For those of you who read the first entry in this series, thanks for the comments that youâve given me thus far, hope you like the new story.
It had been a strange three weeks for Corey. Everything seemed to be going well for him. Work was great, the world seemed to weigh just a little less than normal, and he always had something to look forward to, and in all honesty, it was thanks to Eliza.
Three weeks ago, during one of the worst storms the area had ever seen, Corey had stopped alongside the road to help a woman that appeared to be stranded on the side of the road. It hadnât taken him long to realize that the woman heâd helped was actually the beautiful Eliza Dushku, but it really didnât matter, she was a person, just like anyone else, and heâd treated her as such, much to her surprise.
Well, they had got to talking while they waited for the tow truck at his place and eventually things had begun to happen and the two of them wound up making love on his bedroom floor. Since then, his life had taken a drastic turn for the better. He had a loving girlfriend, a good job, and plenty of time to indulge them both. And so his days had been much better. There wasnât any of the stress, or sheer mental abuse that he had put himself through before. Life was good.
He leaned back, one hand on the wheel of the Jeep and the other on the back of the seat beside him. His camera lay on the seat beside him; his tripod, extra film and other gear were in a small box in the backseat along with his dog, Sasha. Work was done for the day, and he and the dog were headed back home for the evening. His only concern at this point was whether or not there was anything worth eating in the fridge.
All in all, things were looking pretty good. The sun was shining (for once) and it was a beautiful day.
At that point, he felt the ever shocking sensation of something vibrating against his leg. He reached down and grabbed his cell phone from his pocket and looked at it. It was Eliza.
âLooks like a good day can get better.â He thought to himself as he flipped open the phone. âHey babe, whatâs going on?â
Eliza stood on the set of a new movie, watching as the crew moved yet another backdrop from one side of the flooding studio to the other, in a desperate attempt to try and save what could be saved. âYou wouldnât believe me if I told you,â she said, trying to suppress a laugh at the look on the studio managerâs face as he screamed orders at various people. âHey, weâre done for the day at this point, due to ummmâŚI guess you might call them technical difficultiesâŚ.are you free for the evening?â
Corey smiled as he pulled his car off the road and into the parking lot of the Giant supermarket. âWell, Iâll have to call my other girlfriends and cancel with themâŚbut I think I can work something out. Whatâd you have in mind?â
Eliza tossed her hair back and stepped outside the studio into the bright sunlight of the day. âOh yeah, all your other women, eh? You can go right ahead and think youâre all that, but you are not as charming as you think. Remind me again why I put up with you?â
âPerhaps because I am devilishly handsome, and a good lay?â He said, as he walked through the automatic doors. âOr something like that, right?â
âEither way, you know Iâm just playing. As for whatâs going on tonightâŚno idea, why donât you surprise me?â Her car was still in the shop, so she was looking for someone to give her a ride out to his place at this point, but everyone was busy dealing with the burst pipe. âYou know I love surprisesâŚâ
Corey stopped for a moment, examining the pepper that was in his hand before adding it to the bag. âAlright, I can handle that. Stop waving your arms around like that, you look funny, babe. Iâll be there in a half hour or so. Iâve just got to pick up a few things for our evening.â He paused, adding a few pounds of ziti to the cart. âAre you going to be outside the studio?â
âYep. Iâll see you in a little while baby. Love ya lots.â
âYou too, gorgeous. Tell Derrick I said hello.â
Eliza laughed out loud at this, thinking of Derrick, the studio manager running around inside. âIâll tell you about it later, but I donât think heâll want to hear it right now.â
Corey stopped, slightly confused, then just shook his head. âI wonât ask. Give me thirty minutes, if Iâm not there by then, Iâll buy you dinner tonight, deal?â
âDeal. Adios for now, babe.â
Corey finished paying for the ingredients he would need and left the store. It took him only a few seconds to take the top on the jeep down and rearrange his gear, so that the camera and all its accessories were secured in the back storage part of the jeep, and Sasha had joined him in the front.
âYeah,â he thought. âItâs going to be a good night.â And with that, he revved the engine and took off towards the studio.
The drive to the studio was about a half hour, depending on which way you took, and how much traffic there was, but at this point, Corey was a man on a mission. With the wind blowing in his hair, the stereo blaring out his favorite song, and the sun beating down on his face, Corey pulled into the studio about twenty minutes later.
He pulled in to the guard station and slowed the car to a halt, turning the stereo down to a reasonable level. âExcuse me, sir,â Said one of the two guards, âCan I see some ID?â
Corey pulled his press credentials out of the glove box and handed them over.
âOh, Mr. Frampton. Weâve seen a lot of your work. You seem to be a pretty popular photographer around here. Unfortunately, thereâs no press allowed on the studio grounds.â
Corey smiled. âNo worries guys. If you look inside that boothâŚâ he pointed to the one on his left, âYouâll see a note that says Iâm alright. Iâm here to pick up Eliza.â
âMs. Dushku?â The guard seemed confused for a minute. âWhy is a photographer picking up Ms. Dushku?â
At this point Corey actually laughed out loud and turned his stereo back up just a little bit. Blindside was playing; their song, Pitiful was one of his favorite tunes. âDonât worry about it man, Iâm not here to work, Eliza is my girlfriend, and Iâm going to lose a bet if I donât take off, so would you mind raising the gate?â