︵‿︵‿୨ 1972 ୧‿︵‿︵
"SADIE FUCKING SCOTT," the voice felt like a hammer straight to the temple. Instinctively, the blonde musician shrank backwards into her hooded jacket, hoping somehow that it would swallow her entirely. Her moment of hope was short-lived, however, as a tanned hand slapped down a glossy magazine on the countertop in front of her. "You've got one minute to explain to me what the hell this is."
Sadie pushed down the front of her sunglasses and squinted at the cover of the 'Cosmopolitan' magazine, trying to make her fuzzy brain hone in on the words printed there. "Looks like the Beatles are back at eachothers throats..." she commentated, half her mind occupied by the cover and the other half on figuring out how Caterina had gotten into her apartment without a key — did I leave the front door open?
"Do you think I'm thick?" Caterina hissed through clenched teeth, distracting her again. "I meant this!" A perfect, ruby-red nail scratched a mark into another heading: Sadie Scott's Boozy Sunday Caught on Film. The pit that was already present in the singer's stomach dropped through the floor, and she felt like she was going to be sick again. That is, if she'd had anything left in her stomach that she hadn't already thrown up that morning. "Jesus Christ, Sadie, what the hell were you thinking flouncing around drunk in public with Jimmy Page?"
Sadie dared to look up at her friend's fierce brown eyes and immediately wished she hadn't when she saw how disappointed they were. Sweet, sweet Caterina, who really thought Sadie was so much better than all of this tabloid drama. Sadie really wished the Latina woman was right, and yet every time she thought she was getting better she seemed to fall straight back into her messy lifestyle all over again. "I'm sorry." She said, knowing it wasn't enough, but it was all she had.
"About what?" Cat asked, her face relaxing a little bit. "About the the drunk in public thing, or for getting involved with Jimmy Page?"
"Both?"
"You know I wish that were true," Cat shook her head in half-exasperation and half-annoyance. But in classic Caterina style, she couldn't even pretend to stay mad at the blonde, her frown relaxing into a look of concern as she surveyed Sadie's sick (very hungover) appearance. "You're just lucky that you didn't get arrested for public intoxication or something. Here, let's get you into the bath and I'll make some toast and a cup of tea. I think we'll both need it."
"No no, I should go to the studio," Sadie tried to argue lamely. She hated being a burden to her band and to Caterina. But the latina woman was having none of Sadie's self-righteousness as she took hold of her sweater-clad arm and started to lead her to the upstairs bathroom. "Seriously, Cat, I promised them I'd be in this afternoon. The girls are probably—"
"At home taking a day off," Cat informed her. "I called them and informed them of the situation. They agreed to put off recording until tomorrow. But I think you can expect a good tongue lashing from Rene and Penny." Sadie groaned at the thought of it and pinched her eyes closed. God as if her day could get any worse... And still there was something nagging her at the back of her mind, like she was forgetting something important that happened last night... but maybe she was better off forgetting anyway.
They reached the bathroom and Sadie sat on the edge of the tub, her head throbbing almost unbearably now as Caterina turned on the faucets and the room started to fill with steam and the faint, nauseating smell of lavender oil. "Hop in and stay there a while," Cat encouraged as she headed for the door. "When you're done I'll make us some snacks and we can watch TV in bed for the rest of the day, sound good?" Sadie nodded and the brunette closed the door behind her. Sadie really didn't deserve Cat. Not in the slightest. But she was so darn grateful that she had her anyway.
The singer took her time soaking in the scalding water, letting it penetrate deep into her achy muscles and plaster her platinum hair to her neck and cheeks. It would have been soothing if her brain didn't continue to pulse and throb like it was caged inside of her skull. "Fucking hangovers," she mumbled as she swallowed a deep breath and plunged her head beneath the surface. She opened her eyes beneath the water and watched the surface ripple and and curl above her, fragments of the previous night starting to come back in bits and pieces. She remembered herself and Jimmy toasting whiskey neats at the bar a few blocks from her apartment while laughing over a forgotten joke. She then faintly recalled the two of them stumbling down the road and finally coming to sit on a park bench with a bottle of gin to share. She remembered being tired, and resting her head in his lap as they watched the sun fade and the moon rise over the small duck pond while they talked, and laughed, and drank. And she remembered him leaning down towards her, staring at her with intense navy eyes. And she remembered, just for a moment, the feeling of his mouth— NO! Sadie's head broke the surface and she dragged in a huge breath of air, water sloshing over the sides of the tub all around her.
There was a knock on the door and Cat called out. "Sadie are you alright?"
"I'm fine, just slipped a little!" Sadie called back in her most sober voice, her brain still stuck trying to replay that moment — was it even real? There was no way. She was just still drunk and must have imagined it. That was the only thing that made sense. Right? Yeah, totally. Just a figment of her drunk imagination. "I'll be out in a sec! Just gotta get changed!" She said as she stood up in the tub and tried to grab a towel to mop up the soaking floor.
"Oh— okay!" Cat sounded unconvinced, but thankfully didn't press it further. Sadie relaxed and climbed out of the tub properly, wrapping her favourite towel around her and breathing out a long sigh. She waited until the footsteps of Caterina had faded back down the stairs before she went to her room to change into a clean set of clothes.
She found Caterina again downstairs in the kitchen, cooking up french toast with the radio tuned in to one of her very own songs, seemingly unaware that the blonde was even in the room at all. Sadie picked up the magazine that had been left on the counter and flipped it open to the page with her own sad story printed on it.
SADIE SCOTT'S BOOZY SUNDAY CAUGHT ON FILM
Written by Claudia Baker
If you think Sunday is the time for a glass of wine or two and a new episode of 'Maude' on the telly, spare a thought for Sadie Scott, the lead singer of all-girl rock group 'Tempest', who couldn't even hold herself up as she stumbled out of her local bar this weekend. Now Scott is no stranger to a little boozy scandal here and there. But it seems that since the return of her band from their most recent tour, the singer has been partying harder than ever. Only this time, it was with none other than Led Zeppelin's infamous lead guitar, Jimmy Page, who is also known for his own scandals on the music scene.
Peep the pics our sources took of the pair running from our cameras yesterday evening—
Sadie looked up suddenly as the magazine was snatched from her hand by Caterina and deposited straight into the trash. The blonde opened her mouth to protest but was hushed quickly. "It's a rubbish magazine full of gossip and hearsay, and you don't need to read it." She told her, ever the mother, and then turned back to grab her french toast off of the stove. But as she slid the plate in front of her, the blonde found her appreciate had disappeared again, so she only took a small bite to be polite.
At least they didn't mention the park, she reasoned with herself internally. But that was only a small relief, considering she was still going to have to endure hours of endless lecturing from firstly her band, and secondly her management. She shook the thought away and stood up as Cat took her elbow and led the both of them upstairs to Sadie's bedroom where she could finally sink into her covers with her cat plopping himself down on her toes.
Sadie nibbled on her toast as Cat flicked through the channels on the TV, eventually settling on some reruns of a soap that Sadie hadn't heard of before. But she didn't complain about it, since she was just grateful to have Cat with her and be back in her own bed at last. Yesterday seemed so far away now that she was back in her apartment, and Jimmy Page even further. She wondered if he was back in his own house hungover and regretful too, although she doubted it. He was never really the regretful type. Just thinking about him made her head pulse painfully again, so she squeezed her eyes closed and lay back in her pillow.
If Caterina noticed that Sadie had stopped watching the show, she didn't show it, continuing just to chuckle softly at they cheesy one-liners and stroking the head of Harrison when he curled up in her lap. Sadie tried to only focus on those small moments, and not the memories of the day before which threatened to intrude upon her mind, until she could feel herself slowly starting to fall back to sleep again. She welcomed it gratefully.
【☆】
WHEN SADIE WOKE up for the second time that day, it was past noon and Caterina was asleep in the bed next to her. As the blonde sat up, she disturbed the napping Presley, who mewed in protest and dashed off the bed. Sadie stood to follow after him, her throat feeling dry and in need of a drink, until she heard the doorbell ring as she was halfway down the stairs. She diverted her path away from her main goal of a drink of water and made for the door instead, opening it up to see a parcel placed carefully on her porch steps.
A frown settled over the singer's features as she picked up the package and carried it back into the kitchen. It was a simple little box wrapped sloppily in brown paper, with a handwritten note on the front in a very familiar scribble: To Scottie, I'm Sorry. She tore away the paper to reveal a box of chocolates and a wrinkled paper folded to fit on top. For a second she was confused by it, until she opened up the paper to reveal the original, messy and scribbled copy of the song they'd finished writing together only a week ago. The only thing new about it was the title at the top: The Ocean, for Sadie.
Sadie breathed out a laugh and shook her head in semi-disbelief. Only Jimmy Page would apologise for getting her involved in a tabloid scandal with a box of chocolates and a paper.
"What's that?"
Sadie quickly stuffed the paper into her back pocket and turned around to see Caterina at the bottom of the stairs, holding a half-asleep Harrison in her arms and looking at the newly placed chocolates on the bench.
"A gift from Penny," Sadie, for the sake of not having to explain the situation, decided her best course of action was to lie to her best friend. "I guess she feels bad for my hangover."
The brunette nodded and walked over to sit down on the stool. "Are you feeling better now?" She asked as she placed down the cat again.
"Much. Thank you, Cat," the blonde offered the slight smile and leant in to hug her best friend, whose long legs had her standing much taller than the tiny rock-singer. After the two girls pulled away, Caterina tucked her hair behind her ears.
"I'm glad you are. But I think I've got to go," she said apologetically. "I already cancelled my day plans to come over, I should go back to my house and at least try and catch up on some work." Sadie didn't argue at all as the two said their goodbyes and the Latina woman left again for her own house.
Only once she was alone again did she unfold the paper from her back pocket and reread it. The Ocean, for Sadie. It didn't mean anything, so why did it make her entire body tingle and a stupid smile appear on her face? Maybe Lela was right when she said that Jimmy was going to ruin her life, but at the same time wasn't she already doing that on her own? Too many conflicting thoughts were going through her head, and she ached to have another drink and clear them out again.
The blonde chewed on the chocolates she'd been gifted as she carried the paper upstairs, finally putting it to rest on her bedside table against a picture frame. It covered up half of the faces in the frame, but she didn't really care considering she hadn't spoken to anyone in the picture in years. Her family had all-but cut her off when she'd first moved out with Dylan at 18, and she'd never responded to any of their letters trying to reach out since. The picture was more of a reminder of the fact that she didn't need anyone to get her to where she was, and spent most of the time flipped on its face anyway.
Sadie looked at the paper and unconsciously found herself touching her lips, as if subconsciously recalling the night before. But she quickly caught herself and stood up right as the phone began to ring. She stared at it for a second, wondering if she had just conjured up Jimmy with a thought, and then realised she was about to let it ring out and picked it up off the hook; "hello?"
"Did you get my gift?" A voice crackled over the line. Of fucking course it was Jimmy.
"Very sweet of you," Sadie confirmed with a slight grin forming on her face as she sat down on her bed to speak. "Feeling guilty for yesterday were you?"
Jimmy laughed on the other end of the line, and Sadie could picture his sarcastic grin without seeing it. "I don't regret anything from yesterday except that we got caught. But I figured you might." Sadie wondering for just a second if he was referring to their moment shared on the bench when he'd kissed her. But she knew he couldn't be, he probably didn't even remember being in the park at all.
"Classic Page," she scolded lightly, although she knew he'd see right through her just from the lightness in her tone. God why was she feeling so giddy hearing his voice? Maybe it was a side-effect of being hungover. Although it wasn't one she'd experienced before.
"Come on, Scottie, don't act like you don't love it," Jimmy said, and Sadie only wished he was joking. She wondered when they had finally crossing that line from mutual enemies to actual friends (if they could even be called that). "Anyway, I just wanted to see how you were recovering. We were both pretty pissed last night."
"I'm fine now. But this morning I looked like I belonged in a horror film."
"I would've paid to see that," Jimmy laughed, bringing another unwilling smile to Sadie's face. "But in case it makes you feel better, I was probably worse. I actually fell out of bed this morning — got the bruise to prove it and everything."
"You're right, that does make me feel better," Sadie mocked, her tone soon switching back to a more serious note after it had faded. "But seriously I— I am grateful. Despite being splashed all over the tabloids as a drunkards I actually enjoyed myself yesterday..."
There was a pause that seemed to last hours on the other end, and Sadie's chest restricted, making her wonder if she'd said something wrong. "Me too," he said eventually, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey are you... are you free right now?"
Sadie knew that even if she wasn't just sitting at home in her pyjamas she probably would've cancelled any plans she had to simply talk with him. "Yeah why?"
"No reason, I've just been sitting here for about an hour trying to think of a melody to match one of my new lyrics."
Sadie settled back into her pile of pillows and rose her knees to her chest. "Play what you've got for me. I'll try and help." She said despite knowing it was a bad idea and she probably wouldn't sleep again tonight. But she didn't really care, since right now hearing the sound of his voice seemed much more important than any amount of sleep in the world. And so he played her his half-written song, and again the two spend the night talking over the phone, until Sadie fell asleep in the early hours of the morning with it still clutched in her hand. So she didn't hear Jimmy when he wished her a quiet goodnight and finally hung it up again.
｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆
word count: 2964
in case anyone hadn't noticed sadie is so WHIPPED for jimmy rn 🤠 and get ready for some more heated tension soon because this slow burn is killing me