Jade gasped.
She covered her eyes with her hands.
Oh, Jesus Christ the Redeemer!
Frank's towel had just fallen!
And she was there when it happened!
There wasn't a single girl in the world who could say she had witnessed this in the flesh!
There was no way!
And she was the chosen one among millions!
This could not be!
Why did these things happen to her?!
"Please tell me you've got your towel back on," Jade whispered, her body burning inside.
"Calm down," Frank said, and she moved two fingers to look at him.
She sighed, long and hard.
Frank was wearing neon green boxers with a black elastic waistband.
"I thought you weren't wearing anything under the towel," Jade whispered.
"I wasn't going to come in here just dressed in a towel! I didn't want to scare our surprise guest!" he said with a smile, but seeing her checking and inspecting every minute detail of his body, he reached down for the towel and wrapped it around his torso instead of his waist like when he entered the room. "I... I hope that it is not a disappointment to see that I am, well... You know... Almost a robot."
"What? No! It's not that! I mean, I've already seen you shirtless in the Jungle Spirit video... Many times... So, I'm already familiar with your..." Sensuality? God! Control yourself, Jade! "It doesn't matter."
"It matters to me sometimes," he said, walking towards a closet to Jade's right a little slowly, as if his bionic limbs weighed him down a bit. "Not as much as before, but it still affects me."
"Do not worry, it's alright," she assured him, and the boy nodded, taking off the towel to toss it onto the chair where Everett had been sitting earlier, "Actually, I think I like you a lot... I mean! Your body makes me really hot! I mean... What did I say?"
"I... I guess that’s... Flattering? But I just came for my clothes, I won't be long."
"Take your time," Jade said. She couldn't believe that she was here, in Frank Rubinstein's hotel room, watching him choose night clothes as if she were with a lifelong friend.
God!
This really couldn't be happening!
She even pinched herself to make sure she was awake!
"So, you're a fan," Frank said, and she nodded.
"I just like to hear harmonious voices. I particularly like it when you all sing like... I don't know? Opera?"
"You mean the choral interlude from 'My Beautiful Freak' when we harmonize?" Frank asked, and she nodded.
"Yeah, that thing," she was surprised that talking to this guy came so naturally.
Frank was very laid-back, easy-going, and not as threatening as Everett.
He was much taller than she thought and much more muscular than he looked on camera.
Frank was also very handsome, the kind of guy who drew attention just by being himself. And Jade was relaxed for the first time in front of one of her idols.
Her heart had calmed down a bit, but only a bit.
Her nerves made it hard for her to think rationally, so she did the most logical thing: she watched from afar and tried to keep her mouth shut. She feared making a fool of herself in front of Frank or any of the other guys in the band. Jade was not a very normal girl, with varied tastes but none interesting to other girls her age, and she was always very shy when talking to men. She was never interested in being on the cheerleading squad, she was never interested in being the centre of attention, and even if she wanted to, she was never worthy of prying eyes.
She enjoyed the simple things; she still collected dolls, she still daydreamed, and most importantly... She never had any interest in dating some cute boy like the other girls.
The only thing Jade had in common with the other girls at school was her love for Monster Mash, and even that was different.
She didn't dream of marrying any of the boys, nor did she dare say out loud how handsome she thought they were. People would think she was crazy if she said that she sometimes closed her eyes with her headphones on and the music playing loud to feel like she was with someone who accepted her.
She never even wanted to meet the boys in person, and now she was here, and for the first time, she had a fleeting thought of Frank, beautiful and sweet Frank, wrapping his arms around her.
Jade forced herself to stop those thoughts immediately before they took over, but her cheeks flushed red and her heart skipped several beats.
Even thinking of it made Jade feel giddy, and she couldn't help but smile.
Her eyes were fixed on Frank as he searched for something in the closet, and slowly lowered to his waist and below.
Something, a forbidden thought, crossed her mind as her eyes stopped at the level of Frank's shapely behind.