Overjoyed

Chapter 28 - Moments of defeat

It was Thursday afternoon and a beautifully naked Dan was looking up at me, his head resting on my breasts. We had wasted no time; as soon as Dan walked through the door I had dragged him to my bedroom.

I ran my fingers through his hair as he gazed up at me, looking so innocent that I melted. “So you took off work eh?” he said, shattering the blissful silence. I had been dreading this topic. “Not exactly. I got fired” I mumbled. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?” Dan asked, looking a little wounded. “It’s not exactly something you discuss over the phone” I said, grimacing. “Why not?” he asked, unknowingly pouting and making me giggle. “What?” he asked. I sighed, knowing I’d have to recount the less than pleasant events that lead to my being relieved of my position at the Shortland Chronicle. “Remember I told you about David Rancid? Well he came on to me, seriously this time, and I slapped him” I said. Dan’s head shot up and he looked me in the face, “What did that bastard do to you, Eliza?” he asked, his cheeks flushed with anger.

I told Dan every revolting detail and by the time I was done his eyes were ablaze like I had never seen before. “At least you’re shod of that miserable fucker” he mumbled. “Well you can’t blame him for thinking what he does about me” I admitted, “those pictures certainly don’t prove him wrong.” Dan took my hands in his and whispered, “But we’re together. I mean I’m not exactly the kind of guy you’d associate with picking up a beautiful woman like you at random.” I sighed, “You’re famous, Dan. People will assume I’m just an easy lay who wanted her fifteen minutes of fame” I said. “Lize, I’m hardly what you’d consider famous. Sure people quite like our music, but that’s where it ends” he shrugged. I was in awe. This man was genuinely unaware that he was a celebrity. “You’re a hot musician caught steamily making out with an ordinary girl in a club. You make the connotation” I said. “You’re so far from ordinary baby” he said, tracing circles around my belly button. “Dan, I don’t want to live my life so publicly. It’s just not me” I said sadly. “It’s not me either. I was fucking terrified the first time I went on stage and I’m a nervous freak every time I get interviewed, but I’m getting used to it. Our lives will still be ours Lize; we’ll just be a little out of our comfort zone sometimes” he said reassuringly. He was right. I needed to accept that being with him meant being in the limelight sometimes, and now that he’d told me how he felt, it all seemed worth it.