Maury…
Eric drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He couldn’t get that awkward conversation with his manager out of his head. Maury didn’t know what he was talking about, obviously. All that nonsense about love… His manager had only leaped to that conclusion because he didn’t have all the facts. He didn’t know about the fake Twitter account—or that the girl on the other end of the conversation was a fan. How could Eric Thorn be in love with a fan? A random fangirl who wouldn’t even tell him her last name or where she lived? A girl whose picture he’d never even seen?
“Ridiculous,” Eric muttered as he pulled his car into the long, gated driveway of his house in the Hollywood Hills.
He rolled to a stop and popped the car door open, bracing against the chill of the night air. His hand reached automatically for the phone in his pocket as he made his way inside, but he stopped himself. Maybe he needed to give it a rest—spend one night without pouring out his every passing thought to Tessa. It would be the first night in months that he hadn’t fallen asleep reading her messages and imagining her voice whispering him good night.
But he was perfectly capable of setting it aside, right?
Eric kicked off his sneakers and sprawled on the couch. Maybe this was what he needed, he told himself. Some solitude. Put on some music and crack open a pint of cookie dough ice cream. No phone. No Twitter.
Where was the stereo again? His eyes wandered restlessly about the oversize room. Vaulted ceilings. Hardwood floors. Black leather furniture. White baby grand piano in the corner. Someone had arranged his collection of Grammys, AMAs, and MTV moonmen on top. Home, sweet home. All very tasteful…and very unfamiliar.
This place felt no more like home than any of the swanky hotel suites where he laid his head most nights. Between his tour schedule and his acting and modeling duties, he barely cobbled together six weeks a year in LA. He wasn’t exaggerating when he told Maury that he didn’t have time for a girlfriend. Not unless he found one that he could cart along wherever he went—a handy-dandy girlfriend the size of a cell phone, who fit conveniently in the back pocket of his jeans.
He couldn’t help but wonder what Tessa thought of the Christmas song tonight. Had she caught the hatchet job he’d done on the second verse? He’d covered it at the time with a cocky grin straight into the camera, and Maury had slapped him on the back afterward for a job well done. But did Tessa see through it? Was she satisfied? Or did she know that smile was fake?
“Who am I kidding?” Eric said to himself as he reached again for his back pocket. He’d die of boredom if he spent the evening all alone, eating ice cream straight from the carton.
Eric pulled out his phone and opened Twitter, but he saw in an instant that it was set to the wrong account:
Eric Thorn @EricThorn
FOLLOWERS
14.8M
He rarely bothered to open his real account nowadays, but he’d been commanded from on high to tweet about the Christmas special. His eyes skimmed down to the message he sent out just before airtime.
Eric Thorn @EricThorn
Wishing an early #HappyHolidays to my amazing fans! What do you want for Christmas? All I want is for you to watch me LIVE tonight at 8 PM!
70.4K ? 257.2K
He hadn’t crafted that particular gem himself. Some social media expert from the TV network had stood over Eric’s shoulder and dictated the words. The replies had started pouring in the moment he hit Tweet. Now Eric couldn’t quite peel his eyes away fast enough to avoid reading the first few responses.
Anna Thorn @EricAddict3
@EricThorn ILY
Eric Thorn Lover @EricLuv982
@EricThorn FOLLOW ME!
MET @MrsEricThorn
@EricThorn I’ll give you ANYTHING you want for Christmas, baby
Eat Me Eric @EricThornPorn
@EricThorn I WANT U TO HIT THE FOLLOW BUTTON WITH UR ROCK HARD—
Eric choked. His thumb slammed down on the home button, clicking the app closed before his eyes could register another word. He really should have known better than to look at the replies. Nothing like a dose of holiday cheer from his amazing fans to ruin his mood. He was more than a little tempted to chuck his phone across the room just to obliterate that last one from his memory. It wouldn’t have been the first time he cracked his screen that way.
But he didn’t throw his phone. He didn’t need to resort to violence—not anymore. He merely slumped back against the couch cushions and pulled up Tessa’s profile. He felt his anger ebb the moment he read her reply.
Tessa H @TessaHeartsEric
@EricThorn All I want for Christmas is to see a smile on your face. Love you! Merry Christmas!
Eric let out a long breath, releasing the tension from his shoulders. He knew her reply was genuine. That was what made it so sweet. He’d always assumed that the fans who tweeted shirtless pictures of him only viewed him as a piece of meat, but Tessa had proven him wrong. Honestly, she must be the only fan left who saw him as a human being. It was unbelievable, the effect she had on him. She must have had some kind of supernatural power, the way she could slice through his mood with a few simple words. He knew she’d have him laughing again in no time if he DM’ed her. With a few flicks of his thumb, he switched accounts and fired off a message.
Taylor: This fandom is so f’ed up.
Tessa obliged him with an instantaneous response. Eric kicked up his feet on his living room couch and settled in for a chat.
Tessa H: What happened?
Taylor: The fangirls! Can’t they just wish him a Merry Christmas? It’s disgusting, some of the shit they tweet at him.
Tessa H: Well, I wished him a Merry Christmas.
Taylor: You’re a sweetheart. The rest of them can rot.
Tessa H: I know, it goes too far sometimes. Did you see the picture MET tweeted after he messed up the Christmas carol?
Eric’s brow furrowed. MET? He didn’t recognize the acronym. Was that another TMZ?
Taylor: What’s MET? A gossip blog?
Tessa H: No, you dork! @MrsEricThorn. It’s the most important account in the whole fandom! How are you so clueless?
Perfect. Eric couldn’t help but laugh. He’d been vaguely aware of that account, of course. He knew it had a lot of followers. But the most important person in the fandom? Really?
Taylor: Silly me. And here I thought the most important person in the fandom was that other douche rocket. What’s his name, again? Oh yeah…Eric Thorn.
Tessa H: You know what I mean. The most important fan account :P
Taylor: Got it. And does Eric’s wife have an actual name?
Tessa H: Everyone just calls her MET. She likes to maintain an air of mystery. Kind of creeps me out, to be honest. Go look at her recent tweets.
Eric entered the handle and pulled up the tweet that Tessa meant.
MET @MrsEricThorn
Haha way to go @EricThorn. Retweet if you think he should’ve performed the song like this ;) #EricThornObsessed