Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement was intended.

Story inspiration the song 'Shooting Star' by Bad Company and the movie 'Almost Famous.'

Setting of this story is the early 1980s.

Song for this chapter – He's So Shy by Pointer Sisters. I have the link to my blog associated with the story, almostashootingstarcarolinacullen dot blogspot dot com

Warning: This story will have drug use, alcohol abuse, and graphic situations. It will also delve into underage sex. Bella will be seventeen and Edward is twenty-four. Remember this story is about becoming famous, and people that follow them around while on tour. Please be advised if this is not something you wish to read, please back out now.

Thanks to dannibags for suggesting this story, for correcting my errors, and for being awesome. Piesmom for making sure that everything is good before its début.

Bella and the girls have a little fun at Jake expense and we see what happens when two people finally collide.

Chapter 4

He's So Shy

BPOV

~Seattle, Washington

We climbed off the bus in Seattle, Washington, the first state on the tour. I stretched my arms over my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as both Jake and Edward watched as my shirt rode up, exposing the pale skin of my stomach. I hid behind my sunglasses and walked away from the both of them. Boys were so typical. The only one I noticed not watching the moves us girls made was Mike. Huh, that was an interesting situation because Rose Bud always turned heads when she bent over.

I walked over and reached down to grab my things, but Jake stopped me.

"I got it," he said picking up my bags.

"How polite of you kind sir," I replied giggling.

I walked in front of Jake with the girls chatting about our plans for the evening. The guys had a show tonight at the Seattle Center Coliseum. The plan was to be ready when the guys left, so we wouldn't have to try to find tickets. We would watch their performance and come back to our hotel room where we decided to hang for the evening. The only glitch in our boy free evening was the fact that somehow Jake had been placed in our room.

"Hum, they need to send a cot in here for me," Jake stammered.

"Why Jake? You can sleep with Izzy and Rose," Tinker Bell said smiling broadly at Jake.

"I can't," he said shyly.

"What's wrong Jake? Haven't you ever slept with a woman before?" Rose Bud asked while Jake turned red.

"Oh my God," Jessie cried.

"You've never slept with someone?" Tinker Bell asked puzzled.

"Jake," I said getting his attention. I walked right over to him and lifted his chin that was now facing down.

"You've never slept with a woman before?" I questioned.

"I've slept in the same bed as my sisters, but ... I'm a virgin," he whispered.

"That's nothing to be ashamed of," I cooed.

"I can remedy that real quick," Jessie whispered in his ear.

I looked over my shoulder, giving her a narrowed look with my eyes. I didn't care if she wanted to, but she didn't need to scare him off, and apparently this was something he would have to work up to. Not everybody climbs straight into bed with people and sometimes these things took time. Maybe tonight the girls would give Jake an education in the female body.

"Look Jake, you're not the only person in this room who hasn't been with the opposite sex. Sometimes looks and actions are deceiving."

I winked at him and walked out of the room.

Rose Bud, Tinker Bell, and I hadn't been with a man yet. We had all been waiting for that special somebody, so there wasn't anything to be worried about. However, it was a little wild that he hadn't been with someone yet. Usually, boys started early, but maybe not.

I walked down to the lounge to buy us some snacks for tonight.

~AASS~

The show was great, and 'The Midnight Riders' performed really well. The boys all decided to stay and watch the main act, but the girls and I decided we would catch them in the next town. Edward said something about hanging with his family here, so we assumed the rest of the band would do the same. Another reason for us girls to stay out of the way; it was rumoured that Edward had a wife, and I wasn't interested in meeting her if he did. I was sure the other boys had similar plans, so girl's night it is.

We laughed and giggled the whole way back to the room.

"I grabbed this gallon out of the boy's room," Jessie said holding up the bottle of vodka.

"We will be having fun tonight ladies," Rose said leading the way back to our room. We drank, painted each other's toes nails, and talked about boys and the band. We did all the typical girly stuff, until Jake walked into the room. The whole room went quiet as he stood at the door looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Hello?" he said timidly, more of a question, not even stepping from the door frame. There for a fleeting moment, I wondered if he knew the extent of the torture he was going to be going through this evening.

"Jakey," Jessie slurred running over to him and wrapping her body around his. Out of all the girls in the group, Jessie was the one who was more the groupie type. In fact, she had traveled with Victoria and her friends a while back, but when Jessie slept with Sean Cummings, Victoria left Jessie on the side of the road. That's where we met her and how she became part of the group. We tried to tell her to have more self worth, but everything fell on deaf ears. Hell, I was quite shocked she hadn't already slept with Mike. It was harder for her not to do what she had done all along with Victoria, and her not bedding Mike yet showed signs of growth, but with her jumping Jake, I was having second thoughts.

"Come on in," Tinker Bell motioned, as Jake struggled to hold up Jessie. He finally made it into the room.

"So, did you hang with the guys?" I asked.

"Yeah, all their parents were here to see them perform," he said tipping up the cup that Jessie handed to him. Jake started coughing and grabbed his throat.

"What the hell is that?" he asked.

Apparently, sex wasn't the only thing Jake had never done before.

"Vodka," Rose slurred.

"Take another. It gets better the more you have," Jessie said refilling his cup. Jake timidly tipped the cup up again, taking another swig. I watched as he scrunched up his face as the alcohol entered his system.

"Did their girlfriends come?" Tinker Bell asked.

"The only one who doesn't have a girlfriend is Mike. Edward is married, but his wife wasn't there. I don't know how good of a marriage it really is. I guess he really doesn't talk to her much anymore. Jasper's girlfriend lives in LA, Garrett and Emmett's girlfriends showed up.

Rose and Tinker asked Jake question after question about the girls and how the boys reacted with them. It seemed I wasn't the only one forming an attraction to one of the members. The only time I really tuned into their conversation was when Edward or his family was mentioned and then I wished I wouldn't have.

It wasn't uncommon for band members to have girlfriends or wives, but I still didn't like it very much. They were out meeting girls all the time, and who's to say someone else couldn't come along and make them happier. Hell, if it was my boyfriend or husband, I would be with him every step of the way, not sitting at home waiting for him or wondering if he was sleeping with women that he met along the way.

During the conversation, I watched as Jessie plied Jake with more and more alcohol. I tried to tell her to stop, and I tried to warn Jake, but it continued until he was good and drunk; that is when she made her move.

After a while of listening to Tinker and Rose snore, Jessie whispered into Jake's ear and I watched as he nodded his head. They moved to the vacant bed. I wasn't sleepy. I was a little intoxicated, but not ready to settle down yet, so I left the room.

I ended up falling asleep leaning up against the wall in front of our room and was awoken by a maid asking me to remove myself from the hall.

I banged on the damn door until Tinker finally let me in. It didn't take me long to gather my things and head down to breakfast. I passed Edward in the hall.

"Hey, where were you girls last night?" he asked.

"Hanging out. We figured you boys wanted family time," I said shrugging. It wasn't a big deal.

"Yeah, that was sweet of you, but you should have come to the party after the show. It was awesome."

"Well, maybe next time," I said smiling.

"Our families didn't go, so you girls would have been welcome."

"I will remember that the next time," I replied.

"Can I sit with you on the bus?" he asked shyly.

"Hum, sure. It's not like we have assigned seats or anything," I giggled.

"Okay cool," he said smiling that damn crooked grin at me.

"I better get going if I'm going to get breakfast," I said motioning toward the lobby.

"Oh, yeah ... hey ... try the waffles. They're delicious," he said walking past me.

"Okay," I replied.

I got the waffles like Edward suggested, and it wasn't much longer till the girls joined me. Jessie bragged about sleeping with Jake and that she was the one to take his virginity. Jake showed up as we were walking out to the lobby. He didn't even look up at us. I knew he was embarrassed. Hell, I didn't even know if he wanted to be with Jessie, and from the looks of things, he might not have.

I wasn't about to get in the middle of things, but I did feel sorry for him. But, that was life, and sometimes we made decisions that were mistakes.

It was going to take us three days to get to Detroit. The way the tour was set up, those three days would be spent entirely on the road. I carried my things down to the bus, sitting them in the pile to be packed. I talked to the girls and Jasper, the manager, for a moment wondering about our accommodations when we finally got to Detroit. At this moment, the record label wasn't going to foot the bill for an extra room. We had to either come up with the money or bunk with one of the band members. I think Jasper winked at Alice when he said that because she giggled.

I boarded the bus with Edward following behind me. I found a seat and slid all the way to the window, allowing him to have the aisle seat. He stopped to look at me. Once again, I was mesmerized by his gaze. I could get lost in his eyes forever. I knew he was married, but Jake had said that it was not a happy marriage, whatever that meant. I was not going to throw myself at a married man, not knowing truly what was going on. I would wait for him to pursue me, and then ask him when the time was right. Edward and I spent the better part of the day and night casually looking at one another. We didn't speak, which I thought was odd being he wanted to sit with me. I spun around a couple of times and talked to Tinker Bell, who was sitting behind me with Jasper. Edward would jump into the conversations here and there, but he would never engage me himself.

~Detroit, Michigan~

Edward and I sat watching each other for three days straight. I used his shoulder for a pillow for some of the trip, but when my neck started to hurt, he offered his lap to me. Then one morning, I woke up and noticed his arms wrapped around me. I never said anything. I just decided to snuggle a little closer to his warm body and go back to sleep.

When we pulled up in Detroit, he finally broke the silence between us.

"Do you want to stay in my room? Jasper said something about you guys not having a room and that you girls would have to bunk with one of us guys," he said running his hands through his copper locks.

"Sure, I mean as long as that's okay with you. If not, I can sleep on the floor of whatever room Tinker or Rose stays in," I said shrugging. It didn't really matter as long as I had a roof over my head.

"Yeah, I'm sure," he said scratching his head, but never looked into my eyes.

We got off the bus and filed into the hotel that we would be staying at for the next two days. I followed Edward to his room and placed my things there, but I didn't stay long. Tinker and Rose wanted to prepare something special for the boys. So we had to talk to the hotel staff to get food arranged. We had been on the road for days and the thought of having a nice meal and a potential shower seemed like a good idea. The boys would have tonight off.

"So what is going on with you and Edward?" Tinker asked nudging my shoulder.

"Nothing," I replied.

"Yeah right. First you sit with him on the bus, and now you are shacking up in his room. Come on, what do you take me for, an idiot?" she asked smiling.

"No, but nothing is going on. I could pose the same question about you and Jasper," I stated.

Tinker always liked to know what was going on with everyone, and she would often times stick her nose in other people's business, but it was never to harm them. She was curious mainly.

"There is something going on between Jasper and me, just like there is something going on with Edward and you. I know it. I can see it in the way you look at one another," she said.

"I don't think so. I mean, I like him and wouldn't mind, but he's married, in case you have forgotten."

"I haven't forgotten, and apparently neither have you. But tell me, if he came to you, wouldn't you want to be with him?" she asked stopping in front of me before we opened the doors to the conference room we were meeting the hotel staff in.

"If he wanted to, maybe, but I don't know," I said shrugging it off. What would I do? I didn't know. A part of me wanted to be with him, but I would need to find out about his situation with his wife first.

Tinker pushed open the doors, putting an end to our conversation about Edward for which I was thankful. I never wanted to ruin someone's relationships, but if I had proof that maybe things weren't great between them or he was potentially looking to leave, I would totally consider the possibility.

After everything was arranged with the hotel staff and dinner was set for seven, everyone returned to their rooms. When I walked in, Edward wasn't anywhere to be found. So I gathered my things and headed toward the shower.

I was standing underneath the spray when I heard noises in the room. I figured it was Edward getting his things, and I quickly finished so he could get in. I didn't know where the guys had went. For all I knew they could have had a sound check or something to tend to while us girls took care of the food situation. I knew after my shower I would have to locate somewhere to do my clothes.

I dried off, hearing moaning coming from the room. I briefly wondered if his wife was somehow in town and had come back to the room with Edward, and they were now having sex in his room. I wouldn't want to hear them going at it.

I leaned my ear against the door to see if I heard any talking or anything other than the grunts and moans I heard. It wasn't until I heard my name being chanted that things got a little weird. The voice sounded like Edward's, but I couldn't make anything else out.

All of a sudden the moans stopped, and the phone started ringing, making me jump and bang my knee on the sink. I rubbed the spot as I pressed my ear back to the door to listen.

"Yes, Mom," he said muffled.

"No, Mom. I'm not doing drugs."

It was definitely Edward. I had heard all about his mother calling to check on him often. Apparently, she was having a hard time since he left and would often call to check in on him. He was lying about the drugs; about every person on this tour was taking or doing something. But, I wasn't about to tell his mother or get into the middle of their relationship. Personally, I didn't like drugs. Well, not pills or anything like that. I often drank or smoked, but never took pills.

I listened as he told her he loved her and he would be safe. I pulled away from the door, pondering the earlier incident. I didn't know it for a fact, but was he masturbating and chanting my name?

I blushed red and looked at my flushed face in the mirror. I knew I would have to leave this room soon, but I wanted the blush gone first. I splashed cold water on my face and looked presentable when I opened the door.

Edward was kicked back on the bed. His shirt was wadded up beside him and his pants were unbuckled. The blush came back in full force then.

"I didn't know you were here," he said looking wide eyed at me.

"Yeah, hum," I stammered.

"The whole time?" he asked running his hands through his hair and pulling at it.

"I was in the shower. I didn't hear anything until the phone rang," I said. I knew I wasn't a good liar and with me saying I didn't hear anything before just gave me away.

"For the love of God," he exclaimed getting up from the bed and walking past me to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him.

I stood there stunned. It wasn't like I wanted to hear him in the middle of something like that happening. It wasn't like I planned to hear him. Hell, I could have opened the door and watched, but I was so shocked to even hear it. What worried me the most was the fact he was chanting my name in the process. Now, that was either creepy or totally sexy, and right now with him stopping off, I might be inclined to think it was creepy.

The door to the bathroom flung open, and Edward stood there in nothing, but a towel. I watched him move to his clothes.

"Are you girls planning on doing any laundry?" he asked. I didn't answer at first because the sight of a freshly bathed Edward, who had been masturbating and chanting my name, suddenly turned from creepy to completely sexy in a matter of seconds.

"Izzy?" he asked waving his hands in the air.

"Yeah," I replied pulling away from my thoughts of him with his hands wrapped around the monster I knew he was packing underneath his towel.

"Are you girls planning on doing laundry?" he asked again.

"Yes, hum, do you have something that needs to be done?" I asked.

"If you girls could take care of these, I would appreciated it," he said pulling his clothes from his bag.

"We're getting together tonight and finding a laundry mat to see about getting the group's clothes done anyway," I said pulling my clothes out of my bags and pulling my laundry bag out to collect both our things.

"So, you heard me earlier," he said still rummaging through his things.

"Yeah, I want you to know I didn't mean to. I wanted a shower, and when I turned the water off, I heard you," I said blushing.

"It's cool. Human nature kind of thing," he said not even looking my direction. I was glancing at him out of the corner of my eye.

"Why didn't Kate come with you?" I asked.

I didn't mean to bring her up really, but he wouldn't have to do that if Kate was here surely. Also, I really wanted to know what was going on between them, and I figure it was the perfect time to bring it up.

"She doesn't like the band," he said slipping a pair of boxers on underneath his towel.

"Why not? Didn't she grow up with them too?" I asked. I had heard the basics of their relationship. Kate was a bitch, and she lived with the band for a while at the Riot House, but had went back home to go to school.

"She thinks I'm wasting my time," he said pulling the towel from his body as he stood tall above me in nothing, but his boxers.

He leaned down and pulled a pair of pants from his bag and slipped them onto his body.

"You guys are freaking awesome, and if you can get some good exposure, you should be able to make it huge one day," I said.

They were that good. If they could get the exposure they would be stars, but right now they were only stars on the Strip.

"Yeah, well she doesn't see it that way. She wants me to go to college, get a real job, and stop all this nonsense," he said walking over to the window, where he fired up a cigarette and took a long draw before resting his hands on the window.

"You have to do what is best for you," I said dragging the laundry bag to the door.

"That's what I told her when she wanted to leave LA. Look, I don't want to talk about Kate. She's not here, and she doesn't come around anymore for me to worry about," he said turning to look at me.

"We don't have to talk about her, but I wanted to know what the deal was, that's all," I said shrugging.

"I want to be with you." he said stalking towards me.

I stood completely still, not knowing what to do.

"Tell me I can have you," he said getting closer to me. When he finally stood in front of me, he reached out and gently rubbed his hand down the side of my face. The electric shock was still there. I closed my eyes and just relished the feel of his hands on my face.

"Can I kiss you, Izzy?" he asked.

I kept my eyes closed, nodding my approval. I could feel his breath on my face as his lips lowered to mine. His kiss was gentle and warm, soft and slow, and the electric jolt I had felt from his touch was nothing compared to his kiss. The kiss was sweet and passionate. When he pulled away, I still had my eyes closed.

"We will talk more about this, but I want you to know I'm attracted to you. I want you to be with me during this tour, no one else," he said as he picked up a strand of my hair and twisted it around his finger.

"Will you be with me, Izzy?" he asked.

I finally opened my eyes and looked into the green depths in front of me.

"I want you too," I whispered.

"Good," he replied before placing one more kiss on my lips.

The knocking on the door pulled us both from our little bubble and back to reality. Edward answered the door. Tinker Bell was standing on the other side with her sack of laundry ready to go. I gathered our things and walked past Edward. He reached out and grabbed my hand making me look at him.

"Later," he said winking. He let go of my hand, and I followed Tinker Bell out.

A/N: Another chapter done. I hope our little group is progressing here. Jake does have small feelings for Bella, but was persuaded into bed by Jessica. We will see more about our couple as things take off. Yes, Edward will be married for the better part of the story. Bella is a virgin, so not your typical groupie case here.