Love Me In The Dark (A Damon Story)

Chapter 3

David's POV

Carpooling with Simon Cowell has been the strangest and funniest experience of my life. He tries so hard to be annoying around me that it's adorable. I still remember the day we met. I was in a meeting with the BBC for a contract for the new season of a show where Matt and I impersonated celebrities and had funny interviews. As soon as I finished the interview, Simon and I bumped into each other in the corridor. I must admit I was impressed to meet the man responsible for Westlife's fame. We looked at each other for a moment and he was the first to speak.

"Do you work here?" he asked me in a monotone voice.

"I have a programme on BBC2," I replied a little sheepishly.

"What kind of programme?" asks Simon, crossing his arms.

I explain the concept and he studies me with his eyes as I speak. I'm proud of all my projects and I still remember how proud I was to talk about my programme at the time. 

"If I'm honest with you, you should get yourself something better, comedy won't get you anywhere," he says suddenly with that critical edge that characterises him.

"You haven't even seen my show to come to that conclusion," I defend myself. It's kind of ironic but I was intimidated, a man half my height intimidated me.

"I don't need him to watch a thing to know that is rubbish," he replies dismissively and continues on his way to the BBC2 studios.

His words hurt at the time and they still hurt today. The show was popular at the time and Matt and I started doing more projects together, but I never forgot Cowell's words.

As soon as I leave his house, I meet up with Rob to go out to a pub. We arrived at the place and ordered drinks. As soon as Simon interrupted my celebration with my new co-workers, I had to make new plans with Rob so I wouldn't spend another boring night at home.

"So you're working for Simon Cowell," Rob says as we settle at our table, "you sold your soul to the devil," he jokes.

"And he hates me," I say with amusement.

"Why do you work for him, then?" asks Rob.

It's a good question . Why did I decide to do it? Why risk the projects I have with Matt for the person who has never shown any interest in my work? The answer is simple. I need to have more work, more things I can focus my mind on instead of thinking about Carrie and how miserable she made me when she left.

"I want something new in my career, that's all," I lie.

Rob, Jimmy and Matt witnessed how devastated I was when Carrie and I broke up. My depressive stages came back with more force and almost made me end everything, including my life. I don't want them to worry if they know that I still think about her and that I'm not over some things. BGT is my new beginning, Simon is my new beginning. I can't help but smile every time I think of him, it's something natural that comes from my heart.

Rob and I have fun that night and I end up going home at almost 1am with a lot of vodka running through my blood. In the end, lonely nights always catch up with me and an empty bed awaits me. I miss the feeling of someone next to me, of arms wrapped around me and the warmth of another person next to my body. It's only been six months since Carrie and I broke up and it hasn't been easy. The story is simple, our relationship was toxic and she loved to take out her frustrations on me in constant phone fights at 3am when she would rather be in some London club drowning in alcohol than be with me. She broke up with me one night at a party, made a scene, we broke up and she ended the night sleeping with someone else.

I start to undress when suddenly my phone rings. A call. I sigh heavily and answer without seeing who it is.

"Hello?" I say heavily.

"You have my car keys," replies a firm voice on the other end of the phone.

I'd recognise that voice anywhere. Simon Cowell calling at 1 a.m. Am I dreaming, or am I already having vodka hallucinations?

"Simon?" I call out to confirm that these are not my ideas. "What are you talking about?"

"My car keys were left in your car, I need them," he demands in that bossy tone.

"At one in the morning?" I ask in disbelief.

"Can you come and drop them off?" he asks ignoring my sarcastic question.

"It's one o'clock in the morning, Cowell," I say by way of reply, emphasising the time. He doesn't expect me to, does he?

"David, I have a thousand meetings tomorrow and the tow truck is coming for the car, I don't have time to go to your house for the keys," he defends his point.

This man's mind works in an extremely selfish way.

"I can come by in the morning, Simon, I'm really tired," I reply at his insistence. And then it happens, I imagine him frustrated and thinking that he really needs them or he wouldn't be calling.

No, Walliams, don't be his puppet, don't want to please him. He's your boss, not your master.

"David," he calls after a moment of silence.

"I'll come by in the morning, get some rest, Si," I say and hang up.

I turn off my phone so he won't bother me again and get in the shower. I take a bath and then brush my teeth. I put on my dressing gown and after giving Bert a kiss, I climb into bed, ready for another night's sleep or so. Just as I'm about to turn off the lamp on the nightstand next to my bed, the sound of the doorbell makes me startle. What the hell? I force my body out of bed and grab the first thing I can find to hit the person if it's a thief. Who could it be at 1:30 in the morning? I go downstairs and open the door getting my gun ready.

"Are you serious, David, you're going to hit me with a stapler?" Simon's sarcastic voice surprises and strangely relieves me.

Simon?! What the fuck...?

"What the hell are you doing here," I ask still shocked at what's going on.

"My keys," he replies dryly as if it's totally normal to show up at someone's house at 1:30 in the morning.

But this is Simon Cowell we're talking about, the same guy who once said on TV that he wanted to have a human aquarium in his mansion. Why am I surprised? I put my thoughts aside and invite him in, it's cold outside and I won't be responsible for my new boss catching a cold. Simon walks into my house and as if he were in his own home, he leans back on the couch.

"I go to the car to get them," I let him know and leave him there on my couch. I go to the garage and get in my car, turn on the car light and look for the famous keys. I find them on the carpet on the passenger side, bend down to pick them up and then get out of the car. I return to the house to find the most surreal sight of my life. Simon Cowell is fast asleep on my couch. How did he fall asleep so quickly? He must be exhausted.

I walk over to the couch and lean in close to him. Everything inside me tells me that I must wake him up, that he can't stay, but the beautiful image in front of me stops me from doing so. Surprisingly I find myself admiring Simon in his sleep, a strange thing, I know, but I can't help it, it's like one of those paintings in the galleries that you can't stop looking at even though you know you couldn't have it on your wall in a million years. Simon is my work of right now because I can't take my eyes off his relaxed and calm face. One of my hands goes straight to his hair and I gently stroke it. A sigh comes from him but he doesn't wake up.

I go up to my room and come down after a moment with a blanket under my arm and a pillow in my hand. I drop the blanket on top of him and settle his head better on the pillow being careful not to wake him up.

"Goodnight, my Simon," I whisper, stroking his hair once more.

I go back upstairs to my room and crawl into bed, how the hell am I supposed to sleep now knowing Simon is downstairs sleeping peacefully on my couch?

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Here is the new chapter. It's a bit shorter but we finally have a Damon scene! I hope you like it and don't forget you can vote and leave your comments. I'd really like to know what you think.

See you soon Xx