sing, sing, sing

“Right, the busy life of Lincoln Larkin remains busy.” Tallulah said, wondering if he ever took a moment to actually notice what was happening around him? Or was he pulled and pushed in so may directions that he couldn’t see what was happening directly in front of him. And while, so many parts of her just wanted to tell him… she shouldn’t have to. Not in this stage of their friendship. He should have known when things were bothering her, he should have just picked it up by now. “No?” She said with a small laugh, as even when she was slightly annoyed by him… Lincoln still found a way to make her smile. Damn him. He was clueless, for certain but he didn’t mean any harm. That was the worst part, she wished he’d do something mean so that she could really not like him but it was Lincoln’s way. “Oh, don’t you start.” Tallulah playfully rolled her eyes. “You’re going to pick at that rule breaker part of me and who’s going to suffer? Us, because we’re the one who will have to sip on a whole bunch of Brodie juice.” Tallulah told him. “I’d rather your management not have to deal with that mess.”

“Haven’t had a second to spare since 2014,” he remarked, his tone caught somewhere between a joke and a confession. Sure, in theory, Lincoln would’ve loved to take it easy and relax a little bit, but in reality, he wasn’t really sure how to do that anymore. There’d be guilt, constant notifications, the constant need to be present, he didn’t really know what “time off” would mean, or if it was achievable. “Unless networking is usual at a house party?” he asked, joking. He was pretty sure it wasn’t. Or at least, not in quite as straight-forward of a sense as other hollywood and entertainment figures being at this party would be. “We’re already breaking a bunch of rules by being here,” he said, somewhat aware that he was egging her on, “Management’s already got a mess to deal with by me being here, they can handle a little more,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, I’ve seen keg stands a plenty, but you might have to wait until next year for the togas to be broken out.” Tallulah smiled. “But there’s still plenty of Hollywood must haves at this party. Drinks a plenty, beautiful people in barely any clothes and people having a great time.” Tallulah let him know. “Okay, that’s not fair because I can’t really tell what you look like right now. No matter how hard I try.” She told him, for all she knew, Lincoln was pouting away because he wasn’t getting his toga on right now. “But I hope your face says that you’re having a great time. You deserve it.” Tallulah said, taking a small sip from the Brodie juice in her cup. 

“Next year? Who knows where I’ll be by then.” Actually, he could’ve probably checked on his management’s google calendar. He knew there were dates and schedules running through at least November, it wouldn’t have shocked him if the 2019 festivals had already been booked, or if any larger tours for next year had tentative dates planned. “Hollywood must haves? I don’t know if I can count this as my first “real” college party, then,” he said, his tone joking.He wasn’t quite sure it was a joke, though. Maybe it wasn’t the fact that there were other famous people, but being recognized as one, himself. Despite the past four years, he still dreamed of the day where he could walk into a party and not get recognized, to just blend in and feel what it must be like to be normal. He recognized that it was a near impossible dream, but on the days he’d especially felt like he had no experience just to himself, it was a nice thought. He loved his job, absolutely, he considered it a blessing every day. But it didn’t change just how crushing the isolation could feel. “You can’t feel it?” he asked, his tone less teasing and more curious. He could feel her smile. Hell, with their cheeks touching, even her voice sounded different. “You know, if you’re going to take a drink anyways, you could take a look,” he suggested, lightly teasing her.

“The more you know, huh?” Tallulah said, her eyes wandering out to the rest of the party. Sure, in theory being connected to the cheek of the guy you were like basically in love with sounded like a great idea but in practice, it was weird. It wasn’t like she could really look at him and Lincoln was never really much of a talker. “So, your first big college party… how’s it going?” She asked him. “Besides having to spend a big chuck of the night with one of the coolest girls here.” Tallulah said, the smile on her face growing once again. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the fangirls know you think that.” She told him, her eyes lingering away. 

“Not quite as expected,” he confessed, his tone more amused than anything else. “I thought I was going to see more togas and keg stands, if I’m being honest. I think Hollywood lied to me.” At the frat house shows he’d done and the house parties he’d been to, he’d seen the keg stands before, but he’d been banking on Ravenwood to finally pull out the toga card. “They’ll already know by the look on my face, whenever the candids go up.” He hadn’t seen any phones out yet, but the idea that he could leave the house, let alone go to a party or drink, without a photo being posted on someone’s social media was inconceivable to him. He was sure some photo of him at the party would go up with his cheek on Tallulah’s and his grin as goofy as it ever was around her.

“While, I always considered myself more of an Artpop girl,” Tallulah told Lincoln as they walked the party. “You know, I’m finding the appeal in Gaga’s Cheek to Cheek era.” She looked over at him, the smile on her face bright as she expected to get a laugh for that very clever joke. @thebusylarkin

“I don’t know, I was always more of an Ella girl, myself,” he responded, joking back. At first, Linc thought it’d be the closeness and just how big Tallulah’s features were at such a distance that would be the most noticeable part of this game. Was it a game? Was this even a thing that happened at “normal” college parties? He’d find out later. No, what had quickly become the most noticeable aspect of the closeness was how much he felt; when she smiled and her cheeks flexed, talking, or drinking. Even the smallest of changes in facial expression seemed magnified as he became hyper aware of her movement. 

“I couldn’t agree more.” The moment Kid asked her to host this event, she instantly jumped at the opportunity and said yes. Tallulah had stood against this project since the moment she’d heard about it. That side of Rosewood already had so much, why did they need more? It all just seemed selfish to her. Why not renovate a part of Rosewood that direly needed it for the people in that community? Tallulah smiled brightly as she heard him say that he felt like he should have been doing more. Tallulah… had to say she agreed. But she understood why he was hesitant, he didn’t want to make enemies. She got that, but Lincoln had so much power… power to help change this and he was finally doing something. “Well for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing more than enough today.” Tallulah nodded. “But it’s happening now and that’s okay. So, don’t beat yourself up about it. You’re doing your part.” She said, taking a beat before she opened her mouth again. “So you can rest assured, you aren’t going to get a speech from me today.”

“Yeah, I dunno,” he said, shaking his head. He knew the money would help someone, but it felt so distant and removed. It was hard to visualize the change when it was in the form of dollars. Sure, that was the number, what did it mean, what could it bring? “You know, if I hadn’t gotten caught up in all of this, I would’ve gone in to teaching,” he said, looking over at her. He would’ve taken after his parents, he would’ve had a real skill to offer that could actually come in handy, could actually produce real, visible results. “It still wouldn’t be of much help, but...” he shrugged, maybe he would’ve picked up enough in classes to at least volunteer TA for some of the makeshift after school programs....or something.

Tallulah swore she felt her heart stopped when Lincoln referred to her as amazing. She didn’t care what came after it, she heard amazing and her heartbeat was all she could hear after that. He thought she was amazing. Her. “And I couldn’t do it without my amazing co-host.” She smiled over at him, a grin on her face before she looked back at the mirror. Her eyes met her makeup artists, who gave her the look. The look that told her that she should probably stop swooning and make something happen. But she didn’t even know how to do that. How did you tell the guy you’ve been crushing on for like years that… you’ve been crushing on him. “I think what we’re doing today is really cool, you know.” Tallulah said as she looked back at his handsome face. “Like we could really change lives. That’s like incredible.”

“Honestly, I get the feeling this’ll be the show I’m most proud of for...a while.” He was honored to be invited to not only be a part of, but host the event. Ever since he learned that it wasn’t just St. Elmo’s Grill that closed down, the news had been haunting him. “I can’t help but feel like I should be doing more,” Linc mused, shaking his head. He’d already pledged a sizeable amount of money, and he was waiving any hosting or performance fees, but it still didn’t feel like enough. Even if everything went well, it still wouldn’t bring jobs back immediately, and it wouldn’t give the kids their school until the next semester. “Or like more should happen or sooner.” It all went too slow.

“Okay, on a level from one to ten, how excited are you right now?” Tallulah asked Lincoln as she held her chin up so that her makeup artist could put her finishing touches. “Not only are you the host with the most today, but you’re also performing.” Lincoln reached over to poke his arm…. his super muscle-y and perfect arm. “I bet it’s like an eleven, right?” ( @thebusylarkin )

“I’m trying to save the eleven for the stage,” Linc responded, raising his eyebrows, a smile spreading on his face as he looked over. Luckily, the makeup they’d put on him had been much simpler, mainly to combat any shine, and his hair was already done. He didn’t envy how much longer the girls on this show or the 10 seemed to be in Hair and Makeup. “Hey, I’ve only got half of the most. I couldn’t do it without an amazing co-host.”

“Well, duh. I wouldn’t let you stay passed out for too long.” Tallulah let him know, as a show didn’t go on without Lincoln Larkin so she would definitely have to do her part to wake him up. She just hoped he wouldn’t hate her if she threw water at him or if she slapped him…. although would she slap him? And risk messing with that face? No. “Oh…. well, why haven’t I gotten one of those? Do you know how long it takes for me to get out of bed in the morning?” Tallulah asked him, before shaking her head so that he wouldn’t actually ask her. She didn’t need to break the illusion that she didn’t just jump out of bed. “Nothing.” She told him. “Because, I’m not going to pick a bad one, Larkin.” Tallulah said with a bright smile, the raise of his eyebrow making her want to swoon. Just when she thought he couldn’t get cuter… he did. “Well, of course not. They are your parents but I would have slapped them had they not been your parents…” Tallulah explained. “Actually, forget the whole slapping parents thing.” Tallulah nodded, resisting the urge to smack her forehead. “Yeah, for sure. You’re like… the nicest guy i know.”

“Thanks,” he said, after a short exhale, as if chuckling under his breath. The whole idea of falling asleep at work, of even being able to, was ridiculous, but it was an amusing image to conjure. “For just waking up? Might want to start out with coffee and work your way up to shots.” He soon after mimicked her, though, shaking his head, both out of bemusement and as if to say “nevermind” to his own response. “Alright, so we should expect new favorites from your picks, every time?” He kept playing along with her competitiveness, his knowing smile brightening up into a grin. It would make more sense. She’d been around while all the new places were moving in, she’d probably be able to make better recommendations than he would. “Thanks, I don’t know how much of it was due to the laps, but I’ll take it.”

“A lot always changes when you’re away, superstar.” Emory replied. “Next time you leave for a long period of time you’re obligated to take me with you.”

“So this was here a few months ago?” Linc asked, looking for any sort of confirmation that he wasn’t going totally crazy. Or, perhaps more accurately, that he had some sort of idea of what his hometown was like. “I don’t know how much you would’ve liked this one. It was mostly work, not much play.”

“That’s good enough for me…. for now.” Tallulah told him, narrowing one of her eyes towards him just because she wasn’t going to take his word for it. No, she wanted to know that he would actually try to sleep that long. She’d just have to ask his mother, yup. That’s what she’d do. “What’s that?” Tallulah asked, already hesitant as it was a shot. Why would she want to give Lincoln a shot? No one liked shots. And what if he connected her to the feeling of a shot? He’d never fall for her. He’d just be reminded of the pain of her waking him up with a shot. “Uhm, yeah.” Tallulah said, a duh implied as they continued their way to the ice cream shop. “It wasn’t that bad, he says.” Tallulah scoffed. “Please, that is that bad. That’s actually torture. I would slap someone if they asked me to do that.” Tallulah shook her head, nope. She would have never. Even if that helped make Lincoln’s body the work of art that it was, she knew that must not have been fun for him.

“Don’t worry, I promise I’ll be up to see you dance,” he offered, trying to placate her response with a smile that almost would’ve been sweet, if it hadn’t betrayed the slight cheekiness of his intentions.  “It’s this vitamin shot people take for energy and stuff, without the side effects. I tried it once. Some people I know who swear by it.” So maybe the shot was usually administered in the butt cheek, but Linc didn’t see that as too important. At least, not important enough to be a part of the baseline explanation. “Alright, what do I get if you pick a bad one, then?” Linc asked, cocking an eyebrow almost in a challenge. “I wasn’t going to slap my parents.” The idea sounded insane, to him. He couldn’t even imagine what the repercussions of that would be. Grounded forever? Sent off to his grandparents’? Military school? “Besides, it worked. We all shaped up eventually.”

“Uhm, no.” Tallulah said to Lincoln. “We’re not going to start making your lack of sleep a normalized thing. What if you pass out before a taping on me? Huh? What if, Lincoln?” She asked him. “So can you please try to get more sleep?” She asked him, batting her eyelashes if only to persuade him to look at things how she saw them. “I trust you. And if you do let me down, you’ll have to make it up to me… so…” Tallulah shrugged, a great big grin on her face as he knew that would only mean more nights out for the two of them. And would she mind that? No. “Laps? Like-” Tallulah ran around him. “Like laps?” She made a face that told him exactly what she thought about that. “That sounds like torture. Oh my god.” Tallulah was now counting her blessings that her punishments came in the form of not letting her dad work at the joke shop. “Well, I’m sorry you had to endure that. Seriously.”

“No promises, but I’ll see what I can do. Just for you.” He wasn’t sure he’d even be able to sleep eight hours straight. It just seemed unrealistic. He hadn’t slept like that in years, and the uncertainty of the future loomed over his head far too often for him to get any solid sleep. But he didn’t need to trouble her with all of the details of the situation. “If I pass out, though, you guys have my permission to give me one of those B12 shots. Wake me right back up, put me on.” He’d never straight up passed out on a show day, there was too much energy coursing through his veins to relax enough to fall asleep. “I’ll have to make it up to you?” he asked, snorting as he raised his eyebrows at her. “Yeah, just like, laps around the house. Or lots of push-ups. It wasn’t that bad, except during winter.” Linc had always been a relatively well-behaved child, though. So, it was easier to say it ‘wasn’t that bad’. Jackson would probably argue otherwise.

“I’m pretty sure that eight is how much you’re suppose to be getting. I know because I aced health class.” Tallulah told him. “So you should probably get eight before the makeup department hates your guts. You know how hard dark circles are to cover?” She asked Lincoln. “I personally don’t know but I assume that they are very hard to cover.” She said with a giggle. “Okay, just know I’m going to hold you to this so… you better come through” Tallulah told him, playfully narrowing her eyes at him. Although she knew she’d love wherever it was that they were going. Well, unless they were going somewhere they served blended grass. That was a hard pass for her. “No.” Tallulah laughed again. “Wait, did you really think you couldn’t go out past ten o’clock?” She pouted up at him. “That’s so cute, Lincoln.” She squeezed his arm tightly. “Hey, they probably did it for your own good. Look what happened after ten? A brawl.”

“I must not’ve been paying attention that day,” he suggested with a shrug. It wasn’t music or gym, so it wasn’t one of his preferred classes, needless to say. “I’ve had more ragged days before, it’ll be fine. Just a little more shellac.” It wasn’t like the makeup artist that was on tour with the guys had a problem covering anything up. Surely, it’d be the same for the TV show. He knew he wasn’t the only sleepless man in the industry. Heck, compared to some of his peers, he was doing pretty good. “I hope I don’t let you down. Tell you the truth, it’s gonna be a shot in the dark. Hope you’re ready for some random picks.” It was only fair to warn her, in case every place he chose was horribly mediocre. “I thought my parents would get pissed, at the very least. It didn’t stop us from sneaking out or coming back late, but we had to run laps if we got caught.” That seemed to be his parents’ favorite form of discipline, running laps and push-ups. “And then they said we were lucky that they caught us, not the cops.”