The Music of the Night

Chapter 4

The next morning, Ellie woke up at the hotel with a sudden burst of energy. 

She decided to put it to use by getting ready quickly and running out the door in 10 minutes flat. 

Her purse bounced wildly on her hip as she jumped into Kurt's limo, and she was completely breathless once she sat down.

He looked back at Ellie and asked, "In a hurry, are we?"

She nodded and swallowed. 

"Always," she finally choked out while clutching her chest.

Kurt chuckled. 

"Do you need any medical assistance, miss?"

"No," Ellie waved him off. "I'll be fine once I get to Pinewood Studios."

"Okay then," he responded. "Buckle up."

20 minutes later, she arrived and thanked Kurt for the ride, then hopped out and rushed to her station. 

A day in and Ellie was already looking like the other staff members running around in a tizzy. 

The pressure of the job came back, but she quickly shook the feeling off and ignored it.

Nothing was going to stop-

Ellie crashed into someone when she glanced away for one second, and she almost fell onto the ground before a pair of strong arms stood her back up. 

Embarrassed, she apologized profusely and brushed the person off without looking up, the only thing making Ellie do so when she heard Gerard ask, "Are you alright?"

When Ellie made eye contact with him, she saw that he was looking down at her with concern lining his handsome face. 

His arms were still firmly around her waist, and her cheeks immediately went red in response. 

She took a moment to find her words, and then, Ellie replied, "I'm fine. Sorry for running into you like an idiot."

He shook his head and said, "You're not an idiot, Ellie. It was just bad timing, and I don't blame you."

Something warm and fuzzy grew in her chest at his statement, but she regained composure and separated herself from his arms, even though it felt nice. 

"Thank you for understanding, Gerard," she said, feeling weird at saying his first name. "Anyway, I have to get to work. I'll see you around."

Ellie speed-walked away and headed to her workstation, not looking back once. 

She eventually made it to the door after what felt like an eternity, and she closed it, slumping against it when no one was watching.

What're you doing, you moron?! Ellie yelled to herself as she gripped he hair tightly. Get your act together and do your job. 

She took a few deep breaths, stood up, and pushed everything away so she could get started on her dress for Emmy.

It were almost as if she went on autopilot when she grabbed the materials and began to sew. 

Her hands moved like a magician, and her eyes were fully concentrated on the project. 

Nothing could stop Ellie once she was going.

After what felt like only a few minutes, the upper half of the dress was finished, and the bottom half was about to be worked on before she heard a knock on the door.

Ellie snapped back into reality and accidentally poked one of her fingers with the needle she was using. 

Oh, come on, she groaned in thought. 

Ellie was not a person who liked to be interrupted during her work, so she had to put on the best smile she could when she opened the door, and Joel was standing on the other side.

"Hello, Joel," she said a bit forcefully. "How are you?"

He raised an amused eyebrow and asked, "You're not a person who likes to be interrupted, are you?"

"Why would you say that?" Ellie questioned, leaning against the doorframe in what was supposed to be a relaxed position, but it came out more as uninterested instead.

"You're practically twitching, Ellie," Joel smirked. "You're not the only person like this, trust me."

She slumped off the doorframe and said, "Alright, yes. I don't like to be taken out of my work. Happy?"

He winked charmingly. 

"Perfectly."

His personality was so positive that she couldn't help but smile at his response. 

He literally was like a walking sun, spreading joy and warmth wherever he went. 

Ellie already liked him immensely.

"What's up?" she asked after a moment. "Do you need something?"

Joel shook his head. 

"I'm fine, thank you." 

He shifted on his foot and said, "I actually wanted you to come with me."

Ellie furrowed her brows. 

"Where?" she pressed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Emmy and Gerard are going to be performing a song for the movie, and I was curious to know if you'd like to go and see," he replied. "I know you want to work, but they're both insisting that you come."

Confused, she asked, "Why would they want me there? I'm not going to be doing anything useful."

"That's the point," he smiled. "All they want is for you to watch, Ellie. They think you'll like it."

Ellie bit her lip and contemplated her options. 

It was a nice offer, sure, but there were more important things that she could be doing, so she politely refused and said, "I appreciate it, Joel, but I belong here. I've already started a dress for Emmy, and I'd like to finish it by today."

Joel nodded, processing the information. 

Then, he said, "If that's what you would like, I'll leave you to it."

"Thank you," she replied, giving him a sad smile. "I'd love to come, but my duty is here. I can't fail Emmy and Gerard."

"I understand, dear," he said, but Ellie could see the disappointment crossing over his face ever so slightly. 

She felt bad, but she knew what she needed to do, not wanted to do. 

It was the whole reason Ellie signed up in the first place. 

Her heart lied with working hard to achieve her goal, and doing other activities outside of her work was just not an option for her.

With one last apology, she closed the door and grabbed her sewing kit, the guilt nagging her like a bug.