behind blue eyes ― jimmy page

xi. ELEVEN

"No," she interrupted, a flood of relief washing through her when she realised that he wasn't going to interrogate her or belittle her for the previous nights decisions. "You're right. We were both drunk, and I needed something to distract me from him. And you were... fun, and available."

Jimmy smiled at her, but it was slightly smaller than the mischievous grin she was used to. And beneath that rush of relief inside of her, the blonde felt a tiny tingle of what might've been guilt too. "So you've forgiven me for ruining your party and stealing all the attention?" He asked.

Sadie rose an eyebrow at the man, a prickle of that old annoyance replacing that guilt instantly. "Ask me again after aspirin and coffee."

【☆】

SADIE SAT ALONE in Jimmy's downstairs living room that afternoon, in a fresh t-shirt and some denim jeans of his that were almost comically large on her tiny frame. After their early-morning chat they'd both shared a coffee downstairs and then Jimmy had gone back to the studio to meet with his band. She had tried to call a cab for herself, too, until he promised she could stay at his house until she felt ready to go back and face the consequences of the previous night. She was relieved, although truthfully she didn't think she'd ever be ready to hear the angry messages that were no doubt piling up on her answering machine.

     The singer spent most of the rest of the day sleeping off her hangover in Jimmy's bed, and then playing songs on his guitars off the music sheets he left lying around. There were so many pages of unfinished tunes it made her head spin, some of them short and sweet and others complex and never ending. But she could hear little bits of him in all of them, and thought she could've sat there playing them for hours. It was bittersweet to have a piece of him she could hold, and hear, even when he was gone.

     Around 2pm a young boy arrived at the door with a bag full of things and a scribbled note folded on top. She thanked the boy for the bag and closed to door, pulling the note out first: back soon -J. She smiled and pushed the paper into her pocket before looking at the rest of the bag. There was cartons of food inside from the Chinese place down the road from the studio, and a rolled up magazine.

     Once she'd sat down at the bar with her food she unrolled the magazine and saw the front cover. Looking back at her in glossy black and white was herself from the night before, poking her tongue out and holding up her middle finger for the paparazzi as she and Jimmy left the venue. The words 'Drama at the Tempest release party (page 4)' were written in saturated red over the top of them. A scowl crossed Sadie's face as she flicked to page 4 and saw an 'I'm sorry :(' sticky note covering the article. She snorted as she moved it aside to read the text.

     Tensions were running high last night at the London album-launch party for Tempest's new album 'Easy doesn't do it'. Sources close to the band told us that the night started off with the band's lead singer, Sadie Scott, throwing a tantrum and demanding various guests to be kicked out. Now we all know Scott is no stranger to tabloids after the bands last tour through the US, with stories of the singer unfairly firing members of the production team, getting drunk in public and starting bar fights. Last night, however, it was not Scott who was starting the fights. After Scott's initial tantrum early in the night, it's been alleged that two men got into a fight over the rock n' roller while on the dance floor, ending with the two men both being removed from the party soon after. One of the men is believed to be the high profile lead guitarist of the band Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, and the two were also later seen exiting the party together. Both Scott and Page  are known for their various partners over the years, but fans of both bands were still shocked by the strange coupling, whether it's serious or not.

     With a sigh Sadie gave up on finishing the rest of the gossip article — she'd read enough already to know how it would end — and tossed it into the trash bin beside the bar. She'd lost her appetite already though, and pushed away the food as well to return to the guitar once more. The picking of strings was a nice distraction, but it was still a few hours more before Jimmy arrived back to his Holland Park home.

     His arrival was announced by the slamming of the front door, causing Sadie to start and lose track of what she'd just been playing. A second later the guitarist stalked straight into the main room without a word of hello and went straight to the bar. Sadie watched him pull a bottle of whiskey from under the counter and fill up a glass for himself.

     "Long day?" She wondered.

     Jimmy grunted and downed the glass in one before refilling it. "Fucking paparazzi were outside the studio the whole day, and my whole band thinks I'm an idiot for what happened and will barely talk to me. Oh, and Cat found me and tried tricking me into telling her where you were, too, since nobody's been able to reach your phone."

     A small twinge of guilt pulled at Sadie's chest when she realised that while she was hiding away in Jimmy's house for the day, he was out there forced to lie for her. "So what did you tell her?" She asked tentatively.

     "That I dropped you off at a hotel last night and you were probably there waiting for things to blow over," he said with a sigh, carrying his glass over to slouch into the leather couch next to Sadie. "I don't think she believed me. I wouldn't be surprised if she convinces Robert to bring her over here looking for you."

     Sadie sighed and placed the guitar down next to her. "They'll figure out where I am at some point. It's probably better if I just go home and face it. Hiding is only going to make them even more mad at me."

     Jimmy frowned as he took a gulp of his whiskey. "I'm not going to kick you out. Stay as long as you need."

     "It's a nice offer, but it's probably unwise," a soft smile formed on the corners of the blonde's lips as she looked up into the sincerity of Jimmy's face. "After last night do you really think the two of us can ever be alone together and still make good decisions?"

     Without missing a beat Jimmy flashed the singer a grin. "Good? Maybe not. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it while it lasted."

The question that had been nagging Sadie all day suddenly rose up inside of her after his nonchalant comment. While it lasted... does that make it a one time thing? But she bit down on her tongue to stop herself from asking. She already knew that they were something more than friends but less than lovers. Was there really a word for two people who talked all the time, slept together, but never committed? A hot mess, probably.

"Well since you're in a generous mood then, do you mind if I stay one more night?" She asked finally, "I think a full night of sleep, undisturbed, will be good for when I eventually have to face everyone."

Jimmy shrugged and got up off the couch to refill his whiskey glass again. "Feel free. I'll even let you drink my liquor, free of charge."

"That's so kind of you. Are you sure you didn't get hit in the head too hard last night?" Sadie joked as she followed him to the bar to get herself her own drink. Jimmy chuckled as he poured a second glass full of the same amber drink as his own.

     The two of them drank the first few glasses in silence, and Sadie allowed a slight buzz to fill her brain. While they drank, Jimmy picked up the discarded guitar Sadie had been using earlier and started to play, the blonde humming along to wordless, unfinished songs without distinct beginnings or ends. The events of the previous night, and even of that day, slowly melted away, and Sadie allowed it to become just another buzzing that she locked away in the back of her mind to be dealt with later. Tomorrow she would have to go back to the studio and face the consequences of her actions, have to deal with her manager, and her friends, who would probably force her to release a press statement or do some repentant interview before their tour. But tonight it was just her, and Jimmy, and warm whiskey in her bloodstream until the hours grew late and the two of them finally stumbled up into bed and Sadie tumbled once more into relieving, drunken sleep.

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

word count: 2054

just a small chapter after the events of the last one. a did wants to add a little bit more fluff, but also just sadie and jimmy going straight back to being uncommitted angsty whiners again