New York
Roleplay (Started 8/29/23, ended 11/7/23) Three parts.
Blue text written by Mel, the owner of Jo.
Takes place around January of 1966 when the Bloodhounds take a trip to New York for their latest tour- their first time playing on the east coast.
Part One: Airplane
This was the trip that Emile was stressing over for weeks. As much as he enjoyed touring with the people he loved the most, standing before an excited audience and performing, it came at a great cost. This new tour was a lot different from what he was used to. It was much larger in scale and more demanding than before. Since the big release of their first album, the band had jumped from town to town with little time to relax. He'd laid awake many nights feeling overwhelmed by the constant changes, and eating only did so much to calm his nerves.
All that and more was to be expected once he found out they were going to New York very soon. He did his best to hide his anxiety and thought he did rather well up until now. Nobody from the band suspected a thing. But the nightmare seemed to get worse and worse as they drove up to the airport and eventually walked up to the plane they'd be taking to get there. Emile had never flown before and a million questions crossed his mind. What if an engine failed? What if they crashed into a mountain? Would he ever get back home again? Were they all about to die?
Before he knew it, he was seated by himself behind the rest of the band. The plane began to move and his heart sank with the realization that he was stuck in this thing for the next several hours now. His seatbelt seemed to squeeze tighter around his torso once they took off, suffocating him.
Don't look down. Don't look down.
His eyes darted towards the window where buildings dotted the ground like ants, thousands of feet below. His heart skipped a beat and he turned quickly away, gasping with each quick breath, the image burned into his mind. His hands clenched tightly to the armrests, the only thing he could hold onto. That was when he felt another ache in his heart, different from his fear.
Jo. He needed her. Badly.
Jo. He thought again, longing to speak that first name coming to his mind but too paralyzed to do it. She couldn't be too far in front of him, but in his panic he couldn't think of a way to get her attention.
~~~
Jo was sitting comfortably in her seat, two rows ahead of Emile, flipping through the latest edition of Hit Parader. She was hoping it would be a good way to pass the time until she could nap. The weariness from the previous night's lack of sleep settled upon her. She was worried sick about Doc, knowing the traumas that were brought back for him. Jo tried her best to comfort him and hoped he'd be alright while she was gone.
Despite her husband not being keen on New York, Jo was excited to venture beyond the west coast. She'd always wanted to travel to new places and she was! I can't wait to see the groovy scene up there, oh man!
She grinned at the thought, a small giggle escaping her lips. Yet, a moment of self-consciousness hit her, she turned to look behind her, hoping that nobody else had caught her little outburst. Her shoulders slumped when all she could see was the aisle seats. With a sigh, Jo returned her attention to the magazine in her hands. Flipping through its pages, to try and distract herself once more. She felt as if she would die of boredom any minute.
Jo's attention was suddenly drawn to her shoulder when she felt a light tap, looking up to see Ed poking his head above the seat. "Hey, Jo, Emile isn't looking too well back there, you wanna check on him?" She furrowed her brow, a concerned look spreading across her face. "Yeah, I can do that." She carefully stood up from her seat, moving down the aisle to sit in the empty seat beside Emile. Jo tilted her head, her expression softening as she saw the state he was in.
"Em, are you alright-?"
~~~
In all his poorly-concealed panic, Emile had hardly noticed Jo before she was right in front of him, taking the empty seat at his side. Suddenly he didn't know what to say to her. In the meantime he tried his best to look more composed than he felt, forcing his mouth shut and trying to calm himself down. He usually had his ways, but this time they helped very little. The feeling of instability on all sides still remained. The plane felt like it could fold it on itself any second.
"I-I'm fine, very fine," He finally got out, unable to look Jo in the eye. The comfort of her simple presence that often eased the tension of every situation hardly broke the surface of this one. Despite his words, his hands only gripped even tighter to the armrests and his chest still rose and fell at a rapid pace. He couldn't bear to tell Jo the truth in that moment, and yet he couldn't bear to keep it in any longer, either.
~~~
Staying silent, Jo noticed Emile's struggle to conceal the anxiety bubbling up within him, his pale face and tear filled eyes giving it away. A soft, concerned voice escaped Jo's lips, "You don't seem fine, very fine." She tried to meet his eyes. However, he swiftly averted his gaze, trying to hide the emotions he was feeling. Jo frowned at the sight, her worry deepening as Emile's distress seemed to intensify. The sight of him so worked up made her want to comfort him. Her eyes shifted downward, seeing the grip he had on the armrest of the seats. Jo gently placed her hand upon his, hoping to instill some sort of comfort. During the last few years they'd worked together in The Bloodhounds, she'd grown close with Emile. He was someone she admired and liked being around, she just wanted him to feel better.
~~~
Feeling a soft hand touch his own, Emile instinctively turned. His hands loosened a little as he met Jo's green eyes. For just a moment he felt the tension ease. Her beautiful face seemed to always do strange things like that to him.
Before he knew it, however, the world around him slowly returned with all of its overwhelming fear. "It's... it's just..." He tried to finally explain, only to choke up. He didn't want to cry, especially not in front of Jo. But it just sort of happened. Tears welled up in his eyes and he moved his gaze towards the aisle floor, biting his lip. Mixed among his panic, he suddenly felt embarrassed. He was horribly aware of how much of a mess he must've looked, although he couldn't help it. He could only imagine what Jo saw when she looked at him now.
It'd been half a year since he found out that he'd never get to have her. Doc was her husband now and that was final. Yet, moving on proved to be much more difficult than anticipated. Everytime he swore off thinking about her, she'd come back to his dreams. And everytime he saw her, the same old feelings crept up on him again. Now they threatened to overtake him, and he nearly forgot about the plane.
Eventually he loudly sniffed and rubbed his face with his sleeve, managing to bring his gaze forward again. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he whined at first, before sniffing again, "I'm just... I don't know..."
~~~
Feeling his grip loosen, she flashed him a sweet smile. Gently, she took his hand in hers, entwining their fingers together. Jo watched as he struggled with his emotions, trying his hardest not to break down right in front of her. She fought every urge not to reach up and wipe away his tears for him. Figuring he was already overwhelmed enough, she decided against it. "Hey, It's all right man, it's just me." She quietly spoke, giving him another smile. "What's going on? You can talk to me about it if you want to."
Being so caught up with her feelings for Doc, and the chaos of their relationship, she was completely oblivious to the way Emile felt about her. She had no idea the impact her marriage had on poor Emile and just how much he loved her. Jo glanced back towards him, gently biting the inside of her cheek, hoping he'd open up to her.
~~~
Emile allowed her to take his limp hand off of the armrest, feeling hot when she entwined her fingers with his. When she spoke, however, her words fell like smooth silk to his ears. Although still remaining faster than usual, his breathing began to slow.
"I ain't been on a plane before..." He said at last, the words just loud enough for only Jo to hear. His gaze lowered and his feet shifted closer together in an ashamed way. He still felt embarrassed that she had to see him like this. Normally he'd work to hide this side of himself from the others, not wanting to appear weak and derail them with his problems. Yet he had to admit that her presence helped. It surrounded him and covered up his fears about the plane just enough for his body to gradually loosen.
~~~
"Oh Em, that's nothing to be embarrassed about." Jo gave him a reassuring smile, gently squeezing his hand. It was nice to see him beginning to calm down a little, despite still looking ashamed of how he felt. "I know what that's like. If you want, I can keep sitting here with you?" Her voice had a hint of concern still within it, wanting to make sure he'd be alright for the rest of the flight. She could sympathize with how he felt, the first time she ever had to get on a plane she just about cried the entire trip. His reaction was totally normal, but she also understood not wanting to be vulnerable in front of everyone.
~~~
Finally, Emile got the courage to slowly meet her gaze. His naturally sad-looking eyes still looked scared, but weren't as wide as they were before. Her smile was comforting. He wanted to feel the way she felt. But that only felt possible if he could continue looking at her, feeling her loving touch, breathing her presence in.
"Please," He blurted out, before adding quickly, "I mean- I-I would like that very much..." His gaze then lowered to their joined hands, and he slowly moved his fingers around hers.
"I'm 'fraid of heights, too..." He would soon confess, nearly a whisper, "I've always been 'fraid of heights." It was also a hard thing to admit to, but suddenly he wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to hear her reaction. He wanted to see it, too, and would soon look back at her. She'd reassure him, he now knew. She'd have a way.
~~~
"I'll stay right here then." She murmured, a gentle smile playing on her lips. Continuing to listen, she heard him confess to his fear of heights. Jo couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling, having never been on a plane before, and being afraid of heights? No wonder he had gotten so upset.
Jo wracked her brain, seeking a solution to divert his attention from the dizzying heights they were soaring through. After some consideration, she settled upon the idea of covering up the windows, at least for the time being. Carefully, she reached over, drawing the curtains of the plane's window shut. After settling back into her seat, she spoke up again, "I know it may not help a whole lot, but at least you don't have to see outside now, y'know?" Thinking, she bit her lip before continuing, "We could just keep talking or I could go get one of the books I brought and we can read together?" She hoped that she could keep him both occupied and calm.
~~~
Seeing her move from the corner of his eye, Emile's heart skipped, wondering what she was doing, worried she would leave. He knew he couldn't look in the window's direction and be forced to remember how far they were from the ground. But when he heard a loud shift, his face turned instinctively.
Suddenly the window was gone- covered up. His heart rate slowed. Despite Jo's words, it was a huge relief for him. Nevertheless, a distraction would help all the more. Listening to her suggestion, Emile would think over his options for a moment before saying slowly, "Reading sounds nice."
For the first time, a little smile tugged at his lips. It had always been a favorite pastime of his. For most of his life, he didn't know the first thing about reading. But in a short amount of time, Jo had taught him enough for him to finally write a few of his own songs for their newest album. He was eager to learn more. Yet he sometimes only wanted to so he could spend more time with her and hear her voice, even these days. He knew it would definitely help right about now.
~~~
"Right on! I'll be back in just a second," Jo exclaimed, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she noticed Emile's slight grin. Even if it wasn't a lot, it was still something, and she was thrilled that he was beginning to feel better. Rising from the seat, Jo went on her way to fetch her purse. Once she was back at Emile's side, she pulled out the book she had brought along and traced her fingers over the cover. The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, It was an older book, something she had checked out from the library before their journey to New York.
Jo adjusted herself in her seat, drawing nearer to Emile so that he could catch a glimpse of the pages. Carefully, she cracked open the cover, taking a moment to smooth out the creases and prepare for the reading session. Stealing a quick glance at Emile, she shot him a meaningful look, silently asking if he was ready.
~~~
As Jo returned to her seat beside him, Emile sat up more, looking at the book she was bringing with interest. Leaning closer to her as well, he placed his own hand under the cover and felt his fingers brush against hers. By now, however, he was completely entranced in the book. So much so that he almost didn't notice Jo's glance towards him.
His eyes met hers. They were still in that sad shape, but he gave her a tiny smile that said otherwise, signaling that he was ready to read.
And so for the rest of the flight, that's what they did. Jo gave him time to read what he could by himself. He was still far from perfect, especially when it came to the more complex words. He showed promise, too, and the knowledge of their past readings had carried over impressively. But what mattered most was that he finally seemed like his old happy self again. One would even think that his panic attack from earlier instead happened years ago.
That's how it always was for him when she was around. She made him feel calm, even during what felt like his darkest hour. For what it was worth, he hoped that never changed.
~~~
She watched as Emile, overcome by the events of the day, leaned his head onto her shoulder. Jo looked down at him, a gentle smile playing on her lips. He had totally conked out, his features relaxed and his breathing steady. Carefully, she marked her page, gently closing the book, and resting it in her lap.
A feeling of contentment washed over her, and Jo allowed her own weariness to seep into her. She lowered her head, nestling it atop Emile's, the soft touch of his hair against her cheek brought her a strange sense of comfort. Closing her eyes, she let herself doze off, hoping to sleep for the rest of the flight.
~~~
Emile wouldn't remember going to sleep, but by the time the plane finally began to touch down, he was knocked out. His head leaned softly on Jo's shoulder, expression peaceful like a baby's.
~~~
Jo's moment of rest was brought to an end when she heard the sound of Ed and Obie giggling at who knows what. Blearily, she looked around, noticing the plane had finally reached New York. Jo placed her hand on Emile's shoulder, gently shaking him awake, "Hey- Hey Em, we landed."
~~~
Drowsily lifting his head, Emile blinked several times, surprised when he processed Jo's words. "Already?" He asked with a yawn, reaching his arms up in a stretch.
~~~
Once she saw he was awake, she stood up from her seat and grabbed her purse from beneath her feet. Jo followed the rest of the crowd down the aisle, the passengers beginning to exit the plane. "Aren't they so cute!" Obie exclaimed, waving around his newly snapped photo of Jo and Emile napping together. She now understood what they were giggling about. "Oh, come on man, stop messing around." She let out a groan as she saw the photo. All she could do was shake her head while letting a soft blush creep onto her cheeks. It's not like they were doing anything bad, just trying to get some rest.
~~~
Emile followed close behind her, accidentally bumping into one of the seats and dipping his head in apology to nobody. When he caught up again, he saw the cause of Jo's displeasure in Obie's hands. His eyes then widened and his mouth gaped a little. Eventually he averted his gaze, his face slightly red with embarrassment. Just the same, he wasn't sure what to say. An explanation of some sort tugged on him, but it would require more time and a better place. He almost wished Jo would say something instead, at least.
~~~
Jo glanced back at Emile as she noticed his surprise upon seeing the photo. She didn't say anything though, instead shooting him a concerned look. She turned her attention ahead of her, making her way off the plane with everyone else. She collected her bags, wandering into the crowded airport with the rest of the band.
~~~
Briefly returning the look, Emile was still too shy to speak. By then he had no choice but to follow the other passengers off of the plane. Then again, though, he felt relieved to be getting off at last. His panic attack from before was fresh in his mind again, and although he knew in the back of his mind that they were eventually going to fly all the way back to California once more, all that mattered right now was being on solid ground. Even if that meant lugging around heavy baggage through an airport full of people first thing.
That being said, he couldn't forget that moment of vulnerability he'd just had with Jo, replaying Obie's photo in his mind over and over. Once again he felt those feelings for her creeping in- awkward, unwelcome thoughts that the logical part of himself tried to push away. He knew they were doing nothing wrong. Jo was still married to Doc. Her and Emile were nothing more than friends. But a tiny part of him felt sad at that thought.
Jo would continue to be there for him, he knew. She would comfort and teach him at his whim. But even then, his heart still longed for more.