Paper Parachute | Celebrity Romance

10.

"We can talk about something else if you want." She said quietly as he closed his eyes.

"No, it's fine. I think it's good, really. Talking about everything. I don't know what it is about you Blair but I like talking to you. I've never felt like I could share this part of my life with anyone else. Especially so quickly. You know more of my secrets than even my ex did. Just promise you're not gonna like turn on me and go spread all my darkest, deepest shit to the tabloids."

"I would never, Bla-"

"I'm kidding Blair. I trust you." He told her earnestly.

She looked at the man she was coming to know through the screen, his green eyes locked on hers.

"There's a little bit more. I was drinking, heavily, and I was generally an asshole to women. It's not a period of my life I'm particularly proud of and it's not the person who I want to be, but I can't change the past. The press seems determined to keep me as a villain. As that particular very fucking hurt version of myself and I just have to keep doing my best to be better. It's been a lot of small steps but recently those steps have seemed easier than ever. Eventually the truth will come around."

"You're not a bad guy, Blake. You know that right?"

There was no way to ignore the way his throat worked as he grit his teeth and blinked quickly for a moment. "Thanks Blair. That means more to me than you know. The Blake you know isn't a bad guy but he's definitely been one before. I'm doing my best to keep this version of him around."

She heard the sound of piano keys from his side of the line, sweet a melodic, and she assumed that was the end of that particular conversation for the night.

She loved when he opened up to her, when he made himself vulnerable. It was in those moments she truly felt like she knew him. Those were the times that she got to see a side of him that only a few people were lucky enough to know. To the world he portrayed this hard and rough exterior but he had a kind heart she was learning more about each day and it was that same kind heart that had Blake Everett working his way into hers.

And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around

All of his questions, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground. So I like to keep my issues drawn but it's always darkest before the dawn.

He looked to her through the phone after he finished and she smiled. "It's perfect."

"I feel like we're done with it now. We had the ending we wanted. Just need to get in the booth tomorrow and finish it off."

"I can't believe we're gonna have a song together." She couldn't hide her enthusiasm.

"Me either." He reached backwards to scratch at the nape of his neck. "I —uh. I'm not big on collaborations."

"No shit, you've never done one." She teased.

"To be fair, neither have you." He smirked.

Defending herself she shot back, "Yeah and I have about five weeks in the industry, you have five years!"

"Details, baby, details."

Blair didn't say anything, but her breath caught in her throat when he called her baby. She couldn't read anything into it. Surely it was just a slip up, a phrase that meant nothing even though she would spend the whole night overthinking its meaning. They were friends sure, but they'd really only just met. Even so, she couldn't help the way his words had made her feel.