Chapter 4
When I had pictured what a celebrity's apartment would look like I honestly expected it to be a lot bigger. Not that it was small, not by a long shot, but I couldn't help thinking of those ridiculously expensive places you'd see on TV. Not that I was complaining. The outside of the building was clean and simple while the inside was surprisingly homey feeling. Or maybe it was just Chip's influence. The carpet was a nice beige color that went with the light purple walls quite nicely. His living room was spacious and fit a five seated black couch and matching chair quite comfortably. The kitchen was also located in the room, but was separated by a long black counter top that held the sink and what looked like a coffee maker. On the other side was the stove, microwave and a fridge all connected by a counter of the same color. It was an easy place to picture staying in.
"Welcome to my home." Chip smiled before removing his shoes to walk inside further. Not wanting to be rude, I did the same and followed. As did my friends. We all gathered on the couch and simultaneously sighed at the marshmallow soft feeling of the cushions.
"I think I'm in love. Can I just live on this couch?" Tootie said as she stretched her muscles.
"You'll have to fight me for it." Danny replied happily. I was about to add into the contest, when a half full glass of red liquid was placed in my line of vision. Oh right he did say there was wine.
"Thank you." I whispered taking the glass from him and taking a small sip. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever tasted in my life. Oh my god, Aunt Wanda would die if she tasted this.
"Do you like it?"
"Like it? This is amazing!" I gushed taking another drink.
"Cà del Bosco Franciacorta Annamaria Clementi. My mother's favorite." Chip informed obviously happy at my positive reaction to the drink. "Would any of you care for some?"
"Not really a wine drinker. Have any vodka?" Danny asked.
"I'll take a glass.
"Me too." Sam and Tootie both answered and with that the singer headed back into the kitchen. I gladly kept downing my own drink and was disappointed when I found the glass eventually empty. Before I could ask though a bottle was set before me on the coffee table as Chip gave the other's their drinks. I sent a silent thanks to him before pouring another glass.
"Don't drink too much. I'm not dragging your drunk ass home if you do." Danny spoke taking a long sip of Vodka.
"I've only had two glasses and I'll remember that if you need help getting home smart ass." the drinking and banter went on for sometime, while we ate some Italian dish Chip made, before everyone of us were laughing at a joke that Sam had told.
"Where did you even hear that?" I wiped some tears from my eyes before setting my once again empty glass on the coffee table.
"You hear a lot when you work at a goth poetry shop."
"You heard that at a poetry place. I might have to consider going one of these nights." Tootie giggled gulping down the last of her glass as well. How many drinks had we taken so far again?
"She makes it sound better than it is." Danny responded just watching his own glass as he stirred the alcoholic contents around. Sam retaliated by hitting him on the arm causing us all to laugh once again.
"Hey, you know what I just realized?" Tootie suddenly spoke sitting up. "Chip hasn't said a word in a long time. We must talk too much."
"You just figured this out right now?" I grinned causing me to receive my own hit to the arm, which only made my grin wider. Glancing over, I found the singer seated to my right a couple feet away. The usual happy smile was plastered on his lips, but his eyes were half lidded in a relaxed fashion. I wonder how much he'd had to drink already? He noticed me watching and his smile grew.
"Don't mind me. I like listening to your stories." A audible gasp came from behind me as Chip spoke and I myself stared in awe. He had an Italian accent. I mean I knew he had one, but hearing it was amazing. So it showed up when he drank? For some reason the thought made me grin happily.
"You have an accent. Oh my god! He has an accent! Chip Skylark has an Italian accent!"
"Breathe Tootie." Danny laughed as the girl still babbled on excitedly.
"This is just so amazing! Timmy did you know about this? You did didn't you? How dare you not tell me, we're best friends." I tuned her voice out and went to pour another glass of wine for myself. Before I knew it I had some how ended up lying on the floor a ways from the couch. Danny and Sam still sat on the couch, but now were shamelessly making out and feeling each other up. Tootie had passed out on the chair at some point, snoring away like an old man. I couldn't see Chip anywhere, although my eyes were quite blurry at the moment so maybe that was the reason? With a groan, I brushed some hair from my face before shutting my eyes. A touch to my shoulder caused my eyes to reluctantly open again to find Chip leaning over me me holding a bottled water.
"You should drink this before falling asleep. It will help you not have a hangover in the morning." I took the water from him and gulped down the liquid slowly. When I finished I tossed the bottle away and shut my eyes again. "Goodnight Timmy."
"Goodnight." I sighed tiredly.
Waking up on a hard surface wasn't the ideal setting, but I suppose it should be expected after spending an evening drinking. What wasn't expected was the feeling of something warm pressed against my back and the strong smell on vanilla. With a groan, I twisted my stiff muscles to see what it was and froze at the sight of a broad chest covered in a white t-shirt. I was almost afraid to look up, but I did anyway to be met with the sight of Chip Skylark's sleeping face. Small snores could be heard from him, but it was nothing like Tootie's. One of his arms was laid under his head while the other rested against my side. Our legs were tangled together in a way that brought a deep blush to my now wide awake mind. How the hell did we get into this position? Oh no, what if the other's had seen. I'd never live this down. Frantically, I surveyed the apartment and was beyond relieved to see that the other three were all still passed out in the same positions from last night. Thank you god. As quietly as possible I maneuvered my way away from Chip and went to go find the bathroom. When I returned to the living room I glanced at the clock to see that it was only four in the morning and decided to go back to sleep. This time though I sat on the opposite side of the couch from Danny and Sam. No way was I letting my friends find me in such an embarrassing pose. Ever.
The next few weeks went by in a blur. A multitude of projects all seemed to be assigned at the same time, which took up a large chunk of time for all of us to hang out. We did still have meals together though, although sometimes Chip was unable to do even that thanks to his celebrity status. It turned into thing for all of us to go to the singer's house twice a week to eat, drink and just have fun. Not that we could get carried away like the first night thanks to school work, but it was still a nice time to unwind for a few hours. Luckily it seemed Tootie was starting to calm down a little when she was around Chip so it was as if the five of us had been friends for years with how well we clicked. I found myself more and more at ease in the man's presence. Just something about his very being just radiated good vibes and made any situation calming and comfortable. Even Sam seemed less sarcastic and rude when the singer was around.
The sound of Sam dropping her bag beside me on the floor caused my attention to wander from the comic I was currently working on. I watched her remove her own sketch pad before plopping in the seat to my right. We nodded in greeting before I went back to finishing the final panel of the third chapter. Sam was uncharacteristically quiet today, but I thought nothing of it since it just meant I didn't have to deal with her teasing. That is until a dark purple cell phone was dangled in my line of vision. I was about to complain about her blocking my view when a picture on the tiny screen caught my attention causing me to suck in a breath. Before me was an image of Chip and me from a few weeks ago cuddled up together on the floor asleep.
"When Danny stopped kissing me to go to the bathroom I was met with this touching moment. Naturally I couldn't miss getting a photo of something so cute." Sam smirked in a way that promised hell for years to come. I just stared at the device wide eyed before making a grab for it, only to have it yanked away too fast for me to catch.
"Erase it!" I hissed both irritated and terrified that such a thing was in the hands of Sam Manson.
"No way, when you two finally hook up this will be an important memory. You'll thank me." she replied cheerfully, which was creepy as fuck.
"Sam, come on. This isn't funny anymore." I whined laying my forehead on the desk. The snicker I heard told me she thought differently. "I'm serious and please tell me you didn't show that to anyone."
"Well I didn't show Chip." I began hitting me head on the table. "Just relax. Its not as if I emailed it to the entire school."
"If you did that I'd be murdered." The thought of Chip's fan girls seeing that photo sent a shiver down my spine.
"Not as bad as when you guys are dating."
"We are not going to date. I'm not into men." I argued, but the goth just shrugged my words off before finally beginning to work on her own art. I glared at her for a minute and then did the same. What did she have against me? Was I that fun to pick on constantly? Maybe I should talk to Danny about asking his girlfriend to ease up a bit. Although I doubt it would do much against this women.
"You're baking has improved quite a lot." I glanced up from decorating my cinnamon buns to smile at my neighbor.
"Thanks, but it's still light years away from being anywhere close to yours." I huffed eyeing the gooey pieces of heaven sitting on Chip's own baking sheet. At this the singer gave unhappy look, which I hated more than anything on that constantly smiling face.
"You really need to stop comparing yourself to me. I've had years of experience before coming here so that gives me an advantage. For a beginner you are doing very well." I felt myself flush at the compliment so I turned back to my task for something to do. "Are you still coming over today?"
"Hell yes, I need a few drinks." I relied seriously, which made Chip chuckle amused before I felt him tap my shoulder. When I turned to see what he wanted my mouth was instantly assaulted by a still warm piece of cinnamon bun. I happily accepted the delicious offering, but not without another tinge of red to my cheeks. The man just grinned at me happily before going back to his own decorating with cheerful humming. I'd quickly grown to like the sound of his humming while working and was something I looked forward to hearing each class. Many times I had been tempted to join in, but then work remind myself that my voice was less than suitable for human ears to be assaulted by. Over the years, many people had made it quite clear that my singing voice could shatter glass it was so awful. I slathered more frosting on my buns with a pout.
"What's with the look?" Chip asked sounding way too delighted with my expression.
"Just wishing my voice didn't sound like a dying hippo." the startled muffled laughter caused me to look over and find the singer covering his mouth with shoulders shaking.
"I doubt it's quite that bad?" he said after finally catching his breath.
"If you'd ever heard me then you would agree."
"Well now you have me curious. I'll have to have you sing something for me sometime."
"Not in a million years." I declined.
I jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around my neck and pulled me into a rough hug. Swinging around I found Tootie standing there.
"You scared the shit out of me." I complained pulling my back pack on my shoulder.
"After eight years you should be used to it. So where's Chip?"
"He said he had to grab something and would meet us here." at the explanation my best friend nodded before removing a half eaten bag of peanut brittle from her shoulder bag. I listened to her munch on the crunchy snacks for quite some time before Sam and Danny joined us on the front steps of the school. Danny plopped down on my right as his girlfriend settled comfortably in his lap.
"So where's Mr. Golden voice?"
"He's meeting us soon." I told him as I searched for any sign of our celebrity friend.
"Good because I came up with a great game for us to play tonight." Sam added with a proud look on her face.
"Is it safe?" her boyfriend joked squeezing her tightly to his chest.
"Of course it is. When have I ever done anything unsafe?"
"Well there was the time you tried to get rid of meat in the cafeteria in middle school. Then there was the gorilla incident. Asking me to enter my parents non-working port..." I watched Sam cut Danny off with an elbow in the ribs and gazed at her confused. Well that was weird.
"I'm not even going to ask about the gorilla because that sounds way to odd, but how exactly is changing the menu at school dangerous?" Tootie questioned for the both of us. The couple both exchanged a look before rubbing the backs of their necks. It was kind of odd seeing synchronization in real life.
"Timmy, you remember when I told you about how or town was infested with ghosts?" I nodded to Sam and she seemed glad that I had recalled that conversation. "Well when I changed the menu an evil cafeteria lady ghost tried to destroy me by controlling meat. Don't give me that look, it true." Tootie and I just gaped at the goth in disbelieve before Danny came to her aid.
"That really did happen. There was meat products everywhere." the man shivered at the recall.
"Thankfully Danny Phantom was there." Sam added with a knowing smile on her purple lips.
"I'm not calling you guys liars, but that is a lot to take in." I told them trying to wrap my head around the idea that ghosts were real and apparently could control food.
"Don't worry, we know that a lot of people wouldn't believe a story like that." Danny admitted before the sounds of quickly approaching steps reached my ears. Chip was running towards us looking a little too worried for comfort. He was motioning for us to move with his hands so we all stood up in confusion. That is until the crowed of people appeared around the corner behind the singer.
"Shit!" I shouted before we all began to sprint in the direction of Chip's apartment. At times like this I really hated my lack of stamina. To make matters worse, I some how tripped on the flat ground beneath me and landed face first into the lawn. Hearing the riot of fans getting closer I scrambled to pick myself up, but was shocked when I was suddenly lifted off the ground and held against a firm and warm chest.
"What are you doing?" I asked humiliated by the position I was in.
"Making sure you don't get trampled." Chip beamed down at me. Barely winded even though he was running at full speed while carrying me.
"Put me down! This is so embarrassing." I whined, but he just pulled me closer and kept going. It took us no time to catch up the the others, who were looking a little worse for wear, except for Danny. Seriously, what exorcise did this guy do to have so much energy? Thankfully, we made it to a small alleyway leading behind the convenience store a little ways from Chip's apartment. We all caught our breath as the crowd ran passed non the wiser of our location. A sigh of relief came from me as my feet were allowed to once again touch the ground.
"Are you alright?" I asked my self proclaimed carriage. Chip flashed a mouth full of pure white teeth as he started to laugh at the situation. I couldn't help myself and joined him as I leaned against the brick wall.
"So how did it feel to be carried like a princess Timmy?" I heard Tootie tease, which effectively stopped my laughter instantly. I put my face into my hands and groaned unhappily.
"Just shut up!" I growled glaring at the three people behind me. They all raised their hands in a peaceful gesture, but I could see the gleam of smugness in their eyes.
"We should probably head over to my place before they decide to come back." Chip interrupted as he made sure the coast was clear. At he suggestion we made record time in reaching the apartment and taking our usual seats on the couch. Immediately the drinks were doled out and I could feel the tensions of the day rolling off with each sip of wine. Man, I had needed that.
"Now it's time for that game I told you about." Sam announced digging into her back pack for something. After a few seconds she produced a simple glass bottle painted black. Oh, I had a bad feeling about this.
"Not that old thing. We're not in middle school anymore Sam." Danny said dangling the bottle in the air.
"I happen to think this thing brought us many nights of fun." she countered causing her boyfriend to blush sheepishly. I really didn't need that mental image while I was still sober.
"Are we playing spin the bottle." Tootie clapped her hands excitedly.
"I've never played that before." Chip admitted taking a seat on the floor by my feet.
"Me neither." I added and this caused Sam's head to spin towards us so fast I wondered how she didn't give herself whiplash.
"All the more reason to play. Everyone on the floor." She ordered moving the coffee table out of the way. I reluctantly joined everyone in a circle in the center of the room. Sam placed the black bottle in the center before taking her own seat in between Danny and Chip.
"So who goes first?"
"Oh me please!" Tootie volunteered then spun the bottle. When it landed on Danny I could practically feel the disappointment rolling off her, and the displeasure coming from Sam. The two gave a very awkward kiss then returned to their spots. We all took a drink and then it was Danny's turn. He had a little too much enthusiasm when it stopped on Sam. While they took their time the rest of us took another gulp of liquid. The pleasant warmth was spreading through my body that told me the alcohol was now having an effect. A few more turns continued in the same way with more awkward kisses and further consumption of alcohol.
"We should probably slow down. We do have classes tomorrow." Danny suggested setting down his third empty glass of vodka.
"Yeah, that's a good idea." Tootie agreed. Sam, Chip and I just shrugged since she didn't have class until afternoon and Chip and I had the day off. The three of us continued to fill our glasses.
"Alright, Timmy-kins turn."
"Don't call me that." I frowned at my best friend, spinning the bottle gently. It spun several times before slowing down to a stop. The room went eerily silent as I glanced up to find the goofy smile of Chip Skylark, the irritatingly smug grins of Sam, Tootie and Danny all aimed at me. I swallowed thickly at the sight of the bottle clearly facing the singer across from me.
"No chickening out Turner." Danny hollered and I sent a murderous stare at him.
"Come on, if I had to kiss Sam then you can kiss a hot celebrity." Tootie chuckled. Heaving a sigh, I slid across the rug to meet the singer in the center of the circle. I can't believe I was about to do this. Sam better not be taking any pictures.
"Don't worry, I don't bite." Chip joked in his Italian accent, causing me to tremble at the sound. Licking my suddenly very dry lips, I leaned towards the singer slowly. I shut my eyes before the feeling of soft moist lips pressed against my own. They slowly moved against each other at first, which was an odd feeling, but not a bad one. Curious, I ghosted my tongue over Chip's lower lip and found that I liked the taste a lot. I felt the corners of his mouth curve up into a smirk before his own tongue was glossing over my bottom lip. My whole body shuddered at the sensation as the muscle pressed against the opening before pushing into my mouth. A moan escaped me as the sweet taste of vanilla invaded my senses and clouded my thoughts. How did a human being taste like this? His tongue skated across my braces and this once again made me weak in the knees. Fingers weaved through my hair before knotting in and forcing my head back to give the singer better access. I happily allowed him to do as he wished. My heart hammered in my chest in a way that seemed unhealthy, but I didn't care. All I wanted was to taste more of the man pressed up against me. The need for oxygen was winning however and I reluctantly had to part our mouths to catch my breath.
"Meglio di quanto immaginassi." I heard Chip gasp over the sound of pounding in my ears and I looked up to find the blue eyed Italian smiling at me in amazement.
"Holy shit." the sound of Danny's voice broke whatever trance I had been in and I turned towards the others. All three had matching expressions of shock and it seemed that Sam had taken her phone out during the whole thing. My face erupted into flames before I scrambled out of Chip Skylark's hold stumbled to the front door.
"Timmy, wait!" Was the last thing I heard before the door slammed shut behind me. What had I done? I had just kissed Chip Skylark. No, not just kissed him, I got him into a drunken tongue wrestling match for fucks sake. In front of my best friends. Oh my god! What do I do? How could I have done something so embarrassing? To a celebrity no less. How would I ever look him in the face ever again? Damn it! I kept jogging down the street in my drunken stupor until I made it back to my dorm room. Suddenly feeling the wine heavily in my stomach, I kneeled beside the little trashcan located in between Danny and my beds before throwing my guts out. I guess you shouldn't go jogging after drinking so much. I almost didn't notice when a gentle touch came to the spot between my shoulder blades. In between heaves, I glanced back to see that Danny had returned to the room and was kneeling right behind me. He gave me an encouraging smile before helping me to get up from the floor and lay in my bed fully clothed. Not a word was said as he fell into his own mattress with a light thump. I felt drained of energy and still a little queasy. Sleep was sounded like a really good idea. Just needed to sleep.