Categories > Celebrities > Panic! At The Disco > I May Be Blind, But I See More Than You Know
16 - Match Maker, Match Maker, Make Me a Match
6 ReviewsSleeping arrangements, window-shopping at breakfast and just what is wrong with Spencer?
So, here it is. Posting goes back to usual after this; every second Wednesday.
*Sighs* Yes, yes, all you Rydon fans; it's finally here. The sleeping arrangements come into play. Enjoy it, cause it's the only thing remotely related to Rydon that you're gonna get! XD
“Lou?”
The whisper was quiet; barely there. So quiet, in fact, that I thought I’d imagined it.
“Lou?”
It came again, louder this time, and I knew that I hadn’t imagined it. Rubbing my tired eyes, I rolled over to face the direction of Brendon’s voice.
“What?” I asked sleepily.
“If… if you’re blind… how do you read?” Brendon whispered loudly. I gave a small groan. I’d almost been asleep; he’d woken me up to ask this?
“Brendon, can’t this wait until morning?” I yawned.
“Well, I- I just wanted to know,” Brendon said in a hushed voice. I let out a quiet sigh.
“It’s called Braille, Brendon. Now go to sleep.”
It was silent for a few minutes. I had turned back over to the other side and was almost asleep again when,
“Lou?”
“Oh my God,” Ryan moaned. “I swear, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I will freaking strangle you and go and sleep in Jon and Spencer’s room. Go to sleep, Brendon. Fucking hell,” he muttered.
“Geez, someone’s cranky,” Brendon commented cheekily, sounding more awake than ever.
“No, someone wants to get some fucking sleep,” Ryan hissed back, which was followed by a muffled thump and an “Ow!” from Brendon. I couldn't help but smirk to myself. As much as Ryan had complained and grumbled about having to share a bed with Brendon, there was no way he’d give up the prospect of sleeping in a real bed to crash on the floor or couch.
There was another thump.
“Move your freakin’ leg,” Ryan whined, “it’s on my side!”
“Oh, now who’s talking?” Brendon shot back. “It’s in the middle of the bed, for crying out loud!”
“Well, it wasn’t before, and I swear, if it comes back on my side one more fucking time, I will cut it off!”
“Oh yeah? Well- ”
“Guys!” I said, interrupting them. “Both of you, shut the hell up or I’ll set Yankee on you.” Ryan snorted and Brendon chuckled slightly.
“He won’t do anything,” the singer said.
“Really?” I said. “Let’s see how you like waking up with a 75 pound German Shepherd lying on you. Now, I’m sure we all want to get to sleep. Not another word from either of you,” I threatened, “or I will send Yankee over there. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brendon mocked under his breath. I raised myself on my elbow.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked. “Yankee, go to Brendon,” I instructed my dog. I felt Yankee lift his large body up and the mattress rise as he jumped off and landed on the ground. He walked quietly over to the other bed.
“Aw, no,” Brendon moaned as Yankee jumped up. “Yankee, get off!”
“Yankee, stay,” I said sternly. I heard the canine yawn before settling down on the covers.
“Yankee, get off; you’re on my stomach,” Brendon grumbled as Ryan laughed, which turned into a cry of indignation.
“Yankee! You just got me in the face with your tail!”
“Hey!” I said frowning, starting to get annoyed. “Shut it.”
“But, Lou- ”
“Ah! Not another word!” I glared in the direction of the two boys. Changing my tone completely, I said sweetly, “Good night, boys!”
Brendon sighed and there was a half-hearted “’Night,” mumbled from Ryan.
The only sound for the rest of the night was Yankee snoring contentedly.
***
We met Spencer, Jon and Zack at the elevators the next morning as we headed down for breakfast. As we entered the elevator, Brendon yawned loudly.
“Tired, Brendon?” Jon asked sympathetically. There was another drawn out yawn.
“You try sleeping with a fucking German Shepherd squashing you,” the boy grumbled. I chuckled.
“I did warn you, you know,” I smiled. “You had plenty of chances to shut up.”
“What happened?” Spencer asked curiously.
“Those two wouldn’t shut up and go to sleep last night,” I told him, patting Yankee when he rested his head against my leg. “It was, ‘You’re on my side!’ ‘No I’m not; it’s the middle!’ ‘Put your leg on my side again and I’ll cut it off!’ So I sent Yankee over to share the bed with them.” The others laughed loudly.
“Hey! I do not sound like that,” Ryan protested against my adoption of a falsetto as I imitated their voices.
“Yeah. And Yankee fucking snores, too,” Brendon complained, which led to another loud burst of laughter.
As we reached the lobby, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I reached for Yankee’s harness and stepped out slowly, following the sound of the others.
“Want some help?” Jon asked kindly. I gave a grateful smile.
“Thanks,” I said, feeling him take my hand.
We walked across the lobby, Spencer and Ryan arguing about something while Brendon discussed the venue with Zack. I heard whispers echo from every direction as Yankee’s claws clicked on the tiles. I tensed slightly.
“They’re not all staring at you, you know,” Jon said reassuringly, practically reading my mind. He gave my hand a squeeze.
“I know,” I sighed softly. “But it feels like it.”
“Hey,” Jon chuckled, “you can’t have all the attention. We gotta get some, too,” he joked, and he succeeded in getting me to crack a smile.
“Hurry up, guys! You’re so slow!” Brendon called to us. I stuck my tongue out.
“Watch it, Urie. Yankee was quite comfortable last night. You wouldn’t want it to happen again, would you?”
Brendon snorted. “Do your worst, Jones.”
I smirked, about to reply when Spencer interrupted. “Stop bickering, you two.” I grinned as the tiled floor turned to carpet as we entered the restaurant.
My nose was immeadiately over-powered by the scent of various hot foods such as croissants, pancakes and waffles, toast and bacon and eggs. It was accompanied by the hum of voices and the chink of cutlery. Zack spoke to the woman out the front, telling her his room number and how many of us there were. She balked at the sight of Yankee, but Zack was able to talk her in to allowing him in, with a few helpful interjections from me about how well-behaved he was. Finally, with a sigh, the woman said, “Janie will show you to your seats.”
“Um… if, if you’ll just follow me…” Janie stammered, her awkwardness alerting both the band and I to the fact that she was a fan.
Our party of seven (including Yankee) moved off into the restaurant. The floor of the dining room was slightly lowered, and to accommodate for the height difference, both stairs and a ramp had been installed. The rest of the band and Zack were led down the stairs by Janie, while Jon took me down the longer but easier route to get to our table by using the ramp. So that he’d be able to help me thread through the numerous tables better, he let go of my hand, taking my elbow, and moved his other arm around me to place his other hand on my shoulder. I felt the eyes of people as we passed, including the cry of little Samuel from yesterday: “Mommy! There’s the puppy!”
Someone brushed passed me, and a rough, male voice apologized as I found myself flushing with embarrassment. After what seemed like hours, we reached the table where the others were seated. Jon pulled out a chair for me. Someone stood and a large hand gently held mine as Zack helped me into a chair next to him. I sighed as I sat down.
“What do you wanna do with Yankee?” Zack asked me.
“Oh, he can just lie down out of the way at the end of the table,” I said. I heard Yankee being led away by one of the band.
“Good morning; my name is David and I will be your server today. If there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” a smooth male voice from my left said. “Now, can I start you off with any drinks? Juice, perhaps?” He went around the table, asking the others before coming to me. “What about you? Anything for the lovely lady?”
“Uhh… just, just orange juice, thanks,” I said self-consciously, suddenly realizing as the dining room got louder that it had been half as noisy as it was now the moment we’d walked in. Someone, presumably David, leaned over me and I heard the trickle of liquid being poured into a glass. “Thanks,” I mumbled, fiddling with the hem of my t-shirt.
After a few more friendly words explaining how the breakfast buffet that was offered worked, the server left to attend to other tables and someone sighed.
“Lou, I told you; not everyone’s staring at you,” Jon said from somewhere to the right and in front of me, picking up on my awkwardness. “In fact, I think that woman over there’s checking Spencer out.”
“The one in the grey?” Brendon asked curiously. Jon confirmed with an, “Mm hmm.”
“Ew,” I heard Spencer moan from opposite me. “She’s like, fifty!” His band mates laughed.
“Cougar!” I heard Ryan grin from the other side of me.
Spencer huffed. “Shut up, asshole. And besides, that ten year old over there hasn’t stopped looking at you since you walked in.”
“Hey, check out that one over there!” Brendon said. “She’s cute.” Zack chuckled.
“Yeah, and has a boyfriend by the looks of it.”
“It’s called window-shopping for a reason, Zack,” Brendon said defensively.
“Meanwhile…” Ryan suddenly added, and I felt him shift slightly in his seat. “I think that guy by the window is making moon eyes at our girl Lou here.”
“Where?!” Brendon asked loudly.
“No, don’t look, fucktard! That will make it obvious!” Ryan sighed. “Look, now you’ve scared him off. I told you not to look.”
“Excuse me, ‘that guy by the window,’ was practically an invitation for me to turn and look,” Brendon replied somewhat haughtily. “And if you’re talking about the blonde with the black t-shirt, he’s pretty handsome. Lou,” he said, addressing me, “if you wanna go after him, I give my approval.”
I groaned in embarrassment, burying my face in my hands as the sound of a smack cut through the air.
“Ouch! Spencer, you loser! What the hell was that for?” Brendon complained. “Now look what you’ve done; my arm’s gone all red!” Jon laughed.
“Are you guys gonna sit here and play match-maker all day?” I demanded. “Or are we actually going to have breakfast?”
“Well, I’ll come and get something with you, Lou,” Ryan said standing up. He turned to help me out of my chair.
“Wait for me!” Brendon hurried over to stand on my other side. An arm was put around my shoulder and my hand was grabbed and we set off to get some food.
We moved slowly, almost at a shuffle as a result of the crowded room. In time, we paused, and with an arm still around my shoulder, Ryan said, “Okay, there’s five steps going upwards, Lou.” He quietly counted them aloud for my benefit as we climbed them, and we stopped at the top.
“Soo… whatcha want, Lou?” Brendon asked.
“Food,” I replied. He gave a fake laugh.
“Ha ha ha. Quite the comedian, aren’t you?”
“Yep,” I replied, sniffing slightly. “What is there to have?”
“How about we just go around the entire thing and telling you what there is, and if you want it, we’ll get it?” Ryan suggested, always the voice of logic. I shrugged.
“Lead the way, then.”
The three of us then proceeded to travel around the area that had been designated for the buffet, starting at the hot food. True to their word, the boys read the names of everything on offer aloud as we went passed them. Once I confirmed I wanted something, a small helping was added to my plate. Suddenly, there was a gasp.
“Oh, sorry,” Brendon apologized. “I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s… that’s okay! Don’t worry about it!” I heard a girl squeak. I rolled my eyes and smirked slightly. There was a high-pitched squeal and then the sound of scurried footsteps fading away.
“Ryan, you scared her off!” Brendon scolded.
“Me? You’re the one who caused her to almost swoon by speaking to her,” the guitarist replied, his tone suggesting that he found the encounter anything but exciting.
All of a sudden, Brendon leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You’ll thank me for this later,” before dropping my hand and saying, “Hey, Ryan, look at the mangoes! Come on, we have to go get some!”
“I hate mangoes,” Ryan said and then someone stumbled slightly. “You go get some; I’m not leaving Lou here by herself- ”
“We’re going to look at the mangoes,” Brendon said firmly, and it sounded like he was pulling his band mate along roughly.
“Brendon!” I hissed. “Brendon, you idiot! What the hell?” But it was too late. I was left standing there all alone, like some retard, not knowing what to do.
“Um… hi.”
My head flew in the direction of the newcomer’s voice. “Who…” I began.
“It’s okay,” the voice reassured, “I won’t hurt you. My name’s Ben.”
“L-Lou,” I shakily answered.
“Nice to meet you,” Ben said. He took a step closer. “That’s a nice dog you got yourself there.”
“Oh, uh, thanks. His name’s Yankee.” I flushed. What the hell was going on?
“Yankee,” he repeated. “That’s a cool name. I like dogs.” There was a pause. “Let me guess: you’re a Yankee’s fan?”
“No, but I was in New York when I got him,” I clarified.
“So, where are you from then?” Ben asked me. I felt my stomach do flips. Why was this guy so interested in me? Nevertheless, something inside me spurred me to tell him the name of my hometown.
“Seriously?! I live like, two hours south of there!” he exclaimed. “Wow, this is weird.” I smiled slightly.
“So, uh, what brings you out here then?” I asked, trying to show that I could initiate conversation. So far it had just been him that had been asking questions.
“Oh, you know. Visiting family, that sort of stuff,” Ben said. “We were supposed to go home a few days ago actually, but my sister scored some tickets to her favourite band that’s playing in town tonight.”
“Really? Who?” I asked, jumping at the chance to talk about music.
“That new band that everyone likes. You know, the one where everyone’s a wannabe emo or something,” Ben answered dismissively. “Panic at the whatever. Anyway, what brings you so far away from home?”
“Well,” I said, trying to come up with the most non-dramatic reason, “my brother’s actually a roadie for that band. My parents… had plans for the summer that didn’t involve me, so I came with Chris.”
“Ooops,” Ben said sheepishly. “I didn’t realise that you knew them… Sorry. Hey! I have to take my sister there tonight; maybe I’ll see you at the show?”
“I doubt it,” I said. “I’ll probably be backstage.”
“Oh.” Ben sounded disappointed.
“Are you okay Lou?” I turned, hearing Spencer’s voice.
“Oh, hey,” I greeted, sending him a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay… Where did Brendon and Ryan go?”
“They’re back at the table. When they didn’t come back with you, I thought I’d come and find you,” Spencer said, moving to stand beside me. “Who’s this?” There was something in his voice that was unreadable.
“This is Ben,” I introduced.
“Hi,” Ben smiled. To me, he said, “Is this your brother?”
“Brother?” I heard Spencer say. “I’m her friend.” This time, I could hear the message in his tone loud and clear. Back off, stranger.
“Uh, Ben,” I said, “this is Spencer. He’s um, he’s the drummer of the band you and your sister are going to see tonight.”
“Oh…” Now I could really feel the embarrassment radiate off of Ben. I could practically hear the thoughts in his head. Did he just hear what I said about his band? “Nice to meet you.”
“Hmmph,” Spencer said. I shot him a look.
“Don’t be rude!” I muttered.
“Lou!”
I sighed, annoyance rising in me like a tidal wave. “What do you want, Brendon?”
“I came to see how you were,” he said cheerily.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I told him sarcastically. “Especially since you’re the one who left me here by myself in the first place.”
“Uh…” Ben said awkwardly. I felt sorry for the poor guy. “I, I have to go, but here: take this Lou.” He pressed what felt like a piece of paper into my hand. “Get someone else to read it for you, if you need. And, um… I hope to see you at the show.”
“Bye,” I smiled as he walked away.
“See ya!” Brendon called after him.
When he had gone, I turned to face the two boys, my hands planted on my hips. “Okay, someone had better start talking. Now.”
“That was the handsome blonde, black t-shirt guy by the window!” Brendon exclaimed as if that would somehow explain everything. “Come on, we already took your plate back to the table.” He grabbed my hand and started leading me.
“You know, I still want an explanation,” I said as Spencer joined us. “Especially from you.”
“Me?” he said, surprised.
“Yes, you. You had no right to be rude; he was being perfectly nice!”
“Lou,” he started, then sighed.
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t get it,” Brendon told me as we reached the table. “He was really in to you, Lou; he gave you his number!” I glanced down at the paper in my hand. So that’s what that was. “See? I told you that you’d thank me later.”
“So this whole thing was a set up?” I asked as I was helped into a chair.
“Well… yeah,” he admitted.
I shook my head. “I think that’s enough match-maker playing for one day.”
“Are you gonna call him?” the singer pressed. I groaned.
“Brendon. Give it up, okay? I’m still mad at you for going off and leaving me by myself.”
“Oh.” His voice seemed to deflate.
“If it makes it any better,” Ryan interjected, “I was against this from the start.” I turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Hey! I did try, you know.”
“To rephrase Brendon’s question: are you going to call him?” Jon asked.
Sighing, I answered, “I don’t know. Can we please not talk about this, guys?”
“Fine. But we’ll keep bugging you until you make up your mind,” Jon told me.
“Caaaaaaaall him,” Brendon whispered loudly. I glared in his direction.
“I guess I can live with that,” I said to Jon.
But how wrong I was.
I found this interview after writing the sleeping-scene. I thought I'd include it for people who are interested. (cough cough Rydon fans who've been waiting for the start of this chapter) It makes mentions of bed-sharing and getting a good night's sleep. My friend Sarah thought it was hilarious. XD You gotta love Jon and Spence though. Mainly you're looking at the last few questions, from the 'What's the gayest thing Panic! has ever done?' question. ;) Enjoy it if you do decide to take a look at it.
http://www.patdonline.com/2008/01/14/pretty-gay-out-magazine/
And I swear, that Ben wasn't part of the original plan! He just... wrote himself in. But remember, this story isn't going to feature a love triangle of any sort.
Last thing, I promise. Go and check out the new story I'm working on. It's a collaboration with three other authors. I'm writing in Jon's POV. We're all so excited about it. :)
Torturous Things:
http://www.ficwad.com/story/196600
Please don't forget to rate and review, all you lovely readers!
*Sighs* Yes, yes, all you Rydon fans; it's finally here. The sleeping arrangements come into play. Enjoy it, cause it's the only thing remotely related to Rydon that you're gonna get! XD
“Lou?”
The whisper was quiet; barely there. So quiet, in fact, that I thought I’d imagined it.
“Lou?”
It came again, louder this time, and I knew that I hadn’t imagined it. Rubbing my tired eyes, I rolled over to face the direction of Brendon’s voice.
“What?” I asked sleepily.
“If… if you’re blind… how do you read?” Brendon whispered loudly. I gave a small groan. I’d almost been asleep; he’d woken me up to ask this?
“Brendon, can’t this wait until morning?” I yawned.
“Well, I- I just wanted to know,” Brendon said in a hushed voice. I let out a quiet sigh.
“It’s called Braille, Brendon. Now go to sleep.”
It was silent for a few minutes. I had turned back over to the other side and was almost asleep again when,
“Lou?”
“Oh my God,” Ryan moaned. “I swear, if you don’t shut the fuck up, I will freaking strangle you and go and sleep in Jon and Spencer’s room. Go to sleep, Brendon. Fucking hell,” he muttered.
“Geez, someone’s cranky,” Brendon commented cheekily, sounding more awake than ever.
“No, someone wants to get some fucking sleep,” Ryan hissed back, which was followed by a muffled thump and an “Ow!” from Brendon. I couldn't help but smirk to myself. As much as Ryan had complained and grumbled about having to share a bed with Brendon, there was no way he’d give up the prospect of sleeping in a real bed to crash on the floor or couch.
There was another thump.
“Move your freakin’ leg,” Ryan whined, “it’s on my side!”
“Oh, now who’s talking?” Brendon shot back. “It’s in the middle of the bed, for crying out loud!”
“Well, it wasn’t before, and I swear, if it comes back on my side one more fucking time, I will cut it off!”
“Oh yeah? Well- ”
“Guys!” I said, interrupting them. “Both of you, shut the hell up or I’ll set Yankee on you.” Ryan snorted and Brendon chuckled slightly.
“He won’t do anything,” the singer said.
“Really?” I said. “Let’s see how you like waking up with a 75 pound German Shepherd lying on you. Now, I’m sure we all want to get to sleep. Not another word from either of you,” I threatened, “or I will send Yankee over there. Got it?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Brendon mocked under his breath. I raised myself on my elbow.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I asked. “Yankee, go to Brendon,” I instructed my dog. I felt Yankee lift his large body up and the mattress rise as he jumped off and landed on the ground. He walked quietly over to the other bed.
“Aw, no,” Brendon moaned as Yankee jumped up. “Yankee, get off!”
“Yankee, stay,” I said sternly. I heard the canine yawn before settling down on the covers.
“Yankee, get off; you’re on my stomach,” Brendon grumbled as Ryan laughed, which turned into a cry of indignation.
“Yankee! You just got me in the face with your tail!”
“Hey!” I said frowning, starting to get annoyed. “Shut it.”
“But, Lou- ”
“Ah! Not another word!” I glared in the direction of the two boys. Changing my tone completely, I said sweetly, “Good night, boys!”
Brendon sighed and there was a half-hearted “’Night,” mumbled from Ryan.
The only sound for the rest of the night was Yankee snoring contentedly.
***
We met Spencer, Jon and Zack at the elevators the next morning as we headed down for breakfast. As we entered the elevator, Brendon yawned loudly.
“Tired, Brendon?” Jon asked sympathetically. There was another drawn out yawn.
“You try sleeping with a fucking German Shepherd squashing you,” the boy grumbled. I chuckled.
“I did warn you, you know,” I smiled. “You had plenty of chances to shut up.”
“What happened?” Spencer asked curiously.
“Those two wouldn’t shut up and go to sleep last night,” I told him, patting Yankee when he rested his head against my leg. “It was, ‘You’re on my side!’ ‘No I’m not; it’s the middle!’ ‘Put your leg on my side again and I’ll cut it off!’ So I sent Yankee over to share the bed with them.” The others laughed loudly.
“Hey! I do not sound like that,” Ryan protested against my adoption of a falsetto as I imitated their voices.
“Yeah. And Yankee fucking snores, too,” Brendon complained, which led to another loud burst of laughter.
As we reached the lobby, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I reached for Yankee’s harness and stepped out slowly, following the sound of the others.
“Want some help?” Jon asked kindly. I gave a grateful smile.
“Thanks,” I said, feeling him take my hand.
We walked across the lobby, Spencer and Ryan arguing about something while Brendon discussed the venue with Zack. I heard whispers echo from every direction as Yankee’s claws clicked on the tiles. I tensed slightly.
“They’re not all staring at you, you know,” Jon said reassuringly, practically reading my mind. He gave my hand a squeeze.
“I know,” I sighed softly. “But it feels like it.”
“Hey,” Jon chuckled, “you can’t have all the attention. We gotta get some, too,” he joked, and he succeeded in getting me to crack a smile.
“Hurry up, guys! You’re so slow!” Brendon called to us. I stuck my tongue out.
“Watch it, Urie. Yankee was quite comfortable last night. You wouldn’t want it to happen again, would you?”
Brendon snorted. “Do your worst, Jones.”
I smirked, about to reply when Spencer interrupted. “Stop bickering, you two.” I grinned as the tiled floor turned to carpet as we entered the restaurant.
My nose was immeadiately over-powered by the scent of various hot foods such as croissants, pancakes and waffles, toast and bacon and eggs. It was accompanied by the hum of voices and the chink of cutlery. Zack spoke to the woman out the front, telling her his room number and how many of us there were. She balked at the sight of Yankee, but Zack was able to talk her in to allowing him in, with a few helpful interjections from me about how well-behaved he was. Finally, with a sigh, the woman said, “Janie will show you to your seats.”
“Um… if, if you’ll just follow me…” Janie stammered, her awkwardness alerting both the band and I to the fact that she was a fan.
Our party of seven (including Yankee) moved off into the restaurant. The floor of the dining room was slightly lowered, and to accommodate for the height difference, both stairs and a ramp had been installed. The rest of the band and Zack were led down the stairs by Janie, while Jon took me down the longer but easier route to get to our table by using the ramp. So that he’d be able to help me thread through the numerous tables better, he let go of my hand, taking my elbow, and moved his other arm around me to place his other hand on my shoulder. I felt the eyes of people as we passed, including the cry of little Samuel from yesterday: “Mommy! There’s the puppy!”
Someone brushed passed me, and a rough, male voice apologized as I found myself flushing with embarrassment. After what seemed like hours, we reached the table where the others were seated. Jon pulled out a chair for me. Someone stood and a large hand gently held mine as Zack helped me into a chair next to him. I sighed as I sat down.
“What do you wanna do with Yankee?” Zack asked me.
“Oh, he can just lie down out of the way at the end of the table,” I said. I heard Yankee being led away by one of the band.
“Good morning; my name is David and I will be your server today. If there’s anything I can do for you, please don’t hesitate to let me know,” a smooth male voice from my left said. “Now, can I start you off with any drinks? Juice, perhaps?” He went around the table, asking the others before coming to me. “What about you? Anything for the lovely lady?”
“Uhh… just, just orange juice, thanks,” I said self-consciously, suddenly realizing as the dining room got louder that it had been half as noisy as it was now the moment we’d walked in. Someone, presumably David, leaned over me and I heard the trickle of liquid being poured into a glass. “Thanks,” I mumbled, fiddling with the hem of my t-shirt.
After a few more friendly words explaining how the breakfast buffet that was offered worked, the server left to attend to other tables and someone sighed.
“Lou, I told you; not everyone’s staring at you,” Jon said from somewhere to the right and in front of me, picking up on my awkwardness. “In fact, I think that woman over there’s checking Spencer out.”
“The one in the grey?” Brendon asked curiously. Jon confirmed with an, “Mm hmm.”
“Ew,” I heard Spencer moan from opposite me. “She’s like, fifty!” His band mates laughed.
“Cougar!” I heard Ryan grin from the other side of me.
Spencer huffed. “Shut up, asshole. And besides, that ten year old over there hasn’t stopped looking at you since you walked in.”
“Hey, check out that one over there!” Brendon said. “She’s cute.” Zack chuckled.
“Yeah, and has a boyfriend by the looks of it.”
“It’s called window-shopping for a reason, Zack,” Brendon said defensively.
“Meanwhile…” Ryan suddenly added, and I felt him shift slightly in his seat. “I think that guy by the window is making moon eyes at our girl Lou here.”
“Where?!” Brendon asked loudly.
“No, don’t look, fucktard! That will make it obvious!” Ryan sighed. “Look, now you’ve scared him off. I told you not to look.”
“Excuse me, ‘that guy by the window,’ was practically an invitation for me to turn and look,” Brendon replied somewhat haughtily. “And if you’re talking about the blonde with the black t-shirt, he’s pretty handsome. Lou,” he said, addressing me, “if you wanna go after him, I give my approval.”
I groaned in embarrassment, burying my face in my hands as the sound of a smack cut through the air.
“Ouch! Spencer, you loser! What the hell was that for?” Brendon complained. “Now look what you’ve done; my arm’s gone all red!” Jon laughed.
“Are you guys gonna sit here and play match-maker all day?” I demanded. “Or are we actually going to have breakfast?”
“Well, I’ll come and get something with you, Lou,” Ryan said standing up. He turned to help me out of my chair.
“Wait for me!” Brendon hurried over to stand on my other side. An arm was put around my shoulder and my hand was grabbed and we set off to get some food.
We moved slowly, almost at a shuffle as a result of the crowded room. In time, we paused, and with an arm still around my shoulder, Ryan said, “Okay, there’s five steps going upwards, Lou.” He quietly counted them aloud for my benefit as we climbed them, and we stopped at the top.
“Soo… whatcha want, Lou?” Brendon asked.
“Food,” I replied. He gave a fake laugh.
“Ha ha ha. Quite the comedian, aren’t you?”
“Yep,” I replied, sniffing slightly. “What is there to have?”
“How about we just go around the entire thing and telling you what there is, and if you want it, we’ll get it?” Ryan suggested, always the voice of logic. I shrugged.
“Lead the way, then.”
The three of us then proceeded to travel around the area that had been designated for the buffet, starting at the hot food. True to their word, the boys read the names of everything on offer aloud as we went passed them. Once I confirmed I wanted something, a small helping was added to my plate. Suddenly, there was a gasp.
“Oh, sorry,” Brendon apologized. “I didn’t see you there.”
“That’s… that’s okay! Don’t worry about it!” I heard a girl squeak. I rolled my eyes and smirked slightly. There was a high-pitched squeal and then the sound of scurried footsteps fading away.
“Ryan, you scared her off!” Brendon scolded.
“Me? You’re the one who caused her to almost swoon by speaking to her,” the guitarist replied, his tone suggesting that he found the encounter anything but exciting.
All of a sudden, Brendon leaned down and whispered in my ear, “You’ll thank me for this later,” before dropping my hand and saying, “Hey, Ryan, look at the mangoes! Come on, we have to go get some!”
“I hate mangoes,” Ryan said and then someone stumbled slightly. “You go get some; I’m not leaving Lou here by herself- ”
“We’re going to look at the mangoes,” Brendon said firmly, and it sounded like he was pulling his band mate along roughly.
“Brendon!” I hissed. “Brendon, you idiot! What the hell?” But it was too late. I was left standing there all alone, like some retard, not knowing what to do.
“Um… hi.”
My head flew in the direction of the newcomer’s voice. “Who…” I began.
“It’s okay,” the voice reassured, “I won’t hurt you. My name’s Ben.”
“L-Lou,” I shakily answered.
“Nice to meet you,” Ben said. He took a step closer. “That’s a nice dog you got yourself there.”
“Oh, uh, thanks. His name’s Yankee.” I flushed. What the hell was going on?
“Yankee,” he repeated. “That’s a cool name. I like dogs.” There was a pause. “Let me guess: you’re a Yankee’s fan?”
“No, but I was in New York when I got him,” I clarified.
“So, where are you from then?” Ben asked me. I felt my stomach do flips. Why was this guy so interested in me? Nevertheless, something inside me spurred me to tell him the name of my hometown.
“Seriously?! I live like, two hours south of there!” he exclaimed. “Wow, this is weird.” I smiled slightly.
“So, uh, what brings you out here then?” I asked, trying to show that I could initiate conversation. So far it had just been him that had been asking questions.
“Oh, you know. Visiting family, that sort of stuff,” Ben said. “We were supposed to go home a few days ago actually, but my sister scored some tickets to her favourite band that’s playing in town tonight.”
“Really? Who?” I asked, jumping at the chance to talk about music.
“That new band that everyone likes. You know, the one where everyone’s a wannabe emo or something,” Ben answered dismissively. “Panic at the whatever. Anyway, what brings you so far away from home?”
“Well,” I said, trying to come up with the most non-dramatic reason, “my brother’s actually a roadie for that band. My parents… had plans for the summer that didn’t involve me, so I came with Chris.”
“Ooops,” Ben said sheepishly. “I didn’t realise that you knew them… Sorry. Hey! I have to take my sister there tonight; maybe I’ll see you at the show?”
“I doubt it,” I said. “I’ll probably be backstage.”
“Oh.” Ben sounded disappointed.
“Are you okay Lou?” I turned, hearing Spencer’s voice.
“Oh, hey,” I greeted, sending him a smile. “Yeah, I’m okay… Where did Brendon and Ryan go?”
“They’re back at the table. When they didn’t come back with you, I thought I’d come and find you,” Spencer said, moving to stand beside me. “Who’s this?” There was something in his voice that was unreadable.
“This is Ben,” I introduced.
“Hi,” Ben smiled. To me, he said, “Is this your brother?”
“Brother?” I heard Spencer say. “I’m her friend.” This time, I could hear the message in his tone loud and clear. Back off, stranger.
“Uh, Ben,” I said, “this is Spencer. He’s um, he’s the drummer of the band you and your sister are going to see tonight.”
“Oh…” Now I could really feel the embarrassment radiate off of Ben. I could practically hear the thoughts in his head. Did he just hear what I said about his band? “Nice to meet you.”
“Hmmph,” Spencer said. I shot him a look.
“Don’t be rude!” I muttered.
“Lou!”
I sighed, annoyance rising in me like a tidal wave. “What do you want, Brendon?”
“I came to see how you were,” he said cheerily.
“Oh, that’s nice,” I told him sarcastically. “Especially since you’re the one who left me here by myself in the first place.”
“Uh…” Ben said awkwardly. I felt sorry for the poor guy. “I, I have to go, but here: take this Lou.” He pressed what felt like a piece of paper into my hand. “Get someone else to read it for you, if you need. And, um… I hope to see you at the show.”
“Bye,” I smiled as he walked away.
“See ya!” Brendon called after him.
When he had gone, I turned to face the two boys, my hands planted on my hips. “Okay, someone had better start talking. Now.”
“That was the handsome blonde, black t-shirt guy by the window!” Brendon exclaimed as if that would somehow explain everything. “Come on, we already took your plate back to the table.” He grabbed my hand and started leading me.
“You know, I still want an explanation,” I said as Spencer joined us. “Especially from you.”
“Me?” he said, surprised.
“Yes, you. You had no right to be rude; he was being perfectly nice!”
“Lou,” he started, then sighed.
“What?” I asked.
“You don’t get it,” Brendon told me as we reached the table. “He was really in to you, Lou; he gave you his number!” I glanced down at the paper in my hand. So that’s what that was. “See? I told you that you’d thank me later.”
“So this whole thing was a set up?” I asked as I was helped into a chair.
“Well… yeah,” he admitted.
I shook my head. “I think that’s enough match-maker playing for one day.”
“Are you gonna call him?” the singer pressed. I groaned.
“Brendon. Give it up, okay? I’m still mad at you for going off and leaving me by myself.”
“Oh.” His voice seemed to deflate.
“If it makes it any better,” Ryan interjected, “I was against this from the start.” I turned and raised an eyebrow at him.
“Hey! I did try, you know.”
“To rephrase Brendon’s question: are you going to call him?” Jon asked.
Sighing, I answered, “I don’t know. Can we please not talk about this, guys?”
“Fine. But we’ll keep bugging you until you make up your mind,” Jon told me.
“Caaaaaaaall him,” Brendon whispered loudly. I glared in his direction.
“I guess I can live with that,” I said to Jon.
But how wrong I was.
I found this interview after writing the sleeping-scene. I thought I'd include it for people who are interested. (cough cough Rydon fans who've been waiting for the start of this chapter) It makes mentions of bed-sharing and getting a good night's sleep. My friend Sarah thought it was hilarious. XD You gotta love Jon and Spence though. Mainly you're looking at the last few questions, from the 'What's the gayest thing Panic! has ever done?' question. ;) Enjoy it if you do decide to take a look at it.
http://www.patdonline.com/2008/01/14/pretty-gay-out-magazine/
And I swear, that Ben wasn't part of the original plan! He just... wrote himself in. But remember, this story isn't going to feature a love triangle of any sort.
Last thing, I promise. Go and check out the new story I'm working on. It's a collaboration with three other authors. I'm writing in Jon's POV. We're all so excited about it. :)
Torturous Things:
http://www.ficwad.com/story/196600
Please don't forget to rate and review, all you lovely readers!
Log in to rate and review this story