While Daniel was in New York worrying about Chance, Alexia was having the
time of her life in Australia with the credit card number she stole from him.
Her wild, uncontrollable urge to shop was overpowering her sense of logic. Yet,
she didn’t care. It was all just a game to her, and she wasn’t about to stop
playing.
Alexia’s shopping spree didn’t stop at the local mall, it carried on
as far as a car dealership where she bought the 2001 Lincoln Navigator with all
the accessories. She returned to Daniel’s apartment that night wondering what
the morning would bring and what kind of shopping she could do while Daniel was
gone. As she began to fall asleep on the comfortable couch, she heard the key
turning in the door. Alexia jumped up to see who it could possibly be.
“Dan!” she exclaimed seeing him walk through the door. “You’re
home early. What happened? Oh, no, don’t tell me she’s…”
“No, Chance is still alive, just in a coma,” Daniel replied as he
took a seat on the couch to ponder his next move.
“Why did you come back so early?” Alexia asked as she sat down beside
him.
“Darren became the complete asshole that I’ve come to know and love,
that’s what happened,” he answered, rubbing his temples to relieve some
stress.
“What has he done this time?”
“He shut out Colby.”
“Colby?”
“His ex-wife. And to think, she still loves him. I don’t understand
why Darren has to be so hostile towards her. She’s a wonderful person. So what
if she cheated on him? It’s not like he didn’t do the same to her.”
Alexia wrapped her arms around Daniel’s neck and hugged him for a long
time. “Don’t worry about them. They’ll figure it out someday. Right now,
you need to worry about me. I’ve missed you so much,” she said.
“I missed you too,” Daniel replied as he kissed her cheek.
“Okay, you’re really distracted about this. You know what you
need?” Alexia asked. “You need to get out tonight. I did some exploring and
I found the perfect restaurant where we can have a quiet dinner together.”
“Yeah, where?” he questioned.
“It’s called Armstrong’s, and from what I’ve heard, it’s only
the best of the best, very hard to get into. I’m lucky I got a table at
all,” she said, heading towards her room and closing the door behind her to
change into a new outfit she bought just for that occasion.
Daniel sat on the couch patiently waiting for her as she dressed. His
eyes wandered around the room to find a set of keys on the coffee table that
didn’t belong to him. He picked them up and studied them wondering how Alexia
could have gotten a car so quickly. As he stared at the keys in his hand, she
stepped out of the room in a black velvet dress, the back completely cut just
above her hip line. Daniel looked up at her and immediately dropped the keys.
His jaw dropped showing the surprise on his face.
“Do you like it?” Alexia nearly purred.
“You…you…you look…you look…great,” Daniel stuttered as he
tried to think of something to say and not feel stupid when he looked back on
it.
Alexia smiled as she twirled around in her dress. She loved it when
Daniel couldn’t find the right words to say. She thought it was adorable. The
more she found herself thinking about him, the worse she felt about the shopping
spree earlier that day. Her smile faded as she walked back into her room to do
her hair and makeup. Daniel walked in behind her to admire her beauty as she
slowly brushed her golden locks into position.
“Why do you look so sad?” he asked, seeing the sorrow in her eyes.
Alexia turned to him with a smile and said, “I’m not sad. I’m the
happiest girl in the world. I have the most wonderful boyfriend anyone could ask
for, and I’m just really happy about it.”
Daniel kissed her bear shoulder and replied, “I’m glad you’re
happy.”
“Could you get dressed now because if I have to wait for you, we’re
going to be late,” she responded, not wanting to feel sorry for herself and
what she was doing to him.
Daniel backed away with a wry look on his face. He was more than confused
about the way Alexia was acting, but decided not to question her at this time.
He sensed she was edgy and didn’t want to ruin the perfect evening she had
planned.
~~~~~~~~~~
“Dinner was wonderful,” Alexia said as she and Daniel walked out of
the restaurant, hand in hand, to the black limo waiting outside.
“I’m glad you liked it,” he replied, helping her into the car.
“What do you want to do now?” she asked.
“Drive around for a bit, if it’s all right with you,” he said,
leaning over and telling the driver where to take them in a whisper.
“Oh, a secret. Dan, where are we going?” Alexia questioned.
“You’ll see.” Daniel pulled her closer and kissed her. “You’re
going to be very surprised.”
Alexia gently rested her head on his chest to wait for the ride to be
over with. Her eyes began to feel heavy, and she slowly began to fall asleep as
Daniel brushed his fingers over her back. She shivered, not only from cold, but
also from anticipation. Before she knew it, the limo had stopped.
“Wake up,” Daniel whispered into her ear as he stroked her back
again.
“Where are we?” Alexia asked as she lifted her head off his warm
chest. She scanned the surroundings only to find darkness wherever she looked.
Daniel helped her out of the limo and led her down a long winding driveway. He
reached around and gently covered her eyes with his hands. “Dan! What are you
doing?”
“It’s a surprise. I don’t want you peeking beforehand,” he
replied. A few minutes later, Daniel uncovered her eyes and let her see what she
had been waiting for. Sitting in front of Alexia was the house she had fallen in
love with a few days earlier.
“Daniel…you didn’t, did you?” she whispered, her eyes becoming
wider the more she stared into the darkness.
“Yes, its ours,” he said taking her hand and leading her though the
door with his key.
Alexia turned around and kissed him before he had a chance to say
anything else. “Oh, Dan. I love you so much!” she cried, the tears falling
endlessly down her checks. She wrapped her arms around his neck not intending to
let go any time soon. “I can’t believe it. How did you get the house?”
“I got a little help from my broker. He’s working out the details,
but for the most part, the its ours,” Daniel replied as he led her through the
empty rooms. Alexia tried to turn on one of the light fixtures, but only ended
up turning on the radio. Luckily, a slow, peaceful song was beginning to play.
“I have a smile stretched from ear to ear to see you walking down the
road…” it began.
“Sarah McLachlan,” Daniel whispered into Alexia’s ear as he pulled
her close to his body. They began to dance in one of the empty rooms with only
the light of the moon above their heads. Alexia stared deeply into his green
eyes looking for that love she knew was there, and when she found it, she knew
it was something she’d never let go of. Her lips slowly closed in for a kiss
as Daniel leaned into her, his lips waiting for hers.
“Oh and every time I'm close to you there's too much I can't say…”
the song continued as their kiss became more passionate and lustful. Alexia
could feel the heat in the room skyrocket as Daniel gently undid the strap of
velvet that held the dress in place and let it slowly slide down her body.
Before anything else happened, she crossed her arms over her chest.
“Wait, give me your phone,” Alexia said. Daniel handed her his cell
and she quickly turned it off remembering all those times that they had been
interrupted by a single phone call.
“Smart,” Daniel replied. Before he knew it, Alexia had him pushed
against the wall, her fingers entwining with his as she kissed him as deeply as
she could. She pulled away suddenly and stared at him for a few minutes.
“I want to remember this forever,” Alexia whispered into his ear.
“You will,” he whispered back.
~~~~~~~~~~
Alexia woke up the next morning with Daniel’s arms around her bare
waist. She turned towards him and stared at his placid face while he slept. ‘I
love him,’ she thought to herself, a smile appearing on her face.
‘No you don’t,’ the overpowering voice in her head replied. ‘All
you want is his money, and so far you’ve got it.’
‘Shut up, bitch. I’ve had enough of you. This is it. I’m not
stealing from Dan anymore, and I’m not going to listen to your stupid
comments. Let me live my own life. I’ve had enough of your senseless
control,’ Alexia roared back at the voice, finally managing to shut it up for
the first time in her life.
‘Fine, but when he finds out about you, everything’s going down the
drain,” came the voice’s final warning before if vanished into her
subconscious.
Alexia found herself more alone that morning that she had ever felt
before. Her eyes stung with tears as she realized she was facing the hardest
time of her life. She didn’t know whether or not she’d be able to get
through it, but she’d have to try and see how far she got before Daniel found
out the truth. She slowly wiggled out of his grasp and found her dress lying on
the floor beside her. She put it on and walked to the window where she could see
the back yard and pool. Her eyes glistened as the sunlight reflected off her
tears as they dripped down her face.
‘Oh, Dan, I want to tell you so much,’ Alexia quietly thought as she
watched him from across the room, his body still spread out over the floor as he
slept.
Daniel slowly began to awaken with the sense that someone was watching
him. He rubbed his eyes to find that Alexia wasn’t at his side, but instead
staring at him from the window. Tears streamed down her face as she looked away
from him in agony and defeat.
“Alexia?” he asked, knowing something was very wrong. “Why are you
crying?” Daniel stood up and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around
her quivering body as she turned in his direction. Her head fell to his chest as
she began to cry harder.
“Because I’m a horrible person,” Alexia answered through her
muffled sobs.
“What are you talking about?” Daniel asked. “You’re the sweetest
person I’ve ever met.”
“If you knew my past, you’d think I was a horrible person also,”
she wept.
Daniel pulled her away from his chest and looked into her clear blue
eyes. In a soft voice he said, “What’s in the past is history. Forget about
it and move on. We still have the future ahead of us.”
Alexia forced herself to smile through her tears. She held onto Daniel
and hoped his arms would never release her. “I love you, Daniel. Please, never
leave me,” she whispered.
“I promise,” he replied, hugging her a little tighter.
~~~~~~~~~~
Two weeks passed since Daniel and Alexia bought the house. They had
already moved in most of their stuff by that time and were getting settled when
the first of many heart wrenching phone calls came from Darren. The first call
came that Friday morning as Daniel and Alexia were waking up.
“Hello?” Daniel answered as he sat up from the bed.
“I’m sorry,” were the first two words that came out of Darren’s
mouth when he heard his best friend. “You were right about Colby. She was a
really great friend that I lost because I was selfish and pig headed and
whatever you called me.”
“Wow, did Chance put you up to this?” Daniel asked remembering the
last time she had solved a fight by calling him up and threatening Darren that
if he didn’t apologize for what he had done, she’d hurt him.
“No, she’s still…you know. I don’t think she’s going to make it
through this. I miss her so much. Why did she have to do this to herself?
Couldn’t she see that there were so many people who cared for her? I
wish I hadn’t taken her out that afternoon. It was all my fault that she found
the bridge and decided to jump off of it,” Darren began to blame himself for
everything that happened.
“Daz, it’s not your fault,” Daniel tried to comfort as Alexia
turned to face him in the darkened room. She smiled and reached out to him.
“Dan, I know she’s going to die because of me. I just want to stop
thinking about this and go home, but there’s always something holding me back.
I’m always thinking that she’ll wake up someday, and that’s what keeps me
locked up in her room all day and night.”
“Look, Daz, you don’t have to come home. Stay with Chance and help
her through this. I know she’ll make it if you’re by her side all the
way.”
“Do you really think so or are you trying to get me off the phone in
order to be with Alexia?” Darren questioned, sensing that this was not a
welcomed phone call.
Daniel contemplated whether he should tell the truth or not. As he toyed
with each scenario, Alexia sat up and slowly scooted closer to him. “A little
bit of both,” he finally said. “Bye.”
“Okay, I can take the hint,” Darren replied as he hung up.
“Let me guess, Darren?” Alexia asked as she rested her head on
Daniel’s shoulder.
“Yeah, he’s really worried about Chance. Now I’m pissed that he
brought her up because I’m only going to end up thinking about her for the
rest of the day,” he said.
“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. Just have some faith,”
she answered back softly. He kissed her cheek and stood up to walk into the
bathroom. The phone rang again and Alexia picked it up this time.
“Hello?”
“Who’s this?” a man asked.
“Alexia, who’s this?” she replied.
“Darren, could I speak to Dan for a few moments?”
“Yeah, hold on.” Alexia rested the phone on her shoulder and yelled,
“Dan! Pick up the phone!”
“Who is it?” Daniel asked from the bathroom.
“It’s Darren, again,” she said, standing up and walking to the
bathroom, phone in hand. Daniel opened the door a crack and she handed it to
him. Alexia left before he could thank her.
“What now?” he questioned Darren.
“Where are you?” Darren asked. “I tried your home number and it was
disconnected.”
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. I bought a new place near your apartment.”
“Really? That’s odd. All the homes around there are in the millions.
Wait, Dan, did you buy that mansion that was on sale down the street?”
“Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. It really didn’t cost me much
because Alexia and I decided to split the cost 50/50. Great deal, huh?”
“Are you nuts!” Darren yelled from the other end. “Do you even know
if she’s going to pay her half? How can you trust her with think kind of
money?”
“Darren, let me explain something to you. I love her and I trust her
and I think I want to marry her,” Daniel replied as he thought about Alexia in
ways he never knew. He sat down on the toilet seat and began to wonder why he
had said what he had said. Was he ready to pop the question? He didn’t know.
All he knew was that his feelings for her were undeniable. There was nothing in
the world Daniel wouldn’t do for the kind of love he had with Alexia.
Darren was silent for over five minutes before he finally spoke. “You
trust her as much as I trust Chance,” he said. “That’s quite a lot when
you think about all the shit we’ve been through. I hope you know what you’re
getting yourself into.”
“I have no idea what I’m getting myself into. All I know is that it
feels right. Have you ever felt this way about something?” Daniel questioned.
“Many times. That’s probably why my career is soaring and why I have
Chance,” Darren answered. “I’d better leave you alone to think. You have a
lot to do now that you’ve taken a step into the wildest path you will ever
know. I hope it’s not as bumpy as mine was. Later.” He hung up the phone
before Daniel cold start asking more questions.
‘Where’s a magic eight ball when you need one?’ Daniel asked
himself before he moved onto the more difficult stuff he had to tackle that day.
~~~~~~~~~~
Another two weeks passed before Daniel finally made his decision. He was
ready to marry Alexia. There were no doubts in his mind. The more they got to
know each other, the more he loved her. It was that Saturday at Alexia’s 27th
birthday party that Daniel would finally pop the question.
Alexia, on the other hand, was clueless as to what Daniel was doing. The
more she got to know him, the more she felt sorry for herself and sorry for him
that he loved such a phony. She couldn’t believe she had dragged herself into
such a mess. Everything was going wrong, and falling in love with him seem the
worst she could possibly do in her life.
‘What was I thinking?’ Alexia asked herself as she sat on the back
porch and stared into the back yard that Friday night before the party.
Everything was so calm and peaceful. Could she wreck everything her heart had
dreamed of for something her mind wanted. ‘No! I refuse to let this damn thing
run my life. I make my decisions.’
The phone rang and she jumped off her chair. Alexia wasn’t expecting
any phone calls and neither was Daniel. “Hello?” she answered slowly.
“Alexia, right?” came a familiar voice from the other end.
“Darren, hi. Let me guess, you need to talk to Dan,” Alexia
speculated.
“Actually, you’ll do if he’s not around. Could you tell him I’m
coming home tomorrow?” Darren replied.
“You’re coming home?”
“Yeah. I need a break from all of this,” he said. “Just tell him my
flight’s coming in at twelve tomorrow afternoon and I need to be picked up.”
“Sure, I’ll tell him,” Alexia answered. “Have a safe trip.”
“Thanks.” Darren hung up and Alexia was left alone again. She waited
a few minutes before she stood up and walked into the house to find Daniel.
“Honey!” she called out.
“Yeah?” Daniel answered in a distant voice.
“Where are you?”
“I’m in here.” He stepped out of the den to find her wandering the
hall looking for him. “Who was on the phone?”
“Darren. He told me to tell you he’s coming home tomorrow and he
needs you to pick him up from the airport,” Alexia said as began to walk away.
“He’s coming home? Why?” Daniel asked.
“He said he needs a break. I think he means from Chance.”
“What time?”
“Noon.”
24 hours later…
Darren arrived in Sydney that afternoon wearing his usual disguise, the
baseball hat and sunglasses. Daniel was waiting for him at the gate with Alexia.
“Hey, Daz. Long time, no see,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, long time,” Darren replied. He looked over to Alexia and said,
“So this must be the angelic Alexia that I keep hearing about.”
“That would be me,” she replied, her voice almost sounding like
Chance’s, especially with the New Yorker accent.
“Pleased to meet you,” Darren acknowledged. They shook hands and
Daniel led them away from the gate, looking behind him to make sure that no one
was following.
“Are you still paranoid about airports?” Darren asked him. Daniel
nodded feeling a little embarrassed about saying so. “Oh, will you just stop
that. There is no way anyone will ever realize who we are. We both look totally
different from what everyone expects.”
“Very true,” Alexia joined in. “I didn’t even know it was you
when you walked off the plane. You look so different. You’ve grown out you
hair a little more, and that five o’clock shadow on your face is a dead
giveaway that you’ve spent too much time traveling.”
“Is it really that bad?” Darren questioned, scratching his face.
“Yeah, it is,” Daniel replied. “So, how was Chance when you last
saw her?”
“I don’t want to talk about her. That’s the whole reason I left,
remember? It was just so I could get away from seeing her die.”
Daniel felt awful for bringing back those painful memories. Even his own
were bad enough to keep him in nightmares for months. His last memory of Chance
would always be that of seeing her in the hospital room, her body taken over by
machines and her face as pale white as a ghost. He shivered at the thought and
pushed it back into the deepest corner of his mind.
“Come on, I really want to get home and go to sleep,” Darren said as
he began walking a little faster than Alexia and Daniel.
“That sucks. I was gonna invite you to a party tonight,” Alexia
replied from behind him.
“Party?” Darren asked. She nodded. “I’m there.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Alexia found herself standing in the middle of the crowded living room
amongst all of Daniel’s so called friends. She had no idea who any of them
were and decided not to talk unless spoken to. It was then that she spotted
Darren entering through the front door followed by a large group of people.
Someone she didn’t know soon stopped him.
‘Damn,’ Alexia thought. ‘There goes the only person I know.’ She
hated interrupting people while they were talking.
It was at that moment she could feel her hand being grabbed. Alexia
turned to see who it was and found Daniel playfully smiling at her. “I’ve
got a surprise for you,” he yelled over the loud music. He led her through the
crowd and onto the makeshift stage set in the center of the room.
“Can I have everyone’s attention please?” he said into the mic.
Alexia stood beside him, her arm wrapped around his and holding a drink in her
other hand. “I have a really big announcement to make.”
The noise level in the living room had decreased significantly as Daniel
cleared his throat before making his announcement. ‘Oh, God, what’s he going
to do?’ Alexia wondered, hoping that he wouldn’t embarrass her in front of
so many people tonight.
“First off, I would like to say thanks for coming to the party. We hope
that you enjoy yourselves, and by we I mean my beautiful girlfriend and I. That
reminds me,” Daniel paused to put down his drink and kneel in front of Alexia,
taking her hand as he continued. At that moment, the room became completely
silent. “We’ve been together for nearly two months now, and I know that
sounds kind of short, but ever since that first day we met, I knew we were meant
to be because whenever I’m around you I feel so wonderful. You’ve made me so
happy in such a short time that I hope this is the way it can be for the rest of
our lives. I think you already know where I’m going with this, so I’ll just
come out and say it. Alexia, will you marry me?”
Alexia burst into tears as her hand covered her face. ‘Oh, no! This
CANNOT be happening! Why me, why now? Why him?’ her insides cried. She
didn’t know whether to say yes or no, but all she knew was that everyone in
that room was waiting for an answer. She slowly nodded her head to say yes and
Daniel slipped the two-caret ring onto her finger then stood up to kiss her. The
crowd exploded into applause with their acceptance.
Daniel slowly led Alexia off the stage when he spotted Darren in the far
corner of the room. As they made their way through the crowd, Daniel noticed the
drink in his hand. “Darren, when did you take that up?” he asked.
“Maybe a week ago,” Darren replied, feeling a little tipsy.
“So, can you believe it?” Daniel excitedly asked.
“No,” Darren retorted. He gulped down the rest of the martini within
seconds and asked for another one.
“How many of those have you had?” Alexia question.
“I think I’m on number three,” he replied, trying to remember how
many drinks he had within the last few minutes. Darren picked up another one as
a waitress passed him. Daniel could clearly see he was distracted by something
else as Darren gulped down the martini and was handed a strawberry margarita.
“Daz, what has gotten into you? That’s your fifth drink!” Daniel
yelled.
Darren looked down at his hands to find the margarita he couldn’t even
remember ordering. “Hey, you two are getting married, this is getting to be a
great party, and I am overly happy tonight. Congratulations! I hope you have a
nice life together,” he sarcastically said, then walked off, finishing the
margarita and picking up a strawberry daiquiri from the bar.
Daniel stared at Darren surprised that he had walked away so miserably.
He had never seen him so upset before, but knew that the combination of liquor
and Chance was stirring up feelings and emotions that Darren hadn’t
experienced before.
“Dan, I’m worried about Darren,” Alexia said. She took his arm and
led him away from the dancing crowd, up the stairs, and to the master bedroom
they shared.
“He
has to go back to New York. He’s ruining his life by not knowing whatever
happened to Chance,” Dan replied as he sat down on the comfortable bed. Alexia
sat beside him and wrapped her arm around his shoulders.
“He does, but how are you gonna get him to leave? Darren just got back.
He can’t just pick up and move out within a matter of days,” she reasoned.
“I’ll think of something,” Daniel said, his head turning towards
her to stare into those deep blue eyes. They smiled at each other and kissed,
then stood up to leave the room. Moments before reaching the door, it burst open
with Rebecca standing behind it barking orders to Ben Carey (Savage Garden’s
guitarist), Charles, and Walter as they carried an unconscious Darren up the
stairs. His body hung limp in their arms as they slowly descended towards the
second floor.
“Where’s the spare room?” Rebecca breathlessly asked as she heaved
in a few labored breaths.
“Down the hall, the last door on your right. What happened to
Darren?” Daniel quickly replied.
“He passed out in the living room while he was talking to me and
drinking a Long Island Iced T,” she told him.
“Where are we setting him down?” Ben called from the top of the
stairs.
“Over here,” Rebecca shouted, running to the door at the end of the
hall and opening it. Daniel ran behind her to usher the three men in. They laid
Darren out on the bed and stared at him in amazement.
“What’s happened to him?” Rebecca sadly asked. She sat down on the
mattress beside Darren and gently stroked his forehead with the back of her
hand. “It seems like ever since Chance’s accident, Darren has lost all will
to live. He hasn’t even recorded anything in the last month. I feel sorry for
him and all, but the record company is getting pissed. Darren’s going to get
cut if he doesn’t finish his solo project before January.”
Daniel sat down on the floor huddling up in a little ball. Alexia walked
into the quiet room and stood at the door to wait and see what was going on.
Ben, Charles, and Walter stood at the foot of the bed, their eyes coldly staring
at Daniel and Rebecca while they faced each other with unspoken questions ready
to be answered.
The initial shock of hearing that Darren would be let go if he didn’t
finish his album in three months passed over Daniel slowly. He sat on the floor,
his eyes distant and his mind thinking up ways to solve this problem. Downstairs
the music could easily be heard, allowing the room to fall silent as each person
became engrossed in their own thoughts. Charles opened his mouth to say
something, but quickly closed it to rethink his words.
Nearly an hour of stony glances and hushed thinking passed before a word
was spoken, and it came from the least likely person.
“We’re sending him back to New York. I don’t care what he tries to
say or do to get out of it,” Alexia said as she pushed herself off the
doorframe and walked over to Daniel’s spot on the floor. “Any objections?”
she added.
Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads in unison to say no.
“Then it’s decided. Darren’s going back to New York on the first flight
out,” Alexia announced.
“Now all we have to do is wait for him to wake up,” Daniel replied,
looking at her as she towered above him.
“Great. I’m going downstairs. Anyone want a drink while I’m down
there?” Rebecca asked as she stood from the bed and began to head towards the
door.
“Nothing for me,” Daniel said.
“Same,” Alexia added.
“Water,” Charles replied.
“Nothing,” Walter chimed in.
“Miller Light,” Ben said. Everyone turned to stare at him as if he
had broken some unspoken rule. “What?” he asked seeing their expressions.
“I’m not Darren.”
~~~~~~~~~~
Daniel had fallen asleep on the floor beside Alexia that night only to be
woken up by a hard kick in the side and the word, “Fire!”
Daniel jumped, his ears buzzing from the combination of Rebecca’s voice
and the previous night’s music. Alexia, Walter, Ben, and Charles were soon up
also, and the seven of them headed downstairs to the dining room. They sat down
at the large oak table with Darren in the center.
“What did you have to talk to me about?” he asked as they all stared
at him coldly.
“Rebecca, you brought it up, you finish it,” Daniel said as he
stretched out.
“Great, why am I always the barer of bad news?” she asked no one in
particular.
“What’s going on?” Darren questioned, knowing something was very
wrong.
“Darren, you’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you,”
Rebecca began. “Just keep one thing in mind, I’m not the only one who’s
involved in making this decision. Last night, while you were asleep, we
unanimously voted on making you go back to New York and see what happened to
Chance.” She could clearly see the look of rejection on Darren’s face after
saying what all the others were thinking.
“Look, Daz, this is for your own good,” Alexia chimed in. “You
almost killed yourself last night by mixing drinks and having too many at the
same time. It’s clear that you can’t get Chance off your mind.”
“Your mind is obviously not on your music,” Walter added. “You
haven’t recorded a track for the album in over a month. If this continues, the
record company is letting you go. It’s your choice whether of not you want to
go, but we’re warning you, it might cost you in the long run if you
don’t.”
Daniel could see the anger and irritation building up behind Darren’s
eyes, especially when he said, “I don’t know, guys. I appreciate that
you’re all worried about me, but I have to give it some time.”
“Darren,” Alexia responded politely from the opposite side of the
table, “if you don’t say yes in the next few minutes, I’m gonna go over
there and kick your ass.”
“Whoa, calm down, hostile one,” he replied. “It’s bad enough
trying to decide by myself. I don’t need you breathing down my back.” Darren
rubbed his temples hoping to massage away his throbbing headache, now made worse
by the fact that his friends were leading him into a decision he didn’t want
to make. “Give me a week to see if I can record anything, and if I can’t,
then I’m going to New York.”
“Fine!” Rebecca immediately agreed. “You’ve got a week to record one song, and if you can’t do it, you’re going to see Chance.” The two shook on it to close the deal.