Crossing Boundaries [COMPLETE]

She's Never Out of Sight

After Chris left for New York, some of the nosy people that had gathered in their neighborhood had left, as well. There were still a few paparazzi lurking, though. But suffice to say, the streets weren't as crowded anymore.

For Chris, that was the whole point. He usually was a bad liar in real life but he had to really act because Tiffany's solitude depended on it. He was hounded by the paparazzi until he reached the safe gates of Logan. Yet when he landed at JFK, another set of paps would follow his every move.

All the questions thrown at him were the same. All dying to know whether the gossips were true. But to be honest, most of them did not care about the truth anyway. They were just waiting for him to lose his cool on cam. The world had yet to see Chris Evans be nasty with the paps. If that happened, it would be a win-win for them. Punching someone would cement his guilt and make him an even bigger target of publicity.

He breathed in, keeping Tiffany's words in mind. Promise that nothing bad would ever happen to you. Chris knew this included not getting into any sort of altercation. This was the only thing keeping him sane.

When he reached his hotel room, his entire posse was waiting. He wasn't exactly in the mood to deal with them at the moment. "I'm quite tired from the flight and the endless yacking of the paps so if you guys don't mind..."

"We're here for damage control, Chris," his publicist, Megan, cut him off.

Chris popped open the Chivas on the bar and poured himself a good amount. "There's no damage control that's gonna happen coz no damage has been done." He sat on the free couch and sipped the whiskey on hand.

"C'mon Chris! People are talking," his agent protested, his voice filled with annoyance.

"People have always been talking. Let them. There's no such thing as bad publicity, right?" Chris was determined to end the conversation.

"Alright," his publicist asserted. "Everyone out. You may rest because we'll have a huge day tomorrow."

The agent approached Megan. "You talk some sense into him."

"I'll take care of it." When she heard the door shut, she turned to Chris. She is his publicist, but for the long time that they had been working together, the two had already become good friends. "How important is she to you?"

Chris's eyes widened in shock.

"Chris, I know you're seeing someone. I don't care if she's married, divorced, widow or a prostitute from Boston. What I wanna know is how important she is to you," Megan wasn't lying to her talent.

"For the record, she's my oldest friend. Not just anyone I have met. And," Chris finished his drink before continuing, "I'm willing to give all this up for her." His reply was unbridled.

He had always mentioned about laying low when it comes to his career. But this was the only time Megan heard Chris talked about it with all sincerity.

He went for another round of Chivas, this time he offered a glass to his publicist. "You aren't talking about Tara, are you?" Megan inquired.

"Oh no," he waved his hand at her. "I made sure she won't be known to the public eye. But you have nothing to worry about now... We just decided it would be best to end everything." A lump started to form in Chris's throat.

"So there's no need to set you up for a pretend-relationship?" She was still thinking like a publicist should.

"I think I'm too old for that, Meg. Besides, I can handle whatever questions they'd throw at me."

Megan gulped the last of her glass's content before tapping Chris's shoulder. "If that's really your decision, then that's what we'll do." Before turning to leave the room she asked one last question. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you decide to end it?"

Chris shut his eyes, making an effort not to relive the entire conversation with Tiffany from a few hours ago. "She cares for me too much that she wouldn't want me to give this all up for her. And I love her too damn much to let her be torn down by the cruel world I live in."

*

Chris was preparing for the last press conference of his upcoming film and he had his entire team with him. His agent was not the least bit delighted when Megan supported Chris's choice to not push through with the damage control plan. He kept telling the actor to dodge all questions pertaining to the rumors.

"Relax, man. Isn't that what I have been doing ever since the rumor broke?"

One of the stylists motioned to change the watch Chris was wearing but he stopped her. "I'll use this for the rest of the promotion." He stared at the watch Tiffany had gifted him. With it, his thoughts sailed back to the words she had written for him. You've got me. I will always be here.

Tiffany may have chosen to let him go, but Chris felt certain that she did it out of love. And for now, that was enough for him to power through the entire day.

Before they were called to the stage, he received a text from Scott. She's watching, bro. She's mumbling 'don't be anxious.' I believe that's intended for you.

Chris somehow felt a jolt of credence upon reading Scott's message. He realized that even though they had an agreement to let each other go, she was never really going to be out of sight. 

He typed in a reply, requesting his brother to hold Tiffany's hand. Then, his name got announced by the host. He slid the phone in his pocket and walked towards the stage.

The press con went by rather smoothly. Members of the press had polite questions, revolving mostly on the film and the characters. Chris was thinking that his team may have something to do with the flow of the event.

However, just before the Q&A ended, a reporter had a bold question for Chris that everyone there, even the rest of the members of the press were shocked. "Is it true that your rumored married girlfriend is currently facing an administrative case, as well?"

Chris gripped the mic so tight, a faint crack could be heard. Everyone behind the scenes and on stage was quick to dismiss the question and tried to cut the event short.

But then, Chris's voice echoed throughout the room. "Although such question is crude, perhaps coming from an ill-bred entity, I'll answer it." His eyes darkened. His set of vertical lines between his brows manifested, too. "You have been told I was having an affair with a married friend from my hometown. Well here's the truth, I would never run off with someone who's in a happy married relationship. You may see me as flirty but I know my limitations. Second, all my female friends and acquaintances are good-natured people. Piece of advice, the next time you guys want to be called reporters, I suggest you research well to really know which are facts and which are baseless rumors."

Before he could even storm off, the host ended the press con in haste, and most of his co-stars walked off with him without saying a word to the panel. Chris ran straight to his dressing room. Megan was already waiting for him there. Before the rest of his team could reach them, Chris locked the door.

"Megs, I want you to hire a PI in Boston." There's a sense of urgency and outrage in his tone. "I want him to get all the information he can on Michael Philippe Covington."