Sunflower

34

CHARLIE POV

"The whole thing was comical," I say, recounting the incident to Anna, Jo and Hero. "I walked up to the entrance Hero told me to go to and the girl there wasn't having it. She barely looked up at me – I think she thought I was lost," I add laughing. "Only when I said Hero's name and told her I was his girlfriend did she even look up from her clipboard. When I explained that I was bringing coffees to you guys she literally rolled her eyes and looked back down at her clipboard." I'm trying to inject as much levity into my retelling as possible; I see Hero tense up at the treatment I received and I don't want him to stress about something stupid like this.

"I bet you're not the first girl to try to use the coffee ruse to get backstage," Jo chimes in, taking a sip of the coffee I bought for her.

She doesn't mean anything bad by it, but Hero's hackles go up. "Except that it's not a ruse because Charlie *is* my girlfriend and that PA assured me she'd get back here okay." I squeeze his hand, which is clasping mine, letting him know it's all good.

Jo's eyes go wide at his overreaction. "Of course," she responds, letting Hero know that they're on the same side.

"Anyway," I continue. "For some reason my texts to you weren't going through, so I decided the best way to send a message was to let them bring the coffees to you. I knew you'd find me," I wink at Hero.

Anna pipes up, "Thank you so much – if it's any consolation my coffee is delicious!"

I laugh and add, "I hope I got your orders right after all that. Postmates, I am not!"

Anna and Jo turn to their phones, leaving Hero and I alone on the couch though not necessarily alone physically. I really want to continue what we started this morning, but there's no chance of anything even flirtatious happening given the close quarters of this green room. Instead, I lean back on the couch and turn my body away from them and towards Hero. His eyebrows are still knitted in consternation.

"Please don't stress about that whole thing," I whisper while I trace my finger along his brows, forcing them to relax. He exhales dramatically; I can feel the annoyance radiating off of him. "I'm serious. I only waited for like two minutes. Anyway," I say, changing the topic, "How's the day going?"

"Who cares about my day?" he counters, shrugging his shoulders. "I want to hear about yours." His face now holds a big grin.

I tell him all about the museums I've been to; Paris is surpassing every expectation I've had. Strangely, I haven't even had trouble not speaking French; people have been remarkably nice when I've asked for directions in English. Other than a small snafu on the Metro – I got on the train going the wrong direction (my NYC creds took a hit!), my day has been perfection.

"I'm thinking about hitting the Louvre next," I admit. "I know it's a beast, but I'm not expecting to see everything; I'm just going to check out the ten or so things on my list." I realize he's wearing one of the outfits he tried on at Jay's and my insides catch at memory of our tryst in the closet. I really want to kiss his neck. Instead I kiss the sunflower doodle on the inside of his wrist.

He leans down and kisses me sweetly on the lips. I look back to see if Anna or Jo noticed, but they're still in their own worlds, Airpods and iPhones blocking us out. I lean up and kiss him back, fighting the urge to run my hand up the back of his head. One touch of his velvety head would feel so good right now... Instead I finger the medallions that hang around his neck. "There are a few neighborhoods known for street art I want to check out tomorrow; you up for it?"

Just as he nods, a guy walks into the room and gives everyone a five-minute warning. Hero groans as a makeup artist arrives and begins touching up Anna and Jo. Hero mandates that he will walk me as close to the entrance as possible so that I don't get lost again, giving the PA a stern look. I say goodbye to Anna and Jo, and despite the fact that I won't see them again (ever?), they wave casually in the mirror as we exit the green room.

With the PA guiding us, Hero walks me through the same maze I took to get inside. It's a labyrinth and I honestly don't think they need security because there's no way someone could make their way through it without a map.

The guy stops us just before the last turn, telling Hero there are fans at the entrance and suggesting he remain out of sight for crowd-control purposes. Then he turns his back to us and says something low into his walkie-talkie, and I realize this is the only privacy we're going to get. As we stand in this fluorescent alcove in the underbelly of our hotel, Hero cups my face with both hands and brings his lips to mine, kissing me passionately – much more fervently than the occasion requires, I think. I smile into his lips and kiss him back.

"I'll be done around 5," he tells me. "Meet you in the room then?" I nod as I run my hands up over his chest. I can't resist feeling him one more time before I lose him until tonight. He closes his eyes at my touch and then kisses me on my forehead. "Keep texting me – I love seeing everything you're doing," he instructs.

Our linked hands are the last things to separate as I walk away from him and follow the PA around the corner to my exit.

When we get back to the table where my nemesis sits, clipboard still in hand, I'm shocked to see a group of twelve or so girls crowding around the entrance, Sharpies and iPhones ready. As much as I want to take the high road, pettiness wins out and I look the worker dead in the eyes, making sure she can hear the PA profusely apologize to me for my issues coming inside. To her credit, she looks down when I finally pass by.

Much to my surprise, the fans immediately surround me. "Oh my god, were you just back there?" they ask, their voices strung high with emotion and adolescence. I'm not sure how to respond, so give a small nod and move to pass them. "Did you see Hero or Jo?" They press me. Now this I know I can't answer, but instead of lying I say, "Who?" and twist my face into innocent confusion. They immediately lose interest and turn away from me, eyes trained once again on the entrance for a glimpse of my boyfriend.