71 Chapter 71: A forced break.

(There's a fucking heatwave in my city. My brain is melting away. Someone throw me inside a fridge!)

[Edward POV]

"Ed. You're scaring us." Mitchell said after I wouldn't stop smirking and burst out into laughter at inappropriate times while recording the songs.

With a grin sculpted on my face, I turned to look at Mitchell before I bursted into laughter once more. "Muahahaha!" I laughed madly as I kept hearing the sound of coins falling into my pocket throughout the day after I knew the Flappy Bird game would be a financial success.

There's more than 1000 reviews of the game right now – mostly being orchestrated from my fan club, but the game has gotten a 4.8 star review on both of the platforms.

Pepper showed a soft smile and admonished Mitchell, "Why are you bothering him? It's obvious that he's feeling so happy he couldn't hide it right now."

"Ka-ching bitches!" I muttered before laughing madly once more.

Mitchell shakes his head before turning his attention to Lily instead.

[Mitchell's commentary.]

He looked around the room to make sure Cam wasn't around before saying, "So. I know what he and Haley did."

"I thought he liked her. But today, I was surprised when I finally realized who Edward's true love really is…"

"It's Money." Mitchell said while gesturing money with his fingers.

He then smiled and said, "Of course. I'm just kidding. But Haley still needs to be careful around him. With the way she spoke about him, I know for sure she would be ready to give it up to him at any time.."

Mitchell stopped in the middle of his sentence and muttered, "...I should teach her about birth control." He widened his eyes as he realized what he had done. "I…Shouldn't have said that."

[Commentary ends]

Today as I worked on my music, Cam chimed in here and there to try and give me tips about the songs I recorded for the first time here.

"Okay. But what if I do this?" I said while doing the same exact thing I did before he gave me the tip.

He smiled brightly and said, "That's better. You're lucky I'm here-"

"There's no consultation fee for a meddling middle aged man." Pepper interjected.

"MIDDLE-AGED MAN!?" Cam let out an offended gasp before he retorted, "If I'm middle aged, you're a grandpa!"

Pepper gasped too, but their conversation was annoying me, so I chimed in, "For me. All of you are middle aged men. You guys belonged to a generation two levels higher than mine."

Mitchell, Pepper and Cam all let out an offended gasp. Mitchell said, "I'm only one level higher. I'm wayyyyy younger than these guys."

"By 4 years. Calm down Mitchell." Cam retorted.

"Please Mitchell. There's no way you're a millennial unless you think about killing yourself everyday. And Gen Z like me wouldn't care about the facts anyway. So all Gen X please get out of here so that I can finish my job."

I chased them all out before finishing the recording for the song 'Before You Go.'

"For Something Just Like This, I need EDM….But is that a genre that I want to dip my foot into?"

Suddenly, the trio barged into the room again, strutting their walk as they wanted to make things clear with me.

"WE'RE NOT OLD!" Mitchell said as he was selected as the group's representative.

"I mean…older than me. You guys still have some good years ahead of you." I said casually.

"If we were at a bar, young people would come to us. So we're not that old." Cam interjected. I stared at him with a deadpan face before saying, "You just said 'young people.' Sooo…."

"So we're NORMAL…aged people." Mitchell intercepted.

"Sure.' Normal aged'. I think that's a thing… somewhere, probably… Maybe lol ." I replied with a sarcastic teasing, making them all angrier than before.

Before they could spiral any further, I said, "There's a simple test to see which generation of people you are-"

""DO IT!""

"Okay. But first, answer me this. When you go to a bar, and find a stranger sitting on your seat after you come back from the bathroom, what do you do?"

"Ummm…" Mitchell struggled to find the answer, but Cam was confident in his answer, "Simple. Talk to them-"

Pepper cupped Cam's mouth quickly before he said dramatically, "Can't you see? The question is the test. THIS is ALLLLL….a trap!"

I smirked at Pepper's quick-wittedness before allowing them to think about the answer.

"Come on. I don't have all day."

"Mitchell…You answer…" Pepper nudged his chin toward Mitchell while he kept his hand on Cam's mouth to prevent him from destroying their chance.

"Ummm….Ahhhhh….Mmmm… I will just ignore them and find a new seat?"

I widened my eyes and said, "That's surprisingly Millennial-like."

"YES!" Mitchell exclaimed in excitement while Cam was finally released by Pepper.

"Why is that the answer? Why can't we go talk to them and find out their story? They may be private detectives that come to town to find someone." Cam asked.

"What are you imagining Cam? The question just mentioned a stranger. There's no backstory here."

Cam was offended by Mitchell and said to me, "Okay. Mitchell's answer wasn't because he's young, but he has avoidance issues. He will also avoid talking to an acquaintance if we meet them on the streets."

"CAM!" Mitchell exclaimed in bewilderment. I laughed at them and asked them, "Next question. What drink do you order at the bar?"

""" Cherry Daiquiri""" All three of them answer at the same time.

"Wait, the question cannot be used for you guys. Forget you guys are gay." I said while they laughed at me.

"Okay last question. How much time do you spend on the internet a day?" I asked.

"Hmmm….For me, 1 hour for leisure surfing." Mitchell replied. I turned to Cam and he answered, "I'm basically on the phone all the time-"

"Not connecting with you friends. But opening websites such as meme sites, reading articles, playing games, and other similar stuff. Not for faking human connection."

Cam thought for a while before he answered, "None then. I get my gossip from the magazines and newspapers."

"Same here, but I also can get first hand gossip from my friends in the New York Times. Do you know Lady Gaga is going to be guest starring on Gossip Girl?"

"WHAT. NO WAY?!" Mitchell exclaimed and was absorbed in the gossip before he realized I was smirking at them.

"We failed the test huh."

"Yup."

I saw they were saddened by it, and a light bulb suddenly lit up inside my mind.

Pepper asked knowingly, the edge of his lips curled upward, "Why are you smirking?"

"Nothing." I replied as I covered my mouth.

"You got an inspiration…didn't you?" Cam asked with some anticipation in his eyes.

"...Uhh….No?"

"HE DID! HE WAS INSPIRED BY US. THE OLDER GUYS!" Pepper announced to the rest of the studio. The band laughed at us before all of them were looking at me with anticipation.

I sighed and said, "Okay. I will sing it only once. Also, this song will be for the next album, not this one. We already have more than 18 songs for this one."

"18? How…Wait… Let me count." Pepper said as he raised his hands up to count with his fingers.

"We had 6 songs at the beginning. Grenade, Toxic, It Will Rain, Amnesia, 7 years, The Lazy Song."

Cam added, "Then, after he came to our house, he sang 'Photograph.' So that makes it 7."

"Me and My Broken Heart. Believer. Two Is Better than One. Before You Go. Something Just Like This. These songs are from his concert." Mitchell helped.

"Yeah. So we have twelve. He sang one song each to the girls he's flirting with. Rhythm of Love, Count On Me, and Just The Way You Are. So we now have 15. What are the other 3? Did you flirt with another 3 girls?" Pepper asked.

"I'm not flirting with either though." I said without meaning it. They ignored my statement and asked again, "What are the other 3?"

"Well I sang one to Taylor before, but it's not because I'm flirting with her-"

"As if." Pepper snarked, making me lose my words.

"Anyway. I got another one called Whatever it Takes (Imagine dragon). I wrote that one when I was 10. I have no evidence for that claim though as I threw out all of my journals when my birth giver left my home."

"Birth giver?" Mitchell asked in confusion.

"Yeah." I replied casually, not wanting to continue that topic.

[Pepper's commentary]

"I decided to put him into therapy in the summer." Pepper said with concern etched into his facial expression.

[commentary ends]

"Let's hear the songs then!" Pepper said in excitement. I raised one finger at him, and he let out a sigh as he saw I will not budge today. "Okay. Just one song….Only one!" I said decisively.

"You hear that Lily, 'Bed' is going to sing a song." Cam said to the baby in an affectionate tone.

I smiled and said, "Give me half an hour to teach the band."

…

The audience watched me performing the song through the glass wall while being thoroughly absorbed in my song creation. Well, all of them except Lily of course. Cam put sound dampener headphones on Lily's ears as the music would get a bit loud for a performance. That way, she could enjoy the song without it damaging her ears.

I stood in the middle of the band while holding the microphone stand with both arms.

"This one's for the young guys!" I said teasingly before starting. The drummer dropped the beat and I gently swayed at the melody.

[FUN - We are young]

The addictive drum beats made Cam turned to Mitchell and said in excitement, "My entire body is excited. See…Goosebumps are rising from my skin, and the song hasn't started yet."

"Shhhh. Don't speak to you rascals." Pepper admonished Cam immediately.

"♫♪Give me a second I…I need to get my story straight…"

I pointed at my head lazily as my body swayed with the beat. After I got the dance talent, my movements became more natural whenever I needed to do a performance.

"♫♪My friends are in the bathroom getting higher than the Empire State…♫♪"

"I'm sorry…What?" Pepper asked in disbelief. "Pepper. It's about us. He's just imagining a situation….I hoped." Cam said to defend me and mumbled his last sentence only for himself to hear.

"Maybe he's imagining Leo." Pepper said with some disgust.

As if I was telling my story, I took off the microphone from the mic stand and walked around in the middle of the band.

"♫♪My lover she's waiting for me just across the bar♫♪"

"♫♪My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking 'bout a scar, and…♫♪"

Cam laughed and said, "I knew that guy had a story." Mitchell rolled his eyes contemptuously at Cam before focusing on the show.

"♫♪ I know I gave it to you months ago…I know you're trying to forget…But between the drinks and subtle things…The holes in my apologies, you know…I'm trying hard to take it back…♫♪"

The music slowed down and I walked to the glass wall to face the audience.

"♫♪So if by the time the bar closes….And you feel like falling down….I'll carry you home…♫♪"

I raised my index finger up in the air as I looked up before I sang.

"♫♪Tonight~~~!!♫♪"

"♫♪We are young~~!!♫♪"

"♫♪So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

"HOLY MOSES!" Cam widened his eyes as he heard the chorus. He turned to the CEO, grabbed him by the shoulders and said, "Pepper. This needed to be put inside the alb- No. This needs to be released as a song for the singles. This will go viral for sure!"

"Unhand me you country brute. You're wrinkling my suit!" Pepper said.

I didn't care about their reaction and continued.

"♫♪Tonight~~!! We are young~~!! So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

The band members were extremely excited by the song and somehow managed to do it perfectly on their first try. All of us were unaware at the time, but Leo had pressed the record button and was actually catching the whole song on tape as he thought I was preparing it for the album.

"♫♪Now I know that I'm not…All that you got…I guess that I, I just thought…Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart…But our friends are back…So let's raise a cup…'Cause I found someone to carry me home…♫♪"

Mitchell said, "I'm excited about the song. But should a 14 year old really sing about a scene at a bar? Did we point him in the wrong direction?"

Pepper and Cam were silent hearing Mitchell's opinion as they didn't know what to say.

"♫♪Tonight~~!! We are young~~!! So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

"♫♪Tonight~~!! We are young~~!! So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

The band sang the background choir, "Na Na Na Na Na Na Na NA"

"♫♪Carry me home tonight (na na na na na na)

Just carry me home tonight (na na na na na na)

Carry me home tonight (na na na na na na)

Just carry me home tonight (na na na na na na)

The moon is on my side (na na na na na na)

I have no reason to run (na na na na na na)

So will someone come and carry me home tonight (na na na na na na)♫♪"

"♫♪The angels never arrived (na na na na na na)

But I can hear the choir (na na na na na na)

So will someone come and carry me home (na na na na na na)♫♪"

"What should I tell Ted now?" Pepper closed his face with his left hand as he thought about the implications of the song.

"Yo-You could get someone to become a ghostwriter. That way his rep won't get ruined." Mitchell threw out an unnecessary solution since No one in showbiz would care about it anyway.

"Hmmm…I will discuss it with Harvey." Pepper said as he had no trust in Mitch.

"Hey I'm a lawyer too!"

"♫♪Tonight~~!! We are young~~!! So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

"♫♪Tonight~~!! We are young~~!! So let's set the world on fire…We can burn brighter than the sun…♫♪"

The melody slowed down, and I stood back behind the microphone stand.

"♫♪So if by the time the bar closes, And you feel like falling down…I'll carry you home… tonight♫♪"

The audience applauded at my performance and I walked calmly outside the room to hear what they thought about it.

Mitchell inhaled sharply and said with a grimace, "Weeeeelllll….The song is great…so great…but the lyrics…"

"Ahh…" I exclaimed in realization as I understood what he meant. "Don't worry. That's just MTV's influence. You don't expect me to actually be dead drunk at a bar and need someone to carry me back right?"

"Not before the song. No." Pepper said with some hidden concern behind his tone.

…

[3rd Person POV]

"Congrats. Now he's not singing the song." Pepper said sarcastically towards Mitchell.

While avoiding Pepper's eyes, Mitchell said, "You're the one who asked him if he had gone drinking before. So don't put all the blame on me."

"Ugh. This sucks. That song is addictive. I could hear it being played at bars all over the country. Thanks a lot Mitchell." Cam added.

"It's not my fault!" Mitchell said in frustration.

"If only we had recorded it." Pepper exclaimed. Leo was walking by at this time, and he stopped when he heard Pepper's words.

"What's wrong mini boss? Did I forget to press record again? I'm pretty sure I did before."

The trio widened their eyes as they looked at the hippie. Pepper gripped both of Leo's shoulders and said, "Are you sure? You recorded it?"

"Yeah.I think. I didn't smoke…you know…for a few hours now. So…pretty positive."

Pepper released him and said in excitement, "Oh you high earth smelling man. Now, I'm no longer thinking about firing you. Instead I am thinking about pushing you into a bath."

Leo sniffed his arm, but his nose had stopped working decades ago. He didn't notice anything wrong with his body odor, shrugged, and then left the room.

…

[Edward POV]

It was almost 11 pm when I arrived home after a hard day of work at the recording studio. Mitch and Cam left at around 7 in the evening as they had other appointments to get to.

Cam insisted on being there for the music video production, however he gave up after learning that the shooting was tomorrow.

"Sleep. Don't do anything else. I need you to be fresh for tomorrow. Are you sure you're bringing your own outfit?" Pepper asked after dropping me off in front of the house.

"Yeah. I want to do it in my own style." I said. "You called the actress right?"

"Are you sure you want to go with Penny? I do get the impression that she's a sweet girl, but I don't think she is the best choice for the female lead." Pepper expressed his concerns.

"No need to get worried. She'll only come out for a few seconds. For some people, it would be hard for them to even catch her face." I said with a smirk.

"Hmmm… Okay then. It's your music video. Now. Go to sleep." Pepper said before stepping on his gas pedal and driving away.

I sighed and turned toward the front door. I still needed to check up on the game for bugs or other reports. I took off my shirt as I entered the empty house. Dad would be back around 1 am, so I knew I had at least some time to myself.

While I was walking with heavy steps toward my room, I suddenly heard someone giggling from inside it.

"What the hell?" I opened the door, only to find Haley sitting on my bed while talking to someone on her phone.

"Oh. he's here! I need to go!" Haley said excitedly before ending the call with Tara. "Uhh…why are you shirtless?" She asked as she finally realized it.

"The real question is, why are you here?" I asked, masking my confusion.

"Ah. I want to congratulate you for launching the game. I have been here since 10. Had to sneak out of my house to be here." Haley said as she scooted off the bed and walked towards me.

"Anyway. Congrats." She said as she gave me a platonic hug.

"I haven't taken a bath all day." I said teasingly, expecting her to release her arms immediately, but she said, "It's okay. You don't smell."

She finally released me after half a minute and said, "I'll go home now. You should go to sleep."

"I actually want to do a bit more work-"

"After working all day?!" Haley asked in shock. "You'll get burnt out. You should rest too, you know. You're still young, so you don't have to do everything by yourself."

I chuckled a bit and said, "I'm doing some more work."

I walked past her to open up my laptop but she grabbed my wrist from behind.

"You have the music video shoot tomorrow. So go get some rest!" She demanded. I got a bit irritated and I turned toward her. "What are you going to do if I don't? Will you cuddle with me until I fall-"

"Yeah. I'll do that if you can get some rest." Haley said before I could finish my sentence. And even though I had run the same simulation inside my mind thousands of times, I still couldn't understand how we reached the next scene.

Haley was hugging my shirtless body on the bed. She was wrapping her arms tightly around me as she pressed my head on top of her chest while singing a lullaby.

"Uhhhhhhhh…."

"Rockababa…How does it go again?" Haley asked. I chuckled a bit and said, "Okay. I'll go to sleep. You can go back to your place now ."

"No. I know that if I go away, you will just start working again the second I leave . So I'll stay here until you fall asleep."

I wouldn't do that. Not anymore, not after I saw her effort in trying to take care of me.

"Okay. Then, I'll try to sleep now. So you should definitely stop singing."

"..."

After the initial embarrassment, my tiredness took over my mind, and I fell asleep in her arms despite the fact that I only wanted to pretend to sleep in order to make her go away.

[Haley POV]

After cuddling with him for a while, I finally realized that he had fallen asleep.

"Even while asleep he is so pretty. Damn it." I let out a grunt as I played with his face. He didn't respond, so I was sure he wasn't faking his sleep. Although I could've released him and returned to my house right then and there, I decided to stay a little bit longer.

But then, he unconsciously moved in his sleep, reached out and wrapped his arms around me before pulling me close to his body.

"Oh damn it." I muttered using a whisper so as to not wake him up. "I'm not a body pillow!"

'Well. he'll release me soon…right?' I thought as I buried my face in his bare chest.

Minutes passed by, and I didn't realize that my eyelids were getting heavier. And so, I fell asleep without even realizing it, while still inside the comfort of his arms.

…

[Ted POV]

For the longest time, It had only been Ed and me in the house. I knew that the loss of his mother had taken a toll on his mental wellbeing , but Ed still pretended that he wasn't affected by it and kept masking his true feelings by putting on a steel face.

Pepper and I had a long talk after he called me on the phone last night as soon as I got home, and I finally realized that I couldn't put off Edward's psychological therapy any longer. He needed an outlet to express his feelings in a safe space.

After waking up from my short sleep, I walked to Edward's room to wake him up for today's shoot. God, I was willing to bet that my son was the busiest kid in California at the moment.

I turned the doorknob slowly and opened his door as usual. "Ed. Are you-" I paused as I saw he wasn't alone in the bed.

The light coming from the hallways made him open up his eyes, and his calm demeanor broke for the first time in a long…long time as he saw the Dunphy's kid sleeping next to him. Haley opened her eyes abruptly as she heard my voice, and the two kids locked eyes with each other on the bed, only to realize that they were still hugging each other while they were sleeping.

"" AHHHHH!!!!"" Both of the kids screamed at the same time andI felt a huge wave of relief wash over my entire body as I saw Edward's childish reactions.

"W-W-Why are you still here- DAD! This isn't what it looked like!"

He tried to convince me, but I just couldn't wipe off my smirk at the moment.

"I'll give you guys some privacy. In the meantime…work on your story. Make sure it's the same one for when you try to explain this to other people." I said teasingly as I closed the door again. I heard the two kids scream again inside the room, and I chuckled as I walked to the kitchen.

"Teenagers." I exclaimed. "Also…Haley huh…" I muttered as I remembered how comfortable Ed was around her. "Maybe…I can postpone his therapy…just a little bit longer."

I was excited to see what change Haley could bring in Edward as they were with each other, not realizing that they had an agreement to keep things platonic, and were already regretting their night together inside the room.