Cigarettes [Bennoda] ✔

Chapter 13

Chester's POV
Ryan and Amir said bye to Mike and I and then left. It was so awkward. I didn't know what to say at all.

"So... how long are you in Arizona for?" I asked. "I leave the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow I have press to do, but I'm thinking about just canceling all of it." He said. "Why?" I asked. "Well it gets boring answering the same questions over and over... also I'd love just to see the city. This is my third time being here and I've never really just enjoyed it, ya know?" He said. I nodded. "Yeah."

"Your friends told me why you couldn't come to the show and I just want to say that was really amazing of you to give all your money to your parents." He said. I shrugged. "I was just doing what anyone would do... I couldn't leave to go buy a ticket knowing that we didn't have money for bills." I said. "I-I don't think just anybody would do that." He said. "It takes a selfless person to do that." I just shrugged again.

"Why don't they have money... if you don't mind me asking." He said. "Well they have four kids, they are going through a divorce right now, we have a ton of bills, rehab and hospital bills, cigarettes." I said with a little chuckle at the end. He just gave me a little sympathetic smile. "Why rehab and hospital bills?" He asked. I took a deep breath. I normally wouldn't feel comfortable talking about this with anyone, but it was just Mike. My idol. I felt safe with him.

"I had to go to rehab for a bit because of drugs... last year I was getting bullied really badly in school and I felt like drugs was the only thing that could get me through it. It was mostly people saying these horrible things to me and making me feel so bad. Sometimes they'd physically hurt me. I had friends and family who were willing to help, but I pushed them away. I landed in the hospital because I had gotten beat up pretty bad. They are still making payments on those things." I said.

He put his hand on my shirtless tattooed back. I tensed a little bit. My breathing involuntarily grew a little more rapid. I looked over at him and he was giving me a sympathetic look.

"I'm sorry all of that happened to you. No one derserves that." Mike said. I just shrugged.

"Maybe, to make things easier around here for you guys, maybe I could pay off all your debts and bills." He said. "No. No Mike it's fine. I know you want to do it just to help, but it makes me feel like... I dunno... like we're some family in need. Sure, we're poor, but we have it handled. We're okay." I said

He nodded ran his hand across my back to my shoulder. That little touch made me shiver. I tried not to think about how much I wanted him to keep touching me like that.

"If you ever need anything..., I-I know I'm just some rapper, but if you ever need anything, try and get ahold of me through DMs or something. I've met a lot of fans, but I'm not kidding when I say that you're my favorite. There's just something special about you, ya know?" He said. I swallowed nervously and felt my heart beat out of my chest. I was about to have an anxiety attack. I could feel it coming.

There was too much information in what he had just said to me for me to handle all at once.

His hand running across my back, him telling me that if I ever needed anything to let him know,  him telling me I was his favorite fan, and him telling me that there was something special about me was all too much.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I took deep slow breaths until it slowly passed. Thank God I didn't have a full out breakdown in front of him.

"Yeah... I'm okay." I said. "It's just..., I'm gonna be honest, I have the biggest crush on you and hearing you say all those things about me and the fact that you're even in my house is a lot for me to take in. Too much at once, ya know?" I said. I mentally punched myself in my face for admitting that I had a crush on him. "God I'm so sorry. I-"

He cut me off by leaning in quickly and pressing his lips against mine.

I instantly tensed and my heart started beating faster. My mind started slowly working again and I kissed him back. He moved his hand up to caress my cheek.

Mike pulled away slowly and I opened my eyes. He swallowed and looked away.

I wasn't sure what to say. My mind was all over the place.

What the actual fuck just happened?

"Mike..." I said quietly. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. He opened them and looked back up at me. "I'm sorry." He said. I shook my head. "No... you don't have to be sorry... I-I wanted it." I said. "I'm not sorry that I kissed you, because I-I wanted it too... I'm sorry that I can't do it again." He said.

"Ever since I met you at the last show... I knew there was something special about you." He said as he moved his hand from my face down to my neck, across my shoulder and to my arm.

"People kept telling me that you were just a fan, but I knew that wasn't true. You are more than just a fan. I feel... connected with you in a way. I have relized over these past months that I like you Chester. I like you a lot. I wanna kiss you again, learn everything about you, and just be with you all the time, but ya know... I'm engaged." He said.

I took a deep breath and nodded. My mind was going a mile a minute. So much had happened in a matter of 10 minutes. I wasn't exactly sure how we went from just talking to kissing and then to Mike confessing his crush on me, but I didn't complain.

"I love Anna. I've been with her for almost 6 years. I want to marry her, but when the thought of being with you comes across my mind... It makes me feel excited. I've never been with a guy before. I mean, I've made out with a guy and got a little handsy but that's about it." He said. I sighed a little at the mention of Anna, but nodded at the rest of what he had to say.

"How about tomorrow you show me around the city?" He said. "The real reason why I'm canceling the press is because I want to hang out with you more before I leave." I smiled and nodded. "Yeah I'll show you all of the best parts." I said. He smiled.

"I guess I'll go back to my hotel and come back tomorrow." Mike said as he started to get up. I grabbed his hand. "How about you just stay here? You can sleep here in my bed and I'll go sleep in the living room with my dad." I said. He smiled. "Okay."

I showed him where the bathroom was and all that before going to the living room to sleep on the love seat.

"Where's Mike?" My dad asked. "He's in my room. I'm letting him sleep there tonight and then I'm going to show him around the city." I said. "Well good for you. Looks like you got the man of your dreams after all." He said with a laugh. "Well not really... he's still engaged." I said as I layed down on the couch and started watching the TV.

"Still a dream come true?" He asked.

"Dream come true." I whispered.