make-believe | jason newsted

xiv

chapter fourteen: not make-believe

It was her.

After all this time, it was her. 

"Can I help you sir?" She asked. She was a bit concerned about the way he was standing there, frozen in place. She didn't bother calling 911 only because his face looked familiar.

"You..." He whispered under his breath. He couldn't even get his words out properly, continuing to stare at her wide-eyed.

His heart was pounding in his chest. There was no way that after all this time, he managed to bump into her at a record store of all places. 

He had to have been dreaming, right? This was just a silly dream and he would wake up soon. But she looked so real, almost like he could reach out and touch her if he could. 

The girl scanned his face again, trying not to laugh at his blank expression. "Do I know you?" She asked again, still trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came out. He was feeling so many different emotions, trying to figure out what to say without scaring her away or embarrassing himself in the process.

She looked at Jason with a twinkle in her eye, the same way she had looked at him all that time ago. How he got so lucky to see her again, he wasn't sure. But he was glad that he was able to see her one more time.

"This is going to sound crazy, but I've been looking for you." Jason finally managed to say. He hoped he didn't come off as weird or obsessive, even though that's what it sounded like.

He opened his mouth to apologize immediately, but she started to laugh. He didn't know if she was doing it out of discomfort, or if she found his response funny. "You've been looking for me?" She asked.

"Yeah, but not in a creepy way, I swear," Jason quickly tried to reassure her. "One time I saw you at this bar, and I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to get to know you, but you disappeared." He explained.

Her expression turned from one of playfulness to genuine interest. "Oh wow, I had no idea. Can I ask where it was? I go to a lot of places in this area."

She would go anywhere in the area? So maybe Jason's search efforts weren't that far off, it was just by chance that he would have to bump into her. Not that it mattered anymore now.

Jason took a moment to recollect his memories before responding. "It was a dive bar, my band and I were performing, you were dancing in front of us. I've been looking for you ever since." 

Her cheeks turned pink listening to his explanation. She knew who he was now, and she never would've thought in a million years that he had been searching for her. Not when she had been looking for him too.

"Oh my gosh, yes...You play in Metallica, right?" She asked. She remembered the band's name since that night, having gone on a deep dive of the band that soon became a special interest of hers.

Jason almost burst with excitement. "Yes! Yes, that's me." He smiled proudly. His heart melted at the fact that she seemed to remember who he was, she had great memory. 

She couldn't help but smile again as her cheeks turned pink. "Wow, I didn't think you'd be that interested in me...Considering you're a rockstar and all." She giggles.

God, her voice was so perfect. Jason wanted to let her know how perfect she was, but he was treading lightly for now. He didn't want to mess things up so quickly.

"Well, I don't see myself as a rockstar, to be honest." He laughs. If she had known about the way he was acting, he was sure she would view him differently.

She laughed before shrugging her shoulders. "You know, I became a fan after that night. You guys were really good!" She complimented. "Especially you." She winked.

Jason couldn't hold back the shy grin that formed on his face at her compliment. If this girl was going to outright flirt with him without hesitation, he was going to fall in love with her even more.

She seemed to recognize the effect that she had on Jason, finding it amusing that he had gotten so shy all of a sudden. She wouldn't say anything about the pink tint on his cheeks, it made him look cuter. 

They stood there in silence for a bit, just looking at each other. She took a liking to him almost right away and wanted to get to know Jason more. To him, that would be the opportunity of a lifetime. 

"I...I was never able to get your name." Jason laughed awkwardly, thinking of all this time when he had no way of knowing who she was. 

"Oh," She smiled softly. "My name is Valencia." She replied.

Valencia. It suited her perfectly, everything he was discovering about her fit her so well. Jason was practically falling in love all over again, she was the most perfect being he had ever met.

"And I know, you're Jason Newsted." She smirked, catching Jason by surprise. She must've known a lot about the band then. That definitely fueled his ego a little bit. 

Jason couldn't help but feel giddy inside. "Well, nice to meet you, Valencia."