Why did name brand medicines need to be so expensive? Sky mused as she held the name brand nighttime cold medicine in one hand and the store brand in another. Hell, I can get two for the price of one here. She placed the name brand back on the shelf, tossed the dual bottle bonanza of cold medicine in her basket and shuffled down the aisle to look at the throat drops. Sniffing loudly she then sighed as she felt her head throb with pain. Being sick was no fun that was for sure. Staring at the rows of throat drops and cough drops she allowed herself to zone out for a moment as it had been a long day with this stuffed up nose and headache. A cough beside her drew her attention to a man who stood next to her staring at the same array of drops as her. Hands rammed into the pockets of a hoodie and the hood pulled up over his head he seemed as miserable a she did. He sneezed then and she heard him mutter something along the lines of 'fuck' and she smiled. Digging in her pocket she pulled out a small packet of tissues and presented the packet to him. He looked over at her with tired blue eyes and a nose as red as her own.
"Thanks." He said as he pulled a tissue out of the packet and pressed it to his nose.
"I feel your pain." She said tucking the tissues away and then leaned down to grab her favorite bag of throat drops. She peeked over at him again and he was still just standing there, miserable, staring at everything. She picked up two bags, dropped one in her basket and handed the other out to him.
"Try these and this." She held up her bottles of nighttime cold medicine. "Two for one, killer deal. Put you to sleep right away."
He smiled at her and took the throat drops. "Cherry, I like cherry."
She walked down the aisle a bit and grabbed another set of the killer cold med deal. Walking back to him she held them out. "Use this tonight, get a lot of sleep, you have a big night tomorrow."
His blue eyes gleamed and he took the bottles. "Yeah, I do have a big night. So you know who I am?"
she laughed and nodded, "Yes, Jared of 30 Seconds to Mars. And if I was well and in my right mind I would be appalled that I am standing here before my favorite singer looking like I have been dragged through the ugly stick gauntlet."
He grinned and shook his head. "Trust me, you made it through the gauntlet unscathed. And now I am at a disadvantage, you know my name but I do not know yours?"
She felt her cheeks redden at his compliment and she said, "My name is Sky and it is a pleasure to meet you Jared. I will be at the concert tomorrow. Right now I am heading to my favorite Thai restaurant to eat good food, drink hot tea and then go home to bed with my meds. You should do the same Mr. Jared."
He was standing there smiling widely and then he nodded, stepping forward. "All of that sounds excellent. Let's go. I am starving."
She was a little shocked at his wanting to go with her but she recovered her wits quickly and grinned. "Well then, lets hit the road for I may perish if I do not get some food in me and I am tired of standing, my head hurts terribly."
"I agree…I am beat." He said with such weariness in his voice she looked at him with worry in her eyes.
The meal was excellent as Thai Siam always is. Sky was in a fog not only from her cold but also from the fact she was sitting in her favorite restaurant with her favorite singer. It was almost exciting, since she seemed to be losing energy fast. The tea helped her nose clear up for a bit and it seemed to be helping Jared as well. Their conversation ranged from music, to fun B horror movies to the best place to take pictures. She was impressed he knew as much about photography as she did and that was how she made her living. She wondered if he would allow her a photo shoot.
"You know what? I think it is time to call it a night. I am beat." Sky said hiding a huge yawn behind a hand.
"I agree." Jared said and then hid his own yawn. They were catchy, those yawns.
"Tomorrow you will be at the show?" He asked as he grabbed the bill from the table. "My treat."
"Yes I will be at the show. I have golden tickets to meet you guys." She laughed then nodded to the bill." Thanks ."
They walked to the counter to pay and as they walked outside he stopped her before she could climb into her truck.
"We can talk more tomorrow. I want to know more about you." Jared said softly as he looked into her eyes.
She felt tired but thrilling inside as this gorgeous man was paying this much attention to her. She was nothing and even tonight she was at her worst.
"I would love to continue our conversation. I will be dressed for the theme. Hunter night!" She said with a grin and slipped into her truck. He stood there smiling at her and she rolled down her window.
"Safe drive Sky and I will see you tomorrow." He said.
"You too and get some rest. Drink the cold stuff, it works great." And without thinking she touched his cheek gently, worried about the weariness she saw in his eyes. His hand came up, covered hers gently then with a smooth motion he brought her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss there. His blue eyes never left hers and he said, "Until tomorrow. Sweet dreams."
Jared settled into bed, tugged the sheet to his chest and sighed. He felt the night time flu medicine working through his body and he let his mind drift to Sky. She was very interesting to him. A girl who loved the same things he did was not star struck and calmed his frazzled nerves like no one ever could. He floated there in that place between sleep and awake, thinking about Sky and wondering why she was so interesting to him. She was not his type of girl. He liked them blonde, tall, and European. She was none of those things but there was an attraction. He shifted under the sheet and drifted off to sleep.
Sky slipped into her warm bed, tucking her fuzzy blanket all round her. The night time flu medicine was working its magic in her body and she was feeling the aches slip away. "Wow." She whispered to the room. A thrill of excitement washed through her weary body as she realized she had really met and had dinner with Jared Leto. Goodness and she looked like hell too. A glance in her mirror when she got home confirmed that. In all honesty, she was surprised at how kind he really was. She really had no opinion of him before meeting him, only admiring him for his talent and good looks. Maybe tomorrow she could get to know him better. A soft sigh escaped her and she began to drift to sleep with a small worry in her mind. What if he would not acknowledge her when they were in his world? What would she do then?