The Weight of Dreams || Greta Van Fleet

Chapter 38: I Believed Him

Jake's P.O.V

It was taking everything in me not to kill him.
How dare he treat her like this?

I held her close, feeling even worse as her grip on me got tighter.
"It's okay. I'm not going anywhere." I whispered, gently kissing the top of her head. I hated seeing her like this. I couldn't imagine, going through life like this, having someone like him holding everything over your head, terrified to leave, terrified to stay.

I then quickly looked over at the sound of knocking, pulling her in closer, hiding her face against my chest.
"Oh, am I interpreting-" Amy said, peeking in with a grin, but her face quickly fell. "Jake? W-what's.. what's wrong? What are you doing here?" She asked, as if she was expecting someone else. She quickly made her way over as Julia nervously looked up at her.

"Ugh, your hair.." She groaned, reaching over for her, grabbing her hand. "Come on, I'll fix it. There's still time." She stayed quiet as she followed Amy over to her vanity, keeping her eyes down to avoid her own reflection.

How could she be worried about her hair at a time like this? She was upset. Why wasn't anyone-
"Jake, you should get going. You're on soon." She said, flashing me wide eyes as she motioned towards the door. I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave if Julia wasn't comfortable with it yet.
"Juliette?" I questioned. She peeked back over at me, staying quiet as she gave me a gentle nod, avoiding my eyes.
"Okay.. I'll.. I'll see you later then. Come and find me if you need anything." I said, lingering in the doorway. She finally looked back up at me, giving me a gentle smile.
"Thank you." She mouthed. I nodded, forcing myself to leave.

Juliette's P.O.V

I tried my best to hold back my tears as Amy quickly pulled my hair back into another tight ponytail. It was bad enough she had to re-do this, I would hate for her to have to re-do my makeup too.

I hated that that's what I was concerned with at a time like this.

"What happened?" She whispered. I shook my head, knowing if I started talking about it, I wouldn't be able to contain myself anymore.
"Did Sam come to see you?" She asked, I'm sure trying to change the subject. I nodded.
"Mhm.."
"And.. what happ-"
"Nothing happened." I muttered. I heard her sigh. "And then Don showed up."
"Don is here?!" She snapped. I nodded, avoiding her eyes again. I felt her grip on my hair get looser.

"What did he do, Juliette?" She said softly. I shook my head. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened with him. More often than not, I didn't have anyone to barge in to stop him, and Amy was always left to pick up the pieces. But she knew how much I hated talking about it. I would much rather pretend like nothing happened.

"Juliette, he can't keep doing this."
"Sure he can." I whispered. I had accepted it a long time ago.
"You can't marry him." She said sternly.
"Amy, I have t-"
"You don't have to." She snapped. "You don't need him, and I'm tired of you saying that you do."
"It's not that si-"
"It is that simple. You just have to be brave enough to say no."

I had never been very brave.
I never had to be.
I had never had something worth being brave for.
Or.. someone.

"Do you want to say no?" She asked, spraying down my flyaways again. I bit down on my lip, subtly nodding.
"Then say no."
"But, Amy-"
"We'll be fine. Please. For once. Think about yourself. You are unhappy, but you have a chance.. to be so happy, Julia. I know it. I see it with him." I sighed, peeking back up at her through my reflection.

"I told you, nothing happened with Sa-"
"Not Sam." She said softly, bringing her attention back down to my hair. My heart jumped.
"Jake." I whispered. She nodded.
"He cares about you, Julia. A lot. And if you were thinking of throwing this away, he would not be the worst person to have around. I'm not saying you're doing it for him. You'd be doing it for you. But.. I know you're scared, of what might or might not happen, and I can see it that.. no matter what happens, he would be there." I bit down on my lip, trying to contain my grin.

"I really like him." I whispered. I could hear her giggling to herself behind me, giving my hair one last spray.
"I know you do. Now go."
"G-go?"
"You're all done. Go watch him." I looked back up into the mirror, noticing she had styled it differently this time; simple, but still beautiful. My smile grew.
"Thank you." I sighed, getting up and leaning in closer, pulling out two strands from both sides like always, trying to leave some inkling of Julia every time Juliette went on stage.

Even if I was the only one who knew.

She playfully rolled her eyes, motioning towards the door again. I went over, pulling her into a quick hug before hastily making my way down the hall, trying my best to get backstage without anyone realizing it was me. Or more specifically, without running into Don again.

But knowing him, he wasn't going to slum it around here until it was time for me to go on. He knew that everyone watched him when I was performing, soaking in all the attention of being such a doting, supportive boyfriend. It was infuriating how even when it was supposed to be about me, he still somehow managed to make everything about him.

If only they all knew the truth.

Finally, in the darker corner of the wings, I could see that familiar mop of hair, hovering around the rack of guitars, grabbing one and lifting it over his head, positioning it into place. I hung back for a moment, just wanting to enjoy seeing him in his own element.

They all looked so natural. How much I longed for a sense of community that came with being in an actual band. I know they would roll their eyes if I ever said so, but I truly envied them, in the sense where they all had each other during this process. And how much I wished I didn't have to do this alone.

Finally, as he turned around, his eyes met mine, instantly lighting up, flashing me a giddy grin. He gave me a gentle wave, motioning for me to come over. I cautiously made my way through the crowd of crew members before reaching them.

"Come to slum it with us?" Josh laughed. "I'm sure you haven't gone on stage this early your entire career." I felt my cheeks burn, trying to hide my flustered grin.
"At least you guys get to go to bed earlier." I joked. "These shows are getting way too late for me." He shook his head, laughing along.
"Well, if at any point you want to change spots, just let us know."
"Will do." I sighed, peeking back over at Jake. Josh noticed.

"Hey, um.. let's give them a minute." He said, winking at me before playfully pushing the rest of the guys out of the wings and further backstage. Jake rolled his eyes, smirking over at them before making his way over to me. He bit down on his lip, cautiously reaching out for me, still unsure of where I stood considering what had happened before. I moved the guitar out of my way, pulling him into a tight hug. I heard him sigh, hugging me tighter as I nuzzled my face into his neck as much as I possibly could without ruining Amy's masterpiece.

"Are you okay?" He whispered into my ear. I nodded.
"Yes. Thank you. For being there."
"I'll always be here for you, Julia."

I believed him.