Interview with Zac Efron- Male

[Sneesee]

Title: Interview with Zac Efron

Author: Sneesee

Disclaimer: As much as I wish I did, I do not own Zac Efron.

Summary: A female reporter interviews a slightly under the weather Zac. Nuff said.

I am posting this because princessontheporch is a fellow Zac adorer, and I don't think I have posted this one here yet. And this is an older story, obviously, since High School Musical 3 is soon to be released. He he he.

Drumming my fingers nervously on the table, I glanced one more time at my watch. He wasn’t late, I was early, therefore I no one to blame but myself. Besides, it was only by a pure stroke of luck, and someone else’s misfortune that I snagged this particular interview.

My reason for being so jittery? I was about to interview Zac Efron, who was currently one of the hottest young male stars on the planet. One I secretly had a huge crush on, not that I’d ever tell my editor that. There’s no way I would have gotten this assignment if that little secret ever got out. My editor was really big on making the celebrities feel comfortable during the interviewers. If a reporter were too hung up on a certain celebrity, then the interview would never happen, at least, not with that reporter.

I inhaled deeply. I could do this. He was just a young man, like any other man. Heck, I’d worked with quite a few men, and had interviewed more superstars than I could recall. Only, when he finally strode through the doorway to the hotel restaurant, my heart pounded double time inside my chest. With an air of confidence, yet casualness, he walked directly towards my table, his personal assistant at his heels. Heads turned as he passed each table, but with a pair of dark sunglasses on, I was pretty sure he hadn’t been recognized yet. I stood up when he stopped short in front of me.

“Hello Mr.-”

“Please, call me Zac,” he said with a slightly crooked smile.

“Zac, it’s very nice to meet you, I’m Chelsea with Teen Scene Magazine,” I said, extending my hand.

Zac removed his sunglasses, and looked doubtfully at my hand. I was a bit taken aback by his reluctance to shake, so I withdrew.

“What happened to Marc?” the personal assistant chirped from behind Zac.

“Marc came down with the flu, so they sent me instead. I hope that’s okay?”

Another smile quirked at the corner of Zac’s mouth, and I had to bite my tongue to keep from licking my lips at how sensual his smile was.

“Not a problem, Chelsea,” he said with a small sniff. “Very nice to meet you.”

Because my brain sometimes couldn’t control my body’s reactions, I blushed at the way my name rolled off of his tongue.

“Why don’t we sit down and get started, then?” I suggested.

“Sure.”

His assistant whispered something in his ear, he nodded and shooed her off with a wave of his hand. I set out all of my supplies, including a small personal recording device, which if it was okay with him, I would use instead of having to write everything down.

“Do you mind if I record this interview?”

“No problem,” he said.

I already had a list of what topics I needed to cover, and what was off-limits. Just as I was about to start firing off questions, our waitress interrupted my thoughts.

“What can I get for you today?”

Zac nodded at me, indicating that I should order first. What a gentleman.

“I’ll just have an iced tea, please.”

“And for you, sir?”

He cleared his throat and said, “I’d like a glass of orange juice, please.”

“Anything else for either of you?”

“No thank you,” we both said in unison, and then laughed softly. I thought his choice of drink was a bit unusual, but then I had also seen stars that would only eat blue M&M’s and other odd stuff. Our waitress left, and I was ready to get back to business. I punched the record button and began.

“Zac, I know you’re extremely busy with several new projects and appearances, and I would like to thank you for taking some time out and meeting with me today.”

I preferred to start off each interview with some sort of heart-felt compliment. Of course, saying something like, “You’re totally hot, and I couldn’t wait to meet you,” was completely out of the question. He’d turn and bolt from the table before I could say, “Troy Bolton.”

He grinned and said nothing, but once again I was transfixed on his lips. His smile was just a tad off, bottom lip slightly crooked, but somehow it worked for him.

“How exactly has life changed for you since the sudden explosion of fame from High School Musical and Hairspray?”

“It’s been amazing,” he exclaimed, his whole face lighting up. “Sometimes, I still can’t believe that I’m doing what I love already, and have touched so many fans as well.”

His emotions were evident. He truly did enjoy acting, and the fame that came with it. It was obvious in his answer, and they way he presented it.

“Has the exposure from these two films helped you get more worth-while scripts?”

“Definitely. I’m kind of like a kid in a candy store, looking through all of the possible projects I could work on. I couldn’t be happier.”

“Has your family been supportive of your career so far? Starting at kind of a young age?”

“My dad actually encouraged me to audition for a musical when I was eleven, and they’ve been there for me every step of the way. They’re great.”

“Wonderful.”

He flicked at the end of his nose lightly with his index finger, and because I was staring at him, I almost lost my train of thought. I shook my head and continued.

“What was it like for you to work with high profile actors like John Travolta and Michelle Pfeifer?”

“Hold on a second,” he said, his features transforming into an almost pained expression.

My face knotted up in concern for a moment as I watched him. He took in a couple of shallow breaths, threw his left hand over his face, ducked to his left side, and then sneezed, “Eh-chih! Chuh!”

“Bless you,” I murmured as he straightened up to face me again.

“Thanks,” he said, a little out of breath. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of tissues. Taking one out, he blew his nose as softly as possible, and I found it endearing how quiet he was trying to be about it. Even his sneezes had been sort of muffled.

“Are you okay?”

Normally, I tried not to get too personal and ask such things, but since he was still sniffling, and his eyes looked a little red and watery, I was very curious.

“Um, not really,” he said with a short laugh. “I’m sort of sick, too.”

“I’m really sorry. We could have postponed the interview if you weren’t feeling well,” I said quickly. Had I known he was sick, I would have canceled it myself.

“It’s not a big deal, just a little cold,” he shrugged. “You wanted to know what it was like to work with John and Michelle, right?”

“Uh, yes,” I stammered. Suddenly, that didn’t seem nearly as important as his health. The waitress returned with our drinks, and then it dawned on me why he’d ordered the orange juice.

“It was amazing to work with such talented people. Michelle and John were hilarious together, almost feeding off of each other most of the time. I learned a lot from both of them,” he said enthusiastically.

I finally fully noticed the toll his “little cold” was taking on him. His voice held a slight nasal quality to it, his bright blue eyes were bloodshot, and as I peered a bit closer, I could see the edge of his nostrils were tinged pink. Guilt started to plague me. He should be at home, in bed, reading through scripts and sipping orange juice and chicken soup, yet he ventured out and met with me for a one-page blurb in some small-time teenybopper rag.

“Are there any actors out there you’d like to work with?” I trudged on, trying to ignore the fact that he was under the weather because it was making me feel bad.

“Gosh, I’d love to work with so many people. The list is so long, I don’t think I could name all of them for you off the top of my head,” he chuckled.

Still in a good mood, he astounded me. Most men would have been acting like a big baby.

“Any leading ladies that stand out on your list?”

His infectious laugh filled the restaurant, turning a few more heads. Unfortunately, the laugh turned into a muffled cough, and my smile faded. I immediately felt horrible for making him laugh like that.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that,” I said, hanging my head in shame.

“No, it’s alright. Excuse me, this cold,” he stammered, cheeks turning red.

“You know, I think I have enough to write the few paragraphs I’ll be allowed. Thank you so much for your time, again,” I said, trying to effectively end the interview.

“That’s it? You’re done with me?” he asked, feigning insult. Damn, he was a great actor.

“Well, I, uh,” I started to say. His blue eyes studied me, obviously seeing right through me, since I was horrible at acting. That was why I chose journalism and got into the field I did. I loved acting, just was never very good at it. “I’m sorry, I feel horrible that you’re sick. I just don’t want to take up any more of your time.”

“I promise you won’t catch my cold or anything. That’s why I didn’t shake your hand earlier,” he said, giving me that off-kilter smirk.

“Thank you for being so considerate.”

“You already have me here, wouldn’t you like to finish?”

I did. I had several more questions to ask. He was right.

“I guess so.”

“Good,” he said. But then in one fluid motion, he grabbed the collar of his Hollister t-shirt and pulled it up over his face. “Heh-chuh!”

“Bless you.”

He stayed frozen, eyelids half-closed, for several seconds. I wanted to pull my eyes away and give him some dignity, but like a horrific car crash, I was mesmerized and couldn’t turn away.

“Heh-chush!”

“Bless you, Zac.”

A weary smile crossed his face as he let go of his shirt. He plucked another tissue from his pack, causing the guilt to bubble up inside me again. After blowing his nose, he cast me a sideways glance.

“Am I bothering you with my sneezing or something? I’m really sorry but I can’t exactly help it.”

“Oh gosh, no, not at all, Zac! It’s just that, I still feel awful about making you sit through this. I think I have enough material for the article, and if I don’t, maybe I can call your assistant and we can do this over the phone or something,” I blurted out. I certainly didn’t want him apologizing for anything. It wasn’t his fault that he was sick.

“I’m fine, honestly. I’d much rather be out than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself anyway,” he said, breaking into a grin. He coughed and then said, “Although I think I’d like some fresh air. Want to go for a walk, and keep talking?”

Stunned, I couldn’t even form an audible response. He must’ve taken my lack of words as rejection.

“Or not,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

“Um, I think a walk would be great, actually,” I said, giggling like a silly little schoolgirl.

I asked for the check as we both finished up our drinks. Once the bill was paid and I left a nice tip, we headed outside. The sun was shining brightly, the light breeze was warm, and Zac inhaled deeply and put his sunglasses back on the moment we stepped out.

“Ah, much better. Sorry, I was getting kinda stuffy in there.”

“No need to keep apologizing, Zac,” I said with a laugh. “I completely understand, and I’m still very thankful you met with me even though you aren’t feeling well.”

Another quick grin, as he said, “Not a big deal, Chelsea.”

“So, the rumors that you weren’t going to do High School Musical 3 are obviously false, now that you guys all signed on, huh?”

“Yep. I have to admit, I was really amused by all of the stories floating around about why Vanessa and I weren’t going to do it.”

“Yeah, every week it was something different,” I mused.

“And then everyone was so shocked when it was announced that we were gonna do it,” he said, voice cracking slightly.

“Well, I’m glad the rumors were false,” I said, and then realized I let something slip out of my mouth I shouldn’t have.

“Really?” he asked as one sculpted eyebrow rose up.

“Well, yeah. I loved 1 and 2,” I admitted. It was too late to retract what I’d said, so I went forward with it like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Cool,” he laughed and shook his head.

“Now, do you see yourself continuing in the musicals, or would you rather break out of that and pursue more comedic or dramatic roles?” I said, trying to get back on target with the interview.

He considered the question carefully. Our walk brought us to a spot where we could see the ocean, so we stopped and both gazed at the glistening water.

“Sorry, tough question?” I teased.

“No, it’s just that I…” he started to say, but then got a far off look on his face. “I think I have to sneeze.”

My smile faded. Poor guy. I stared straight ahead at the ocean, trying to give him some privacy in his moment of weakness. But at the very last moment, I caught him out of the corner of my eye just as he raised his left fist up towards his face.

“Heh-chush!” A slight pause and then, “Chishhhuh!”

I had to admit; it was totally cute the way all of that gorgeous, shaggy brown hair fell forward over his sunglasses when he sneezed. Then again, given how attracted I was to him, anything he did was pretty much adorable.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks, again,” he murmured. He snatched another tissue and blew softly. “So, you asked me if I wanted to continue to do musicals or more dramatic roles, right?”

“Yes.”

“I’d love to continue both, actually. I can’t wait do work on High School Musical 3, and yet, I’ve been having a great time with some of the other roles I’m doing. I don’t ever want to get caught in the trap where I’m type-cast. You can only play high school guys for so long, ya know?”

I laughed, because I’d never know what it was like to play a high school guy.

“You know what I meant, though, right?” he said, as if he read my thoughts.

“Yes, I did. I think it’s very bold of you to want to play different sorts of roles, yet kind of stay true to your musical roots.”

“That’s what I’m hoping for. I really can’t see myself playing Troy Bolton, in High School Musical 10, where he and Gabriella are getting married or something like that.”

We both laughed at that one, since it made for a very funny mental picture.

The jingle from his cell phone interrupted our laughter. He cleared his throat and looked at the display.

“I’m sorry, I have to take this one,” he whispered huskily.

“No problem,” I said, and shut off my recorder. Then I took a couple of steps away to give him a little space for his phone call. I wasn’t far enough away, I guess. I heard him say hello to his girlfriend and High School Musical co-star, Vanessa.

It was odd to be around for such a personal conversation. Even though I tried to make myself ignore it, I could still hear bits and pieces. Basically, I heard him apologizing to her about being sick, and something about dinner plans. This was a part of my job that I hated. I wasn’t the traditional cutthroat reporter who was digging for the really juicy stuff. I liked writing the fluff, not the arguments that celebrities got into.

Zac coughed a few times, and I heard a faint, “Sorry.” My stomach knotted with the knowledge that he was sorry for being sick. I hoped Vanessa wasn’t giving him a hard time about it, but then he raised his voice slightly, and hit a higher octave when he said, “Fine, then I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

My body cringed at the tone of his voice. Obviously, the phone call ended on a bad note. When he reached me and stood next to me, his body was trembling. I wasn’t sure if it was in anger, or because of his cold.

“Are you okay, Zac?” I ventured.

He coughed and shook his head.

“Listen, I know you don’t really know me. And it’s okay if you don’t want to open up, being that I am a reporter and all. But, I turned off my recorder, and if you want to talk about what just happened, I’m a damn good listener,” I offered.

That one earned me a cute grin from him. Either way, even if he didn’t want to tell me his troubles, at least I’d made him smile.

“Thanks,” he said, and scratched his head.

“I’m not the kind of writer who would betray you if you chose to tell me what’s on your mind. I only like writing the superficial fluffy stuff.”

A laugh combination cough escaped him, and I felt kind of bad again.

“Yeah, I know. I’ve read some of your work,” he admitted shyly, shuffling his feet.

“Yeah right,” I snorted.

“It’s true, I have. Your editor told me you were meeting me instead of Marc, so I went on the internet and googled you.”

It was my turn to become embarrassed, and I could feel myself blushing profusely.

“No you didn’t,” I muttered, stifling a laugh.

“I totally did. And you’re right, you only write the cutesy crap.”

“But I’m good at it,” I defended myself, and we both giggled.

“Yes, you are. So, if that recorder is off, I guess it wouldn’t kill me to spill my guts to you. That is, if you really want to hear about it?”

“I do. My friends all use me as their sounding board because I’m a pretty good listener. Let’s walk some more and talk.”

“You probably realized that was Vanessa on the phone.”

I nodded.

“Yeah, well, she’s great, she really is. I mean, she and I have so much fun together, and she’s usually so sweet and thoughtful…” he trailed off and slowed his step.

I watched him expectantly, waiting for the rest of his thought. It never came. Instead he stopped, threw his arm over his nose and sneezed harshly into his elbow.

“Bless you.”

He shook his head, sniffled, and then started walking again.

“Thanks, and sorry for sneezing so much.”

“Zac, you seriously don’t have to keep apologizing for it. It’s not a big deal.”

“Maybe not to you, but it could be to some people. You see, Vanessa and I, I think we’re great together. But, we’re both young, and we both agreed that we shouldn’t rush into anything, relationship-wise. But, there are times, like today, when I could have used a little bit of…” he was deep in thought again, searching for just the right word.

“Compassion?” I suggested.

“Right, compassion. I didn’t expect her to be all like, ‘Awwww, poor baby,’ but I guess I thought she’d at least say something nice to me. But, she was kind of mad that I wasn’t feeling well, and then called off our dinner date,” he said with a huff.

“Well that just sucks,” I blurted out.

“Totally,” he agreed.

“How could she be mad at you?”

“Well, I don’t know. Even when I first answered the phone, she was being kind of pissy with me. Then she heard me cough, and asked if I was sick or something. When I said I was sick, she said she didn’t want to see me tonight,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.

I remembered a rumor I’d heard that Vanessa was preparing to audition for another musical, and I was amazed that Zac hadn’t put two and two together. She probably didn’t want to catch his cold, or it might screw up her voice.

“Isn’t she about to audition for another role real soon?”

“Yeah,” he said kind of slowly, as if he was figuring it out.

“Maybe she didn’t want to catch your cold?”

He slapped his forehead and said, “Yeah, you’re totally right.”

Then I added, “But it was still kind of bitchy of her to cancel on you.”

A half smile crossed his face as he cast me a sideways glance.

“Would you cancel on me?”

If I hadn’t known any better, I would have sworn he was flirting with me.

“No, I wouldn’t. I’d still have dinner with you,” I said honestly, but felt my cheeks flame with the admission.

“But you said you would have canceled the interview if you’d known I was sick.”

He had a good point.

“That’s different,” I said. “That’s work-related. If I were dating you, I wouldn’t cancel. In fact, I would’ve changed our dinner date into more like an evening in with you. You know, take care of you.”

Finally, it was his turn to blush. I smiled with self-satisfaction over it, too. I’d never done that to a celebrity before. But then again, he was young, and still sort of new to the whole fame-business. He still had some modesty, and I wasn’t used to dealing with that.

“Really?” he said, his voice cracking again.

“Yeah. I’d either make you dinner or bring your favorite carry out, or something.”

“That’s really sweet,” he said, lightly rubbing at the end of his nose.

To take the focus off of what we were discussing, I changed subjects.

“I have a couple more questions to ask, is that okay if we get back to the interview?”

“Oh, yeah, sure.”

I pushed the record button and fired away.

“Word is that Vanessa is recording an album right now, and your co-star Corbin already has a CD out. I’ve also heard that you have a guitar and taught yourself to play. Does that mean we’ll be seeing a Zac Efron CD in the near future?”

He laughed, which turned into a cough, and it was a deep, rattling sound in his chest.

“Ooh, sorry. That sounds bad.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” he said, and must have noticed the concern on my face. “Really, Chelsea. And to answer your question, I may try to do an album someday. For now, I’m just having fun playing the guitar, singing, and attempting to write my own music.”

“Cool,” I said dreamily. I totally lapsed into fangirl mode, and shook my head to get back on track. Unfortunately, my little slip up didn’t exactly escape Zac’s attention.

“You know, if I wasn’t sick, I’d play you something I wrote.”

At this point, I shut off the recorder again. I had no idea Zac was so easy going and fun to talk to. I figured with all the sudden fame, he’d be kind of closed off and private about everything.

“Has anyone ever told you how down to Earth you are?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets, shrugged his shoulders, and grinned.

“How do you do it? I mean, it’s gotta be impossible to lead any kind of normal life, doing what you do for a living and being so successful at it. Everyone wants to be in your business, seeing you do things that other mortals do, and that has to drive you crazy,” I spat out.

He shook his head, and I could tell he was silently laughing at me.

“I am just a guy, and do the same things everyone else does. I put my pants on just like anyone else. Heck, I even get sick like normal people, because I am a normal guy. I just try real hard not to get pissed off to the point where I do something stupid.”

If I hadn’t already liked him before, I would have swooned after hearing him say that. He paused, sneezing a couple more times into his elbow.

“Oh my God, you even sneeze like a real human being, too,” I pointed out, giggling. “Bless you.”

“Thanks a lot,” he said, sniffling and trying not to laugh. “Does that mean you’re gonna write about how many times I sneezed in front of you? How embarrassing.”

“I think I might have to, since your sneezes have taken up a huge chunk of this interview, you know?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Kidding! I’ll stop. Sorry Zac.”

“No problem. It’s a shame, you probably have plans tonight, huh?”

Again, I couldn’t believe my ears. Maybe I needed to clean them out or something, but I was pretty sure I hadn’t heard him correctly.

I tested, “Actually, I don’t have any plans after this.”

“Seriously? What about a date with your boyfriend?”

“Well, in order to have a date with one’s boyfriend, one has to have a boyfriend first. At least, I think that’s how it works. I don’t know since it’s been so long since I’ve had one.”

“No way,” he said, laughing.

“Gee, thanks,” I said dejectedly.

“No, wait, I mean, I can’t believe you don’t have a boyfriend.”

Again, I snorted with laughter.

“I’m sorry, maybe I’m not being clear. How come a young, fit, and very attractive woman like you doesn’t have a boyfriend?”

“It must be my pit-bull personality, then?” I joked, not wanting to call attention to the fact that he had just called me very attractive. Inside, my tummy was fluttering like mad at the compliment.

He frowned.

“I’m totally serious. What gives?”

We stopped walking again, and he was staring at me intently, waiting for an answer.

“I don’t know. Guess I haven’t met Mr. Right yet. Maybe I’m too picky, or busy. All I do know is that my mom and sister keep asking me when I’m going to settle down, and it drives me nuts.”

“You’re too young for that.”

“How old do you think I am?”

“My age, twenty, right? Twenty-two?”

“Try twenty-five, soon to be twenty-six.”

“Well, you look younger to me.”

“Thanks.”

“So, then, if you don’t have a boyfriend, and don’t have any plans later…”

“Yes, Zac?”

“Would you maybe want to have dinner with me?”

He might as well have punched me in the chest with that question. I couldn’t breathe, let alone answer him. Why on Earth would someone like him want to have dinner with me?

“I know it must seem weird and all. And, I don’t want you to think badly of me. I mean, you must think that I’m only doing this because Vanessa broke our date, but it’s more than that. You were pretty easy to talk to, and I didn’t feel like I was hanging out with a reporter. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have told you all that stuff about Vanessa, you know? I enjoyed this interview, more than any other one I’ve ever done. And well, I’d like to spend the evening with you, talking some more,” he said. At the end of his speech, he was entirely out of breath.

I felt so bad for him, and the sympathetic side of me won out over the reasonable side. Before I could even stop myself, my mouth opened up and said, “I’d love to have dinner with you.”

“Really?” he asked, his breath hitching slightly. “Awesome! Heh-chuh! Eh-choo!”

“Bless you,” I said shyly.

“Argh,” he groaned. “Thanks. So, where should we have dinner tonight?”

“Well, with the way you keep sneezing, maybe I should just bring dinner to your place. Or make you chicken soup, or something,” I suggested boldly, and then thought better of it. I couldn’t believe I said that!

He let out a soft laugh, and smiled.

“Great idea. I certainly wouldn’t mind that, if you were up for it.”

I was blown away. We had just met less than two hours before, and here was this superstar inviting me to his apartment for dinner.

“I suppose I’m up for it. What do you want to eat?” I said, letting my flirty side pop out a little. She never really got to come out and play, especially when I was working, so I couldn’t help letting her free.

“Mmmm, I don’t know. Nothing tastes good when I’m sick anyway. Surprise me.”

Great, now I was going to have to be creative, too. Why not make it a little more difficult, Zac, I thought to myself.

“Okay, then,” I said. “We should head back to the hotel, since we’re parked there.”

“Yeah,” he agreed.

On the walk back, we chatted even more, discussing our favorite films, books, and music. Although I found my tastes to be a bit more varied than his, we still had a lot in common. The evening was definitely going to be interesting, seeing where and how he lived.

We reached his black Audi first, and noticed that there were some photographers hanging around nearby. They sure didn’t do much to conceal themselves, I mused.

“Great,” he groaned. “Hey, take down my cell phone number real quick, then hit me up in a few minutes when we’re both on the road. I don’t want to make a big scene in front of our audience.”

I hastily grabbed a small pad of paper and a pen out of my purse, and scrawled his phone number down.

“Talk to you in a few,” he said, tipping his sunglasses, and giving me a quick and sexy wink.

I floated back to my car, not even feeling the ground beneath me. I heard the shutterbugs calling out to Zac as he got into his car, but didn’t even care. I was a few hours away from having dinner with him. As soon as he was out of sight, and I was on the road, I dialed his number.

“Hey hot stuff,” he jokingly said when he answered, and I just about swerved off the road, right into the ocean.

“How did you know who was calling you?”

“Who else would be calling me right after I just told you to do it, Chelsea?”

I laughed, and he joined me. Then he sneezed.

“Bless you.”

“Thanks. Okay, so when you come over tonight, you’ll need to follow my plan.”

“Your plan?”

“Yeah. You ready?”

I listened closely as Zac detailed how to get to his apartment, and what I’d have to do to get inside. After the phone call ended, I started the crazy rush to get ready and get dinner over to his house. I couldn’t wait.

# # #

Following Zac’s elaborate plan to a tee, I made sure to park in a different lot outside of his apartment building, and then snuck around until I slipped inside unnoticed. Seeing the paparazzi had never really affected be in such a negative way before. However, trying to dodge them just to have dinner with a young movie star made me appreciate why celebrities hated them so much. No privacy at all.

I knocked softly on his door, and when he opened it, my legs immediately turned to jell-o. He was wearing a pair of faded and ripped sweatpants, and a tattered t-shirt. His hair was rumpled as if he’d been sleeping, and he was on his cell phone. He tipped his chin up at me, flashed his mega-watt smile, and then motioned with his free hand for me to come in.

I stepped inside and made my way to his small kitchenette, setting the bag of food on the breakfast bar. At first I thought he might be on the phone with Vanessa again, but his face was deep in concentration as he listened to whoever was talking on the other end.

“Yeah, I know, but I have a cold. Can’t we put it off for a few days? Just so I can shake this?” he said, running a hand through his hair in frustration. Then he glanced up at me with those blue eyes through his chestnut bangs and mouthed the words, “I’m sorry.”

I smiled and shook my head, trying to indicate it wasn’t a big deal. The phone call seemed important, so I had absolutely no problem waiting.

“I know she’s a cancer patient, and that’s why I can’t be there. Isn’t her immune system, like, compromised? And if she caught a cold from me, wouldn’t it cause more problems for her?” he said with a huff.

Yikes, it sounded serious. I busied myself taking the food out, and helping myself in his kitchen, I found plates and silverware. The whole time I set out the food, he kept pacing his living room, continuously running his hand through his hair. It was a shame that he was so visibly aggravated, because I found his behavior to be a bit endearing.

“Eh-chuh, heh-chush!”

His sneezes startled me slightly, but I pretended not to notice. Instead, I continued spreading out the food. His eyebrows shot up when he saw me removing Quizno’s sandwiches from the bag.

“Thanks. Yeah, I tried to tell you, I really am sick,” he stated firmly, his voice very rough and congested after he sneezed. Poor thing sounded like he needed to blow his nose. He sniffled miserably, but must’ve managed to clear out his sinuses as he spoke again. “Alright, thanks. I appreciate it.”

Just as he ended the first phone call, and said hello to me, his cell phone jingled again. Glancing at his display, he sighed and said, “It’s my mom.”

I laughed softly as he took the call.

“Hi mom,” he said, and coughed. “Yeah, I’m doing alright. It’s just a cold. No, you don’t have to come over. I’m fine, mom, honestly. I’m takin’ it easy, I promise.”

I pulled out a tupperware container of some chicken soup I made for him. His eyes bulged and a big smile lit up his face. I returned his smile as I deposited it in the fridge for him.

“No, no mom, you don’t have to cook for me or anything. Actually, this really cool reporter I met with this afternoon gave me some chicken soup.”

My whole body shivered as he mentioned me to his mother. Granted, he didn’t say my name or anything, but did refer to me as the “really cool reporter.” A blush crept up from the bottom of my feet all the way to the top of my head. Zac spotted me and grinned. As he listened to his mom, he came over and eyeballed the rest of the food I’d brought over my shoulder. His closeness, and the fact that I could feel the soft caress of his breath across the nape of my neck, damn near sent me into oblivion. He needed to move, quickly, or I’d end up doing something I’d regret later.

“So, yeah, I’m gonna take it easy, eat some soup, and rest. Of course, mom, I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, too. Bye.”

Instead of moving away, he tossed his phone casually onto the counter, and leaned closer, essentially trapping me against the bar.

“I am so sorry,” he whispered, mouth and nose dangerously close to my ear.

“Uh, again, nothing to be sorry about so stop apologizing, would ya?” I said, trying to mask my nervousness with some humor.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, then turned his head away with a soft cough. “Sor-”

“Shush!” I sharply cut him off from apologizing once more.

“Right. You didn’t by any chance get me my favorite sandwich from Quizno’s, did you?”

“Um, maybe,” I said coyly. Bad move. He snuggled up against me and rested his chin on my shoulder and I simply wanted to melt into a giant puddle, right there in his kitchen. I mentally slapped myself and tried to get back to talking. “If you happen to like their honey mustard chicken sandwich with bacon.”

“I love it, definitely my favorite. You did your homework,” he said dreamily, and I was literally dying in his embrace. Why did he have to be so close, and smell so damn good?

“Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, actually I am a little bit.”

“Let’s eat, then.”

“What else is in the bag?” he mused, inching even further over my shoulder to see.

“Just some movies I thought you might like to watch.”

Using one of the arms that had me pinned, he grabbed the stack of DVD’s out of the bag, and took a step back to look at them. With my newfound freedom, I scooted away from him and helped myself to a couple of bottled waters in his fridge, so we could drink them with our “dinner.”

“You picked out a lot of musicals, again you knew what to bring. We’ve got Little Shop of Horrors, both Grease movies, and The Music Man, huh?”

“Well, The Music Man is one of my favorites. We put that on in high school, and I always loved it!”

“What part did you play?” he asked eagerly.

“I played the trombone in the pit band. I was never actually in any of the musicals,” I laughed.

“Well, playing an instrument is still being in the musical,” he pointed out with raised eyebrows.

“Yeah, guess you’re right. But I was never up on stage, always in the pits.”

He laughed, coughed, and then sniffled.

“Let’s eat,” I said.

“Okay, why don’t’ we throw in The Music Man, since it’s your favorite, and we can eat in front of the TV?”

His idea sounded good to me, so I nodded. I grabbed the big bag of Sun Chips I brought, my sandwich, and the bottles of water and followed him out into his living room. Unfortunately, I had to step over some major piles to get to his couch. There was everything from golf clubs, to clothes, to books, and even DVDs scattered all over the floor. I had no idea he was so messy.

He must have caught my astonished look as I hurdled the mess and said, blushing slightly, “Excuse the mess. I’d blame it on being sick, but my apartment pretty much always looks this way, unless my mom comes over to clean it for me.”

Somehow, I believed him. The way he’d handled his mom on the phone earlier reminded me that he was still a young man, and had only recently moved out of his parent’s house.

“Do you miss them?”

“Who?”

“Your family.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, I like having my own space, but it gets lonely sometimes.”

“I really think your relationship with them and all of your friends is pretty unique, even for a normal person. You know, one who isn’t a super star,” I said.

With a half-smile, he stared at me.

“What?” I asked, feeling a tad self-conscious about him watching me. I even stopped eating my sandwich.

“You don’t really act like a reporter. At least not any I’ve dealt with before.”

I wasn’t sure what to say to his remark. Certainly, around him, I hadn’t behaved like a normal reporter would. But then, how many reporters would have ended up back at his apartment like this?

“I know. I guess I just felt differently about you after I met you. Kind of like what you said to me earlier, you’re very easy to talk to, and so friendly, I just really wanted to hang out with you some more,” I explained to the best of my ability. Then I grabbed a bunch of remotes and started turning on all of his electronics.

As I started the movie, I felt his eyes still on me. I’m sure he was laughing inwardly at all of this, how he’d pretty much turned me into a blushing, soft-spoken, fan girl again. Great.

We ate without speaking. Instead, we watched the beginning of the movie. I had to admit that it was a lot of fun sitting in Zac’s messy apartment, watching a musical with him. None of my other guy friends would have sat through something like that with me.

“Heh-chush, chuh!”

His quick and muffled sneezes definitely caught my attention. Turning to him I said, “Bless you.”

He sniffled and replied in a thick voice, “Thanks, but you don’t have to keep saying that, if you don’t want to.”

“I don’t mind if you don’t. I was brought up that way,” I said, smiling. He continued to sniffle, so I went and grabbed a box of tissues I’d also brought, ripping them open and sitting back down.

“Awwww, thanks,” he said, grabbing a couple and blowing pretty hard.

“Are you gonna take anything?”

He sighed and considered my question. “Nah, I don’t think so. I hate taking any kind of drugs if I can help it. But, if I’m really suffering, I give in. I’ll be alright for now, especially with you here looking out for me.”

He gave me another sexy wink, which made my insides feel like they could burst into flames at any minute. God, could he be any more adorable and sweet? Probably not.

“So, since I’m taking care of you, is there anything you need?” I asked, wanting to continue making him comfortable.

“More water, please?”

“Sure.”

I went into his kitchen to get the water, and noticed his phone was buzzing around the counter. I didn’t’ want to be nosey, but I also didn’t want him to miss anything important. I grabbed his phone and a bottle of water and returned to his living room.

“Here you go,” I said, handing him both items.

With a quirked eyebrow and puzzled look on his face, he said, “Thanks.”

“Sorry, it was kind of dancing around the counter and buzzing, I thought you might want to rescue it.”

He laughed, coughed, and then checked his phone.

“Damn, Vanessa called.”

“You should probably call her back. I can stop the movie if you want,” I suggested.

“Don’t stop the movie, I’ll make it quick.”

He was on the phone before I could even reply, so I turned my attention back to the movie and tried once again not to listen. He didn’t walk very far away, so once again, I could hear damn near everything. She must’ve asked him how he was feeling and what he was doing, I could tell from his responses. Then he sneezed loudly, bending completely over at the waist. I felt so bad for him, he seemed thoroughly exhausted afterwards.

“Thanks, yeah, you too,” he said and then set his phone back down in the kitchen. “Again, I am so-”

“No apologizing, remember?”

“Uh, yeah, got it,” he laughed. “You know, when I first met you, I thought you hated me.”

“What?” I gasped, completely shocked at his comment. “Why would you think that?”

“Well, I figured you were probably mad that you got stuck with me, instead of Marc interviewing me. And then you seemed like you were annoyed with me.”

“Aw no, Zac. I wasn’t annoyed at all, just nervous, I guess. I was afraid you’d see right through me,” I slipped and said some things I hadn’t meant to. Oops! But, I couldn’t believe he’d had such a horrible first impression of me, especially while I was working so hard to give him the right one.

“What do you mean, see right through you?” he asked, narrowing his eyes at me.

“Well, I was afraid if you knew that I was actually a huge fan of yours, you’d get freaked out and run away.”

“No way,” he said, laughing and coughing at the same time.

“It’s true. I didn’t want to scare you off, and I was totally nervous, and I’m sorry if I came across as mad or irritated in any way.”

“Well, when we finally had a chance to leave the hotel and talk some more, I finally figured out that you didn’t hate me. I’m really glad that we got a chance to get to know each other. And, I have to say, I enjoy your company, a lot. So, thanks for staying with me tonight.”

I was so floored by his honesty, and genuine nature. I know I blushed again, while he regarded me for a few minutes. Then we thankfully lapsed into another silent period and paid attention to the movie. I kept a tray eye on him, though, as I was beginning to notice a few signs of fatigue. His eyelids would flutter shut for a few seconds at a time, and then his head would roll forward. As soon as his chin hit his chest, his head would snap back up and he’d shake himself awake. Poor thing was just wiped out.

I was actually thinking of leaving and letting him rest, when he leaned his head all the way back against the wall, and then thrust forward with a powerful, “HEH-SHUH!” into his cupped hands.

“Bless you, Zac.”

“Thanks,” he said in a stuffy voice. He proceeded to pull out a tissue, blew into it, and then carelessly dropped the used tissue on the couch in between us. As I stared at it, an ironic thought popped in to my mind, and I laughed.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, um, nothing,” I said, stifling my laughter.

“Come on, don’t hold back on me. What are you laughing about?”

“Honestly?”

He nodded slowly.

“I was wondering how much money I could make if I snatched your used tissue and auctioned it off on eBay.”

“No way.”

“Yeah, I bet I could make enough money to buy myself a new iPod or something,” I teased.

He huffed and stared at me as if I’d just grown two heads.

“Man, that’s so gross, no one would buy that,” he insisted with a sneer.

“I don’t know, someone bought Justin Timberlake’s half eaten breakfast from a hotel once. I think it was pancakes.”

“Ewwww, creepy,” he exclaimed and shivered.

“I wouldn’t ever do that, by the way. I was just amused by the thought that some crazy Zac Efron fan might want a piece of you so bad, they’d buy just about anything. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you or anything. You probably hate thinking about stuff like that,” I said as apologetic as I could. He was obviously physically traumatized by my stupid idea.

“S’okay,” he said. Then he grabbed the tissue and threw it into the garbage can. “There, now you won’t be tempted to steal my disgusting used tissue to sell it. Heck, I probably have a brand new iPod lying around here somewhere, if you really want one so badly.”

We both laughed at that. I was really glad he saw my sense of humor for what it was, as twisted as it may have been, and thankful he’d managed to keep his sense of humor in spite of everything. But, with those heavy eyelids, and dark circles starting to show, I had a feeling he was fading on me. It was past time for me to make my exit.

“Zac, it’s getting late, and you should probably go to bed. You need to rest. I heard that some reporter took up most of your day,” I chided.

He snickered at that, but didn’t argue, and I was glad.

“Thanks again, for hanging out with me.”

“Anytime, Zac,” I said. His blue eyes became slightly red and watery. “What’s wrong?”

“I was just thinking,” he said with a sigh.

“About?”

“I had so much fun tonight, and I really like you, but then I’m still with Vanessa…” he trailed off, and he frowned. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. I had no idea he was so sensitive, unless he was just over-emotional from being sick.

“I know, Zac. You guys make such a cute couple.”

“But, if I weren’t with her, I mean, I’d totally ask you out on a date. I just wanted you to know that,” he said, sniffling and biting his bottom lip.

Reaching out, I cupped his chin in my hand and smiled at him. Then I placed a soft, lingering kiss on his warm forehead. His eyes brightened up, and a weak smile twisted up the corners of his mouth.

“We can always be friends, right?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he whined. “You’ll keep in touch, then?”

“Definitely. How about you?”

“I’d like to. I promise to call and text whenever I can, okay?”

“Alright Zac. Thanks for giving me a chance, even though I kind of blundered the whole interview thing at first,” I said, causing him to chuckle and then cough a bit.

“Thanks for being so nice to me.”

“Okay, I should go. Keep the movies for as long as you want. Maybe you could call me tomorrow and let me know how you’re feeling?”

He held his index finger up, twisted his head to his left side, cupping his left hand over his nose as he sneezed harshly three times in a row.

“Goodness! Bless!” I exclaimed.

“Ugh, thank you. SNIFF! I’ll call you sometime tomorrow. Not sure when, but I’ll definitely call,” he promised.

“Sounds good. Goodnight Zac, feel better,” I said, rising.

“Thanks, good night Chelsea.”

Then he kissed his fingers, and blew the kiss to me. I sighed, smiled, and blushed all at the same time, and then finally left his apartment, feeling strangely dissatisfied. I should have been happy. However, his admission to me about wanting to spend more time with me left me very confused. Oh well, we were all still young, and just because he and Vanessa were an item now, didn’t mean it would always be that way. I vowed to myself to be his friend, as long as he’d let me, and maybe some day things would work out and we would get our “date.” And if not, I’d at least made friends with the hottest superstar around.

# # #

True to his word, Zac called me the very next day, and although he sounded worse in my opinion, he claimed he was feeling much better. We continued to text and talk sporadically, whenever both of our schedules allowed.

On a gorgeous, sunny California day several weeks later, just as I was about to leave my house to do some shopping, my cell phone rang. I saw Zac’s number and couldn’t resist talking to him.

“Hey you!”

“Hey beautiful! How is my favorite reporter today?”

“Doing good. How’s my favorite actor?”

“I’m doing alright. Got any plans for today?”

“I was just about to go shopping, why?”

“Well, I have some time off today, and was about to go get some coffee. Wanna meet me there? I’ve missed you.”

It tore at my heart to hear him say that he missed me. Although, admittedly, I probably missed him way more.

“Sure, I could meet you. When and where?”

“As soon as possible.” Then he rattled off the name of the coffee shop he wanted to go to.

I plunked the name and address into my GPS and was on my way. My stomach once again was flip-flopping at the thought of seeing him. This would be the first time we’d seen each other since that night at his apartment, and also since my little blurb in the magazine had been published.

He was already at the coffee shop, once again with paparazzi in tow. Damn, they were everywhere it seemed. I tried to make our meeting look completely professional when we greeted each other, but seeing him again up close, I couldn’t help but smile at him. He smiled back. After going inside and ordering our coffees, we sat down in a booth inside, as far away from the cameras as possible.

“Thanks for meeting me,” he said excitedly.

“Thanks for the invitation.”

“I wanted to tell you in person how much I liked your little bit of fluff on me. I think it was definitely more flattering than it could have been, given my cold, and the phone call with Vanessa,” he said sheepishly.

“I like you too much to ever portray you as anything but the truly sweet person you are,” I admitted. Having already told him how much I admired him that night at his apartment, I didn’t feel quite so shy anymore admitting how I felt about him.

“Awwww, you’re pretty sweet yourself.”

Smiling and both sort of blushing, we caught up on each other’s lives, and he eagerly told me about his hectic filming schedule and new projects. We enjoyed our coffee, and then both had a second cup, just to spend more time together. The paparazzi didn’t follow us in, thankfully, and neither one of us were in a big hurry to leave while they were still milling about outside.

During a lull in the conversation, Zac hastily set down his coffee cup, turned to the side, and threw his left arm over his face with two quick sneezes into his elbow.

“Whoa, bless you, Zac. You aren’t sick again, are you?” I teased gently.

“Oh no, I’m not sick, I promise. Those were just a couple of typical, everyday, I have no idea why I just sneezed-type sneezes.”

“Oh, okay, that’s good.”

“Not that I wouldn’t mind your attention again, or the chicken soup if I were to get sick,” he said coyly.

“Well, tell you what, you just call me next time you have a cold, and Nurse Chelsea will be right over,” I said before thinking. His waggling eyebrows and huge grin told me I’d definitely opened my mouth and let out a bunch of stupid.

“Nurse Chelsea, I like that. Does she come with the outfit, too?”

“Oh please,” I protested, but we were both laughing.

“I can’t believe that you and I have this sort of strong chemistry, and connection, you know? That we can talk and flirt so easily with each other like we do,” he said, shaking his head lightly. “It’s insane, but pretty cool.”

“Yeah, it is,” I agreed.

“I’m happy to have a friend like you,” he said and finished off his coffee.

“Me, too.”

“What did you say you were doing today? Going shopping?”

“Yeah, I have to buy a dress for my cousin’s wedding,” I groaned.

“Is your mom hounding you again? How old is your cousin?”

“Twenty four.”

“Ouch,” he said and laughed at my expense.

“Thanks a lot. It’s bad enough I have to go and get a new dress, but to have to listen to my mom bitch about how I’m not getting any younger throughout this wedding is probably gonna kill me.”

“I’m not doing anything the rest of the day. Can I go shopping with you? I’d love to see what kinds of dresses you pick out, and how they look.”

“What guy likes to go shopping?”

“Me, I guess.”

“I can’t believe it. What if I make you hold my purse?”

“You wouldn’t,” he said firmly.

“No, you’re right, I wouldn’t do that. Come on, let’s go, then!”

On our way outside, he paused behind me. I stopped and glanced over my shoulder.

“Heh-chuu!”

“Bless you, Zac,” I said, unfortunately drawing the attention of the paparazzi. Me and my big mouth. They all started snapping pics of him immediately. Luckily, I was pretty far in front of him, and they weren’t even remotely interested in me. He started to walk away, but was caught in the throes of another oncoming sneeze. This time, the cameras clicked away as he sneezed two more times.

We had again chosen to take separate cars, and once we were both safely on the road, he called me.

“Do you believe that crap? I can’t believe they took pictures of me doing that!”

I was pretty appalled myself, and agreed wholeheartedly, that it wasn’t very nice.

“Know what else, Chelsea?”

“What Zac?”

“I think I might really be coming down with another cold. I keep sneezing. When we’re done shopping, I think I’m gonna need nurse Chelsea to come over and make me better,” he said, and from the tone of his voice, I knew he was smirking.

“You don’t have to pretend to be sick for me to come over, Zac,” I moaned and then giggled.

“No, really, I’m serious. My throat’s all scratchy, too.”

“Whatever, let’s meet at the mall, and while we shop, Nurse Chelsea will assess your condition. And whether or not you need her, she’ll come over anyway.”

“And can we get Quizno’s again?’

There he was, sounding like a small child the way he asked me that.

“Yes, Zac, I’ll stop and get you Quizno’s.”

“Awesome,” he said, and then before hanging up, he sneezed again, “Heh-chih! See? Told you I was getting sick.”

The End

[Dawnie]

This is great. I think I may have read it before a while back, but it's really super. Would you believe I haven't seen a single thing this guy is in ever. I'm going to have to check something out.

[ilovesneezing]

Awwww!

Thats about all I can say right now

[sneeztensia]

Oooooh.......It's so cute!!! How come it's already 'the end'?? Wish I could see more of that.

I really can imagine Zac Efron sneeze in the way you describe it, it fit his cute face so well.

Thank you for the story

[princessontheporch]

Thank you sooooooo much! I love him. Such a cutie.

[Mischa]

that was such a great story!!

[stargazer]

I think I've responded to this on the other board, but I had to tell you again if so...I LOVED IT!!!

[White Rose]

aww! i love this! so sweet!!!

[Privatedancer]

Very sweet

[M_Twi_Love]

So cute!!

[Me4ever]

Can't believe I didn't see this before today. Very cute. Love your writing

[Candy Dust]

A very adorable, sexy story.

[SpookyScarySkeleton]

I still love this fic <3

[Raven Insight]

The Zac fan girl in me almost didn't make it through this in one piece. SO cute.

[Watercolor Daydreams]

You, Ma'am, have made my day. For that I thank you.