Chapter Text
My legs ached as I walked down the dark street. I just returned from an amazing surprise Green Day concert with my friend. We had parted ways eventually not so long ago, we had no transport to get home so we had been walking from the bustling atmosphere for a little over an hour in the cold darkness. I understood that walking home alone on a seemingly empty street as a young woman must be dangerous, but I knew my city like the back of my hand and wasn't expecting anything dangerous to happen to me. Just in case, I made sure to keep a tight grip on the pepper spray that was attached to the keychains on my crossbody bag.
As I walked along the sidewalk of an empty road with nothing but dirt and turf surrounding it, I saw a car drop somebody off along the side of the road and drive off. A man around my height dressed in all black, masked in the shadows, stumbled around cursing at the long-gone vehicle that was speeding away. Confused and alarmed, I decided not to bring any attention to myself and stay put. A nervous feeling grew inside me at the confusing scene that had unfolded in front of me just minutes before. I observed the man, he scratched his head before pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. He leaned against the lamp post as he put the box away and pulled out his flip phone. He took a puff and fiddled with the buttons before bringing the phone up to his ear and shouting curses at the person on the opposite end of the call. I stood more still, growing more suspicious of this stranger as I watched his demeanor grow more aggressive.
“FUCK!” he shouted loud into the night, as he shoved his phone back into his pocket with attitude. He ran a hand through his messy black hair and took more puffs of the cancer stick in his hand.
After a while of observing him, I noticed he seemed to be more calm as he had taken a seat on the cold concrete floor without his previous cigarette in hand. I decided that I couldn’t let this weird situation get in the way of my plans to make it home before midnight. I decided to continue walking forward, my bag clutched in defense, and my speed picked up. As I walked nearer to him he looked up from his initial spot.
“Hey! Um, excuse me, miss.” He asked quickly after clearing his throat. I was hesitant to reply to him, not wanting to get involved in whatever dilemma he seemingly got himself into; but eventually, I decided it couldn't be so bad to at least hear what he had to say. I was nosy after all.
“Yes?” I reply, bluntly but still weak considering I am talking to an odd stranger.
I looked down at him, his face illuminated by the street light above us, showcasing his strikingly green eyes surrounded by a messy layer of dark brown and black eyeliner. He had messy gelled hair that seemed to flick out in every direction but framed his face perfectly. His jawline was sharp, his face was trickled with a light glaze of what seemed to be sweat, and his clothes consisted of all-black attire accessorized by a studded belt. His shirt was unbuttoned to show a nice-looking chain and his belt seemed to be crooked, further channeling his messy appearance. He smelled of smoke, booze, and a musky-scented brand of expensive cologne. I immediately recognized him as the most handsome man I had ever seen, Billie Joe Armstrong. The only lead singer of my favorite band, Green Day. What was the coincidence that I ran into my celebrity crush right after showing up to his surprise concert? I had no idea, but I one hundred percent was not complaining. I think I’d pinched a hole into me from the disbelief of what my eyes were picking up on.
“Would it be alright if I could borrow your phone for a few minutes?” He asked with a desperate look on his face.
I closed the gap of the zipper on my sweater quickly to conceal the ‘American Idiot’ merchandise I had been wearing. Part of me wanted to scream and ask for an autograph, but I knew I'd have a better chance of talking to him normally if he didn't see me as one of his crazy fan girls.
“Oh, yes of course!” I responded, reaching into my bag and pulling out a black flip phone bedazzled in jewels that shined under the harsh light.
He reached out and grabbed it while saying his thanks before quickly dialing a number. After a couple rings the phone answered and he began to talk to the other person on the phone in a harsh tone. I had no idea if he had truly known I'd recognized him, but it wasn't hard to assume. I knew my eyes must have gone wide upon seeing his face, and the trembling of my fingers as his hand brushed against mine, reaching for the phone; dead giveaway.
“Listen, Mike, I’m sorry, but you have to understand that it’s crazy to just leave me here stranded in the middle of nowhere!”
I recognized the bassist in the band’s name. It seemed to me like they were having some kind of argument or fallout that led to Billie being kicked out of the vehicle. It gave me anxiety knowing that my favorite band was capable of fighting in this way, it was a contrast to their usual giddy friendship that the public was used to seeing. After back-and-forth banter between the two, Billie quickly hung up and began to shake his head in disappointment.
“Look I’m really sorry you had to hear all of that,” He said, “What's your name anyway?” He asked while handing the phone back to me.
“It’s (your name), but (your nickname) is what I usually go by,” I chuckled lightly, “And yours?” I asked, stifling a smirk.
I knew it was probably stupid for me to pretend that I didn't know him, but was intrigued to know what a conversation between us would look like if I wasn’t smothering him by telling him how much I adored him, and how I had posters of his face hanging up on my walls at home like most others do. His eyes widened slightly, I assumed it was because he anticipated that I would at least recognize him from somewhere.
“It's Billie, Billie Joe actually,” he replied with a crooked smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Billie Joe,” I replied with a slight bashful blush spread across my cheeks as I reached my hand out for a handshake.
He returned the gesture and my heart raced a mile a minute. I was really touching him, his hand at least. His hands were cold, and it was then I realized that he was only wearing a thin short-sleeved black-collared shirt. I felt bad for him, knowing the weather must be excruciating to have to bear without any source of warmth.
“Are you not…cold?” I asked hesitantly, tilting my head on cue with the question. His hand went up to scratch the back of his neck before he replied.
“Well…I guess, but there isn't much I could do about that now can I?” He laughed awkwardly.
I glanced down at my watch to see that the time read just about 10:45 PM. I looked around at our surroundings, we weren't too far away from a small local cafe. It would probably take a short 15-minute walk to get there.
“Hey, so your friends aren't going to come pick you up right?” I asked out of curiosity.
He let out a long sigh and rolled his eyes as he stared far away behind me. I could tell that this situation must have been pretty serious for his childhood friend to turn on him. I had done my fair share of research, at least with whatever was available on the flimsy internet, and I knew that they went through so much together. Maybe this was just a rough patch between them I somehow stumbled across.
“I’m gonna be honest and say I don’t exactly know,” he paused for a second, trying to find words, “I…I dunno,” he finished.
I could tell there was a lot he couldn't tell me. For many reasons of course, and I didn't blame him. If anything I was still unsure if any of this was real. But I knew he was still human just like me, and I wanted to help him in any way I could.
“Is there anything I could do to help you? I know there might be a coffee shop not too far from here…y’know, if you’re seriously cold,” I stumbled over my words awkwardly. Not only was he my biggest inspiration, but he was extremely attractive. Even more so in real life, compared to what I've been able to see on MTV. His green eyes were piercing in the ambient lighting coming from above, but looking into them made me feel safe, they were comforting.
He took a second to process what I had offered him. Biting his lip and looked down, his eyes shifting in different directions here and there reflecting his uncertainty. It felt like forever. I was sure I was going to get turned down, and this whole thing would just be a very confusing story to tell my future children. That was until I heard his response.
“That doesn’t sound too bad, I just…” he ran a hand through his gelled messy hair as if he was struggling to decide something, “you lead the way,” he began to sit up.
I’d be lying if I said it didn’t surprise me when I noticed the height difference between us. I always knew he was on the shorter side, but I didn’t expect him to be a good three inches taller than me. And boy, oh boy, that sure made my stomach do a flip. I flashed him a dorky smile as I pointed us in the right direction. It was awkward at first, walking side by side without saying a word. He took drags of his cigarette from time to time, being sure to blow the strong-smelling smoke in the opposite direction of me. My, what a gentleman. After a short while, he put it out and threw it into the side of the street.
“So, what brings you around here by yourself so late at night?” He asked me, holding strong eye contact.
”Oh, uhm…I just parted ways with one of my friends a while back…we were at a party,” I lied on the spot, not being able to meet his gaze half the time.
He nodded in understanding. “You have a nice sense of style,” He said, eyeing the outfit I had on. It wasn’t anything special. Cheap low-rise jeans paired with a studded belt, an altered band tee hidden by a tight zip-up, along with some alternative accessories. Nothing special.
“Thanks, you seem stylish as well, I like the eyeliner,” I rambled. If being awkward was a competition, I’d be stocked with golden medals. He didn’t seem to care and chuckled bashfully.
Before I knew it we were approaching the cafe. It was still open late into the night, and it seemed more like people were here for drinks that were not related to coffee. We walked in, and he offered to pay for dinner. For just the two of us. As we sat down across from each other in the booth, It dawned on me that this could be considered a date. Or maybe I was getting way ahead of myself. He ordered a beer, and I ordered a simple cola. I wasn't hungry much, and he wasn’t either, so we sent our menus back without ordering anything more.
“So, how old are you?” he asked me after the waiter came around with our drinks.
“I just turned twenty-six about a month ago, how about you?” I replied. Of course, I already knew the answer to that. I knew a lot more about him than he would think.
“I am about to turn thirty-three in a couple of months,” he took big gulps of his beer, treating it as if it were water and he was dehydrated.
“Oh wow, you look so young for your age, I wouldn't have guessed you were any older than me!” I flattered him, taking a small sip of my drink.
He smiled and looked down, “You look pretty good for your age too y’know,” returning the compliment.
“Oh stop it, you don’t have to lie,” I chuckled, feeling my face heat up. My body betrays me by putting my emotions on full display.
He laughs it off, gripping the beer in his hand and quickly taking another gulp. This time, he’s reached the end of it and is already asking the waiter for a new one. I continue to sip my cola and decide to spike up some more conversation.
“So, if you don’t mind me asking, what ended up happening with the whole…fiasco I witnessed earlier?” I asked. If he didn’t want to tell me that's fine by me, but It doesn't hurt to try.
He paused and stared far away, thinking. “It was an argument between me and my pal. We had just gotten done with a gig, and…” he hesitated, “I suppose it isn’t anything important. We’ve all been drinking a bunch so maybe that's a part of it?” He said as if he wasn’t even sure of it himself. Right on cue, the waiter brought out his next beer.
“Do you want this one? If I know what’s good for me I think I’d better stop here,” he offered. Usually, I would have said no. But this time around, it felt like accepting it was the right thing to do, and I wanted to. I took a sip of it and immediately remembered why I don’t usually drink beer. The familiar foul taste settled on my tongue, and I could sense that my expression wasn't delightful. He laughed a bit, and pulled the drink away from me, gulping it. It left me with half, which was probably the only amount I could even handle.
“Not much of a drinker?” he asked, a cheeky smile plastered on his face. He seemed less tense than earlier before, maybe the alcohol was getting to him.
“No, not really…unless you count alcohol that's mixed with a bunch of juice and sugar to mask the taste,” I laughed a bit.
“Ah, so you like cocktails…that's understandable,” he pushed the beer back towards me. I pulled it up to my lips and gulped it down all at once, taking a sip of my cola afterward to get rid of the bitterness. He smiled at me the entire time, I could tell he was amused.
“So about that gig you played at, how do you think you did?” I asked, directing the subject to his profession.
He shrugged. “I guess playing it for everyone went well, besides the…y’know,” he avoided my gaze as he trailed off.
“I think you did amazing, I truly had the time of my life,” I admitted. As the words fell out of my mouth, I quickly realized I had blown my cover. Although the cover was more like a thin transparent sheet of fabric.
He quickly looked back at me, his expression seeming to say “Oh, I get it now”.
“I had a feeling you knew who I was, why’d you try to hide it?” he asked, his personality towards me didn’t shift in the slightest. I wondered if he was too exhausted to take offense to my stupid scheme.
“I didn’t want to frighten you…by bombarding you I mean. I get how it might feel overwhelming when people acknowledge you as a celebrity first, rather than just a normal citizen. I didn’t mean any harm or anything, I promise my intentions are clear-,“ I rambled.
“Hey, It’s fine. I appreciate you. It feels like I've been talking to somebody as equals this whole time y’know, like I’m not too self-conscious…”
I smiled. “Well, I’m glad that you enjoyed talking with me. It's been a blessing being able to even meet you. You are such a nice guy, and also super easy to talk to,” I added, flattering him some more. But I wasn’t exaggerating in the slightest.
He smiled and gently tapped the table. He looked so beautiful sitting in front of me. The way his hair fell around his face, his gorgeous green eyes, highlighted by his sexy black eyeliner; his healthy slightly toned body, covered in tattoos; the way his shirt was unbuttoned just enough to see the top of his chest, a silver chain hanging from his neck just above it; his plump lips, his biceps, his hands, his everything. Everything about him was inviting me in like I was put under some sort of spell that just got stronger the longer I stared at him.
“It’s getting pretty late, and I believe this place closes at midnight,” Billie said, breaking the short moment of silence I hadn't registered.
“Oh yes, of course,” I sighed, “Do you have a way to return home?” I asked, still unsure about how he would mend things with Mike.
“I’ll figure something out, but for now I’m more worried about you. I hadn’t thought of how you would manage to get home from here until now, I’m so sorry for keeping you long,” he said, scratching the back of his neck.
“My house isn't too far from here actually, I believe it would only take around fifteen minutes if I walked,” I answered. He shook his head immediately after my statement.
“I can’t let you walk home alone so late at night by yourself, if something were to happen I would feel absolutely terrible,” he smiled at the end of his sentence.
I smiled at the thought of him caring about me. Tonight seemed like such an awesome dream come true. He called the waiter for the tab and quickly sat up once he was done paying. I followed his lead out the door and gave him a quick rundown of the directions to where I lived. Usually, I wouldn't ever want a stranger taking me home after just meeting them, but this was different. The walk there felt smoother and less awkward after our conversation at the cafe. And before I knew it, it was time to say goodbye.
“It was nice spending time with you tonight,” He told me, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me in for a hug. I embraced him back, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, taking in his warmth and scent. It felt like heaven. As he pulled away from me, his hands were still softly holding my shoulders. I could see all the details of his face clearly with him so close, and felt slightly self-conscious realizing he could do the same for me. He flashed me a sweet crooked smile.
“Is it possible to keep in contact with you after this?” he asked, tilting his head while maintaining eye contact. I thought I would melt. “I want to make sure I’ll be able to see you again,” this time he looked away, gazing down at the floor.
“Oh, yes of course, uh here…” I quickly reached for my bag after he removed his hands from me, finding a small piece of paper and a pen. I handed it to him, maybe a bit too excitedly. He took it from me, ripped it in half, and wrote something down on one of the halves before handing both to me. On the small piece of paper, it read, “Call me!!”, with his signature along with his number.
“You write down your number on that one for me,” he reached up to ruffle his hair a bit. I nodded with a smile before writing my full name along with my phone number on the flimsy paper. He took it, kissed it, and held it to his heart before laughing out loud. I couldn't help myself from giggling either, maybe he does act like his stage presence outside of shows.
“Bye Billie, I had such a great night, spending it with you,” I swayed back and forth on my feet. His cheeky smile from before turned into a more sincere one upon hearing my goodbye.
“Same here, I’m looking forward to seeing you more often as well,” he hesitated for a second, “of course only if that’s what you wanted as well,”
“Don’t worry, I’d love that,” I glanced down at my feet, hoping our dark surroundings hid my red face, “and good luck with sorting everything out with Mike, I believe in you two,” I added.
He sighed, “Thank you so much, I hope so too. I guess I’ll just call up somebody else to bring me back to our hotel,” his lips formed a straight line. “But anyways, you have a good night, alright?”
“Of course, goodnight Billie,” I waved goodbye to him with a huge smile on my face as I walked up to the door of my house. He waved back silently and didn't leave until he saw me safely enter my home