I Love Dramatic Jake

Hi! Not sure if you accept requests for celebrities but figured I’d send it anyway!!! Would you be able to do a miles tellers reader where they meet in San Diego while he’s filming but she doesn’t recognize him at all and doesn’t know he’s in a relationship and is having issues. But they somehow end up together??

Thank You Kind Stranger || Miles Teller

A/N: This was a fun one! Def made me step out of my comfort zone. Sorry it took so long. I have a class that just started up, so I’ll be posting a bit slower. Hopefully you enjoy 😊

Pairing: Miles Teller x Y/N

Word Count: 5,500+

Stepping out of your apartment you took a deep breathe in, enjoying the salty air you had come to love. You weren’t originally from San Diego, but a job offer and a few years of living in the city you had officially called it home. You had always dreamed of living near the beach. Growing up, your family would take a beach vacation to somewhere new every year. You grew to love these vacations and associated the beach with some of the happiest times in your life. Always seeing yourself on the coast you never dreamed of ending up in San Diego, nonetheless you loved it.

You found yourself an incredible group of friends. It took a while, but you weaseled your way into their group. They took you in like the stray you were.

Your only issue with the city was how crowded it always was. You thought you knew what you were getting into moving to a tourist destination, but you were sorely mistaken. Places that should be five minutes away take at least twenty to get there. It was an adjustment. One you were still trying to figure out.

Your solution to this problem was to do your weekly errands at the weirdest times. That’s how you ended up in a grocery store at 11 PM on a Saturday night shopping for your weekly essentials. Headphones in you started browsing up and down the aisles only grabbing what you needed.

Everything was going smoothly up until you made it to the flour. Frowning, you realized the only flour left was on the top shelf all the way in the back. One of the drawbacks of shopping at this time? The shelves were never fully stocked. It was a give and take but for your sanity it was worth it. You needed that damn flour too. It was in almost all of your recipes for the week.

Looking up and down the aisle you made sure the coast was clear. Your first attempt was to jump and reach which ended in abysmal failure. Huffing you took a step back trying to reevaluate the situation and come up with a better solution. You realized your only two options were to either climb the shelves or to find an employee. You certainly weren’t going to go find an employee to ask, that defeated the whole purpose of shopping this late.

So, you opted to scale the shelves. Carefully you stepped on the bottom shelf making sure not to crush any of the food in your way. Still, you were too short to reach. Just before you were about to take the next step up you heard somebody clearing their throat from behind. Shit. You’ve been caught.

Realizing you probably looked like an idiot standing frozen on the grocery store shelf you slowly peeled yourself away. Gaining courage, you finally turned around seeing a strikingly handsome man standing there looking at you with an amused expression.

“It’s not what it looks like.” Smiling sheepishly at the man you rubbed the back of your neck out of sheer embarrassment.

“No?” He questioned before continuing, “It looks like you were trying to reach the flour?”

You continued smiling at him, this time your eyes going wide, “Well, it’s exactly what it looks like then.”

“Need some help?” He asked walking closer to you. He towered over your shorter frame. Damn, he smelled good too.

“Actually, I prefer to climb the shelves.” You wanted to continue the conversation, something very unlike yourself. That was why you were here at 11:30 at night, avoiding people.

He snickered, “You sure about that? Didn’t look like you were going to make it.”

“I’ll have you know…” You paused seeing how far back the flour was, you’d have to climb to the fourth shelf to get it. You needed his help. He had almost a foot on you, “I was definitely not going to be able to get it. I would love some help.” You grinned trying to play it off as cool as possible.

You finally got a good look at him when you turned back to admit defeat. He really was quite handsome. With dark curly hair topped with a pair of aviators he nodded, still chuckling at you, before going to get the flour for you. Curious, a pair of sunglasses this late at night. You wondered about the mustache, wasn’t too often a guy your age had one. It worked for him though.

It took all of your willpower not to ogle him as he stretched to reach it. You swallowed hard seeing how fit the man was. His arm muscles contracted as he brought the sack of flower down from the shelf, you tried looking away but were sure you had gotten caught staring. It wasn’t every day you came across a kind and handsome stranger man, your stupid brain just had to stare though.

He handed the flour to you with a smirk dancing on his lips, oh he definitely caught you staring, “Thank you kind stranger!” You gleefully took the flour from him ignoring the obvious tension, “You saved me from starving this week.”

He looked at you curiously when he handed it to you, not responding to your casual conversation.

“Well, thanks.” You tossed it into your cart getting ready to walk away, you never knew how to keep these conversations going.

“I’m Miles.” He stuck his hand out to you looking almost hopeful. Like he too wanted the conversation to continue.

Nodding you took his hand gently, “Y/N. Nice to meet you Miles. What brings you to the grocery store this late?” You asked, attempting to keep the conversation light. You were never very good at flirting with guys. Feeling stupid when they never flirted back with you, you often just simply opted for regular conversation.

Growing up with a house full of boys didn’t set you up for the success you thought it was. With two brothers and all of your cousins being boys, you didn’t have the girls needed to balance everything else. So, you grew up a true tom boy. It was the only way you knew hope to cope growing up around all boys. You constantly got shit for liking girly things, instead of dolls you opted for Legos. You just wanted to fit in with them.

You loved your childhood though. You were truly carefree, having the best of times running through neighborhoods like the hooligans you were. It was a blessing and a curse though. You were comfortable around men you just didn’t know how to flirt with them. Something you thought you’d pick up throughout the years, yet it never seemed to come naturally to you.

“Y/N.” He repeated under his breathe continuing to observe you. It wasn’t intense but you noticed, he was watching you for something, “What do you do?”

 “I’m a zookeeper. Work at the San Diego Zoo.” You answered him without skipping a beat.

“Really?” He perked up, fully peaking his curiosity now.

You nodded excitedly, “I work with the big cats. Mostly the lions, sometimes the jaguars and cheetahs.” People often found your work interesting, but Miles looked fascinated.

The two of you began walking down the next aisle, immersed in the conversation that had just begun, “Super casual.” He spoke admiring how calm you sounded about it all.

You shrugged picking up a box of cereal, “They’re gentle giants. I think my kitty at home is more of an asshole than the cats at the zoo.” You grinned thinking about your kitties. You loved them, more than people most of the time. They really were gentle giants, big sweeties.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

You laughed this time, “House cats are rude. But so funny. I wouldn’t ever dare live without one.” You stopped grabbing some oatmeal realizing he wasn’t exactly shopping like you were, “I’m sorry Miles, you don’t have to shop with me. You don’t look like you were prepared.” You pointed to his basket instead of a cart.

“Don’t sweat it. This is the first interesting conversation I’ve had in a while.”

Smiling you continued, not letting your self-consciousness stop you now, “Alright, what do you do?”

He paused for a brief second looking a little panicked, “I work in the film industry.”

“What?” You stopped looking him up and down, “Now that’s cool! Not that cats aren’t cool. They’re really actually quite neat animals. But that’s… cool.” You wanted to facepalm yourself for your inability to flirt.

“Shoot, I’d argue taking care of a lion is far cooler than what I do.”

“They don’t talk back which is nice.” You answered nonchalantly wanting to know more but he clearly wasn’t willing to share. You were thrilled he thought you were interesting enough to talk to though. You did not want to push him, so you decided not to dig.

He gave you a genuine smile, a beautiful one at that, “But they could eat you.” He countered.

“You’re not wrong about that one. My cats are far too lazy to even try it though.” You stifled a laugh thinking how Izu, your male lion, made you bring him his dinner the other day instead of going to go get it. They’re pampered, spoiled rotten babies but you love them with your whole heart.

“Your cats?” He questioned. He was digging for more, maybe you’d try a little harder later when he wanted to share.

You hummed in agreement with him, “Izu and Mallie. Brother and sister. We got them a few years back as cubs. I got to bottle feed them and all. Their mom was killed in an accident, and they needed a home. I’m just closer with those two than I am the others. I got to bond with them when they could sit in my lap.”

Miles was an attentive listener letting you ramble on about your job. To be fair, he had asked you a million and a half questions about the job. And you sure did love talking about it, so he let you. He found you extraordinarily fascinating. Even more fascinating to him was that you seemed to not have a damn clue who he was. He found that refreshing, so damn refreshing. You were talking to him like he was just another guy off the street.

You were pulling him in, and you hadn’t even realized it. By simply treating him like a normal human you had broken down a long standing wall he often never let crack. Miles couldn’t believe how normal a conversation with a pretty girl could be.

Truth be told. His ‘relationship’, if that’s what you could even call it, was in utter shambles. He started hooking up with a coworker on set from a previous film with no intentions of actually dating her. His publicist caught wind of his plans and essentially tied his hands and made him maintain a relationship with the woman. She wasn’t terrible she just wasn’t what he was looking for. He wanted to be himself though and that wasn’t happening with any woman in Hollywood.

He wasn’t ever sure he would even be able to settle down now that his name had grown tenfold over the last few years. He was once in a long time relationship, but it blew up after never being able to see the poor girl. She broke up with him after the fiftieth time he had to cancel. He dated around here and there but was never able to find the one. People just used him for his fame and money. He wasn’t sure if he would be able to form a genuine connection with anybody again, people always wanted something from him.

So, chatting with you? It was absolute euphoria to him. He wasn’t lying when he said talking with you was the most interesting conversation he’s had in a while. Sure, being on set he was able to goof off and have fun with his coworkers turned friends every now and then. He knew there was no ill intent with the crew. He just craved an ounce of normalcy every now and then, which never seemed to come.

“Wait, you got to bottle feed lion cubs?” He asked. He thought you might just be the neatest girl he’s met in a long time. The way you described what you did for a living and the way you seemed to love it made him want to know so much more about you. He needed to know more.

“Mhmm! Let me show you a picture. They’re so precious.” You cooed scrolling through your photos to find them. Sure enough you found about a thousand or so pictures of the cubs, “That’s Izu and the pipsqueak beside him is his sister Mallie. She has stayed pretty small for a lion.” You pointed to the cubs grinning from ear to ear.

Miles could feel himself being sucked right into you. He knew he needed to make a move before you finished your shopping. He was sure he hasn’t smiled like this in a while, shooting was grueling.

“Why are you here so late?” He asked you the same thing as you had earlier.

Laughing you continued, “There’s a reason I’m a zookeeper. I try and avoid people. Most people don’t go grocery shopping at 11 o’clock on a Saturday night.

He laughed with you now, “You’re smart. I get to argue with people all day, every day.”

Shaking your head, you picked up a few apples, making sure to find the best ones, “God bless you for it. I’d lose my mind.”

“Sometimes I do.”

“You’re allowed to. That’s human.” Your eyes continued scanning the produce looking for the bananas, “Do you like what you do?” You questioned him this time, it was his turn. You were hoping he’d be more open to sharing now that you divulged half your life to him.

“I do. I really do. Love it actually. Most days are great. Just been a shit week.” He sighed, shoulders deflating a bit. He looked tired, exhausted even.

Forming a tight lipped smile you nodded, “I get it. Want to talk about it?” You questioned cocking your head to the side.

Shrugging he looked at you, “Do you really want to hear about it?”

“I do. You had me yapping this whole time, I’d like to know a little bit more about you Mr. Miles.” You responded while looking for the best bananas, finding it easier to converse when you weren’t staring right into each other’s eyes.

He liked you. He also knew he could grow to like you even more. You were beautiful, seemingly kind, and easy to hold a conversation with. You were kind of exactly what he was looking for. So, he let it go, letting you know just a little bit more about himself, “You know that saying, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong?”

Nodding your head, you turned to look at him, “Murphy’s Law!”

“Yes! That one.” He half smiled at you, admiring your excitement even though it was so late, “Every stunt went wrong this week, a guy almost fucking died. We lost an entire plane, poof up in flames. One of the actors got violently ill. I couldn’t perform…” He stopped his rant suddenly eyes wide realizing he would be giving away what he did, and he didn’t want to do that, not yet anyway, “I couldn’t perform my job because of all the mess ups. Filming is delayed already so that leaves us here in San Diego for who knows how long. Just a week from hell.” He groaned feeling a little relief offloading everything to the pretty girl he’s been talking to for the last forty five minutes.

You gave him the most bewildered look, “What the hell are you filming?” You paused realizing how insensitive that question was after he dropped all of that on you, “Sorry, that sounds like… a lot. That sucks Miles.” You were never great at giving advice. Especially when you had absolutely no idea just how massive it all was compared to your everyday simple life, “But on the bright side. More time in San Diego isn’t the worst. It’s a great little city!” You gave him your biggest and brightest smile hoping it’d cheer him up a bit.

“You’re right.” He admitted, “It’s not the worst. It’s actually pretty great. The women here are really pretty too.” He winked at you sending a fiery flushness to your face.

You tried coming up with anything to say. Something. But your mind went blank. It was like you had forgotten the entire English language in a millisecond. Your lips opened and closed making you look like a fish out of water.

“Thank you though,” He smiled sensing you inability to form a sentence, “Believe it or not, it’s nice to hear that sometimes.”

“Anytime. Glad I can help. Even just a little.” Words finally came back to you. 

Miles was sent into a mild panic realizing you had finished up your task at hand, you were walking towards the registers. The two of you had barely chatted for an hour but he didn’t want you to disappear off into the night. He wasn’t dumb, there was something there.

“Do you want to grab a drink or something?” He broke the silence between you.

“Right now?”

He shrugged, “Why not?”

You bit your lip contemplating his offer. Why not? You didn’t have anything to lose. You weren’t tied down to anybody and it wasn’t often a beautiful man asked you out.

“There’s a bar right by my place. Let me drop all this crap off at home and I can meet you there?” You felt exactly what he was thinking. He was so handsome, and he wanted to get to know you. There was certainly something there, why not give it a chance.

You exchanged numbers. He waited with you while you checked out not even grabbing what he came in here for, deciding he’d just do it tomorrow.

He walked with you to your car. You knew you shouldn’t put this much trust into a stranger but you decided to throw caution to the wind, fuck it.

“Rosa’s at 12:30, got it?” You asked slamming your trunk shut after loading up the groceries.

“Got it ma’am. I’ll see you soon. You really are beautiful.” He cracked a smile as he sauntered off towards his car.

You were thankful the cover of night hid the blush that encapsulated your entire face.

“Now this is a dive bar.” Miles chuckled taking in his surroundings.

“I didn’t say it was a nice bar.” Grinning you looked around at the hole in the wall. Having so many incredible memories with friends you couldn’t help but to adore the place, “I love it here.” You clapped your hands in excitement, definitely not planning for your night to end up like this but enjoying where it was heading. You were fully expecting to go sit on your couch and watch a movie or something when you got home. This was a nice change, a welcomed one. Your life had gotten so boring and monotonous, he was something different and exciting.

“Is it the beer all over the floor or the mold growing over in the corner that does it for you?”

Almost choking on the beer you were sipping on, you shot him a look, “Hey!” Laughing you composed yourself, “Film boy too good for Rosa’s?”

Shaking his head, he leaned closer to you in the booth you were chatting at, “Never too good.”

“That’s what I thought.” You shot him a wink feeling more and more comfortable the longer you spent around him. You too leaned into the table feeling exactly what he was, that pull, “So, what’s your story Miles?” Leaving the question open for ambiguity you hoped he would divulge even just a little to you.

He thought about telling you exactly what he did. Knowing full well he was playing with fire by not telling you. Luckily, the cover of night and your strategic choice of dive bar was keeping him well hidden from any recognition. He fully knew he’d have to tell you sooner rather than later because he certainly planned on seeing you again.

“What would you like to know?” Raising an eyebrow, he flipped the question back to you.

You eyed him as subtly as you could, so curious about this mysterious man, “Well, how’d you get into film?” Starting off with an easy one you took a long, slow sip of beer hoping he’d just give you something.

Clearly reminiscing he smiled thinking just how he got into it, “Honestly?”

You nodded waiting for him to go on.

“The drama teacher at my high school was fine as fuck.”

For the second time in a span of ten minutes you almost choked, not expecting that answer, “You know, that’s the best answer I could’ve gotten.” You didn’t stifle the laugh that came out. He was just getting better and better every time he said something.

He joined in on your laughter feeling elated. There was something about the way you presented yourself that eased him, he felt like he could be his full honest self with you. He didn’t feel like he needed to be prepped when it came to conversing with you.

He had a big problem though, the coworker turned fake girlfriend would be rather hard to explain to you. He was fully aware of just how unfair that would be to both you and her. He didn’t hate her at all, quite the opposite actually. They had grown close as friends, deciding they would rather suffer through it together. Each time they had to go out as a couple though it got harder to fake the lovesick eyes.

Knowing you were rather frazzled he thought it best not to bring it up tonight. Maybe on the next date. Definitely on the next date.

He smiled at you, quickly getting addicted to your laugh, “She was a fox,” He shrugged continuing, deciding to give you the vague details, “And she was good at her job. I got accepted into NYU and graduated with a BFA. I got lucky though and broke into the industry right after school.”

Nodding your head, you took everything he said in. He seemed like he was still not telling you everything which was fine, you couldn’t expect everyone to be as open as you were, “I think that’s amazing. I don’t know many artsy people. Everything is so technical when it comes to animals surprisingly. And all my friends here are either zookeepers or engineers. The conversations can get really thrilling.” Sarcasm was dripping off your voice as you spoke.

“And smart people intimidate me, touché.” He held his glass up waiting for you to cheers with him. You obliged laughing softly at the man who was absolutely riddled with one liners. He was so subtly funny you knew you would be laughing constantly if this were to go further.

“I didn’t say I was smart!” Feeling all too joyful your cheeks were starting to hurt from the smile you’d been holding for a while, “I just have a bunch of smart friends.”

“I don’t think you can do what you do without being a little smart.”

Shrugging you responded, “I just like big cats. Would I know anything you’ve worked on?” You changed the subject back to him. It’s not like you didn’t like receiving compliments it’s that you didn’t know how to receive them. You clammed up getting all awkward. The best way to avoid it was to change the subject.

He bit his cheek suppressing the smirk that so desperately wanted to come out. No, of course not or you’d recognize him instantly. He knew his time was running up, it was a good few hours of normalcy. You were just too curious to let it go, “Don’t think so. I’ve worked on more obscure films.” Lie, a little white lie.

“I’ll be honest with you Miles, I’m not the biggest movie or tv person. I don’t think I’ve been to a movie since I lived at home with my parents like 10 years ago.” You admitted. Of course, you watched a few movies every now and then, but you never got into it like others did. Only going to see the blockbusters you certainly weren’t going to see obscure movies. You liked the big blockbusters, but you could never get into them like the Harry Potter or Marvel fans could.

He nodded understanding you a little more now, “Nothing wrong with that, lots of great films out there though.”

“I’m more of a book person but I believe you. What’s the biggest movie you’ve worked on?” Again, changing the subject back to him.

“Are you going to go watch it?” He leaned even further into the table, your hands nearly touching.

“Of course, I am.” You answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

He pondered for a moment. Knowing that if he continued his lie you wouldn’t want anything to do with him. His time was up. Which one did he want you to watch though? Divergent was a little cringy, meant for teenagers. Whiplash was intense but one of his favorites. The Spectacular Now was easy but again, meant to teenagers. He was surprised you hadn’t seen any of them.

“Have you heard of Whiplash?” He finally answered you.

Shaking your head back and forth, “Nope. What’s it about?”

“A drummer.”

“That’s all?”

“I don’t want to give away too much.” He looked sure of himself.

“Okay,” You paused taking another long drink of beer, “I’ll watch it tomorrow. And what was your part in it?”

There it was. He could no longer dance around the subject. He had to tell you. Whatever this was, was likely over. He enjoyed every second of it though, the pure normalcy of it all though, “That’s a great question Y/N.” He delayed the inevitable for a few seconds.

“Chock full of them.” You grinned hoping he’d answer you.

Sighing he set his beer down taking a good long look at you, “Full disclosure. I’m one of the leads.”

You weren’t sure what your face looked like. If there was one thing that you would change about yourself it’s how expressive your facial expressions are. You were your emotions right on your face. The bug eyed look you were giving him surely wasn’t the cutest, “Like as in lead actor?”

The slightest nod and the smallest smile confirmed your question, “Yes.”

“But you said film. I thought you meant like an operator or something.” You couldn’t look him in the eyes. How embarrassing. You were less concerned that you spent the night with one but more so that you had no idea who he was.

He noticed your reaction. How you leaned back into your seat, pulling away from him. How you tensed up so slightly. How you wouldn’t look at him, staring at the bartender instead.

“I left a few details out.”

“A few?” You finally looked back to him not really believing you had managed to find yourself in this situation. It suddenly clicked as to why he was acting to weird and vague. He must’ve been a lot more famous than you initially thought. Fuck, why you? Why couldn’t he have just been an insanely hot man that found you interesting?

“Small details.” Cracking a small smile, he thought you were handling this remarkably well. Way better than he would’ve if he was in your shoes.

Realizing how insane the whole situation was you spat out the first thing that came to mind, “What are you filming here then?” It was still hard to meet his gaze. As comfortable as you felt with him earlier, it’d all vanished. Feeling insecure and slightly embarrassed you played with the water rings your glass was leaving instead of looking to him.

“It’s an action movie.”

“A secret?”

“Afraid so.” He didn’t take his eyes off you. Desperately wanting you to look back at him, even just for a second.

“Cool,” You took a deep breathe finally working the courage up to look at him, “I’m sorry… I.” You paused again tripping over yours words.

Cocking his head to the side he studied you. He wasn’t expecting you to apologize, “What for?”

“I’m sorry I didn’t recognize you…” You were in your own head. Completely frazzled. Why would he take his time and spend it with you, a random girl in a grocery store?

He rapidly shook his head, “No, no don’t apologize. Please don’t apologize.” He reached for your hand confusing you some more, but you let him. Your brain wasn’t processing anything at normal speed, “Y/N. This has been one of the best nights I’ve had in… forever. Since I’ve started doing this.” He admitted to you not wanting you feeling guilty in the slightest.

His hands were soft you noticed as he played with your own. You didn’t think your heart could keep up with what was going on. A combination of nerves and realization was sending you into a frenzy. Weren’t you just complaining about having a boring life? This certainly spiced things up.

“Okay,” You gulped looking back to him once more, “I take back what I said earlier. Your job is definitely the coolest then.”

The breath he was holding in finally released in the fit of laughter you had sent him in. He felt the relief wash over him. Maybe you wouldn’t run away just yet.

He squeezed your hand in his sending a slight shiver down your arm, “It has its perks. And its drawbacks. But I don’t want to talk about that.”

“No?” It finally clicked as to why he didn’t want to talk about it. You realized he probably liked not being recognized, not being treated like a god walking on water. You bullshited around with him like he was a random man in a grocery store. He wanted to spend time with you because you treated him like a normal person.

“Nah, let’s talk about something else.” He left it up to you. Maybe he shouldn’t have though, you were back in your head. What the hell were you supposed to talk to a famous actor about?

“What’s your favorite animal? You know mine, I never asked yours.” You too timidly spoke to him. Nervous you were going to do something wrong.

His smile told you otherwise though, “A monkey.”

“Interesting. Favorite sport?” You continued feeling like he had finally given up the mysterious act. Everything was in the open now.

“Football, is this twenty questions?”

“You left it up to me! So yes Miles, it is twenty questions.” Scrunching your nose, you were starting to relax again, feeling oddly normal around him even after he dropped that mini bomb on you.

He chucked, “Fair play. What’s yours?”

“To play, volleyball. To watch, football.”

He eyed you again curiously, “You like football?”

“Mhmm, can’t grow up in the Midwest and not love it.” You smiled thinking of the good old days. Your dad would cook up a feast on college football Saturdays and on NFL Sunday’s you’d all eat the leftovers. You cared far too much about games you couldn’t impact but you loved it. You loved the shit talking it inevitably led to between your family. You couldn’t get enough of it.

“Favorite team?”

“Unfortunately, the Bengals.”

He gave you a look of pity, “That is unfortunate.”

“Rude.”

The two of you continued your bickering conversation throughout the rest of the night, never seeming to miss a beat. You forgot who he was in the midst of it all, falling back into the most casual of conversations between the pair.

Feeling terribly disappointed when the bartender called for last round he could sense your hesitation. You weren’t sure what the next steps were. Did he want to see you again? Did you want to see him again?

He walked you to your apartment in a comfortable silence, bonus of only being five minutes away from the bar. You unlocked your door turning to him, “I had a good night Miles, really.”

He took your hand for the second time that night, giving it another squeeze, “I did too, really.” He repeated you sending your heart rate up a bit, “Busy tomorrow?”

You were excitedly surprised he wanted to do this again so soon, “I do have a movie to watch.”

“I’ll pick you up at eight?”

“Eight it is.”

LOOK AT THIS, JUST LOOK AT IT!!!

i still believe that i can hear the ocean when i put a seashell to my ear. i still believe that the moon is following me when i'm in the car. i still believe there are fairies living in the garden. i still believe in those fabled creatures from my old storybooks. i still believe in true love. i will carry the magic of my childhood with me forever and it will keep me gentle.

The Phantom Whisperer

Chapter two: Maddie Makes Eye Contact

Summary: A bit of Maddie's past is revealed and how her love of music came to be. Julie performs with the boys while Maddie makes a discovery

*Author's Note: Chapter two!! I hope this chapter isn't too much exposition, I promise more character interaction is coming up.

                A year ago, Maddie had a different air around her. She felt as though life could get better. Most days dragged on and were filled with long school days and homework. Those were balanced out with the ones she could find solitude. Maddie had gotten a babysitting job on the occasion her neighbors needed a date night, and their aunt wasn’t available.  The Molina’s were her saving grace. When the had first moved in with a new baby and toddler, Maddie could listen to the sound of piano through her window.

                One day after a trip to her latest psychologist, Maddie finally decided to go over and find the source to the music. She found a kind lady sitting in their garage lost in her melody. Rose Molina had a certain light about her that drew Maddie in. That day led to countless hours of Maddie sitting in the garage listening to anything Rose would play. She never knew music could have such a hold on her and her emotions. Rose could see how the young girl needed music in her life just as much as she did. From then on, she would teach Maddie whenever the girl stopped by. Even though Maddie loved her parents, Rose just understood her on a deeper level. Maddie’s parents stopped sending her to a doctor and instead bought her a piano.

                When Rose’s daughter Julie got old enough to want to learn, they became a trio. Maddie could see how Julie was naturally gifted and would sit and watch as the mother and daughter wrote and played together. Julie felt as though she had a sister, one who she could share music with. Rose was thankful that she could pull these two girls together and loved their connection through musical notes and lyrics. Something so rare to see. But sadly, all good things come to an end.

                Rose had passed, and this was felt through everyone around her. Julie couldn’t bare singing or playing anymore without her mother. Maddie had felt as though she had lost a mother and friend with Rose. It seemed easy for the two girls to drift apart. Both had gained an emptiness with the passing and couldn’t find the joy they once did. Maddie fell back into the cycle of long school days and homework. Her piano sat covered in dust and guitar stranded in the garage that she would never get the courage to go over and retrieve. Both felt lifeless now as had she. The stickers gifted by Rose still decorated the case, leaving a reminder to anyone who looked at it how loved the instrument used to be.

                Unknown to Maddie, Julie had unleashed something that sparked her love for music again. Three boys who had died 25 years prior had taken up space in the garage and Julie’s life. The boys had asked Julie who the guitar belonged to since they didn’t recognize it as theirs. Julie gave it a long look before mentioning that it was an old friend's from long ago. The boys didn’t press further, even though they wanted to. They could feel the emotional pull Julie had with it.

______________________________________________________________

                Maddie had a feeling today was going to be different. After her run in with the man in the street yesterday she didn’t stop by to see Willie this morning. Something felt off about the situation. Maybe he was a ghost and didn’t feel the need to deal with “lifers” as Willie called them. As she crowded in to the school assembly, she just hoped it would be over soon. Carrie was performing, and even though the girl was talented, she focused way too much into the theatrics in Maddie’s opinion. There wasn’t any depth to her music and Maddie believed that was the key to any good performer. Music just didn’t feel the same since she last saw Rose or spoke to Julie. Her bonds with music were broken and she didn’t feel the need to mend it. Sher forfeited her place in the music program to focus on school and trying to keep her parents at bay. They could see the emotional turmoil that was going on and tried to convince her that pushing away music isn’t what was good for her. That Rose wouldn’t want her to stop, but what did they know? Maddie said she knew what she was doing, or so she thought.

                Just as she believed, Carrie’s performance was over the top. “What else did I expect?” She muttered to herself. Out of the corner of her eye, Maddie spotted Julie near the door. She felt her breathing stop for a second. Besides in quick passing, Maddie couldn’t bring herself to face Julie. The girl was like a sister to her, and it didn’t sit right that Julie had lost her mother while Maddie simply lost her friend. Julie had it worse and Maddie felt ashamed of herself for taking it so deep.           

                Maddie looked over to Julie once more and saw she wasn’t alone. She was with a group of boys. They seemed to be deep in conversation as the crowd had been sent back to class. She took another quick glance towards the group while still on the stands. Her eyes connected with the blonde boy. His eyes widened as he smacked the chest of the shorter brown-haired guy in the beanie. She quickly looked away and got up wanted to leave before Julie saw her.

                “Dude! That girl was 100% making eye contact with me!” Alex exclaimed pulling the groups attention. They all turned around to find Maddie hastily making her way off the bleachers. Julie furrowed her eyebrows at her.       

                “What? There’s no way that she saw you.” Julie couldn’t look away. She hasn’t been able to talk to Maddie as much as she wanted to. Julie had lost a sister as much as a mother. Maddie pulling away from her broke her. She knew that Maddie felt the loss too and understood why she didn’t want to play anymore.               

                “No, I’m telling you, she was definitely looking at us.” Alex knew it wasn’t like when people normally look towards them and accidentally meets their eyes.

                “Okay whatever! That doesn't matter right now. Julie, you need to go up their and show it to the man! That piano up here is calling your name.” Luke tried to redirect the attention towards the main goal. Julie needed to be back in the program and find her love for music again. He wanted her to know how talented she was. Maybe then their music could be heard. Julie let out a nervous breath of air and headed up towards the stage. The boys cheering her on. As the crowd realized she was singing they all gathered at the stage.               

                Maddie felt her heart pound in her chest as she watched the girl begin. She stood in the back and her eyes began to water. Little Julie was amazing. She knew that though, but to see her finally sing again struck a chord in her heart. She could feel Rose through every note. Maddie felt as though it was the first time that she sat in the garage with them again. But what shook her even more was when suddenly it wasn’t just Julie on stage. The boys from before appeared and began to play. The crowd went wild as they all sang and played the song with passion. Maddie had never seen a band more in sync with each other. It looked like they had known each other for years and were in tune with not just the music, but each other. Her heart swelled with pride. Julie had found her way back.

                As the band finished up taking their bow, they disappeared as if it had just been Julie by herself the whole time. Maddie’s eyes widened and she spotted the boys on the side of the crowd. No one knew what to say as Julie laughed nervously.

                “Was that a hologram?” one of Carrie’s crew voiced out making everyone get hyped up once again. Maddie shook her head. She had no idea what just happened, but she knew that it wasn’t a hologram. She could still see the boys from the side when it all hit her. They were ghosts.   

“Oh Lord”

-Chapter three should be out soon! Hope you enjoyed:)-

I NEED SOME INTERNET FRIENDS

I'm bored and need friends sooooooooo

Me, anytime I hear A Noise™️ at night:

What if the Slytherins knew all about Draco’s crush on Harry. All the Slytherins collectively coming up with passwords to torture Malfoy.

Portrait: “What’s the password?”

Draco: *sigh* “Harry Potter has the prettiest eyes.”

Portrait: “Password?”

Draco: *huff* “Draco Malfoy loves Harry Potter with all his heart.”

Draco: “Okay Slytherins *eye roll* what’s the new password?”

Slytherins: “I wish Harry would blow me.”

Draco: “I DRAW THE LINE HERE!”

I miss her so much

Reggie Peters x Reader

Julie and the Phantoms

=

I sighed as I put my luggage down on my families driveway.

My body drifted towards the white shed, where my aunt used to sing and song write all the time.

I was startled as I heard the piano start to play.

I snuck over, leaving my luggage hidden so no one could steal it and peeked my head through the door.

Oh, it was just my favorite cousin Julie.

Wait.

It's my favorite cousin Julie.

I pulled the door open, making it rattle.

Julie stopped playing and looked up at me.

Her young face slacked into a shocked expression.

I grinned and ran towards her.

"Jules!! It's so good to see you."

She broke from our hug just to look up at me.

"I missed you so much."

She mumbled with teary eyes.

I pouted and wiped her tears away.

"Don't cry or I'll cry."

I said, my voice slightly shaking.

"Okay, okay, deep breath Yn."

I breathed in and out through my nose.

"You too, girly."

She did the same.

"I didn't know you were playing and singing again!"

I said, excited and beaming at her.

She grew shy and turned towards the corner of the room.

And... there are three guys in our shed. How did I not notice them.

They smiled at her and seemed to kind of ignore me, Julie not even mentioning them when she turned back to me.

"Um, Jules... why are there three men in our shed?"

I said, a little frightned.

They all whipped their heads at me, staring in shock.

"...what. Why are you staring at me like that? Jules, who are these guys?"

I said, stepping closer to my cousin and putting an arm around her shoulders.

Julie snapped out of her shock and turned to me.

"Um, well this is Luke, Reggie, and Alex."

Julie said, pointing to them as she went.

Reggie was the only one that caught my eye, he winked when he realized I was lingering on him.

My face went red and I looked away.

"Also known as Sunset Curve."

Luke said, a grin on his face.

"Tell your friends!"

Reggie added, smirking at me.

I licked my lips and turned towards Julie.

"How long were they standing there?"

I whispered, still freaked out.

"Not long at all, Yn."

Reggie answered, suddenly appearing from behind us.

"What the hell..."

I said under my breath, putting a hand over my racing heart.

"So, how come I haven't heard of these guys?"

"Because... their dead."

Julie said, playing with her braclets.

I gave her a 'WTF' smile.

"I meant from you... but that's not a funny joke."

Reggie stepped forwards and held out his hand.

"What..."

"Hold my hand."

My face turned a light pink as I looked up at his dark brown eyes.

I caustically put my hand down on Reggie's.

I gave him a 'really?' look when nothing happend.

He looked at Julie, Luke, and Alex.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"Play it off."

Luke loudly whispered.

Reggie turned and was now holding my hand properly.

"Sorry Yn. That was just an excuse to hold your hand."

I couldn't help but smile at his ridiculousness.