looks like we made it;
❛ LONG STORY SHORT ❜
❝ you look at me whenever his arm is around you ❞
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ELLIE: We were everywhere. We were on radio shows, opening for television shows, and doing all kinds of interviews. Our fan base grew and tickets were selling faster than ever.
The tension between me and Daisy was still high despite how successful we got simply for working together.
GRAHAM: It was ridiculous. They talked through me because they refused to speak directly to each other. Ellie would tell me to tell Daisy to do something or it would be the other way around. They only really interacted on stage.
ROD: By Christmas, they had the number three song in the country, the number nine song in the country, and the number four song in the country. So it goes... was second and Dress was eighth. We booked them on Bandstand, Midnight Special. There were rumors about Saturday Night Live. All the shows were selling out, and new dates were being added all the time. It was every band's dream come true.
ELLIE: (Huffs out a laugh) This is going to sound very middle school, but the first time I realized that I didn't see Eddie as just a friend was when a fan randomly kissed him in front of our bus. There was a crowd surrounding us and I was signing some records, pictures, and shirts. When I turned around to see where he was, I saw him kissing a pretty girl from the crowd.
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Warren stared at Nicky with a fascinated look on his face. He blinked, in a daze, and asked, "So, your face is like on money and shit?"
"No, no, no, no." He shook his head and Ellie forced herself not to roll her eyes at the arrogance in his voice.
Eddie narrowed his eyes at him. "So, you're not really a prince?"
"It's complicated."
That time, Ellie actually scoffed. She lifted her head from Eddie's shoulder to give the so-called prince an accusing look. "Not really. Are you a real prince or a con artist?"
Nicky did not have a chance to answer her question because Graham was quickly jumping into the conversation with a question of his own. "Do you have land or power?"
"Yeah, land!" Warren pointed at Graham and turned to Nicky. "Do you have a job?"
"I'm a student of life."
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ELLIE: He was so full of shit.
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Eddie and Warren mocked his statement and Ellie snorted. She leaned back against Eddie, who casually wrapped one of his arms around her. They were always physical over the years. Physical touch was their love language so that was how they showed each other that they cared. It never came to Ellie's mind that it could mean anything more until then.
Daisy leaned into the room to pull her husband to his feet. She rolled her eyes at their mocking and told them to fuck off. The redhead looked at Ellie, who seemed to be in her little world while giggling at Warren and Eddie's jokes. She swallowed down her jealousy and pulled Nicky out of the room.
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DAISY: I hated when she acted like she didn't care. I wanted her to look at me and see how happier I was with him even though I was aware of the fact that my marriage was just an act. It was a poor attempt for me to move on from whatever relationship I had with Ella.
I was the toxic one. I never realized that. I pushed my relationship in her face any chance I had and then got mad at her for not being a raging bitch about it. Then, I got jealous of her trying to move on like she thought that I had.
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They threw Invisible String into the setlist like Daisy demanded the week before the tour started. Ellie only allowed it under the condition that it would only be her and Eddie up on the stage. She could tell that Daisy was furious about the suggestion but after everyone claimed that it was a great idea, she was forced to stay quiet. She would be singing and he would be playing. It was one of her favorite parts of each night.
"Time, curious time. Gave me no compasses, give me no signs..."
Ellie's eyes connected with Eddie's and she gave him a little smile. He responded with a subtle wink and she looked back toward the crowd.
"Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think all along there was some invisible string tying you to me?"
Eddie stared at her like she hung all of the stars in the sky. He saw her like the Sun and needed her like oxygen. Seeing her on stage, singing a song she wrote herself and looking a him like that, made him a little weak in the knees.
"Hell was the journey but it brought me heaven..."
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ROD: It's one thing dealing with station attendants, but Daisy and Ellie? (Shakes his head and smiles) That was a whole other kettle of fish.
ELLIE: Daisy did this thing when she performed. She would get so passionate about the song. and don't get me wrong, it was something that I loved about her, but it was so hard to handle back then. I was trying to give us both space for the sake of the band and her marriage but she always made me feel things despite myself.
She would sing and move all over the stage but she would somehow always end up right in front of me with her face directly in front of mine. She would sing into my microphone and spin me around the stage, completely lost in both the music and the drugs.
BILLY: I don't know if Nicky saw the way his wife looked at my little sister or not. I know that if I was in his place, I would not be so trusting.
DAISY: (Rolls her eyes) Of course the cheating hypocrite would say that.
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"Ellie! Ellie!"
Interviewers all around the room were calling her name and Ellie had to admit that she was a little overwhelmed by the number of them. They were supposed to be asking questions directed to the entire band but they only cared about three things: Billy's abs, Daisy's boobs, and Ellie's body count.
"Who makes that coat, Daisy?" A man asked.
She shrugged. "I don't know."
"And your shoes?"
"What about your dress, Ellie?" A tall brunette asked.
Ellie narrowed her eyes and leaned into the microphone. "How is that relevant?"
"Yeah, why don't you ask Billy about that dumb-looking shirt he has on?" Daisy added and threw a half-hearted mocking look his way.
"More Fun to Miss Than to Be With." Another interview started. "Who is that about?"
"Ah, come on, man." Billy shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "They're just songs."
Ellie always had a theory about who that song was about. However, she always stayed quiet because she never had actual proof and she did not want to unintentionally get her brother in trouble with Camila. There always was a possibility that it was "just a song" but when Ellie saw the uncomfortable look on his face, she was not so sure about that.
"What about All Too Well and cowboy?" He looked at Ellie. "Is that about anyone specific?"
The magazine had a sort of game they adored. It was called "Who is Ellie Dunne's Man of the Week?" or "Which ex-boyfriend is that song about?". She would have found it amusing if it was not almost mocking and degrading. In reality, most of her published songs were about one woman, and almost all were published on Aurora.
"Like my brother said," Ellie gave them a tight-lipped smile. "A song can be just a song."
"No song is ever just a song." Daisy chimed in and gave her an intense challenging look from the other side of the table.
Eddie frowned and brought the microphone to his lips, "Are you guys going to ask us any questions?"
His question broke off the staring contest between the two women and made Ellie release a shaky breath. That interview was supposed to be about the music that the seven created with each other, not about who the main vocalists sleep with.
"What's going on between the two of you?"
Ellie's eyebrows furrowed. "Me and Eddie?"
"No."
"Yes."
She gaped at the multiple answers she received and did not get the chance to respond to either one of them before there was another question coming her way.
"Do you still think that Daisy is a privileged ungrateful princess?"
Ellie pursed her lips and stared at the woman in awkward silence. Daisy leaned forward and gave her a mocking smile along with a curious look.
"My opinion is not really relevant, is it?" Ellie simply said.
Billy cleared his throat. "Anyone else got a question?" He nodded when a man raised his hand. "Yes, sir."
"Why aren't you playing Look At Us Now on this tour?"
"Well, uh," He shuttered, "it's a great song but, uh, you know, we are a different band now. We have lots of great songs, so we just needed to make room for the new songs..."
"That's not the reason!" Daisy cut him off, making the interviewers start shooting out questions like a bunch of flesh-hungry sharks.
"Hot damn, look at the time!" Rod exclaimed before she could elaborate and start even more rumors about the band. "Sorry, folks. That's going to have to be it."
The Six got to their feet and slowly started to leave the room. Daisy practically shot out of her chair and bolted outside so Ellie quickly went after her.
"What the fuck was that, Daisy?" She yelled after the redhead who was walking down the empty hallway. "Do you just feed off of chaos? Is that it? Are you ever going to start thinking things through before you say them?"
Ellie fell into step with her but Daisy still refused to look at her. She was so red in the face that it looked strangely similar to her hair and she looked like she was ready to explode from anger. "Hopefully never. When are you going to stop being such a fake bitch, Ella?"
"Fake?" Ellie repeated loudly. "What the fuck did I do? Did you want me to tell everyone about us fucking and then you spill all of my secrets to a random journalist? Did you want me to tell them how much we actually hate each other? Did you want me to tell them that most of the songs that I wrote were about a woman who I thought I knew and who they think they know?"
"You act like you are so fucking innocent in all of this."
"The fans are convinced that they know you. They think that they relate to you on a spiritual level but nobody actually knows you." Ellie scoffed and looked her dead in the eye when she added, "Not even yourself and most definitely not Nicky." Daisy was staring at her with a blank look on her face, too shocked to even cut her off. Ellie let out a humorless laugh. "You think that everybody is believing the little show the two of you are putting on? You want me to believe that you are a happy little married couple who is just so in love with each other, huh?"
"I am happy!" Daisy yelled so loud that it echoed through the entire hallway. "And I am in love!" The look in her eye told Ellie everything that she had to know. She was trying to convince herself that she was in love with Nicky but could barely believe her own lies.
Ellie raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "Oh, you are?" By that point, she had Daisy pressed up against the wall while they were yelling at each other. "I know what you look like when you are in love with someone."
"You don't know shit." She shook her head, her firey hair falling into her eyes.
"I know that you look at me whenever his arm is around you." She let out a quiet chuckle and teased her, "Hell, I bet you even think about our night together when he is trying and failing to get you off."
Their noses were brushing against each other and they were chest to chest so she heard the exact second Daisy's breath got caught in her throat. She looked at her lips for a moment before pushing her off of her and storming away. Ellie stared after her with her mouth open in disbelief.
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GRAHAM: They almost tore each other's heads off while singing Out of the Woods that night. I thought that Ellie relapsed because of how insane she looked but it turned out she was just plain angry. Whatever happened between them after that interview...everyone was too afraid to even bring it up. Even Eddie.
ELLIE: Seeing Cami again after being apart from her for so long was like a breath of fresh air. She seemed to be just as relieved because she was worried about me and Billy being surrounded by drugs and alcohol for so long.
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Ellie squealed in excitement when she laid eyes on Camila. She dropped her cigarette into the ashtray and bolted toward her. She almost lost balance in her high heels but Camila swiftly caught her by wrapping her arms around her in a hug.
"You're here!" She exclaimed in disbelief.
Camila rubbed her back and squeezed her tighter. "I'm here!"
Daisy entered the room beside Nicky to see the two women embracing each other as if they had been apart for centuries. Camila pulled away from her best friend and offered Daisy a big grin, "Hi!"
"Hi." Daisy awkwardly greeted the older woman and allowed her to give her a short hug. "Only you could get Billy to a party." Camila and Billy shared an awkward look. The latter avoided his wife's confused stare and looked down wordlessly. Daisy tried to ease the tension that she unintentionally created and gestured toward Nicky. "You remember Nicky?"
"Yes, hi, Nicky." Camila smiled and gave him a short and friendly hug.
Ellie drowned out the sound of their short and polite conversation and was brought back by Camila wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leaning her head against hers. "Guys, I really missed you. I really have." She accepted Nicky's drink and thanked him before subtly taking the drink that he brought for Billy as well. The couple shared small smiles and Camila turned to look around the group. "So, start from the top. What have I missed?"
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Ellie was dancing with Camila and Karen when she saw Eddie slip through the crowd like a ghost and go to the balcony. It was at that moment that she realized that she had not seen him the entire night. At first, she thought that he was with a date but he was all alone.
"I'm going to get some fresh air." She smiled at the two women, who nodded so she headed toward the balcony.
Eddie sighed at the sight of her flowy black dress coming through the doorway. Ellie peeked through the doorway and smiled when her eyes fell on him. "Hey, Eds. Where have you been hiding the entire night?"
Her hair was slowly getting curly because she had been dancing the entire night and got too hot due to all of the people inside. She always knew that the amount of time she would spend straightening her hair before a party or a show would always be in vain but she still felt prettier with straight hair.
"I like your natural curls." Eddie simply said, not answering her question. He gave her a drunk smile and twirled one of her bleached curls around his index finger. "You should stop straightening them."
Her cheeks turned red underneath all of her makeup and she let out a nervous chuckle while looking at the ground. "Thanks."
"I have one question."
Ellie tilted her head curiously. "What is it?"
"Do I have a chance?" He asked her, the tone of his voice making it obvious that he was a little tipsy. He probably would not be asking those questions if he was sober.
"What?" Ellie was breathless, the question completely catching her off guard.
"If Camila or Daisy were not in the picture?" Eddie clarified. Her breath hitched when he slowly moved his hand up in order to give her time to take a step back and cupped her cheek. He softly brushed his thumb along her cheek, "Would I have a chance?"
Ellie placed her hand on top of his and squeezed it. She slowly pulled it off and placed a kiss in the middle of his palm, leaving a stain with her red lipstick on the skin there. "How about you ask me that when you are sober, okay?"
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EDDIE: I was drunk enough for her to want to be careful just in case I wasn't thinking straight but sober enough to remember everything that I did the entire night. (Smiles sheepishly) I followed her around like an idiot until we went to sleep.
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Ellie was getting second-hand embarrassment when she was staring at Nicky. He was talking about the time he met Daisy for the first time with so much passion that it almost made Ellie believe that the two of them had an epic love that was only found in the books. But Daisy was barely listening. In fact, she was too busy watching Ellie and the way she and Eddie were cuddled up together on the couch. He had his arm around her and was playing with her hair while she was smoking a cigarette and leaning against his chest.
Nicky told them an Italian quote and then translated it into English. "You're my twin soul."
If Ellie was any meaner, she would have laughed in Daisy's face when she looked at her with sadness in her eyes.
"And then we smacked into the water and I thought we were dead," Nicky added. Ellie laughed not because she was listening to the story, but just because of how oblivious he was to the emotional cheating (if Ellie could even call it that) that was happening right in front of him. "Which was, you know, a little bit less romantic."
He let out a laugh at his own joke but it sounded pitiful. For a moment, Ellie thought that he was not as clueless as she thought he was.