Peterick Ch.1 Best Friends

I held my hand around the neck of my bass a little tighter than usual due to the stress that I was put under. Not only did Ashlee think that I was cheating on her with Lindsay Lohan, but Patrick was undressing on the other side of the room to change out of his sweaty stage clothes. He was just in his boxers now, and forced myself to look away, sitting on the old couch in our dressing room. He began to towel off the sweat, and normally I would joke about it, but tonight I was sweating a bit myself. "What's up, Pete? You look nervous." He asked, reaching for his clean pants that were hung over the back of a chair. "Nothing. Just Ashlee drama." I sighed and pulled my knees up to my chest, feet resting on the edge of the seat. "Don't worry. I mean, what would give her the idea you were cheating on her with Lindsay? I mean, ew. It would be okay if she actually thought more of you but..." "I know, right? I think she's coming here tonight, though, as a surprise ambush. She heard Lindsay would be here." I laughed a little bit, and Patrick joined me, his laugh like the ringing of silver bells. He put on his pants, and I stood up off the couch. He then reached for his shirt that was dangling off the same chair his pants had been. Without thinking I lifted my hand and placed it on the side of his face, feeling the leftover warmth from the stage lights. He looked up at me, and I kept my hand there, looking back at him. "What you doin' Petah?" He asked jokingly. "Mah hands were cold nd yo face is da hottest thing evah!" I said, mimicking his voice. I suddenly pictured Patrick as one of those old gangsters with the fedoras and suits, toothpick clenched between his teeth. He laughed again and pulled the shirt over his head, knocking my hand away. I suddenly realized that the thought of his face being the hottest thing ever could have been taken two ways, and I couldn't help but hope he took it temperature-wise. "So when's Ashlee supposed to be here?" He asked casually, fixing his hair. "Bout an hour or so." I rolled my eyes and sat down on the couch again, searching for my cell phone in my pocket. It was vibrating, sending a strange sensation though my leg. "Ello?" I said and put my phone on speaker, holding it lightly half a foot away from my face. "Dude, where are you?" The voice was of Andy's, a voice I had heard many times before. "Patrick's dressing room." I replied. "Well you guys just, like, disappeared! And Joe wanted to know what's for dinner." "I don't know, what are you guys in the mood for?" Honestly I hadn't given it a thought, although now my stomach was growling loudly. Patrick, Andy, and Joe all joined in a chorus of "Chinese!" And I couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, so want me to order from the 24 hour chinese place downtown?" "Most certainly." Andy said happily. Patrick sat down next to me and placed his head on my shoulder, the couch so small our sides were touching. "Well I'm gonna go do that. Who's house are we meeting at?" "Mine's being fumigated." I could hear the grimace behind Andy's voice. "And mine's a wreck." I heard Joe call out. Andy must have had me on speaker, too. "We could meet at my house." Patrick suggested. "Sounds good. Cya there." Andy hung up on me, and I turned off my phone before turning back to Patrick. "Isn't Ashlee gonna come over here though?" He asked. "Yeah, but I won't be here." I wasn't going to sit around all night just to prove to her that I wasn't cheating with Lindsay Lohan. Besides, I wasn't supposed to know about this anyway, right? Patrick and I caught each other's eyes for a moment, and a little smile formed across his lips. "Do you know that place's number?" I asked. It was already in my phone, but he didn't need to know that. "Um, yeah, hold on." He leaned against me even more for a minute to pull out his phone, buried deep in his pocket. After pressing a few buttons he handed the phone to me, already dialed.