Sunshine of your Love
Hallo! So this is my STL valentine for the lovely @anotheronebitestheskye. It’s my first ever go at writing, so please be gentle with me! But I’ve also actually really loved it! This is defo the start of a beautiful habit.
(I may actually be tempted to continue this story. It defo has legs!)
Fem!Reader x Ben Hardy
Mention of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes, but otherwise pretty vanilla.
It was the ocean y/n would miss most about this summer. The ocean and the music. Something about the way she could feel the cool spray against her face made everything feel that little bit more like an adventure.
Although to be fair, tonight was an adventure! Bernie had come to the ranch at the beginning of the summer to see the horses, and y/n had hoped he’d be back. Not that spending a summer in California wasn't her absolute dream, but after her first few weeks it was so lovely to hear a British accent again.
Not that she could even remember the quiet homesick girl from a few months ago. Maybe it was the ocean. Maybe the fact that months working outdoors made her legs look amazing in her tiny suede skirt (the one she was always too scared to wear back home, but had packed just in case…). Or maybe it was the music.
There has never been much of a music scene back in her quiet seaside hometown, but California in 1970 seemed to breathe music. Y/n had been reluctant when the other girls on the ranch had tried to drag her out to the Troubadour, but they said there had been this act last week called Elton John who was absolutely incredible, and they’d heard he might be back for more shows.
And he was British!
Well, she had been feeling low, so maybe something familiar would lift her mood.
It turned out Elton wouldn’t be back to the end of the summer, but the band that had played that night had blown her mind! The melodies, the lyrics, she’d never heard anything that felt so much like it was made actually for her. Definitely not the easy listening that seemed to constantly be on her parents radio back home.
Soon all her earnings from the ranch were going straight to Tower Records. She started to worry how she was going to get her ever growing record collection home! But she’d figure that out later.
She had one week left of this magical summer, and Bernie had been back at the ranch to invite her and the rest of the girls to the Troubadour where his ‘band’ were back to play. There was something different about him. His hair was that little bit longer, and he had definitely grown in confidence.
Maybe with some music and liqueur in him, he might actually have the confidence to make a move, y/n hoped.
*******
“Y/N! You came!!” Bernie shouted across the rammed bar.
“Bernie! Why the FUCK did you not mention you ‘band’ was Elton John, you sly little git”
Y/n made her way over to Bernie giggling and gave him a hug. As she broke away, she became painfully aware that in her enthusiasm for the set Elton had just played, she’d totally sweat through her gypsy top, and Bernie must have noticed. She cringed slightly.
She needn’t have worried though.
“Y/n, this is Heather. Heather, y/n. She works out on that ranch I was telling you about. It’s so beautiful out there, there are horses, and its all so wild, and...”
Y/n could see this wasn’t going to be the night. The look on Bernie’s face talking to this absolute goddess was enough for her to realise the battle was lost before she’d even managed to get a drink out of him!
Ah well, nothing lost I guess, thought y/n, so she grabbed herself a beer and was about to head back to her usual table when Bernie turned.
“Hey, you coming back for the after party? Think we’re going to head up to some cabin in Laurel Canyon, its meant to be amazing!”
Old y/n would have said no. Old y/n would have been worried she wouldn’t know anyone and been too nervous and just slink off home. But new y/n? California y/n? She had music in her soul, beer in her belly and a pack of smokes in her bag. Fuck it.
“Yeah sure! Will Elton be there? I can only imagine how crazy he is in real life. Shall I grab the girls as well?”
But Bernie was already back to swooning over Heather, so y/n grabbed the girls from their table and headed out front. She quickly spotted Elton’s band by their van, and was about to rally herself to go say hi when Penny, her closest and wildest friend at the ranch launched herself at them.
“Dee, hey baby!” She purred, wrapping herself around the bassist. Of course she had hooked up with the band when they first played here. Obviously. It was Penny. God y/n was going to miss her.
They piled into the back of the van, and two joints were sparked and handed round before they even got the door closed.
*******
Smoke and musicians tumbled out the van as they reached the house in the hills. Y/n had no idea whose place it was, but right now she didn’t care. She’d had a few swigs of Southern Comfort on the drive up, and in her head she was basically Janis Joplin, if only with slightly less hair.
She swung into the party with a gaggle of funsters; musicians, writers, groupies; no one could tell any difference now. You certainly wouldn’t have picked her out as a farm girl, but then that skirt really did work wonders!
But as y/n saw Penny disappear off with the bassist, she realised she didn’t actually know anyone here! She tried as best she could to imitate her best friend’s swagger, but the SoCo was wearing off, and she’d need some more Dutch courage if she was going to brave the party alone.
Drink in hand, y/n headed to the porch for a quick cig to calm herself before she threw herself headfirst into the hedonism. She fumbled a Marlborough light in between her lips (maybe the SoCo hadn’t worn off as much as she thought), but couldn’t for the life of her find her lighter in her small fringed bag.
“I swear I threw it in here before we…”
“Need a light?” Came a deep, gruff voice from behind her.
“That would be amazing, tha...oh...thanks!”
Y/n stumbled over her words as she spun around to be faced with the most beautiful, piercing eyes she had ever seen. She wasn’t sure if it was the booze coupled with the fresh air, but she suddenly felt quite dizzy.
She finally managed to get her sense back together.
“Yeah...yeah, thanks, I thought I had mine...but I must have...sorry you don’t care. Hi! I’m Y/n.”
“Hey y/n” he chuckled, “I’m Ben. Nice to meet another Brit out here.”
He looked down at his feet then fixed y/n with another mesmerising stare. God it felt like he could ruin her just with a look. But also, that kinda felt like...a move? Was that deliberate? Was he...flirting?
Y/n let out a giggle she wasn’t particularly proud of, but this man made her feel like a teenager! Get it together girl.
“Yeah, I’ve only met a few since I’ve been here. Came here with one actually, do you know Bernie?”
“Taupin? Yeah he’s an old mate! Reason I’m here actually as well. So...you’re here with him then?”
Those goddam eyes suddenly became incredibly puppy dog, and y/n couldn’t help but melt a bit. But also… “hang on”...she thought… “is he disappointed I might be taken?”
Y/n took it as a boost (along with another swig of her drink), and went for it.
“No no, not at all. I’m here by myself. Well, with you now I guess!”
Y/n tried to shoot Ben a flirty glance over the rim of her glass, but she suddenly felt incredibly inadequate in her eye-fuck game! She giggled to herself, but thought hell, we’re here now!
“So why are you here for Bernie?” Y/n continued.
“I’m a photographer. He asked me to come here with his band. I’ve been following that lot around all summer. It’s been great, but if I’m brutally honest, I’ll be glad to get back home. No one here can make a decent cuppa, and I know it sounds ridiculous...but…” he trailed off, smiling to himself and looked down at his feet again.
“What’s ridiculous? I’m sure it's not!” Y/n tried a tentative stroke of Ben’s not-insignificant arm as she started to feel really warm around him. And she was fairly sure this wasn’t just the booze anymore!
“It’s just, I miss my dog! She’s so cute, and...ah shit, I’m trying to come off as cool…I’ve ruined it haven’t I! Shit…” he trailed off with a chuckle.
“Not at all! I love animals. I’m actually working at a ranch down in the valley for the summer. I love working with the horses, hoping I can get a proper job in it one day. Need to finish uni first though. God, now I’m the one blabbering…”
“No, no way! I love hearing people talk about what they love. Girls always like the idea I’m a photographer, but they switch off as soon as I actually start talking about lenses and stuff.”
He’d gone full puppy dog again, and y/n couldn’t help but stare. God he was beautiful.
“Well!” She broke the silence, just on the verge of becoming awkward. “I can’t do anything about the dog, but you can definitely come by the ranch for a proper cup of tea! Might even have some custard creams my mum sent me left.”
Ben’s eyes lit up. Y/n could tell if it was the invite generally, or the biscuits in particular, but she knew that her stomach was suddenly doing backflips at the sight of his cheesy little smirk.
“Yeah definitely, sounds amazing! It’s a date.”
Those last few words nearly knocked y/n to the floor. She could feel another school girl giggle coming if she wasn’t careful.
Thankfully she heard the muffled opening riff of ‘Sunshine of your Love’ coming from the party inside. Cream was one of her favourite discoveries of the summer.
“Great! Come on, I love this song!” Y/n grabbed Ben’s hand and dragged him inside to enjoy the music. She thought she just might have discovered her best favourite yet...
