A Chance Meeting | Chris Evans

Chapter 101

A/N: This was turning out to be a reeaalllyy long chapter, so I've had to split it. The other half should be up soon.
*****

8.52pm
'Hey.' Viv called from the kitchen as Becca dragged herself through the front door. 'You're late back.'
'The refit's going so slow!' Becca grumbled. 'Did you have pizza?' She asked with a sniff.
'There's some for you in the fridge.'
'I love you, Viv.' Becca said, grabbing the pizza box. 'I'm starving.'
'What've you been up to today?' She asked Viv after she'd taken a few bites.
'Me and Ella went into Boston to do some shopping. I found some fabulous things - I'll show them to you later.' Viv said. 'How was your day?'
'It sucked - I'm knackered, my back aches, I'm all dusty and I've got a thumping headache.' Becca moaned, flopping down onto a chair.
Plus she'd been brooding all day about the articles and that conversation with Vanessa.
'But that's not the worst of it.' She continued.
'What then?'
'Someone snapped a picture of me and Chris out last night and I think it's on every gossip site on the planet!'
'What?!' Viv shrieked.
'It could be worse - they didn't get my face, so no one knows it was me. But everywhere is all 'Chris Evans spotted with mystery woman' and that's the more ethical ones - the worst ones have practically got us engaged already!'
'Oh my God, Becca!'
'Yeah.'
'Let me see.' Viv started tapping away on her phone.
'Try the Daily Mail website.' Becca said. 'That one's horrendous.'
'Oh no, Becca.' Viv said consolingly once she'd read the article. 'How are you feeling?'
'Mortified.' Becca said emphatically. 'I mean, you saw it! Other than where we ate and the fact that we were with Carly and Scotty, the rest was total bullshit! They just made stuff up!'
'I mean, their so-called 'witness' who said that we were making googly eyes at each other all night. And then saying that Chris was 'totally smitten'! God, it's going to be so embarrassing next time I see him. How are they allowed to just make stuff up about people?'
'I'm sorry honey. You know what'll make you feel better? A cocktail.' Viv suggested. 'I bought some creme de cacao the other day and I've been dying to try it out - why don't I make us a chocolate martini?'
Becca smiled. 'Thanks Viv, that'd be great.'

'Oh, that tastes amazing!' Becca said a few minutes later, sipping the drink. 'Thanks, this is just what I needed.'
'You're welcome. So, what'd Chris say about the articles? Have you spoken to him yet?'
'He totally freaked out.' Becca said without thinking.
Shit! Shouldn't have said that!
Until now she'd avoided mentioning Chris's anxiety issues to Viv and Ella - it had kind of felt like she'd be betraying a confidence.
'What?!' Viv raised her voice. 'Because the articles made it sound like you two were really serious?'
'Sssh, headache.' Becca winced.
'God, what is it with guys? They're so keen to start with, but as soon as someone mentions any kind of commitment or getting serious, they freak out and they can't get out of there quick enough!' Viv said, outraged.
'Over-identify much there, Viv?' Becca said, raising her eyebrows. 'That wasn't why he freaked out - I think he was more worried that I'd be upset by it.'
'Yeah, sorry, I guess I'm still a little sensitive...'
Becca snorted. 'You think?' She joked.
'But he was worried about your reaction? That's really sweet.' Viv said.
Not sure I'd call twelve missed calls and seven text messages 'sweet'.
A bit much, possibly.
'That's not really sweet?' Viv asked, noticing her silence.
Not really.
'Oh, it's probably nothing, just ignore me.' Becca said. 'I'm just in a bad mood.'

'I'd better phone Chris in a minute.' Becca said, after the first chocolate martini turned into two. 'I promised that I'd get in touch when I got home.'
'You two sure do call each other a lot.'
'Yeah well, I'd rather avoid it tonight if I'm honest - I'm still kind of mortified about those articles and I really don't want to discuss it with him again. Maybe in fifty or sixty years when the embarrassment has gone down.' Becca joked.
Viv laughed. 'Just blow him off then.'
'Oh, I can't do that.'
I don't want to risk setting him off again.
'Sure you can - just make an excuse tomorrow that you got in really late or you had a headache.' Viv suggested.
'I have got a headache.'
'Well there you go, perfect excuse.'
'No.' Becca said with a sigh. 'I've got to.'
'You've 'got' to?' Viv echoed with a frown. 'You haven't got to do anything.'
'No, it's just I said that I'd call, and if I don't he might get upset.'
Viv gave her a look.
'He worries about me.' She tried to explain.
Well actually, he worries about everything.
Viv looked at her seriously. 'Becca? Look, don't get mad, but I have to ask...'
'What?'
'Umm...you and Chris, he's not...controlling, is he?'
'Controlling? No of course not.' Becca said in surprise.
'It's just, this relationship that you guys have, it seems pretty intense - he's always calling you or turning up and now you've 'got' to call him to tell him you're home even though you don't want to. That's kind of a red flag.' Viv said. 'It's just, when I was with Martin-'
'The asshole.' Becca interrupted.
'Yes, indeed. Well, he was very controlling - where I went, who I saw, what I wore. But I didn't see it at the time because he always made it sound like he did it because he loved me.'
Ah, yes, I suppose I can see why she got the wrong idea. Maybe I should just tell her the truth.
Becca smiled at her. 'I can see why you'd think that, but I promise you he's not at all controlling. He's very sweet.'
Viv didn't look convinced.
'Look, the truth is...' She hesitated.
It's not like it's a secret - he said that he's talked about it before in interviews.
'The truth is...all the calls and messages and the dropping round, he's not being controlling...he's anxious.' Becca said.
'Well, maybe he just makes it seem that way to-'
'No, he really does suffer from anxiety - he's got an anxiety disorder. He gets panic attacks and everything.'
'Really?'
'Yes. And the smallest things can set him off and make him totally freak out, stuff that we'd just brush off. Like, if I were to say to you that I'd get in touch when I get home and then I didn't, you'd just assume that I forgot or got in really late or something, right?'
'Yeah.' Viv said.
'Well Chris would probably be thinking something like 'is she mad at me?' - that one seems to happen a lot, or 'has something bad happened to her?' And then he'd just end up spiralling and panicking, and by midnight he'd either be phoning the hospitals or banging on my door to make sure I'm not dead or angry with him.'
Bloody hell, it sounds bad when you say it like that!
Viv gaped at her. 'He's really that bad?'
'Sometimes.' Becca admitted. 'And then sometimes he's fine.'
'God. So, earlier when you said he freaked out over the articles...'
'I think he probably had an episode.' Becca admitted. 'In fact I know he did.'
She quickly explained what had happened.
'Twelve missed calls?' Viv repeated.
'Yeah, he couldn't get hold of me when the articles were published, and he started spiralling.'
'No kidding.'
'And it doesn't bother you? The anxiety I mean.' Viv asked after a minute.
'No, of course it doesn't bother me that he suffers from anxiety.' Becca said automatically.
Viv gave her a shrewd look.
'It doesn't!' Becca said. 'He can't help overreacting to things.'
'Well, I'm not sure I could be so cool about it.' Viv admitted. 'I'd be constantly worrying that something I said or did would set him off.'
'Yeah, well I have set him off a few times without realising it and I felt really bad afterwards. But it's just a case of reassuring him that I'm not mad, or I'm fine, or whatever else it is.'
Viv nodded her head in sympathy.
Becca sipped her drink for a minute or two, thoughts swirling around her head.
'I do worry though that...'
'What?'
'Well...he freaks out so much over the small things - how's he going to handle it when something big happens? Like if we have a huge row or I am really mad at him or something? Because at some point that's bound to happen.'
'You're worried what he'd do?'
'Not that exactly, just...oh, I don't know. It's just...it's a lot of responsibility for someone else's feelings.' Becca admitted.
'Maybe you should talk to him about it.'
Becca snorted. 'Yeah, that'll be an easy conversation.' She said sarcastically.
'But I guess everyone has their pros and cons, don't they? No one's perfect.' Becca said after a second, trying to get the conversation back onto more cheerful territory.
'True. And he is Chris Evans, which is a pretty big positive. So if his anxiety is the only downside, and it doesn't bother you too much, then I guess it's not so bad.' Viv pointed out.
'I thought that we weren't going to call him that anymore.'
'Sorry.' Viv said, getting up. 'Another chocolate martini?'
'Okay, but only one more or I won't be able to get up for work in the morning.'
She grabbed her phone to message Chris.