I wasn't sure what I'd expected meeting a famous popstar to be like, but perhaps I'd been naïve not to assume that it would be treated like a military operation. I did think it strange that so many people would be chilling in the hotel lobby at midnight, but at no point did it occur to me that these were all his people, undercover to keep an eye on things.
And he wasn't even in the lobby. That was presumably just to make sure nobody tracked us to the meeting place. In fact, as we took a lift, followed by stairs, followed by another lift, I started to wonder whether the complex route was designed to stop Becca and me from repeating it.
"I'll leave you both here," the man said after a mostly silent journey to the top floor. At least it felt like the top floor. "Teddy is in the room at the end. Have a nice evening."
Becca threaded her fingers through mine, and sensing her onset of nerves, I led the way down the corridor.
"What if he's not very nice in real life? Or if he's exhausted from performing and can't be bothered with us? Oh my God, what if he's—?"
"Bec," I said, squeezing her hand, "it'll be fine. I'm right here with you."
Before she could say another word, I reached out and rapped my knuckles against the door. A few seconds later, it opened inwards, and Becca's grip on my hand tightened to the point of cutting off my blood supply.
Teddy Stone's tall frame filled the doorway, looking every inch the supermodel in ripped jeans and a white, baggy t-shirt. His dark hair was damp, and a relaxed smile played at his lips, dimples that were now visible at such close proximity only adding to his attractiveness.
"Hi," I said with a smile when Becca didn't speak. "I'm Sophia and this is Becca. We're the lucky recipients of the VIP tickets."
"Come on in," he said, his voice sounding much softer when not amplified through a microphone.
He stepped aside, and I nudged Becca forwards, withdrawing my hand from hers. As we passed Teddy, I caught an aroma of fresh cologne and decided that even if I wasn't a fan of his music, I could still enjoy sharing an enclosed space with him.
"Take a seat. Can I get you both a drink?"
Rather than a hotel suite like I'd first assumed, we seemed to be in a lounge or a bar. Evidently it had been hired out by Teddy Stone's team, though, as it was empty save for us and numerous suited men positioned at various points throughout the room.
"Water for me," I said. "Thanks."
Becca bit her lip, no doubt second-guessing every choice in case Teddy Stone didn't approve.
"Becca will have a G and T," I said. "Preferably elderflower tonic, if you have it."
Teddy nodded at someone behind me, and I glanced over my shoulder to see a man already mixing up the drinks.
"So, did you enjoy the concert?" he then asked, dropping into an armchair opposite us and propping his right ankle up on his left knee. The deliberate tear in his jeans spread, revealing the tanned skin of his kneecap.
"Loved it." Becca finally found her voice. "You were amazing. As always. How you've managed to do that nearly every night for the past year is incredible."
He chuckled, a deep vibration that caused the hairs on my forearms to prickle. No wonder Becca was enamoured with the guy—he was sex on legs. I thought back to our conversation in the bathroom, curious as to whether his charm was all part of his on-stage act or if he genuinely had been blessed with a good voice, a beautiful body, and a warm personality.
"It might be a year's worth of shows for me, but each night is a new crowd who've not seen it before. I want to make sure everyone has the same experience." He drummed his fingers against his knee, cocking his head to the side. "That said, I often get a new lease of life on the last show of the tour. I want to savour every second."
Our drinks were placed on the coffee table in front of us, and I immediately reached for the water to alleviate my drying mouth. As I did so, Teddy's eyes landed on me.
"How was the box?"
"Amazing. Thank you," I replied, smiling.
"Soph isn't great with crowds, so the box was perfect," Becca said.
Teddy brushed the pad of his thumb along his lower lip as his gaze travelled over me.
"Agoraphobia?" he asked.
I shrugged, not wanting the focus of the conversation on me when it was supposed to be Becca's night.
"Some situations get me worse than others. A concert would be one of them."
"Did you enjoy it, though?"
"I did, actually. You were great."
His lips quirked, a curious eyebrow raising. "You sound surprised."
Fuck. Less than five minutes in his company and I'd managed to offend him. Sorry, Becca...
"Not surprised," I said, placing my glass back onto the table. "I just haven't listened to much of your music so didn't know what to expect."
"Our friend Gabby got the tickets, but she's at her girlfriend's tonight so couldn't come," Becca said, her explanation tumbling out in a rush as she no doubt panicked about me messing this up for her.
"And after everything I've heard about you from Becca, and seeing what a huge fan she is, I jumped at the opportunity to come along." I smiled, hoping I'd managed to cover my tracks.
Teddy returned my smile, but the twinkle in his eyes suggested he wasn't fooled. "Hey, I'm not offended." He held up his hands. "Everyone has different tastes. And a fifty percent success rate isn't bad."
Becca flushed as he flashed her a grin. A real charmer. But whether I'd offended him or not, he'd at least turned his attention away from me.
"I'm sure your success rate is far higher," she said. "Sophia is just an anomaly."
No doubt intended to stroke his ego, Becca's compliment instead shifted the focus back onto me, and Teddy apparently felt the need to ensure I was included in the conversation by talking about topics other than himself.
"So, what do you do, Sophia?"
"I'm between jobs at the moment," I said, which everyone knows is a sugar-coated way of saying unemployed, but I wasn't prepared to admit that in front of someone as successful as him. "But I do a lot of freelance writing. Mainly travel blogging."
Shadows darkened the chiselled edge of his jaw as he tilted his head to the side in intrigue, a sweep of his tongue dampening his lips. "Oh, yeah? If you could recommend one city to me, what would it be?"
Talk about being put on the spot and given another prime opportunity to say the wrong thing, but at least it distracted me from his mouth.
"You'd probably be more qualified than me," I said. "Your tour will have taken you to far more places than I've visited."
"Possibly, but only for a night. I don't have time to sight-see."
"Well, if you're only there for a day, then I did write a blog post on getting the most out of Budapest. Becca and I went there for a long weekend and loved it. Right, Bec?"
"It's beautiful," she said. "Maybe you'll have time to travel now that your tour is over, Teddy."
He leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. His biceps rippled, bronzed skin smooth against the crisp white of his top.
"I hope so," he said. "It's hardly going to be a break, though."
"I guess you have your charity concert coming up," she replied, and I reached for my water again as Becca led the conversation. "I love the cause, by the way. I do quite a bit of fundraising for Mind."
That sparked something within Teddy. With his right foot falling back to the ground, he leaned forwards, eyes fixed on Becca with interest as he threaded his fingers together against his knees.
"You do?"
"Yeah. I've seen people close to me suffer. The physical pain of a marathon hardly compares."
Teddy opened his mouth to respond but his eyes drifted to behind us, and he raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"Time's getting on," one of his men said.
"I'd love to hear more about your fundraising," Teddy said to Becca, "if you wanted to come back to my room?"
"Sure," Becca replied, her voice impressively calm. "Sounds great."
Bingo.
"Perfect. Sophia?"
Fuck.
"I'm actually pretty exhausted," I said. "But, Becca, you should go and continue this conversation. I know it's close to your heart."
Silent words passed between us, and I knew I'd made the right call at last. We rose from our chairs, and Teddy held out a hand towards me.
"Lovely to meet you, Sophia."
"Likewise."
His shake was firm, blue irises steady on mine. My own eyes struggled to hold his gaze, distracted by the flex of his muscles as his long fingers squeezed my hand.
Becca was a lucky girl.
*
I didn't hear Becca return to our room, but I struggled to stir her in the morning when I woke for breakfast.
"Can you arrange a late check-out?" she mumbled into her pillow. "I barely got any sleep last night."
I bet she didn't.
After grabbing the key card from my bedside table, I switched off the lights and slipped out. Over the years, Becca had joked about spending the night with Teddy Stone, but we all knew it was a fantasy rather than something that might actually happen one day. I hoped, for her sake, that it was everything she'd imagined and more.
I jabbed the button to call the lift, and just seconds later the doors opened to reveal two familiar-looking men, evidently guarding a third person behind them.
"Do you mind getting the next one, please?" one asked.
So Teddy Stone couldn't even share a lift with the general public. Did these men not realise I'd already met him last night and he'd slept with my friend? Or were they just robots who defied common sense to protect a valuable singer?
"Never mind. I'll take the stairs," I said.
I'd made it down one flight when a set of hurrying footsteps echoed behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I did a double take when I spotted Teddy rounding the corner, seemingly alone.
***
Thank you for reading :) xx
***
What do you think of Teddy so far? Are all of Becca's dreams about to come true? What would you do if you met your favourite singer?
I'd love to hear your thoughts!