Categories > Celebrities > Fall Out Boy > Crashing Hearts
Andy stared, with a lifted brow, at Pete who was humming to himself as Patrick and Joe worked over a guitar riff. This would be normal if he didn’t have a little grin tugging at the corners of his mouth that he was obviously trying to keep hidden. He nudged Patrick’s foot with his own and when the singer looked his way, he looked to Pete who was humming over his notebook; and then looked back to Patrick and Joe who were now sharing his confused look. He was half-tempted to get the bass player’s attention, but he was worried about ruining his friend’s obviously good mood.
“Should we bother him?” Andy mouthed to Patrick who nibbled his lip before shaking his head.
“Don’t risk it,” Patrick mouthed back.
“But I want to know what’s got him so happy,” Joe mouthed slowly so the other two could get what he was trying to say.
“But it might bring him down,” Andy mouthed, pointing down with his drumstick that he had been tapping on his leg. They had paused in the song-writing when Patrick thought of a good riff for the song, a part for Joe, and they were all supposed to be paying attention, but Pete’s mind had gone off into some unknown land.
Joe rolled his eyes. “Hey Pete, how’s Casey?” He asked, looking at the bass player, who set down his pen and looked up at the three. “She doing okay after your Dad?”
Pete nodded with an award-winning smile. “She’s fine, she’s over it since I told her how he is,” Pete answered before frowning slightly. “But there is something bothering her, but she’ll be fine. I’ll help her through it.”
“Is she okay?” Patrick asked, adjusting his cap.
“She’s got some stuff in her life that she told me about yesterday afternoon, it’s major for someone like her, but she’ll be fine. I’ll help her keep her chin up and she’ll be just fine,” he said with a smile of confidence and looked at his notebook again, writing one more thing before he closed it. He looked at Joe. “She also invited all three of you guys to dinner tonight.”
“Even me? Does she know what I said?”
Pete nodded. “Yeah, and although I was caught off guard by it too, she explained it to me that she thought it might do some good for all of you three to have a chance to get to know her so you’re not making guesses about her. And if you don’t like her after that, then she’d understand and try to make it as easy for me as possible to have a girlfriend who my friends, or one of them, has a problem with.”
Joe ducked his head, looking like a kid that had been slapped but knew it was his own fault so the look of guilt was mixed in. “Got it... I’ll go...”
Pete smiled and looked at Patrick and Andy. “So, you guys got any plans?”
“Nope,” Patrick answered, shaking his own head as he shrugged. “None here,” he smiled.
Pete smiled when Andy nodded. “Thanks guys, it really means a lot to the both of us that you’re getting a chance to know her fair and square without interruptions.”
“Hey man, she obviously makes you happy,” Patrick said as he rolled his chair over to Pete’s and patted his friend on the back. “I’ll gladly give her a fair chance if you’re this happy about us coming to dinner with you guys.”
- - - - -
Casey smiled at Pete, who was sitting next to her at the table in her apartment. Andy was across from her, Patrick was to her other side, and Joe was between Andy and Patrick at her circular table. She blushed slightly when he winked and flashed a quick smile before taking another bite of the vegan lasagna she cooked herself, being considerate of Andy being vegan. The other three had caught the action and gave slight shrugs to each other.
“This is really good Casey,” Andy said after he swallowed another fork full of the lasagna that he’d been loving since the first bite of it.
Casey gave a pleased smile and a small nod. “Thanks Andy, I was hoping I’d get it right.”
“You did,” he answered as Joe ate his last bite.
“Hey um, Casey? Is there enough to get more?” Joe asked, earning looks from the other three since that in itself was a rarity. Joe... Getting a second helping of vegan food...? Something wasn’t right, but they wouldn’t tease him about it later, only be thankful that he had obviously found something he liked about this girl.
“Sure Joe, help yourself,” Casey answered, hiding how surprised she herself was.
He said a quick thank you and hopped up from the table, disappearing into the kitchen.
“So Casey, how long have you live in Chicago?” Patrick asked, looking up at her from the plate of food that had maybe two bites left on it.
“I’ve only lived here maybe a year, if that,” she answered and took a long sip of her tea to wash down her lasagna, feeling it slightly stuck in her throat. “It’s okay and all, and the weather is definitely better than Florida,” she said with a small chuckle. “It has yet to get as hot as Florida did when I lived there, and I lived there until I moved here.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why Illinois? Why Chicago?” Joe asked as he came back, so curious about this girl that he had only gotten a little more on his plate as his second helping.
“It’s as far away from Florida as I could go in the United States without going to Maine or New York. I was partial to moving to Jersey, but,” she paused to look at Pete, “I’m sort of glad I chose here.”
“Should we bother him?” Andy mouthed to Patrick who nibbled his lip before shaking his head.
“Don’t risk it,” Patrick mouthed back.
“But I want to know what’s got him so happy,” Joe mouthed slowly so the other two could get what he was trying to say.
“But it might bring him down,” Andy mouthed, pointing down with his drumstick that he had been tapping on his leg. They had paused in the song-writing when Patrick thought of a good riff for the song, a part for Joe, and they were all supposed to be paying attention, but Pete’s mind had gone off into some unknown land.
Joe rolled his eyes. “Hey Pete, how’s Casey?” He asked, looking at the bass player, who set down his pen and looked up at the three. “She doing okay after your Dad?”
Pete nodded with an award-winning smile. “She’s fine, she’s over it since I told her how he is,” Pete answered before frowning slightly. “But there is something bothering her, but she’ll be fine. I’ll help her through it.”
“Is she okay?” Patrick asked, adjusting his cap.
“She’s got some stuff in her life that she told me about yesterday afternoon, it’s major for someone like her, but she’ll be fine. I’ll help her keep her chin up and she’ll be just fine,” he said with a smile of confidence and looked at his notebook again, writing one more thing before he closed it. He looked at Joe. “She also invited all three of you guys to dinner tonight.”
“Even me? Does she know what I said?”
Pete nodded. “Yeah, and although I was caught off guard by it too, she explained it to me that she thought it might do some good for all of you three to have a chance to get to know her so you’re not making guesses about her. And if you don’t like her after that, then she’d understand and try to make it as easy for me as possible to have a girlfriend who my friends, or one of them, has a problem with.”
Joe ducked his head, looking like a kid that had been slapped but knew it was his own fault so the look of guilt was mixed in. “Got it... I’ll go...”
Pete smiled and looked at Patrick and Andy. “So, you guys got any plans?”
“Nope,” Patrick answered, shaking his own head as he shrugged. “None here,” he smiled.
Pete smiled when Andy nodded. “Thanks guys, it really means a lot to the both of us that you’re getting a chance to know her fair and square without interruptions.”
“Hey man, she obviously makes you happy,” Patrick said as he rolled his chair over to Pete’s and patted his friend on the back. “I’ll gladly give her a fair chance if you’re this happy about us coming to dinner with you guys.”
- - - - -
Casey smiled at Pete, who was sitting next to her at the table in her apartment. Andy was across from her, Patrick was to her other side, and Joe was between Andy and Patrick at her circular table. She blushed slightly when he winked and flashed a quick smile before taking another bite of the vegan lasagna she cooked herself, being considerate of Andy being vegan. The other three had caught the action and gave slight shrugs to each other.
“This is really good Casey,” Andy said after he swallowed another fork full of the lasagna that he’d been loving since the first bite of it.
Casey gave a pleased smile and a small nod. “Thanks Andy, I was hoping I’d get it right.”
“You did,” he answered as Joe ate his last bite.
“Hey um, Casey? Is there enough to get more?” Joe asked, earning looks from the other three since that in itself was a rarity. Joe... Getting a second helping of vegan food...? Something wasn’t right, but they wouldn’t tease him about it later, only be thankful that he had obviously found something he liked about this girl.
“Sure Joe, help yourself,” Casey answered, hiding how surprised she herself was.
He said a quick thank you and hopped up from the table, disappearing into the kitchen.
“So Casey, how long have you live in Chicago?” Patrick asked, looking up at her from the plate of food that had maybe two bites left on it.
“I’ve only lived here maybe a year, if that,” she answered and took a long sip of her tea to wash down her lasagna, feeling it slightly stuck in her throat. “It’s okay and all, and the weather is definitely better than Florida,” she said with a small chuckle. “It has yet to get as hot as Florida did when I lived there, and I lived there until I moved here.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, why Illinois? Why Chicago?” Joe asked as he came back, so curious about this girl that he had only gotten a little more on his plate as his second helping.
“It’s as far away from Florida as I could go in the United States without going to Maine or New York. I was partial to moving to Jersey, but,” she paused to look at Pete, “I’m sort of glad I chose here.”
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