Chapter
33: Fantasy
“I can’t believe you’re leaving me!” Chance said as she and Darren walked down the street towards the condo.
“I’ll only be gone for two weeks, but I promise I’ll call every night,” he replied, softly kissing her forehead.
“Well, it was a great week that we spent together. We need to do that more often, and not just on special occasions,” she reminisced. They walked up the stairs and Chance took out her key to open the door. As she unlocked the lock and pushed the door open, she saw the disheveled mess on the floor. Clothing, pizza boxes, Chinese food, and assorted bags of chips lay around as if they had been thrown there months before. “DAN! I want an explanation!” Chance yelled immediately.
Dan and Shiri walked out of the spare room, Dan’s arms wrapped around Shiri’s neck as they smiled and giggled. Shiri’s hair was a tangled mess and the buttons of her shirt were done all wrong. Chance quickly caught on to their little secret, but didn’t say a word. She, too, smiled and nodded her head. Darren was still the only clueless one left in the room.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked.
“Nothing,” Shiri coyly replied. She turned to Dan and winked. “I gotta go. I’ll see you later.” Before heading out the door, she turned and kissed him, inhaling deeply and savoring the moment.
“Bye,” Dan said as he watched her walk out the door.
“I want details!” Chance squealed.
Darren sat down on the couch and began to ask, “Did you and her…?”
Dan nodded, an even wider smile appearing on his face.
“Danny got lucky!” Chance sang out. She gave him a high five before heading into her room.
~~~~~~~~~~
Chance walked onto the set of “Roswell” with a wide smile on her face and a stack of papers in her hands. Behind her, Dan slowly made his way across the parking lot on crutches. He still had a bit of recovering to do from the accident, but he was almost as good as new. His arm had healed enough to enable him to move around while his leg was still suspended in a brace.
For the last few weeks after Darren’s departure for Sydney, Chance and Dan had become inseparable. They both went everywhere together never leaving the other’s side. Even when Shiri was around, they all did things together, never excluding a member of the group. Chance was happy to have such great friends. It had been a long time since she could trust others to be there for her, and it was a refreshing feeling to be in the company of people those she knew would always be around.
As Chance reached the main trailer, Jason and Brendan stepped out, sunglasses clad and ready for the day’s scenes. She greeted them both happily with, “Hey guys!”
“Hi,” Brendan said, still moving towards the set where he’d be shooting his scenes with Majandra and Shiri that morning.
Jason, on the other hand, was less of a hurry. He stopped and turned towards her. “Hey, Chance. How’s it going?” he asked.
“It’s going great, actually. I brought Dan with me today. I didn’t want to leave him at home because it was such a beautiful day and he’s sick of staying alone for hours on end with no one to talk to,” she answered, turning to see if Dan was still following her on his crutches. He quickly came up beside her and rested his arm on her shoulder.
“You left me behind,” Dan said, oblivious to Jason.
“Dan, this is Jason Behr. Jason, my best friend, Daniel Jones,” Chance introduced the two stars. They shook hands and she continued. “So, what’s the schedule for today?”
“I think all the outdoor scenes are being shot this morning while all the indoor scenes are being shot later on in the afternoon,” Jason answered.
“What about me? Did you see my name anywhere?” she questioned.
“I think you’re doing some morning scenes at 11, then some afternoon scenes at 3 and 5,” he said, beginning to head off towards the set.
“Thanks J!” Chance yelled to him. He turned and waved to her as if to say ‘No problem.’
“So, what are we going to do today?” Dan asked as Chance slipped out from under his arm. He followed her towards the makeup trailer waiting for an answer.
“I’m going to sit around on my ass until my scenes are shot, and you’re going to sit with me. If we’re lucky, we’ll get to see some of the finished products. As for right now, I need to review my lines. I have some major stuff today that’s totally important to the plot, and I don’t wanna look like a fool when I’m filming,” Chance explained. She sat down in one of the lawn chairs outside the trailer and looked out towards the vast set.
Dan took a seat beside her and began to watch also. The scene with Shiri, Majandra, and Brendan was already being filmed in front of them. Dan almost seemed too interested in what he was watching. He leaned forward trying to catch some of the dialogue, but only ended up with the wind in his ears. He didn’t mind though, he was just happy watching Shiri do what she did best.
“This is so fascinating,” Dan said, not once taking his eyes off the three figures.
“I thought you’ve been through shooting videos before,” Chance replied.
“I have, but it’s really interesting watching from the sidelines instead of being in the scene,” he tried to explain. “You know what I mean?”
“Yeah, but I’ve kinda gotten used to the idea of just sitting back and relaxing when I’m not on the set. It was interesting the first day, but after a while, I’ve gotten bored.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever get bored watching her,” Dan spilled. Realizing what he just said, he blushed and looked away from the scene.
“You really like Shiri, don’t you?” Chance asked. She couldn’t get over the fact that her two best friends were falling in love.
“Yeah,” he bashfully replied.
“You know, I never really found out what happened between the two of you that day Daz and I came back from San Francisco.”
“Well, it was a weird week for us. While you guys were probably enjoying yourselves, Shiri and I were arguing. We had this stupid fight about trust and I got a little pensive about it because of what happened with you know who. She left for a few days, then came back wanting to apologize for everything. I can still remember it. The rain was poring down and she just stood at the door soaking wet staring at me with those beautiful brown eyes. It felt like an eternity passed us by before I took her hand and led her inside. She looked so beautiful standing in front of me that I just took the opportunity to do what I could to show her I was truly sorry. Then the next day, you and Daz showed up and it was over,” Dan explained.
“That totally reminds me of what happened when Daz came to see me at my grandparents’ place. It was almost exactly the same scenario, but my grandma answered the door because I was in a foul mood. Otherwise, it was all pretty much the same, except we didn’t end up in the sack until two and a half months later,” Chance replied. She suddenly realized something else. “Don’t you think you’re rushing into this relationship?”
“A little, but there’s something between Shiri and me that I can’t describe. We have something in common, but I don’t know what it is,” Dan said. He stopped talking and looked up to see Shiri heading in their direction.
“You said that same thing before and look where it got you,” Chance answered, but realized he wasn’t listening to her. She looked in the direction his attention had shifted to and saw Shiri standing in front of them.
“Hey guys,” she joyfully said. Shiri bent down and gave Dan a kiss. “I missed you,” she added, sitting down beside him in another lawn chair.
“I missed you too,” Dan replied, almost sounding like a child.
Chance turned away from them and thought, ‘God, I hope Darren and I don’t look this pathetic in public.’ It was then that she realized her phone was ringing. She pulled it out of her purse and said, “Talk to me.”
“Hey, love. What are you up to?” Darren replied from the other end, his voice sounding a little raspy.
“Daz! Wassup, sweetie?” Chance asked in return.
“Nothing. I just thought I’d call to tell you there’s a copy of the album on its way to the studio today. I need you to look over it and tell me what you think,” he said, then turned away from the phone to cough.
“Sure, I’ll do that. Just get that cough checked out. You sound awful,” she answered. “I don’t want you coming home sick as a dog.”
“Not until you promise me that you’ll look over the entire album and make sure there are no mistakes in the thank you section and the lyrics.”
“I promise. I gotta go. Everyone’s staring at me because I need to get on the set. I’ll talk to you later, hon. Bye,” Chance said before she hung up.
“Bye,” Darren replied.
Chance put her phone away and looked at Dan and Shiri as they stared back at her in wonderment. “What?” she asked innocently.
“What did Darren want?” Dan questioned.
“There’s a copy of the album arriving at the studio today!” Chance nearly screamed in excitement. She had never been so happy in her life. This was the first time she’d ever be seeing herself on the cover of a major album, and all she wanted to do was tell the whole world.
“Whoa, calm down. I think the director is giving you an evil look for breaking the almighty ‘quiet on the set’ rule,” Shiri whispered trying to not attract any unwanted attention to the little group.
“Sorry,” Chance replied, unable to contain her joy. She was ready to prance around the set when Jason and Brendan walked up to the group.
“What’s all the commotion about over here?” Brendan asked, his hands slipped in his back pockets.
“My copy of the album is coming in today,” Chance answered. She couldn’t hold back the smile that appeared on her face.
“Cool, I wanna listen to it,” Jason replied.
“I don’t have it yet, but I’ve got a feeling it’s coming here soon,” she said, looking past Jason and towards a tall main in a uniform coming towards the group. In his hands was an overstuffed yellow envelope. Jason made room for the guy to slip in and hand Chance the package.
“Ms. Chance Malone?” he said, his eyes darting between the five members of the group.
“That would be me,” she replied from her lawn chair. The guy handed her the envelope and left. Chance eagerly began to pull at the glued part of the package. As she took her time trying to rip it open, Majandra, Katherine, and Nick walked up to the group. Brendan began to get tired of waiting. He hated the suspense. Quickly swiping the envelope out of Chance’s hands, he ripped the top off and handed it back to her.
“Thanks,” Chance retorted. The reached inside and pulled out the precious cargo. As the CD slid out of the yellow envelope, a small piece of white paper fell out of it. Jason picked it up for her as she stared at the cover of the CD.
“Holy shit!” Nick said as he looked over Chance’s shoulder while she was unfolding the paper that fell out of the envelope. “That has to be the hottest thing I’ve seen besides an issue of Playboy.”
Indeed, the cover was quite candid. The picture that had been chosen was the one of Chance and Darren on the couch in the living room staring at each other. Chance held her breath as she waited for more comments from the rest of the group.
“Very nice,” Brendan added. “I’d just buy that album for the cover.” The smirk on his face was quickly erased when Majandra slapped the back of his head with her hand.
“Aren’t you a little young to be taking these kinds of pictures?” Katherine asked as she looked more closely at the cover.
“Yeah. Aren’t you afraid people will get the wrong idea?” Shiri further agreed.
“Come on, guys. You’re not supposed to be criticizing me. You should be congratulating me on a job well done,” Chance said defensively. She hated the fact that everyone was beginning to turn on her about this one picture. “It can’t be all that bad. Besides, it totally brings out the whole essence of the album, which is the passion behind the lyrics.”
“Maybe if we heard the songs we’d have some better judgment,” Jason reasoned. He headed towards the trailer as Chance flipped over the CD to see what tracks had made the final cut. As she quickly scanned the list of titles, she found that the last track was something surprising.
“Oh, my God!” Chance slowly said, her jaw dropping almost to the floor.
“What?” Dan asked. She handed him the CD and pointed to track 12. “Another Dream,” he read aloud for the rest of the group. “Wait, Chance, isn’t that your song?”
“He put my song on his album!” she screamed, prompting everyone on the set to drop everything they were doing and stare at her.
“Calm down, Chance. This is scaring the entire cast and crew,” Jason said as he placed his hands on Chance’s shoulders and began to massage them. He had already put the CD player on a nearby table.
“I’m so sorry. I’ve just never been this happy in my entire life. You have no idea what it feels like to get you most epic song appear on an album by an internationally known singer. Do you know how many people will actually hear this song once the CD comes out? So many that it’ll make your head spin,” Chance tried to explain the things that were running through her head at the moment. Her heart raced as she held the album in her hands. It was then that she realized she didn’t even know what its title was. She flipped it over and read the cover. ‘Darren Hayes and Chance Malone: The Jam Sessions.’
Chance began to laugh at the title. She knew exactly why he had picked it and didn’t blame him. The others looked at her as if she were crazy. She tried several times to stop and explain, but every single one only ended up in more laughter. Her heart filled with joy just reading everything over and over again. Chance opened the case and handed Jason the CD to put into the player. She was dying to hear how it had all turned out. As the first track began, she tuned out and started to read over the lyrics and thank yous in the jacket of the cover.
Before even getting anywhere with reading, she remembered the note that was still in her hand, unread and crumpled. She slowly unfolded it again and began to read.
Chance, I hope you like the CD. You probably saw the track list on the back, so you’re probably a bit surprised. I put your song on the CD because I know how much it means to you and how dedicated you were to the work. Also, if you haven’t checked out the thank you section, you’re really going to enjoy it. I’ll be home soon.
XOXO
Darren.
PS - I Love You.
Chance quickly opened the jacket again and flipped to the thank you section at the end. She started to read Darren’s.
‘First off, I’d like to that God. If it weren’t for Him, I wouldn’t be here. I’d also like to thank everyone who made this album possible…”
‘Yada, yada, yada,’ Chance thought as she skimmed through the rest of it. Her eyes stopped when she reached the “Special Thanks” at the end of his little section.
‘This was my favorite part to write for two reasons. The first reason is because it is dedicated to someone who I am totally in love with. The second reason is that she helped me record this album. So, Chance, this entire album is dedicated to you and as I sit here all alone without you crumpling up one piece of paper after another trying to find the right words to say, all I can come up with is I love you. I hope you feel the same way even though I know you do. Always and forever, you and me, together. All my love, Darren.’
Chance could feel her heart melt in her chest as she handed the cover to Shiri. Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she realized that her life was becoming so perfect. She didn’t know what else to do but let the tears run free and be happy.
As soon as Shiri was finished, she handed it to Majandra, then the rest of the group read the little thank you. By the time they had finished, the girls were sniffling, and the guys were about to start laughing. The only person out of the guys’ group that didn’t think it was funny was Daniel. He started up at Chance and smiled, knowing that Darren was right in what he had done.
For the rest of the day, Chance was on cloud nine. She had reached a mental state of perfect balance that nothing could have knocked her off her high. She easily passed through her scenes and was home early to clean up the condo and try to get things in order before Darren came home the next day. It wasn’t until she sat down and stared at the album cover again that Chance realized she didn’t have anything to say back to Darren in her thank you. She stood up quickly and took out a large legal pad of paper and a pen.
Chance stared up at the clock. It was nearing midnight. Dan was softly snoring on the couch as she began to scribble down random thoughts, ripping out and crumpling things she didn’t like or didn’t sound good. She didn’t know how long it had been since she had started, but when Chance looked up from her piled of crumpled papers, the sun was rising over the horizon. She was finally done with her little special section.
Slowly and quietly, Chance snuck into her room and turned on her laptop. Once it had booted, she typed up her short spiel and sent it to Rebecca with a special note about not telling Darren what she had written.
‘Finally, I can get some sleep,’ Chance thought when she turned off her laptop and chanced into her pajamas. She slipped into the covers under her bed and was soon fast asleep.