That Blue Gibson: Another Round

thirty-eight

"Gordon was called away to do an interview with someone that needs special attention and we were wondering if Rich here would be a suitable replacement."

A taller man with his arms crossed tightly over his chest stepped up and took a lingering look at Liz before unfolding and offering his hand. 

Dave slapped on his trademark 'nicest guy in rock' smile despite the bad vibe he was reading, "What's up, man? I'm Dave."

"Rich," he boomed, a sign he was trying to cover his nerves with an attitude. "Great to meet you finally."

"This is my wife, Elizabeth," Dave introduced her with an arm around her back, keeping it there as they shook hands and when Rich stepped back to give them room to sit. 

They went through the pre-interview process, rehashing his off-limits topics - William, his various ex-girlfriends and wives, Courtney and the entire Cobain family, and Sonic Highways - while a girl in a black apron slapped a layer of camera makeup on him and Liz.

"Any no-go's for you, Ms. Colbert?"

She seemed to consciously ignore the name flub and answered with, "Surrogacy and Jamie Alexander."

Just the name sent a sharp sting through Dave's chest. He wasn't expecting it, wasn't prepared to even hear that name, especially not on that trip. Hoping his face had remained neutral, he relaxed into the loveseat and stretched his arm across the back behind Liz, reminding himself to talk with her about it later.

Once Rich seemed satisfied, mics were handed out, the lights flared on and the camera was focused as Liz smiled timidly at Dave. They'd never done press together before, not in a formal, sit-down interview at least, and the notion was strangely exciting. He usually hated sitting through the same asinine questions, whether that be alone or with Taylor or with the full band, but this was something new and that in itself was rare at that point in his career. He knew she would find a way to make it fun, she had a way of making even the most mundane moments enjoyable.

The first few questions were the usual, 'How's the tour? How are you liking England? Where are you going after this? Where were you before this? What's your favorite city/festival/country to play in?' before Liz was even acknowledged, which irked Dave just a bit. Maybe this Rich guy was new to this style of interview, but it felt rude to completely disregard her for the first several minutes. 

She sat patiently, letting her mic rest in her lap as she listened and watched him work. Just having her there was calming and it took a great deal of resolve not to look over at her every few seconds while Rich droned on. 

"Your fans online and I'm sure elsewhere have been up in arms this week, right?"

"Have they?" His attention officially acquired, Dave glanced up at Gus in the corner of the room, watching him slowly setting down his paperwork while listening intently.

"They've been saying that Elizabeth here is-" 

The moment those words left Rich's mouth, Dave felt his blood seize in his veins. He didn't even need to finish the sentence for him to suddenly know what was being said about her...

"...-the next Yoko Ono."

"Mmmm...," Dave screwed up his face in an attempt to hide the absolute rage he was feeling at that moment, "I'm not so sure about that."

"I can see that."

Liz's soft reply made his head snap to the side to find her thoughtfully watching Rich. 

"You do?"

Nice, Rich, Dave thought, Throw her under the bus and then act like a fucking coward. He pulled his arm from behind her to lean forward on his knees, subconsciously blocking her from anything else Rich had to fling at her.