Page 56 of Fan Favorite

Bennett’s cheeks got hot. Jesus, the pull of his former self was strong. But Bennett Charles wasn’t a chubby nerd running lights anymore—he was the leading man.

He squeezed Edie’s hand. “C’mon, I have a surprise for you.”

“What is it?” she asked, the soft dreaminess in her face sliding away.

“It’s a surprise!”

“You know I hate surprises.”

Did he know that? “Not this one,” he said, scattering the ghosts as he pulled her toward the double doors leading to the gym. Cameramen rushed to keep up.

“Is it twenty women in bikinis poised to rip each other’s hair out in a kiddie pool of Jell-O?”

He stopped and looked at her seriously. “People are starving all over the world, Edith. You think I’d waste Jell-O? I’m not a monster.”

She looked up at him through thick lashes and smiled a very cute half smile, a little bit amused, a little bitI got your number. “It better not be an obstacle course,” she continued. “Because this dress wouldn’t survive that. I don’t know if you noticed, but I had a little trouble getting out of the limo.”

“Did you? To me, you were the picture of elegance.” Then, in his best George Clooney, he took her cheek in his hand,dropped his voice to a husky whisper, and looked into her eyes. “Don’t be nervous. You’re perfect. This night is perfect.”

A blush crept across her cheeks, and she bit the corner of her lip. He thought about kissing her but decided not to blow his wad before they even got through the doors.

“C’mon.” He started pulling her down the hall again.

“Basketball? And you get to break my nose this time?”

“A nose as cute as that? I would never.”

“I’m really sorry about that, by the way.”

“Don’t be. I know what I’m getting into with you, Pepper. It wouldn’t be foreplay if someone didn’t break their nose.”

Her mouth fell open, and for a second his stomach dropped. Why did he always say the wrong thing? But then the loudest laugh—a guffaw really—escaped her lips before she clamped a hand over her mouth, and then they were both doubled over, and he was laughing harder than he’d laughed in a long time. What a fucking crazy thing to say on mic with the cameras right fucking there! But now Bennett understood it was exactly the right thing to say, it was exactly what they needed to acknowledge their past and move on to the future, and all at once he realized that none of it mattered. No one knew what they were talking about; it was their own inside thing, and then he understood how stupid it was that he’d been carrying the weight of this one mortification for almost twenty years and countless satisfied sexual partners later. And—poof—just like that, Bennett Charles let it go. It was silly and funny, and he was safe. They smiled at each other.

They started walking again, the double doors looming until finally he reached for the handle. He looked at her, feeling mischievous and excited, about to surprise a beautiful girl with something he knew she was going to love.

“Ready?”

She grabbed his arm. “Is it Beyoncé? Because you have to tell me if it’s Beyoncé. I will pee my pants.”

“It’s not Beyoncé,” he said, a bit deflated. Did she really think he had access to Beyoncé? He wasn’tthatfamous. “But I promise, you’re going to love it.” And with that, he pushed open the door and they walked into another world. Well, a gymnasium outfitted byKeyproduction to look like another world, like the sort of gorgeous high school prom seen only on TV or in the movies. White globes in a variety of sizes and brilliance were suspended from the rafters, blanketing the entire room in a sort of avant-garde celestial moonscape. Gauzy white fabric covered the cinder-block walls, and there, on an accordioned stage right under the raised basketball hoop, was the real surprise: the Goo Goo Dolls launching into the opening riff of “Slide.”

“Shut. Up!”Edie exclaimed, grabbing his hand and dragging him toward the stage.

She immediately started dancing, right in front of Johnny Rzeznik, somehow totally unselfconscious, just moving her body and smiling and laughing. And somehow just by being near her, watching her express joy like it was the most natural thing in the world, he was able to let the wave of music take over until they were both dancing, not worried about the camera on the crane gliding around overhead and capturing all his terrible white-guy dance moves, just moving his body and singing along with her,What you feel is what you are, and what you are is beautiful…

The Goo Goo Dolls transitioned into “Iris,” a song that always felt super romantic to Bennett, like it touched something true inside of him, the music cracking open some hidden well of feeling, and immediately he wanted to touch her, to hold her, so he pulled Edie to him and wrapped his arms around her until their bodies were pressed together and he could tuck his face down into her neck and breathe her in.

…’cause I know that you feel me somehow…

“This is unbelievable,” she whispered as they moved together.

The music built into a dramatic swell, lifting him up until he could almost see every single one of his dreams coming true, and then dropping out again to the lone guitar in what he could only take in as some sort of metaphor for solitude—I just want you to know who I am.It was like every single moment of Bennett’s life had brought him to this moment, to this realization that,yes, Bennett Charlesdidwant to be known, and while he understood, of course, that it was impossible that he could suddenly be in love, the lights, the music, the girl—it all felt like a peak experience, like something straight out of a movie, and that,that, is when he kissed her.

After having their portrait taken in front of a balloon backdrop and touring a classroom filled with posters highlighting their high school days, Bennett and Edie were escorted up three flights of stairs to their final shooting location—an intimate candlelit rooftop, where they were now drinking champagne and enjoying the twinkling lights of the city below while he regaled her with stories of his travels.

“On the bike trip across the Middle East, I was gone for six months. Riding every day, camping every night.”

“It sounds amazing,” she said before polishing off her champagne.

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