3- Don't Want To Let Time Pass Us By

**********

Two weeks later, I moved in with Pierre. Although I had visited several times a year, I hadn't lived in Montreal since I was in high school, and it was good to be back. Of course, we only had a few days at home before Simple Plan's next tour started.

"You know you're coming on tour with us, right?" Pierre said to me almost as soon as I had finished unpacking at his apartment.

So, almost right after that, I began to pack for the tour. The first show was in Toronto (on the campus of my college, no less) on November 20th- a Tuesday, and two days before American Thanksgiving.

"Are you ready?" Pierre said to me at 9:00 that morning. "The bus is outside."

I followed Pierre downstairs and outside, where we got on the tour bus. As soon as I stepped inside the bus, I saw David run up, and engulf me in a hug.

"Katie!" he said. I hadn't seen him, Seb, Jeff, Chuck, or Pat since August, and I missed them all. "How are you?"

"I'm great, how are you?"

"I'm fantastic! I missed you. You look amazing! I'm so excited for you to come on tour with us. We're gonna have a great time. The first show's on your college's campus, did Pierre tell you that?" David was talking a mile a minute, and I smiled. I missed him.

"I missed you too. And yea, Pierre told me. I'm excited to go back; I haven't been back since I graduated."

"Oh, yeah, it'll be great. We'll have a lot of fun."

"Hey, Katie," someone else said. It was Seb, who was by then standing next to me.

"Seb!" I said, and hugged him. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too! Come on, Jeff, Chuck, and Pat are in the back playing video games." Seb said, and started walking towards the back of the bus.

I turned to face Pierre.

"I love you, you know that?" he told me.

"I love you ,too." He kissed me quickly on the lips. Pierre put his arm around me, and put our bags on a shelf next to the bunks. He pointed out which bunk belong to who, and then showed me to the back.

"Katie?" Jeff said, turning around. "Hey!" He came over to me and gave me a quick hug. "Man, it's so good to see you!"

"You, too! Hey Chuck!" I said, as Chuck came up to me. I hugged him. "Pat!" I exclaimed, and hugged him next.

**********

About six hours later, we arrived at the University of Toronto. It was the week of the "Festifall", or "Fall Festival" (which was UT's version of a Spring Fling or Spring Carnival), and Simple Plan was the headlining band for tonight's concert.

It was time for sound check at 3:00. I got to sit on stage for sound check, and Pierre kept stealing glances at me and smiling.

The first band of the night- a local band named the Greenhouse Defect- went on at 7:15. They played mostly original songs except for one cover- "Supersonic", by Oasis.

While the Greenhouse Defect performed, I hung out with the members of Simple Plan backstage. At 8:30, it was time for Simple Plan to go on. I kissed Pierre good luck, and went around the stage and stood in front.

Their first song was "I'm Just A Kid." After that, they played a variety of songs from No Pads, No Helmets… Just Balls and Still Not Getting Any.

"So it's getting late," Pierre said, after the band had concluded "Me Against The World", "and we only have two more songs left for you guys. You guys wanna hear a cover?" The audience screamed. I looked around and noticed a few girls that looked far too young to be UT students (they probably went to the local high school). I couldn't blame them; when we were seniors in high school, Pierre and I had snuck in to a Green Day concert at McGill University.

"Let's play a cover!" David said into his microphone. I caught his eye, and grinned at him.

"We're gonna play a cover now. Have you guys ever heard of a band called Mest?" They screamed in acknowledgement. "This song is dedicated to a woman named Katie. I've known her for 10 years, and as of this month, I've been lucky enough to call her my fiancé. This song always makes me think of the times I spent with her back when we were in high school. It's called 'Jaded.'"

Jeff played the opening notes on his guitar, and Pierre started singing.

"There's a time and place for everything. There's a reason why certain people meet…"


After "Jaded", Simple Plan played "Perfect". As they walked off the stage, I headed back around the stage to meet them.

"How did we do?" Pierre asked me.

"You were amazing," I told him. "As always."

"I love you," he told me, and kissed me. "I'm so lucky to get to marry you." I smiled, and he kissed me again.

**********

The next day, Simple Plan had show at an arena in Toronto. The opening bands for the tour were the Plain White Ts and Matchbook Romance. The day after that- Thursday, November 22- there was no show.

That day also happened to be American Thanksgiving. After an early morning flight, we were in Boston (where the next should would be) by noon. Pierre graciously carried my bag, and opened all the doors for me.

Finally, we got to our hotel room.

"What do you want to do now?" Pierre asked me.

"Well, what do rock stars normally do on their days off?" I inquired.

"Well, normally we do nothing," he admitted. "But I thought you might want to actually do something, rather than sitting around."

"That would be good, but is there anything open today? It's Thanksgiving, you know," I reminded him.

"I have an idea," Pierre told me. "Don't forget your gloves."

As per Pierre's recommendation, I brought my gloves. I also brought a scarf and hat. Pierre wouldn't tell me where we were going, so I followed blindly as he expertly navigated Boston's subway system, the T.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" I asked.

"Yep. We've been to Boston before. I know exactly where we're headed."

Soon enough, Pierre said, "We're here," and I saw that we were standing in front of an ice skating rink.

"I haven't been ice-skating since…" I began, remembering the time Pierre and I had gone ice-skating when we were 15.

"It's okay. I know you'll be fine." Pierre said, reading my mind. "I'll hold your hand."

Soon enough, after my skates were tied (Pierre had to tie them for me- I had no clue how), we went on to the ice rink. True to his word, Pierre held my hand- both of them, in fact, as he skated (expertly) backwards (supposedly, ice hockey is pretty popular with Canadians- they can all skate) and I skated (nervously) forwards.

After a few laps of skating, I was feeling more confident. So Pierre skated forward, next to me, holding my left hand. I definitely felt like I was getting the hang of ice-skating.

"We should do this again some time," I told Pierre. But I spoke too soon- moments later, a young boy (he couldn't have been older than 8 or 9) in full hockey gear whizzed past me, causing me to lose my balance and fall. Luckily, we were close to the edge. I didn't feel like standing up right away, so I pulled Pierre down on top of me.

"Oops," I said.

"Oops."

"Well, now that we're down here, we might as well-"

"Alright."

And Pierre kissed me. It was just like I remembered him kissing me that time we were at the rink in Montreal- intense, but more romantic than aggressive. I could feel the eyes of the observers staring at us- by the sounds of it, they had all stopped skating.

The kiss ended. I smiled, and Pierre helped me up.

"I think I'm done skating," I told him.



I'm jaded, stupid, and reckless.
Not sorry, and I'll never regret
These years spent so faded and reckless.
Not sorry, and I'll never regret these years.
I'll never regret these years.


A/N- Song lyrics and chapter title are from "Jaded" by Mest.

2- These Four Walls Close Me Within

I wanna have the same last dream again-
The one where I wake up, and I'm alive.
Just as these four walls close me within,
My eyes are opened up with pure sunlight.


"So where are we going for breakfast?" I asked.

"I was thinking we could go to that café down the block," he suggested. "You know, Café Marie."

Café Marie was down the block from my apartment. It was beautiful, but I had never actually been there; it was very expensive.

"Café Marie? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," he told me.

" Alright, then," I agreed. "Just let me get dressed. I'll be right back."

I went to my bedroom, and changed in to a pair of faded jeans and a gray long sleeve top. I put on my boots, and grabbed my puffy purple vest from the back of the door.

"You look beautiful," Pierre said when he saw me.

"Thank you." I smiled.

"Let's go, then." And we were out the door.

**********

"Hi, I have a reservation for Pierre, at 10:00." Pierre said to the hostess when we arrived at the restaurant. He had gotten us a reservation? Wow.

"Sure, right this way," she replied, and led us to our table. She set two menus down on the table. "Your server will be with you shortly."

Awkward silence. I didn't know what to say. Pierre had said he wanted to talk about a few things, but he obviously didn't want to talk about them yet, because he wasn't saying anything.

Finally, our waitress arrived. She had red hair and freckles, and she looked vaguely familiar.

"Hi, my name is Annie, and I'll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" She asked in a cheery voice.

"I'll have some orange juice," said Pierre.

"I'll take a cup of tea," I said.

"Alright, I'll be back in just a minute to take your order."

It was still awkward between us. Not a bad awkward, necessarily, but definitely… awkward. And quiet. I was pretty sure that Pierre would bring up whatever it was he wanted to talk about when he was ready, so I didn't feel the need to bring it up.

He brought it up after Annie took our order.

"So I know earlier I said I wanted to talk about something," he said.

"Yeah," I said. "What about, exactly?" Now, I felt okay asking.

"Well, I wanted to ask you if you wanted to move in… with me."

My instincts told me to spit out my tea, and say, "What?" But surprisingly, I didn't.

"Move in with you," I repeated, nodding. I took another sip of tea.

"I know what you're thinking," he said. "About your job."

Indeed, I was thinking about what I would do about my job. I was currently working at an independent music store, and I loved it. But obviously, I couldn't keep working at the store if I would be living with Pierre in Montreal, or touring with him (would he want me to go on tour with him?).

"Yeah," I said. "What would I do about my job?"

"I've already thought about it. There's a few stores in Montreal that I think would be good for you. And I talked to some of the guys at Atlantic Records, and I don't know if you'd be interested, but they are looking for some help for A&R."

Hm. A&R. I hadn't done A&R before, but it seemed like it would be pretty exciting.

"Okay," I nodded. "Okay. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. That's a great idea." I told him.

"So… you're saying you want to move in with me?"

"Yeah," I said. "Yes. Definitely." I smiled, and Pierre smiled too. I was excited to move in with him. "So when were you thinking I'd move in?" I asked.

"About that. I know it's kind of short notice, but um… how does two weeks from today sound?"

"Two weeks?"

"Well yeah," he said. "I mean, I know it's not a lot of time. But we're on tour now, and it ends in a week and a half. After that, we have a few months off. I thought it would be a good time, you know, for us to… have some time together at home before we go on tour again."

"Okay," I said. "That sounds great. I'm really excited, Pierre."

"Me too," he said.

**********

The next two weeks were a whirlwind of packing and getting ready for the move. I was undeniably nervous. I mean, I was going to live with Pierre. Well, I guess it's not that big of a deal that I'm moving in, seeing as we are engaged.

This is a new chapter in my life. It's nerve-wracking. It's terrifying. It's scary. It's mind-blowing. It's exciting.

I've known Pierre for so long that every relationship I had in between felt like a comparison to him. No guy was as good as Pierre. But will moving in with him change anything between us? We'll see each other more often, that's for sure. Will he want me to come on tour with him? God, I hope so. Now that we're engaged, I don't think I want to spend any more time away from him than I have to.


A/N- Song lyrics and chapter title are from "The Adventure" by Angels & Airwaves.

1- My Eyes Are Opened Up With Pure Sunlight

**********

I woke up and opened my eyes. I felt different than I had felt the night before, but why? I turned my head and saw the ring box on my night stand, and- how had I not noticed it until now?- the gorgeous diamond ring on my ring finger.

Oh yeah. That's why I feel different. Pierre proposed to me last night. I'm engaged.

I can't believe I'm engaged to Pierre. Oh god.

I had a little crush on Pierre from the first time I met him. Then, after meeting his girlfriend of the time, Molly, I thought it would never happen. I was okay with it for a little while, really. I figured it'd be another one of those crushes where nothing happened. I was almost ready to be over him when things, well, changed. We got together. He thought I liked another guy, so he dumped me, and we got back together; then he hooked up with another girl, and it was three months before we got back together. For the next two years- the rest of high school- we were together. We fought, but only over stupid things.

And then we graduated high school, and Pierre broke up with me. He said he wasn't sure we'd be able to do the long distance thing, or whatever, and while I was in college, he wanted me to be able to be with a guy that could really be there with me.

But we kept in touch. I dated a few guys in college- one of them for over a year- but it just never felt the same as it did when I was with Pierre. But one day, he asked me to be his date to a party, and I said yes. And we've been together since then.

Pierre and I had definitely spoken about spending the rest of our lives together. I knew that I'd never feel the same way about anyone else as I did about him. I was in love with him. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him, or at least I thought I did. No, wait. I definitely did. I mean, of course I did. Why wouldn't I? Pierre was the only guy I ever wanted to be with.

Pierre was the only guy I ever wanted to be with, the one I wanted to spend my life with, right? Of course he was.

What am I thinking? It's not like I'm doubting the fact that I want to spend the rest of my life with Pierre, because in my heart, inside, I know I do. He makes me happier and a better person, and I guess I make him feel the same way. No one else can make me feel the same way. No one.

It's not like I knew from the beginning that I'd end up getting engaged to Pierre. It wasn't one of those things where I saw him and fell in love with and started picking out the names of our children, just like that. It wasn't at all like that. I saw him and immediately thought he was really cute, and kind of got a crush on him, but I was barely 15 years old. At that point I wasn't thinking about getting married. Now I'm 25, though, and marriage is definitely on my mind. Pierre was the perfect guy for me when I was a teenager. And I really, really believe that he's the perfect guy for me now. I'm exactly the same person as I was ten years ago. Only, you know, I'm ten years older, and I'm more mature, and I'm better at dealing with my feelings.

I can't believe I'm actually getting married to Pierre.

Then my phone rang. Speak of the devil- it was Pierre.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he replied. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too," I smiled. I loved hearing his voice. "What time is it?" I wondered aloud.

"It's a little after 9. I was just wondering if you had any plans for today."

"No, not yet. Why?"

"I thought maybe we could spend the day together," Pierre suggested. "Maybe we could, I don't know, go out for breakfast? There's a few things I want to talk to you about."

"That sounds great, Pierre. When should we meet?"

"Actually, I was thinking like now?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Come to the door," he told me.

"Why?"

"Just do it."

So I came to my door, and there was Pierre.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey." I smiled.

"How are you?"

"I'm great. What about you?"

"Great, now that I'm here with you," Pierre said, and I kissed him.