"I'm not hiding out," Aiden grumbles, twirling his drumsticks around his fingers absent-mindedly. "It's called a vacation."

Did he leave in the middle of the night without a word to his manager or bandmates? Sure, but it was still his life even if he was famous now. The company might own music rights to Xstacy, but he owned himself.

Most importantly he owed you a visit. It'd been a year since his band took off and a year since he's seen you. Not counting the times he's video-chatted with you on the road.

It was weird going from seeing you every day since he was in diapers to living a year without you. He missed you a lot. That's why, when he finally decided to take a break from it all, you were the first person he went to.

Being back in his hometown felt nice; everything was slow and quiet. Everyone here was the same, still gossiping about what Martha wore on Tuesday, the new car Billy bought, and most importantly, whether you and he would finally tie the knot.

Completely ignoring the fact that neither of you were dating or interested in doing so. You both tried once in high school. He took you to prom and kissed you at the end of the night, but it didn't cause any butterflies or sparks.

So he was more than happy when you both went back to being friends. STARZ had a strict no-dating policy, and while he wasn't against breaking rules, he was glad he didn't have to risk his career for something that wouldn't have worked.

"And I get free lodging, it's a dream vacation," He smiles, sitting up on your bed and flicking one of the drumsticks at your leg.