Listen to Your Heart

Chapter Two

*For all intents and purposes, I've taken liberties with significant others, etc, being at the VFF and the event itself.*

August, 2018

The premiere of the film in Venice had been nothing short of surreal. Two years in the making, to see the film on the big screen, to see the piece of art they'd created, fully formed and fully realized, had brought her to tears. She'd held Bradley's hand through most of it, extremely grateful he was by her side to anchor her.

He'd been her anchor from the second she had stepped out of the car. Red carpets, in any capacity, were far from her favorite thing. They were a necessary part of the entire cycle of fame, she understood that, had accepted it long ago, but they were daunting and especially now, since she couldn't hide behind crazy costumes and make-up, she felt totally exposed and out of her element.

I got you, Bradley had texted her earlier in response to the stream of conscious, panic-stricken message she had sent while Freddie was doing her hair. Just stay with me and I've got you.

It was those simple words that had calmed her. He seemed to know just what to say to put her at ease, to help her to breathe. It shouldn't have surprised her, not really. He'd done it the entirety of filming, allowing her the space to cry if she needed to, to get to where she needed to be with no pressure, only gentle encouragement. When he said "I got you", she knew that he meant it.

Bradley had kept her laughing on the ride over, cracking dumb jokes and making fun of himself. The distraction had worked and by the time they had arrived, the queasy feeling in her stomach had all but subsided.

"Thank you for coming with me. I hope your Mom and Irina weren't disappointed not to be in your car. We all could've come together."

"They both understood," he reassured her. "By the way, have I told you how beautiful you look?"

She smiled at the compliment. "You did, at the hotel, but I don't mind hearing it again. You clean up pretty well yourself, Cooper." She reached up to touch his cheek. "I miss the beard though. Probably even more than Jack's hair."

"Believe it or not, so do I." He grinned. "We're here. You ready?"

Instantly, some of the nausea from earlier returned and she shook her head, turning to him. "I'm a little nervous."

Anyone else, she imagined, would probably scoff at the thought of Lady Gaga, who had done endless red-carpet events and given countless interviews and performed in front of thousands of people at a time, nervous about a premiere. But Bradley nodded and gave her shoulder a light squeeze.

"I know. Like I said though, I got you. All you have to do is trust me."

"Where have I heard that before?" She teased but again, his words steadied her, and she squared her jaw. "Okay. Let's do this."

Bradley got out of the car, coming around to open her door and maneuvered her dress so that it wouldn't catch. She'd felt like Cinderella in her pink Valentino gown, despite its impracticality (and really, when had she become concerned about practicality when it came to her fashion choices) and he immediately took her hand as they walked. Just like that, she was Lady Gaga and she held her head high, smiling demurely as flashbulbs burst into the air like fireworks around them.

The film itself was stunning. Bradley had truly created a masterpiece. She'd fully expected to go into watching very critical of herself, questioning choices she had made or hating the sharp angles of her face, as she often did when she saw herself on screen.

But it wasn't her. Who she saw, projected on the screen before her eyes, was Ally. It was easy to become swept up in Ally and Jackson's love story, easy to become instantly enamored by how much they adored each other, and Stefani recognized, much of what was reading on film was a direct result of their real-life connection.