A/N: songs to set the scene: 

- Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae

- I Like It Like That by Hot Chelle Rae, feat. New Boyz

________________________________________________________________________________

September 18, 2021 (cont.)

Jamie's POV

Once we got back to the group, Sofia's sister quickly pulled her aside. I let them have their privacy, and I joined Kimberly and John. "Where have you been?" John asks as he rests his chin on the top of Kim's head. "Uh," I pause. "I took Sofia down to the boardwalk. I needed to step away from EJ before I did something stupid," I turn my attention from the stage back towards John. "EJ left with Michelle, said he wanted space and would see us at home later," Kim informs and I nod.

I feel a hand wrap around my forearm and squeeze it gently. "Hi," Sofia's soft voice meets my ears. I turn my head and I'm met with her beautiful brown eyes, "Hi." She gives me a big smile and we're pulled away from John clearing his throat. "Sofia, has Jamie here bored you yet?" John chuckles and I turn back to see Sofia's reaction. "Not at all! I'm actually not looking forward to having to leave in a bit," she glances up at me and looks back at him. "I'm sure Jamie will be missing you too," he tries to joke, but Kim smacks his chest. I shake my head at him and turn back towards the stage.

~~

As Hot Chelle Rae takes the stage, Sofia stays closely cuddled into my side. Her sister and friend, I think his name is Zach, stay close by. I'm sure they're only doing this to make sure I don't try and kidnap her or something crazy. I see them looking over at the two of us consistently and I can't help but smile to myself. Hot Chelle Rae has the crowd completely engaged. They start playing "Tonight Tonight", and John and I start screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs. I feel eyes on me and look down to see Sofia smiling at me. "Is it too soon for me to say you're cute?" Her words send heat up my neck to my face. "Uh," I clear my throat, "not at all." We smile back at each other and return our gazes back towards the stage.

I get lost in the feeling of Sofia's body being so close to mine. We've only officially known each other for a few hours and I feel like we've known each other for years. I didn't expect the two of us to feel so comfortable with each other so quickly. She's unlike anyone I've ever met, and I'm a soldier! I've met some interesting people in the countries I've had to go to, and not everyone who joins the Marine Corps comes from the same upbringing.

"Hey," Sofia nudges my arm, and I get pulled from my thoughts. "What's up?" I ask and she reaches her hand up towards my eyebrow. "You okay?" She traces the faint scar on my eyebrow and I nod. "Yeah, just hoping EJ's alright," I tell a little white-lie, not wanting to tell her I'm thinking about her. "I have to go soon," she frowns a bit and I shake my head. "That's alright. I'll talk these three into staying through your whole set and filming, so we can have a proper goodbye, alright?" She nods and cuddles closer into my body. I wrap my arm around her shoulders wanting to keep her close. I want to prove to Paulina and Zach that I mean no harm, and I'll do whatever I have to do it.

"Alright Oceanside, we appreciate you all coming out this evening. We've got one more song for you!" The lead singer gets the crowd pumped up. I recognize the first few chords and hit John with my free hand. We exchange a smile and already know we're both going to look like complete idiots. "I Like It Like That" begins playing and the crowd joins in singing the lyrics. I nudge Sofia a little and she joins in on the silliness. In the midst, Paulina gets her attentioned and I already know she has to go. "Hey, I've gotta go. Can we hang out again?" She looks up at me and I nod, "Of course, I'd love to." We smile and her sister frantically pulls her away.

I move to stand near Emily and I see a huge, stupid grin plastered on her face. "What?" I ask, not paying attention to the concert anymore since they're practically finished. "You really like her. I can see it," she beams and I roll my eyes. "I'm allowed to like her. She's a decent human," I shrug. "But this is more than just liking someone's company. You guys were holding hands and practically trying to combine each other's bodies," she points out and I avoid her full eye contact. "Whatever, she'll probably forget about me and today the moment she wakes up tomorrow," Emily rolls her eyes at my comment and drops the conversation.

~~

Sofia and her band had finally taken the stage, and I was in complete awe of her. She moves so fluidly on stage, and she just looks made to be up there. I can't help but notice her finding me in the crowd as she sings her own songs. She does the same thing as they finish filming her scenes for her movie. The song still pulls at my heartstrings and makes me wonder what other songs might be in the movie that could be just as good.

When it gets close to finishing, I feel my phone buzz a few times. I pull it from my pocket and see two messages from EJ and one from a number I don't recognize.

Unknown

Hey Jamie, it's

Paulina, Sofia's

sister. She wanted

me to let you know

to come backstage

with your sister &

friends 🙂

I'll meet you over

near security.

I show Emily the message from Paulina, and immediately save her number. Emily gives me a cheshire cat grin and I can't help but also smile. "We going to start heading over there then?" Emily asks and I nod. "Hey guys," I grab John & Kim's attention to follow us. "What's going on?" Kim asks once we've left the crowd. "Jamie's new girlfriend wants to see us once she finishes up," Emily wiggles her eyebrows and Kim turns grinning at me. "Cool it you two. She probably has a boyfriend," I start walking towards the two large security guards near the side of the concert area.

"I highly doubt someone with a boyfriend would be that touchy with someone they barely know," Emily states and I roll my eyes. "Excuse me, can we help you guys?" One of the large men asks. "We're friends with Sofia Carson," I try explaining and they both put their hands up. "Good try, but we'll have to ask you all to leave the area," the other larger security guard states. "They're with me!" I see Paulina jogging towards us and flashing her backstage badge. The two behemoths look between me and Paulina, and finally move out of our way. I stand next to Paulina as everyone walks through, "Thanks." We exchange a smile and we follow her towards several large, white trailers.

We reach one with 'Sofia Carson/Cassie' on the front of it. Paulina opens the door and holds it for us to walk in. As I enter the much larger space, I look around at how cozy it looks. "Hey guys," Zach says, walking from the back area of the trailer. "Hey," I hear Emily greet him as she sits on one of the couches.

"Do you guys have any plans tomorrow?" Paulina's question pulls my attention away from inspecting the rest of the trailer. "We have some plans at the beach in the morning, but plan on finishing out the concert series tomorrow. We really want to see Plain White T's," I answer, leaning against the door frame. "Maybe we'll join you. Sof has the day off tomorrow, but I'm sure she'll tell you that," Paulina's statement makes my ears perk up. If she already has this connotation that her sister will be talking to me then maybe she does like me.

The door opening pulls all of our attention towards it. Sofia greets Jonathan since he's standing near the door. As she makes her way around to Emily and Kim, I notice a guy walking behind her. My heart falls into the deepest pit of my stomach. "Hi," the softest, most angelic voice pulls me from my treacherous thoughts. "Hi," I look into Sofia's beautiful brown eyes and she's got the biggest smile on her face.

"Oh, Jamie, this is Nick. He's my co-star in the movie! Nick, this is Jamie," she steps to the side and I put my hand out to introduce myself. "Nice to meet you," I greet and he looks at me a bit timidly. He takes my hand and I grip his a bit tighter than he grips mine. "Nice to meet you too," he grimaces at me. "Sof, I'll see you on Monday. Have a good night everyone," Nick's thick British accent shocks me a bit as he waves goodbye as he steps out of the trailer.

"So, are you guys hungry?" Sofia turns towards the group and I feel her lean her back against me. It sends butterflies through my stomach and electricity through my veins. "Starved!" John chants. Sofia and I both chuckle at him, and I clear my throat, "How about we meet you three somewhere? Let you change and we can find some place with a short wait."

I look around and Jonathan nods towards me, making me confused. "We can go together, as long as you guys don't mind waiting for me to change," Sofia looks up at me and I shrug. " John, you guys head to ZIGZAG, and I'll meet you guys once Sofia finishes," I state and he shoots me a thumbs up. "Pau and Zach, go with them," Sofia adds, and they look at her skeptically. "I'm with a highly-trained Marine, I'll be okay," she assures them and they follow Emily out of the trailer.

I take a seat at the small table, "I'll be here when you're done." She smiles and heads towards the back of the trailer. My phone vibrates and I pull it out to see Jonathan and Emily both messaged me.

Johnny

No funny business!

I'm starving, and

you don't want

Sofia's sister to

kill you!

Emily

I second that! No

funny business!

Don't be afraid

to make some

moves though!

I chuckle and hear a door slide open. I quickly lock my phone and shove it in my pocket. My eyes scan Sofia's simple outfit and I'm stunned at how beautiful she can look even in sweatpants. "You ready?" She stands in front of me and I just nod. I clear my throat and stand up, but don't realize how close she is standing to me. Our faces are a few inches apart and I feel her breath fan my face. I step to the side, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be that close." I watch her face for any signs that she is uncomfortable, but she just gives me a small smile and steps closer to me. "It's okay," she holds my eye contact and I get mesmerized by her beautiful brown eyes. We gradually come closer and when I think she's leaning closer, I feel her lips meet my cheek. Heat rushes from my neck upwards, and it suddenly becomes very hot in here. "Thank you for being considerate though, I appreciate such a gentleman," she smiles and puts her hand on my cheek to rub the hint of lipstick she left behind.

~~

After Sofia gathered her purse and also acknowledged a few fans waiting for her to leave, we made our way towards the pizza place. "So, what kind of food is at ZIGZAG?" Sofia asks, intertwining our fingers and staying close to my body. "They're a pizza place. We go almost every time we come down to the pier," I answer and smile down at her. I can't help how easy all of this seems with her, but I don't want to get my hopes up or rush things. I barely know her and she barely knows me. "Well, Italian is my favorite so I'm sure I'll love it," Sofia leans her head against my arm and my heart skips a beat.

"So, when did you get into acting and singing?" I ask, wanting to know more and using the opportunity of us being alone to have her undivided attention. "My mom says I came out of the womb singing, and I wrote my first song when I was ten," I listen intently as we stroll down the sidewalk. "As far as acting, I always knew I wanted to act so when I graduated high school I moved out here. I had gotten accepted into UCLA, so I would attend classes and then audition every free chance I had," her voice holds me, and I find every word interesting.

There's a bit of silence and I realize she finished talking. I look down and she's looking forward, contently watching people walking around us. "What about you?" She asks not breaking her eyes away from the strangers passing us by. "I don't really know. I graduated high school and knew the best way to help my family was to serve," I shrug. "If you didn't have to, what would you want to be?" She asks, and her question makes me think really hard. "Can I think about it?" I look down at her and see her nod, "Take all the time you need. I'll be looking forward to your answer." She looks up and smiles at me.

~~

We arrive to ZIGZAG, and I see everyone sitting outside talking and drinking. "Hey look who finally decided to show up!" Jonathan yells as he makes eye contact with me. "About time you guys showed up, we were starting to wonder if you got lost," Kim jokes and I roll my eyes at her. "I stopped to take a few photos with fans. I'm sorry if we've been holding you guys up on getting food," Sofia apologies as she takes a seat next to Paulina. I walk around to the other side and sit next to John, which is odd since I usually sit next to Emily. "No problem at all, just wanted to give Jay a hard time," John throws his arm around my shoulders and I quickly push it off.

"Did you guys order yet?" I ask, looking around the table. "Yeah, we ordered three pizzas. One cheese, one meat, and one veggie. I hope that's okay with you two," Emily states from the other side of the table and I nod. "Works for me," I look towards Sofia who's intently listening to her sister. "Sof, are any of those three pizzas good for you? I can go inside and order something else," I quickly add and she shakes her head, now completely ignoring Paulina. "I'm fine with any of those," she smiles. "Want something to drink?" I ask before she turns back towards her sister. "I can go inside with you to see what they have," she stands up with me and I see Paulina frown a bit.

We walk inside and I scan over their cold drinks debating between just getting water or getting something alcoholic. "What are you thinking of getting, soldier?" Sofia wraps her arms around my waist and my heart literally stops beating. What is my life right now?! I take a deep breath and collect myself. "I don't know, do you know?" I put my arms around her and continue scanning the fridge. "I don't know. I might just settle on water. Not much of a beer drinker," she sighs and I nod. We get to the counter and I get us two waters. We continue holding hands as we make our way back outside.

"What did we miss?" I ask as I push Sofia's seat back in for her. "We were making plans for tomorrow," Kim says, scrolling through her phone. "Oh yeah? What are the plans?" I ask, taking a sip of my water. "Well, we're going to the beach tomorrow morning for the sunrise," Kim gestures towards our side of the table and I give her a soft smile. "Then we'll meet up with them for breakfast at Stratford and I already sent Paulina the address so they know where they're going," my mind takes in all of the information Kim is spewing. "Were we really gone that long?" I look over at Sofia and she shakes her head giggling. "We couldn't have been gone that long for them to plan out all of this," Sofia says, taking a sip of her water.

"All sounds good to me. We still good on only seeing Plain White T's tomorrow?" I turn towards Kim and see her nodding her head. I try following the conversation, but get lost noticing Sofia has my hand that I rested on the table. She's playing with my fingers, but when I glance over at her she's fully listening to both of our sisters talking about tomorrow. Tomorrow morning is going to be rough, but it has to be done. Spreading our mom's ashes at the beach was the one request she had in her will. She loved the beach. We'll be up bright and early, and hopefully EJ will be in a better mood tomorrow.I quickly remember to check his messages from early.

EJ

Hey, I'm at Michelle's

house. Her dad will

give me a ride as

soon as you let me

know you're on your

way home.

I'm sorry for earlier.

I know none of this

is your fault, and

just wish mom was

still here. Let Sofia

know I'm sorry too 🙂

I feel a pain in my heart from him finally saying he misses our mom. I know it's a terrible thing to think that someone doesn't actually miss a loved one who passed away, but he hasn't shown much emotion since the night I got the call. He's been closed off, and I just hope that he's at least opened up to Michelle. I can't fault him for not opening up. I've been so focused on making sure him and Kimberly are okay that I've ignored my own feelings. Earlier today at the pier was the first time I had let myself slowly open up to someone who isn't family.

Jamie

I'm glad you're

safe. We're eating

dinner then we'll

be headed home.

I appreciate you

apologizing, and I

will let Sofia know

You're sorry too.

I miss mom too,

and I'm here for you

and Kim whenever

you need me. I love

you ❤️

~~

The pizzas come out not too long after I respond to EJ's messages. I'm happy to know he's okay, and that Michelle's parents are cool with getting him home. After we finish up here, I'll make sure to tell him we're on our way home. We all demolished the three pizzas, leaving no left overs. "You guys ready to go home?" I look at the three half-asleep nuisances next to me. I get a few groans and a half-audible yes. I look at Sofia and give her a sad smile, "I think it's time for us to get home." She nods and we all gather our things. John's car is parked close by so we stop to say our goodbyes before we part. "Let me know when you three get back to your hotel?" I cautiously ask, not wanting to cross any boundaries. "Yes, definitely. Let me know when you get home?" She matches my tone and I nod, smiling. She smiles back and we awkwardly stand facing each other.

"Well, I will see you tomorrow," I let out feeling like an idiot. Sofia grabs my hand and pulls me into a hug. She pulls back and strokes my cheek with her thumb. "Bright and early," she whispers before leaving a kiss on my cheek. "Bye guys!" She yells behind me, waving. "Let's go, lover boy," Emily pulls on my shirt since I'm still in a daze. "I think she broke him," Kim says from next to me. "Oh, she definitely did," Kim pokes my side and I'm still so frozen, I don't react.

I feel my phone vibrate, but don't move to grab it. Emily goes into my pocket and pulls out my phone. "Sofia is already texting you. Boy, answer your phone please," Emily shoves my phone in my face and I'm finally coherent again.

Sofia

I really enjoyed today,

and I'm already looking

forward to tomorrow.

Since I'm off, maybe we

can hang out after the

Plain White T's concert.

I smile at my phone and feel my heart racing. My smile doesn't falter as we get into Jonathan's car either. "I just called EJ. He's on the way to the house now," Kim says from the front seat. "Alright, sounds good," I say, not looking away from my phone. I can't muster up any good words to say, but don't want to leave the message unanswered.

Jamie

I enjoyed today too.

I would love to hang

out more tomorrow.

We can see what

we feel like doing

tomorrow.