Cheer Up Baby | Elijah Hewson

Chapter 24. Like Real People Do

𝕽𝖊𝖇𝖊𝖈𝖈𝖆

The bus rumbled below us as everyone slept. Everyone except me.

Once the lads had finished performing, I packed up my equipment and left the venue.

On the way out, I was stopped by a few lovely fans who wanted to have a conversation with me.

I still get a shock every time a fan calls out my name, or they want a picture with me. Some of them just want to have a one on one conversation with me, which is even more of a shock.

I have come to realise that I'm a bit like Marmite. Some fans love me, and some fans hate me. That's just the way it is when you're dating a member of a popular band, and especially the lead singer.

As soon as I finished up all the conversations I was having, I headed straight onto the bus, going to the back lounge so I could transfer photos from my SD card onto the folder in my computer.

I got some great pictures from the show, and I was really pleased with them.

I couldn't help but get caught up in looking at all the photos I have in the folder on my computer. From professional work photos to personal photos, I was proud of myself and my work.

I came across a picture I took of Eli. He was smiling back at me through the bathroom mirror in our house.

Our house.

That's still so insane for me to say. If you told me three weeks ago that me and Eli would have a house together under our name, I would've laughed in your face.

It's all real, though, and that's the craziest part for me.

Even though I loved the pictures I took for my profession, the ones that I take for my own private viewing are always the ones that I love the most.

Or the random videos that make zero sense to everyone else but make sense to me and the people involved.

If there's one thing that meeting these fantastic groups of people has taught me, it's that you really do find love in all shapes, sizes, and places.

I was afraid, though, afraid of losing Eli to someone I constantly worry about losing him to.

As much as I want to believe Grace when she says she wants to be friends with me, I also find it very hard to believe when she's going to be joining us for some of the tour dates.

I feel like her joining us is a bigger opportunity for my nightmare to become a reality.

I wasn't going to overthink it too much, though. I don't want to become toxic when there's clearly nothing to worry about.....right?

While I was waiting on the lads to return, I kept flicking through photos. Laughing and smiling to myself like an idiot.

My heart was swarmed with warmth when another picture of just Eli came up on my screen.

His smile was bright and wide as he wrapped his arms around me tightly. I was a laughing and blushing mess in the picture. I remember I felt so loved in that moment after everything that had just gone on between us.

Lucy took the picture of the two of us on my camera. It was taken on our last day in the Bahamas.

The day was the hottest day of the trip, and there was a natural glow of sweat on both of our faces.

We were happy, completely, and utterly carefree.

We still are such a happy couple. We are best friends but lovers at the same time.

I know what we have is special. There's absolutely no way I'm letting anything or anyone break that apart.

No way. I'm putting my foot down this time.