"Jesus Christ! You idiots just left him there?!," Benny screeched.

"I feel like I'm raising children here instead of superstars. I mean," he blubbered, "what possessed your tiny brains to abandon our best moneymaker on the fucking street corner like a god damn hooker?"

Gareth, Jeff, and Reggie looked at each other and shrugged. Finally Reggie spoke up.

"He's a big boy, boss. He can handle himself for a night I'm sure."

Benny picked up a crushed beer can off the floor and spun around, throwing it at Reggie.

"Perhaps in his sober state, sure. But you all were on King Street," he grimaced, "meaning our big boy is missing and plastered beyond recognition. I doubt he even remembers his own name."

Gareth nodded and tried to soothe their manager.

"He remembered ours. He even told us to leave him, said he'd walk back to the studio and sober up with all the cold air last night. It was probably in the 60s I'll bet," he trailed off as Benny gave him an icy stare.

"Riddle me this, boys. If it takes all four of your brains cells rubbing together as a group to find your way down to the lobby," he stepped forward menacingly until he was almost nose to nose with the remaining three band members,

"How the fuck do you suppose Eddie would be able to find his way back on EVERY SUBSTANCE UNDER THE SUN?!"

The boys cringed and took a collective step back.

None of them had really given much thought to leaving Eddie since he always seemed to handle his liquor well. At least he was handling it well when they left him there. Thinking back now Gareth supposed that maybe Eddie had been drunk enough to open up a tab and run it all night and winced at his own lack of foresight.

"Well then let's go back for him," Jeff piped up.

Benny turned his cold gaze to Jeff and smirked.

"Did ya think that one up all by yourself, genius? We record in t-minus 2 hours so you three better find him, like, yesterday."

The boys scattered to grab their keys, IDs, and snacks from around the room. Blocking the door right before the boys could exit the room, Benny pointed at the box of Nerds clutched in Reggie's hand.

"What are those for?"

"Bait, sir."

Benny nodded approvingly and stepped aside.

"You boys better find him in one piece."

The group nodded enthusiastically and ran down the hallway towards the garage elevators, praying as a group that Eddie hadn't wandered too far from King Street.

Y/n handed Eddie her phone and nodded encouragingly at him. Eddie took the phone and stared at the screen with a lump in his throat.

Benny's gonna skin me alive.

Clearing his throat, he slowly dialed and hit call. The phone rang once. Then twice. Then a dial tone rang throughout the apartment.

"Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please check the number and dial again."

Eddie looked up at y/n with wide eyes.

"No way. That is 100% his number, I swear on my shoes."

She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Your shoes? Quite the high stakes."

He smirked and shrugged.

"I mean okay maybe I don't actually have his number memorized. But I was like 65% confident that I typed it correctly."

"Jesus Eddie, only 65?"

"Hey don't act like you've got all your contacts memorized. It's a technological world out there and luckily Bezos and his fellow balding billionaires created 'Contacts.'"

She scoffed and shook her head at him.

Is it wrong that I think she's cute when she pities me?

"Steve Jobs owns Apple. Well owned past tense, he's very dead now. But you're right about people saving everyone's number in their contacts. So maybe you should take out your own phone and call him, yeah?"

He shook his head somberly.

"Sadly I don't have a phone to call my own."

She snorted and folded her arms.

"You mean you had one and you lost it last night?"

He held a finger to the tip of his nose and pointed it at her.

"Yes ma'am."

She rolled her eyes and plopped onto the couch next to him.

"Okay. Shit. Well what exactly am I supposed to do with you then? I have work later."

He tried to lean closer to her as casually as he could and rested an arm on the couch cushions behind her.

"Well you could always call in sick and hang out with your favorite celebrity for the day; I'd be happy clear my schedule for a fan. Think of it as a favor for last night."

She turned to look at him and fluttered her eyelashes dramatically.

"Really? You'd do that for me?"

He laughed and looked down at his lap.

"Anything for you...as a fan," he added quickly.

She laughed and leaned back into the couch, touching his extended arm.

Y/n side-eyed him but didn't pull away and he felt an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach.

Is this what getting butterflies feels like? he wondered.

"As much as I'd enjoy your offer," she spoke up softly, "I'd be missing a really important presentation today. I've been working on it all summer and today I present to the board of directors; this could be our magazine's entire new design layout and I'd make a shit ton of money. I'm talking, like, at least double what I make now."

He nodded thoughtfully and bent down to pet Josie, who had been nudging his knee with her nose impatiently the past few minutes. Running his fingers through her soft fur, he wondered how he could make himself useful to y/n.

"That sounds pretty sick. So your design would be the new layout for every future issue or just the next one?"

She smiled at his genuine interest and turned her body towards him.

"All future issues. I mean you can apply to change the design every four years but if they accept mine, that's four whole years worth of seeing my work go to good use."

Her eyes are so sparkly when she gets excited.

"Yeah I mean that's incredible. Well hey, once I get back to the studio eventually I'll make sure we order Dirtbag for the lobby."

She grinned widely and looked him in the eyes.

"Really?"

He nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah of course. I mean I know I met you last night but I feel like..."

He trailed off, unsure if he should admit how he felt just yet. Y/n looked at him with her head tilted curiously and he knew he had to say something.

"Well I feel like it'll look super cool and we're always looking for quality work to show off at the studio. Plus you've been so nice to me even after I rolled around on your carpet and drank your coffee so it's really the least I could do."

Y/n gave him a look that somehow felt like she knew exactly what he was trying to avoid saying and it made him nervous.

Finally she smiled and he felt his heartbeat slow back to normal speed.

"Thank you Eddie. You know," she said, standing up, "If you can't remember your manager's number you might have to stay here another night."

He thought he saw her smile to herself as she walked towards the kitchen to finish making breakfast and felt the butterflies again.

Does she want me to stay?

Feeling hopeful he stood up quickly to follow her, disturbing a sleeping Josie that had been warming his feet during their chat.

Apologizing quickly to Josie, Eddie walked over to the bar to watch y/n make breakfast, unable to keep the smile off his own face.

"I mean only if that's okay with you," he said as casually as he could manage.

She began chopping greens and nodded.

"Sure it is. I offered, didn't I?"

He felt his heart start beating a little faster and he settled down on a bar stool to watch her chop, excited for what the next few days might bring.

He was mildly worried about how long he could keep up the charade of pretending not to know Benny's number but for now he had bought himself another night with y/n and that was something to be excited about.

"Sooo what should I be doing while you're at work? Ooh wait I have a good idea: I should come with you and cheer you on during the presentation. I'd make a pretty sexy work husband," Eddie grinned, flexing his arms dramatically like a circus strongman.

Y/n laughed at his display and shook her head.

"Respectfully I think you should stay far away from professional settings. Studio settings are different," she added as he opened his mouth to protest.

"You kinda have to play a character when you're a celebrity. Like it's not not you but you're encouraged to embellish your personality for the cameras and the producers and everyone else. You can't tell me I'm wrong."

Eddie closed his mouth and thought about her words. After a moment he nodded slowly.

"Okay, fair point. But don't you have to do the same in an office setting? I mean I've spent the night with you and I can't imagine the same girl who called me a "bitter rich fuck" could walk into a professional meeting and throw down with office lingo and Google Slides."

She laughed and gave a half shrug.

"Fair. But I don't feel like my office personality is that far off from who I am. Like me wearing a pencil skirt and a blouse gesturing to a PowerPoint isn't some cartoonish version of myself normally. I'm just showing off what I'm capable of in a different tone so people take me seriously."

Eddie nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, I can understand that viewpoint. I sort of feel like as a band we do the same thing. Maybe it is more cartoonish like you said but we definitely have to up the antics when the cameras are out. I guess it's different for us cuz we have to be these larger-than-life stars that party hard and rock out harder, ya know? Like part of our job is making sure people don't take us as individuals too seriously. It's all about selling our music and the lifestyle."

Y/n folded the omelette she was cooking and put it on a plate, nodding as Eddie talked. He watched her pick out the best looking bacon strips and lay it out on the plate. As she spoke, she handed the plate up to him and followed it with Siracha and Tobasco sauce.

"That sounds kinda miserable. I mean having crazy parties, smoking crazy shit, and goofing off sounds kinda fun but I guess I didn't think about whether or not y'all did all that because you actually wanted to go that hard all the time. Seems like our assumptions are the best liars."

Y/n smiled almost apologetically at Eddie and finished making her own omelette, crunching on a bacon strip as she leaned against the counter.

"Exactly. Honestly today's been a nice break from the high energy so...thanks for that y/n."

Eddie smiled at her and chewed on his own bacon thoughtfully.

I don't think I've ever admitted that I didn't like the band life.

"Maybe I didn't even notice how much it all exhausted me until I got an actual day of peace here," Eddie chuckled.

Y/n gazed at him with sad eyes.

"Maybe. I think we adapt as humans to our environments pretty well and kinda lose sight of whether or not it's the right environment to be in."

He nodded and pushed his food around with his fork. He felt connected to y/n in a way he didn't understand and he realized it may have been because he'd been forced to miss out on genuine connections with the fast pace of band life.

Standing up, he walked over to y/n and leaned against the counter next to her.

"I think you said it perfectly. The right environment does wonders for a person when they actually find it."

He gazed over at the couch where Josie had settled in and then back at y/n, feeling his heart swell. He had no idea why these two girls made him feel so strongly but he loved that he didn't want to numb these feelings with alcohol or drugs like he did with every other intense emotion. Looking down at y/n, he stepped a little closer and smiled softly.

I have to tell her.

"I uh..."

She smiled and tilted her head, ready to listen to him.

She really is listening. I can't even remember the last time I felt like someone saw me and actually listened without some bullshit ulterior motive.

"Y/n," he restarted, "I've really enjoyed being here. Even when I was drunk and making an ass of myself."

They smiled at each other and Eddie felt a surge of confidence.

"So I'm not entirely sure why and maybe it's fast of me to say this but...I like you. I like Josie and I like the way your carpet actually smells clean and not like weed and I like the art you have all over your room. I think it's adorable that you organize coffee when you're nervous and I just...like you."

Y/n looked up at him with a look of surprise and indignation on her face.

"Really? Eddie Munson, major rock star extraordinaire, likes a normie like me?"

He faltered a little but quickly relaxed when he noticed she was holding back a smile. He grinned at her and laughed, relieved.

"You little shit."

She smiled and shrugged.

"You gotta admit that was a little bit funny."

He shook his head and leaned in.

"I've given plenty of admissions today."

Y/n smiled and leaned into him.

Finally they kissed and Eddie felt his whole body light up with happiness, wondering if y/n felt it too. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he held her face with one hand, wrapping the other arm around her waist. He felt her smile through the kiss and lifted her up onto the counter. Y/n wrapped her legs around him and Eddie felt happier than he'd ever felt in his life.

And all we're doing is kissing. Just imagine...

They finally pulled away for air and y/n giggled.

"You taste like bacon sir."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and pulled her body against his even tighter.

"Oh yeah? And you think you don't?"

Y/n laughed.

"Fair point."

Eddie grinned and squeezed her thigh, weaving his other hand through her hair and pulling gently. Y/n squirmed a little as he kissed up and down her neck, her legs tightening around him as he moved his kisses a little lower.

God I'm in heaven, Eddie thought.

"That feels amazing but I have to get ready," y/n whispered.

Eddie shook his head and kissed up her neck and over her jaw before kissing her deeply. He felt her smile again and tugged on her shorts.

"Off," he muttered through the kiss.

Y/n put her hands against his chest and pulled away, laughing softly.

"I can't! I mean I want to," she grinned, looking him up and down, "but I have work. Important presentation, remember?"

Eddie sighed and knelt down, kissing up her thighs. Y/n shivered and put her hand through his hair this time, forcing him to look up at her.

"Later. Please?"

He groaned and stood up, kissing her again.

"Fineee. But I hope you know that I will be making up for lost time tonight."

Y/n laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he pulled her off the counter and set her down.

"I look forward to it."