J.C. never expected the night to turn out like this. All he had thought as he sat in the driver’s seat of the car with Lance navigating him, that the night would be filled with eating, spending time with friends, and barely flinching at each and every one of Joey and Chris’s attempts to scare them. He hadn’t spent a Halloween like this, going to a festival and taking in all of the activities, in a long, long time. As he continued along the path with Montana, he wondered just how long it had been since she allowed herself to open up and truly enjoy a budding…something.

They weren’t exactly friends despite how often they had seen each other over the years as he passed through town for concerts. They didn’t know that little of each other to be considered acquaintances, either. If he had to, he’d chalk it up to…familiar. She was familiar. The feeling of comfort and camaraderie that she brought to him even as they walked in silence was familiar. Feeling a growing sense of connection with her was familiar.

He hoped he could do the same for her. If he couldn’t b the one person for her, maybe he could help her learn that not all guys were bad. She deserved someone great; who could treat her like she was special and to remind her that she in fact was just that for every day for the rest of her life. He knew he couldn’t give that to her, not unless his schedule was to ever slow down. Honestly? He didn’t see that coming for a long while. It would be nice to have someone like her to come back to, but it was always hard to find that one person to ask to wait for him, no matter how special.

“You’re quiet all of a sudden.” J.C. looked down at her, spotting her cheeks tinged a light pink. That was cute. She was still embarrassed.

“Don’t want you taking anything else I say out of context,” she replied, tucking her hair behind her ears. She smoothed her hands down her dress before clasping her fingers in her lap.

“Hmmm.” J.C. pursed his lips just slightly. “Seems to me, given you work with kids, you’d be hearing a lot of unintentional double entendres.” Montana opened and closed her mouth. “Gotcha.”

“Did you set out to embarrass me?” she asked with a huff, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No,” J.C. replied. “Just to get your guard down.” He gently prodded her side with his elbow. “Admit it; you’re having more fun with me than you thought you would all evening.”

Montana sighed. “Maybe I am,” she admitted after a moment of silence.

“See, guys aren’t so bad?” J.C. asked. “And for a two-fer, I’m a musician, too.”

“I already apologized for that,” Montana said with a frown. She grabbed his arm, stopping him from walking and looked up at him. Her eyes were filled with...a range of emotions, cycling through like a slot machine. Determination. Regret. Guilt. Apology. “I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“I know,” J.C. simply replied. “And I know you meant it.” The two silently stared at each other for a moment before Montana broke eye contact. She started moving before he did. J.C. sucked in a cool breath of air through his nose, feeling the cold dry air collect in his lungs before he let out the breath of air, watching as it turned into a ball of white mist in front of his mouth. “I just don’t think someone like you should close yourself off. Especially because of how young you are. You have so much of your life ahead of you.”

“I don’t need you lecturing me on my life choices, thanks,” Montana muttered, quickening her pace.

J.C. hiked an eyebrow, slowing to a stop. He watched as she marched away from him, hands in tight fists, legs moving in overtime, her spine stiff. This time, he knew he was the cause of her building up her wall again. It was so easy for him to start chipping at it and making some headway and here he was, forcing her to build it back up.

He barely knew her and yet she could bring out so many things in him. Worry. Compassion. Annoyance. Frustration.  Pride. It was an indicator of a deep seated instant connection he hadn’t ever truly felt with someone. Or it was just noticeably different. It was all those things that made him do what he did next.

He marched up behind Montana, and looped his arm around her waist. “What are you doing?” Montana asked, turning to face him. She put a hand to his chest to try and push him away as he stepped closer. She didn’t look angry. Maybe a little startled. Her face flushed as he wordlessly stepped closer to her, lifting his fingers, trailing the pad against the side of her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered closed just slightly as she turned her head into his touch. The palm of his hand cupped her face and he gently stroked his thumb over the bridge of her warm cheek.

Then he kissed her.

Montana at first stiffened in his arms before relaxing, pressing herself against him. A soft “mmmm” reached his ears and her lips started to slide over his. Her fingers left a burning trail up his arms before they reached his scalp. He pulled her closer, longing for her touch, for the feel of her body fitting perfectly against his. Her hair tickled his face, sending shivers up his spine. A sigh slipped past his lips as he pulled away with a slight sucking sound, giving himself some space to breathe.

“J.C..” Montana opened and closed her mouth, her fingers gently touching her lips. “We shouldn’t. You’re not going to be in town for long.”

“I know,” J.C. replied, his voice cracking just slightly. “But that doesn’t matter.”

“Doesn’t it?” Montana asked quietly. She shook her head, her hair flying around her face. “I-I don’t do this.”

“What?” J.C. asked. Montana pressed her lips together, continuing down the path. J.C. fell into step beside her, shooting her a curious look. But he had felt it. He had felt her. She had let her guard down and just gone with the moment. Something she hadn’t done in a long time. The music in the distant grew louder and louder by the minute. They rounded a corner and the dim lights of the barn in the distance glowed warmly, beckoning them

“I don’t just go around kissing men,” Montana replied. “That’s not me. It’s not how I was raised.”

“There’s nothing wrong with having fun,” J.C. replied in an even tone. “You’re supposed to date more than one person to find out who you’re most compatible with.” He wiped his thumb along his bottom lip. “As long as you’re being safe, that’s all that matters. And honestly, I’m having a good time with you tonight.”

“Oh, so you can go and find someone else at your next tour stop?” Montana asked, throwing an annoyed look his way. J.C. crossed his arms over his chest, feeling himself smirk. “What?”

“You sound jealous.”

“I’m not,” Montana replied.

“No, I’d just be proving your point if I was that way,” J.C. replied. He slowly shook his head back and forth. “A musician who can’t be faithful. You’re not helping yourself, Tana. You say you want a relationship but not unless they play by your rules, right? That way no one can get hurt.” Montana’s lips twitched. “It hurts me to know someone like you, that deserves everything in the world, is this way.”

“We don’t even know each other.”

“So you’ve said.” J.C. nodded. “But, I know that I like you. And I know that I’d like to get to know you if you’d let me.” He lifted his hand, gently tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. “And from the way you just kissed me, I think you’ve wanted that for a while.” He gently took her hands and Montana allowed him to do so. “Don’t give up on love now, hon. It may not be as simple as you’re hoping and wanting it to be, but I trust you, it’s worth it.”

Montana let out a short laugh through her nose, giving him a fleeting smile. She swallowed thickly before giving a nod of her head. “Ok,” she said quietly. “Yeah.” She gently squeezed his hands before standing on her tiptoes, her eyes falling shut.

J.C. smiled before closing the space between them, kissing her again. Montana responded instantly tightly gripping his arms, standing up on her tiptoes to reach him. He was gasping for air when they finally pulled away from each other, faces flushed, and pleased smiles on their faces.

“I’ve been missing out on a lot, huh?” she asked quietly.

Not as much as me. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he didn’t push them out of his mouth. He knew what he was getting into when he started his career. He missed out on a lot of activities a lot of people his age took part in, he missed out on college, and in some instances family events as well. Even if it was for a short period of time, getting the chance to go home and spend time with his family, and to even to activities like this, was something he tried to do as often as he could.

“Well, I missed out on learning how to line dance,” J.C. said, angling his head towards the barn. “Maybe you could teach me.” Montana looked over at the barn before glancing up at him, her eyes sparkling mischievously. J.C. had a feeling he was getting a glimpse at the old Montana and found her that much more alluring.

“You’ll probably be pickin’ it up faster than you think, hon,” she replied before taking his hands, pulling him behind her. He stumbled just slightly to keep up with her and her pace. As they entered through the front doors of the barn a wave of warm air hit him in the face. It wasn’t too crowded, but the dance floor held many people dancing to the upbeat music played from the band on stage. “Come on.”

“I’ll watch you first,” J.C. said, spotting his band mates in the corner. He gave her a smile before making his way over to his friends. “Where’s Justin?” he asked as he came up to Lance, Chris, and Joey. Lance lifted his beer bottle to his lips before nodding his head towards the dance floor. J.C. craned his neck and chuckled when he spotted the youngest member of the band in the center of the dancers, moving along with the other dancers to the synchronized moves, over exaggerating them to the amusement of the dancers around him. “Does everybody know how to do this?”

“Oh yeah,” Lance replied after he swallowed. “Church and line dancing are the pillars of southern living.” J.C. smirked at his friend’s sarcasm. Lance’s eyebrows twitched upwards as before took another swig. “Well?”

“Thanks,” J.C. said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Things are going well between us.”

“It must have if it took this long for you to get here,” Chris said with a snort. “That’s ok, you’re probably just out of practice. Being old and all.”

“Who’s calling who old?” J.C. asked, hiking an eyebrow. Chris merely shrugged his shoulders.

“So what was it that took you so long?” Joey asked. He winked at J.C. “The hay ride over isn’t that long. Or did you uh, really take a hay ride.” Lance swung out his fist, hitting his friend in the stomach. Joey barely flinched.

J.C. rolled his eyes. “It’s not like that,” he said. Lance, Chris, and Joey exchanged glances. “Seriously. We’re just having fun. Getting to know each other.”

“Whatever you want to call it,” Joey said, putting his hands up defensively. “Glad it’s working out.”

“Thanks again,” J.C. replied.

“Hey, thank Dante and Lucille,” Lance corrected him, pursing his lips just slightly as he removed them from his drink. “They did me a favor. They just want to see Tana happy.”

“So do I,” J.C. replied. He clapped Lance on the shoulder before turning on his heels, making a beeline for Montana who moved along to the beat of the music. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Course you can,” Montana said with a bright smile, taking his hands as the music changed, sowing just slightly but still keeping it’s dance-like tempo. The dancers started coupling off and J.C. couldn’t help but smile as Justin offered his hand towards an older woman, giving her his charming smile. With his free hand, he tipped a non-existent hat. “Come on.”

Montana spun in his arms before placing a small hand on his shoulder, the other sliding into his. She lea him in the quick dance steps, gazing up at him, looking the most free since the start of the night. He quickly kissed her, earning a gasp from her as he spun and dipped her along with the other couples. Her hair flew back into her face as she straightened herself.

“Sorry,” J.C. laughed, using his hands to brush her hair away from her face.

“Don’t apologize,” Montana replied. She set her head on his chest. “I needed this.” JC kissed the top of her head, holding her close.