A/N: Sorry for the late update. I worked all weekend and am still trying to recover, I'm so tired. Was anybody else squealing like a fan girl during the last scene of Friday's episode of Hollywood Heights. As always, constructive criticism is welcome. I am also really open to suggestion about how to expose Chloe's cheating ways to Eddie or other miscellaneous scenes that any of ya'll would like to see. I am so grateful for the outpouring of support that I have received from all of ya'll. Every review, fav and follow makes me feel such happiness.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Hollywood Heights. I just hijacked them for the purposes of this story. The storyline however is mine. Oh and I promise to return all characters save for Chloe and Tyler back to their original owners relatively unharmed.
Days after Eddie's confrontation with Chloe, he and Loren finally managed to coordinate their busy schedules. The pair were all set to practice and had decided to meet up at Eddie's house (emphasis on Eddie part as he had decided that in addition to post phoning the engagement, it would be best if the two lived apart) to drive to the studio. The reason being that Eddie went to a studio that was out of the way and it was way too complicated to try and give directions since Eddie didn't even really know the address, he just knew how to get there. At least that was the reason that Eddie pitched to Loren. If Loren saw through his excuse, she never bothered to tell Eddie or make fun of him for having such a flimsy excuse. The truth of the matter was that Eddie wanted to spin some alone time with Loren and just talk to her. After finding out about the secrets Chloe had been keeping from him, Eddie felt unsettled. He began to doubt himself – his instincts, his worth as performer and as a man. Eddie had felt himself falling at dizzying speeds through a pit that seemed to have no end with only darkness, loneliness, and doubt to keep him company. Not even spending time bonding with dad seemed to be able to ease the constant ache of pain that began to pervade his life. Then one evening after calling Loren and finally being able to find a time when they could meet, Eddie found himself free of the ache for the first time since he found out the truth about Chloe hence the excuse of needing to drive to the studio together.
Once comfortably seated in Eddie's sleek black Chevy Camaro, the two spent the hour car ride talking, bonding over their love of music, and singing to the tunes blasting through Eddie's radio courtesy of his Ipod. About twenty minutes into the car ride fader by Temper Trap began to play. Loren squealed and began singing along while Eddie simply smirked at her and chuckled quietly so as not to embarrass Loren. Once the song ended, Loren turned to Eddie and proceeded to tell him how she "can't believe that you have that song on your Ipod. Most people I know have no idea what that song is and look at me like I'm crazy when I started singing out the lyrics."
Eddie chuckled once again in that smooth timbre that Loren adored so much and replied in kind by telling Loren that he "heard the song playing in this cool little record shop that I like to frequent and it's been stuck in my head ever since. " The pair talked some more and soon they were pulling up to the studio.
Once inside the studio, the pair spent the next two hours practicing the whole routine for Eddie's performance. Within the span of that two hours, there are hands touching hips that wrap around toned stomachs and squeeze when they dissolve into a fit of laughter and giggles, spins and twirls, lingering touches, secret smiles, and eye contact that seems to convey to one another things that Eddie and Loren's subconscious seem to know but have yet to alert the conscious mind to. Afterwards, the two collapsed in a sweaty heap on the floor with Eddie's back against the mirror and Loren laying sideways across his chest. Loren was the first to catch her breath and once she did, she realized just exactly where she collapsed. She tried to move away but then Eddie's other arm was coming around her and she thought he was going to push her away instead Eddie slung the arm low around her waist and turned his face to bury it in the hair by Loren's ear.
"Thanks for this Loren, I really needed it. The only times that I'm not focused on my problems are when I'm practicing or hanging out with you. This was the best of both words." Eddie spoke and his hands gently added pressure on Loren's stomach where he had slung them as if to reinforce his words.
Loren was at a loss of what to say at first. So she simply turned her head buried under the crook of Eddie's neck, wound her hands around his middle and pulled him closer to her while squeezing him around the middle.
Without another word the two untangled themselves from one another (it didn't escape either Eddie or Loren that this was something that they had to do on an increasingly regular basis. Eddie drove them back to their place, the two hugged and went their separate ways. Two hours later, Eddie was freshly showered and found himself bored out of his mind. He tried to write but nothing came. He desperately wanted someone to hang out with to distract from thoughts of Chloe which only seemed to bring him pain lately. Loren was the first person who popped into his head but he did not want to bother her so he texted his father first and found that he was busy. He texted two other guys that he hangs out with on a regular basis but they were both busy. Just as Eddie was about to give up and try to settle down to sleep some more, his phone buzzed alerting him to the fact that he had a text message. The message was from Loren and read 'too tired to think but not tired enough to sleep. This. Sucks.'
Eddie chuckled at the text message and told Loren that he felt the same way. The response came almost immediately. 'So Mr. Duran, how do you suggest we remedy the situation' was the playful message that Loren sent Eddie. Eddie thought for a minute and suggested 'chinese takeout and turner classic movie channel.' On the car ride over to the studio, Eddie revealed to Loren that watching classic films held a special place for him as it was something that he and his mother used to do. While Loren had reveled that the turner classic movie channel happened to be a main stay in the Tate household. 'Be there in ten' was all that Loren sent in reply. Eddie closed his phone with a laugh and flopped back on the couch to wait for Loren to show up. And suddenly Eddie wasn't so sad or lonely anymore.