Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > The Singer and The Journalist
S&J Chapter 2
Being a fairly cool day outside (it was autumn after all), we both walked stiffly to the coffee shop, trying to fight back the cold. The breeze stung my face, but warmth came to my cheeks when I seen we were at the coffee shop. Patrick opened the door for me and I gladly walked into the heated area. I heard Patrick curse behind me as I walked to a table and sat down.
"Jesus christ, it is COLD out there."
I laughed at him trying to desperately shake the cold off. I smiled as his face slowly turned back into a pale shade of pink from the heat.
"So, what do you want to get?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.
"I'd like a cup of just plain black coffee."
"No problem. I'll be right back."
I watched him walk away to order our coffee. He looked so...normal. It was so strange to see someone so famous be so much like everyone else. Sometimes I forget that the rockstars I interview are people too. He was dressed normally, he talked normally, he wasn't a snob; there was so much about him that was so absolutely, perfectly...normal. He soon came back to sit next to me, the color finally back in his face.
"So, what do you do for a living?" I joked.
He smiled and looked down at the table. "Yeah, like everyone doesn't know. That's a bigger pain than you'd think."
"I can't imagine having so many people recognize you. Especially people you don't know."
"You get used to it. It's never really been a big deal. I don't mind people approaching me, but I do mind when they intrude on certain occasions, like when I'm out with the band, or-"
We were interrupted by the waitress bringing us the coffee. She set the coffees down and looked at Patrick. I seen the flash of admiration in her eyes, and she started flipping out.
"You're Patrick Stump!"
He sighed and forced a smile. "Yep. How's it going?"
"Ohmygod, I love your band so much. Will you do an autograph for me?"
"Sure, got a pen...paper? All that stuff?"
She pulled out her notepad and he signed it. She walked away giddily and I watched his face. I smirked as he sighed again.
"As I was saying. I don't like it when people interrupt dates either."
I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. It was perfect. I felt the warmth spread through my body as I took another sip. Compared to the cold outside, this warm cup was heaven. I looked closely at his face. He was only my age, but you could see the aging on his face. It was like he was so much older than he seemed. Despite the age, he still looked...gentle. His features were soft, every curve of his face was smooth, not sharp or pointed in any way. I didn't realize I was staring until a pair of green eyes turned to meet mine.
"You ok?" he said, laughing slightly.
I snapped back to attention and shook my head a little. "Yeah, yeah...I'm fine."
"So, what exactly is it that YOU do for a living?"
I shrugged and looked down at my coffee. "I guess, exactly what you think I do. I'm a journalist for RS and I write articles and reviews about rockstars like you."
"That seems incredibly straight to the point."
"I didn't say it was an EXCITING job, but, it is very straight forward."
He smiled and took a drink. "Can't be any worse than being on a smelly tour bus."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I've had to be on those foul things too. I only stayed in one for a week. Not exactly my favorite place to be. I don't even know how you guys live in those for months."
"We have no respect for hygiene for those few months and we're too excited to be on stage to care. That's usually my excuse, anyways." he joked.
I laughed again and I could feel my cheeks get hot again. He noticed this time.
"Ha, what're you blushing for?" he asked slyly.
"Nothing in particular."
"Suuuuure."
I looked back up at him to see a shimmer in his eyes as he watched my face. He smiled again and stared for a moment.
"You're very attractive, and pretty, and I don't know WHY I just said that out loud." he said, slapping a hand to his forehead and dragging it down his face. I giggled a bit, ignoring my flushed cheeks.
"Aw, are you saying I'm pretty?" I teased.
"Maaaybe." he grinned.
"Well, you're pretty too."
In all honesty, he was. His facial features were so perfectly aligned, it was hard not to think that he was pretty. Outright gorgeous, if I do say so myself. His lips were full, accentuated by the stunning smile he had. It was such an innocent smile, yet his eyes didn't quite match. His eyes had an entire backlog of knowledge behind them, you could tell. There was a lot to that man's brain. However, as much information was in there, his eyes were as clear as day, the greenish-blue tint to them shining brightly whenever possible. They showed so much life, yet they showed a hint of misery, probably from his deprecating personality. As I gazed at his features, he caught my attention again.
"You space out alot don't you?"
"Not usually this much. I'm....distracted. That's all."
"Well, we've got our coffee," he said, downing the rest of his, "Do you wanna shop around for awhile? Look at some cool stores?"
I looked down at my coffee cup, realizing it was empty and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
I got up out of my seat and Patrick politely waited for me, and opened the door for me on the way out. The cold wind caught me by surprise. "God damnit, that is FREEZING." I hissed.
He laughed a little and followed me out the door. As he caught up beside me, I felt our hands brush together, the heat of them causing a spark in the cool fall breeze. Before I knew it, his fingers were intertwined with mine.
I looked down at my hand and looked back at him. He looked at me with that smile of his and I smiled back. I quickly looked down at my shoes out of nervousness and I heard him laugh quietly as we walked farther down the street.
I never let go of his hand.
After looking through almost every store in L.A, our day was finally coming to a close. Our hands hadn't left each others since they'd first intertwined. I'd had a much better day than I had expected to. I had expected, yes, to have a perfectly fine afternoon with a nice guy over some coffee. I ended up spending the afternoon and the evening, with a stunningly attractive and talented guy over coffee, at a record shop, a book store, and an entire music instrument store.
Much more than I'd expected.
After a seemingly long drive back to his hotel, I was standing at the entrance of the hotel with him.
"I really enjoyed today." he said.
"Me too." I replied with an innocent smirk.
"Do you want to, um, come back to the room with me? I won't try anything, I promise."
I glanced back at my car in the parking lot and thought about it for a moment.
"I have work in the morning, so I probably shouldn't-"
"It's fine. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Thanks. I really hope we can do this again sometime though."
"I would love that. It's nice to share an obsession of David Bowie with someone else for once."
I giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, only to have his hand follow mine. I looked up at his face, and he leaned forward, his hand resting at my neck. I closed my eyes to have his lips meet mine. I didn't kiss back at first, slightly surprised by his boldness and the soft feel of his lips. His other hand moved slowly to my waist, and I moved my hand to the side of his face. He was gentle and I kissed back soon enough. I pulled away sooner than I wanted to, but I looked up at his face to see a smile plastered across it. I bit my lip and laughed, still smiling up at him.
"We should do that again sometime too." he said.
"Definitely."
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"I'd like tha-wait, how do you have my number?"
"You called me, remember?"
"Ah, very sneaky, Mr. Stump."
"I thought so, Miss Deroux."
"Please, call me Parker."
He moved his hands away from me to place them back in his pockets. I put my hands on either side of his face and planted a quick kiss on his lips again.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep." I said.
"Goodnight, Parker!" he called after me as I walked back to my car. I smiled as I looked back at him once more before disappearing into the driver's seat of my car. He stood there at the entrance of the lobby, watching as I drove off.
As I drove I thought about how much I liked that kiss. His lips were SO incredibly soft. I really didn't wanna pull away but there was something in me that stopped. I still wasn't sure whether I wanted this or not. I liked him, sure, but I've never been one for relationships, and I suck at them in the first place.
I pulled into my driveway and walked into my empty house, dropping my keys into the bowl by the door.
Time for another lonely night in a big empty house.
I sat at work, tapping my pencil on my desk, trying to ignore Jean who was loudly criticizing my review over Fall Out Boy's new album.
"Parker, what happened to your writing? You weren't even listening to the album were you!?"
"Jean, I-"
"I can't believe your adjective usage either. What is this shit? 'The whole album sounded good', what kind of-"
"LOOK, JEAN. I will rewrite it I swear. I was distracted when I wrote that the first time. I'll make it better I promise."
"You had better. I want this rewritten the RIGHT WAY and done by 3:00. Got it? Good."
I looked at the clock. 1:30. I had time.
About 2:15, my phone rang. Luckily, with my headset for my cellphone, I still had both hands to type with. A familiar voice came over the line.
"Hey, Parker."
"Patrick! What's up?"
"Nothing, just, you know, waiting outside your offices with fruit smoothies..."
"I'll get someone to let you in, you know where my desk is, right?"
"Couldn't forget."
"Good. See you in a sec."
I hung up without thinking. I had to get this finished, or Jean would kill me. I knew she would. I seen Patrick walk in with two drinks in his hand and he sat down in the chair by my desk.
"Hello, gorgeous." he said.
"Well, aren't you being charming today?" I joked, grabbing the drink he held out to me.
"Whatcha working on?"
"The review for YOUR album."
"All you have to say is that is the best thing you've ever heard, right?" he said, rolling his eyes.
"Basically, yes. That's exactly it. I just used a poor choice of words when I wrote it the first time."
He looked surprised. "Well, at least I can tell the guys we're gonna have a good review ahead of time."
I laughed and continued typing like a maniac. I had finally reached the last word and, "HA. IN YOUR FACE, JEAN."
"What's in my face?" I heard her say behind me. I sighed. I would've been embarrassed but this has happened WAY more than once.
"I finished the review and it's before 3:00."
"Well, that's fantastic! Now you can fix the piece of shit article you wrote about your boyfriend there!"
Patrick stared at her in horror as she walked away. "She's not very nice, is she?"
I gave her the same stare and thought to myself, 'He's not my boyfriend.' I slammed my head into the desk repeatedly until Patrick pulled me away from it. "Come on, you can do this, I swear. It's about me, right? I can answer any hidden questions while you type."
Somehow his words gave me a newfound courage to write it, and I was off. For the rest of the time, he looked over my shoulder and helped me add in some interesting/random information. By 7:00, I was done. My day was done, and that article was done. I grabbed my jacket and Patrick did the same.
"Here, let me take you to dinner. You look...and I don't mean this in a bad way, but you look exhausted."
"I am exhausted. And dinner sounds fantastic right now. I am SO starving."
"Then, let's go, shall we?" he said, holding out his arm for me. My inhibitions about rockstars and men were forgotten in that moment and I happily wrapped my arm around his as we walked out of the offices into the early sunset beginning outside.
We sat inside a fairly fancy, very dimly lit restaurant. I wasn't sure quite where it was, or what it was called, but Patrick recommended it so we went. We'd already finished our meal and we were just sitting and talking now.
"So....any brothers or sisters?" he asked.
"Only child. Never had a problem with siblings stealing my stuff."
"One of the lucky ones, aren't you?"
"I suppose. It was kinda lonely growing up, but my parents were there for me the majority of the time."
"Where are your parents?"
"My mother died about 5 years ago. My dad is still living in their house back in New York. They moved there after I went to college here because they wanted a change of scenery. It was a win-win situation, I got my parent's house here to myself, and I didn't have my parents breathing down my neck anymore. Technically, the house is mine now, but dad comes over every now and then."
"Sorry to hear about your mom."
"It's fine. She died of natural causes. No diseases or anything. It was just her time to go."
"Well, that's good. Sort of."
There was an awkward silence that I tried to break. "Let's change the subject. What kind of music do you like?"
"Anything good." he said with a grin.
"Really? Same here. Any specific genre you prefer?"
"Funk. Soul. R&B. That's probably my top 3."
"Nice. Well, at least we share some common interests, right?"
He nodded and took a drink of water. I watched as he looked down at his watch to check the time. "Good god, it's already 9:15. I'll take you back to your office-"
I stopped him as we walked out of the restaurant. "I really don't wanna go back there this late. Honestly, it'll be probably be locked with my luck."
"Well..." he started nervously. "...the offer to come to my hotel room is still open."
"I would actually very much like that right now."
I seen a glimmer of happiness flash through his eyes as I said it, and he opened the door for me to walk out to his car. I couldn't quite believe what I was getting myself into, but it felt nice to have someone care about me. For once, I wouldn't be falling asleep alone.
As we walked into his hotel room, it was almost like the image in my mind was a photograph. It was exactly the way I pictured it to be. One huge bed on the side of it, an unused kitchen, bathroom, and closets all over. It wasn't until I seen the bed and moonlight shining through one of the windows that I realized how sleepy I was.
"This is my amazing bachelor pad. Impressed yet?" he joked. I laughed and looked around a little more.
"This is rather impressive, I must say."
"Well, it's not every day I have a girl agree to be in my hotel room. So, thank you."
The minute he said that reality sunk in a little. I'd agreed to go back to his hotel room. What kind of girl have I become? I wasn't planning on doing anything, nor do I even know if I'm in a relationship with this guy or not. I stumbled over my words as I said, "Um, maybe this, uh, wasn't such a good idea, I should probably-"
Patrick walked closer to me. "What's wrong?"
"I actually agreed to be in your hotel room."
"And that's a problem how?"
"I usually don't do this."
His eyes got wide and his mouth opened. "OH. No, no, don't think that. I wasn't thinking that at all. I couldn't ask you to do that now of all times. It was simply a kind gesture to a woman who was tired."
I relaxed a little as I felt his hand on my shoulder. "But, what am I going to wear for pajamas?"
"Whatever you normally do, I guess."
"I dunno..."
"Look, I won't try anything, I swear. I won't even look at you if you don't want me to. Honestly, if I had a couch in here, I'd offer my bed up and I'd sleep on the couch. But I don't. You just have to trust me."
Trust. That was a word I hadn't heard in a long time. It's been so long since I actually trusted someone and I was about to place it into the hands of a man I met a few days ago. Quietly, I looked down at my shoes and said, "Alright."
I felt his hand move to my chin to move my face up to look at him. "All you have to do is sleep. You need it. That's all I ask."
I didn't know how I was going to explain that I slept in my underwear.
So I didn't.
We both got ready for bed and he was already on his side of the bed, in boxers and a t-shirt. I sat on the edge of the bed quietly. I looked over my shoulder at him.
"Turn around for a second. Don't look."
"Um. Ok." he said confused, but looked away nonetheless.
I stripped down to my bra and underwear, but before I could hide under the cover I heard an almost silent, "Wow..." escape his lips.
"Thought you weren't going to look." I said, quickly hiding under the covers.
"Me? Look? Nah, I totally didn't just see you in your underwear."
I laughed out loud, and rested my head on a pillow facing towards him.
"Thank you for letting me stay here for a night."
"Anytime. I'm always willing for gorgeous women to be in my bed. Especially when they write good reviews of my music." he joked.
I shook my head and smiled. I leaned over him and kissed him softly on the lips. I felt his hands crawl to my waist, and being skittish, I pulled away. He looked in my eyes apologetically.
"Goodnight, Parker."
"Goodnight, Patrick."
I turned on my side to put my back to him. Slowly and happily, I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up the next morning from the sunlight in the window. I glanced at the clock sleepily. 9:30. Luckily, I didn't have to be at work this morning or I would've already been late. I still had the blanket over me, but I felt warmer than I normally do. I remembered then that Patrick was there with me. I tried to move slightly, but finally noticed the arm gently resting on my waist holding me back. Partially restrained, I was about to try to move his arm away, but just as I was about to reach for it, he moved closer to me, his warm body pressing to my back. Sighing, I just left it alone and reached for my phone on the bed stand. I checked my messages to see a message from Jean. "Awesome rewrites. That's the writer I know. See u in 2 days."
I smiled to myself and set it back down. I felt Patrick move a little so I looked over my shoulder to see if he was awake. Sure enough, two sleepy green eyes looked back into mine. He quickly moved his arm and started apologizing. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know I-"
"Patrick, it's fine. Don't freak out over it."
"Oh. Ok. So, just to confirm this, you don't mind if I do that?"
"Sure. I'm not gonna beat you over the head just for touching me. You were asleep anyways. It wasn't like we fell asleep like that."
I was interrupted by the door being burst open by Andy, Joe and Pete. I quickly pulled the blanket up over myself, and Patrick moved to block me from them.
"Oh, look, Patrick's got a girl over!" Joe exclaimed.
Andy leaned over slightly to look behind Patrick at me. "Guys, it's Parker."
Pete did the same as Andy. "PARKER?!" he turned to Patrick. "YOU SLEPT WITH PARKER?!"
I scowled at him. "Now, let's get one thing straight, we never-"
Patrick interrupted me. "What exactly is it to you, Pete? I thought we already cleared this up. She's with me. Not you. God, why is it every time I like a girl, you haul off and try to claim her like she's a fucking object?!"
I quietly sat there, with slight smile on my face. He was standing up for me. I've never had a guy do that for me before. Pete sputtered for a second. "I'm not-I just-I thought-OHMYGOD. Okay, It just took me off guard to see you two in a bed together, alright? Chill the fuck out. I promise I'll stop getting all weirded out when you're together, ok?"
Patrick sighed for a second and nodded. "Good. Now, guys, get out. Parker has to get dressed and I'm going to take her home." He got up off the edge of the bed and started pushing the three guys out the door. "But, wait, man, you're pushing us out before she gets dressed? What kind of friend are-"
Patrick slammed the door after they were out and leaned against it. I got up of the bed, still only in underwear and grabbed my clothes. I didn't think about it, and I just bent over to grab them. I wasn't sure if I heard Patrick swear under his breath, but I definitely heard a gasp. I felt heat rush to my face, embarrassed, and I ran into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.
Just before I got out of the bathroom, I smelled something...delicious. I walked out, finally dressed, to see Patrick in the kitchen making pancakes.
"I thought you might want breakfast. This is actually sort of an apology for the guys bursting in, too."
I smiled wide. "I love pancakes."
"That's good, because I really don't think I can cook anything else. Not without it turning out disgusting and gross."
"That's perfectly fine. You didn't have to though, you know."
"Well, is it helping me woo you into liking me?" he teased.
"I like you already, you know that."
"And I like you too. I'm not quite sure I understand the barrier between us."
"It's just...me. I'll warm up to you eventually, I know I will. Just give me time."
"And I have no problem being patient. Do you want syrup with your pancakes?"
"Thank you. And yes, please."
After breakfast, he drove me back to my office so I could drive my car back home. We stood out in the parking lot next to our cars and leaned against them for awhile.
"So, I guess I'll see you later, then."
"Most likely tomorrow." he said.
"That's a very confident answer, don't you think?"
"I'm afraid I might forget what your face looks like."
I giggled and nervously brushed my hair behind my ear. He adjusted his hat and smiled. I watched his face in awe, still struck by how practically perfect his features were. At that moment, I decided it was my turn to take the plunge. I couldn't be afraid of relationships my whole life. I walked towards him and placed my hand on his chest, looking in his eyes. I stared for a moment into his lust-filled green eyes. He told me he would be patient, but he was a man, just like anyone else. He probably wanted more than what he was going to get at the moment, but he seemed like a guy who could control himself.
I watched his face for a moment longer, closed my eyes, and then pressed my lips firmly to his. It only took a second for his lips to return the motion. I took my other hand and moved it to his neck, gently pulling him closer. His hands soon took me by waist and held on gently. Our lips were still pressed together, and I was liking the feeling. Until I felt his tongue lick my bottom lip. I didn't know whether I wanted to or not, but instinct took over. I loosely opened my jaw letting his tongue into my mouth. I let him take over, until I felt his hands move downwards slightly. Instinct took over again. I had both of my hands around his neck and pulled him closer as my tongue sprung into action. We battled for dominance for awhile until I let him win again. His hands moved lower and it got to be too much.
I pulled away and bit my lip, looking at his face. He looked at me slightly awestruck for a minute but a smirk appeared on his face.
"That was nice." he said with a giggle.
"I liked that ALOT." I said, taking a deep breath.
"You seemed to. See? You just need to loosen up a little. You might be able to try some stuff you'd never even think of."
I was a bit stunned at what had just happened. Here I was, a girl afraid of getting attached, and I had just made out with a musician in the parking lot of the Rolling Stone offices. I couldn't exactly speak at the moment. I felt his hands still above my backside and it was hard to pull away from the warmth of his body, but I forced myself to. A smile was still stuck on his face, and he willingly released his grip as I backed away. I gazed up at his face and looked into his eyes. Maybe it was the eyes that made me feel so safe and secure. They've never been hostile or judging. They've just been caring and compassionate.
"I will see you tomorrow." I finally spoke.
"I should hope so. We should do that more often."
"Yes, we most definitely should. I will look forward to the next time that happens."
"How about precisely tomorrow at 6:00? We'll have movie night at the hotel room."
"That sounds fantastic."
"Good. See you later, Miss Deroux."
I grinned as he called me that and I opened my car door. "See you, Mr. Stump."
Being a fairly cool day outside (it was autumn after all), we both walked stiffly to the coffee shop, trying to fight back the cold. The breeze stung my face, but warmth came to my cheeks when I seen we were at the coffee shop. Patrick opened the door for me and I gladly walked into the heated area. I heard Patrick curse behind me as I walked to a table and sat down.
"Jesus christ, it is COLD out there."
I laughed at him trying to desperately shake the cold off. I smiled as his face slowly turned back into a pale shade of pink from the heat.
"So, what do you want to get?" he asked, rubbing his hands together.
"I'd like a cup of just plain black coffee."
"No problem. I'll be right back."
I watched him walk away to order our coffee. He looked so...normal. It was so strange to see someone so famous be so much like everyone else. Sometimes I forget that the rockstars I interview are people too. He was dressed normally, he talked normally, he wasn't a snob; there was so much about him that was so absolutely, perfectly...normal. He soon came back to sit next to me, the color finally back in his face.
"So, what do you do for a living?" I joked.
He smiled and looked down at the table. "Yeah, like everyone doesn't know. That's a bigger pain than you'd think."
"I can't imagine having so many people recognize you. Especially people you don't know."
"You get used to it. It's never really been a big deal. I don't mind people approaching me, but I do mind when they intrude on certain occasions, like when I'm out with the band, or-"
We were interrupted by the waitress bringing us the coffee. She set the coffees down and looked at Patrick. I seen the flash of admiration in her eyes, and she started flipping out.
"You're Patrick Stump!"
He sighed and forced a smile. "Yep. How's it going?"
"Ohmygod, I love your band so much. Will you do an autograph for me?"
"Sure, got a pen...paper? All that stuff?"
She pulled out her notepad and he signed it. She walked away giddily and I watched his face. I smirked as he sighed again.
"As I was saying. I don't like it when people interrupt dates either."
I smiled and took a sip of my coffee. It was perfect. I felt the warmth spread through my body as I took another sip. Compared to the cold outside, this warm cup was heaven. I looked closely at his face. He was only my age, but you could see the aging on his face. It was like he was so much older than he seemed. Despite the age, he still looked...gentle. His features were soft, every curve of his face was smooth, not sharp or pointed in any way. I didn't realize I was staring until a pair of green eyes turned to meet mine.
"You ok?" he said, laughing slightly.
I snapped back to attention and shook my head a little. "Yeah, yeah...I'm fine."
"So, what exactly is it that YOU do for a living?"
I shrugged and looked down at my coffee. "I guess, exactly what you think I do. I'm a journalist for RS and I write articles and reviews about rockstars like you."
"That seems incredibly straight to the point."
"I didn't say it was an EXCITING job, but, it is very straight forward."
He smiled and took a drink. "Can't be any worse than being on a smelly tour bus."
I rolled my eyes and laughed. "I've had to be on those foul things too. I only stayed in one for a week. Not exactly my favorite place to be. I don't even know how you guys live in those for months."
"We have no respect for hygiene for those few months and we're too excited to be on stage to care. That's usually my excuse, anyways." he joked.
I laughed again and I could feel my cheeks get hot again. He noticed this time.
"Ha, what're you blushing for?" he asked slyly.
"Nothing in particular."
"Suuuuure."
I looked back up at him to see a shimmer in his eyes as he watched my face. He smiled again and stared for a moment.
"You're very attractive, and pretty, and I don't know WHY I just said that out loud." he said, slapping a hand to his forehead and dragging it down his face. I giggled a bit, ignoring my flushed cheeks.
"Aw, are you saying I'm pretty?" I teased.
"Maaaybe." he grinned.
"Well, you're pretty too."
In all honesty, he was. His facial features were so perfectly aligned, it was hard not to think that he was pretty. Outright gorgeous, if I do say so myself. His lips were full, accentuated by the stunning smile he had. It was such an innocent smile, yet his eyes didn't quite match. His eyes had an entire backlog of knowledge behind them, you could tell. There was a lot to that man's brain. However, as much information was in there, his eyes were as clear as day, the greenish-blue tint to them shining brightly whenever possible. They showed so much life, yet they showed a hint of misery, probably from his deprecating personality. As I gazed at his features, he caught my attention again.
"You space out alot don't you?"
"Not usually this much. I'm....distracted. That's all."
"Well, we've got our coffee," he said, downing the rest of his, "Do you wanna shop around for awhile? Look at some cool stores?"
I looked down at my coffee cup, realizing it was empty and nodded. "Yeah, let's go."
I got up out of my seat and Patrick politely waited for me, and opened the door for me on the way out. The cold wind caught me by surprise. "God damnit, that is FREEZING." I hissed.
He laughed a little and followed me out the door. As he caught up beside me, I felt our hands brush together, the heat of them causing a spark in the cool fall breeze. Before I knew it, his fingers were intertwined with mine.
I looked down at my hand and looked back at him. He looked at me with that smile of his and I smiled back. I quickly looked down at my shoes out of nervousness and I heard him laugh quietly as we walked farther down the street.
I never let go of his hand.
After looking through almost every store in L.A, our day was finally coming to a close. Our hands hadn't left each others since they'd first intertwined. I'd had a much better day than I had expected to. I had expected, yes, to have a perfectly fine afternoon with a nice guy over some coffee. I ended up spending the afternoon and the evening, with a stunningly attractive and talented guy over coffee, at a record shop, a book store, and an entire music instrument store.
Much more than I'd expected.
After a seemingly long drive back to his hotel, I was standing at the entrance of the hotel with him.
"I really enjoyed today." he said.
"Me too." I replied with an innocent smirk.
"Do you want to, um, come back to the room with me? I won't try anything, I promise."
I glanced back at my car in the parking lot and thought about it for a moment.
"I have work in the morning, so I probably shouldn't-"
"It's fine. You don't have to if you don't want to."
"Thanks. I really hope we can do this again sometime though."
"I would love that. It's nice to share an obsession of David Bowie with someone else for once."
I giggled and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, only to have his hand follow mine. I looked up at his face, and he leaned forward, his hand resting at my neck. I closed my eyes to have his lips meet mine. I didn't kiss back at first, slightly surprised by his boldness and the soft feel of his lips. His other hand moved slowly to my waist, and I moved my hand to the side of his face. He was gentle and I kissed back soon enough. I pulled away sooner than I wanted to, but I looked up at his face to see a smile plastered across it. I bit my lip and laughed, still smiling up at him.
"We should do that again sometime too." he said.
"Definitely."
"I'll call you tomorrow."
"I'd like tha-wait, how do you have my number?"
"You called me, remember?"
"Ah, very sneaky, Mr. Stump."
"I thought so, Miss Deroux."
"Please, call me Parker."
He moved his hands away from me to place them back in his pockets. I put my hands on either side of his face and planted a quick kiss on his lips again.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow. Have a good night's sleep." I said.
"Goodnight, Parker!" he called after me as I walked back to my car. I smiled as I looked back at him once more before disappearing into the driver's seat of my car. He stood there at the entrance of the lobby, watching as I drove off.
As I drove I thought about how much I liked that kiss. His lips were SO incredibly soft. I really didn't wanna pull away but there was something in me that stopped. I still wasn't sure whether I wanted this or not. I liked him, sure, but I've never been one for relationships, and I suck at them in the first place.
I pulled into my driveway and walked into my empty house, dropping my keys into the bowl by the door.
Time for another lonely night in a big empty house.
I sat at work, tapping my pencil on my desk, trying to ignore Jean who was loudly criticizing my review over Fall Out Boy's new album.
"Parker, what happened to your writing? You weren't even listening to the album were you!?"
"Jean, I-"
"I can't believe your adjective usage either. What is this shit? 'The whole album sounded good', what kind of-"
"LOOK, JEAN. I will rewrite it I swear. I was distracted when I wrote that the first time. I'll make it better I promise."
"You had better. I want this rewritten the RIGHT WAY and done by 3:00. Got it? Good."
I looked at the clock. 1:30. I had time.
About 2:15, my phone rang. Luckily, with my headset for my cellphone, I still had both hands to type with. A familiar voice came over the line.
"Hey, Parker."
"Patrick! What's up?"
"Nothing, just, you know, waiting outside your offices with fruit smoothies..."
"I'll get someone to let you in, you know where my desk is, right?"
"Couldn't forget."
"Good. See you in a sec."
I hung up without thinking. I had to get this finished, or Jean would kill me. I knew she would. I seen Patrick walk in with two drinks in his hand and he sat down in the chair by my desk.
"Hello, gorgeous." he said.
"Well, aren't you being charming today?" I joked, grabbing the drink he held out to me.
"Whatcha working on?"
"The review for YOUR album."
"All you have to say is that is the best thing you've ever heard, right?" he said, rolling his eyes.
"Basically, yes. That's exactly it. I just used a poor choice of words when I wrote it the first time."
He looked surprised. "Well, at least I can tell the guys we're gonna have a good review ahead of time."
I laughed and continued typing like a maniac. I had finally reached the last word and, "HA. IN YOUR FACE, JEAN."
"What's in my face?" I heard her say behind me. I sighed. I would've been embarrassed but this has happened WAY more than once.
"I finished the review and it's before 3:00."
"Well, that's fantastic! Now you can fix the piece of shit article you wrote about your boyfriend there!"
Patrick stared at her in horror as she walked away. "She's not very nice, is she?"
I gave her the same stare and thought to myself, 'He's not my boyfriend.' I slammed my head into the desk repeatedly until Patrick pulled me away from it. "Come on, you can do this, I swear. It's about me, right? I can answer any hidden questions while you type."
Somehow his words gave me a newfound courage to write it, and I was off. For the rest of the time, he looked over my shoulder and helped me add in some interesting/random information. By 7:00, I was done. My day was done, and that article was done. I grabbed my jacket and Patrick did the same.
"Here, let me take you to dinner. You look...and I don't mean this in a bad way, but you look exhausted."
"I am exhausted. And dinner sounds fantastic right now. I am SO starving."
"Then, let's go, shall we?" he said, holding out his arm for me. My inhibitions about rockstars and men were forgotten in that moment and I happily wrapped my arm around his as we walked out of the offices into the early sunset beginning outside.
We sat inside a fairly fancy, very dimly lit restaurant. I wasn't sure quite where it was, or what it was called, but Patrick recommended it so we went. We'd already finished our meal and we were just sitting and talking now.
"So....any brothers or sisters?" he asked.
"Only child. Never had a problem with siblings stealing my stuff."
"One of the lucky ones, aren't you?"
"I suppose. It was kinda lonely growing up, but my parents were there for me the majority of the time."
"Where are your parents?"
"My mother died about 5 years ago. My dad is still living in their house back in New York. They moved there after I went to college here because they wanted a change of scenery. It was a win-win situation, I got my parent's house here to myself, and I didn't have my parents breathing down my neck anymore. Technically, the house is mine now, but dad comes over every now and then."
"Sorry to hear about your mom."
"It's fine. She died of natural causes. No diseases or anything. It was just her time to go."
"Well, that's good. Sort of."
There was an awkward silence that I tried to break. "Let's change the subject. What kind of music do you like?"
"Anything good." he said with a grin.
"Really? Same here. Any specific genre you prefer?"
"Funk. Soul. R&B. That's probably my top 3."
"Nice. Well, at least we share some common interests, right?"
He nodded and took a drink of water. I watched as he looked down at his watch to check the time. "Good god, it's already 9:15. I'll take you back to your office-"
I stopped him as we walked out of the restaurant. "I really don't wanna go back there this late. Honestly, it'll be probably be locked with my luck."
"Well..." he started nervously. "...the offer to come to my hotel room is still open."
"I would actually very much like that right now."
I seen a glimmer of happiness flash through his eyes as I said it, and he opened the door for me to walk out to his car. I couldn't quite believe what I was getting myself into, but it felt nice to have someone care about me. For once, I wouldn't be falling asleep alone.
As we walked into his hotel room, it was almost like the image in my mind was a photograph. It was exactly the way I pictured it to be. One huge bed on the side of it, an unused kitchen, bathroom, and closets all over. It wasn't until I seen the bed and moonlight shining through one of the windows that I realized how sleepy I was.
"This is my amazing bachelor pad. Impressed yet?" he joked. I laughed and looked around a little more.
"This is rather impressive, I must say."
"Well, it's not every day I have a girl agree to be in my hotel room. So, thank you."
The minute he said that reality sunk in a little. I'd agreed to go back to his hotel room. What kind of girl have I become? I wasn't planning on doing anything, nor do I even know if I'm in a relationship with this guy or not. I stumbled over my words as I said, "Um, maybe this, uh, wasn't such a good idea, I should probably-"
Patrick walked closer to me. "What's wrong?"
"I actually agreed to be in your hotel room."
"And that's a problem how?"
"I usually don't do this."
His eyes got wide and his mouth opened. "OH. No, no, don't think that. I wasn't thinking that at all. I couldn't ask you to do that now of all times. It was simply a kind gesture to a woman who was tired."
I relaxed a little as I felt his hand on my shoulder. "But, what am I going to wear for pajamas?"
"Whatever you normally do, I guess."
"I dunno..."
"Look, I won't try anything, I swear. I won't even look at you if you don't want me to. Honestly, if I had a couch in here, I'd offer my bed up and I'd sleep on the couch. But I don't. You just have to trust me."
Trust. That was a word I hadn't heard in a long time. It's been so long since I actually trusted someone and I was about to place it into the hands of a man I met a few days ago. Quietly, I looked down at my shoes and said, "Alright."
I felt his hand move to my chin to move my face up to look at him. "All you have to do is sleep. You need it. That's all I ask."
I didn't know how I was going to explain that I slept in my underwear.
So I didn't.
We both got ready for bed and he was already on his side of the bed, in boxers and a t-shirt. I sat on the edge of the bed quietly. I looked over my shoulder at him.
"Turn around for a second. Don't look."
"Um. Ok." he said confused, but looked away nonetheless.
I stripped down to my bra and underwear, but before I could hide under the cover I heard an almost silent, "Wow..." escape his lips.
"Thought you weren't going to look." I said, quickly hiding under the covers.
"Me? Look? Nah, I totally didn't just see you in your underwear."
I laughed out loud, and rested my head on a pillow facing towards him.
"Thank you for letting me stay here for a night."
"Anytime. I'm always willing for gorgeous women to be in my bed. Especially when they write good reviews of my music." he joked.
I shook my head and smiled. I leaned over him and kissed him softly on the lips. I felt his hands crawl to my waist, and being skittish, I pulled away. He looked in my eyes apologetically.
"Goodnight, Parker."
"Goodnight, Patrick."
I turned on my side to put my back to him. Slowly and happily, I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up the next morning from the sunlight in the window. I glanced at the clock sleepily. 9:30. Luckily, I didn't have to be at work this morning or I would've already been late. I still had the blanket over me, but I felt warmer than I normally do. I remembered then that Patrick was there with me. I tried to move slightly, but finally noticed the arm gently resting on my waist holding me back. Partially restrained, I was about to try to move his arm away, but just as I was about to reach for it, he moved closer to me, his warm body pressing to my back. Sighing, I just left it alone and reached for my phone on the bed stand. I checked my messages to see a message from Jean. "Awesome rewrites. That's the writer I know. See u in 2 days."
I smiled to myself and set it back down. I felt Patrick move a little so I looked over my shoulder to see if he was awake. Sure enough, two sleepy green eyes looked back into mine. He quickly moved his arm and started apologizing. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know I-"
"Patrick, it's fine. Don't freak out over it."
"Oh. Ok. So, just to confirm this, you don't mind if I do that?"
"Sure. I'm not gonna beat you over the head just for touching me. You were asleep anyways. It wasn't like we fell asleep like that."
I was interrupted by the door being burst open by Andy, Joe and Pete. I quickly pulled the blanket up over myself, and Patrick moved to block me from them.
"Oh, look, Patrick's got a girl over!" Joe exclaimed.
Andy leaned over slightly to look behind Patrick at me. "Guys, it's Parker."
Pete did the same as Andy. "PARKER?!" he turned to Patrick. "YOU SLEPT WITH PARKER?!"
I scowled at him. "Now, let's get one thing straight, we never-"
Patrick interrupted me. "What exactly is it to you, Pete? I thought we already cleared this up. She's with me. Not you. God, why is it every time I like a girl, you haul off and try to claim her like she's a fucking object?!"
I quietly sat there, with slight smile on my face. He was standing up for me. I've never had a guy do that for me before. Pete sputtered for a second. "I'm not-I just-I thought-OHMYGOD. Okay, It just took me off guard to see you two in a bed together, alright? Chill the fuck out. I promise I'll stop getting all weirded out when you're together, ok?"
Patrick sighed for a second and nodded. "Good. Now, guys, get out. Parker has to get dressed and I'm going to take her home." He got up off the edge of the bed and started pushing the three guys out the door. "But, wait, man, you're pushing us out before she gets dressed? What kind of friend are-"
Patrick slammed the door after they were out and leaned against it. I got up of the bed, still only in underwear and grabbed my clothes. I didn't think about it, and I just bent over to grab them. I wasn't sure if I heard Patrick swear under his breath, but I definitely heard a gasp. I felt heat rush to my face, embarrassed, and I ran into the bathroom to shower and get dressed.
Just before I got out of the bathroom, I smelled something...delicious. I walked out, finally dressed, to see Patrick in the kitchen making pancakes.
"I thought you might want breakfast. This is actually sort of an apology for the guys bursting in, too."
I smiled wide. "I love pancakes."
"That's good, because I really don't think I can cook anything else. Not without it turning out disgusting and gross."
"That's perfectly fine. You didn't have to though, you know."
"Well, is it helping me woo you into liking me?" he teased.
"I like you already, you know that."
"And I like you too. I'm not quite sure I understand the barrier between us."
"It's just...me. I'll warm up to you eventually, I know I will. Just give me time."
"And I have no problem being patient. Do you want syrup with your pancakes?"
"Thank you. And yes, please."
After breakfast, he drove me back to my office so I could drive my car back home. We stood out in the parking lot next to our cars and leaned against them for awhile.
"So, I guess I'll see you later, then."
"Most likely tomorrow." he said.
"That's a very confident answer, don't you think?"
"I'm afraid I might forget what your face looks like."
I giggled and nervously brushed my hair behind my ear. He adjusted his hat and smiled. I watched his face in awe, still struck by how practically perfect his features were. At that moment, I decided it was my turn to take the plunge. I couldn't be afraid of relationships my whole life. I walked towards him and placed my hand on his chest, looking in his eyes. I stared for a moment into his lust-filled green eyes. He told me he would be patient, but he was a man, just like anyone else. He probably wanted more than what he was going to get at the moment, but he seemed like a guy who could control himself.
I watched his face for a moment longer, closed my eyes, and then pressed my lips firmly to his. It only took a second for his lips to return the motion. I took my other hand and moved it to his neck, gently pulling him closer. His hands soon took me by waist and held on gently. Our lips were still pressed together, and I was liking the feeling. Until I felt his tongue lick my bottom lip. I didn't know whether I wanted to or not, but instinct took over. I loosely opened my jaw letting his tongue into my mouth. I let him take over, until I felt his hands move downwards slightly. Instinct took over again. I had both of my hands around his neck and pulled him closer as my tongue sprung into action. We battled for dominance for awhile until I let him win again. His hands moved lower and it got to be too much.
I pulled away and bit my lip, looking at his face. He looked at me slightly awestruck for a minute but a smirk appeared on his face.
"That was nice." he said with a giggle.
"I liked that ALOT." I said, taking a deep breath.
"You seemed to. See? You just need to loosen up a little. You might be able to try some stuff you'd never even think of."
I was a bit stunned at what had just happened. Here I was, a girl afraid of getting attached, and I had just made out with a musician in the parking lot of the Rolling Stone offices. I couldn't exactly speak at the moment. I felt his hands still above my backside and it was hard to pull away from the warmth of his body, but I forced myself to. A smile was still stuck on his face, and he willingly released his grip as I backed away. I gazed up at his face and looked into his eyes. Maybe it was the eyes that made me feel so safe and secure. They've never been hostile or judging. They've just been caring and compassionate.
"I will see you tomorrow." I finally spoke.
"I should hope so. We should do that more often."
"Yes, we most definitely should. I will look forward to the next time that happens."
"How about precisely tomorrow at 6:00? We'll have movie night at the hotel room."
"That sounds fantastic."
"Good. See you later, Miss Deroux."
I grinned as he called me that and I opened my car door. "See you, Mr. Stump."
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