Rocket's Red Glare

Paparazzi Ruin Everything

It took a while, but Holly was finally getting used to things. She slowly gathered the courage to leave her apartment. All she can do is walk down to the mailbox, but it's progress.

"I'll call you after, okay?"

"Okay."

Joe leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. She laughed as she started kissing him back.

"Joe," she mumbled against his lips. She broke the kiss and smirked up at him. "You're going to be late for your interview."

"I don't care."

Holly gasped when Joe picked her up, sat on the edge of the couch, and placed her on his lap. He pressed his lips back to hers and started kissing her. Their lips moved in sync as Joe laid them down, hovering over her.

She let out a small moan when Joe broke the kiss and started kissing her neck.

"Sweetheart," she whispered. "You really should be going."

"You want me to stop?" He asked as he bit her earlobe.

"No," she said shakily, "but you're going to be late."

"Fine," he sighed, pulling away. He stayed hovering over her, looking into her eyes. "If you say so."

He sat up, pulling Holly with him. She followed him to her front door with her arms wrapped around herself. He was about to leave but turned around. He leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, making her laugh.

"Bye, babe."

"Bye," she giggled.

* * * * *

"I have to know," Seth said, sending the camera a smirk. "Is it true what I heard about the new girl you're dating?"

"That depends," Joe chuckled. He adjusted his suit coat, pushing his nerves down. "What have you heard?"

"I heard that the gorgeous young woman you've recently started dating is a retired Army pilot."

"She is," Joe shrugged. His stomach turned when he saw the look on Seth's face.

"Is it true that she survived the devastating flight in 2018?" Seth asked, faking innocence.

"She did," Joe answered shortly. He cleared his throat and wiped his hands on his pants.

"What can you tell us about her wingman?" Seth pushed.

"That's not really my story to tell."

"Come on, Joe," Seth chuckled. "The two of you have been going out for two months now, right? Rumor is that you guys were neighbors before you started going out. Surely, she's talked about that flight."

"Seth," Joe cut him off a little too forcefully. "As I said, it's not my story to tell. It's not my place to tell that story to thousands of viewers. It's Holly's story, not mine. If you want to ask about my career, great. I would happily tell you about it. I'd even be willing to talk to you about Holly and my relationship. But when it comes to Holly's career and her time as a pilot, I will politely ask you to leave that subject alone."

"Joe, I didn't mean. . ."

"It's her life," Joe continued. "I agreed to come and talk about my life, not hers."

"I understand," Seth said, putting his hands up in defense.

There was a little bit of tension for the rest of the interview. The entire time, Joe was worried Seth might overstep his boundaries and ask about Holly. When things finally wrapped up, Joe let out a sigh of relief.

Joe thanked Seth and walked to his dressing room. As he closed the door, he grabbed his phone and called Holly.

"I'm so sorry," Joe said the second the phone stopped ringing. "I had no idea that Seth was going to ask those. . . That he was going to bring up. . . I'm so sorry, baby."

"It's okay," Holly said softly. "I understand."

"You shouldn't," Joe sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "He had no right to talk about you. It's none of his business."

"Joe," she said gently. "It's okay. I knew what I was getting into when we started dating. I figured that people would be curious about who the great Joe Keery was dating. I prepared myself for it."

"I'm still sorry, baby."

"I know something that could make you feel better."

"You do?" Joe asked.

"I'm at the grocery store right now," Holly said, her excitement tightening her throat.

"You are? That's great, baby!"

"And," Holly added, "I went through the normal line."

"As in you talked to a cashier?"

"I did," she chuckled.

"Baby," Joe said, his voice getting caught in his throat, "I'm so proud of you."

Their moment was destroyed when Joe heard a bunch of voices shouting questions at Holly. He quickly figured out that a bunch of paparazzi had found Holly and had cornered her outside the store.

"Holly?" Joe tried to talk to her through the yelling of questions.

"I'm not. . ." Holly stuttered as the paparazzi surrounded her, asking questions that she could barely comprehend. "I mean. . . I need to. . . I want to go home. . .Please."

"Holly? Can you hear me?"

Joe's heart plunged into his stomach when he heard the dial tone, signaling that the phone call had ended.

"Oh no."

* * * * *

Joe ran into their building, instantly going to Holly's apartment. He opened the door, relieved that it wasn't locked. He looked around her apartment, his panic rising.

"Holly?!" He called out. "Are you here? Holly, where are you?"

He ran through her apartment, finding her bag and shoes by the kitchen table. He ran into her room, hating that it was empty. He was about to run out but stopped. He went to the bathroom, letting out a sigh of relief when he found her curled up in the empty bath.

Joe carefully climbed into the bathtub with her. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap.

"I'm so sorry, baby," he whispered. "I can't believe they cornered you. That must've been. . . I'm so sorry, Holly."

"It's okay," she said, her voice shaky.

"No," he sighed. "No, it's not."

"It's your job," she whispered.

"It's the one part of my job that I hate," Joe sighed. "And I hate it even more now that you're being dragged into it."

"But I'm with you," Holly whispered. She looked up at him with tears still in her eyes. "And that means I have to put up with it. Right?"

"Yes," Joe whispered as he gently cupped her face in his hand. He leaned down and kissed her forehead. He tightened his arms around her as she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"You're here with me, right?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Always," Joe whispered.