Tonight it's Fate - Part Seven

[wasted_rawkstar]

Tonight it's Fate -- Part Seven

Writer: Ally (wasted_rawkstar)
Fandom: Simple Plan
Rating: R
Summary: David's not sure he's taking the right path in his life. After an ill-fated motorcycle ride with friends he's even less sure, but he's not going to let that stop him from going after what his heart wants. He just has to hope that who he offers his heart to won't throw it back in his face.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six


“Bye Seb!” Jeff and David both waved at the guitarist as he closed the car door and walked to the block of townhouses, lugging his suitcase up the steps as the car pulled away. David stifled a yawn as the car merged back into traffic and headed toward Jeff’s house.

“You gonna make it home?” Jeff asked, his voice slightly teasing.

David smirked. “Probably not… I barely slept on that flight back.” He shook his head. “Just thinking about too much shit.”

The guitarist nodded and a few minutes of silence fell between them before he spoke again. “Going to see Louna soon?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.” He half smiled. “Figured I wouldn’t be good company tonight and she probably had plans anyway.” He shrugged. “Maybe give me a chance to kick this jet lag a little.”

“No shit,” Jeff replied with a nod. “You’d think we’d all get used to it by now.”

“I think mentally I am, but my body hates it every fucking time,” he said, then covered another yawn.

Jeff laughed. “Exactly.” They let the conversation lapse after that and fifteen minutes later the car pulled up at Jeff’s condo. They shared tired smiles that made him laugh and shake his head. “Don’t fall asleep and miss your stop, okay?”

David shrugged one shoulder. “Try not to,” he replied.

He laughed again. “All right… beers next Friday?”

“For sure,” he said, nodding. “Later, man.”

“Later.”

Jeff climbed out of the car, retrieved his suitcase, and a minute later the car was back on the road. It took David a few blocks to realize that the route the driver was taking to his apartment would drive almost right by Louna’s neighborhood. He’d told her he wouldn’t see her until the next day, because he was feeling pretty wrecked from all the travel, but since she was right on the way…

He pulled his phone from his pocket and sent the message without thinking. Are you home? He stared at the screen, hoping she’d answer quickly, and it would be the reply he wanted. The seconds dragged by and he chewed his lip, realizing just how much he wanted to see her. He couldn’t wait for tomorrow because if he didn’t see her tonight he wouldn’t get any sleep.

Yeah. Aren’t you on a plane???

He grinned. Not anymore!

“Hey, change of plans,” he told the driver, leaning forward in the seat.

The guy met David’s eyes just momentarily in the rearview mirror. “Sir, I’m meant to take you home.”

“I know, but we’re driving right past the place I want to go instead,” he replied. “Think you can make an exception?”

The driver met his eyes again. “Right past the new location?”

“A couple blocks east off Notre Dame, on Saint Marguerite,” he said. He could see the driver thinking about the request and then finally nodding.

“You’ll get home from there?”

“Yeah, absolutely,” he replied, happy the driver had complied. A few minutes later the car circled through the narrow one-way streets and David finally answered Louna’s earlier message of Not anymore? Did you jump out?!

Maybe… check your front door:)

The car pulled to the curb as he pointed out the building and he had his seatbelt unbuckled and the door open as soon as the car stopped. He slung his backpack over his shoulders and handed the driver a twenty after he pulled the suitcase from the trunk. “Thank you,” David told him. “Have a good one.”

“Thank you sir, you too.”

“David?”

Louna’s disbelieving voice came from behind him and he turned to face her with a grin. She leaned in the doorway of the building, wearing a t-shirt and yoga pants, her hair falling over her shoulders as she shook her head at him. He laughed as he pulled the suitcase up the stoop and stopped in front of her.

“I thought your flight got in later tonight,” she said, confusion in her eyes.

He shrugged it off. “I lied. I thought I was gonna be too wrecked to come see you… but I couldn’t wait.” He hoped she wouldn’t be mad, because he was being absolutely honest. He was rewarded with her quiet laugh.

“You’re crazy,” she told him.

He shrugged again. “For to be,” he said, “but it looks like you’re stuck with me because my ride just left.”

Louna glanced at the car that had pulled away then back to David with a smirk. “There’s worse things that could happen,” she told him, then pushed up from the doorway, holding the door open for him to come inside the building.

He followed her up the short staircase and down the hall to the second door, which she’d left propped open.

Louna waited until David had come inside and pushed his luggage beside the door to lock it behind them then look at him expectantly. “Is there a reason you haven’t kissed me yet?”

He grinned, laughing as he dropped the backpack to the floor. “Fuck no.” He closed the space between them and their lips met heatedly, Louna’s hands reaching to thread through the long hair at the back of his neck. He slid his hands over her waist, her hips pushing into his with slight movement. He broke the kiss after a few long moments and her smile was sated.

“There’s the greeting I was hoping for,” she said.

David hummed in amusement. “More where that came from,” he replied, circling his fingertips over the small of her back.

She gave him a wicked grin. “What I like to hear.”

They kissed again, this time a little slower and more languid, David sucking her lower lip slightly as she yielded to him. He pulled her closer, inhaling deeply and feeling her chest against his. She hummed contently as she leaned against him, his tongue dipping into her mouth a bit. They continued to kiss for another minute before Louna pulled away, wrinkling her nose slightly.

“You kinda stink like an airplane,” she told him, having noticed that he didn’t have the familiar citrusy scent on his hair or skin.

David laughed, letting her pull away further. “I hoped you wouldn’t notice,” he said.

She shook her head, making a face. “You want to go shower?”

“Is that a request or an offer?” he asked.

She pursed her lips. “More of a request,” she confessed after a second, then frowned. “Sorry.”

He shook his head. “It’s okay, I should.”

She looked torn then, frowning more. “Shit, no…” she said, shaking her head, “that was really fucking rude of me. You came straight here instead of just going home and-”

David leaned in abruptly to kiss her firmly then pull away just slightly. “And I’m grateful that you’d even offer your shower the first time I’ve ever come over,” he told her. “Is there a towel in the bathroom or do you need to get me one?”

She smiled bashfully. “I’ll get you one. Do you need shower stuff or do you have…” She trailed off as he pulled away and reached for his suitcase. For a second she was terrified that she’d pissed him off so badly that he was going to walk out the door, but then she realized he was just moving it to get out what he needed.

“I have stuff,” he said, standing back up with a travel bag in his hand. “Did you have dinner yet?” He shook his head in disbelief at himself. “Because I’m starving, even though it feels like it’s one in the morning.”

She laughed. “We can get something after you shower… get you back on a normal schedule.”

He smiled wryly. “That’ll be a new one.”

They kissed lightly again and Louna showed him to the bathroom, handing him a towel before he shut the door. She took a step back and listened as the water turned on moments later, unable to remember the last time she’d had someone stay with her and use her shower. It was a weird realization and she dismissed it, glad that David had come over to see her.

A chime from the living room pulled her away from lingering outside the bathroom any longer and she found her phone on the coffee table, displaying a few texts. All the messages were from friends about their brunch plans tomorrow. She frowned at them, not really wanting to do anything now that David was back, but she’d already said she’d be there. That plan had been made when she thought she wouldn’t see David until Sunday afternoon - giving him the chance to recover from the travel and jetlag. Now everything was up in the air. Would he stay the night with her? When was the last time she’d washed her sheets? Fuck she wasn’t prepared for this night at all. She didn’t even have condoms.

Thoughts continued to race through her head as she stared down at her phone, hating that she had to worry about brunch the next day. Sometimes she loved to be social and soak up the company of her friends, but lately she was more content to spend time at home or with friends just one-on-one. It was easier than being in a group and worrying about fitting in and her reputation and all that.

She sighed, answering affirmatively that she’d be at the brunch at noon with a vegan friendly dish and bakery goodies, since she’d already bought them. She switched her phone to silent then, glancing at the time before she locked the screen: ten minutes to eight o’clock. She knew the café across the street stayed open until 11pm on Saturday, and same with the small market up on Notre Dame. She had no idea what David would want to eat; for all she knew he’d be happy with a bowl of cereal and fruit. She wandered to her kitchen, opening her fridge to see what she had to offer and came up disappointed. She knew her vegan diet probably wouldn’t settle his appetite, but she could at least be gracious and offer to make him something. She closed the fridge and leaned against the counter; or maybe since he’d basically invited himself over, she could talk him into ordering take-out from her favorite place and she could drive them there and then offer to pay for dessert from the creamery on the way back. That certainly seemed like the best idea, but could she pull off the flawless execution? Maybe.

“You look like you’re scheming.”

David’s quiet voice snapped her from the thoughts and she laughed. “You caught me… wondering if I could convince you to get take-out from Aux Vivres then stop for dessert on the way back.” She decided to try the honest route since he’d been so candid earlier. It was a rare thing to witness that sometimes, and she had to appreciate it when it happened.

David smiled and shrugged, his wet hair curling around his neck as he reached to adjust his glasses. “Whatever you want to do,” he replied.

She blinked hard as she studied him, not really thinking about what he’d just said because somehow his appearance seemed off to her. After a moment she realized she’d never seen him without some kind of hat or helmet on, and the glasses were different too. He must’ve only worn contacts and sunglasses around her before. She dragged her eyes away, suddenly self-conscious that she wasn’t wearing a hint of make-up and had only thrown on a sports bra because she’d gone for a walk earlier. David hadn’t said a word though, and clearly he’d kissed her because those things didn’t matter to him. He’d just been happy to see her.

“I think you’re as spacey as I am tonight,” David said after another few moments of silence. He could tell that she was thinking hard, but her head seemed to be in a different place. Had it been a bad idea to come see her? He didn’t want to invade her space so much, but they’d confessed more than once how they were missing each other. His postcards laid out on her coffee table told him as much, so what was he misreading?

She shook her head. “Sorry, just realizing I look like a mess,” she rolled her eyes at herself, “and made you go shower.”

David shook his head as he stepped toward her. “Hardly. It made me feel more human, and you’re not a mess at all.” He reached out to tuck her hair over her shoulder. “Beautiful as usual.” He leaned in and punctuated the statement with a kiss.

Her cheeks flushed as he pulled away and she looked down, wringing her fingers. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

“You’re welcome,” he replied simply. “Now how about we do this food thing while I’m still awake?”

She laughed and nodded. “Fair enough.” She stepped over to the small desk in the living room and opened a drawer, picking out a folded piece of yellow paper that she handed to him.

David stared at it for a second before realizing it was a menu. “Bonny’s? I thought you wanted Aux Vivres?”

She shrugged. “This place is closer… and faster,” she said. “And they have more options for you since it isn’t strictly vegan. You can have real cheese,” she teased him.

He laughed as he opened the menu. “Lucky me… just don’t moo constantly while I eat it.”

She grinned. “Never.”

Half an hour later, they returned from their take-out adventure and settled on the couch to eat together, since Louna didn’t have a proper kitchen table. She cleared the coffee table of his postcards from Europe, stacking them up and tucking them onto her bookshelf next to the dish she’d put all the guitar picks in. He smiled when he noticed it, happy she’d kept the tokens and realizing he needed to give her the second batch of picks he’d collected. They were safely tucked away in his backpack, in another envelope with more postcards; he’d run out of time to mail them and figured an in-person delivery might be sweeter anyway.

“So tell me about the shows,” she said, once she’d finally settled on the couch and powered on her stereo.

David recognized the Muse CD and swallowed the bite of burrito he’d taken. “God, they went so fast… I always forget that with festivals like that you end up watching more shows than actually playing, which is great for me.” He smiled. “Never pass up live music… but Pierre’s missing time with his family and Jeff and Chuck always have things going on…” He shrugged. “But the shows were amazing. We had so many fans there.”

She nodded, taking a bite of her curried vegetables. “Do you think you’re more popular in Europe than you are here?”

He shook his head. “Maybe not here, but in the US for sure.”

She frowned. “You don’t have a fanbase there?”

He shrugged. “We do, but it’s different. We’ve never been able to crack that market like we have other places… but those other places make up for it, and we can always do Warped Tour when we want to, so it evens out.”

She laughed. “God, Warped Tour… I think I went once in high school because I was obsessed with Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Rise Against.” She shook her head. “And that seems like a million years ago.”

David smiled. “Nah… probably like 2006. We were on in 2005 with RJA but Rise Against headlined the next year because their album had just come out.”

“How do you remember something like that?” she asked, genuinely intrigued that he could recall such details about the bands.

He shrugged. “It’s my thing.”

She nodded, taking another bite and chewing slowly. “So, why didn’t you guys play that year?” she asked, when David hadn’t said anything more.

He dropped his eyes from hers. “That was the beginning of the year from hell…” he replied slowly, then glanced at her. Her eyes held a certain curiosity and he knew he wouldn’t get away with such a vague response. He held back the sigh that came with the truth he was about to impart. “Pierre’s brother and Jeff’s uncle both had cancer, Seb and Chuck went through really horrible break-ups with people they thought they were going to marry…” He shook his head. “And our major label in the US was pushing hard to put out another album and threatening with a breach of contract lawsuit if we didn’t do something.”

Louna frowned as she listened to David’s words. She couldn’t imagine going through all that. “God that’s terrible… where were you during everything?”

His laugh was weak. “Hiding at home and going through my own personal shit.” He aimlessly pushed a tomato around on his plate, hesitating before he decided that he could trust her with the truth. “Really I thought I was just becoming totally fat and lazy, but it turned out I had some thyroid thing that’s super common and makes you gain a ridiculous amount of weight if it isn’t treated.” He made a face. “That’s like twenty pounds I don’t miss.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “Fuck, that does sound like hell for all of you… did everything sort of get back to normal?” Her last question was hesitant, but David nodded.

He swallowed the bite of food and met her eyes again. “We all made it out alive,” he reassured her, then yawned suddenly, unable to hold in the sleepy feeling any longer. His body was telling him he needed to be in bed and asleep, but the clock still told him otherwise. It was just after nine and to get back on a regular schedule he needed to stay awake a couple more hours. “Shit, sorry,” he apologized, waving off the yawn. “Maybe you should’ve just taken me home.”

She smiled. “Nah… more fun trying to keep you awake. How’s the burrito?”

He looked up and met her smile as he swallowed a mouthful of the rice, beans, cheese, and veggies. “Cheesy,” he replied.

She grinned. “Should I moo?”

He laughed. “Knock yourself out.”

They laughed together then and finished their food while David told her about the best bands he’d seen during the festivals. Time slipped past and before long they’d chosen a movie to watch while they ate dessert, David assuring her that a ride home after the movie was fine. They settled together on the couch, David slouching down and stretching his legs onto the ottoman Louna pushed over. She settled against him after she started the movie, easily fitting into the pocket beneath his arm. He absently twisted her hair in his fingers as the movie played and she listened to his steady breaths and heartbeat, glad she hadn’t spent the evening alone.

Halfway through the movie she became suddenly aware that David’s movements had ceased and his breathing had become slow and deep. Slowly, she pulled away from him and looked to his face, his head tilted against the back of the couch and his glasses sliding down slightly as he slept. She couldn’t help smiling, and knew there was no way he was making it home that night. She tucked the quilted afghan around him and moved to the other side of the couch, not wanting to wake him just yet. He looked peaceful and almost younger with his features so relaxed. She studied his face then, eyes tracing over the faint scar on his forehead and the tiny holes where his piercings used to be. It still surprised her to see the old pictures of him with so much jewelry and spiky short hair. She was so used to his longer hair and almost hipster vibe that it felt incongruent to see him as what she considered to be ‘mall punk.’ She knew it had been the look at the time, and probably somewhat dictated by the record companies and artist management, but somehow she knew David had never quite fit the mold. She wondered if he would ever fit any mold; she hoped not, because she didn’t either.

Louna untucked herself from the couch an hour later when the movie finally finished and took a few minutes to clean up the kitchen and rearrange a couple things in her bedroom. She’d decided that since there was no reason to drive David home that night, it wouldn’t be fair to relegate him to the couch either. She grabbed the throw pillows from her armchair and took them to her bed, stuffing them beneath one of the regular pillows so there were two layers, not just one. Finally, she went back to the living room; David hadn’t stirred at all since he’d fallen asleep. She could tell he’d been exhausted, but hadn’t realized how much so.

She touched his shoulder gently. “David…” She drew out his name, tapping her fingers lightly as she tried to wake him.

He responded after a few moments, blinking sleepily as he lifted his head to look at her. “Oh… shit.”

She laughed softly. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.”

He shook his head, instantly dismissing the offer. “No… I’ll sleep out here.”

“No,” she replied firmly. “You’re coming to bed. That’s an order.”

He stared at her, blinking slowly as his muddled brain searched for a reply. He was coming up blank.

Louna pushed the afghan aside and trailed her hand down his arm, linking their fingers together. “Come on.” He nodded and stood up, following her silently into the bedroom where she gestured to the left side of the bed, nearest the window. “All yours,” she told him. “And I don’t sleep naked, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.”

He laughed, squeezing her hand. “I’ll keep my ass covered.” He leaned over then and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Thank you.”

She smiled, nodding. “Welcome.” They dropped hands and she watched him walk to the side of the bed and pull his jeans and t-shirt off before slipping beneath the covers. She changed into shorts and a tank top, switching on her bedside lamp then turning off the overhead light. David’s eyes were already closed when she climbed in beside him. She shook her head at how tired he was. “Glasses?” she asked.

He dragged his eyes open, realizing that he was still wearing them. He half smiled. “Too late now,” he murmured, refusing to unbury himself from the blankets he’d tucked into.

She shook her head again and carefully pulled them from his face, setting them on her pile of ‘to be read’ books on her nightstand. “This okay?” she asked, looking back to him.

“Mm… m’used to a moving two by six box,” he told her, his eyes closed again. “This is luxury.”

She laughed. “I wouldn’t call my full size bed luxury, but we can debate the finer points later.”

“…kay.”

She smiled, realizing that he was seconds away from being back to sleep and somehow it seemed fitting that their first night together wasn’t some wildly endless, sex-filled orgy, given both their reputations. Probably none of their friends would believe that they’d simply slept during their first night, but that’s how it went sometimes.

She watched David for another minute or two then grabbed her book, settling down to read before she gave in to sleep. She felt him shift beside her, one of his knees drawing up to press against hers and she smiled, incredibly glad she hadn’t offered to take him home after all.

# # #

David stretched languidly as he finally woke up, the glaze of sleep lifting as he realized he was not in his own bed, nor was he in a rolling death trap of a tour bus. He squinted, trying to find context within Louna’s bedroom, and maybe his glasses. He couldn’t remember taking them off, or really even coming to bed, so it wasn’t surprising that he couldn’t place the frames. He stifled a yawn into the pillow, wondering if he could go back to sleep, but the smells of coffee and something cooking made it impossible for the feeling to settle again. He heard quiet footfalls a minute later, but he kept his eyes closed. The bed dipped slightly then as Louna sat back on the mattress; he couldn’t help opening his eyes to look at her. Her hair was tied back in a low ponytail and her oversized sweatshirt had slid to one side, exposing the delicate curve of her neck and smooth arch of her collarbone. There was no way in hell Jeff would believe that he hadn’t had sex with her the first night he’d stayed over, and because of that he vowed to himself never to bring it up. He smiled then, watching her take a drink of coffee, her hands wrapped carefully around the mug.

Louna met his gaze with a knowing smile. “Finally decide to wake up?” she asked.

He shrugged a shoulder, still buried beneath the blankets and sheets. “Maybe… is your coffee vegan?”

She laughed, kicking his shin lightly. “Ouais…” she replied, sticking her tongue out at him for the smart-ass question. “All coffee is vegan… just depends what you put in it. I have soy creamer.”

He smirked. “Good thing I take it black.”

She rolled her eyes and took another drink of the hot beverage. It had been surprising to her how easy it was to have David there. She’d barely noticed him in bed with her and it had taken all her will power to get out of bed earlier and make the casserole she was taking to brunch. She glanced at the clock, sensing that David was in no rush to get out of bed, but she had to tell him about her plans, and if she needed to take him home first then they really needed to get moving. His hand was light on her knee and she snapped her gaze back to him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, feeling the change in her mood.

She shook her head slightly. “Nothing’s wrong… I just… before you got back I made brunch plans with friends. I figured we’d catch up after.” She licked her lips. “So now everything’s kind of thrown off. I mean, you can come with me if you want to, but you definitely don’t have to.” All her words came out in a rush and she looked down into her coffee, feeling awkward about the situation. She should’ve brought up her plans the night before, but she didn’t have a chance to. And now they were wasting time in bed because if she was totally honest all she wanted to do was say to hell with her friends and stay right there with David.

“So you weren’t making me breakfast in bed?” he joked, rubbing her knee lightly.

She blushed. “No, I-”

“Louna,”

She met his eyes, his voice turning a little more serious.

“Would you like me to come with you to brunch or not?” he asked.

“I…” she hesitated. “You don’t have to,” she said again. “I mean, since it’s all my friends and I don’t know if we’re ready for that and-” she faltered, looking at his hand still resting on her knee.

“I know I don’t have to,” he replied, “but do you want me to?”

She met his eyes again, thinking over the outcomes of her responses. Were they really ready for this? Yes, she’d met Jeff already, but meeting one of David’s friends didn’t compare to him meeting half a dozen of her friends all at once. She didn’t know if she was prepared for the fallout of what the relationship reveal would bring. All her friends knew him and his band, and while it was no big deal to see them around the city occasionally, it was quite another scenario to suddenly show up and announce that they were dating. Yet, how else did she want it to play out? She couldn’t organize something specifically for that occasion, so maybe this was the best way. It would be low key enough, and they had no obligations to stay longer than was necessary. She finally nodded. “I’d like you to.”

He nodded back. “All right… good thing I have some clean rockstar clothes with me,” he said with a wink.

She rolled her eyes, feeling at ease with his sarcasm. “Because that’s totally what I’m all concerned about,” she retorted. “God forbid you look like I just dragged you in off St Henri, sprayed some Febreeze, added a beanie, and called it good.” One second of dead silence passed as they looked at each other, then both burst out laughing, Louna nearly spilling coffee onto the bed before she managed to set the mug aside.

David shook his head, finally sitting up and coughing because he was laughing so hard. “Oh my god…” He was still laughing as he tried to catch his breath and noticed Louna reach up to wipe her eyes, her laughter barely contained. “It’s called Hobo Chic,” he finally told her. “All the rockstars are doing it.” He hardly got the words out before they were laughing again, Louna leaning onto his shoulder, her eyes closed as she giggled helplessly.

They shared a light kiss when the spell finally passed, Louna reaching up to smooth down his bed-tousled hair. “Might need to borrow my flat-iron,” she teased him.

He smirked. “That’s what the beanie’s for.”

They shared a smile and she begrudgingly got up from beside him, glancing at the clock. “Can we be ready in like thirty minutes?” she asked, picking up her mug from the nightstand.

David stretched his back, raising his arms over his head. “Maybe… do you know where my glasses are?”

“Mm… you’ll get them back after I put my make-up on,” she said, deliberately not glancing to the frames that were still on her book pile.

He scoffed. “I’m short-sighted, not blind.”

She grinned. “There’s a difference?”

She slipped out of the room before he could reply, leaving him shaking his head. He may have finally met his match for witty comebacks.

He stood up from the bed a minute later, pulling his discarded jeans and t-shirt back on before sauntering out to the kitchen. He glimpsed Louna in the bathroom on his way; she leaned against the counter, sweeping a make-up brush over her face, her hair still pulled back on her neck. He smiled slightly when he stopped in the kitchen, looking around for a second before he realized there was already an empty mug next to the coffeemaker. He poured a cup and leaned back against the counter, taking a sip. The smell of coffee and baked potatoes hung in the air and he realized the scent came from the oven across the kitchen, where a foil wrapped baking dish sat.

As he looked at the dish, he wondered about the impending brunch. How many of Louna’s friends would actually be there? Would he know anyone who was there? How big of a deal was it really that they were dating each other? And really what were the chances that her friends would actually know who he was? It felt like their popularity had waned some in their hometown and it could be that none of her friends would even care. He took another drink of coffee. However the brunch ended up, he knew the only thing that truly mattered was whether they were happy together or not. It was their relationship and they couldn’t let anyone else dictate what they could or couldn’t do. That was the bottom line.

He sipped more of the coffee, his eyes roaming over the kitchen, but all he could really see without his glasses were the vague cabinets and counters, and the collection of cards and pictures and miscellaneous hung on her fridge with various magnets. He smiled when he saw a picture of two adorable brunette little girls. He looked closer and realized they were twins. A forgotten moment popped into his head then as he recalled Frank saying something about the ‘twinsies’ in regard to Louna. What exactly had he said? David couldn’t remember, but this picture on the fridge was definitely not of Louna. However, he could possibly see a family resemblance - her nieces maybe? He knew she had a sister, but she had never explicitly mentioned that they were twins. He looked over the other photos on the fridge, but there were only snaps of friends and scenery.

“Need to get ready?”

Louna’s voice startled him and he reeled away from the refrigerator, stepping back until he bumped against the counter, his heel biting into the bottom edge of the cabinet. He winced and looked away. “Um…” He tried to think through the fleeting pain, feeling more embarrassed than anything.

“Oww,” Louna said for him, reaching to touch his arm. “That sounded fucking painful. You okay?”

He nodded after a moment, looking back at her finally. “Yeah, just… wasn’t paying attention.” He shook his head.

Louna smirked slightly. “Sure you’re not just blind?”

She held out his glasses and he laughed, taking the frames from her hand. “Jury might still be out on that,” he replied, putting on the frames. The apartment fell into sharp relief and he could see with perfect clarity through the kitchen, out the window, and to the stunning view she had of the river off her small balcony. He let his eyes focus on the rushing water for a few moments before looking back to her. “Is Em your twin sister?” he asked.

Louna glanced away briefly, but nodded as she met his eyes again. “She is. What made you ask?”

He nodded to the fridge. “The picture of the girls… I know it isn’t you and your sister, but I remembered someone asking about twins when you were mentioned.”
She nodded again. “We’re fraternal. So, even if I didn’t dye my hair you could still tell us apart.” She smiled slightly and shrugged. “Sometimes people think it’s really weird.” She looked at him then, gauging his reaction.

He made a face and dismissed the judgment. “It isn’t weird… just another thing to make you different.” He shrugged. “But is it true about the twin ESP connection thing?”

She rolled her eyes and stepped away from him, shaking her head. “Hardly… though neither one of us has been in a life-threatening situation at 3am and woken the other from a dead sleep, so who knows?” Her eyes sparkled with amusement and David laughed.

“Hopefully we never test that theory either,” he replied.

She smirked. “Please don’t?” She glanced to the clock on the stove then, holding in a sigh. “And now we’re going to be fashionably late.”

David pushed up from the counter with a smirk. “That’s what happens when you date a rockstar.” He winked and discarded his near-empty mug by the sink before getting his suitcase from next to the door.

Louna shook her head, only slightly amused with David’s humor right then. He ducked into the bathroom after rifling through his suitcase and she went to her bedroom to get dressed. She only wondered for a moment if he needed to ask David what he was wearing, but she already knew the answer: black.

Ten minutes later they were finally in her car on their way to her friend Michelle’s house, but it took another twenty minutes to get across the city and up onto the plateau. Louna felt sick with worry over being late and bringing an unannounced guest with her. She regretted not at least texting Michelle to say that she’d have a plus one, but that would’ve opened a can of worms. Instead she was simply diving into the deep end with David; she just hoped the waves wouldn’t drown her on the way back up.

As they walked to the house from where they’d parked, David sensed Louna’s nervousness, but didn’t know quite how to calm her down. Did he need to offer to leave? He could call a cab, or make Seb take pity on him and pick him up since they were nearby his place. They reached the driveway and Louna hesitated, looking toward the front door, her fingers tight around the box that held the casserole and bakery goods.

“Hey, it’s not going to be a big deal,” David told her then, trying to offer some sort of consolation.

“Fuck,” she said, shaking her head. “You don’t know that.”

He stepped closer to her and their eyes locked. “Yeah, I do,” he said. “Because I have to walk into rooms full of people I’ve never met all the time and it always works out. I know you’re freaked out about me meeting your friends. I know you’re freaked out about them knowing about us… but we’re happy together right now, right?”

She nodded weakly. “Yeah.”

“So why should it fuckin matter? This is our relationship, not theirs. They don’t get to tell you who to date and I’m not gonna scare off easy. Okay?”

Louna’s smile was faint, but relieved. It was reassuring to hear David say that he’d stick by her. She hoped he wouldn’t change his mind.

He kissed her lightly, seeing some of the tension fade. “C’mon… better late than never.” He let his hand slip to the small of her back, resting lightly as they walked to the front door of the house. Louna carefully balanced the box in her arm as she reached up to knock twice, then open the door. David adjusted the beanie he’d pulled on, hoping none of his crazy long hair was escaping as he followed her inside.

“Louna!”

Her name resounded happily from the front room and she smiled, looking around at her friends. “Hi!” she called back, dragging out the greeting in a lilting tone. “The famous potato dish is here,” she announced, only half joking.

“About time,” a petite brunette replied instantly, walking over to her with a bright smile. They kissed cheeks and she noticed David as she pulled away. “Who’s your friend?” she asked, meeting David’s eyes and sizing him up a bit.

Louna licked her lips and shifted slightly so that David was standing beside her, not behind her. “This is my boyfriend, David.” She looked at him and nodded her head to her friend. “Michelle.”

He smiled and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Michelle.”

She shook his hand lightly. “Welcome.”

What followed the introduction was an awkward silence, because David could tell at least three or four people in the room had recognized him immediately, and two others had the look of vague confusion. He knew the look well; they were wondering if they had gone to school with him or maybe just knew him from around the city, because he wasn’t in the regular context that they knew him from. He’d learned that it was by far the weirdest thing about being a so-called celebrity - the weird recognition when people couldn’t quite place how they seemed to know him.

The moment was broken abruptly with laughter from the kitchen and a tall guy walked back into the room, a pretty red-head trailing him. The guy met David’s eyes and instantly grinned. “Desrosiers?!” He stepped around the coffee table to walk over to them.

David smiled, finally relaxing into the situation as he’d have someone to talk to after all and not worry about monopolizing Louna’s time. “Hey, Grant.”

“Dude! What are the fuckin chances? Pat said you guys had shows this month in Europe… you quit the band or what? Couldn’t take Pierre’s online douchery?”

David laughed, shaking his head. “Nah… gonna take more than his gratuitous selfies to make me quit,” he replied. “We got back last night actually. Jetlag be damned when there’s a brunch to go to,” he joked, grinning.

Grant laughed, clapping David on the shoulder, but then noticed the box still in Louna’s hands. “Ohh…did you bring the potatoes?” he asked, looking up at her.

She smiled. “Of course.”

“Dude, has she made these for you yet?” he asked David.

“Well, I thought she was making me breakfast in bed, but then we somehow ended up here,” David replied, smirking.

Grant beamed at him and shook his head. “You’re a terrible boyfriend. C’mon, you’re gonna die when you try these.” He ushered them through the living room and into the kitchen and the mood in the house finally settled again, everyone easing back into their previous conversations about the weekend and plans for the upcoming holiday.

David moved to stand beside the back door, next to the dining table as Louna and Michelle shifted dishes around to make room for the casserole pan.

Grant settled beside him. “So, what’s been up? I haven’t seen you in months!”

He shrugged. “Tour life, I guess,” he replied. He never had a good excuse why he hadn’t seen friends for ages. Sometimes it was the band that took him away from everything, but other times it was his own apathy at making plans. Somehow his friendship with Grant had slipped through the cracks, but he was glad that Louna’s circle of friends could give them a chance to reconnect.

Grant nodded. “Yeah… you guys kinda between album cycles now or…?”

“Sort of,” he replied. “I mean, we literally got back from Europe last night. We just did a string of festival shows.”

“Yeah? How were those crowds?”

“Fuckin… insane,” David said, shaking his head. “Like forty thousand people at Rock AM Ring.”

Grant laughed. “Dude, you’ve sold out Bell Centre.”

“I know but… it’s still so fuckin weird. I’ll never get over how big those crowds can be.”

“Okay,” Louna interrupted them, “potatoes are all yours.” She smiled as she handed Grant a serving spoon, and he grinned.

“They’ve met their maker,” he replied wickedly, then approached the table, digging the spoon deep into the potatoes and serving himself up a large portion.

Louna laughed, stepping back beside David as Grant attacked the casserole. They watched him for a moment before sharing a glance. “I’m glad you know Grant,” she said quietly.

David nodded. “Me too… he’s a sound engineer at one of the studios we’ve worked at,” he explained, then half smiled. “Turns out it’s a pretty small industry once you get into it.”

Grant stepped back to them then, a mouthwatering scent wafting from the plate in his hand. He was chewing hungrily and gave David a look when he swallowed. “Seriously? She might be vegan, but she’s a fucking amazing cook.”

Louna blushed and David reached for a plate then, flashing her a smile. “Good thing I brought an appetite.”