A Dream for Two (11 page)

***

A month later and “Endure” was released upon the world. Elise avoided the internet for the entire week, refusing to look up sales figures or initial responses to the record. She ignored her online fan pages and nested in her apartment with Dylan. Paparazzi hounded them on a daily basis to try to get a shot of them looking tense or anxious in release week but they didn’t give them the satisfaction, they just hid away behind her curtains watching old movies together.

In their bubble Elise almost forgot about the record entirely. She was too focused on being with Dylan. But soon the day came when the Billboard charts would be released. She could hide no more from the reality that this one record was going to make or break her career. If “Endure” didn’t chart well, at least top ten, she risked being in great debt to Cloud Records and spending the rest of her natural life paying them back The deal she’d struck meant she needed the record to sell well so that she could pay the label back for the all the promotion they had invested in her and Dylan.

“It will be fine,” Dylan reassured her as they curled up on the sofa together and switched on her laptop. She had hundreds of emails demanding her attention but she ignored them all. All she wanted to see was the chart.

“I’m nervous,” Elise admitted as she clicked on the relevant link and waited.

“I’m right here,” Dylan wrapped an arm around her and gave her a reassuring squeeze. “None of this matters. All that’s important is right here in this apartment. We’ve got each other and that’s more than enough for me.”

Elise nodded though her whole body continued to feel tense and full of apprehension. She opened the page listing the updated Billboard chart. It didn’t take long to locate “Endure.” It was in the top spot. They had charted at number one. Elise stared at the screen in disbelief.

“Oh my God,” she uttered, reaching out to touch the screen as though it wasn’t real, just a figment of her imagination.

Dylan began to search for news articles about the song on his iPad.

“Listen to this,” he urged her. “Elise Roberts and Dylan Cornish have created a song so beautiful, so simple and so romantic. Watching these two lovebirds perform together is an absolute joy, as though we are being invited into their private, loved-up world. It is so refreshing to see two committed people come together to create something so special rather than being in competition with one another. This blogger can’t wait to hear more from the handsome couple.”

Dylan proudly showed the article to Elise.

“It’s…amazing.” It still wasn’t quite sinking in. She looked back at the number one beside her name. She’d done it. This was everything she’d ever dreamed of.

“How shall we celebrate?” Dylan asked, leaning close to gently nuzzle her neck.

“Can we order some takeout and just watch a movie?” Elise wondered.

“Like we have been doing all week, you mean?” Dylan laughed.

“Yeah,” Elise smiled shyly at him. “I just want to spend tonight curled up with you laughing at old movies.”

“I can safely say this whole fame thing hasn’t gone to your head,” Dylan declared as he began browsing local takeout places on his phone.

“The best part of all of this is sharing it with you,” Elise told him sincerely. “That’s why I just want to celebrate our success privately, together.”

“I love you,” Dylan put down his phone and pulled Elise closer towards him. He kissed her softly upon the lips.

“I love you too,” she grinned.

Outside paparazzi gathered on the sidewalk, eager to get a snapshot of the couple who were storming the charts. But they were left disappointed. Elise and Dylan didn’t venture out for three more days, and then when they did they walked hand in hand towards the subway which they rode to attend a charity auction over in Brooklyn.

***

Over the next several years, Dylan and Elise got married, won multiple Grammy awards and had their beautiful daughter Melanie. All their dreams, both personal and professional, had come true. Whenever anyone asked them if they were happy, they would answer: “We are the happiest people in the world.”

In childhood I observed a huge love between my mother and father and promised myself that one day I would meet a man whom I would fall in love with head over heels. At the age of 16, I wrote my first romance story that was published in a student magazine and was read by my entire neighborhood. I enjoy writing romance stories that readers can turn into captivating imaginary movies where characters fall in love, overcome difficult obstacles, and participate in best adventures of their lives. Most of the time you can find me reading a great fiction book in a cozy armchair, writing a romance story in a hammock near the ocean, or traveling around the world with my beloved husband.