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We were sitting around in our dressing room after sound check, just chilling and having a few drinks (all of us except for Chace, of course.) Chace blew another bubble in his gum. He chewed up, like, three pieces so he could blow bubbles within bubbles. He was pretty good at it, too. I wonder what else he could do with his mouth…?

“Did you know your thumb is as long as your nose?” he said rather randomly. He was perched on the arm of the loveseat that Pat and Kennedy were occupying, his own nose just above the top of his iPad.

We all tested Chace’s theory, shocked to find that he was right. “Holy shit, Chace…how do you know all this stuff?” Garrett laughed, looking down at his thumb on his nose so he appeared cross eyed.

“I like to read,” Chace mumbled, gently touching his iPad for a moment. He must read his books on that thing, because that’s all I’ve ever seen him do for these first…what, five days? Sure, he’s a lot more open to the fans now, and he’s more comfortable performing on stage, but he’s not a party person at all.

Which is just totally mindfucking me, alright?

Against my better judgment and base instinct, I’ve tried twice now to stay with Chace instead of go out and party. The first time, he told me that I should go out and have fun and just not mind him, practically throwing me out of our hotel room. The second time, which was last night, was a huge mistake on my part.

When he was unsuccessful in forcing me out of the room, Chace warned me that he didn’t do much of anything other than sit around and wait quietly for us to come back, and, damn, he was right. I was bored as hell. All Chace did was take, like, an hour long shower, spend another hour in the bathroom dressing up and getting ready for bed, and lay in bed with his iPad for another two more hours or until he fell asleep. Sure, I tried to spark a conversation with him, but he didn’t talk much, claiming he was tired from the show. Why did he have to be so damn attractive but act like an old man?!

I mean, come on. Did I really have to think that he looked kind of cute with his glasses on? Chace only used them to read, but they looked so antiquated you could call them spectacles and it wouldn’t seem weird. I tried really hard to talk to him, and when he finally put his iPad down, I got so excited, thinking he was about to pay more attention to me, until I realized he only put it down to go to sleep.

So that night I ended up lying in my bed consumed with lust. The sexual frustration was embarrassing and unbearable. I spent a good half hour watching Chace sleep like a total creeper and wondering if he would mind if I slept with him again, but thankfully I decided against it.

I had a feeling that Chace was a private kind of person, but I also felt like if I could just get on his good side, he would completely open up to me. I was curious about him, and I was going to try my damndest to get to know him…but…I just wasn’t patient enough, I guess. In my defense, though, I had good reason. I didn’t have much longer with Chace…

“What are you reading now?” Garrett asked, pushing Chace over a bit to sit with him. For some reason, that really irritated me – seeing them so close. “Oh, ew…philosophical bullshit.”

“Jean-Paul Sartre is not bullshit,” Chace laughed, his voice taking on a somewhat defensive tone.

My heart jumped at the name. “Sartre’s one of my favorites,” I piped up, earning a smile from Chace.

…Why did that just totally make my night?

I was pretty distracted our whole set, but that was only because I was scheming and because Chace was in such close proximity. The sight of Chace’s back dimples when he bent over to tie his shoes was almost a showstopper for me. Jesus, Mary and Joseph. How the hell does he even…? I can’t handle this guy. I fucking can’t.

So, I decided to talk to someone who handled Chace very well. Namely… “Tay? Can I, uh, can I talk to you for a second?” I asked when there was a lull in her and Pat’s conversation.

Tay beamed and Pat grudgingly handed her a twenty dollar bill for some reason before walking away. “Sure, John! What can I do for you?” She asked cheerfully, scooting over to make room for me on the couch. I was in We Are the In Crowd’s dressing room after our set finished. The rest of my bandmates were still cleaning up so we could go meet fans in a bit.

“You talk to Chace a lot, right?” I tried to ask casually, but it didn’t really work.

“He has no clue that you like him, you know that, right?” Tay said in a quiet voice, glancing at the door.

“I –I never said that I –“

“Oh, please, John, don’t even. It’s so obvious,” Tay laughed softly, rolling her eyes. “What do you want to know?”

I gave up and stretched out on the couch, putting my head on her lap. No point in hiding it now, I guess. “Everything you know about him, Tay. I don’t know where to begin, what to do with him, how to approach him…hell, I can’t even start a conversation with the guy, much less ask him out,” I huffed in frustration, half tearing at my hair.

Tay gently removed my hands from my hair, gently running her own hand through it. “Stop stressing out about it. Just be yourself. I’m sure Chace will come around. I’ll try to help, if you want. But…don’t be so pushy, you intimidate him enough as it is.”

“I intimidate him?” I laughed. “How?”

Tay rolled her eyes, continuing to run her hand through my hair. The gesture was somewhat comforting, actually. “You have no idea the impact you’ve had on Chace’s life, John…”

“What do you mean?” I asked, but the door opened.

“Hey, John? Garrett and Kennedy said – “ Chace stopped short when he saw me and Tay, though.

Oh. Oh, dammit all to hell.

“Chace –“

“We should go out to sign,” Chace mumbled, exiting just as quietly as he came.

“Ah, fuck,” I muttered under my breath, sitting up, but Tay pulled me back down. “Tay?”

“Give it a few minutes,” she said quietly, staring hard at the door. “Maybe this is just what he needs…”

“What is 'just what he needs'?”

Tay smirked. “A little competition.”