A Tale Of Two Popstars, chapter 30
Stef stared at the ceiling, shifting restlessly in the bed. After her heart to heart with Kara she’d walked into the bedroom she shared with Billie Joe and shut out the world around her. She just wordlessly pulled away to her side of the bed, and enveloped herself in the warmth of the blankets. She wished that things were simple. But Kara was right, they weren’t, and that was what was so hard. So now here she was dealing with trying to figure out what to do and what to say to him. Should she pretend that things were still the same between them when she knew it wasn’t? She just didn't know.
He’d gotten up at least an hour ago. Then again he had been up as long as she had really. Billie Joe couldn’t sleep either. Even though her back was to him, she could tell by the way he was breathing. But she didn’t make any move to talk, even though she sensed he wanted to. Sensed that he wanted to reach over and wake her up. Instead she pretended that she was fast asleep when she felt him stare at her in the darkness. Instead she watched the way the moonlight cascaded against the wall through the curtains. She didn’t stir when he got up and walked onto the balcony. But when he left, she pressed a hand on his pillow. Her hand traced his side of the bed, still warm even though he was no longer there. She kept telling herself she didn’t want to deal with emotions. But she couldn’t help how as she lay there, she watched that glass door hoping that maybe he’d walk back in and she could.
“You coming in soon?�
Billie Joe pulled his stare away from the night sky he had been observing for some time, and glanced over his shoulder at her approaching figure. He turned back, leaning over and resumed his stance, resting his arms against the railing of the bedroom balcony. “In a while. I sort of like it out here. It’s peaceful.�
“I know what you mean,� she replied wistfully coming up beside him, leaning over just as he was, and looking up at the stars. “Makes you wonder how some things can be so perfect.� She stared out into the distance.
He quickly glanced at her. “I thought you were sleeping.�
“No. I just pretend pretty well.�
And with that said, they stood there in silence for a minute, lost in their own separate thoughts, neither of them breaking the reverie.
That is until Billie Joe straightened up. “Want to talk about why you can’t sleep?�
Her eyes lowered from her stargaze. “I’m just stressed. You know the tour, Kara,� she said plainly, before looking up again into the darkness.
They both knew it wasn’t just that. They both knew what it really was. Billie Joe rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of where to begin with her. He had a lot of things on his mind that were in need of clearing up. Stef could ignore things, but he couldn’t. Not this time. Not anymore.
“Stef… About earlier with Adrienne…�
“Billie Joe you don’t have to explain.�
He nodded grimly, and then turned away from her, doing as she was and looking back up at the sky. It took another minute before he broke their silence again. “I sort of envy him sometimes you know.�
“Who?� Stef asked as she focused on him.
“Mike.�
“Mike?�
He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “That’s why today I…I’m not jealous about the thought of you two together. I don't think that at all. The thing is I…I’m jealous of how you are with him. You…I mean you and I…we just… we’ve never been able to talk like that, be together like that, not really. It’s different with us.� He gripped the railing. “Now. Four months ago. We still haven’t changed Stef. Friends. Not friends. Polite. Civil. Mad. Hateful. No matter what it’s the same. We’re still in the same place we’ve always been. And I just…sometimes I wish that we weren’t. I wish that…� He paused and looked at her then, really looked at her. Looked at her like he was trying to find something in the way she was looking back at him. His green eyes trying to find what he knew he’d seen before, that tiny spark of need. He needed to know what she thought of him, that he was important to her. Billie Joe’s voice was low and steady as he could make it when he said it, “You know if Adrienne hadn’t walked in I would have kissed you. I wanted to kiss you.�
At the name, Stef let out a short breath. “Adrienne,� she repeated her voice soft and hesitant. “Something happened with you know. Seeing her with you I couldn’t help but feel…� She offered him a timid smile. “It’s not pretend. It’s not preconceived. Whatever emotions that swarmed through you when you saw her today. They were genuine, even though they might not have been the same kind of feelings they used to be, they were still real.� Her hand fluttered up from the railing to touch his cheek. At the contact with his skin, Stef’s voice grew a little shakier. “We’re not like that Billie Joe. We’re not real. You can’t kiss a person that doesn’t exist.�
He stopped the soft caress across his face, reaching up and clasping her hand. “You’re wrong.�
Stef regarded him sadly before she closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could hug him tightly, as if she had to prove to herself that he was really there. “We’ve come so far Billie Joe. Let’s not complicate what’s already so complicated,� she whispered pressing her face against his shoulder, trying to prolong the moment, letting herself get lost in the way she felt in his arms. She just wanted to hold onto the moments like these when she was just Stef and he was just Billie Joe and nothing more.
His arms closed around her. “Stef I…�
She pulled away before he could say anymore, “I’m going to go back inside and try to get some sleep. We have New York tomorrow and everything.� Stef gave him another tentative smile, as she backed up. “Promise me you won’t stay out here too long. That you’ll come back to bed in a little bit? Don’t want you to get sick.�
And with that she went back inside, leaving him standing there alone. She left him there under the sky, in the wee hours of the morning.
And so it was. Under the sky, Billie Joe shut his eyes and leaned over the balcony once again, trying to figure out when exactly things had changed so much between them and how they could make it right. He never did get to sleep.
By the time they left for the party, it was almost back to normal. Almost. Stef was draped on Billie Joe’s arm when they headed down to meet the other guys in the limousine. She was a little quiet, but she was smiling at everyone. Laughing at Tre’s antics, she even winked at Mike when he silently asked her if she was okay by tapping the side of her thigh. But things were different. There was unspoken tension in the air even if Billie Joe and Stef were holding hands.
She was nervous. It was strange. For the first time she didn’t know how to act around him. She didn’t know how to be. She was nervous to the point that her stomach was doing that flip-flop thing. When he let her hand go for the first time that night asking her if she wanted a drink she had barely managed a yes. And when he had walked off and her eyes followed him, all she kept on thinking was this was just Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. She couldn’t believe she had gotten to the point where she had to keep telling herself that.
“You nervous?�
Stef’s eyes widened a little. “Nervous?�
“You’re going to bite that fingernail off,� Billie Joe teased, holding one of the wine glasses he was carrying out to her.
She immediately removed the finger away from her mouth; giving him an uneasy smile as she took the wine he was offering her. And then she proceeded to take a large sip from it, a very large sip. “It’s just…this party and…� Stef took another drink. “I don’t…� She tilted the glass to her lips again but Billie Joe’s hand on her own stopped her. He lowered the glass.
“Calm down Stef.�
Stef bit her lip and nodded. Her gaze straying to the glass, it was almost empty.
“What’s wrong?�
She lifted her eyes up to find his green eyes questioning her. They were so brown right now, very, very brown. A girl could get lost. She gulped and gave him a hesitant smile. “Nothing,� she lied lifting the drink back up. But it didn’t make it. It was about halfway to her mouth when she froze at the sight across the room. Her stomach dropped. “Charlie,� she breathed out. Her heart seemed to stop for a second. She’d known he was going to be here. She knew. But she hadn’t counted on the fact that he was there with someone else. A very familiar someone else, a face she recognized as a popular blonde model. He had never been into blondes. Had he? She blinked rapidly.
“Who?�
Stef downed the rest of the wine in one take.
Billie Joe raised an eyebrow at the motion.
“Just what I need. More to think about,� she muttered as she placed her empty glass on a passing tray being carried by one of the attendants and then took another one to replace it.
Billie Joe took it from her before she could take a swallow. “Maybe you should slow down.�
“You’re right,� she said taking it back from him.
He reached out and slid their free hands together. “What’s going on with you?� he asked worriedly.
The touch caused her to breathe in shallowly. Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. Oh God. Her eyes widened at the approaching figure. She was going to kill Emma for making them go. Kill her. Her hand tightened unconsciously against Billie Joe’s.
“Stef?�
Stef couldn’t help but take a drink.
Billie Joe followed her gaze. “Oh.�
Stef shook her head. “Billie Joe…�
“Hey.� Adrienne smiled at the pair. “I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I saw you two across the room.�
This was not happening right now. Stef took another large sip of her wine and blinked. Nope. It was. She plastered a polite smile on her face. “Hi,� she uttered out before drinking some more.
“Adrienne. How have you been?� Billie Joe greeted.
Before Adrienne could even contemplate a response to Billie Joe’s question, Stef’s voice cut-in. “Will you both excuse me? I’m empty,� she said motioning helplessly to her glass. She stepped away, her fingers slipping from Billie Joe’s. But she wasn’t fast enough.
Billie Joe grabbed Stef’s wrist as she moved forward. “Stef maybe...�
“I think I see someone I know,� Stef pronounced interjecting. “I should get some mingling time in while I look for that drink. Don’t want people thinking I’m ignoring them.� She let out a small laugh. Forced of course. Billie Joe noticed. He passed her a wary look. Stef pretended she didn’t see.
Instead she tilted her head to Adrienne. “It was good seeing you again. We’ll talk later?� she said, dishing out the line she normally reserved for industry obligations. And as an afterthought added, “Say hello to that cute boyfriend of yours for me will you.�
Adrienne simply nodded in response. “Of course. Nice seeing you too.�
Stef matched her smile, and then leaned over and gave Billie Joe a quick kiss on the cheek. She smudged the lipstick trace she left. “I’ll be back,� she promised gently, removing herself from his grasp.
Billie Joe and Adrienne both watched Stef head off. “I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much,� Adrienne alluded as Stef stopped mid-way across the room to talk to someone.
“She’s just tired,� Billie Joe remarked hastily, then frowned, when he recognized who it was exactly she had stopped to talk to. Charlie Simpson. Billie Joe ignored that tightening in his chest as he thought of her hasty retreat. Turning away abruptly from the sight, he took a quick sip of wine. “So tell me. What have you been up to?�
**************************************
She never did get that other drink. After her run-in with the two exes, Stef found herself on the balcony outside. She could hardly think, let alone try to have a decent conversation with anyone inside. Her mind was swimming with too much. Because when she ran into Charlie and he called her Steffi her heart fluttered. But it didn’t flutter in the way it used to. Maybe it was because the whole time she was catching up with her ex-boyfriend all she could think about was that Billie Joe was talking to his ex-girlfriend on the other side of the room, his beautiful ex-girlfriend. And here she was talking to Charlie and being introduced to his date, another beautiful woman. And it confused her because she could almost say she didn’t care about Charlie and his date. But she cared with Billie Joe. She cared with Billie Joe. And that was just calling for trouble. She was supposed to be avoiding trouble.
“I thought I’d find you out here.�
Speak of the devil… Stef closed her eyes tight at the familiar voice. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. She lost herself in the sensation of having him there with her. Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe.
“Everything okay?� he murmured into her hair. She nodded.
“Liar.�
Despite the gravity of it all, she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the comment. She buried her face against his chest seeking some sort of small comfort from her thoughts.
“I thought you were coming right back?�
Stef sighed. “I needed some fresh air,� she said simply, hoping he wouldn’t press her for any more details. What could she say? I’m out here because I had a run-in with my ex-boyfriend and I’m not really jealous he had a date but I think I’m jealous of your ex-girlfriend even though I shouldn’t be because its not like we’re together and by the way remember when I said no complications well I think we’re going to have some if I continue to have these kinds of thoughts about you in my head so please do us both a favor and step away so that way my heart won’t beat like this and we can just get back to normal when everything was a little bit more simple well then again was it ever simple well it was relatively simple just we need to stop whatever this is turning out to be and stick to the plan. No way was that coming out of her mouth. Fresh air, that was enough of an explanation.
Billie Joe knew when not to push. He let the explanation slide. Leaning forward, he brushed his cheek against hers. “Well you’re missing all the fun out here you know. They started dancing in there.�
Stef’s lower lip caught in her teeth. The closeness was a little too much for her senses. He was making this hard for her. “Dancing?�
“Dance with me Stevie.�
She tilted her head up and met his eyes. Big mistake. “Hmm?�
“Dance with me,� he repeated turning her around so she faced him.
Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. She adverted her gaze so that she looked past him at the double doors that led back inside, anything but into his eyes. “I guess we should get back inside. I’ve been out here for a while… people might talk.�
One of his hands came up and smoothed out her hair, brushing the strands so they swept off her shoulders. “Not inside.�
Her gaze returned to him. “What?�
“Right now.�
“We can’t dance out here,� Stef managed to get out.
“What’s stopping us?� he responded, moving her arms so they wrapped around his neck.
“Billie Joe there isn’t any music out here,� Stef sputtered as his arms found their way around her waist.
“So?� he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, pulling away from her a bit, a small smile on his face. “We’ll make some.�
“But...� Stef began before Billie Joe’s silenced her with his finger on her lips.
“Just dance with me Stef.� He pulled her tighter to him so that her head was resting against his shoulder. And as promised he made some music. He sang.
“Everybody wants to know her name, Now that she’s got rhythm and found fame…�
And that was the point that Stef began to giggle, hard. It was too much for her, what with the multicoloured hair thing. He stopped his singing when she playfully pushed him as they continued to sway. “You think you’re funny don’t you?� He grinned—not that she was looking at him, but it was one of those smiles she could hear in the way he breathed.
“We needed music,� Billie Joe said innocently.
Stef lifted her head off his shoulder at the comment. Brown eyes met green. “Are you trying to be cute?�
“Well Miss Picky what would you like to hear instead?� he asked.
Her lips formed into a shy smile, caught up in the way his eyes sparkled when he was happy. “Well if you didn’t notice the kind of dancing we’re doing calls for something a little bit slower in tempo.�
“Ah, I see.�
Stef placed her head back down. “Sing me something sweet Billie Joe.�
And he did.
‘I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight,
I've never seen you shine so bright,
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance,
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance,
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing,
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes,
I have been blind;
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,
It's where I want to be,
But I hardly know this beauty by my side,
I’ll never forget the way you look tonight;’
If people were watching them they would have noticed the glow on her face.
’I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight,
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing,
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side,
And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away,
And I have never had such a feeling,
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight;
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,
It's where I want to be,
But I hardly know this beauty by my side,
I'll never forget the way you look tonight;’
And they would have seen the way he held her just a little bit longer when it was over, swaying there on the balcony in silence for the rest of the evening. After all, he was Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe.
‘I never will forget the way you look tonight...
The lady in red, the lady in red,
The lady in red, my lady in red…’
He’d gotten up at least an hour ago. Then again he had been up as long as she had really. Billie Joe couldn’t sleep either. Even though her back was to him, she could tell by the way he was breathing. But she didn’t make any move to talk, even though she sensed he wanted to. Sensed that he wanted to reach over and wake her up. Instead she pretended that she was fast asleep when she felt him stare at her in the darkness. Instead she watched the way the moonlight cascaded against the wall through the curtains. She didn’t stir when he got up and walked onto the balcony. But when he left, she pressed a hand on his pillow. Her hand traced his side of the bed, still warm even though he was no longer there. She kept telling herself she didn’t want to deal with emotions. But she couldn’t help how as she lay there, she watched that glass door hoping that maybe he’d walk back in and she could.
“You coming in soon?�
Billie Joe pulled his stare away from the night sky he had been observing for some time, and glanced over his shoulder at her approaching figure. He turned back, leaning over and resumed his stance, resting his arms against the railing of the bedroom balcony. “In a while. I sort of like it out here. It’s peaceful.�
“I know what you mean,� she replied wistfully coming up beside him, leaning over just as he was, and looking up at the stars. “Makes you wonder how some things can be so perfect.� She stared out into the distance.
He quickly glanced at her. “I thought you were sleeping.�
“No. I just pretend pretty well.�
And with that said, they stood there in silence for a minute, lost in their own separate thoughts, neither of them breaking the reverie.
That is until Billie Joe straightened up. “Want to talk about why you can’t sleep?�
Her eyes lowered from her stargaze. “I’m just stressed. You know the tour, Kara,� she said plainly, before looking up again into the darkness.
They both knew it wasn’t just that. They both knew what it really was. Billie Joe rubbed the back of his neck, unsure of where to begin with her. He had a lot of things on his mind that were in need of clearing up. Stef could ignore things, but he couldn’t. Not this time. Not anymore.
“Stef… About earlier with Adrienne…�
“Billie Joe you don’t have to explain.�
He nodded grimly, and then turned away from her, doing as she was and looking back up at the sky. It took another minute before he broke their silence again. “I sort of envy him sometimes you know.�
“Who?� Stef asked as she focused on him.
“Mike.�
“Mike?�
He ran his fingers through his hair nervously. “That’s why today I…I’m not jealous about the thought of you two together. I don't think that at all. The thing is I…I’m jealous of how you are with him. You…I mean you and I…we just… we’ve never been able to talk like that, be together like that, not really. It’s different with us.� He gripped the railing. “Now. Four months ago. We still haven’t changed Stef. Friends. Not friends. Polite. Civil. Mad. Hateful. No matter what it’s the same. We’re still in the same place we’ve always been. And I just…sometimes I wish that we weren’t. I wish that…� He paused and looked at her then, really looked at her. Looked at her like he was trying to find something in the way she was looking back at him. His green eyes trying to find what he knew he’d seen before, that tiny spark of need. He needed to know what she thought of him, that he was important to her. Billie Joe’s voice was low and steady as he could make it when he said it, “You know if Adrienne hadn’t walked in I would have kissed you. I wanted to kiss you.�
At the name, Stef let out a short breath. “Adrienne,� she repeated her voice soft and hesitant. “Something happened with you know. Seeing her with you I couldn’t help but feel…� She offered him a timid smile. “It’s not pretend. It’s not preconceived. Whatever emotions that swarmed through you when you saw her today. They were genuine, even though they might not have been the same kind of feelings they used to be, they were still real.� Her hand fluttered up from the railing to touch his cheek. At the contact with his skin, Stef’s voice grew a little shakier. “We’re not like that Billie Joe. We’re not real. You can’t kiss a person that doesn’t exist.�
He stopped the soft caress across his face, reaching up and clasping her hand. “You’re wrong.�
Stef regarded him sadly before she closed the distance between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck, standing on her tiptoes so she could hug him tightly, as if she had to prove to herself that he was really there. “We’ve come so far Billie Joe. Let’s not complicate what’s already so complicated,� she whispered pressing her face against his shoulder, trying to prolong the moment, letting herself get lost in the way she felt in his arms. She just wanted to hold onto the moments like these when she was just Stef and he was just Billie Joe and nothing more.
His arms closed around her. “Stef I…�
She pulled away before he could say anymore, “I’m going to go back inside and try to get some sleep. We have New York tomorrow and everything.� Stef gave him another tentative smile, as she backed up. “Promise me you won’t stay out here too long. That you’ll come back to bed in a little bit? Don’t want you to get sick.�
And with that she went back inside, leaving him standing there alone. She left him there under the sky, in the wee hours of the morning.
And so it was. Under the sky, Billie Joe shut his eyes and leaned over the balcony once again, trying to figure out when exactly things had changed so much between them and how they could make it right. He never did get to sleep.
By the time they left for the party, it was almost back to normal. Almost. Stef was draped on Billie Joe’s arm when they headed down to meet the other guys in the limousine. She was a little quiet, but she was smiling at everyone. Laughing at Tre’s antics, she even winked at Mike when he silently asked her if she was okay by tapping the side of her thigh. But things were different. There was unspoken tension in the air even if Billie Joe and Stef were holding hands.
She was nervous. It was strange. For the first time she didn’t know how to act around him. She didn’t know how to be. She was nervous to the point that her stomach was doing that flip-flop thing. When he let her hand go for the first time that night asking her if she wanted a drink she had barely managed a yes. And when he had walked off and her eyes followed him, all she kept on thinking was this was just Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. She couldn’t believe she had gotten to the point where she had to keep telling herself that.
“You nervous?�
Stef’s eyes widened a little. “Nervous?�
“You’re going to bite that fingernail off,� Billie Joe teased, holding one of the wine glasses he was carrying out to her.
She immediately removed the finger away from her mouth; giving him an uneasy smile as she took the wine he was offering her. And then she proceeded to take a large sip from it, a very large sip. “It’s just…this party and…� Stef took another drink. “I don’t…� She tilted the glass to her lips again but Billie Joe’s hand on her own stopped her. He lowered the glass.
“Calm down Stef.�
Stef bit her lip and nodded. Her gaze straying to the glass, it was almost empty.
“What’s wrong?�
She lifted her eyes up to find his green eyes questioning her. They were so brown right now, very, very brown. A girl could get lost. She gulped and gave him a hesitant smile. “Nothing,� she lied lifting the drink back up. But it didn’t make it. It was about halfway to her mouth when she froze at the sight across the room. Her stomach dropped. “Charlie,� she breathed out. Her heart seemed to stop for a second. She’d known he was going to be here. She knew. But she hadn’t counted on the fact that he was there with someone else. A very familiar someone else, a face she recognized as a popular blonde model. He had never been into blondes. Had he? She blinked rapidly.
“Who?�
Stef downed the rest of the wine in one take.
Billie Joe raised an eyebrow at the motion.
“Just what I need. More to think about,� she muttered as she placed her empty glass on a passing tray being carried by one of the attendants and then took another one to replace it.
Billie Joe took it from her before she could take a swallow. “Maybe you should slow down.�
“You’re right,� she said taking it back from him.
He reached out and slid their free hands together. “What’s going on with you?� he asked worriedly.
The touch caused her to breathe in shallowly. Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. Oh God. Her eyes widened at the approaching figure. She was going to kill Emma for making them go. Kill her. Her hand tightened unconsciously against Billie Joe’s.
“Stef?�
Stef couldn’t help but take a drink.
Billie Joe followed her gaze. “Oh.�
Stef shook her head. “Billie Joe…�
“Hey.� Adrienne smiled at the pair. “I just wanted to stop by and say hello. I saw you two across the room.�
This was not happening right now. Stef took another large sip of her wine and blinked. Nope. It was. She plastered a polite smile on her face. “Hi,� she uttered out before drinking some more.
“Adrienne. How have you been?� Billie Joe greeted.
Before Adrienne could even contemplate a response to Billie Joe’s question, Stef’s voice cut-in. “Will you both excuse me? I’m empty,� she said motioning helplessly to her glass. She stepped away, her fingers slipping from Billie Joe’s. But she wasn’t fast enough.
Billie Joe grabbed Stef’s wrist as she moved forward. “Stef maybe...�
“I think I see someone I know,� Stef pronounced interjecting. “I should get some mingling time in while I look for that drink. Don’t want people thinking I’m ignoring them.� She let out a small laugh. Forced of course. Billie Joe noticed. He passed her a wary look. Stef pretended she didn’t see.
Instead she tilted her head to Adrienne. “It was good seeing you again. We’ll talk later?� she said, dishing out the line she normally reserved for industry obligations. And as an afterthought added, “Say hello to that cute boyfriend of yours for me will you.�
Adrienne simply nodded in response. “Of course. Nice seeing you too.�
Stef matched her smile, and then leaned over and gave Billie Joe a quick kiss on the cheek. She smudged the lipstick trace she left. “I’ll be back,� she promised gently, removing herself from his grasp.
Billie Joe and Adrienne both watched Stef head off. “I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much,� Adrienne alluded as Stef stopped mid-way across the room to talk to someone.
“She’s just tired,� Billie Joe remarked hastily, then frowned, when he recognized who it was exactly she had stopped to talk to. Charlie Simpson. Billie Joe ignored that tightening in his chest as he thought of her hasty retreat. Turning away abruptly from the sight, he took a quick sip of wine. “So tell me. What have you been up to?�
**************************************
She never did get that other drink. After her run-in with the two exes, Stef found herself on the balcony outside. She could hardly think, let alone try to have a decent conversation with anyone inside. Her mind was swimming with too much. Because when she ran into Charlie and he called her Steffi her heart fluttered. But it didn’t flutter in the way it used to. Maybe it was because the whole time she was catching up with her ex-boyfriend all she could think about was that Billie Joe was talking to his ex-girlfriend on the other side of the room, his beautiful ex-girlfriend. And here she was talking to Charlie and being introduced to his date, another beautiful woman. And it confused her because she could almost say she didn’t care about Charlie and his date. But she cared with Billie Joe. She cared with Billie Joe. And that was just calling for trouble. She was supposed to be avoiding trouble.
“I thought I’d find you out here.�
Speak of the devil… Stef closed her eyes tight at the familiar voice. A pair of arms wrapped around her from behind. She lost herself in the sensation of having him there with her. Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe.
“Everything okay?� he murmured into her hair. She nodded.
“Liar.�
Despite the gravity of it all, she couldn’t help but laugh a little at the comment. She buried her face against his chest seeking some sort of small comfort from her thoughts.
“I thought you were coming right back?�
Stef sighed. “I needed some fresh air,� she said simply, hoping he wouldn’t press her for any more details. What could she say? I’m out here because I had a run-in with my ex-boyfriend and I’m not really jealous he had a date but I think I’m jealous of your ex-girlfriend even though I shouldn’t be because its not like we’re together and by the way remember when I said no complications well I think we’re going to have some if I continue to have these kinds of thoughts about you in my head so please do us both a favor and step away so that way my heart won’t beat like this and we can just get back to normal when everything was a little bit more simple well then again was it ever simple well it was relatively simple just we need to stop whatever this is turning out to be and stick to the plan. No way was that coming out of her mouth. Fresh air, that was enough of an explanation.
Billie Joe knew when not to push. He let the explanation slide. Leaning forward, he brushed his cheek against hers. “Well you’re missing all the fun out here you know. They started dancing in there.�
Stef’s lower lip caught in her teeth. The closeness was a little too much for her senses. He was making this hard for her. “Dancing?�
“Dance with me Stevie.�
She tilted her head up and met his eyes. Big mistake. “Hmm?�
“Dance with me,� he repeated turning her around so she faced him.
Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe. She adverted her gaze so that she looked past him at the double doors that led back inside, anything but into his eyes. “I guess we should get back inside. I’ve been out here for a while… people might talk.�
One of his hands came up and smoothed out her hair, brushing the strands so they swept off her shoulders. “Not inside.�
Her gaze returned to him. “What?�
“Right now.�
“We can’t dance out here,� Stef managed to get out.
“What’s stopping us?� he responded, moving her arms so they wrapped around his neck.
“Billie Joe there isn’t any music out here,� Stef sputtered as his arms found their way around her waist.
“So?� he answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, pulling away from her a bit, a small smile on his face. “We’ll make some.�
“But...� Stef began before Billie Joe’s silenced her with his finger on her lips.
“Just dance with me Stef.� He pulled her tighter to him so that her head was resting against his shoulder. And as promised he made some music. He sang.
“Everybody wants to know her name, Now that she’s got rhythm and found fame…�
And that was the point that Stef began to giggle, hard. It was too much for her, what with the multicoloured hair thing. He stopped his singing when she playfully pushed him as they continued to sway. “You think you’re funny don’t you?� He grinned—not that she was looking at him, but it was one of those smiles she could hear in the way he breathed.
“We needed music,� Billie Joe said innocently.
Stef lifted her head off his shoulder at the comment. Brown eyes met green. “Are you trying to be cute?�
“Well Miss Picky what would you like to hear instead?� he asked.
Her lips formed into a shy smile, caught up in the way his eyes sparkled when he was happy. “Well if you didn’t notice the kind of dancing we’re doing calls for something a little bit slower in tempo.�
“Ah, I see.�
Stef placed her head back down. “Sing me something sweet Billie Joe.�
And he did.
‘I've never seen you looking so lovely as you did tonight,
I've never seen you shine so bright,
I've never seen so many men ask you if you wanted to dance,
They're looking for a little romance, given half a chance,
And I have never seen that dress you're wearing,
Or the highlights in your hair that catch your eyes,
I have been blind;
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,
It's where I want to be,
But I hardly know this beauty by my side,
I’ll never forget the way you look tonight;’
If people were watching them they would have noticed the glow on her face.
’I've never seen you looking so gorgeous as you did tonight,
I've never seen you shine so bright, you were amazing,
I've never seen so many people want to be there by your side,
And when you turned to me and smiled, it took my breath away,
And I have never had such a feeling,
Such a feeling of complete and utter love, as I do tonight;
The lady in red is dancing with me, cheek to cheek,
There's nobody here, it's just you and me,
It's where I want to be,
But I hardly know this beauty by my side,
I'll never forget the way you look tonight;’
And they would have seen the way he held her just a little bit longer when it was over, swaying there on the balcony in silence for the rest of the evening. After all, he was Billie Joe. Just Billie Joe.
‘I never will forget the way you look tonight...
The lady in red, the lady in red,
The lady in red, my lady in red…’
