Better Days

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Interlude Two:

"To Need and Be Needed"

New York City

December, 2001

Elizabeth was conspicuously missing when Orlando arrived at the Ziegfeld Theater. Not to the press, who scarcely knew who he was, but everyone who knew him, knew something was up. She’d been at the dinner the night before that Peter had held at the Woldorf for those who’d made it to NYC for the premier. There were few viable reasons why Orlando was now flying solo, especially since Liz lived in New York and his schedule had kept them apart for some time. Perhaps she was ill. Perhaps there was a family emergency. Or, perhaps Orlando had let another one get away.

He ignored the questioning glances from his cast mates as they all worked the red carpet and when one would get close enough to him to whisper the burning question in his ear, he would just shrug it off.

Everyone liked Elizabeth. She was lovely in almost every way one could be lovely. Most of the girls Orlando had been with over the two years they’d known him were. Always sweet and just shy enough that Orlando always felt needed. He was one of those guys who liked to feel needed. He liked the kind of girls who would let him take care of them- not dependent, just diffident.

The problem was that such girls often got old. He couldn’t understand it better than anyone else. Each girl always seemed perfect to him at first and there was never any shocking revelation that changed that. That was part of the problem, he supposed. There were never any surprises with girls like that- everything was always just “nice”. Pleasant. It was tedious and suffocating.

Orlando wanted to be set on fire.

He wanted someone who would challenge him; someone he could learn from as well as teach. But he also wanted sweet and nice- he wanted lovely. Just not all the time.

He wanted what Sean and Christine had: a partnership- to want and be wanted at the same time. To need and be needed. He wanted someone he could grow and change with, especially at this time in his life.

He’d started to realize Liz was not that woman a few weeks earlier. She’d lasted longer than any of the others. He’d been with her over a year. His friends and family adored her- he adored her. He just didn’t love her and if after a year… he knew he’d never love her. Elizabeth knew it too. She ended it before he had the chance.

The film was as incredible as it had been the first ten times he’d seen it. He was still in awe that he’d been given the chance to be a part of it. Not only Lord of the Rings- but all the oportunities that went with it. It was surreal to say the least and he could only hope he’d never lose that feeling.

It was this thought that was occupying his mind and not Liz when Dom approached him at the after party.

“Sorry, man, they elected me,” he said with a rueful smirk, setting his drink down on the table and taking a seat across from Orlando.

Orlando turned his head to see Billy, Sean, Christine, Elijah, Liv and a few others standing in a clump off to the side, trying to look in casual conversation. And failing miserably,” he thought.

“It’s over,” he said with a shrug.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Any particular reason?”

“She knew I wasn’t in love with her,” he said simply. “It’s better this way. I’ll miss her, but she’s gotta do what’s right by her. That truth is, she only beat me to the punch.”

“So, if you’re so cool with this, why with the introspective loner routine tonight?”

“Just thinking,” he replied with a small smile.

Dom took a deep breath and grinned. “You can think on your own time, Bloom. This is a fucking party.”