Me and you
Setting in a honeymoon
If I woke up next to you
If I woke up next to you...

It all started with a call from Pete.

“Let’s meet for coffee.” He stated randomly one late February afternoon, mere seconds after I answered with a cheerful hello. After all, it’d been a good six months since I’d last had contact with the bassist, and to hear from him out of the blue was surprising, but welcomed.

“Okay, sure!” I agreed almost instantly. “Just you and me, or--”

“You and me.” He reiterated. “I love Jack like a brother, but I was hoping to hang with you for a bit.”

I nodded lightly. “Yeah, sure. I’m sure Jack won’t mind me escaping for the afternoon.” I paused, my mind realizing I needed to talk to Pete anyway about the wedding, as he had agreed to be a part of the wedding party and as of a few days ago, we’d finally agreed on a date, August 15th. As for where the wedding would take place, well that was still up in the air, unfortunately, as both of our mothers were pulling for opposite ends of the coast, and honestly, I was this close to just giving up and having the ceremony in Ohio or something, just so they’d shut up about it. And at least in Ohio we had an in when it came to the best parts of the state, what with Tyler and Josh being from there. They always talked fondly of their home when we had toured with them, so as the battle for the ceremony went on, the simple midwestern state really didn’t seem that bad. “I’d been meaning to talk to you about the wedding, actually.”

“Tell Jack that I’m flattered, but I don’t think I’m the right fit for Best Man.”

I rolled my eyes. “Sorry, but no. Not what I was going to talk about. You’re awesome, but we all know who’s going to be Best Man.”

Pete just chuckled. “Yeah, it was never a competition with Alex in the picture, was it?”

“No, not even close.” I joked, the both of us knowing that Alex had been Jack’s best friend since high school, and no one out of his plethora of friends since then had come even close. The two were like two peas, Timon and Pumba, Harry and Ron--they had been inseparable for ten plus years. It only made sense that he would be the guy making sure Jack made it down the aisle (again). “But if it helps, you’re in the top ten for back-up best men.”

“I didn’t even crack the top five!” He gasped dramatically. “Blasphemy!”

“Anyway...” I shook my head, laughing lightly. “You wanted to meet for coffee?”

We arranged to meet up an hour later at an obscure coffee place the two of us liked on the edge of town. It was one of the few not transformed into a Starbucks, and though I had grown to hold a special place in my heart for the coffee giant, what with getting acquainted with Jack at one way back in the day, I still preferred the smaller, home grown establishments whenever possible.

As I entered the quaint shop an hour later, I found Pete was already waiting for me, coffee already half gone. He’d obviously tried to go undercover, though his success was questionable as I spotted him almost instantly despite his black beanie and sunglasses covering his most recognizable features. Taking the open seat next to him, I plopped my purse on the small counter before greeting him with a warm smile. “Hey, stranger.”

“Chris!” He jumped up, giving me a quick one armed hug. “Thanks for coming.”

I shrugged. “Thanks for inviting me.” I paused for a second, noting how virtually empty the place was, a rarity for LA. “Nice place.”

He nodded, glancing around the cafe almost completely void of patrons before cautiously removing his sunglasses, relaxing as no visible camera flashes ruined our time out. “It was a find, for sure. I like to come here to get away...think, yanno?”

I bobbed my head, understanding how much he must’ve needed a place like this after his rough divorce from Ashlee. A little peace and quiet can do a world of good for the soul, and from the looks of things, Pete found that in this little cafe.

His dark brown eyes peered at me for a moment, and I could sense something was itching to come out. I wasn’t sure what it was, but whatever was at the forefront of Pete’s mind, he was excited about it. His fidgeting in his chair told me that much. “Um...” I pursed my lips, giving an unsure smile in Pete’s cheery direction. “So what’s u--”

“I have a project for you.” He cut me off, his voice bursting with that very excitement he’d been holding back. I swear he almost giggled, he was that exhilarated.

“A...project?” I questioned, taken aback as that was far from what I was expecting to come out of his mouth. Honestly, how happy he’d been acting, I thought for a moment that perhaps he and Ashlee had reconciled or something of that nature. I certainly never thought that he’d come up with a project for me. “That’s why you called me?”

His head nodded quickly. “Yup. And before you agree I can’t give you any details other than it’s a studio project that’s super secret and you can’t tell anyone for like, five months.”

I blinked, not liking the idea of keeping a secret from everyone. “Can I tell Jack?”

Pete gave a small laugh. “Okay, fine. You can tell Jack, but just him, okay? And it’s only cause I trust the bastard.”

“So what’s this super secret recording session?” I nudged him with my elbow, ignoring the bassist’s name calling of my husband. It was in jest, after all.

His smile only grew. “I knew you’d say yes. The guys didn’t believe me, but I told them that we could trust you to keep this to yourself, not to mention of course that you’re an awesome vocalist and piano player and all around cool person to hang out with and besides, we could really use outside opinions with the songs--”

“The guys?” I asked, stopping him mid ramble.

I noticed his cheeks grow a tint of red in embarrassment. “Um. Yeah. About that...” He tucked his bottom lip under his front teeth for just a moment before admitting, “So this project is actually kinda-sorta Fall Out Boy’s new albu--”

My hand flew to my mouth to suppress a scream of pure fangirl excitement. “What?!” I asked, my shocked voice muffled through my palm.

He gave a genuine laugh, obviously finding my reaction amusing. “It’s true. Me, Pat, Joe and Andy are working on a new record. We’re still kinda in the demo process, but we’re gonna be recording back in the studio in a week or two.”

I stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “That’s great, Pete!” I told him, excited both for my friend and all the fans like me whose hearts had been broken a few years ago when Fall Out Boy had announced their hiatus. For most bands, a hiatus is just another fancy word for a break up.

Not for Fall Out Boy, apparently.

“Isn’t it?” Pete agreed, that antsy nature I’d spotted when I first approached him returning as he was undoubtably beginning to picture the reactions of when the band finally announced their return, only making his smile grow. It was going to be epic.

“And not that I’m not excited that you want me to be involved,” I told him, my heart pounding at the idea of working with the likes of Patrick Stump, Joe Trohman, and Andy Hurley. “But what is it you want me to do, exactly? I mean, Patrick is already a great pianist and like hell I even come close to his vocal ability--”

“First of all, Pat’s great, but you’re selling yourself short, kid.” Pete stopped me. “And second of all, I was hoping you’d come in and do a duet for one of the songs, maybe even some backing vocals if Butch digs your style--”

“Butch?” I raised my brows, the unusual name catching my attention immediately. “Don’t tell me--”

“Butch Walker is our producer.” Pete beat me to the punch, laughing as my grey eyes practically fell out their sockets. He mock cheered. “Surprise!”

“Holy shit, Pete...” I breathed, hopping out of my seat so I could pace in front of him. “You really wanna give me a heart attack, don’t you?” I muttered as I took in all this information he’d thrown upon me. I let my lets take short strides in front of my friend a good three or four times before I froze, turning back to him. “So, let me get this straight. You want me to record a song with my favorite band, a world famous producer who has worked with the biggest names on the radio, and sing with Patrick Fucking Stump without telling a soul other than Jack for five whole months?”

He nodded curtly. “Pretty much. You good?”

I let my shoulders slump as I fell back into the chair next to Pete. “I’ll be fine...I think.”

He scrunched up his nose, not quite convinced from my words. “...and you’re...excited?”

I nodded. Of course I was excited. “I am. I mean, I’ve told you how much your band means to me I don’t know how many times, which is kinda crazy now that we’re friends and all, but it’s never gonna change. It’s just...” I took a deep, nervous breath. “I really hope I don’t fuck up, you know?”

He rolled his eyes. “Come on, Chris. Now you’re talking crazy.”

I stared blankly at him. “I’m serious, Pete. I’ve only been a professional musician for a few years and--”

“And you’re a natural.” Pete finished with a laugh. “Now stop worrying, you’ll be great. I promise, the guys’ll love you.”

I swallowed, sure hoping Pete was right. “If you’re sure...” I sighed, the initial panic inside of me beginning to simmer down. “God, Jo is gonna hate me...” I shook my head, laughing as I could already picture her scowl, asking why I didn’t pull some strings to get her involved as well.

“You won’t regret this, Chris.” Pete assured me, ignoring my remark about my band mate as his mind was already going a mile a minute on what having me involved in this project would mean. Admittedly, I could understand how having me could benefit the guys, given that I was a fan as well as a musician. It’d been a good four years since Fall Out Boy had last been in the recording studio, and they were probably itching for input to assure they were going in the right direction. I smirked at my friend, his body language not unlike a kid on his way to Disneyland as he squeaked with excitement, “We’re gonna have a blast!”

Notes

Short update. I know it's been forever, and this is filler, which I apologize for. But this is the beginning of a mini story arc, and I didn't want it dragging on too long :)

Opening lyrics are from Me and You by FOB. Enjoy!