The enticing aroma of sizzling, juicy burgers and crispy, golden fries envelops the air of the bustling diner. With a subtle tilt of his sunglasses, Holden guides Celia to a secluded booth at the back of the restaurant, aiming to evade any attention.

"You know you're acting very suspicious right now," Celia said as he set up the menus like a barrier. "You're bound to get a few stares doin' stuff like that."

"I'm just bein' careful. I don't wanna be interrupted," Holden replied with a smile. "Figured we could use a bit of privacy."

Celia rolls her eyes before the waitress approaches the table. "What'll you kids be gettin' today?"

Holden keeps his head down as he replies. "I'll get the double cheeseburger and fries—"

"Oh, make that two—" Celia interrupted.

The waitress scribbles on her notepad. "And to drink?

"Coke—"

"Pepsi—"

Celia and Holden lock eyes as the waitress walks out of sight.

"Coke?" Celia scoffed.

"At least I ain't orderin' Pepsi, of all things," Holden joked with a grin.

"Ugh, whatever," Celia replied, smiling despite their mini-feud on soda pops. "So, you probably wanna hear more about what we discussed the other night at the quarry, huh?"

"You don't have to talk about that, I was just bein' nosy," Holden reassured as he leaned on the table, fiddling with the sugar packets. "I'm actually kinda curious about your songs."

Celia smiled, relieved of the subject change. "What do you wanna know?"

"Tell me about the one you played at that carnival. What was it about?" Holden asked, tilting his eyes at her from under his sunglasses.

Celia's eyes widen in surprise, and a delicate pink blush spreads across her cheeks as she turns toward the window. "Oh, I based it off something Maggie once told me—that she liked being inconvenienced by me. I was having a hard time, and she didn't mind me being a burden and the phrase just stuck with me."

Holden nods along, smiling at the revelation. "Do ya base all your songs on genuine situations from your life?"

"How else am I gonna come up with anything?" Celia replied, her expression earnest. Her thumbs twirled around each other, clawing at the hangnails, and Holden's gaze stuck to the anxious motion like glue. "I write nothin' but the truth. It's all I know."

Holden covers her hands with his own, stopping her finger-picking. "Don't do that. You'll hurt yourself..." Holden whispered, flickering his gaze to match her own. He breathes, moments away from responding when the menu-barrier gets slammed down on the table, causing the two to jump and dislodge their hands.

"Jesus fuckin' christ!" Holden growled as Travis snickered at the two of them.

"We couldn't help but notice y'all found a table. This place is so damn crowded. You wouldn't mind if we joined, would ya?" Travis asked as Preston and Jasper dragged a nearby table over to extend their seating arrangement.

"Not at all!" Celia beamed. She shuffles over, allowing Travis to sit beside her, and Holden glares at his brother as he sits beside him. Preston whistles, waving over the girls from the front of the diner and the group squeezes themselves around the makeshift table setup.

"This might be the only place to eat in this godforsaken town with how busy it is," Barbara grumbled as she picks up one menu from the pile.

"Are we interrupting your dinner?" Maggie inquired, wearily eying Holden, who sits with his shoulders hunched.

"Not at all. It's nice having y'all around," Celia replied, clueless to whatever moment they seemed to have moments ago. Holden wonders idly if he imagined what he felt in that moment, but his thoughts are soon interrupted by the waitress placing his and Celia's food on the table.

Holden grouchily eats his food as the waitress takes everyone else's order. Celia and Travis seem to play some sort of game with stacking the peanut butter and jams. Holden flickers his gaze to the newspaper stand nearby and furrows his brows at the headline. 'Upcoming band rocks the nation with original songs, knocking Holden Beauregard off his high horse.'

After the group disperses the drinks, Barbara holds hers up in a toast. "To our final two weeks on the road. It's truly been a pleasure workin' with y'all," she announced.

Everyone replies in earnest, clinking their glasses together. Holden grabs the paper, catching the eyes of everyone at the table.

"Miss Celia Clarke, lead vocalist of The Comettes, takes America by storm with her original songs as Holden Beauregard's opener. Many swoon over the young man, but their tunes are changing as they seem to favour the original flair from the all-girls band," Holden reads aloud, quieting the table.

"We're in the newspaper!?" Ruth squeals as she leans over the table to snatch the paper from Holden's grasp. "Maggie Cooper, Barbara Masters, and Ruth Fontaine back up the singer with dazzling performances."

"You're not backup..." Celia grumbled as she leaned over to steal the paper. "This is unbelievable. They're just trash-talking Holden for the rest of the article."

Holden shrugs, casually sipping his soda. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I bet you five bucks it says somewhere that I should be in jail."

Travis skims the report over Celia's shoulder and laughs. "It doesn't say anything about jail, but it does say you're worshipping the devil."

Everyone at the table giggles at the absurdity of the news article. Preston snags the paper next, laughing as he reads on a few more quotes. Holden's ears perk up when he hears one regarding his mother, and he scowls.

"Damn tabloids are always full of shit," he grumbled.

"Yeah, no kidding. It says here that you're having an affair with all the Comettes at once," Jasper replied with a cringe, looking over Prestion's shoulder. "I think that's enough of the paper for today..."

×××

Holden is deeply devoted to his fans and finds immense joy in touring alongside his bandmates, both old and new. Despite his genuine love for the music and the fans, fatigue casts a shadow over his visage, one that even recent trips to the quarry and the diner could not alleviate. However, amidst his sour mood, Holden finds solace in the newfound connections with the female members of the group, perceiving them as an integral part of their musical family.

His bandmates pay close attention to his exhaustion, overtly aware of his current weariness. He's had to avoid forlorn gazes from everyone, ranging from Barb to Travis. Even the small but fiery Ruth had offered to rectify his foul mood, but nothing seemed to work.

That is until he wanders backstage one night to find his mother hugging Jasper. Instantly, Holden's heart swells with warmth at the tender scene, and he rushes forward to envelop his mother in a tight bear hug, almost causing her to stumble to the floor.

"Oh, mama. I missed you," Holden whispered in her shoulder. "What're you doin' all the way out here in California?"

"A little birdie told me you were gettin' homesick, so I flew in to pay my boys a visit," Lorraine replied, resting her palm on Holden's cheek. Her golden locks shine like a halo around her head, her red lips upsturned into a permanent grin.

Jasper eagerly looks over his mother's shoulder. "Is Polly with ya by chance? I've gotta tell her about the teacup, but she won't answer my calls."

Lorraine frowns. "Polly didn't come, sorry sweetie..."

Jasper's expression changes too fast for Holden to grasp the emotions flittering across his features. He rests on a smile, hugging his mother once more. "That's ok," he said. "You're still my number one gal."

"Our number one gal," Holden corrected with a wink.

"Oh, speaking of where are those girls? I've not formally met them yet," Lorraine said, clapping her palms together politely. "They hightailed it outta New Orleans before I could so much as say hello!"

Holden scratches his ear sheepishly. "Sorry ma, they left early to crash at the hotel. We've been workin' to the bone."

"Oh, what a shame. I wanted to thank Celia. She seems like a nice girl," Lorraine replied by waving her son off. "A bit stubborn, but good."

"Celia?" Holden asked, tilting his head and squinting. "Why?"

"She's the one who called me!" Lorraine explained. "She said somethin' about how you seemed down these past few days and she thought it would be a good idea for me to come surprise you. I agreed."

"So that's why she pulled my hair about our phone number..." Jasper wondered aloud, rubbing his chin in thought. "In retrospect, I should've seen this comin'."

Holden gapes at his family, his face burning at the thought that Celia was considerate enough to notice the true reason behind his malaise.