*Seduced by Fame* - A James Hetfield Story

7. I'll Miss You Too.

Joe's POV

It's been 4 days. I'm trying to avoid him to the best of my ability, but it's hard when his friends are quite the troublemakers. Three times Cliff has been caught smoking in the hotel room and twice Kirk and Lars have been caught mooning the security cameras. Real classy shit.

Even though she knows about the kiss and my inability to acknowledge James' existence, Amber thinks it's the best idea ever to throw a going away party at her apartment for the guys, who will be in attendance. Including him.

"Do I really have to go?" I ask Amber, hoping she'll let me off the hook.

"Don't you even think about trying to get out of it." She says, focused on some paperwork.

Damn it. Well at least I tried. I move away in defeat to do my usual work for the day.

I work diligently, trying to get my mind off him. I see the clock strike 3:00pm. My shift is finally over! I grab my bag and keys so excited to just space out when I get home but then I hear Amber's voice from behind.

"Hey can you come a little early? I might need help setting up the party. Sorry if it messes up your schedule." She says trying to be apologetic but I can see through her phoniness.

"Shit. That party." I say hanging my head.

"Sure. I'll be there around 5:30." I rush through the door so I can have as much time to myself as possible.

This day has been so draining. I can't think straight. All I can think of is our kiss...

I snap myself back to reality. God. What was I thinking?! I turn my music up, trying to drown out my thoughts as I drive home.

I arrive, grateful and tired. I throw my bag and coat near the door and fall face first into the couch. I let out a deep sigh before standing up to face reality.

"What am I going to wear...?" I say, dreading the whole event.

I mope into my room to skim through my very small selection of formal dresses.

I finally decide to pick out a semi-formal dress that I was supposed to wear to a birthday party a while back. Formal parties aren't my thing.

I struggle to get ready; not happy with anything I wear. I finally settle for a short blue spaghetti strapped dress. Not too formal, but just enough to be more than casual.

I stare at myself in the mirror, debating if I like the look. Debating if he would like the look.

I quickly shake my head. Breaking myself from these stupid daydreams.

I gather my things and head to Amber's place.

My head is rushing. How am I supposed to act around him? How will he act around me?! Too many things to worry about with too little time.

I finally arrive. I stay in the car for a minute trying to collect my thoughts. It's no use. It's like stopping an overflowing sink. I suck up my anxiety and head to Amber's door.

I knock softly.

The door swings open. "You're late!!" It's Amber, her face laced with stress.

"Ok. Snacks are ready, I need to get the beer from the kitchen. Oh! Can you get the music ready??" She says, staring at my blank expression.

"Uh sure."

"You better not be a party pooper." Amber shouts from the kitchen.

I turn to the radio that's under a shelf. I turn not not expecting much, until Motörhead starts playing. The memory of the car ride pops into my head. His look of embarrassment when his volume was cranked. It was so cute... I forced the image to leave my mind and skipped to the next station. What am I thinking...

We patiently wait for the guys to arrive, knowing they'll most likely be unfashionably late.

Just then I hear fighting on the other side of the door and a few low curses before someone knocks.

"I'll get it!" Amber yells across the apartment. Ugh I was hoping they just didn't show up.

"Sup bitches." Kirk says barging into the room. Lars and Cliff trail behind him. My breath hitches when he walks into the entranceway. Here we go.

I stay as far from him as possible the entire night, my social battery running low. Not that it was ever fully charged.

I make sure they're fully engaged in a conversation before I slip out, walking into the spare bedroom to have some peace of mind. Should I talk to him? I mean- he's here maybe it's a sign-

The door opens letting a sliver of light into the dimly lit room.

James doesn't notice my presence at first as he steps inside and closes the door sighing. He flicks on the lights and I see the startled look in his eyes when he realizes it's me.

"Oh- I'm sorry I didn't know anyone was in here."

"It's okay." I look away from his eyes, worried if I don't now, I might not ever.

"Hey uh... can we talk about what happened?" My worst nightmare is unraveling before my eyes.

"I'm really sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you. It was in the heat of the moment-" I find the courage to face him only to see his face drop. Was that...disappointment?

"That guy was an ass. I should know." He chuckles darkly.

"Yeah, don't have to tell me twice. I would've thought your parents would have taught you some manners." I give him a weak smile but my expression falters when I see him tense up.

"What is it?"

"Oh no it's nothing." He makes a move for the door handle.

"James, you can tell me." Since when are we on a first name basis?

"Um ok. Is it ok if I sit here?" I feel the bed dip as he sits next to me. I swing my other leg onto the bed so I'm sitting up facing him.

"It's a long story, stupid really. But uh... when I was 13 my dad left. Took off and never looked back. It was hard but life just works that way sometimes. I thought my personal hell was over but it wasn't. My mom died when I was 16. Cancer."

I don't know what I was expecting, but it was not that.

"James... I-" I'm at a loss for words. I ditch my sentence and pull him into a hug. I thought he would be more tense, but he surprisingly reciprocates the hug by wrapping his arms around me.

We sit in comfortable silence for what feels like an eternity. I swear I can feel his heart beating steadily.

Without breaking the hug, he tucks my hair behind my ear, leaning in so I can hear.

"I'll miss you Joe."

"I'll miss you too."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It's definitely not 12:19 am on a school night😅 Anyways, so the plot thickens. Sorry for the slow burn we can't help it🤷‍♀️

-P+S