Paper Parachute | Celebrity Romance

8.

"Thanks, and um, thanks for defending me in that interview. I don't know what I'd have done if this opportunity had slipped through my fingers because of such a stupid mistake."

"Well," he started. "If you really wanna thank me, come to lunch. I'm sure you're hungry and I could use the company." He bit his lip nervously not sure how she would respond to his offer.

"Do you think that's such a good idea? Won't us being seen together just stir up more rumors and cause more trouble?"

"It might, but I'm willing to take the risk if you are. Besides, it's just two friends having lunch, nothing wrong with that."

She cocked her head and stared at him and he tried not to let his anxiety be visible. He wanted to spend time with her and his fear of being rejected was growing exponentially with every passing moment.

"I guess we could do that." She finally said, pushing her brown bag strap farther up on her shoulder. "Besides another picture of us together would probably make my managers day."

Blake ignored that last part and instead focused on the unfamiliar sensation in his stomach when she agreed to have lunch with him. A warm feeling that started in his belly and worked its way into his chest. If he had to label it, he'd say it felt a little like hope. Hope for a future where he could be more than just the Bad Boy of LA.

He smiled at her and led the way out of the building, pointing to the parking lot where his car was parked, he'd driven himself in that morning wanting the distraction to help clear his mind.

"You wanna just ride with me?" He asked, looking back to her for a reply.

She nodded and followed along behind him.

•

"So what's your story?" Blake asked her as they took their seats in a booth in a diner that reminded Blair a lot of Deno's.

She had to remember to drop by and see him sometime this weekend. The past few days had been a whirlwind and she was already missing the only father like figure she'd had in years.

"What's good here?" She asked, hoping the switch in subjects would go unnoticed.

"I always get breakfast food, it's my favorite. I really like the scramble special."

"The eggs, sausage, bacon, peppers, and cheese in a bowl thing?"

"Yeah, I like it. But everyone says the burgers here are good too."

"I don't much like burgers." She said averting her eyes as she scrunched her nose.

"Vegetarian?" He asked, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

She shook her head. "No, just never have been a big fan of beef. I don't like the texture."

"That's weird, Andrews." He said with a smirk. She just shrugged.

"Never said I wasn't weird." She smiled.

He liked her sass. Her quick wit was interesting, a rarity in a town where ditzy girls were a dime a dozen, and it certainly kept him on his toes.

The waitress came and Blake ordered his usual with coffee, Blair getting the same but with chocolate milk.

He gave her a weird look and she rolled her eyes. "I always get chocolate milk with breakfast food."

He just smiled. She was a far cry from Ashley. His ex had always ordered egg whites and fruit with water, or a salad, always terrified of straying from her diet. He liked that Blair seemed up for anything.

"So back to my question you tried to avoid, how did you end up at Tidal?"

Blair thought for a minute, debating on how much she wanted to share with him. She didn't have anything crazy to hide in her past but telling him about her life meant opening up. Something that she could tell neither of them were very fond of. She didn't let new people into her world often and though she hadn't seen the side of him the press liked to portray, she'd seen enough video evidence to know at least some form of the asshole they had depicted lived within him.

"I grew up in Virginia. A small town no ones ever heard of and everyone there..." She pursed her lips trying to figure out how best to explain it. "They just never leave. They grow up and marry the guy they dated in high school, have babies, become nurses or factory workers and stay in little old Lynchville until they die. I don't know, I just wanted more."

"I can understand that. I was born in Florida. I lived on a naval base there until I was seven, that's when my dad got reassigned to San Diego."

"Oh so you're a military brat?" She joked.

"Something like that."

"Is your dad still in?"

"He, um." Blake pondered for a moment if he should tell her the truth. "He had PTSD real bad. He OD'd about a year before the band took off."

"Shit, Blake I'm so sorry."

"It's fine it was like five years ago now. I think a lot of the way I am, the bad parts of me, are because of his death and just everything that's happened since. He was like my best friend and I never thought I would lose him when I was twenty years old." He stopped talking as the waitress appeared with their food.

"At least you had a good relationship with your dad. My parents, they just, they have never understood me. They're still in Lynchville but I haven't seen them in years. They call a few times a year but that's it."

He frowned at the sad look that crossed her face as she talked about her parents. He couldn't imagine having that kind of relationship with his folks. His dad had been his hero and he adored his mother.

He didn't know what to say to comfort her and he didn't want to make things worse so he took the cowards way out and picked up his fork, digging into his breakfast bowl.

An: alrighty so we learned a little more about Blair and Blake what do you think?

Next chapter: the rest of their time together and then Christmas!!

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