《lightning - jonah marais》chapter four
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"Hold on, give me a second." Jonah said, stopping dead in his tracks before rushing to the trash can next to the bus stop. He threw up twice, pain washing over his eyes as he took a deep breath and stood up. "Of course you'd catch the flu within the first month of tour." Zach joked and handed him a water bottle. The five boys and yourself stepped into bus, settling in for the three hour drive to the next location. "At least we get a few days off before the next show." Jonah sighed, laying on the couch and closing his eyes. "God, I feel like shit." Zach and Corbyn sat down on the other couch, setting up the TV so they could play a video game. "Go take a nap or something bro, you need the rest." Corbyn coaxed and Jonah groaned. You walked to the back after tidying up your bunk and took in the scene in front of you. The two healthy boys were already zoned in to their game and barely noticed your arrival, and your best friend was sprawled out on the leather material. He looked miserable; his forehead was sweaty and his face was pale, his usually sparkling green eyes looked more sunken in and dark. You pouted and walked over to him, nudging him to sit up. You sat down and let him lay his head back down on your lap. "How are you feeling, J?" you asked and pushed some of his hair back from his damp forehead to feel his temperature. "Not good at all." You frowned as you felt his burning skin against the back of your hand, "You're definitely warm. Have you tried to sleep?" Jonah shook his head no and you rolled your eyes. Jonah had always been stubborn when he got sick. He told himself and everyone around him that he'd just 'fight it off' but everyone knew it was bullshit. However, he typically listened to you. "Take a nap." you said sternly and he sighed, letting his eyes close. You sat there with him for a bit, rubbing his shoulder and listening to his soft breaths as he drifted off to sleep.
A few hours went by and you'd moved to sit in the small dining area in the bus with Daniel. Jonah was still fast asleep and you'd be arriving at the hotel in New York in about a half an hour. "I can't believe he's been out cold this whole drive." Daniel chuckled as he ate his cereal. You clicked your tongue and continued to scroll through Instagram, "I can. He's always been like this, he fights sleep every time he's sick but when I convince him that he needs it, he's out for hours." Daniel finished the rest of his cereal and put the dishes in the sink. "How long have you guys known each other again? Jonah told us once but I don't remember." he asked and you set your phone down. "Since we were three or four. We lived on the same block and our families were friends, so we grew up side by side basically our entire lives. We've been a pair ever since." you said and Daniel nodded, a smirk forming on his face. "Nothing more ever came of that?" You raised an eyebrow, "More meaning?" Daniel scoffed and shook his head. "You guys never got together in all that time? Like, you were never a couple?" You rolled your eyes and smiled, "No, Dani! He's my best friend. Besides, he was kind of a player in high school." you said and Daniel's eyes went wide. The both of you started laughing as the bus came to a hault. "We're here!" Zack yelled and you both got up to start gathering all of your things. "We're continuing this conversation later!" Daniel said and you brushed him off with a smile. You walked to the back of the bus and lightly shook Jonah, stirring him out of his sleep. "Hey, we're at the hotel." you said gently and he whined, holding his head in his hands. You chuckled and grabbed his hand, "C'mon, you can go back to sleep when we get inside." Jonah let you drag him up off the couch and to the bunk to collect his stuff.
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Once you all got inside and settled, you took the elevator down to the mini shop in the hotel lobby. You picked up a Gatorade, some flu medicine and a small snack for Jonah. You headed back up to your floor and walked to his room, stopping right outside the door. Everyone got their own rooms this time considering you'd be there for a few days, but you heard another voice in Jonah's room. "Madison, I just wanna see you. I feel so sick and I'm gonna be in NYC for like, four days. You have no time to come see me in that amount of time?" you heard him plead and you sighed, leaning your head against the wall. He was definitely on FaceTime with her. Madison lived in Los Angeles, but traveled to New York frequently to do work for the brands that sponsored her. "JoJo I can't! I have so many meetings and photoshoots to do. If I cancel any of them to lay in your bed while you have the flu, they'll be so pissed. I'm sure you'll be okay." you heard her say over the phone. You cringed, mainly at the nickname she has for him, but mostly at how little effort she was willing to put towards seeing Jonah after the fit she threw. Her reasoning never made sense to you. You could hear Jonah cough and mumble something, then the room fell silent. You heard a crash, then a thud, and finally a very loud groan. You knocked on the door. "Come in." Jonah said. You walked in to see a pillow on the other side of the room, and the lamp he knocked over with said pillow. "Everything okay?" you asked after noticing what the noise was. "No. I'm exhausted, my head is pounding, I have to throw up but there's nothing left to throw up and my own girlfriend doesn't even want to see me." he huffed, throwing himself back down onto the remaining pillows. "I got you some presents." you said lightly and dropped the bag on the bed. Jonah sat up and pulled out the contents, looking up at you standing at the end of his bed. "You got me all this?" You nodded, "I am a professional at dealing with sick Jonah. I even got you—" "Fruit Punch Gatorade." he stated, cutting you off. "My favorite." he said with a small smile on his lips. "I know you, Jo. Now go take a shower and put on some clothes to sleep in. Then take this," you said, pointing to the medicine, "and we can lay in bed and watch movies." Jonah looked at you, the small smile forming into a pleading pout, "Will you scratch my back?" he asked innocently. You chuckled at his sweet question, "Yes, you big baby. Now go!" you said, patting his leg. He hopped out of bed and ran the shower. While he was in there, you snooped through his clothes and pulled out a large black t-shirt and a pair of sweats. You changed before he came out in basketball shorts and no shirt. "Stealing my clothes again?" You played with the strings on the sweatpants and handed him the medicine. "Yes, my room is too far. Here you go." you said enthusiastically and he frowned, downing the liquid and chasing it with his Gatorade. "Thank you, you're an angel." he said and you shrugged, "I know." Despite your cool exterior, hearing him call you an angel made your stomach do flips. The two of you got back into the hotel bed, you sitting up and him laying down next to you on his stomach. Jonah pulled your body closer to his so he was basically laying on you. You let the tips of your fingers draw light patterns and shapes across his bare back, relaxing him. He turned on a movie from Netflix and dropped the remote, slinging his arm over your waist. "Am I a pain to take care of?" he asked randomly and you shook your head, "Not at all, why?" He sighed and snuggled in closer to you. "Madison hates being with me when I'm sick." he said very quietly. You brought your hand up farther to scratch the back of his neck and kissed his head. "You're not a pain, Jonah. I promise. You also make a really comfy blanket even though your feet are freezing." He purposely brushed his foot against your ankle, making you hiss. "Stop it." you chuckled, pulling your hand away from his skin. Without looking, Jonah reached up and grabbed your hand, placing it back down on his back. "No," he whined, "I'm sorry, Please keep going." You smiled and felt your heartbeat quicken, hoping he couldn't hear it. "Shhh, I'm right here. You're interrupting the movie." you teased and he squeezed your hip. You both laid there for a while, eventually drifting off and taking a nap in that position. This is where you wanted to be for the rest of your life: laying in bed with the boy you loved, his arms holding you and his warm breath tickling your skin. It was blissful, until his phone rang.
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Incoming FaceTime from... Madi.
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