Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

40

TWO MONTHS LATER
LOS ANGELES, CA

Molly pushed Clementine's head out of her way as she looked out at the palm trees and clear blue skies of Los Angeles. The driver came to a stop at a red light and she was tempted to roll the window down and put her hand out into the sunshine. May was swiftly coming to an end and June, with its heat and unforgiving sun, was upon Southern California.

"Where are we going?" she asked as the driver pulled onto the 1, heading toward Santa Monica. "I thought we were staying in the city?"

"I did, too," Andrew remarked, pulling his phone out. "I think you took a wrong turn, man," he said, leaning forward to talk to the driver.

The driver shook his head. "Mr. Oscar said to take you to the Topanga house."

The driver and SUV had met them at LAX, much to their surprise, and informed the three of them that he'd been sent by "Mr. Oscar." A quick phone call to Oscar had confirmed that he'd pulled a few strings and had a driver pick them up to take them to their rental, "as a welcome gift." He had not mentioned anything about a Topanga house.

As they drove along the coast and she looked out at the waves crashing against the shore, it hit her: Oscar's family had a home in Topanga Canyon.

"Hang on, did you say the Topanga house? As in, the house up in the canyon?" she asked the driver.

He nodded. "Yes."

"You're the driver for the Topanga house, aren't you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Again, the driver nodded. "Yes."

"Did Mr. Oscar happen to tell you how long we'd be staying at the Topanga house?" Molly inquired.

"For three months, Miss," the driver answered.

"What's going on?" Alex asked. "Are we being kidnapped?"

Molly shook her head. "I need to call Oscar again."

"What's cookin' good lookin'?" Oscar asked. "Did Pierre drop you off at the house yet?"

"No, Pierre didn't," she replied sternly. "What exactly is going on, Oscar?" She put him on speaker phone so Andrew and Alex could hear.

Her friend sighed. "Andy told me you guys needed a place to stay while he was recording," he began. "But I didn't want you to stay in one of the tiny little cramped bungalows you've stayed in before. So I pulled a few strings and made sure my family's house in Topanga was free. You'll love it; its super secluded and has awesome views."

"Right, but Andrew and Alex need to be closer to the city because that's where the studio is," she explained. "That's why we wanted a place actually in the city."

"Technically, Bob's studio is in Sherman Oaks," Alex chimed in from his spot in the passenger seat. "Wherever that is."

"There, see? Sherman Oaks is like, thirty minutes, tops, from Topanga. You'll be fine," Oscar reasoned. "Plus, its completely free. So, your label will love that cost-cutting measure."

"Free?!" Andrew yelped. "I can't accept that! We can't stay in your family's home for three months without paying anything."

Oscar sighed and Molly could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. "You can and you will. If you're going to stay in Los Angeles while you record, you're going to want peace and quiet. You won't get that down in L.A." He paused for a second. "Plus, you'll want a place that gets the creative juices flowing. When you see it, you'll thank me."