Counting Stars

Janet pulls me away from Sidney and into the bathrooms. She quickly checks the stalls and then locks the door, “What the hell was that?”

I shrug, drunk partly on happiness and partly just drunk, “People already suspected that we were together. Besides this will be good story. Hockey’s golden boy with the newest it girl, you should be thanking me.”

“That’s not the point Brooklyn, you had a contract and now we have to beg Liam’s people to forget about this. Your reputation in Hollywood is way more important than a fling with some Pennsylvanian athlete from America’s fourth favorite sport.”

I lean against the bathroom sink, “You’re the best in the business Janet, I know that you can do this.”

She sighs, “Well at least you will have some good press to balance out the potential shit storm coming your way.”

“What do you mean?”

“Zac, just checked back into rehab. It’s official, every media outlet has the story. Not to mention that sources are circulating your name. People are assuming that you partook in his uh-,” She pauses. “um extracurricular activities. And it doesn’t sound like he is doing well.”

I focus on Janet’s words, “I’ll deny everything obviously and then wish him well.”

“And how would your ‘golden boy’ react to your connection with drugs?”

“He doesn’t need to know,” I splash water on my face and try to focus. Somehow Janet turned a great night into a shitty one. This dose of reality is not okay. “I should leave and not go to the second wrap party tomorrow. Sidney and I will leave together. We will just say that I heard the news here and I was too upset to spend the rest of the night out.”

“That will actually work. Let me go spread the word, whoever comes back will knock four times,” I nod and Janet leaves. Immediately I lock the door and pull my phone out. My fingers dial the familiar number without a second thought.

It picks up on the fourth ring, “Oh Brooklyn, thank God. They told me I shouldn’t call you.”

“Zac we can’t talk for long, but,” I pause biting my lip. “I just want you to know that I care about you and I want you to be healthy. If you need help there call me.” I heard some knocks. “I’m uh glad that you’re getting help.”

“I wish you were here with me,” Zac keeps talking, but I have to open the door, so I hang up.

I’m expecting Emma when I open the door, but instead it’s Sidney, and he looks concerned. “Janet came and got me, she said that you needed to go home. Are you not feeling well?”

Taking a deep breath, I realize that I have to tell Sidney and more importantly I want to tell him. I open my mouth to respond when Emma bursts in with Beau in tow. “Emma what are you doing?”

She launches herself at me and hugs me tight, “Janet told me. I’m sorry, I know it’s tough to watch him fight with this, but he’s getting help.” She turns to Sidney. “Take good care of her okay.”

The guys look confused and I slide Emma’s arms off of me, “They don’t know Emma.” I lean against the sink. “Zac, my ex-boyfriend checked back into rehab for drug abuse today. A while ago he showed up at my suite and almost overdosed. It will be in all the papers tomorrow, and I’m a little shaken up.”
Beau and Sidney both look surprised, but the younger man is the first to speak, “Um Emma and I are just going to give you two a second.”

They leave and the two of us are alone, I run a hand through my hair, “Say something.”

“What do you need from me?” Sidney’s eyes are sincere and comforting when he says it. “If you want to leave I’ll take you home. If you want to stay and get drunk, that works too. If you want to have a girls night with Emma I’ll kidnap Beau. Hell, if you want me to buy you a ticket for the next plane so you can be with him, I’ll do that. Just tell me what you need.”

I smile and collapse into Sidney’s warm solid chest. The two of us are quiet for a moment, “I just need you.”

Sidney kisses my forehead and pushes a few strands of hair back in place, “Whatever you want babe.”

We leave the bathroom and Beau and Emma are there, once again absorbed in each other. Janet rounds the corner quickly, iPhone in hand, “Car is outside, hotel security will get you there. It’s the front entrance because I want people to see you leave. You have to be photographed together. Sidney, shield her, but not too much. Brooklyn, I need you to look a little vulnerable,” she looks at me. “Actually, just stay like that.”
Without further ado, Sidney and I walk to the SUV and slide in the back seat. Paparazzi were out in large numbers, and they all knew. They are yelling questions about Zac, about drugs, about Sidney, basically about everything. Immediately I collapse onto the large back seat in the SUV and fall asleep.

*******
Brooklyn’s head is resting in my lap on the drive back to my house. Up in the front the driver is quiet and as I stroke her hair I debate striking up a conversation. Honestly though I have no idea what to say. Looking down at Brooklyn I realize that we don’t know each other that well. Most of the stuff we do know comes from our Wikipedia pages. I want to know her though, really know her. By the time the car gets us home, Brooklyn is asleep. Our driver opens the door and I lift Brooklyn in my arms, she barely stirs. “Thank you, do I need to pay you or?”

He shakes his head, “No, everything is taken care of sir, have a pleasant evening.”

I nod and notice that he doesn’t seemed fazed by the fact that I’m carrying a movie star into my house late on a Thursday night. With Brooklyn in my arms I struggle for a second to get in the door and flip on the lights. Accidentally I jostle her and she wakes up her voice rough and slightly confused, “Sidney? Did we come back to your house?”

“Yeah, I hope that was okay?”

She snuggles deeper into my arms, “More than okay, but if you had some extra clothes for me I wouldn’t object.” Somehow I manage to carry Brooklyn and upstairs and set her down outside my bedroom. “Why didn’t we go in?”

Reaching up to scratch the back of my neck I tell her one of my secrets, “My room is a mess, an absolute mess. I just need a second to tidy it up.”

She laughs, “Jesus, I thought you were going to tell me you had one of those weird sex dungeons or something. What’s wrong with a cluttered room?”

“Everyone just always assumes I’m this guy with iron self-control and that everything in my life is organized. It usually is, but my room is my space you know?”

Her head bobs up and down slowly, “Well, I don’t care if your room isn’t the cleanest. It is completely understandable and honestly the immaculateness of the rest of your home kind of intimidated me.”

She looks at me expectantly and I realize that I still haven’t opened the door. Finally, Brooklyn just rolls her eyes and opens the door. I follow her and watch as she surveys the room, and takes in the few pair of pants and shirts that are strewn on the floor along with the half made bed. My suitcase is half packed for tomorrow and the suit that I almost wore tonight is draped haphazardly over a chair along with several ties. After a few more seconds Brooklyn starts to laugh. “What are you laughing about?”

“Oh Sidney, this isn’t messy at all!” She walks over to me and brushes her hands against my face, “You really are a little OCD aren’t you?”

We are quiet for a second and she moves her hand away, but I stop her and kiss the inside of her palm. She smiles, “I’ll grab clothes for you. The shower is through there if you want to warm up a little, there should be plenty of towels.”

I grab a pair of black sweatpants and then an old Cole Harbor t-shirt for Brooklyn. Hopefully this will suffice. She left the bathroom door open and I walk in to place the clothes on the sink with every intention of leaving immediately. But in the mirrors I catch a glimpse of Brooklyn through the frosted glass. Her silhouette is visible and my mind wanders to fill in the parts that my eyes can’t see. I shake my head, this is not the time to make moves on her. She just got horrible news I’m sure the last thing she wants to do is to have someone interrupt her one quiet moment. Deciding that she deserves alone time I turn to leave and promptly knock off her clothes from the sink, they land in a dull thud on the floor. I stand part of me hoping that she didn’t hear it and the other part desperately wishing she did. When there is no acknowledgment I bend down and place the piles of clothes back on the sink. I’m almost out the door when I hear, “Sidney?”

Shit, she probably thinks I was spying on her, “Yes?”

“Would you like to join me?”

She barely finishes her sentence before I’m sliding off my clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor. I slide the door open to my large tiled shower and I take in the unreal sight before me. Brooklyn is under the water with her back faced to me. When I open the door she turns and looks at me with a shy smile. I return it and keep my eyes focused on hers even though I want to take in every inch of her beautiful silky skin. “Did you need help finding the soap or something?”

She laughs and smacks my stomach, “Something like that.”

That playful touch makes me aware again that nothing stands between the two of us, but air. And Brooklyn senses it as well and I take a step forward. My hands find their natural spot on her waist and bring her flush against me. She sighs and leans up to kiss me. We don’t start slow; the two of us want each other and the sooner the better.

******
When I decided to call Sidney into the shower I was a little skeptical, but now this very well might be the best decision of my life. My hands freely roam across his sculpted body under the warm water. Luckily, the shower is huge and we have plenty of room to maneuver. I reach down and gently stroke Sidney. He groans and I fail to contain my smile. His hand joins mine and he helps me stroke his already hard member. I use my free hand to push him against the wall and he acquiesces even though I could never overpower him. My hand continues to work him as I move my lips to his neck, sucking and biting. His head falls back and I take that as a good sign. While my hands are busy on him his play with my breasts. I arch my back in silent approval.

Sidney is hard and heavy in my hand and I pull away slightly and I give him a quick kiss before sliding downwards. I slide my tongue down his amazing abs and repress a sigh. Before long I’m down on my knees and I sneak a quick peek up to Sidney. Our eyes meet and even from here I can see the desire burn in his dark eyes, “Brooklyn you don’t have to.”

I shush him and then proceed to slowly take Sidney inch by inch; I hear his head hit the shower wall behind him. With reinvigorated confidence I continue to work Sidney in my mouth, loving even this part of my man. After a bit Sidney’s hand entangles in my wet hair and guides me, “Ah fuck, Brooklyn your mouth is absolutely amazing.” A few more intoxicating minutes pass and then Sidney pulls me away and brings me to my feet. We share a quick kiss, “But I want to come in that beautiful pussy of yours.”

With that declaration he pushes me against the wall and lifts one of my legs up caressing and squeezing along the way. He buries his face in my neck as his fingers thrust confidently in out of my body. Then without further warning he lifts me completely off of my feet and thrusts into my body with one smooth stroke. He stretches and fills me in the most perfect way. We take a moment to breathe and then Sidney starts to move, I moan loudly and Sidney thrusts harder. My hands squeeze his arms that cage me against the wall. Sidney is everywhere around me, above me, in me. It’s intoxicating and overwhelming and absolutely wonderful. I feel my release building, and clutch tighter to my man. He senses this and rolls a finger around my clit to push me over the edge. Sidney’s mouth muffles my scream as we both finish.

We remain that way, our breathing keeping time for the two of us. After a moment Sidney kisses the top of my head, “I wanted you to have some alone time, baby. Sorry I am such a Neanderthal.”

“Trust me, I’m alone too much,” it slips out and I see that Sidney wants to question my comment, but thankfully doesn’t. Instead we both grab the soap and shampoo and focus on accomplishing the normal purpose of a shower. We decide to keep our hands to ourselves, in order to be productive. In moments we are outside of the shower and Sidney wraps me in a warm towel, there wrapped in his strong, protective arms I lose it. Suddenly, I can no longer keep my tears inside. To his credit he just hugs me tighter until the first wave surpasses.

“Come get dressed, we will get in bed and talk.”

He leaves me alone to get dressed and when I walk into his now slightly cleaner bedroom he is seated on his king sized bed, with the lights dimmed. The warm reds and browns of his room are welcoming and the bed looks unbelievable comfortable. In Sidney’s pants and shirt I climb into bed.

Sidney hands me a glass of water, “Do you want to talk about it?”

I look into his eyes and feel safe. Today has proved that he can put up with all the crap hat swirls around me. Even though it took him awhile to come to this conclusion he has, and that should be rewarded. He deserves the truth, but it’s not my truth to tell. Besides it’s a little early to come out and address my past use of drugs. “I’m fine, really I was just worried for him.

Sidney obviously doesn’t believe me, but graciously accepts my answer. “Will you be able to sleep?”

“With you, it will be a piece of cake,” he smiles, but his eyes are still full of questions. I lean over and kiss him one last time before settling in to sleep.

Notes

Don't worry, everything will be a little lighter for the foreseeable future! Thank you to all my lovely readers, commenters and subscribers!