stories from the city; damon albarn

48-

Damon stood there silently. He'd never really believed that Chloe was serious about settling down with Ewan, let alone enough to have a kid with him. But it made sense, especially with what he knew. She wasn't smoking. She wasn't drinking. That would make sense. But it irked him. That didn't seem like Chloe. The Chloe he had met in 1994 was anti kids, was a bit of a player and smoked every 5 minutes.

He had been thinking a lot about that day at Glastonbury recently. It had been nearly 3 years ago at this point.

He remembered being excited for it, the thrill of hooking up with Justine, and then turning around to fuck his best friends. Running around the backstage areas, drinking, fucking, hiding. The tension of meeting new and old stars, the pressure of everything.

He remembered sneaking up onto Oasis' set backstage and seeing the pretty girl in a Maxis Erlich shirt, glasses pulled over her eyes. He remembered meeting her and instantly getting intrigued. He hadn't met any real famous people yet. Nevertheless one that Graham would and had fawned over in his youth.

He likes the way she spoke, how she questioned him with simple arrogance and didn't care to apologize. How she was brash and smoked her cigarettes. He liked how she loved music, despite the fact that she'd never want to make it herself.

He could tell she loved it- from the way she chose to take her photos, and knew just when to make the mother fuckers on stage say cheese.

She wasn't gaudy. She was a pretty girl. But not over the top. She wasn't addicted to heroin and she came from money.

She had ambition.

And if you really got to know her, she was the sweetest and most comforting girl to be around. She'd cuddle with you and critique your writing honestly. She'd buy you a 20,000 jacket for your birthday just because you said you liked it in a catalogue once.

She'd do anything to make the people around her happy. And that certainly did not make her a pushover.

Back to Glastonbury.

He remembered running away with her special lighter and pocketing it, running off to tell Graham who he'd nicked it from. He remembered Avery Pince coming out of her horrendous attitude that day to play around on stage. It was like it was yesterday.

He'd been so young. Only 25 to be exact.

Fuck, Parklife was barely out.

Chloe Erlich was someone who had tempted him for ages and he never had the fucking urge to actually do anything about it. Even when they had one another.

He had shown up to her house high and by chance her father had let him in. She'd babied him that night and opened up to him. She told him about her life, and showed him her proudest and prized possessions. They fell asleep in her bed.

And after that they didn't come apart.

They spent many nights together, shagging, sleeping, taking photos of the other. Even playing dress up in her closet. They went to shows together. Everything.

And it felt more real than his open relationship with Justine at that point.

Justine didn't exactly know they were fucking. She just figured they were friends, maybe more. But she didn't think they were attached, not emotionally at least. Besides, after Avery, Damon didn't think he'd ever fuck his close female friends again. He'd stick to his fans or whoever else was available.

To hell with that.

He had been burnt out by Justine. He felt like he was playing pretend for his rockstar girlfriend and appreciating her glorious fucking career while he made mediocre pop music. He didn't like being the partner to androgynous sex appeal. That's what he was supposed to be.