Published: August 6, 2020

Track 25: Mr. Popular

The Tower streaked along the highway, heading west towards Atlanta, Georgia. Inside the tour bus, all of the passengers lounged in their seats. They had departed Miami first thing that morning so that they could arrive with plenty of time to explore the local food scene for supper. Everyone was in high spirits, but no one was more light-hearted than Victor. After the show, he spent the rest of the night reconnecting with Sarah. Their talk was long overdue and Gar didn't want to interrupt it with his presence. The guitarist's instinct was to seek out Raven in her room, but he quickly remembered that was no longer an option. While he was more than willing to take the risk, she was adamant to avoid any more compromising situations.

Instead, Gar crawled into bed and drowned out Victor and Sarah's conversation with his earphones on blast. While the music lulled him to sleep, he reflected on all of the craziness that had occurred ever since the tour had started. For one thing, Dick and Kory were now lawfully wed. Gar never thought the day would come, but lo and behold, it finally happened when everyone least expected it. Then, there was all of Victor and Karen's drama with the press. Gar was extremely relieved that everything had worked out in the end. His best friend deserved the happiness that came with a stable, loving relationship. And speaking of relationships…

Raven was constantly at the center stage of his mind. After spending every waking hour with the woman, one would think that he would get tired of her presence. But the truth was, he couldn't get enough. He enjoyed watching her manage the gang and take charge of any and every situation. It was endearing to interact with her in the early hours of the day, when she looked as fresh as a daisy but acted as prickly as a cactus. He memorized all of her quirks and habits, like how she always stirred her tea with a spoon exactly three times before taking a sip. They no longer spent alone time together, but every once in a while, they would catch each other's attention and exchange a flirtatious smile. These little observations and wisps of affection culminated in a warm, fuzzy feeling that he couldn't quite name. Was it love? Had he finally reached that point? Their current status was still ambiguous due to all of the secrecy, but if anything, the extra obstacles made him want her all the more.

Gar was pulled back into the present by a whoop of delight coming from one of the booths. He craned his neck to witness Roy do a victory dance down the center aisle of the bus. Based on the giant scowl on his face, it looked like Dick had been beaten at an arm-wrestle. The Titans' frontman slid out of his seat to be replaced by Garth, who was the next challenger. Next to them, Kory and the Pérez twins shared their respective experiences of immigrating to the United States. At the front bench behind the driver's seat, Victor and Karen sat side by side. The latter was on a video call with the former's fiancée. The two women had been getting acquainted for the past hour and based on Karen's smile, it seemed like they were becoming fast friends.

As for Gar, he sat at the back with the roadies. They played Overcooked, a cooperative video game in which their characters whizzed around a kitchen fulfilling food orders. Raven sat with them as well but remained a passive onlooker, occupied with her e-reader instead. This was nothing out of the ordinary, since she usually stuck to quiet activities whenever they were on the road. What was strange was that she had gotten up to use the washroom a while ago and still hadn't returned. Suspecting something was wrong, Gar got up from his seat and went to go check on her. He rapped on the door and asked, "Everything okay in there?"

"I'm fine." Her strained tone was the opposite of convincing. The handle was unlocked so Gar turned it and took a half step inside. He found her kneeling on the ground, clutching onto the toilet bowl for dear life. Realizing that she had a spectator, Raven's clammy face flushed with embarrassment. "Get out," she said, turning away in shame.

"Feeling nauseous?"

"It must be motion sickness, I guess," she mumbled, still not looking at him. "I feel like I need to vomit but I can't bring myself to do it."

"Don't tell me; are you pregnant?" he gasped exaggeratedly.

Raven returned his teasing grin with a hard stare. As with most of his attempts at humour, she was wholly unimpressed. When she opened her mouth to reply, her words were interrupted with a dry heave. The confines of the washroom were tight but Gar managed to crouch beside her. He laid a gentle palm on her back and rubbed it while she continued to gag. With eyes shut, she whimpered, "I don't want you to see me like this."

"You've seen me get sick before too. I'm just returning the favour."

"It's humiliating."

"Come on, it can't be more embarrassing than wiping out in front of thousands of people, can it?"

"This is different," replied Raven, sighing with frustration. "I don't care what other people think of me. But you…"

"What about me?"

"I…I care what you think. I don't want your opinion of me to change after this."

They stared at each other, silently acknowledging the shift in their relationship. There was nothing romantic about the current situation, but it still felt deeply intimate. Gar had never seen Raven look so vulnerable, so fragile. Her eyes glossed over as she fought against her physical discomfort. Behind the unshed tears was fear; a fear of being judged and losing his respect. Gar's intuition told him that he needed to proceed with caution. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "It's going to take a lot more than a little puke for me to think of you any differently. It's only human to show weakness sometimes. And besides, you're one of the strongest people I know."

Taking his hand off of her back, he raised her chin and leaned forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. Then, he rested his forehead against hers and gazed directly into her eyes. They remained like this for a few moments until Raven abruptly jerked away to hurl into the toilet. Pulling the loose strands from her face, Gar gathered up her hair in his fingers and whispered soft words of comfort. "That's okay, hon. You get it all out."

The acrid scent made his stomach churn and the sound of her retching was grating to his ears. Despite all of this, he was overwhelmed once again with that warm, fuzzy feeling. It urged him to take care of her and protect her at all costs. Her skin had taken on a sickly pallour, but from Gar's perspective, she looked just as beautiful as she always did on a regular day. When Raven finished, he wet a paper towel and used it to wipe the leftover vomit from her chin. She gave him a grateful nod before closing her eyes and leaning against his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it. Next time, I'll even braid your hair so that it doesn't get in the way."

"Wow, what service," she answered somewhat sarcastically, the beginnings of a smile dancing on her lips.

"Anything for you, Rae."

The pair emerged from the washroom to be met by the curious stares of the rest of the group. Raven simply shrugged at them and muttered, "I got carsick. Nothing to see here."

Hours later, the Titans and Bees arrived in Atlanta. They went through the usual routine of unloading their luggage and settling into the hotel. Afterwards, the entire group got ready to go out for dinner. Wally had called in advance to book them a private room at an upscale restaurant specializing in Southern cuisine. Upon arrival, they were welcomed by a sizable group of fans who lingered by the entrance. There were no reporters, but a dozen paparazzi were scattered amongst the crowd. As they tried to file into the restaurant, the two bands were swarmed with requests for selfies and signatures. Both Raven and Wally agreed that the circumstance was perfect for positive PR, so they let their clients take as much time as they liked to interact with the fans.

Gar was pleased to see that he was amongst the most popular of the lot. The media already knew that the Graysons were an established couple and as of yesterday night, Victor's engagement was public knowledge. From the world's perspective, the guitarist was the only Titan who was single. A seemingly endless line of women vied for his attention, all begging him for photos and autographs. He took the opportunity for what it was and laid on the charm with extra gusto. Every once in a while, Gar stole a glance of his manager. To his mild surprise, Raven looked more amused rather than annoyed or jealous at his behaviour. When they finally made it inside the restaurant, she gave him a playful nudge and said, "Look at you, Mr. Popular. Will you still remember me when you're famous?"

"Please, aren't I already famous?"

"I suppose. You're not at the level of John Mayer or Adam Levine, but I guess you'll get there eventually. Slowly. Marginally."

"Just you wait, I'll be the biggest name in the biz one day."

She rolled her eyes and began to answer with another remark, but her phone chimed with an incoming e-mail. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the message.

"Hey, no work at the dinner table!" Victor chided.

Raven ignored him, then announced, "Excuse me, I need to make a phone call."

She got up from her seat and moved to the corner of the room. After a few minutes, she came back with a neutral expression. Brimming with curiosity, Gar tugged at her sleeve and asked, "And so? What was that all about?"

"PR stuff. A magazine in Dallas wants to interview you."

"How exciting! It has been a cat's age since we had an interview," Kory said, beaming with excitement.

"Actually... This one is just for Gar," replied Raven. "They want him for their '30 Hottest Bachelors Under 30' list."

The day was just getting better and better. The fans' attention from earlier had already been quite the ego boost. Now, Gar overflowed with confidence. An exclusive interview based on his dashing good looks was the highest of compliments.

"Seriously?!" Dick exclaimed, then pointed at the man of the hour. "Of all people, they want this guy?"

"Jealous? Look out, dude, your saltiness is showing." Gar's mouth stretched into a shit-eating grin as he waggled his eyebrows at Dick. His childish taunting was interrupted with a sharp elbow jab to his side. While the rest of the table laughed at his yelp of surprise, Raven shot him a disdainful look.

"Don't be so smug about it," she said. "Victor actually made the list first, but after he announced that he's engaged to Sarah, he's not exactly considered a 'bachelor' anymore."

"Wait, so I've basically got Vic's sloppy seconds?" Gar wondered aloud, disappointment tingeing his voice.

"Do you want to do the interview or not?"

"Of course I'll do it! Anything for the fans."

"Anything for the fans, you say? Wow, what service..." Raven muttered under her breath.

For the first time that day, her indigo eyes flashed with irritation. It happened so quickly that when Gar blinked, the peeved look was gone. It made him worry, but he was soon distracted by a steaming plate of collard greens and barbecue portobello mushroom caps. After finishing their meal, the Titans and Bees were inundated with a second wave of fans. Gar found himself surrounded by female admirers, ranging from blushing adolescent girls to handsy middle-aged moms. He did his best to give each person a few seconds of undivided attention, but there were simply too many. Again, his manager watched him as though she found the encounters entertaining, but there was something about her demeanour that seemed off. At the back of his mind, Gar mulled over her little remark from the restaurant. Anything for the fans. He said it all the time, but Raven had never commented on it. So why now?

Back at the hotel, he decided to pay her a little visit. He knocked on her door and when it opened, he had to stop himself from automatically walking inside. Raven gave him a warning look and stepped out so that they both stood in the middle of the hallway. "Do you need something?"

"Not really. I just wanted to make sure you were alright after getting sick on the bus earlier."

"That's very sweet of you," she replied. "Yes, I'm okay. Will that be everything?"

He chuckled and said, "What, are you tired of me already? I feel like we haven't hung out at all recently."

"What else would you call the past fifteen hours? Or the last two weeks for that matter?"

"That doesn't count and you know it."

"But you know there's nothing we can do about it, right?" Raven said, cocking her head to the side.

After he nodded back, the pair fell into an empty silence. Gar felt compelled to touch her, hold her, kiss her... Anything but stand at an awkward distance like they did now. All of a sudden, he felt a wave of insecurity crash into him. Rationally, he knew that their romantic feelings were mutual. But with the recent lack of physical contact and quality time, it was hard for his heart to believe. Needing assurance, he asked, "Are we okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't we be?"

"I dunno," he replied with a half-hearted shrug. "I guess I… I just miss you."

"I miss you too."

Once again, Gar had to hold himself back from touching her. The hallway was completely empty, but he stayed planted to where he stood. Based on Raven's wistful gaze, he knew she felt the same way. Not wanting to draw out the heartache for longer than necessary, they bid each other goodnight.

The following evening, the Atlanta concert went off without a hitch. With the growing media coverage, the two bands had to be smuggled out of the venue in no less than five different taxis to avoid the paparazzi. The morning after, they hit the road towards Dallas, Texas. This particular day marked exactly one week since the Titans and Bees joined forces. The two teams had quickly moved from being strangers to good friends. Seven days was a short time, but their relationships inevitably grew due to being together 24/7. On performance days, they hung out in each others' hotel rooms and backstage before the show. On the road, they played games, recounted stories and listened to music.

Instead of Broadway tunes, the speakers sounded out an eclectic mix of rap, jazz, heavy metal, country and everything in between. The genre depended on whoever's phone was connected to the tour bus' sound system at any given moment. Presently, the Bees' manager belted out the lyrics to a Hive Five single. Wally had a not-so-secret crush on their lead singer and wasn't afraid to show it. All the Bees rolled their eyes at his infatuation, especially since the punk band was one of their main competitors.

Emerging from the bus' tiny washroom, Raven rummaged through her toiletries bag with a frown on her face. Her manicure had begun to chip, so she felt that it was about time to take it off completely. After borrowing nail polish remover from Kory, she further noted that her nails had grown too long for her taste. However, her nail clipper was nowhere to be found. She looked up and down the vehicle, asking, "Did anyone see my...?"

"You looking for this?" From across the back of the bus, Garfield tossed over the tiny set of metal clippers. With surprisingly quick reflexes, Raven was able to catch it in the nick of time. "Thanks, by the way," he said as he walked closer, "my toenails were starting to get crazy long."

"Excuse me?" demanded Raven. Her face paled and her eyes bugged out of her sockets. Did he just say... Toes?

Garfield rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a guilty smile. "Sorry I didn't ask beforehand, but I figured you wouldn't mind."

"Just to clarify, these touched your feet?"

When he nodded slowly, Raven immediately felt queasy. She exclusively used those clippers for her fingernails, which on occasion, she bit out of nervousness. The idea of her mouth having contact with his toe fungus made her want to vomit all over again. Disgusted, she turned on her heel and moved back into the washroom, furiously sanitizing the nail clippers with hot water and soap. A barrage of insults flooded her mind and she had to bite her tongue not to say them out loud. She had promised Garfield that she would try to keep her temper in check, so she said nothing.

A few hours later, her patience was tested once more. Raven and Tim sat at the front just behind the driver's seat, which was now being helmed by Conner. The trio were in the midst of discussing logistics for the SXSW festival, which was their next stop after Dallas. Their business meeting was disrupted when a spinning mass hit Raven directly in the face. By the time she got her bearings, the entire vehicle went deathly quiet. Looking down at her lap, she inspected the unidentified flying object more closely. The ball was a knotted mess of undershirts, boxers and socks. An overpowering smell of body odour punched her in the nose.

"What the hell is this?" she asked, barely containing her anger.

"I believe the boys call it 'Stankball'." At the sound of Cassie's voice, Raven turned her gaze from her lap to the rest of the group. Garfield, Victor, Wally and Roy gave her guilty glances from where they stood in the aisle, frozen with fear. She could see Dick, Garth, Bart and the twins peer over the top edge of their seats, looking equally culpable. It took every iota of her self-control not to blow her lid, and by some miracle, she managed to stay calm. With a sneer of distaste, she opened the closest window and tossed the knot of clothing out onto the road.

"That was my last clean pair of underwear!" Bart shouted, clutching at his red hair.

"Looks like you'll just have to go shopping," she said before adding, "and I highly doubt anything in there could be considered 'clean'."

An hour away from their destination, Raven felt a pang of hunger. Not wanting to risk another appointment with the toilet, she thought it best to settle her stomach with a snack. She made her way over to the kitchenette and poured milk into a bowl, followed by cereal. When she turned around, she almost bumped into Garfield who was just stepping out of the washroom. He asked, "Hold up, did you just put the milk in first?"

"Uh, yes?"

"What are you, a sociopath? Who does that?" When Raven returned his question with a blank stare, he continued agitatedly, "Everybody knows that you're supposed to pour the cereal first, not the milk!"

"I've always done it this way."

"Well your way is very, very wrong."

"Whatever. At least I don't put nasty soy milk in it."

Garfield proceeded to lecture her on the benefits of non-dairy alternatives, but she completely ignored him by walking away. And because she rebuffed his lengthy explanations, he refused to let the Cereal versus Milk debate go. He ran up and down the tour bus, taking an informal poll from the rest of the passengers. The majority of the group agreed that Raven's method was bizarre, which made her more annoyed than she already was. The Bees' bassist gave his two cents last, saying, "Sure, it's uncommon, but it's not that weird. And she's right, soy milk is gross."

"No one asked for your opinion, Garth," muttered Garfield, visibly bristling in defense.

"You literally just did," the man replied with narrowed eyes.

"Don't take it personally," Raven answered in Garth's direction, "he's all bark with no bite."

Garfield sputtered with offended noises to which Raven replied by silently throwing up her hands in mock defeat. If she opened her mouth, there was no telling what would come out.

By the time they unloaded everything in Dallas, Raven was able to regain her center. For the second night in a row, she heard a knock on her hotel door. She wasn't at all surprised to see Garfield on the other side, looking somewhat breathless. "Do you need something?" she asked.

"Are we okay?"

She cocked a brow and said, "You're starting to sound like a broken record, Gar."

"It's just... I know I was being super annoying today with the whole cereal thing-"

"-It's fine."

"-and I'm sorry about your nail clippers-"

"-It's fine."

"-and when I hit you with the Stankball I-"

"-Gar! It's fine, okay?"

"So you're not mad?" he squeaked while wringing his hands nervously.

"I'm going to get mad if you don't shut up."

"Okay, just wanted to make sure you weren't going to try to kill me in my sleep tonight."

Wanting to change the subject, Raven asked, "Are you ready for the interview tomorrow morning?"

"Yeah, although I can't believe that we have to be there for 6 am! Why so early?"

"That's show business. If it's too much for you to handle, I can always cancel it..."

"No, no! That isn't necessary."

"On that note, I have something for you." Raven retreated back into her room and took out a small shopping bag from her larger purse. After she handed it over, Garfield excitedly drew out a baseball cap and pair of sunglasses.

"What's this for?"

"Your disguise. As great as the extra media coverage has been lately, I don't feel like getting chased down by your fans first thing in the morning."

"Fair enough. So, it's just you and me tomorrow?"

"That's right."

"Any chance we can spend some time together afterwards…?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"I don't know, maybe. I don't want to make any promises."

He looked crestfallen at her response, but Raven could tell there was more to it than that. "Were you jealous yesterday?" Garfield asked hesitantly. "Because of, you know, the fans?"

"Not at all," she answered truthfully, "as a celebrity, you're expected to spend time with them. I would never want to get in the way of that."

Raven glanced up and down the hallway. Seeing that no one else was around, she took a chance, leaned forward, and kissed him squarely on the lips. Garfield only began to return the favour once he recovered from the shock. As Raven stroked the back of his neck to play with his hair, her nostrils filled with his pine-scented cologne. Breathing him in, she sighed with pleasure. It had been far too long since they last connected this way. The way he moved his tongue against hers made her feel like she would melt in his arms. She would have given anything to pull him inside, peel off his clothes and release some of the sexual tension between them. But as his manager, it was her duty to protect him. It would be selfish to cross that line now and potentially muddy his career. As it were, she was already pushing the boundaries by making out with him in plain sight. She kissed him one last time before stepping back to a more respectable distance.

Once they both caught their breaths, Garfield asked with a shaky smile, "What was that for?"

"Just a little reminder. As cute as your fangirls might be, none of them get to kiss you like that. Not on my watch." Feeling bolder than usual, Raven gave him a saucy wink.

Garfield returned the playful gesture with a grin that showed off his teeth and laughter that came deep from his belly. "If I knew you would react like this, I'd hang out with my fangirls all the time..."

"Don't play with fire, Gar," she answered with a slightly threatening look. "Now good night, Mr. Popular."

At 5 am, Gar was jolted awake by the ring of his automated wake up call. According to Raven, he would get re-styled into a new outfit at the magazine's head office, but he still wanted to look good when he arrived. After a revitalizing cold shower, he changed into a pair of slim fit jeans and a button-up shirt. Before he stepped out the door, he remembered to put on the sunglasses and baseball cap that Raven had given him the previous night.

The downtown Dallas streets were almost empty at the early hour. Their destination was only a short walk away from their hotel, but Raven still felt that it was wiser to take a cab for fear of being late. As soon as they arrived, they were greeted by a sprightly intern who looked like she was fresh out of college. Although she was probably the same age as Gar, there was something about her doe-eyed look that made her appear much younger. The intern introduced herself as Jill, then escorted them inside where they were greeted by the magazine's editor.

The morning's schedule began with a quick breakfast meeting, followed by hair and makeup. Gar had only worn makeup twice in his life: once for the music video shoot and the second time for the taping of the late night performance. After this third instance, he could definitively say that he didn't like the stuff. It was like a mask that turned him into a different person. Now, he could understand why Raven didn't wear make-up often. In his not-so-humble opinion, the two of them were attractive enough not to need it anyway. Sitting still in a chair for over an hour made him antsy, so Gar was relieved when he was finally freed from the makeup station. A stylist took over and made him try on several different outfits. Once he was content with his work, the stylist carted Gar off to another room where a photoshoot was set up. The photographer guided him through the process of testing for lighting and finding his best angle. They took photos for the better part of an hour, stopping once so Gar could change outfits and get his hair and makeup retouched.

As soon as the photoshoot was over, the musician was whisked away once again. This time, it was Jill the intern who led him back to his seat in the dressing room. He noticed that a large table in the corner was covered in snacks and beverages. When he moved to get out of his chair for food, Jill stopped him. "Let me take care of you, Mr. Logan."

"Please, call me Gar," he said with a gentle smile, which was returned by a shy one from Jill.

"Would you like something to drink Mr. Lo-, I mean, Gar?"

"Got any coffee?"

"Of course! Do you take cream or sugar?"

"Er, I'm vegan, so I don't-"

"-Oh, don't worry about that!" Jill said brightly. "We prepared everything here just for you. Do you prefer soy, almond, or oat milk?"

"Almond, please. I go nuts for the stuff."

"Gar, you are too funny!" she giggled loudly, giving him a light pat on his chest before walking away.

Unaccustomed to the VIP treatment and the appreciation for his humour, Gar was thoroughly pleased. On top of it all, he was so used to people dismissing his dietary restrictions that the attention to detail felt extra special. He let the intern pamper him until it was time for the interview. She brought him his drink and offered to order more food if he didn't like what was provided. Feeling indulgent, he took full advantage of Jill's services and asked for a meal from a vegan place nearby. She promptly obliged with bells on her toes, returning with a delivery bag in hand soon after. Gar's mischievous side took over when he saw how eager she was to serve him. He decided to test the boundaries of his upgraded celebrity status.

"Jill, we have a problem. I asked for a black bean burger, not a burrito."

"Oh my God, I am so sorry Gar-, er, Mr. Logan! I'll fix it right away!" she cried.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" he assured her right away. "I was just teasing. Thank you so much for the food, it's great. And like I said, call me Gar." Before he could comfort her any further, Raven walked in to tell him that the interview was starting. Feeling bad about making the intern panic, he said, "Would you like a photo together?"

Jill squealed while jumping up and down, only stopping to take her phone out of her pocket. While they posed for the camera, Gar could see Raven smirking at the door through his peripheral vision. Once they exited the room, she blithely remarked, "I hope I wasn't interrupting anything."

"N-no! It's just that- she, no I, uh..."

"Relax, Gar. I told you I'm not jealous," she answered calmly. "If anything, it's good for you to be nice to assistants and the like. Everyone in the industry talks, so if you develop a bad reputation, you'll be branded as 'difficult to work with'."

"A.k.a., a diva?"

"Exactly. Now for the interview, I received a general list of the questions and they're pretty tame. So feel free to answer them as honestly as you want. But if a question makes you uncomfortable, you are in no way obliged to answer it. Just try to be diplomatic, okay?"

They walked into a brightly lit room where several cameras were set up. In the center were two director's chairs and on one of them sat a peppy-looking interviewer. Gar shook hands with her and introduced himself as politely as possible. He noted that Raven looked pleased at his professional conduct. He never felt nervous for interviews before this, but suddenly, he was overcome with performance anxiety. The pressure was on and he didn't want to disappoint his hard-working manager. Once he settled into his seat, the interviewer explained how the video shoot would proceed. "Before we get into the actual segment, we're going to play a little game to warm-up. It's called 'Who'd You Rather?'"

"Oh, like on the Ellen show?"

"Exactly. I'll name two famous ladies and you need to say who you would rather date."

Gar quickly glanced at Raven before saying, "That seems kind of shallow, no?"

"It's just for fun! Don't overthink it too much, focus on loosening up. You ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Okay, Gar. Who'd you rather? Emma Watson or Emma Stone?" the interviewer asked.

"Emma Watson for sure."

"Why?"

"I had a huge crush on Hermione as a kid."

"Emma Watson or Ariana Grande?"

"Er, Ariana Grande? She's got an incredible voice."

"So you like someone with musical talent, hmm?" the interviewer said with a wink. "Ariana Grande or Honey Beecher?"

"Oh, Honey's a good friend, but I don't think we're compatible. Let's stick with Ariana."

"Ariana or Jenny Hex?"

The guitarist grinned at the mental picture of Wally's celebrity crush. From what Gar heard, the front woman of Hive Five was quite the firecracker. Apparently, she had a feisty personality that matched her hot pink hair. "This one's for you, Mr. West," Gar thought before saying out loud, "Jenny Hex. Clearly, I'm a fan of other people with neon dye jobs."

"Ooh, do I smell an inter-band romance coming along? Okay, this is the last round."

"Hit me!"

"Jenny Hex or Terra?"

The moment his ex-girlfriend's name escaped the interviewer's lips, Gar felt like he was pushed into a pool of cold water. His senses numbed and the background noise faded to silence. He could barely register the interviewer's patient expression, waiting for him to answer. Of all people, why did she have to mention her? Still feeling off balance, he sought out his lifeline. There, in the corner of the room, he latched on to the sight of Raven's concerned face. She gave him an encouraging nod and that was all he needed to snap back to reality.

"I think Jenny wins."

To his relief, the interviewer seemed to take no notice of his temporary shut down. She shimmied in her chair to get more comfortable, then said, "Now, for the main event. I'll ask you a bunch of rapid-fire questions, so just answer with whatever comes into your mind first."

"Sounds good to me."

"What is your best physical trait?"

"Some people would say it's my hair or my hands, but I think it's my ears," he answered, wiggling his ears up and down.

"Best non-physical trait?"

"My passion for music."

"What advice would you give to your former self?"

"Dream big and don't listen to the haters."

"When's the last time you cried?"

"Just last week. Me and Vic watched "The Lion King" in my hotel room. Mufasa's death gets me every time."

They continued this exchange for another twenty minutes. As the interview winded down, Gar realized just how much fun he was having. The performer inside of him simply basked in the spotlight.

"Here's the last question," the interviewer stated. "Would you ever date a fan?" Her tone was perfectly even, but there was a glint in her eyes that caught Gar off guard. Was she being serious right now? Unsure of how to answer, he gave Raven a look of desperation. His manager briskly walked forward and laid a supportive hand on his shoulder.

"I think that's enough questions for today. We're pressed for time, seeing as we have a concert tonight," Raven said firmly.

"Of course!" the interviewer obliged with a fake smile. "Thank you very much for your time, Gar. The article will be published online tomorrow morning, so make sure to share it on your social media!"

On the way out, Gar made a point of personally thanking each of the people that worked on set. Before they exited the building, Raven had to remind him to put on his disguise. He was thankful for the sunglasses since it was nearly noon and the sun shone brightly. Raven raised her arm to hail a taxi, but Gar stopped her. "Can we walk instead? I've been sitting all day."

"I'd prefer a cab. I'm hungry and I want lunch as soon as possible," Raven said. "Not everybody had an intern waiting on their hand and foot all morning." Although her tone was gruff, Gar could tell by her slightly upturned lips that she wasn't as annoyed as she let on.

"Let's explore the city a bit! I'm sure we can find good eats close by," he said, then leaned in closer to whisper in her ear. "Besides, this is the exact opportunity we've been looking for to hang out. Whaddya say?"

Raven knew it foolish to agree, but there was something about his pleading eyes that convinced her otherwise. The pair walked across the busy street, stopping to sit down at a bench. She pulled out her phone to look up restaurants that were on the way to the hotel. As she scrolled through the search results, Garfield fluttered about distractedly like a hummingbird in a field of flowers.

"So how'd I do today, boss?"

"Adequately. You were very charming and didn't make too much of a fool of yourself."

"Really, that's all you have to say?" he whined disappointedly.

"Well, the questions weren't that difficult," she replied. "Anybody could have answered those."

"If that's the case, why don't you answer them?

"Because I don't want to. So don't even bother, Gar."

"What's your best physical trait?"

"I'm not biting."

"That's the easiest question, since it's obviously your legs," Garfield replied without missing a beat. "What about your best non-physical trait?"

"I told you I'm not doing this!" Raven argued back, though she had to fight the smile that threatened to take over her face.

"Come on, be a good sport."

"Fine. My work ethic, I suppose?"

"What advice would you give to your former self?"

"Don't date green-haired guitarists. They'll drive you crazy."

Garfield stuck out his tongue defiantly before continuing, "When's the last time you cried?"

"You were there," she said, her mouth now drawn into a tight line. "It was the day the whole plagiarism debacle happened. Richard alleged that I wasn't willing to fight for the band and that I'm a spoiled trust fund baby. Those accusations were very hurtful."

He gave her an apologetic look. "I remember now. What about before then? I get the feeling you don't cry very often."

A lump formed in Raven's throat and she turned her eyes to the ground. She debated within herself whether or not to answer honestly. It was a long story, not one for sharing in such a public place. The memory was one of her most private experiences, one she had never voiced out loud to another person. Glancing back at Garfield, there was nothing but affection and acceptance in his eyes. His expression reminded her of how much she lov- no, how much she liked him. Other than Kory, he was her closest friend. And if she couldn't trust Garfield, what was the point of dating him? She gave him a grave look, then said, "What I'm about to say is extremely private. Can you promise me that you'll never repeat this to another soul?"

"You can trust me, Rae. I promise," he answered back with equal seriousness.

"The last time I cried was on the day of my Master's convocation."

"Tears of joy?"

"No, you moron, let me finish," she replied snarkily. "Remember that I had a family member who sponsored my education at Sainte-Azar? When I returned to Gotham after my mother died, I had no way of contacting them. And so, I was cut off financially. To make ends meet, I temporarily dropped out of high school to get a job. I managed to save up enough money so that I could finish my GED, but I still had to work nights. I busted my ass to qualify for scholarships. During the four years of my undergrad, I continued to study during the day and worked at night. It was extremely exhausting, but empowering at the same time. I was proud of myself for accomplishing all of that on my own. My scholarship dried up at that point, but I was determined to get my Master's degree too. After getting rejected by several grants, my mysterious sponsor reached out to me out of the blue. They said they'd be willing to pay my remaining school fees."

"Just like that?" Garfield asked.

"Just like that," repeated Raven, "no strings attached. It seemed too good to be true, but I was desperate. So I took the money and continued my studies. On the day of my convocation, a stranger approached me right before the ceremony. He introduced himself as my father."

Garfield's jaw dropped to the floor. "So that whole time, your sponsor was-?"

"-My old man? Yes, and that's not all..." Raven answered, sighing tiredly through her nose. "Have you heard of Trigon?"

Although it seemed physically impossible, his mouth gaped even wider. "Have I heard of Trigon? Do I live under a rock?!" he exclaimed. "The Mark of Skath is one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time! Are you telling me that your old man is-"

"-The former lead singer of Trigon? Yes, I am."

Garfield slumped backwards, one hand swinging up to facepalm his forehead. "I can't believe that you're related to him. That's insane!"

"I could hardly believe it myself. Now this is where things really get complicated."

"There's more?"

"At that point, he was nothing more than an absent father. But then, he explained how he met my mother during their first American tour. Apparently, she was a groupie that followed the band across the country. It didn't take much for me to figure out that they dumped her on the streets when she got pregnant. That man was part of the reason why her mental health was so fragile. I was disgusted with myself for taking his money. Even if it was for my education, it still felt dirty. It was like his involvement totally discredited my hard work. How could I say that I earned my achievements when they were paid for by my rich daddy?"

Raven didn't notice that she was crying until she felt the tears drip onto her hands. And just like the last time she cried, she was saved by a tissue offered by Garfield. As she wiped her face clean, he gently rubbed her back. His familiar touch was comforting beyond words. Raven was acutely aware that they were in broad daylight, but she couldn't bring herself to pull away. Once she regained her composure, she continued her story. "Anyway, he tried to force his way into my life. He insisted that I 'owed' him and that he wanted to make up for lost time. I wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, so I hired a lawyer to figure out if he had any real claim on me as my biological father. That's when I found out that I wasn't the only one.

"Only one?"

"The only abandoned child. You see, over the course of a decade, my father impregnated not one, but seven women."

"Seven?! Does that mean you have siblings out there in the world?"

"Half-brothers, yes. By the time Trigon reached the peak of their career, my father had accumulated six other baby mommas on the road. And like my mother, they were all eventually discarded. The seven women banded together and sued his ass for child support."

"So that's how you were able to go to that fancy academy?"

Raven nodded, then said, "He died a month after confronting me. That's when I found out he had been terminally ill, and despite the fact that I rejected him, he left me a lot of money. So much money that I didn't know what to do with it. I wanted to ignore it, but at the same time, I was totally broke." She leaned onto the back of the bench and looked up to the sky. A low chuckle escaped her as she thought about the irony of it all. "In a way, Richard was right. The funds to create Nevermore Records and buy my current place? They were never mine to begin with. I didn't earn the money, I inherited it. People praise me all the time for being an 'independent self-starter' but that's not true. I'm a fraud."

Gar looked at her tear-stained face in disbelief. "Bullshit!" he shouted back. "What are you saying, Rae? I know better than anyone how hard you've worked to get where you are now. Does a fraud work over sixty hours a week? Do they pour their lives into making other people successful? Do they treat their clients like family? I don't think so!"

When she didn't answer, he stopped talking, letting their dialogue grow quiet. They sat on the bench for a little while longer as the crowd passed them by. Raven seemed to have recovered from the conversation, but Gar was still regaining his bearings. While his own family situation was messed up, he felt like it paled in comparison to what she had to go through. He knew that there was no point in comparing one's misfortunes to others', but he also knew that she didn't deserve a scumbag of a father like that. His heart broke for her, especially now that he saw her struggle with imposter's syndrome. In his eyes, Raven was WonderWoman. Selfless, caring and good. He refused to support the lies that she believed about herself. His internal musings were interrupted when she spoke aloud, "I'm curious, since you didn't answer the last question."

"Huh?"

"From your interview," she clarified. "Would you ever date a fan?"

Gar was transported back to their "DTR" in Portland. He remembered how stone-faced she looked when she asked him not to get involved with fangirls. Now that he knew her parents' history, everything made sense. "Never," he said confidently, "especially when I have someone like you."

Gar could hardly believe that at one point, he thought the "secrecy" part of their relationship was kind of sexy. Now, he hated the fact that they couldn't show any public displays of affection. The moment was ripe for him to embrace her, stroke her hair and kiss her gently. But he couldn't do any of it. If he couldn't express his feelings with his actions, he would just have to use his words. "Rae, there's something I want to tell you. I think... I think I lo-"

His declaration was cut off by her gasp of shock. Their gaze was connected before, but now, she seemed to look right past him. She stood up abruptly from her seat on the bench, her face draining to a pale grey. She looked as though she had seen a ghost.

"What's wrong?" he asked, getting up himself and turning around so he could follow her line of sight.

Across the street stood a man, who looked at Raven intently. He was well-built for a person of his age; Gar guessed that he was somewhere around fifty. He had a trimmed goatee that matched his thick head of silver hair. He wore a tailored suit, which in Gar's opinion, looked like it was too stuffy to wear under the hot Atlanta sun. However, the sleek outfit paired with perfectly coiffed hair made the man look extremely distinguished and intimidating. The light turned green and the pedestrians were given the right of way to cross the road. As the stranger headed straight towards the pair, he never broke eye contact with Raven. Witnessing the whole encounter, Gar broke into a cold sweat. He had no idea who this man was, but instinctively, he knew that he wasn't a friend.

"Ms. Roth! I never thought I'd see you here."

"Hello, Mr. Wilson."

The name raised a red flag in Gar's mind. This bastard was Tara's manager and Raven's former boss. Gar felt like he was going to be sick.

"Let me guess, this must be Garfield Logan, guitarist for the Titans?"

"Call me Gar," he said with gritted teeth, reluctantly extending his arm for a handshake.

"What are you two up to, roaming the streets on a fine day like today?"

"My client had an interview this morning," Raven replied curtly. "We were on our way to get lunch before preparing for the Titans' concert tonight."

"What a coincidence, I am also on my way to lunch," Mr. Wilson said, then paused to snap his fingers. "Say, why don't you two join me? My treat!"

"That's very generous of you, but-"

"-Please," he interrupted Raven, "I insist."

With a resigned nod of her head, she agreed. Gar and Raven followed Mr. Wilson's brisk pace until they stopped in front of a very expensive-looking restaurant. They shared a furtive glance before Mr. Wilson turned around and gave them a wide smile. "Don't worry, kids. Like I said, I've got you covered."

Stepping into the establishment, Gar never felt more worried in his life.

A/N: What is Slade Wilson up to? You can be sure it's nothing good.

Some Easter eggs: Raven vomiting and Gar holding back her hair is lifted from the "Seven Deadly Sins" storyline in Issue #4 of Titans 2008, which is also where you meet her 6 half-brothers. The nail clipper scene is inspired by Season 2, Episode 2 "How Long Is Forever?", as well as my own personal hatred for feet. Jill, aka Jillian Jackson, is Beast Boy's girlfriend in the Doom Patrol comics from the 1960s and the New Teen Titans comics from the 80s. I hope you Flinx fans enjoyed that subtle nod to Wally being infatuated with "Jenny Hex", aka Jinx.

Till next time, Lily Timbers

Replies to Guest Reviews

Guest #1: In my opinion, 99 percent of book series would be so much better as a TV show. Slade shows up again, and more of his plotting will be revealed next chapter :)

frog31791: Thank you! Yes, there are definitely lots of ups and downs in this one.

Guest #2: You. Are. Too. KIND! Yeah, I couldn't leave poor Victor in that situation for much longer. Slade is starting to make his moves... you'll find out more next time! Also, I listened to "Cop Car", and I totally agree! Another great song that is perfect for BBRae is "Just Friends" by Chromeo. One day, I'll write a songfic about it (maybe when I finish this story first, haha).

GURA: Hello again! Greetings from Canada :) Thank you for leaving a comment when you can, I really appreciate it. Your kind words are so encouraging! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.