Two Years Later...

Virgil woke up and the first thing he did was check his phone. His eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing all over the news. Roman Prince had become a big hit over the past couple years in movies and Broadway theatre. Now, all the headlines shouted that he was going to take a break for a little while.

The alternative rock star quickly opened his laptop to search for answers. He found an interview he'd done the night before he'd missed. Virgil clicked it quickly, heart fluttering the tiniest bit upon seeing him sitting there with that smile.

"Good evening Mr. Prince, it's nice to have you here!" the host said as the audience clapped.

"It's good to be here, thank you for having me," Roman replied, still smiling.

The host then went on. "So, you've become quite a successful young man, did you ever see yourself getting here?"

"No, not at all," he replied as he look down a little. "This feels like some dream that I'll wake up from any minute now because I don't deserve all this."

Roman laughed as the host and audience tried to convince him otherwise, but Virgil recognized that forced laugh. He used to do it whenever he was upset but didn't want to tell anyone. He frowned as he kept watching.

"Now you're taking a break, what's that all about?"

The actor sighed a little but smiled nonetheless. "I've just got a lot of things going on in my personal life and things up here," he gestured to his head, "haven't exactly been all pleasant. I feel like it's been affecting my work ethic and performance, so I've decided to take a step back for a little while to sort that out. Don't worry, you'll hopefully see me again soon."

Virgil frowned again, not quite sure what was wrong but something felt off. "Well, we'll miss you during your absence, but we support you to our fullest extent Mr. Prince," the host said. "Now, looking back at how far you've come, do you have any regrets you'd be comfortable sharing?"

Roman's face immediately changed before he shook his head the tiniest bit with a sad smile. "Telling my best friend we were nothing more than 'friends with benefits' instead of asking him out on a goddamn date," he said confidently. Virgil's eyes widened as he his hand flew to his mouth. The audience awed sadly at his confession as he shook his head.

"Aw, what happened?" the host asked.

"I was an idiotic teenager with raging hormones and no common sense," Roman explained with a frown. "He practically asked me if I'd want to be his boyfriend and I laughed in his face. I've only spoken to him once in person since that happened, and I've regretted nothing more ever since."

The audience awed sadly again as Roman finished. The host frowned sadly. "Well, do you at least know if he's doing well?" he asked, earning a wistful laugh from the actor that made Virgil's heart throb.

"Oh, he's definitely doing well," he replied with a smile. "I won't tell you who I'm talking about because that's up to him to decide if he wants the public to know, but he's definitely doing well."

That was it; the host wrapped it up and the video ended, leaving Virgil sitting in his bed slack jawed as he thought about what Roman had said. As he was sitting there, his phone lit up with a text message. He sighed as he read it, being from his band mate Joan. As he did, his heart dropped and he dialed someone else's number immediately.

"Sup?" the voice replied.

"De, what the hell is Joan talking about? You're leaving the band?" he asked, jumping right to the point.

The man on the other side of the phone sigh. "Yeah, I'm sorry Virge, but I've had enough with this music and I wanna try my own thing," De explained.

"But who's going to play guitar? And what about me?" Virgil asked, feeling his heart race.

"What about you? We were never together," he replied, sounding confused. "That was stage gay and you know it man, don't act like I'm breaking up with you or something. Also, you can play the guitar."

Virgil felt his chest tighten. The man's words hurt, having thought there had been something there. "De, you know I haven't played guitar in years, I'm just the vocals now," he said, desperation in his voice. "If you leave, we won't have a guitarist."

"Then fine a new one, it's not that hard," he replied, sounding annoyed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I've just gotta go. I'm not happy anymore, and I want to follow my own path that's going to lead me back to a happy place in my life. I'm sorry, and good luck to you and the others."

Virgil sighed but understood. "Okay... I hope you find happiness," he replied. "Good luck..."

There was a click and suddenly Virgil's band didn't have a guitarist. He felt himself trying not to panic as it hit him. What were they going to do without a guitarist? They needed to find one and fast.

A thought came to mind that made his stomach drop. It was nuts. It was insane. There was no way he could do it. He didn't think he could even bring himself to, but they needed a guitarist.

Virgil growled to himself as he closed his laptop, got dressed, and grabbed his bag and keys. His mind was a hurricane as he drove to the address, trying to figure out if he was actually going through with it. He shook out his head as he pulled into the driveway. The alternative rockstar checked his appearance once more and exited the car. He swung his bag onto his shoulder and mustered his confidence as he rang the doorbell.

There was barking from inside and a muffled voice from behind the door. Virgil's heart raced as the actor opened a door with a smile. It fell into one of shock upon seeing him.

"V-Virgil Black, greetings," Roman said, stammering in surprise. He gasped as the dog he was keeping behind his legs pushed through them and jumped up to Virgil. "No! Cookie! Don't do that!"

He went to pull the golden retriever back inside, but Virgil knelt down to pet him. "You got a dog?" he questioned, trying to sound bored.

"Actually, no, this is Patton's dog," he explained with a small smile. "He's on a vacation with Logan, and I offered to take care of Cookie for him."

"Of course Patton would name his dog Cookie," Virgil replied with a smile as Roman laughed a little in agreement. There was suddenly an awkward silence between them as the rockstar stood up. "Could I talk to you?"

Roman's eyes widened, fear flashing through them despite his smile as he beckoned him inside. Virgil entered his house, looking around in awe. The actor had definitely done well. He led the rockstar to his couch, though he was the only one to sit down.

Virgil stood in front of him, lifting his chin as he mustered his confidence yet again. "I want you to join my band."

"Wait, what?" he questioned, laughing in disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"We need a guitarist," he said firmly. "You play guitar. It's really not that hard."

Roman was shaking his head, standing up as he tried to comprehend. He looked at Virgil's face to see if he was kidding. "You're- you're being serious," he said, mostly to himself. "Why would you need a guitarist? Don't you play?"

"I haven't played guitar in years, I'm just the singer now," he explained. "De left, he was our guitarist. Look, if you don't want to, you can at least fill in until we find someone else."

The actor looked over whelmed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Virgil, this is crazy, I'm an actor!" he exclaimed. "Not to mention your band's style isn't really... no, it's nothing like mine, I'd look ridiculous, and what would the media say?"

"Since when do I care about the media?" Virgil replied, crossing his arms. "We'll make sure you're comfortable in whatever outfit we get for you, alright? You're taking a break, I saw the news. Please, Roman."

The alternative rockstar looked intimidating, but his eyes looked pleading. Roman's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't seen him in person in years, and here he was asking him to be in his band. He felt like he owed it to him after how he'd treated him.

"Alright," he said, putting his hands up in defeat. Virgil's eyes widened as his mouth fell open a little. The actor raised his eyebrows. "You look surprised."

"I... I didn't actually think you'd agree..." he explained as he looked down at his hands. He shook out his head, regaining his composure. "Okay, right, well, here's the address where we practice. I don't know if you have an electric guitar, but we have them if you need one. Here's my number."

He handed him a slip of paper with the information on it, making Roman freeze. He slowly took it from him, looking down at the writing. "O-Okay," he replied nervously.

"I'll send you the sheet music and stuff later, and you can meet us on Saturday at 10:00 AM for rehearsal," Virgil said as he put his bag on his shoulder. "I guess I'll see you then..."

He left, Roman waving as he drove away. He closed the door, Cookie bumping against his leg and barking happily. The actor pet the dog gently as he smiled nervously. "I guess I'm Virgil's guitarist then..."