New Years Eve 2019
Bradley had been very tense the whole day. Every time someone mentioned the fireworks that evening he'd just smile awkwardly and fake all of his enthusiasm.
Bradley and I met a few months ago and instantly got along. I was working at my fathers restaurant that evening and he was hiding from a mop of women, trying to stalk and take pictures of and with him. When he asked to hide in the back room of the small family business my parents owned I, of course, said yes. He seemed stressed out and had told me that this had been the first time something like that had happened to him. Usually his fans were very respectful and reserved (or at least tried to be) but this time it was different. He didn't expect this many people there and also didn't bring security because nothing had happened so far.
He had made some phone calls, so someone would get him back home safely and killed the waiting time at the restaurant, snacking on some food I had offered him.
He wasn't someone I had been particularly interested in. I'd never been a fan. To be honest, I had missed the entire Bradley Cooper hype. The second I met him though, it all changed. The thing with Bradley was, that when you looked at him, it was like staring into a lighthouse. You just knew, he'd keep you safe somehow. It was weird, I had never felt like this around another person, none of my friends or ex lovers. It was a strange and different kind of feeling and as soon as I felt it, I wanted more.
And even now, that we became somewhat friends, I couldn't really find any remarkable flaws on him. He was always polite, always handsome, always present and there for me when I needed him.
I didn't know too much about him or his past, but I knew that he was close to his family. They were inseparable and they loved him as much as he loved them. I often found myself wishing I was that close to my own family.
"It's almost firework time!!" Mitch, one of Bradley's friends yelled from over the table, clinking his glass with someone else's.
To be fair, I hated fireworks. I didn't see the point of shooting loud bombs into the air for the sole pleasure of seeing sparkles up in the sky. It was loud, it smelled weird and wasn't good for the environment. It was also scary for pets. Totally unnecessary. Poor pets.
I looked over at Bradley who excused himself from the table to walk out onto the restaurants balcony. I waited a few minutes but followed him when he didn't come back.
When I opened the doors to the balcony and stepped out I could hear the voices getting muffled and quiet as soon as the large doors shut behind me. It was a bit chilly that night and I saw the goosebumps appear on my skin. I hugged myself and gently rubbed my skin to keep myself warmer. I looked around to find Bradley who leaned against the side of the building, his head low and his arms also crossed in front of his chest.
"You okay?" I asked him when I pressed my back against the wall next to him myself, nudging his side a bit.
He seemed startled and looked up at me, shrugging his shoulders. I had never seen him this upset and spaced out before. He stared out into the night sky, before looking back at me, as if he wanted to say something but before he could get a word out we were interrupted by the loud sounds of fireworks exploding in the sky right in front of us.
I looked at them for a split second and then I looked at Bradley, right when his hands shot up to cover his ears. He seemed stiff and looked down at the floor, his pointer fingers both pressing into his ears to cover the sounds of the fireworks completely. I saw him shaking and without a second thought opened a door, right next to us. I grabbed him by his arm and pushed both of us inside, drowning the sounds from outside out by closing the door.
Bradley looked up when I turned the lights on and released the tight pressure on his ears, still leaving his hands up to cover parts of them. He cleared his throat and I could see him blush, even in the dimmed lights.
"B, why didn't you tell anyone that you're scared of fireworks?" I asked, smiling at him, trying to cheer him up and make him feel safer.
He twitched every time a louder sound would make its way into the small room. "It's stupid." He said, groaning in embarrassment.
I shook my head and giggled. "It's not, we're all scared of something."
"Yeah, but I should be out there celebrating with all of our friends on New Years Eve, yet here I am, hiding from these damn fireworks." He scoffed, clearly disappointed in himself.
I gently reached out for his hand and took it in mine, rubbing his palm with my thumb. "You've got nothing to be ashamed of, Bradley. Wanna know what I'm afraid of?" I asked, looking at him. His face lit up with interest and he nodded lightly.
"Plastic slides." I said.
Bradley raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Plastic slides? Why?"
I giggled. "Okay, so when I was like 6 or 7, my parents left me at one of these kiddie world things at IKEA. And I was so excited because I'd begged my parents to let me go before and they said no but this time I was allowed to go there. And they have this huge, colorful plastic slide all the kids were having fun with and at the bottom of the slide you'd land in a pool full of plastic balls. It looked super cool. Anyway, I went on the slide because why wouldn't I? And when I was through and came out, my hair was stuck into all possible directions and for the next ten minutes nobody could touch me and I couldn't touch anything either without getting a huge electric shock. I started crying and my parents had to pick me up because I would scream hysterically every time someone tried to come near me. I can't go near a plastic slide until this day. Heck, anything made from the same material scares the shit out of me."
Bradley smiled and then let out a huge sigh. "When I was ten my friend and I were messing around with fireworks in our backyard because we wanted to be tough and cool guys. It all went well and we had tons of fun until one of the fireworks shot into our direction because of the wind. It hit my friends arm and exploded. I remember the smell of it and how loud the explosion was. He still has burn marks on his arm to this day. It was pretty traumatic." Bradley shrugged, hugging himself at the memory.
"I'd be scared shitless too if I was you. That must've been so scary to see at ten years old." I said, shuddering at the mere thought of what he must've felt like.
"I know I shouldn't be scared of it anymore, I'm a grown up and the chances of it happening again are very slim, but I can't help it." He said.
I smiled at him and then frowned. "Now my plastic slide story sounds lame." I laughed, Bradley soon joining in with me.
I listened to the sounds outside, realizing that the fireworks had stopped, so I opened the door for us and stepped out into the cold air again. "You're safe, B. They're done with their firework celebration." I mocked and watched him walk out of the room as well.
I enjoyed the fresh air for a moment before turning back around to him. "We should head inside. They're probably worried about us." I said, reaching for the door handle. Bradley stopped me by grabbing my wrist, his hand slowly slipping into mine.
"Thank you." He said, looking into my eyes. His eyes sparkled in the candle lights and I got reminded of how beautiful he really was once again.
"For what?" I asked, looking down at our intertwined fingers and back up at his face.
"For following me here and telling me about your plastic slide phobia." He smirked. "I didn't think there could be a less rational fear than mine, but you beat me to it."
I gasped and playfully hit his arm. "Bradley Cooper! Stop being mean to me!" I laughed, watching him join in, his whole face lighting up.
"No, but seriously. Thank you. I barely heard the fireworks thanks to your distraction." He smiled.
I nodded. "Anytime." I smiled back before clearing my throat. "We should really head inside now."
Bradley bend down to place a soft kiss on my cheek before opening the door for us. I blushed and walked inside, spotting our group of friends at their table. Him and I joined them again, enjoying the rest of the evening.
HAPPY NEW YEARS EVE!!✨
The plastic slides phobia/fear is inspired by one of my fears 😂 I'm really freaking scared of that kind of material since I've experienced that and it's silly and kinda funny so I thought I'd throw that in here for a fun little insight into my own mind 😂😂 hope you liked it! What's a weird phobia/fear you have?? Pls tell me 😂🙏🏻