Chapter Five: If At First You Don't Succeed …

   

 

 Shortly after Erik decided to pop the question to Leila, they went out to dinner one night with the express purpose of making their wedding plans. Erik very much wanted to know what she wanted in a ceremony, knowing full well the day could easily be marred by uninvited photographers/reporters and fans. They would have to carefully select a venue, one that preferably had a bouncer on duty so that unless a Sim was on the Guest List, they wouldn't get access.

 However, as it always did anytime he ventured out into public, they no sooner had requested a table when Erik found himself surrounded. Cameras were flashing, he was nearly blinded by it. Looking around he couldn't even see Leila, at first. When he did, what he saw was a rather unpleasant side of her personality. Once again, his beloved was throwing a Class A-1 Tantrum. Just how old was she, anyway?

Instead of what they'd plan to talk about Erik suddenly realized that everything his mother, his sister and that Romance Guru had suggested was true. This relationship was totally doomed. Erik loved his career and he loved his fans, too. So, sitting at the table with her, he gazed over at her calmly and said, "I'll tell you what. Let's just be friends, okay? That way, perhaps, you won't have to suffer so much when my fans greet me." Watching her closely, he was surprised at her hauntingly calm response. "Okay. I think that's best, too."

It didn't take very long before Erik began to feel the emptiness of his life.
He talked it over with his sister, and she told him about an Alyse Bennett.

They talked a few times, but it wasn't long before he actually missed Leila's jealous fits. In many ways it showed she cared for Erik. Whereas, Alyse, he quickly learned was self-absorbed and a snob. A bit of a cold fish in so many ways, it was disturbing. A female fan could absolutely throw herself at him — right in front of Alyse, and she'd calmly scroll through her cell phone as if nothing had happened.

He met lots of Sims, but none of them seemed quite right.

Oh, they were pretty enough, but in one case, she was still just a teen, too young. Erik did his best to let her down, easy.

The months crawled by, his sister gave birth to twins — twins that now were almost a Sim year old.

And still he felt empty. Lonely. His booking agency kept him busy. He had another gig at the Rock and Roll Concert Hall in Windenburg. Right in the middle of his first set, the amplifier went out again. He really needed to get out of this dump.

After he finished his last set, Erik glanced up to the bar on the mezzanine level and to his complete surprise, he saw Leila. For a time, at least into the first few months after their break-up, she still came to his concerts. But that became less and less. He hadn't seen her in ages. Trying to keep his head as all the old feelings he had for her came rushing back, Erik decided he needed a plan of attack. He couldn't just swagger on up to her and act as if nothing was ever between them. He also knew just how sensitive she was to others, females primarily, who caused her to become anxious. She was a writer, by craft, and feelings of inadequacy, he read somewhere, were all part of their creativity. He was just going to have to do his best to make her feel special to him.

What Erik wasn't prepared for was for her to make like a fan and swoon at his feet. Which she did twice.

"Hey, Leila, it's okay. Leila, please get up. Yes, it's me, I'm here. And so are you. Come here and give your friend a hug."

"Do you mind if we take a picture together?" he asked. "For old Times' sake. What do you say?"

"Erik, I've missed you so much."
"Yeah, about that. Where have you been? I haven't seen you around. Are you still … single?"
"Yes," she said, tentatively.
"Would you like to be my girlfriend? I mean, that is if you wouldn't mind."
"I can't tell you how many times I've dreamed of you coming back to me. Yes, I'm willing to give it another try."

Hugging her close to him, Erik said, "I'm very happy."

"Come on, I'm starving. I know just the right place to go get a bite to eat." They went to the Old Oak Alcove Bar & Grill, where they ended up breaking it off, several months back. Erik really enjoyed that place and wanted to change their memories of it. As soon as they were on the sidewalk, before they could even get inside out of the cold, there was the usual gaggle of fans and Paparazzi, cameras at the ready. This time, Erik changed his strategy. He turned to Leila, giving her his undivided attention.

The couple was barely inside the restaurant when the crowd pressed in swarming around them. Some called for Leila to look their way, the clacking of the camera shutters and the flashing of light bulbs going off. Fans came forward and some actually tugged at Erik's vest to get his attention.
Acting quickly, Erik began to serenade Leila in the midst of the crowd. More flashes went off. This meant they would end up in the rag magazines.

Before too long, he saw that Leila was having a horrible moment of deja vu.

Erik watched as she wiped her eyes and his heart sank. He didn't want to lose her again. Keeping with his plan, he once again focused on her, exclusively.

The next thing he knew, Leila was turning the tables on him. Again, acting like one of his fans, she came over to him and acted all flirty, as she had seen too many of his female Groupie Sims do.

Then almost as impulsively as before, Erik went down on his knee.

Squealing with delight, Leila jumped into Erik's arms while she said, "Yes, I do, I do, I do!"

This time Erik wasted no time in inviting her to move into his sister's place with him. He figured this way they could have more private time together, without the hassle of trying to go out into public. He felt at peace and very happy.