Somewhere Else

Chapter 1

1

Elle

I couldn't stop my eyes from wandering over to the rack of tabloids as I stood in line at the grocery store. It's no wonder people cram them into their carts at the last second; their flashy colors and giant block letters can pull even the smartest person into their fabrications. My eyes scanned tagline after tagline until they rested on one with a very familiar name incorporated into the title. But the insecurity I felt was fleeting. I dragged my eyes from the dodgy magazine and loaded my groceries onto the belt.

My ride back to the house on the Tube was fairly easy with my lone grocery bag. It was a little crowded given everyone trying to rush home to get a jump start on the weekend, but I didn't mind. Being connected to someone who was constantly in the public eye somehow made me less wary around unfamiliar people; I couldn't really explain it, but I was grateful for it nonetheless.

When I finally arrived at the front door, I slid my key into the lock and was greeted with a welcome wave of warmth. He had the fireplace going, and the scent of burning wood filled my senses. It felt like home. It was home.

I was going to miss it dearly.

But I was going to miss him more.

I strolled into the kitchen and found him sitting at one of the stools pushed up against the counter, hunched over his phone. He was totally engrossed in whatever it was he was watching, so much so that I'm not sure he even realized I was standing right behind him. I bent my head to his shoulder and kissed his cheek.

"What're you—" but the moment my eyes found the screen, my question was answered. "Did you record that?" I found myself staring at me leaping across a stage.

"Yep. Hi, baby." He put his phone down and turned around in the seat, managing to wrap me in his arms all in one swift motion.

"Why on EARTH would you record my dance from the showcase last weekend?" A flush of embarrassment crept up my cheeks.

"I think the better question is why wouldn't I record it?" He raised his eyebrows to me. "I was thinking it would be nice to watch when I was really missing you." His voice dropped to a hush.  "Maybe before bed each night."

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep my emotions in check. "We can video chat at night."

"There's quite the time difference, love." He pushed himself a little ways from the counter and patted his lap. I eagerly climbed into it.

"Okay, I guess my dance will have to suffice." I leaned in to kiss him. "I bought some fresh ingredients for dinner tonight. I was thinking maybe you could make that steak with the peppercorn sauce. We haven't had it since we went to Paris. And you're just so good at cooking." I whipped out my flirtiest eyelash batting possible.

"I'd love to make it for us. How much did you spend?" He brought his eyes up to meet mine.

"Oh, hardly anything." I shook off the question with a wave of my hand.

"Elle, really, let me at least give you half. I should've gone myself. You had to work today." He unwrapped one of his arms from me and reached around into his back pocket.

"I'm not taking money from you for groceries. I spent less than thirty pounds. Didn't we agree we wouldn't discuss this?"

This was an all too familiar issue between us. We'd had a blowup before concerning money, and the big one that almost ended everything between us was in part due to a comment Jude made about it. Ever since then, the two of us kind of just ignored our vastly different social statuses. It was never my intention to be with him just because he makes enough to support me a thousand times over, regardless of what the media had to say.