𝐄𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐀𝐋 - 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 [✓]

𝟏𝟏. 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐘𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐄

𝙳𝙴𝙲𝙴𝙼𝙱𝙴𝚁 𝟸𝟶𝟷𝟾 | 𝚆𝙸𝙻𝙼𝚂𝙻𝙾𝚆

After the agreement made in November, many emails had been sent between the band, their team and Elizabeth. She was growing more and more excited to get away and go on tour, she hadn't been anywhere further than mainland Europe in her whole life, and now she had the opportunity to travel the entire world in under a year. 

Now Elizabeth was sat with her boyfriend, in the spare room of her sister and her sisters fiancé's flat in Wilmslow on New Years Eve. They'd spent the whole evening drinking, playing boardgames and getting far too competitive with them, and watching fireworks go off from peoples gardens. She'd told Rebecca about touring with the band, calling her practically straight away as she knew her sister would be pleased. 

However she was unsure on what Charlie's reaction would be like. They'd been together for a while and she hoped he'd take things well - however there was no way of her knowing for certain if he'd be happy for her to leave. She didn't mean to leave it for so long, Christmas caught up with the couple so quickly that she had only just got the time to finally mention her jetting off across the globe. 

They were comfortable in bed, not close to falling asleep but content in their silence until she spoke,  "I have something I've been meaning to tell you for a while, I've just not known when or how to say it." she confessed.
His interest was clearly peaked as he propped himself up slightly on his elbow, eyebrows furrowed as he looked to her, "Go ahead." 
Her lips pursed and she spoke, "You know I worked on that shoot for 'The 1975'." He nodded at her, "Of course it was some of your biggest and best work." his tone of voice made it sound obvious. 

"Well you know I went to their show in Novemeber?"
His face was clearly getting slightly irritated she wasn't just saying her piece all in one go. With a sigh he continued, "Yeah..." he thought for a second, his face turning into an expression of panic, "You're not going to tell me you shagged one of them are you?" 

Disgust was visible on Elizabeths face,
"God no! They're like.. the brothers I never had." she dismissed, feeling ill about the thought of having sex with a member of the band in their current time. 
He let out a sigh and smiled,
"Thank God, I got a bit scared. What is it then?" 

She took in a deep breath, trying to embrace herself for whatever reaction he was going to have. "They asked me to go on tour with them this year, as their photographer."
He nodded, smiling proudly at her.
"That's great, is it around the UK for a bit or?" he trailed off, waiting for her to give more details.

"It's a world tour, Charlie."

His change in opinion was evident by the way his smile vanished from his face in an instant. 
"Oh." he paused, thinking for a good while, "And you said yes?" 

She nodded, slightly remorsefully but she wasn't going to be made to feel bad for accepting it, "It's an opportunity I'm never going to get again, I'd be away from March to December. Nine months straight of travelling and doing what I love." she took note of his reaction, deciding to continue speaking to fill the silence.
"I could make a career out of it - think of all the big bands I could shoot for." 

He sat up straight in bed now, Elizabeth following his actions. "I know - that's insane and I'm happy for you - but nine months of you literally across the world from me? That's a lot to be sprung on me at once Elizabeth." 
She sighed, not emotionally ready for an argument right now,
"I get that, but we've got until the end of March, I'm not doing the UK leg. I'd fly out to Mexico on the Fourteenth." 

Though she saw no wrong in her words, he clearly did and he made it known by letting out a loud, bitter laugh. "Mexico? It's like you're trying to get away from me?"
Elizabeth cursed herself for getting into this situation, they argued as much as every other couple but nothing previously had felt as vicious as this. 

Desperately trying to salvage the situation she continued, "No you know I love you, but it's a career opportunity I can't turn down Charlie."
Elizabeth was trying and running out of ways to make the situation better, with Charlie clearly seething next to her in the bed. 
Being in a similar industry, he did really understand where she was coming from, "I get that I really do, but do you really think we'd last at that distance for so long?" 

His words offended Elizabeth, she clearly had enough faith in their relationship to accept the offer in the first place; a reaction like this felt like her trust in Charlie was thrown back in her face.
"Of course I do, why else do you think I'd be okay with going?" She scoffed, looking at him in disbelief, "We've been together for long enough now I think we'd be fine, I'm not throwing us away for a gig." 

"Really? Because it sure feels like you are." his words were laced with lament. 
All there was left for her to do was gasp, lightly chuckling at his words."I honestly can't tell if you're joking right now or not-" 

He cut her off, "Oh I am deathly serious. You're really going to abandon this, us, for your little mates from school who left you for upwards of four years." 
Now Elizabeth was beginning to get irritated with his irrational behaviour. "It's different, they got busy." 
He let out a petulant laugh, "Yeah and so will you Elizabeth, you'll be 'too busy' editing to give me a Facetime at about two in the morning because of timezones. You'll be 'too busy' while you're dancing to their shitty music all night; and I'll be at home doing my job, earning good money, as you swan off with a band of nobodies." his cockiness was uncharacteristic and Elizabeth wasn't going to stand for it. 

This was a new side to the man she'd been foolish enough to call her lover and she wasn't enjoying it. "They're going to pay me well Charlie! And it's a job I've longed to have for years. We've even spoke about this before! This is my dream life coming into play and you can't seriously expect me to turn that down because you're going to miss me too much." her chest heaved slightly as she was speaking too fast to catch her breath. 

She felt relieved after saying her piece, but the moment was very fleeting as he continued with his bitter arguments.
"Oh so you're not going to miss me are you? Probably going to love going and shagging all the roadies travelling with you huh?"
His words hurt, she'd been nothing but loyal to her boyfriend and the way he was treating her almost brought her to tears. She was putting up a strong facade but that was the comment that broke it down.
"No, I never said that-" her words sounded softer as she spoke, no longer said with spite but sadness. 

"No Elizabeth but you didn't need to, it might be your 'dream life' but you're going to be around all these people; you'll be missing me and end up falling into the arms of whatever handsome stranger you find first." he spat, the words leaving his mouth feeling putrid. 
There was no reaction too extreme to what he said, she was half tempted to slap him across the face but instead she tried to remain calm - though it was difficult.
"Are you joking me Charlie? I've loved you and only you for the best part of a year. I'm not throwing what we have away." 

He didn't care to listen to what she had to say, "Talk to me about it in the morning, or better yet - we can never mention it again - let's just go on as if things are fine, until you get on that plane and never talk to me again." With that he began to turn away, Elizabeth catching his attention one final time.
"Surely this is just the drink talking? I love you, Charlie. We can get through all this." 

"I said don't talk to me." he shouted, turning over to face the opposite side of the bed. Rather than continuing the, already far too longwinded, argument; she chose to be the bigger person and let it end there. Leaving him to brood angrily into the night as she lay feeling cold and lonely, pondering her options.