Love in the spotlight

A Chance Encounter

After about an hour, Esme texted Eddie to let him know she had just gotten off work. Not long after, Eddie and the group showed up.

"Ayyy, Esme!" Eddie shouted with a smile.

"Eddie!" she responded, equally happy. Juicy smiled as well.

"Let's get you home," Eddie said as the group got closer. They started walking, following her, and engaging in a lively conversation filled with laughter. Juicy stayed pretty quiet, seemingly a bit shy around Esme. She noticed and fell back to the end of the group to walk beside him.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked with a smile.

Juicy smiled and chuckled. "Funny you should be asking me that," he said, making her chuckle as well. "But yeah, I'm fine, just a little tired."

She nodded and looked at him. "Well, you're welcome to take a nap when we get to my place. I might take an hour to get ready—I do need a shower after work," she said, chuckling.

"Stinky," Juicy teased playfully, making her giggle.

They approached her place, and she invited them in. "Make yourselves at home, guys. I may take an hour, but make yourselves comfortable," she said with a smile. They nodded, looking around her place.

Esme looked at Juicy. "Hey, follow me. You can nap in my room. I'll show you where it is," she said.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah, I don't have a spare room; my other room is a gaming room. You're welcome to nap in there," she said, and he nodded, smiling.

"Thanks, you're very kind," he said.

She nodded and showed him to her room, grabbing her clothes and putting them in the bathroom connected to the bedroom. "I'm going to shower now. Don't worry, I'll be dressed when you see me again," she said playfully.

He chuckled, and she went into the bathroom. Juicy lay down, falling asleep shortly after hearing the shower start.

About thirty minutes later, Esme was sitting at the desk in the room, doing her makeup. She glanced over at Juicy, admiring him. Nearly an hour had passed, and she went down to talk with the rest of the group before checking on Juicy. They had been at her place for almost two hours, letting him rest. She went to wake him up.

"Hey there, bud, wakey wakey," she said with a soft smile.

Juicy turned to face her and smiled. "Mmm, good morning," he said, rubbing his eyes before sitting up. "Has it already been an hour?"

She shook her head and smiled. "Nope, almost two hours. The rest of us let you sleep in a little."

He sighed. "Really? Have you guys just been sitting around?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Narrator ordered us some food, and we've been filming the video games we were playing to pass the time and some other fun games," she said with a smile.

Juicy chuckled. "Sounds like you're fitting in pretty well with the group."

"Just being myself. I guess it's not hard to fit in," she replied with a smile.

Juicy nodded. "Well, shall we head down and get ready to go?"

She nodded. "I ordered you some food. You can eat first; don't rush. You're all guests," she said sweetly.

He nodded, blushing a little. They both headed downstairs to find the boys shouting and playing games. Juicy grabbed his food and began to eat as Esme joined the chaos of the group going wild over the games they were playing.

After some time, with everyone done and ready to head out, Esme gathered her things, and they left her place. They spent a bit more time messing around before heading back to Juicy's house. They had gotten the address for the party, and while everyone was busy with various activities, Esme spent the entire time with Juicy's cat. Juicy noticed, finding it a bit odd considering how active she had been with the group before.

Curious, Juicy walked over to Esme, who was gently stroking the cat's fur. "Hey, everything okay?" he asked softly.

Esme looked up and smiled. "Yeah, everything's fine. I just love animals, and your cat is really sweet," she replied.

Juicy sat down next to her. "He seems to like you too. You know, you don't have to feel out of place. The guys really like you."

She nodded. "I know, I just didn't want to intrude too much. You guys have such a great dynamic."

Juicy smiled. "You're not intruding at all. Actually, I'm glad you're here. It's nice to have someone new to talk to."

Esme blushed slightly. "Thanks, Juicy. That means a lot."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Juicy spoke again. "So, are you excited about the party tonight?"

Esme nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, it should be fun. I haven't been to a party in a while."

Juicy grinned. "Well, you're in for a good time. Just stick with us, and you'll be fine."

As the evening progressed, Esme found herself blending more seamlessly with the group, her initial shyness melting away. Juicy stayed close by, offering her quiet support and the occasional joke to keep her smiling. It was clear to both of them that this chance encounter was the beginning of something special.