stretch of time where she got the chance to talk with Jay, one on one, in person, finally.

It had been months since they had seen each other in person, and even longer since they had stolen the time to spend it together, just the two of them. And Mia saw nothing but a week of such time stretched out before her.

The drive was filled with chatter and the hour drive seemed to fly by like the seagulls that raced to try and keep up.

While Mia had spent the last four months finishing up her sophomore year of college, followed by an intense internship program at the Globe newspaper, Jay had finished up a nationwide tour, gotten signed to a new record company and settled into life in LA to record the band's first official album.

Jay wasted no time explaining the process of getting signed and all that went into it. Mia had been right beside him through the whole process, if not in person than over the phone.

They had found a quick and natural connection that night after the band's first headlining show in their hometown. It was the quick succession of coffee outings and movie nights with Mia's roommates after spending that first night chatting over broom handles that solidified them as friends.

It was only over the span of a fleeting two weeks but it was the long talks after the movie had ended and her roommates had headed off to sleep that encouraged an open and honest communication between the two. They were inseparable from then on, even managing to squeeze in a dinner or two out when given the chance.

And even when Jay was given the chance to travel all over the continent, Mia felt like she had gotten the chance to go with him. They had not for a second lost touch and Mia had yet to miss a hometown show.

Jay had just as many questions about Mia's time spent running coffee orders for the head reporters at the Globe as Mia did about the band's new producer and studio life. Their time together was cut short before either were satisfied that they had made up for the time lost between them when Jay pulled the car into the driveway.

It was a stereotypical Californian beach house and Mia had seen a million like it before. She knew that just beyond its backyard stretched out a deep wide beach that led straight to the Pacific Ocean.

There was a general cry of greeting when Jay opened the front door and Mia followed him into the central room of the house. Tommy approached her with a high five of greeting and Mia was quickly introduced to the few faces she hadn't gotten the chance to meet yet.

It was just a few, including who Mia took to be the band's producer as he stood huddled over a laptop thinking intently, barely glancing up when she entered and spending her a vague wave of greeting her direction. Tommy headed right back to peer over the man's shoulders and their quick chatter back and forth fell into a natural rhythm Mia was sure her arrival had interrupted.

The only other face Mia did not know was the only other girl in the group. She stood from her spot on one of the many sofas and came to introduce herself to Mia as Casey and apologized for Tommy's abrupt behavior, solidifying the fact in Mia's mind that this was certainly Tommy's girlfriend.

The rest of the group she knew from having met once or twice after hanging out after a show was finished and only felt mildly out of place as Jay folded right back into the natural flow of things within a second. She lost any trace of that feeling when Tommy looked up from the computer and utter the magic seven words that acted as Mia's process of initiation.

"Does anyone know a good Mexican place?"

Mia's quick reply and fast deliverance on what everyone deemed the greatest Mexican food they had ever had earned her a spot in everyone's hearts and she became one of the crowd from that moment forward.

The rest of the week was spent in a continuous group setting. It seemed no one did much without the other occupants of the house attending.

All beach trips were taken together and the crowd spent long hours laid out under the sun, on top of the hot sand. There were multiple volleyball games where their even number of eight came in hand, and when someone suggested a late night trek down to the all-night ice cream stand only a short walk down the boardwalk, it was carried out in a group of at least four, with demands that they bring some back from the rest of the group.

Mia quickly caught on that the one on one time with Jay she had been lucky enough to steal during their car ride from the airport was a rare occurrence, becoming more and more evident that it was going to be the only occurrence.

Mia found she was spending more time with Nate, the band's touring manager, and Casey than she was with anyone else. The three of them ended up being the only occupants of the house not directly involved in the album making process and so had no real responsibilities that threatened to occupy their time.

Jay spent half of his time hurrying to and from group activities back to the house as calls from Tommy and their producer sent him running back to the studio they had set up in the downstairs playroom.

The first time Jay was pulled away from Mia's side, she felt a twinge in her chest that made her shoulders ache. And she thought she caught sight of the same feeling in Jay's expression. But his near constant warm smile hid every real clue Mia kept trying to grab a hold of.

And so Mia spent her time with Nate and Casey. They did their best to keep the house clean but no one seemed to mind if the dishes piled up in the sink if it gave them the chance to go bike riding along the boardwalk that ran along the back of the house.

And then there were the other guests that continued to pour through the front doors as well that kept them busy. They consisted of other musicians the band had known, some even Tommy and Jay's live back up band, all stopping by to say hi. Mia lost any sense of shyness or inhibition that first day and found several new friends among the influx of artists that never ceased to appear at their doorstep.

There was already talk of a party by the time Mia had arrived. Casey was due to leave the same morning as Mia and the band had a gig several hours north the day after and so the small house party would soon be breaking up. The album was nearing completion and the constant level of excitement and anticipation rose each time the boys hurried up from the basement, talking a mile a minute, they're expressions bright.

It was on the fifth morning, as Mia was seated at the dining room table, eating a bowl of cereal with Mac, the band's artistic director, that Jay and Tommy emerged from the basement, their hands held high over their heads in victory and their smiles outshining the very present dark circles under their eyes.

With a cry of "It's finished!" the house erupted with sound and those still asleep upstairs didn't get the chance to sleep in much longer as the whoops and hollers woke them up and sent them racing downstairs.

There was a rush for a group hug and Mia found herself squashed in the middle somehow, cheering along with everyone as they jumped up and down in celebration. They soon broke apart as Tommy rushed towards where Casey stood rubbing her eyes on the bottom step and spun her round after wrapping his arms tightly around her.

Once free from the mass huddle, Mia wasn't free for long. Jay closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her middle as hers went around his neck. She was laughing and smiling, holding on tight as he refused to let go and she prayed he wouldn't. With her feet finally planted back down on the ground, her eyes stayed locked on Jay's as his smile beamed down at her and she felt locked in his gaze.

Real plans for the party were finally set into motion once an ounce of sanity returned to the room. All sleep seemed to have vanished from Casey's eyes and she was already making lists of both the guest list and what they would need from the store.

Her voice carried steady through the chaos as Tommy was calling for streamers to be hung everywhere and demanding for a battalion of balloons to fill every inch of the bottom floor. It was agreed upon that this was to be the greatest party anyone had ever attended. And Mia knew, even if it was just music, chips and soda in plastic cups, with the people around her, it was destined to be.

Somehow Casey had managed to pull the whole thing off. Not only did she plan a party under twenty-four hours notice, she also managed to rope in every single house occupant to help out. Even Steve, the band's producer, was charged with the responsibility of the ice and supply of watermelon.

Mia grabbed hold of the opportunity to do all the grocery shopping and glanced Jay's way as an invitation. But before he opened his mouth to accept, Casey was passing him the responsibility of setting up a sound system and curating a playlist.

Casey ended up accompanying Mia to the food store and they both readily agreed that they would able to do the shopping quicker with just the two of them than if they had tried to bring along any of the men.

Mia nodded at her statement and was happy to help, but she took an extra second to watch as Jay started hanging streamers from the ceiling through the front windows as the car backed out of the driveway.

When she finally looked forward, she noticed Casey glancing in her direction but she was quick to start in on a round of questions of what Mia's next year of school looked like that Mia didn't register her knowing look until they had come to a full stop in the grocery store parking lot.

The party was in full swing when Mia finally made her way downstairs and the clock had barely ticked past ten minutes after the time agreed upon and set out on the invitations. There were people everywhere, numbering almost as many as there were strings of streamers floating down from where they had been taped to the ceiling, cascading in almost every color imaginable.

The pulse that had vibrated through her floor above was quick to inhibit her body as the music resounded through a large set of speakers set in the corner of the now open-floored family room.

The collection of couches had been pushed to the sides and up against the wall, creating a clearing in which people were expected to dance but on which most people stood around chatting and engaging in lively conversations.

Mia pulled at the ends of her dress as she finally willed her feet to step off the last step and onto the bottom floor. She was met instantly by an enthusiastic Casey who seemed to have appeared from nowhere but held two red cups in her hands, passing Mia the one that held water.

"You look great!"

She had to yell as she leaned in towards Mia to even try to be heard above their loud surroundings. Mia tried to give her a small smile and mouthed 'Thank you'.

Casey nodded in response first and then nodded over her shoulder. Mia's eyes followed her direction and they fell instantly to wear Jay stood, standing in the center of a small group of people, engaged in what must have been an intriguing conversation as Mia could see his eyes were bright under the low lights of the party.

She didn't realize she hadn't moved until Casey gave her a solid shove that pushed her out from the safety of the stairway and her room above and into the hub of the party, nudging her in the general direction of where Jay stood. The flood of familiar faces that then came into view as Mia ventured further into the central room grabbed hold of some of her attention and acted as distractions for the next while.

Every musician and guest she had met that whole week had reappeared for the celebration. And there were so many more she got the chance to meet. And most seemed as equally interested in her life at college as she was in their life as musicians touring all over the world.

She didn't feel shy when she gave claims to wanting to be a photographer and her plans on claiming that as her major in the coming year. It was one of the first social settings she had found herself in when the people around her had encouraged her endeavor and made inquiries into how they could see some of her work.

There was such a positive atmosphere that permeated the house that the small pang of pain due to her upcoming departure that had taken up residence in Mia's chest that day before subsided while she mingled. But her eye never went more than five minutes without glancing out of its corner to try and find Jay.

He was always in the middle of a crowd of people and Mia admonished her disappointment by reminding herself just why they were having a party in the first place. It was a saving grace when Nate appeared and handed her a cookie. Mia felt better letting Jay talk on with his friends now that she had someone too.

It was after an intense round of double ping pong, when Mia and Nate cried out in victory over their opponents, that she became aware of the lateness of the hour. The sun had long since set over the ocean, leaving the open sky above the small patio dark and Mia began to hear a loud ticking in the back of her brain.

With a nod inside, she left Nate to defend their championship on his own, feeling suddenly guilty for having spent so much of the past few hours in his company. Her mind was calling out for Jay, almost yelling across every corner of her mind as her eyes searched throughout the house.

The energy inside had subsided and Mia noticed that a few guests had already said goodbye. The main room was emptier than it had been when Mia had stepped outside and it was easier for her to find Jay. She wished it hadn't been.

She found him standing in the corner of the kitchen, leaning against the counter, deep in conversation with a woman Mia had never seen before. His eyes seemed to notice only her as he leaned in closer to speak. Mia didn't need much else to send her back out of the room.

She rushed past Casey and made a quick apology in case she might have spilled something on her. She didn't bother to stop and see as her feet rushed her outside and through the mass of people occupying the small patio. She gave Nate a mild smile as he called out an invitation to take up the game again but she hadn't even heard his question.

Once at the sand, she leaned down and ripped off her shoes, the sand feeling comforting beneath her feet as she walked straight towards the ocean.

Her shoes landed hard on the damp sand just before she did. The small remaining glow from the long ago set sun hung over the edge of the horizon and illuminated the waves as they rolled back and forth, inching every time just a bit closer to where Mia's toes lay exposed.

Her mind saw the waves for only a moment, as memory after memory of the week rushed her mind. She saw so clearly the day they had decided to play Frisbee along the water's edge and the moment Jay had rushed at her right after she had jumped to grab the disk.

He had grabbed her by the middle and lifted her off the ground, spinning her around in circles until they were both dizzy and fell back into the welcoming ocean. The cold water hit both of them and their laughs were interrupted as they tried to gasp for air. This had only sent them into further peels of laughter.

Mia pulled her eyes from the waves as more and more memories of the cute moments between her and Jay from that week flooded her memory. There had been so many and still so few.

She turned to watch a group of friends that sat huddled around a campfire a ways down the beach but still there she was hit with more images. It had been declared s'mores night every single night and Jay never failed to claim a seat right next to Mia.

It was during those late hours that she felt she was able to grab some time just with him while they sat around the fire pit, slowly rotating skewers topped with marshmallows. There was still the rest of the crowd around them, talking and chatting but Mia and Jay spent most of the time whispering to each other, when not making fun of each other's inability to roast a marshmallow or create an edible s'more.

The main reason for Mia's attack of nerves when she had started this trip so long ago was the perpetual cloud of confusion that fogged up her mind whenever she thought about Jay. There was a warm fuzzy feeling that came along too, every time, without fail. But it lacked the strength of her constant uncertainty.

The uncertainty of everything when it came to Jay. And the six days she had gotten to spend with him and his friends back in her home state did little to answer any of her questions. They had merely given her a vacation from them. And now, with her take off time quickly approaching, so came with it the confusion.

She could still hear the party roaring on behind her as it barely noticed the loss of one of its founding members. The music played on and the lights and laughter continued to dance out into the night. There were still people out on the beach and walking up and down the boardwalk. The warm air of the summer evening encouraged night owls and the sounds of steps atop the sand were dampened by the ground's natural sound barrier.

She could smell Jay before she could hear him, and then see him. It was the familiar scent of his cologne mixed with sweat and it was how he smelled after every show. She couldn't have stopped the smile the stretched across her lips if she had tried.

His shoes landed hard on the wet sand before he did but he landed softer than Mia had, taking his time to try and neatly roll up his pants to keep them away from the waves that kept running up to say hello. Mia had not failed to take notice of the extra effort he put into his attire for the evening and she couldn't help looking him up and down now as he sat beside her, staring out at the waves.

It differed greatly from the old school band tee shirts and board shorts she had seen him in every day that week. And although she couldn't have doubted that he looked good in a neat button up and smoothed back hair, she missed the snap back and ratty tennis shoes. That felt more like the Jay she knew.

"I don't want you to leave."

His words caught her off guard as he had barely even glanced her way since taking a seat beside to her.

"Yeah," she mumbled, a half-hearted attempt at a reply to keep the silence from growing awkward while she collected a proper response. "Me too. I'm gonna miss it here. Thanks for flying me out."

"I don't ever want you to leave."

The intensity in his voice had audibly risen and when Mia looked up from the pile of sand she had been playing with she found him staring down at her. His smile was nowhere to be seen but his expression was far from hard.

"I wish I never had to say goodbye to you. I wish there was some way we could always be at the same place, at the same time."

Mia opened her mouth but then closed it again when she found she lacked any thought and thus no ability to speak.

"Tommy warned me about this. He said it was gonna be hard. I should have listened. I shouldn't have gone to coffee with you that night after the show."

Mia wasn't sure just who he was talking to at that point. His words were fast and mumbled and he seemed to be talking more out to the ocean than to her.

She grabbed hold to that thought and held it fast as his words were swiftly breaking her heart apart. His sigh was the only sound made for a long while and Mia felt the desire to stand up and leave, hurry away before the tear that threatened to roll down her cheek got the chance to escape.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." She finally managed to reply. Her words were on the edge of getting caught in her throat and choking her to death. The confusion was thick in her brain and the questions were multiplying the minute. "I'm just gonna go..."

Jay grabbed her arm just as she made to move. It wasn't a firm grip but a gentle pressure and the feel of his hand was enough to keep her glued to her spot. She didn't want to look up, to find the eyes she knew were staring straight at her.

"You don't get it."

Mia couldn't resist any longer and found his eyes were soft and wide, his smile just as much so.

"I wish I hadn't met you because it would make everything so much easier. Life would be so much easier. But it would be so much more lonely. And sad. And depressing. I'd be missing something I didn't even know I needed. I'd be missing you and I wouldn't even know it."

Mia's words came out as a whisper. Her lungs were barely moving and so she had little breath to breathe them out as they came to her mind. Everything within her had frozen at Jay's words, at the only look he wore in his eyes.

"What are you saying?"

There was no hesitation in his response. Only genuine feeling underlined with a sense of urgency.

"I love you, Mia."

A/N:

Usually I'm not a big fan of cheesy but with these two??

🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀

Sooooo??? What do we think????

And that's not a trick question by the way. Usually when I ask that it is and then I start a long, one-sided discussion about One Direction, post-breakup. But today I'm serious.

What do you think??

I had some SERIOUS anxiety over this one when I first wrote it. It was very different from the others I had written because it spanned so much time. But I think it ended pretty okay but the end.