Dan opened his eyes to be greeted by total pitch-black darkness. It was late he realized as he glanced at his alarm clock, the big red numbers alerted him that it was two am. He'd had a long but relaxing day. Barry, Elle, and he had eaten breakfast before heading home. Dan had cleared a few drawers out in one of his dressers making more than enough room for Elle's belongings.
Barry, Elle, and he had spent the rest of the day just lounging around on the sofa in front of the tv. It had been heavenly for Dan; just getting to take a break from the usual chaos and stresses of his everyday life and relax with one of his best friends and his girlfriend.
They'd snacked most of the day letting their brains rot from bad television. When dinner had rolled around Elle had treated them to ordering Thai food.
It hadn't been an exciting day, but had been just what Dan and Elle had needed especially after the day and the weeks before.
Dan frowned as he heard the sound that had woken him; a tiny whimper. It took a moment for his drowsy brain to come to life and work out just where the whimper was coming from, and as it did he flipped the lamp on the bedside table on brightening the dark room to a dull glow.
Dan felt his heart clinch at the sight of his sleeping girlfriend; Elle's brow was furrowed tightly as though she was in pain. Her pale face was fixed into a tight grimace, her lips were parted tiny whines and whimpers working their way through them. She shifted in place twisting his pale grey bedsheets around her body. She'd kicked the comforter off her body in her struggle. Her arms were placed up in a defensive gesture as though she was fighting off an invisible assailant.
Dan was quick to scoot over to her side his arm gently but firmly wrapping around her holding her still as she continued to writhe in place. He made sure to keep his grip on her tight but careful being mindful of the cast on her left hand.
He spoke his voice soft and soothing as he tried to calm her. "It's okay Ellie babygirl. Calm down hon. It's all okay. It's just a dream babygirl, just a bad dream. You can wake up, okay? Just wake up for me."
She continued to whimper and flail against him despite the grip he had on her body. Dan sighed it hitting him that his words were apparently doing little to calm her.
Dan let out a heavy sigh apparently deciding to just go with plan B. He began to sing the first song that popped into his head his voice rising a bit as he began to harmonize. "Love is born with lightning bolts
Electro-magnetic force
Burning skin and fireworks
A storm on a raging course
Like a force of nature,
Love can fade with the stars at dawn
Sometimes it takes all your strength
Just to keep holding on
At the speed of love
A radiance that travels
At the speed of love
My heart goes out to you.
Love is born with solar flares
From two magnetic poles
It moves towards a higher plane
Where two halves make two wholes."
He paused relieved as his singing calmed her ever so slightly her flailing calming. He pressed a few kisses to her temple his voice gentle as he tried again to ease her into consciousness. "Come on babygirl, wake up. It's all okay. Danny's here. Your baby has you. I'm going to keep you safe, just wake up for me. Wake up and let me make it all better."
Elle's body jerked yanking out of his grasp as she woke. She shot up in bed her breathing uneven as she struggled to come to terms with consciousness.
She reached up with her cast-free hand smoothing back her sleep-wrecked hair as she struggled to calm her shot nerves.
She was a sweat-dampened mess. Her heart was beating a mile a second. She was having a hard time catching her breath.
Elle did her best to regain control of her breathing using the little breathing technique Dan had taught her; breathing slowly in through her nose and out through her mouth.
As she finally maintained control over her own breathing guilt quickly hit her. She couldn't help but to cringe as she realized that she'd allowed her terrible dream to wake her boyfriend. She spoke as she fell back against the mattress an exasperated sigh leaving her lips. "I'm sorry."
"Hey, no apologies babygirl. It's okay. I'm just glad you're in the land of the living again." Dan replied attempting to soothe her as he reached up to smooth her hair.
She turned to face him her nose scrunching up ever so slightly unable to accept his nonchalant reaction to her waking him. "I woke you though. It's our first official night sleeping side by side as a couple and I ruined it with my stupid dream. If this becomes a thing between us you're never going to get a full night's rest ever again…or at least you won't be able to as long as you're stuck sleeping by me."
Dan shook his head a small huff leaving him as he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. "I'll deal with it if it comes to that. I happen to like being "stuck" sleeping by you…. I'd hate to break it to you babe but I can't promise you that there won't come a time when our roles are reversed Ellie. I've woken more than enough people with my night terrors. So, you don't have to apologize for waking me. Trust me I've been in your shoes before."
She shot him a skeptical look causing Dan to shake his head again. He reached up caressing her cheek as he spoke again. "Let's make a deal. You aren't allowed to apologize for waking me anymore, okay? You have to promise me that you'll stop apologizing for waking me over things like this."
"It isn't a deal if I'm the only one making a promise." Elle pointed out whining still so unable to stop herself from beating herself up over the fact that she'd once again woken him.
She'd already put him through the annoying ordeal of waking him by calling him after her nightmares, now he had to put up with her waking him when she was directly beside him.
She hated how needy she was. She was so pathetic. She didn't understand how he could want a pathetic mess like her.
"Fine then…my end of the deal will be that I have to promise to take you on a nice date tomorrow night. We haven't been on a real date yet. I already promised you that I was going to take you out. So, tomorrow night is any good of a night as any. I promise to take you out for a sappy romantic dinner date tomorrow. You can get all dressed up and we'll go out and have a good time. I'll take you into LA and we'll eat at some snooty place. We'll do the candle light dinner thing." Dan insisted knowing he wasn't exactly making any sacrifices by promising to take her out.
He'd already planned on taking her out on a date. After all Barry was going to split his bet winnings with Elle and he. Dan had already decided he was going to use his share of the winnings to take Elle to a restaurant; someplace more upscale than his usual choice in dining.
Dan knew that a promise of a nice date would have to do for this situation though. She wanted him to make a promise too and this was the best his drowsy brain could come up with. If it soothed her and got her to quit apologizing he'd go with it.
Elle sighed tempted to insist that she didn't need some upscale fancy dinner date. She could admit though that it did sound nice. It sounded normal. It didn't feel like they'd had the chance to really do normal yet.
She could also admit that she was kind of curious to go into LA. If you wanted to get technical Dan and she both did actually live in Glendale. Glendale was a sixteen-minute drive from Los Angeles. She hadn't had the opportunity to actually venture into Los Angeles yet. So far most of her trips had been within the Glendale area. None of those trips had been anything terribly exciting; just to an IKEA, a diner, a liquor store, a Super Target, and a Trader Joes.
A fancy candle light dinner date did sound nice. "Okay you win."
She spoke again shaking her head unable to stop herself from being a little cynical. "I still don't understand how you can be so sweet."
Dan let out a small laugh shaking his head at the comment. He pressed a small peck to her forehead. "Trust me Ellie. I'm not sweet twenty-four seven. I've had my asshole moments."
Elle furrowed her brow at this finding that hard to believe despite the fact that he'd been a bit of an asshole the few weeks he'd ghosted her. "I find that hard to believe."
"It's the truth. I make an effort to be kind, but trust me babe I've had my moments where I've been a real prick…. especially when I was younger." Dan replied pressing another peck to her forehead.
Elle couldn't stop more of her own cynicism from slipping out. "I don't think anyone is capable of being kind without wanting anything in return. It's human nature to give and take. No one is kind without having an ulterior motive."
She cringed at her own statement knowing she probably sounded as though she was accusing Dan of having ulterior motives. She didn't think he had ulterior motives at all. She knew it was just her own cynical attitude getting the better of her.
She spoke again hoping she could smooth over any possible hurt feelings. "I'm just not used to people being nice to me without expecting I repay them somehow."
Dan let out a small sigh his heart aching at her statement. How many people had been kind to her only to force her to return the 'favor' of kindness? He reached out resting a hand against her cheek as he leaned in allowing his lips to slide along hers.
He pulled back hoping he was doing a decent job of reassuring her. "That's okay. Just trust me, okay? Trust me when I tell you that the only thing I want in return for my kindness is for you to be just as kind to me. I don't have any horrible motives when it comes to treating you the way you deserve to be treated. I'm sweet to you because I care about you."
Elle gave him an apologetic smile kicking herself for her own inability to see the best in people. People had let her down far too much for her to hope for the best. She placed a hand on his cheek the slight scruff along it tickling her palm. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm trying. I'm sorry I suck at this relationship stuff. I'm kind of garbage at seeing the good in people without letting my brain tell me that no one has any ounce of goodness in them."
"I know you're trying and that's all I need you to do. You aren't garbage doe-eyes. People just haven't given you many reasons to trust them. That isn't your fault." Dan reassured her pulling his own hand from her cheek choosing instead to wrap an arm around her and pull her closer to him.
Elle kept her hand on his cheek allowing herself to be nestled close to his side. She couldn't help but to soak up the comfort that she always seemed to gain anytime she was near him.
She pulled her hand from his cheek as she pressed her lips to his keeping the kiss chaste. "I'm going to try to get better at trusting you…It won't happen overnight, but I'm going to try my best to get us there…We should get some sleep. We probably both have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"I know Ellie…I guess that's true. Are you okay to sleep now? Do you need to talk about the dream?" Dan asked ignoring his own desire to drift off into sleep. He didn't realize how exhausted he was until he had her this close and this secure against him.
She felt so right against him and all he could feel was absolute comfort.
Elle shook her head knowing that there was nothing really to talk about. The dream was the same as all the others; her running from danger only to be captured and harmed. "I'm okay. I'll be okay."
She let out a small sigh as Dan took her word for it his eyes sliding closed as he allowed himself to slip out a soft "Good night."
Elle closed her own eyes repeating her own words. I'll be okay.
…..
If Elle tried to say that she wasn't an anxious mess the next morning she'd be a liar. This was technically her first day of work, well it would be her first day if Suzy was still willing to hire her.
She was relieved that Dan had at least taken some sympathy on her answering her questions on what to even wear. He'd reassured her that things were pretty casual around the office and jeans and a tee really was just fine as an outfit choice.
Elle had at least tried to make herself look put together though she'd reluctantly and rather embarrassingly had to seek out Dan's help once again when it came time to fasten her jeans.
She had to wonder if perhaps she'd be better off sporting leggings until she was free from her cast.
Her first plan of wearing converse had fallen flat given her inability to actually tie her shoes one handed. She had for a second entertained the idea of letting Dan tie her shoes, but had decided against it. The idea of asking him to tie her shoes sounded far too needy. She'd been left with no choice but to wear a pair of black flip flops.
Elle knew she probably sounded ridiculously as insecure as she felt as Dan and she pulled into his usual parking spot at the Grump Space. "I look okay, right?"
She mentally kicked herself for the question knowing she had already asked this exact question twice this morning.
She was relieved as Dan pressed a soft kiss to her cheek taking no issue with once again reassuring her for what seemed like the millionth time this morning. "You look great."
Elle gave him a tight smile allowing herself to give herself a quick once over in the visor mirror. She'd settled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a white and black striped tank top, a loose enough dark gray cardigan that she could easily fit over her cast, and a pair of black flip flops.
She left her hair down deciding it would be too much of a hassle to attempt to actually do something with it and she wasn't about to ask Dan to braid her hair for her. She might have been allowing Dan to coddle her but she wasn't that pathetic.
She'd chosen to wear a pair of dangly gold earrings and had kept her make up light choosing just a hint of mascara and a pink lip gloss.
Elle was relieved as Dan took her hand in his as they entered the building Elle silently examining her surroundings.
The Grump Space as a plain dark brick office building set smack dab in the center of several other office buildings. No one on the outside would probably have any clue just what laid indoors given that the place didn't have a sign hinting at just what it was; just a simple address printed over the doorway in black lettering.
The inside of the office was impressive. Once could tell a lot of money had gone into making the place look great.
The first thing Elle noticed were the walls of art; fan art to be exact. It was clear that the crew took pride in the art that had most likely been mailed and given to them by their fans.
The walls were a bit odd. Some were painted black and others simply were a red brick. The dark wood floors were swept and polished.
A curved white desk sat in the lobby area along with cushy looking black couches and a glass coffee table piled high with magazines.
Elle was stunned and taken back as Suzy shot up from behind the desk and rounded the corner taking Elle by surprise embracing the woman in a tight hug. "Elle! I'm so glad to see you. Dan fixed things with you! Oh my God, what happened to your arm?"
Elle felt her cheeks flush taken back by Suzy's reaction to her. She had expected the woman to be a bit upset with her for just dropping off the radar after accepting a job offer.
She guessed Dan had been right when he'd insisted Suzy understood Elle's reasons behind just dropping off the map.
"I just had an accident with the iron gate at my apartment complex…broke my hand." Elle explained keeping her explanation as vague as possible as Suzy released her from the hug.
She didn't exactly want to explain her freak out to anyone. She just hoped that Dan and Barry would keep all the details about her incident on the down low.
Dan gave her hand a gentle squeeze quick to explain away the fact that she was currently staying with Barry and he. He knew the rest of the Grumps were bound to figure it out eventually and he didn't want to put her through having to explain her past until she was ready. "Her place is actually kind of a disaster. She's staying with Barr and me until her landlord can fix the place up a bit more. It's not safe for anyone to stay there right now. I keep telling her to file a complaint with her landlord about the gate, but she won't listen."
"Yeah, it's a real disaster. I don't want to bother the landlord with the whole gate mess. The gate thing was my fault really. I got distracted and the gate swung back before I had a chance to move out of the way." Elle lied backing up Dan's tale.
She was relieved that Suzy seemed to buy this giving Elle a sympathetic smile. "Oh, that's rough."
She paused a small teasing grin crossing her features. "I'm sure Dan has zero problems opening his doors for you though."
Dan cleared his throat ignoring his flushed cheeks. If Suzy only knew. "Nope, no problems here."
He was quick to speak again and drift the conversation away from Elle's living space. "So, Elle was kind of wondering if that job offer was still open?"
Suzy nodded her head thankfully tearing her eyes away from Elle's cast as she spoke. "Of course. I mean if Elle still wants it."
"I do. I would be really grateful for the opportunity." Elle insisted silently thanking God that she hadn't shot herself in the foot and let the opportunity of this job pass her by.
Suzy nodded her head quickly motioning for Elle to follow her. "Okay awesome! I'll give you the grand tour. Danny, I think Arin is setting up for recording. I think someone sent in a Sonic game for you two to play."
Dan sighed nodding his head a bit reluctant to leave Elle's side. He knew she couldn't have him hovering over her all day long though. "Okay. Great, that means I get to start off my morning by listening to Arin rage."
"When doesn't he rage?" Suzy chuckled causing Dan to let out a laugh of his own.
"True. It is kind of his thing. A YouTube empire built on screaming at video games. It's amazing your husband hasn't made you go deaf with the volume of his rages yet." Dan pointed out pressing a kiss to Elle's temple as he allowed her to be pulled from the room by an enthusiastic Suzy.
Suzy giggled calling out behind her as Dan disappeared from sight. "Yep, I love my ragey husband."
Suzy was clearly excited as she led Elle from room to room explaining each room's use. She led Elle into the breakroom Elle widening her eyes at the size of it. "This is where we eat lunch and sometimes dinner if we're pulling a late night. The fridge is stocked with tons of snacks and drinks. So, feel free to help yourself. I might put you in charge of maybe making grocery store runs for us if we run low on things. We've been making Matt the intern do it, but it's a lot for him to keep up with along with all his other tasks."
Elle nodded her head adding this on to the list of tasks she'd already been given. She was relieved to find that she was being trusted with these little tasks no matter how insignificant they might seem to some.
She could admit she'd been rather spoiled in her life, not having to ever really work a job aside from the job she'd held at the dress shop back in Galveston. What was the point of working after all? She had a hefty ever-growing trust fund to rely on so working had always seemed a bit pointless.
Elle could admit she wouldn't mind having a real job though. It would feel good to feel as though she was actually making a contribution to society.
She had to feel that being at home would give her way too much time to think. Thinking could be dangerous given her state of mind lately.
She was taken out of her own thoughts as Suzy led her to a small office a proud smile crossing her features. "This is my office. I do some of my recordings here sometimes."
"What kind of stuff do you do? I mean do you just play games or?" Elle asked not helping but to be curious.
She knew of course that Dan said that the Game Grumps channel was mostly video game playthroughs. She hadn't been aware that people had their own separate channels though.
"I have three different channels. I do makeup tutorials and fashion videos along with unboxing stuff on my first channel. Then my second channel is mostly for cartoons I make…Arin does the voices for those sometimes. My third channel is for video game playthroughs. Some of the guys guest star on it sometimes." Suzy explained perfectly accustomed to having to explain her work to outsiders.
She was honestly just relieved that Elle seemed to be curious instead of judgmental.
Elle couldn't stop herself from being even more curious as she studied Suzy's small office. It was clear from the office décor that Suzy liked black and purple. Elle guessed that Suzy was also a fan of taxidermy by the framed bat skeleton on the wall. The room had a somewhat eccentric feel to it but it seemed to fit Suzy's personal sense of style.
"How'd you get started doing this? I mean the YouTube thing?"
Suzy shrugged her shoulders accustomed to answering these kinds of questions as well. "I started the Meeperfish account first, like back in 2007…that's my animation channel. I have always loved animation and it just seemed like a cool way to express that…. I modeled for about two years, so the whole makeup tutorials and fashion videos were kind of second nature for me. I was sort of inspired by Arin to do the video game channel…I mean he has a ton of fun doing it. So, it made sense. This totally isn't where I pictured my career path going. I actually planned on being an animator. I went to college on this Disney Scholarship program. It was kind of awful, but it was a definite learning experience I wouldn't trade."
Elle nodded her head not helping but to feel a little insecure about her own education. She hadn't gone to college at all. She'd chosen instead to spend her late teens and early twenties as a party girl dedicating herself to a life of debauchery and excess.
She guessed in a way she'd been trying to rebel against her mother. Elle's mother had expected her to be a proper little socialite; join a sorority and marry well. So, Elle had rebelled in the only way she could find; by going for the Paris Hilton route partying at nightclubs and being as improper as possible.
Elle was relieved that Suzy didn't ask her about her own education instead choosing another way of making Elle a little flustered. "You should totally be in one of my makeup tutorials. Or maybe my fashion videos. You make some pretty cute dresses. Dan showed me your Instagram, the dress pics. You'd be great at doing fashion videos with me."
Elle hoped that she wasn't being flat out rude as she brushed off the offer shaking her head. "I don't know…I'm not really much for being in front of a camera…. Maybe give me some time to think about it."
She was relieved that Suzy didn't seem to be too bothered by her lack of enthusiasm at this offer the woman nodding her head understandingly. "That's fine. Take your time and think about it."
Suzy spoke again unable to stop herself from prying. "So, I'm taking it Danny explained why he was being such a giant idiot?"
"Yeah. It's all okay now. He is a huge idiot, but he's my idiot. So, I'm fine with it. We're working on moving past it." Elle replied her cheeks flushing at the small "awe" that left Suzy's lips at the 'my idiot' comment.
Suzy nodded her head a small smirk on her lips. "Good. If he messes up again just let me know and I'll sort him out."
Elle giggled at this surprised by Suzy's offer. She couldn't help but to realize that perhaps Suzy and she still maybe had a possibility of forming a friendship. "I don't think he'll mess up again anytime soon. We actually have dinner plans tonight. It'll be our first real date."
"Awe. Where are you going?" Suzy asked so relieved that Dan had managed to snap out of being such an idiot and had moved past Jake's horrible orders to leave Elle alone.
"I don't know. He promised a romantic dinner date though. Some place upscale. Which honestly…I don't really need anything that excessive. I mean I'd be fine with like In and Out Burger or Del Taco and a movie." Elle insisted a little embarrassed that Dan was going to such great lengths for this date.
The last thing she wanted was for anyone to assume she was pushing Dan to give her something so extravagant. She didn't want his friends to assume she was some sort of goldigger or groupie draining Dan for all he was worth.
She mentally cringed knowing that his friends would eventually find out that Elle herself was worth a fortune.
Suzy chuckled shaking her head. "No, it's cute. He really cares about you. He wants to give you something fancy. What are you going to wear?"
Elle widened her eyes it suddenly hitting her that she probably hadn't packed anything fancy enough for a nice dinner date. She of course could stop by her place to pick up a nice dress, but she knew she couldn't exactly say that in front of Suzy given the lie Dan had told about her apartment being a mess. "I don't know…I mean…I didn't really think about it."
Suzy hopped a little bit taking Elle's hand in hers as an idea entered her mind. "Oh my God I have the perfect idea. You and I are taking a shopping trip on our lunch break. We'll find you something super cute for you to wear tonight."
"I don't know." Elle blurted out the idea of taking a shopping trip when she probably had a perfectly good dress at home seeming senseless.
She didn't have time to protest for too long before Suzy shook her head speaking. "Come on it'll be fun. We can do a girl's lunch and a shopping trip."
Elle couldn't deny that the idea was tempting. It would be a chance to maybe make up for all the phone calls she'd ignored from Suzy.
"Okay. Sounds good."
She barely managed to work out the words as Suzy drug her down the hall a grin on her face. "Let's go tell the boys."
Suzy knocked on the door entering at Dan's call to come in. Elle raised an eyebrow the first thing she heard upon entering the room was Arin's frustrated yell. "Fucking fuck! This game sucks!"
Dan giggled shaking his head as he glanced back at Suzy and Elle. "See what I've been putting up with guys."
Suzy giggled as well cooing at Arin. "Is the Sonic game being mean to my poor baby?"
"Yes babe. It's the worst. It just sucks. These controls are total shit." Arin insisted a groan spilling from his lips as the blue hedgehog on screen zapped around sliding off a ledge and to its death.
"Maybe it's you, not the controls." Dan dared to say causing Arin to let out a huff.
Arin spoke faking outrage. "Do you want to take the controller Daniel? We can see how you handle these ass controls."
"Nah I'll pass." Dan stated giggling pushing the Sega controller back as Arin tried to hand it over to him.
Suzy and Elle giggled at this exchange both women rolling their eyes at how ridiculous the two were being.
Suzy finally spoke getting to the point of why Elle and she had entered this madness. "So, just letting you guys know I'm kidnapping Elle after lunch. I'm taking her shopping. I'm sticking Brian out front while we're gone."
"What no fair! You can't kidnap Elle. She's my Wendy's buddy." Arin insisted causing Suzy to stick her tongue out at him.
"Don't care. I hired her so she's mine now." Suzy remarked shaking her head her tongue sticking out to taunt her husband once again.
Arin shook his head a huff leaving his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well I said it was okay to hire her so she's technically mine too."
Dan rolled his eyes relieved that Elle seemed to be taking his friends jokes in stride her lips barely holding back giggles of her own. "Uh, guys I'd hate to break it to you, but Elle is my girlfriend, so she probably actually belongs to me."
Elle rolled her own eyes failing to hold back her laughter. "Excuse me. I don't belong to any of you."
"You tell em Sister. You're a strong independent woman who don't need no man." Arin remarked snapping his fingers and bobbing his head causing Elle to laugh all the more.
Elle chuckled at this a small smirk on her lips as she turned to leave the room behind Suzy. "Damn straight, don't any of you forget it."
Arin gave Dan's knee a pat a sad sigh leaving his lips as the girls left the room. "Well buddy looks like my wife ran off with your girlfriend. It's just us now."
"Somehow I had a feeling this day would come. They're just too cute for us." Dan replied playing along with the joke.
Arin frowned as he realized the recording was still going. "Do you want me to get Barry or Kevin to edit this whole conversation out? I mean…have Elle and you talked about her ya know…being public knowledge?"
Dan sighed his heart screaming at him to just let the conversation remain in the video. He didn't want to hide his relationship with Elle. He didn't want it to seem like he was ashamed of her.
He had always been so private about his personal life despite his habit of oversharing on occasion. He'd taken girls out in the past but he never talked about it until after they'd broken up.
He knew that he might not be able to be 100 percent private about being in a relationship with Elle.
His heart was screaming at him to proudly announce to the entirety of the internet that he was crazy about Eleanor Brannock. He knew though that this action would come with some consequences.
He knew of course he could do damage control if anyone freaked out over the sudden mention of him being off the market.
He knew some of his more obsessive fans wouldn't take his change in a relationship status well. He tried to tell himself that real fans wouldn't care if he was in a relationship. Real fans would be happy for him. They would be thrilled he had found someone who made him so happy.
Dan knew of course that some fans had given Suzy a hard time when she'd first started appearing on videos though despite the fact that Arin and she made each other stupidly happy. Arin and Suzy were married but people still sometimes gave Suzy a hard time.
He had a feeling it might be just as hard for Elle if she came into the public eye. People might not be too kind to Elle if she was suddenly thrust into the public eye.
Then of course there was the matter of her past. People might dig up some things about her that she would rather remain private; like her family's wealth for instance.
Being with him would put her into the public eye. There would be no getting around that even if she herself didn't have anything to do with the Grumps aside from helping out with office work.
Dan knew that he couldn't hide her and to tell the truth he didn't want to hide her. Would she be okay with her life suddenly becoming less than private though? Would she be okay with the price she'd have to pay for being his girlfriend?
Arin watched the wheels turn in his best friend's eyes. He was quick to speak. "I'll get Barry to edit that whole exchange out. Barry…or Kevin. Edit that and what I'm about to say out, okay?"
Arin spoke again hating to be the one who had to be the voice of realism for Dan. "You're going to have to talk to her about it man. There's no way getting around it…I mean the more serious you two get the harder it's going to be to keep her out of the spotlight. I have a feeling that you aren't going to want to keep her a secret, not forever."
"I know…I know being in the public eye might become part of being with me….edit this out Kevin." Dan remarked shaking his head.
There was no way getting around it. The price of being with him was a conversation they would have to have probably sooner than later.
….
Elle opened the door to the dressing room her cheeks flushing as she showed off the dress Suzy had insisted she would look perfect in. "I don't know about this…. It's a little…revealing."
"No, you look hot. Trust me Dan is so going to melt from how hot you look." Suzy insisted admiring her choice in outfit for Elle.
Elle felt her cheeks flush darker at Suzy's praise. The dress was attractive. It was a tight spaghetti strapped number. It was black soft velvet material that ended right below the knee. It hugged her curves showing her figure off. It was low cut enough that it showed her cleavage off as well.
She hadn't worn anything this revealing in public in a very long time. Adam hadn't liked her to show too much skin unless he approved of it.
Suzy sensed her apprehension grabbing a pale gold sequined wrap off a nearby sales rack. "You can wear this with it. It'll cover your shoulders."
She spoke again giggling not helping but to tease the blushing woman. "I guess we can't have you looking way too sexy. It just wouldn't be fair on Dan. I don't think Dan would be able to take it. He might overheat."
Elle ignored Suzy's need to tease her. She wrapped the wrap around her shoulders having to admit that it did make her feel less exposed. The wrap did work well with the dress and she was sure she had some gold and black earrings that would look great with the outfit.
She let out a small sigh holding her casted hand up. "What about shoes. I can't handle anything with straps. I might kill the sexy look if I have to ask Danny to fasten any straps for me."
Suzy snickered tempted to point out that Dan wouldn't have an issue fastening or more importantly unfastening anything for Elle. She held back though getting the feeling that she might be embarrassing Elle a bit too much. She was getting the feeling that Elle was on the shyer side.
"We can pick up some black pumps for you. Something you can just slide on. We can make sure your nails and toenails are painted too, maybe a deep red. You could match it to your lipstick."
Suzy spoke again that excited smile crossing her lips as she was hit with another idea. "I have an amazing idea. I'm going to take you to Arin's and my place tonight. I'm going to get you all dolled up and have Dan pick you up there. It'll make it seem more like a first date. I mean it might seem less like a date if you're just leaving from his place."
Elle let out a sigh getting the feeling she wasn't going to get out of Suzy using her as a living Barbie doll. She couldn't deny though that she did appreciate the offer.
Suzy did have a point; if Dan picked her up from Arin's and Suzy's it would make tonight feel more like a first date.
She rolled her eyes slightly joking. "Okay, as long as Arin and you don't try to tag along and play chaperone."
Suzy giggled shaking her head. "Don't make that joke in front of Arin. He'll totally take that opportunity to tag along."
Suzy pulled her cell phone out quick to type a quick text to Arin: "Kidnapping Elle for the rest of the day babe. Change of plans. She's coming to our place tonight and Dan is going to pick her up from there. I want to do her hair and makeup for her. She looks great right now btw. She's going to look so drop dead gorgeous tonight. Dan is going to faint. 3"
Suzy spoke again as she shoved her cell back into her hoodie pocket. "We should do a double date sometime though. We should hit a karaoke bar or go bowling or something fun. We could probably turn it into a triple date if we got Holly and Ross to come along."
Elle smiled at this nodding her head. "That actually sounds like a lot of fun."
The conversation was interrupted by a small teenage girl approaching Suzy. Suzy turned to face the tiny blonde as the girl spoke "Uh…sorry…I hate to be annoying…but are you Suzy from Game Grumps?"
Suzy gave the girl a friendly smile doing her best to ease the girl's anxieties. "Yep that's me. Don't worry. You aren't being annoying."
"Oh wow! Uh. If it's not trouble can you sign this for me?" The girl exclaimed digging through her purse to find a sharpie and a receipt.
Elle watched the exchange not helping but to find it a little surreal. She had to admit she was impressed with the way Suzy was handling it. She had to wonder if this happened to Suzy often.
Suzy smiled nodding her head as she took the sharpie and the scrap of paper signing it in record speed. "No, it's not a problem at all. Would you like a pic too?"
"If you don't mind?" The girl squeaked out.
Elle stepped forward taking the girl's cell phone in shaky hands as the girl held it out to her expectantly.
She did her best to seem as though this was a total normal everyday experience as she held up the phone opening the camera app. "Okay, say cheese."
Elle handed over the phone as the photo was snapped the girl speaking again looking up at Suzy with wide eyes almost like a small child staring up at Santa Claus. "Thanks so much. It was so cool to meet you."
"You're welcome. It was nice to meet you too." Suzy insisted as she watched the teenager scurry away the girl smiling as she stared down at her phone.
Suzy turned to Elle a small smile crossing her features as she noticed Elle's stunned look. "Sorry…that happens sometimes."
"How do you get used to it?" Elle blurted out her cheeks darkening as she realized she probably sounded somewhat impolite.
Suzy shrugged her shoulders that small smile still on her face. "You don't. At least that girl seemed sweet though. I mean…trust me sometimes people can be pretty pushy and rude…especially when it comes to the boys."
Elle felt her stomach churn realizing that Dan might be approached by some of these pushy people.
Suzy let out a small sigh the small smile leaving her face. "Dan and you really haven't talked about this side of his job huh?"
Elle bit the inside of her cheek a small sigh leaving her lips. "Not really…I mean. I know he has fans and I know he does cons and stuff like that. I mean I kind of expected it…ya know from the band and stuff."
Suzy sighed deciding she probably needed to give Elle a bit of much needed advice. "Can I give you some advice…don't take it the wrong way please."
"Please…. I won't take it the wrong way." Elle replied grimacing as she tried to picture just what this advice would be. She had a feeling she might not like it.
Suzy gave Elle's arm a small pat as she spoke hoping she didn't sound harsh. "Dealing with fans kind of comes along with loving men like ours…I mean I get noticed too because of my channel…but the guys, they get a lot of attention. It can be a lot to take on. Sometimes the attention they get can be on the more obnoxious side. Dan really loves his fans. He's too sweet to tell people to back off when he probably should. He just wants to give everyone what they're expecting from him. He's a performer at heart. So, there will probably be times where you're going to have to learn to share him with his audience. Sometimes that audience can be a little harsh. Trust me when it came to me being on the channel some fans weren't happy about it…people haven't always been too kind to me."
Elle frowned shaking her head unable to stop herself from speaking up. "I'm not on the channel though…I'm not like you guys. I'm not a YouTuber."
Suzy nodded her head a tight smile crossing her features as she dropped her hand. "I know, but people are still going to see you with Danny. The more serious things get between Dan and you the less he's going to be able to keep you out of the spotlight…So you're going to have to learn to navigate being the center of attention when you'd rather hide…you'll have to learn to do that for him. He's going to need you to stand by him and take that on for him...Dan is usually a pretty private guy. He's…he's been that way since I've known him. He's had…to be honest he's always had some commitment issues. I've never seen him stick with a girl for long."
Suzy cringed as she realized these words had left her lips. She spoke taking in the look of shock on Elle's face. "I don't know if you knew about that."
Elle sighed her stomach churning as she took in this information. She guessed this was what Dan meant the night before when he'd mentioned that he hadn't always been sweet. "Not really…it's never come up…I mean I know we had some trouble…ya know with the whole my brother being a dumbass thing. We've never talked about anything like that though. I guess we haven't had the chance to talk about that kind of stuff."
Suzy nodded her head mentally kicking herself. She didn't mean to plant any seeds of doubt in Elle's head. That wasn't her intention at all.
She would never forgive herself if she opened her big fat mouth and scared Elle away from Dan.
She spoke trying to smooth over her slip of tongue. "You're different though…Dan is, he's been different about you, about the way he's approached you. Danny, he, he loves deep trust me. He's got a super pure heart. He trusts so easily. He always tries to see the best in people even when they don't deserve it. I think that's gotten him into some heartbreak in the past. As long as I've known him it seems like he tries so hard to put up these walls around him when it comes to women. He is happy to flirt and have fun, but the second things start to get serious he panics and disappears. I think he does it because he doesn't want to get hurt...I've noticed that things with you, I think they've been different for him. I think that's part of why he was so hesitant to really ask you out sooner. You turned his fear of committing to the wrong person on its head and he didn't know what to do…He clearly cares a hell of a lot about you. Those few weeks you weren't talking to each other he was a mess. That alone shows me that you mean so much to him. I think that shows that he's ready to move past putting up those walls. So, you're just going to have to reassure him if you think he's starting to panic. You're going to have to make it known that you won't let him just freak out and run when things start to get too real."
Suzy sighed shaking her head as she spoke again. "I really didn't mean to like…freak you out or anything like that. Please don't think that Dan isn't crazy about you. I know he's got his past, but he seems to be really nuts about you. I think he's going to let his walls down this time."
Elle sighed realizing that she would more than likely have to bring up this all with Dan. It wasn't something she could just let go without discussing it. "I guess we all have our pasts…don't worry about it. I'm sure it would have come up eventually."
Suzy reached for Elle again giving her shoulder a small reassuring squeeze. She was unable to stop herself from begging Elle. "Please don't do anything drastic with this information…don't like freak out on him or anything…just talk to him about it…calmly. Let him explain it himself before you jump to conclusions. Just don't doom things between you right after you just got back on track. Just talk to him about all of this…the fan thing too. You two really need to get on the same page about that."
Elle nodded her head knowing that Suzy was right. Besides she'd already made Dan promise not to abandon her again. Surely, he would keep that promise.
Surely, he wouldn't freak out on her. He had told her that if he screwed up again she could hate him forever. She didn't want to hate him.
They would have to talk about this.
"I know you're right. We'll talk about it."
Suzy gave her an apologetic smile praying she hadn't ruined a fun day of shopping. "Come on let's check out and go grab some lunch. I'm thinking sushi."
Elle nodded her head a small laugh escaping her lips. "Sushi sounds great. Let me go change back into my clothes…I might need help fastening my jeans…this cast makes my life hell."
Suzy chuckled relieved to move past the entire discussion about fans and commitment issues. "I'll help you out."
She watched Elle disappear into the dressing room a tiny sigh escaping her lips.
Suzy silently prayed to whoever might be listening that her big mouth didn't screw everything up.
She shook her head reminding herself that Dan wasn't going to let Elle get away again. Suzy would kill him if he let Elle get away from him again.