"Fuck me. I really do think I died." I announced.
Freya who was now by my side attempting to hold me up, elbowed me in the side.
Zak looked at Noah and whispered something. Hopefully about how he was in love with me and was about to take me out of here and to his bed. He turned back to me and I got lost in his eyes. He opened his mouth. Oh my, Zak was about to talk to me.
"Ladies. Sorry I can't stay, but I have another engagement. I'll leave you in the good care of my friends though. Have a lovely evening." He smiled, and I fell into the abyss of his beams, and then he walked away.
My eyes followed him the whole way down the corridor and I let out a regretful sigh.
“Let’s get you on your feet and some coffee down you.” Noah said, looking from me to Freya. “And don’t pretend to be press. I know you aren’t.”
“How?” I asked him.
“I can read both your minds. You couldn’t be more open if you had a shop sign hung around your neck.”
“It’s you.” Freya huffed, giving me side eye. “Being drunk gave the game away.”
Noah invited us into his dressing room. I let my gaze sweep around and wondered if I could find out which hairbrush Zak had used and steal it. The trouble was, my body was still not cooperating so I could barely step away from the walls. I needed to be able to be around Zak Jones. This could not be my future, where he walked away from me. Then I got an idea.
“It's true I'm not a press person. I’m the President of your fan club.” I announced with a large dose of over-enthusiasm.
“Fan club?” Noah smiled.
“Yes.” Fuck, why had I not thought of this before? “Whether you win or not I believe you are on the brink of stardom and I want to run your official fan club. What say you?”
At this point Rex shot forward, making me jump. “Hell, yeah. I even know what we can call our fans.”
“Oh God, don’t encourage him.” Roman groaned, still standing at the back of the group.
“The Subs.” Rex said proudly. “Do you get it? Short for subscribers to our club, but meaning submissive, doing what we want them to.”
Freya’s hand shot up. “I want to be the first official Sub.”
He winked at her. “Done. So, coffee and then you can take some notes about the band, how we started up etc. Sound good?"
Freya took my notepad and pen and she gave me the look she gave me when she was telling me not to fuck things up. I tried to concentrate. “While my bestie sobers up, I can start by getting to know you. Is there somewhere more comfortable we could go?”
"Yes." Rex said. "You can come to the canteen with Roman and I and ask us anything you want to know."
I watched as my best friend smiled in Roman's direction and even inebriated I knew that smile was masking her true feelings about the third wheel accompanying her and her crush.
“Will my friend currently be part of a threesome?”
Noah had given me several mugs of black coffee and that and time meant I was starting to sober up a little. Jeez, I was alone with Noah Granger, bass guitarist of The Paranormals. If only it could have been Zak, but still, I was in their dressing room and talking to one of the band!
Noah laughed. “No. She's quite safe in the canteen. You'll have made their day by saying you're making a fan club. Don't worry, I'll let them down gently. Sorry that Zak left when I know you came to see him."
"Was I that obvious?" I said, my mouth turning down at the corners.
"A little."
"Huh. Yeah, he was so interested, he left in a split-second."
Noah patted my arm. "Zak has a great amount on his plate, not least of which is we're trying to win this competition. I definitely wouldn't pin your hopes on him. He's not a settling down kind of guy. Or a one-woman kind of guy."
My heart felt broken and my stomach like it was full of concrete. Here was the truth from his friend. Zak wouldn't be interested in me. I decided to change the subject while I was with Noah and be nosy in asking him the gossip I wanted to know the answers to.
“Is Stacey really with Dray? Because I think you two look good together?”
His mouth dropped open for a moment and then he arched a brow. “Matchmaker, are you?”
“You must be joking. I can’t get myself a date, never mind anyone else. Nope, if you still like Stacey you’re on your own there. I just think you seem nicer than Dray.”
He smirked. “But you don’t actually know me. What if I’m a vampire or something and not as nice as you think?”
I guffawed with laughter. “I like you, you’re stupid.”
Oh my fucking god, what did I just say to this man? This is why I shouldn't be let out in public. What was I thinking coming to talk to the band? I should have stayed at home, talking to the television where I couldn't embarrass myself. “Sorry, I mean, you’re funny, not stupid as in dumb. You make me laugh. I don’t laugh much. My life’s pretty boring, so I’m so pleased I’m now running your fan club.”
Now where was my notepad and pen? I patted down my pockets. “Oh, but Freya went off with my pad and pen so I can’t write down anything you tell me.”
"It's fine. You don't have to run our fan club. I'll tell the others. Thanks for supporting us and hopefully you now realise that alcohol is not your friend."
I felt my cheeks heat. "I shouldn't let myself get pulled into Freya's hairbrained ideas, but hey, I got to meet you all. And I really am a huge fan and would definitely, truly like to run your fan club. You'll need one. You're going to be huge. I just know it."
Noah nodded and smiled. “Give me your phone number and email address and we’ll be in touch. You can totally run our fan club if you want. You can ask us anything via emails and then we’ll leave it up to you how you run things. That’s if you still wake up in the morning wanting to run things and it's not the alcohol talking.”
Was this really happening? Noah had told me I could run their fan club? Constant contact with the band. I wanted to jump up and down and squeal, but instead I sat on my hands.
“I don’t usually drink.” I confessed.
"Funnily enough, I kind of worked that out." He stood up and beckoned for me to follow him out of the room. "Let's go find your friend in the canteen."
I nodded.
"I really do think you and Stacey seem better suited than her and Dray." I said, as Freya stood up in the canteen and headed towards me.
"You stick to creating the fan club, and I'll run my love life, or lack of it." He gave me a hug.
"Bye. It was nice to meet you. Thanks for being so kind and not kicking us out." I said.
"No problem. You took my mind off some things for a while so it's all good." He told me and I wondered if it was Stacey on his mind.
Freya put her arm through mine and after visiting the ladies because I was about to piss myself after the copious amounts of liquid I'd consumed, we made our way out of the building and into the fresh air.
"Let's go and get a drink and talk about what just happened." Freya announced. "Like over and over again." She let out a satisfied moan. "I touched Rex's arm, Erica. It was so hairy and just lush. So soft." She swooned a little.