Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Marry You

Denise decided to wait outside Starbucks for Chris after she spotted two teenage girls taking photos of her. They thought they were being subtle but they were far from it, they were in fact as bad as the paparazzo across the road that she'd just spotted. She cussed under her breath and quickly dropped her head; the tension could be felt in her shoulders. As the flashes continued, she wished she'd brought along her Yankees cap. She never really understood Chris' obsession with caps until she started wearing caps herself, it offered a sense of security- like a safety blanket. Granted, it was a false sense of security- they were often still caught by fans and paparazzi. But nevertheless, it was still a sense of security they craved in uncomfortable situations like the one Denise was currently caught in. She had to admit she was fortunate because it was a paparazzo, not the paparazzi. She realized those freelancers were less invasive when they were alone, they were cowards who needed their crowd before they attacked.

Denise turned her back on the paparazzi then turned again when she spotted the two teenage girls who'd move to sit in the window. She sighed as she glanced at her phone to check the time. She didn't know where Chris' meeting was or how long he was going to take, she didn't know he was just down the road and moments away when a car beeped at her. She turned as Daniel rolled down his window, "do you need a ride somewhere?"

"Chris is coming to pick me up," Denise informed him. Her eyes scanned the proximity. She caught Chris' relentless fans as well as the paparazzo happily snapping photos of her and she felt like throwing up. "But he's not here yet and there are two girls in there and a paparazzo across the road and-" She huffed, knowing the trouble she'd be getting herself into if she got into another man's car. Even if Daniel was her professor, a man who was happily married with a baby; details were unimportant to the public when they wanted drama. "Is it possible for you to drop me off at school?" She asked anyway, unable to stand where she was a second longer. "I'll walk back to my old apartment from there."

"Sure," he nodded and she got into his car. It was like she could hear the rumors already, feel the hatred Chris' fans were going to feel, see the photos they'd taken of her break the internet. As soon as she and Chris got home, they were going to need to call Susan so she could do some damage control. "Text Chris, let him know you're with me before he finds out on Twitter." Denise clicked on her seatbelt, texting Chris as Daniel pulled away from the curb. "Bet you miss the days you could walk around without worrying about whose eyes are on you."

"Dearly," she nodded with a light laugh.

Denise was halfway through typing her text when Daniel beeped his horn and slammed on the brakes. Her body jerked against the belt across her chest and she looked up. She smiled when she saw her fiancé's car taking a park across the street, he got out as Denise did. He waited beside his car watching while she thanked her old professor for the help. Chris recognized Daniel even though he'd never met him in person, he'd just seen him a few times while picking Denise up from school. He waved at Daniel as his car drove off, raising a brow at his approaching fiancée.

"Two of your fans were in Starbucks taking photos of me, then outside there was a paparazzo also taking photos of me." She told him and he sighed. He was both guilty and empathetic towards the uncomfortable situation she was constantly placed in due to her being with him. "Professor Killian happened to be at Starbucks and he offered me a ride. I didn't know how long you were going to be, I'm sorry." He shook his head, assuring her it was a none issue then hugged her. "It didn't go well, Chris." She'd spent so much time trying to construct a story, one that would spare his feelings. But she realized there was no point, he was going to find out eventually. "I didn't even get past reception, they were all so mean." She mumbled into his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist to engulf herself in his warmth and comfort.