A/N: I'm having writers block with Down To Earth, so just letting everyone know I'm taking a break from that Fan Fic for ONLY A FEW DAYS so I can get going with it again. :]
"So when are you going to tell her?" Lia asked, jumping right to the point with Eddie.
Eddie couldn't believe his ears. Had she really just implied that he was supposed to tell Loren about the kiss? To him, it sounded like Lia only wanted to benefit from Eddie telling Loren that she had kissed him. It was almost like she wanted to replace Loren; it was like a Chloe move to try to get Loren out of the picture.
"What, that you kissed me?" Eddie retorted. He had had enough; all he wanted was for things to go back to normal, yet here was Lia, taking about something that he never wanted to remember again.
Eddie hated being rude to Lia; she had helped him recover so he could get to Loren again, after all. However, Eddie felt that Lia had overstepped. Jeremy didn't step out of line; he even told Lia that she was being too controlling over Eddie at times. Eddie could swear he had overheard Jeremy telling Lia not to get attached to him, too. If that were true, he would treat Jeremy with all of his respect, but there was no way of knowing for sure. Lia, though, seemed like ever since that kiss, she wouldn't be able to bear it if she had to leave Eddie; it was almost as if she went to Jake once Eddie left her just to make sure she could be around him for a little bit longer.
Lia furrowed her brow; she was frustrated, but she would never be mean to Eddie. She knew as long as Loren was with him, he would insist that he loves her and no one else. "I forgot," Lia replied, blinking sarcastically. "You love Loren."
"You're right," Eddie told her, making sure she felt guilty for her actions. He narrowed his eyes to make sure he looked serious before he continued. "Don't get involved, Lia," Eddie warned. He wanted to stay friends with Lia and Jeremy, but not if Lia only wanted to try to get him to leave Loren for her; things would need to stay on a professional level.
After Eddie responded, he decided he had had enough of the conversation and grabbed two bottles of water before walking back to the main cab. He knew the flight attendant would have gotten him water easily, but he hated making them do every little thing to earn their keep; he was glad to keep them hired to make sure they got their pay for just being polite. Eddie knew Loren would want water; she wasn't a sugar person, and the only other thing she would drink regularly were the shakes from her cafe or hot tea that her mother kept in their kitchen cabinets at home.
Eddie already knew the answer, but he still asked "water okay?" and handed it to Loren once she nodded and thanked him.
Eddie took in the sight before him; Jeremy and Jake were talking about a song they would possibly want to record. He had taken Eddie's seat next to Loren, and Loren had gotten involved in whatever song they were talking about. He had heard her singing lightly before he handed her the water, but he couldn't make out her words.
"What's going on?" was all Eddie could ask with such little knowledge of their conversation due to his short absence.
"We were thinking of recording a version of One Day At A Time since the fans didn't like your sound too much," Jeremy told Eddie without missing a beat. He was happy about it; he didn't even take a minute to think that this might hurt Eddie.
Eddie scanned the room. Jake looked a little afraid, knowing that Eddie wasn't going to agree, and Kelly just looked at the floor, trying her best to stay out of everything. Eddie doubted that Jake agreed to let them record it, so it must have been their own doing. Kelly, on the other hand, most likely brought it up herself; Eddie wouldn't be surprised based on how she treated Loren sometimes. Max and Nora loved the sound of Loren's voice, or so he though, because they were completely engulfed in Loren's smile when she ended her final notes as Eddie came back in. Their expressions didn't move until Jeremy spoke what could be his final words.
Eddie glanced at Loren, who seemed to be a little bothered by Jeremy playing Eddie's song. On the other hand, though, she looked excited, because this would be the first fan of theirs to cover one of their songs for her.
Eddie, however, was hurt for a completely different reason than anyone would have expected. He let his gaze rest on Jeremy, who's smile slowly faded as Eddie held his stare. Eddie did his best to keep his cool, knowing that everyone would be upset if he started an argument there on the plane.
"I think Loren preformed that song perfectly," Eddie said calmly, eventually moving his eyes to Loren's, which lit up when he praised her. He loved making her happy, especially when what he said was the opinion of the world and not just his. Eddie knew the reviews from the fans that surfaced that morning were in agreement; Loren owned the night with that song, and he was so proud of her for making them like something they didn't like when it was originally from him.
"Eddie," Loren said in a thankful tone. She was embarrassed, but thrilled to hear that Eddie loved her version of his song. She had worked on it the entire time she thought Eddie was missing and turned it into something with even more feeling than it originally held.
"No, this isn't even a question," Eddie told her, smiling at her to make sure she knew that he was not angry at anyone, but that he had a plan that he needed to be fulfilled. Eddie turned to Jake and gave him a stare that showed he meant business; he would not have it any other way than what he was thinking. "I want Loren to record my song."
