The next morning, I woke up at the hotel with a sudden burst of energy. I decided to put it to use by getting ready quickly and running out the door in 10 minutes flat. My purse bounced wildly around my hip as I jumped into Kurt's limo, and I was completely breathless once I was seated.
He looked back at me and asked, "In a hurry, are we?"
I nodded and swallowed. "Always," I finally choked out, clutching my chest.
Kurt chuckled. "Do you need any medical assistance, miss?"
"No," I waved him off. "I'll be fine once I get to Pinewood Studios."
"Okay then," he responded. "Buckle up."
20 minutes later, I arrived and thanked Kurt for the ride, then hopped out and rushed to my station. A day in, and I was already looking like the other staff members running around in a tizzy. The pressure of the job came back, but I quickly shook it off and ignored it.
Nothing was going to stop-
I crashed into someone when I glanced away for one second, and I almost fell onto the ground before a pair of strong arms stood me back up. Embarrassed, I apologized profusely and brushed the person off without looking up, the only thing making me do so when I heard Gerard ask, "Are you alright?"
When I made eye contact with him, I saw that he was looking down at me with concern lining his handsome face. His arms were still firmly around my waist, and my cheeks immediately went red in response. I took a moment to find my words, and then I replied, "I'm fine. Sorry for running into you like an idiot."
He shook his head and said, "You're not an idiot, Ellie. It was just bad timing, and I don't blame you."
Something warm and fuzzy grew in my chest at his statement, but I regained composure and separated myself from his arms, even though it felt nice. "Thank you for understanding, Gerard," I said, feeling weird at saying his first name. "Anyway, I have to get to work. I'll see you around."
I speed-walked away and headed to my workstation, not looking back once. I eventually made it to the door after what felt like an eternity, and I closed it, slumping against it when no one was watching.
What're you doing, you moron?! I yelled to myself as I gripped my hair tightly. Get your act together and do your job. I took a few deep breaths, stood up, and pushed everything away so I could get started on my dress for Emmy.
It were almost as if I went on autopilot when I grabbed the materials and began to sew. My hands moved like a magician, and my eyes were fully concentrated on the project. Nothing could stop me once I was going.
After what felt like only a few minutes, the upper half of the dress was finished, and the bottom half was about to be worked on before I heard a knock on the door.
I snapped back into reality and accidentally poked one of my fingers with the needle I was using. Oh, come on, I groaned in thought. I was not a person who liked to be interrupted during my work, so I had to put on the best smile I could when I opened the door, and Joel was standing on the other side.
"Hello, Joel," I said a bit forcefully. "How are you?"
He raised an amused eyebrow and asked, "You're not a person who likes to be interrupted, are you?"
"Why would you say that?" I said, leaning against the doorframe in what was supposed to be a relaxed position, but it came out more as uninterested instead.
"You're practically twitching, Ellie," Joel smirked. "You're not the only person like this, trust me."
I slumped off the doorframe and said, "Alright, yes. I don't like to be taken out of my work. Happy?"
He winked charmingly. "Perfectly."
His personality was so positive that I couldn't help but smile at his response. He literally was like a walking sun, spreading joy and warmth wherever he went. I already liked him immensely.
"What's up?" I asked after a moment. "Do you need something?"
Joel shook his head. "I'm fine, thank you." He shifted on his foot and said, "I actually wanted you to come with me."
I furrowed my brows. "Where?" I pressed, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Emmy and Gerard are going to be performing a song for the movie, and I was curious to know if you'd like to go and see," he replied. "I know you want to work, but they're both insisting that you come."
Confused, I asked, "Why would they want me there? I'm not going to be doing anything useful."
"That's the point," he smiled. "All they want is for you to watch, Ellie. They think you'll like it."
I bit my lip and contemplated my options. It was a nice offer, sure, but there were more important things that I could be doing, so I refused politely and said, "I appreciate it, Joel, but I belong here. I've already started a dress for Emmy, and I'd like to finish it by today."
Joel nodded, processing the information. Then, he said, "If that's what you would like, I'll leave you to it."
"Thank you," I replied, giving him a sad smile. "I'd love to come, but my duty is here. I can't fail Emmy and Gerard."
"I understand, dear," he said, but I could see the disappointment crossing over his face ever so slightly. I felt bad, but I knew what I needed to do, not wanted to do. It's the whole reason I signed up in the first place. My heart lied with working hard to achieve my goal, and doing other activities outside of my work was just not an option for me.
With one last apology, I closed the door and grabbed my sewing kit, the guilt nagging me like a bug.