'I was very hesitant to put up the banner above, because i decided to cast Eddie as male model Ben Bowers and I worry that he isn't what you imagine Eddie to look like, so if you don't imagine him like that, then it's okay. I'll only post a photo this once, for readers who want a casting. If you would like more pictures, look up the model.'

Today was the day that the band and crew were to set off back on the road.
Estrella woke up in her bed, at her home after a long, wonderful sleep. She always slept better in her bed then anywhere else anyway, but the thin foam mattresses in the bus didn't come close to the comfort of her own bed, so it was a relief. She smiled and rolled over, opening her eyes to the tidy little room she slept in. All of the furniture matched, and she had posters on the walls of dancers, boxers and one of the Rolling Stones' 'almighty tongue'.
She kicked her blankets off, making them land in an untidy pile at the foot of her bed, the sheet askew and half hanging off the edge of the mattress. Estrella stood, and then she walked to her wardrobe. She had only half her wardrobe at her disposal whilst on tour, simply because there was limited space in her bags as well as on the bus, but today she had everything, and that was refreshing.
First, she brushed her hair and applied a tiny bit of makeup, and then she made her way towards the wardrobe.
There was a restless moment of rummaging, and the noise of coat hangers scraping the metal shaft they were hung on, before her fingers came to rest on her favourite skirt. It was pleated, and made of a thick, tough fabric. It had two gothic looking buckles at the belt, giving it an edgy look, and it displayed a black and grey tartan pattern right from the waist, down to the very bottom of the skirt, which reached to about mid-thigh. Estrella then selected a tight, white crop top to go with it, and she finished off the outfit with a pair of chunky, black polished combat boots. She caught her appearance in the full length mirror on her way towards the door, and, very happy with her appearance, she walked out of her room.
Down the hallway, in the kitchen, her father was preparing breakfast.
As Estrella walked with a spring in her step through her childhood home, she smelled the toast and scrambled eggs cooking, and only then did she realise just how hungry she was, so she headed towards the kitchen.
Her father smiled and set down a plate with two pieces of toast and scrambled eggs piled atop it on the table.
"There you go." Her dad said, "thought I'd do something nice for you before you take off again." He had a sad smile, and Estrella flashed a grin before replying,
"Thanks, daddy!" Her father's smile grew a little wider, and he turned away to fill the kettle at the sink. Estrella took a seat, and then she picked up the ketchup bottle, drizzling tomato sauce over the eggs before hooking right in. The food was simple to make, but of a very good standard. She thoroughly enjoyed eating her breakfast, and her father also made her a coffee. He sat with her, drinking his own cup of coffee, and they talked about the boxing tournament, and about how things were going in general. Too soon, Slash turned up at the door accompanied by Duff to pick her up. They had a taxi waiting down on the street. Duff had an apologetic smile as her father opened the door.
"You here for Estrella?"
"Yeah... we're a tiny bit late." Duff replied. Estrella approached the entrance, carting along her luggage, and at the door she put her bags down and turned to her father. Duff muttered something about packing the car, and he and Slash carried her luggage down to the awaiting taxi.
Estrella looked up at her father sadly.
"Bye, dad. I love you." She felt 16 years old again for a second, going off to school camp. She remembered her nervousness and anxiety about leaving then. Only now, the same emotions threatened to overwhelm her as an adult when she thought about how much she would miss him and Caleb.
"I love you too, and I know you're gonna do great out there." He smiled, making her feel a little tiny bit better. "Your mother would be proud." As he said this, she swore she could see tears forming in his eyes, but he blinked them back. Her father embraced her tightly. They never really mentioned her deceased mother. She had died an awfully long time ago, when Estrella was only very young. She only had very vague memories of her, but she was acutely aware of just how damaged her father still was over losing her. They were inseparable, or so she had heard.
Caleb's footsteps could suddenly be heard coming down the hall, and he emerged into the entrance space in front of the door.
"Hey, not gonna leave without saying goodbye, are you?" He looked slightly upset.
"No- of course I wasn't!" Estrella assured him. Her brother enveloped her in a bear hug.
"Gahh! I'll miss you little sis!" He teased, squeezing the life out of her and lifting her off her feet.
"Agh- Caleb... can't- breathe!" She managed to gasp. Caleb dropped her back on her feet, and she inhaled deeply. "You're infuriating." She stated.
"Love you too!" Caleb laughed, then kissed her on the top of the head. "But really- good luck out there." He smiled, suddenly serious.
"Thanks. I'm gonna miss you both!" She told them.
"And we'll miss you too!" Her father said. Estrella shot her family one last smile, and then she trotted down to the taxi. She got in, Duff was sitting in the back with her and Slash was in the front. Her car door thudded shut.
"Where to next?" The gentleman behind the wheel questioned.
"Uhh, Rainbow bar and grill. The tour bus is there." Duff instructed.
"No wait!" Estrella interrupted. She felt the sudden pressure of three sets of eyes on her. "I have to say goodbye to someone first." She told them all. She couldn't leave town without farewelling Eddie. The boys agreed that she could farewell her friend (not that they knew who it was), as long as it was quick, and she told the taxi driver the address.
Two minutes later, they were pulling up out the front of the little flat block that Eddie lived in. Estrella got out and jogged over to the building, then she went through the glass double doors at the front of the building and began to ascend the staircase. She reached the second floor, and sprinted down the hallway, already all too familiar with the building. She came to a halt at door number 109, and rapped on the wooden surface with her knuckles.
It wasn't thirty seconds before the door opened. Eddie was wearing a pair of well fitting tracksuit pants and a grey hoodie with 'champion' written over the breast in red lettering. His hair was slightly ruffled, and he looked as though he hadn't long gotten out of bed.
"I'm leaving today. I had to say goodbye." She explained as Eddie looked at her with a slightly befuddled expression. He smiled at her statement, and then opened his mouth,
"I was about to go for a jog." He told her.
"Training?" She questioned.
"I am." He replied, "but I always go for a jog in the morning anyway." He said. She knew that Eddie would start training, even though it wasn't definite that he would be the gym's champion or not yet. The longer their fighter trained, the better.
"Why didn't you ever do it when I slept over?" She asked. There had been nights when she told everyone she was sleeping at her friend's house for a girl's night or sleepover, and in reality she was sleeping with Eddie.
"Well that would be rude, wouldn't it?" He retorted, absent mindedly scratching the top of his head.
"I suppose..." Estrella had already guessed that that was the reason, but she was attempting to prolong the conversation. She really didn't want to leave yet.
"I miss doing that." Eddie looked her straight in the eyes. His expression was completely serious, his voice low. "Doing you." He put a delicate emphasis on his final word. Estrella felt a blush creep up her face, and her heart hammered. She broke eye contact to look down, focusing on Eddie's worn 'converse' style black and white sneakers. Eddie's hand came into contact with her cheek, and he gently stroked it before lifting her chin gently so that she had to look him in the face once again.
"No need to hide from me, gorgeous." His voice was quiet and his tone thick with emotion. "I'll miss you." He sounded so sad, and there was obvious sorrow behind his eyes as she stared into them.
"And I'll miss you too." Estrella blinked up at him, trying not to allow her own sadness to boil over. She didn't want to cry. Not here.
"It's okay to cry sometimes." He said, reading exactly how she felt. Eddie knew her too well. "Sometimes, you need to cry. Just to let it all out." He said slowly, quietly. "Cause everything just sort of builds up in your head, and if you don't let off some stress, it's just gonna consume you." He advised. Estrella felt a single tear track down her face in spite of her efforts not to cry. Eddie ever so gently wiped it away, and he gave her a gentle, sad smile. He cupped her cheek, and leaned down, and for a brief moment he brushed his lips over hers, barely touching them. It was but a ghost of a kiss, and her heart panged with the sadness of having to leave again.
The tears began to fall properly now, and Estrella fell against his muscled chest. Eddie embraced her gently,
"It's gonna be okay, baby." He whispered. Estrella tried to calm herself. Her hands were clenched in fists, clinging onto his jumper as she took a few deep breaths. "That's it." He soothed, rubbing her back. She looked up at him, still clinging to his clothes. a sorrowful smile eased slowly onto his face, and he leaned down to kiss her forehead. Estrella forced a smile back to him.
"Thankyou, Eddie." She said softly, "and I'm sorry."
"It's no big deal- now, don't you have somewhere to be?" a hint of humour became present in his expression, and he shot her a wink. Estrella managed a real smile, and then she let go of him, and jogged back down the hallway and down the stairs.

Author's note
Hey there, thanks for the read!
Back on tour next chapter (which means plenty of GN'R), and I think we're overdue a lemony scene, so I'll deliver that next chapter, too ;)

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