Chapter Nine

Who would've thought, huh? I didn't expect to have another encounter with Eddie. Well, most of the things that have happened this weekend were all unexpected. I have not completely processed everything that occurred on such a short notice. From Eddie to my Mom, to Melissa and to Eddie, once again. It has been stressful, with its ups and down. I'm positive that a migraine will result from all of this.

I looked up to see his friend looking at him questionably, and Eddie and I are staring at each other speechless. Suddenly, I felt another pair of eyes looking my way.

"And who is this beauty?"

My gaze turned to his friend, and I couldn't help but blush. He was indeed good-looking. His blue eyes shined in the breathtaking moonlight, and his hair was messy and spiked up. Nonetheless, it looked good on him. He averted his gaze from Eddie to me and in an instant, he sat down next to the small space left on the bench. He draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled my body closer to his. So close I can smell his cologne, strong yet accentuated. He smiled at me in a flirtatious manner, making me very uncomfortable.

"So Gorgeous, what are you doing here all alone?"

"Um, I am—" I was about to answer his question but he quickly interrupted me.

"The night is beautiful but you, you are incredibly breathtaking."

Already acknowledging that he is flirting with me, I smile back at him. I've got to say this man knows how to flatter someone and is a damn good flirt. He looked at me suggestively and I let out a small laugh. "Thank you."

He shook his head and flashed me a smile. "Babe, I'm the one that needs to be saying Thank You to you for letting me be in the presence of such a beautiful woman."

I laughed again. "That's very nice of you to say."

"But it's the truth and I only speak the truth no matter how harsh it is." He pressed me tighter against him; he looked up at Eddie and grinned at him. "So what do you say Ed, shall she accompany us to dinner and have a wonderful evening with us?"

I slowly looked up at Eddie and waited for his reaction.

"I-"

"Of course you do. See Gorgeous, you even left the great Eddie Duran speechless. So what do you say, care to join us for drinks and then see where this lovely night takes us?"

My eyes never left Eddie's and his never left mine. "Well, you see I was just leaving."

"Ouch, rejection. That hurt an incredible amount." He let go off me and I took the opportunity to scoot away from him. We were very close, and I felt utterly uncomfortable by the proximity. He took notice of the change and shook his head in disbelief. "And that just killed me. Wow. Who knew rejection could hurt this bad? Tell me Babe, how many hearts have you broken?" I smiled sheepishly at him and gave a gentle shrug.

"Let's go inside and chat the night away. I guarantee that you'll have a pleasant night." I laughed at his persistence. "C'mon, come-"

"Ian, leave her alone." We both turned to look at Eddie who spoke his first words since Ian began flirting. Eddie's face showed no signs of playing around, it was dead serious. I bit my bottom lip. His gaze was well fixated on my timorous form.

Ian noticed his tense composure and instantly put his arms in front of him in defense. "What, Ed? I'm not doing anything wrong."

"She's obviously uncomfortable." Ian looked at me and understood what Eddie meant. I was at the edge of the bench, with half my ass on it. Ian looked at me apologetically.

"Ian, go inside and get us a table."

"Is that an order?"

Without hesitation Eddie answered, "Yes." Ian nodded and stood up from the bench. "Fair enough." He patted Eddie on the back and averted his eyes back to me. His flirtatious smile was back on his face, "It was nice meeting you. I will pray tonight to see you again, Beautiful." Ian winked at me and whispered something to Eddie. From what I was able to decipher, I think he said: "She's all yours, Mate."

Eddie sighed in annoyance and waited for Ian to go in and disappear in the restaurant before he sat down next to me on the spot Ian had occupied. I was able to sit in a more comfortable position on the bench. Both butt cheeks resting on the bench. I breathed in fresh air and smiled at Eddie.

"Hi Eddie."

"Hi, Loren." Eddie smiled warmly at me. "I'm sorry about Ian; I hope he didn't creep you out."

"A little bit, but he was very charming."

Eddie laughed apprehensively, "He has that effect on people."

"Well, you don't fall far behind in that category. You can be pretty charming when you want to."

"Yeah… I learned it from my man, Ian. All these years spent with him rubbed in."

There was a long pause of silence. The whole Ian event, long forgotten. If it's possible, the night became even more astonishingly beautiful. Eddie and I both admired its beauty, and the serene and comfortable silence enveloped us in a wave of comfort. It was quiet, so quiet that I can hear both Eddie and I exhaling and inhaling. I sighed, leaned in and put all me head's weight on the palm of my hand. Gently, I gazed up at the shining moon, cascading its hypnotizing light.

"It's beautiful." I whispered but Eddie heard me. I felt his gaze on me and he simply said, "Yeah… It is." I kept staring at the moon, imagining myself on it. I'd probably be looking at the earth just like I am looking at the moon. I'd probably be imagining what life is like on Earth.

"So you did go out tonight." I quickly turned to Eddie. "Huh?"

Eddie shifted his eyes to the moon, "I thought you were just making an excuse to not hang out with me."

"Why would I do that?" I was genuinely confused. He sighed and kept his gaze on the moon, "I don't know. I guess I felt like I scared you away with everything that has happened. And I figured you didn't want anything to do with me."

"That doesn't make any sense." I stated. Taken aback, Eddie quickly turned to look at me. "What?"

"It doesn't make sense." I repeated. "Why would I feel scared when you have been nothing but kind to me? If there's anything I feel, it's gratitude. Let's just say I'm thankful for having the chance of meeting you. You know, that's the best part of all of this."

"Really?"

I nodded and a small smile appeared on both our faces. "Yes, I didn't meet Eddie Duran the rock star but Eddie Duran the normal guy looking for a place to eat and forget about everything." Silence took a hold of us until I continued speaking. "I got to know you and how kind and wonderful you are. That's enough for me to feel safe around you and know I made a new friend."

Both of our gazes drifted to the moon once again. "Honestly, that's a relief. I was freaking out thinking that I had lost a good friend. Being in the music business doesn't give me time to have healthy, stable relationships with other people. Ian is an exception and so is my dad. But I don't really have a lot of close friends around me. I get lonely." Hearing Eddie's confession made me sympathize with him.

"Well, Eddie Duran you're not getting rid of me that easily." I looked at Eddie giving him my best 'I'm not kidding' look. He looked at me and began grinning.

"Believe me, I'm not planning to. Keep in mind that you'll be around me for a very long, long time."

I nodded, taking in how he meant each word he said. I remembered his charming friend all alone in the restaurant. "Speaking of friends, you have one waiting for you."

"Ian? He's fine, probably already charming the waitress to give him a discount."

"Sounds like him." I cold breeze blew our way, and I shivered at the coolness. Eddie, taking note of this, quickly took off his leather jacket and cloaked it around me.

"Aren't you cold?"

"Na, I'm warm. Plus, I don't want you to get a cold."

I blushed, but managed to give him a smile. "Thank you." Eddie nodded and I snuggled into his jacket, inhaling his perfume... intoxicating as always. I sighed and checked my phone. It was 10:47; Mom would be here any minute now. The thought of leaving disappointed me. I didn't want to leave, not just yet. And the reason was sitting right next to me.

"Is this going to become a thing?"

"What is?"

"Meeting like this. Unexpectedly." I was thoughtful for a moment. "The idea of crashing into you at the most random times does sound tempting." He chuckled lightly.

"So what happened tonight? When we came here and saw you all alone, you didn't seem too happy." I shrugged and said, "My best friend ditched me and left me alone with my date."

"Oh. So where is he now?"

"I don't know, probably sleeping."

"He couldn't take you home?"

"I told him he could go, that'll I just find a ride or something." Eddie thought for a second and then shook his head in disapproval. "What a nice guy. He left a beautiful girl all alone in the middle of the night in danger's hands. I already see him and I becoming good friends." I smiled at his sarcasm, "Not everyone can be gentlemen like you, Eddie. Anyways, I told him he could leave."

He soughed in disbelief, "He should've at least been persistent about it."

Honk! Honk! Honk!

From the distance, we heard someone violently honk a car. We both quickly looked up to where it came from and I sighed. My mom parked her car, and turned on the headlights as a signal to get in.

"That's my ride." I said. I got up from the bench while taking Eddie's jacket off. Eddie stood up as well. He grabbed his jacket which I was extending. A smile appeared on both our faces and I bit my lips to sustain it from widening. Eddie didn't, he smiled sweetly.

"Bye Eddie." He nodded and I turned around, making my way to the car.

"Loren!" I came to a halt as soon as I heard my name. Slowly, I turned back to Eddie and waited for what he had to say. Instead, he walked up to me and quickly, he pulled me into one of his hugs I don't mind getting used to. Reciprocating his embrace, I wrapped my arms around his torso and rested my head on his chest. I listened carefully to the slow rhythm of his heart, getting lost in his exhilarating scent. We slowly pulled apart; I looked at him and he smiled, leaning in. My eyes widened and I froze when his lips lingered on the left side of my forehead. The bruise was healing, but Eddie's kiss sent a bolt of electricity through my whole body. He let the kiss linger for a few moments before he parted away from me. Taking three steps back, he smiled at me.

"Ian was right. You look beautiful."

He turned around and made his way to the restaurant, leaving me paralyzed in the middle of the parking lot. If it wasn't for my mother's constant honks, I would've never snapped back to reality. Still shocked from what just happened, I stumbled my way to the car. I opened the door to only find my mom smirking my way.

"Whoa. What happened to you?"

My cheeks were burning, and I couldn't think straight.

"You're red."

How you guys like it? Leddie moments are the best and Ian, I just love Ian. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Like always, reviews are my motivation.

There was a Hollywood Heights Marathon before I posted this. And I am crying because why no more reruns? Ah, it was thanksgiving when I updated so I guess here goes the original note: "oh and I hope you had an amazing thanksgiving and ate tons. because I did. But hey no regrets. and the Hollywood Heights Marathon was a gift from the heavens."