charisma

the truth comes out

The bathroom was really the only place we could get any privacy at the diner, and I sure as hell wasn't going to broadcast that I knew KISS personally to the whole restaurant. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a small envelope with the KISS logo stamped in the bottom right corner. So much for my pledge of secrecy, but the band was entitled to tell who they wanted. I just hoped Liddy wouldn't be mad for not telling her right away. "(_____), he still didn't tell me his name!! Pleaseee just tell me!" I glanced down at the slip of paper. "I think you'll find out soon enough." She started to open her envelope, but I laid a hand on her arm stopping her  

 "Liddy there's something I need to tell you. Before you open that." She looked up, one eyebrow raised. "It's not that I was trying to hide this from you, I hope you don't think that. It was... a courtesy. So... remember when you asked if mystery man was someone important?" Liddy's eyes lit up. "Yes..." she said, excitedly. "And remember when you thought he may have been a member of the band?" Her eyes grew wide, and she yelled "I KNEW IT!! Wait. (_____). Does that mean those guys that just left-" "Yes." I said, quickly. Her mouth hung open and I thought she'd be mad at me for not telling her I'd, oh, you know, just fucking casually met KISS, but she smiled and grabbed my hands. We jumped around the room, laughing and grinning like crazy. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you Lid, but-" "Nonono!! I get it! If I were KISS, I wouldn't want everyone to know who I was either. You did the right thing." I breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't angry. "I would've told you eventually, though, don't worry." I wrapped her in a tight hug, glad I finally had someone to share this news with.

"Wait, (____)."

"Yeah?"

"Which one was which? I know it's embarrassing, but-"

"Nooo it isn't embarrassing. How could you have known what they look like without makeup? I mean, I definitely didn't recognize Gene last night, I-"

"Gene?! Gene Simmons? Gene Simmons saved you from those guys and drove you home? Gene Simmons is probably madly in love with you? Gene Simmons-"

"Well, Ace Frehley is definitely madly in love with you."

I thought she was going to explode, she was so happy. She was practically shaking, she was so exhilarated. "Oh my God, he's the prettiest one!" "Hey!" I said, pretending to be offended. "Sorry," she giggled. "He's just cuter." "Sure," I said, rolling my eyes. "(_____)," Liddy said, softly. "You have to tell me everything about how you met." "Lid, a fucking rockstar has a visible crush on you and you want to talk about me? Besides, I already told you most of it." "Yeah, but the fact that it was Gene Simmons changes everything!" "We'll talk later, let's open the envelopes." I ripped open the envelope and smiled when I saw a ticket and a backstage pass to their show tonight. I watched Liddy try not to scream. She ran over to hug me- as much as you could run in a cramped restaurant bathroom- and I laughed and squeezed her, spinning around and grinning all the while. "Oh, (_____), I can hardly wait..." "Let's get back to work. The time might pass faster when we have things to do." With a wink, I left the bathroom, giving Liddy a moment to herself to process everything that had just happened.