wanderlust | m.m.

three.

ryan blinked at me, a bewildered look on his face. "you really don't know who blackbear is?"

i shook my head, my eyes returning to this so called 'blackbear'. "no. why should i?"

"well, his most recent album did go to number one on the charts. but i guess whether or not you recognize him depends on what kind of music you listen to."

i nodded. the fact that he made music explained why he had such an odd name. "ok, well i guess that explains why everyone seems to be enamored with him."

"mhm." a small smile was on ryan's lips. he looked to be amused by my lack of knowledge, but didn't say anything about it. "is that all you came back for, or can i get you anything?"

i asked ryan for another water. after receiving it, i made my way back to the couch i had been sitting at. for some reason my eyes and thoughts kept coming back to blackbear.

it felt odd to be referring to him by that name. i mean, he might be idealized by some, but he was still a normal human being. he had a normal name. what was it, i wondered. michael? bryan? harrison? whatever it was, i had a strange longing to find out.

as my mind wandered about the details of this man, my eyes casually observed him. most of the initial excitement of his arrival had died down, giving him a chance to break away from the crowd. he made his way over to the bar, his eyes flicking up towards the couches i was sitting at. his gaze met mine for a moment, for some reason causing a chill to run over my skin.

not thinking too much of the sensation, i watched him order a drink from ryan. after being handed the drink, he nodded graciously then took a step back from the bar and started to walk away. he too apparently preferred to be alone in a room full of people. he was making his way over to the set of couches in the corner. the set of couches that i was seated at.

i felt my heart rate pick up, suddenly feeling... flustered? flattered? nervous? if i was being honest, i didn't really know.

fucken hell luci. get a grip.

when he approached, i was expecting him to greet me in some way, even if it was with a bad pick up line. instead, he just sat down on the couch across from me and leaned back into the cushions. he raised the glass in his hand to his lips and took a sip.

i waited for a few moments, giving him a chance to say something if he wanted to. he didn't. while i found this slightly odd, it gave me a chance to take in his appearance.

his most obvious feature was the tattoos that adorned his body. they were on his hands, the parts of his arms that i could see, his neck, and he even had a couple on his face. i could only assume that there were plenty more hidden under his clothing.

his face was like none other that i had seen, though there wasn't anything particularly outstanding about it. he had dark eyebrows resting over narrow eyes. his nose was decorated by a simple silver ring on the left side. there were hints of stubble above his lips, which were just the right shape and size for his face. nothing outstanding, but yet i found myself thinking he looked beautiful.

"so, are you gonna introduce yourself or are you just going to keep eye fucking me?" he was now looking at me, a small smirk on his lips.

i narrowed my eyes at him. so he was cocky was he? normally i would have scoffed, but there was some truth to his words. still, i wasn't going to let him know that. "i could ask you the same thing."

at my words he leaned forward, his elbows now resting on his knees. his eyes held mine. "oh, i plan on doing a lot more than just eye fucking you." he then leaned back into the couch again. "besides, do i really need an introduction?"

oh, so he was cocky and an ass. how fitting.

although, if we were being technical, he didn't need to introduce himself. i already knew that he went by the name blackbear, but that didn't mean i knew who he was, so he was still going to introduce himself. i stared at him blankly.

after reading my expression, he chuckled and nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "oh, my bad. you just looked like someone who might know who i am." he chuckled again. "um, the name's matthew, but you can call me mat. and you are ..?"

"luci, but you can call me luci."

the corner of his mouth turned up. "so what are you doing up here by yourself luci?"

i shrugged. "people watching. and what about you mat?"

"you know, partying it up," he joked. he lifted up his glass, which i now saw was full of water. i couldn't help but smile at the fact that i wasn't alone in my sobriety.

"why did you think that i would know who you are? it's not like we've met before."

mat sat up straight and pushed his shoulders back. he wore a satisfied grin that caused the corners of his eyes to crinkle.

"i've got a number one album baby."

• • •

hello

this chapter took a little bit longer to write than the first two, but i'm on vacation so i'm just pulling out my phone and writing when i can.

anyway, i hope you enjoyed this chapter. do you think i've portrayed bear accurately?

please leave some comments, i always enjoying seeing what people have to say. and be sure to vote to let me know if you liked it.

thanks xo,

maren