Life on Mars

*Jared’s POV*

I couldn’t sleep.

Eliza lay dozing on my chest, one arm draped over my body. Her head rested on my shoulder and her bare breasts were pressed up against my side. I was combing my fingers through her dirty blonde hair, smiling every so often at the sound of the soft moan that occasionally escaped her lips. She’d been wide awake before I’d started doing this, and it was barely even 10 o’clock at night now.

She and Holden were leaving for New York first thing in the morning, and the following morning was her scheduled appearance on The View. I hated that she was leaving but I knew it was necessary. It would only be a matter of time before I’d have to travel for another film or tour myself. I considered us lucky to have met one another at a place in our lives where we were spending the majority of our time at home in L.A. Otherwise, I’m not sure we would’ve ever crossed paths.

A few days after our movie night at Presley’s the week before, Shannon told Presley he loved her. I was the first to find out that he’d officially spoken the words, but it wasn’t long after that Presley called Eliza to tell her. By that time I was at her house for the night, and I watched as Eliza paced back and forth across her livingroom with the phone pressed to her ear, hardly able to get a word in edgewise. When she hung up she told me that she’d never heard Presley so happy in her life.

Eliza was silent for a long time after that. I didn’t ask why and she didn’t offer an explanation.

I knew she wasn’t pleased that I disagreed with her on the topic of marriage. Granted, most people didn’t talk about it after only three weeks of knowing one another, but nothing about us had been normal. Plus we weren’t children anymore. There was no reason not to lay it all out on the table and make our long-term intentions clear. Doing so avoided heartache and deception, two things that no one our age had any interest in dealing with.

I can’t lie. I wanted her to change her mind. The more I thought about it and the more I listened to Shannon tell me how sure he was that Presley was the one for him, the more I realized that I couldn’t imagine my own life without Eliza. I didn’t want to seal the deal now – I just wanted to know that she would at least consider making it official someday.

“Eli?” I whispered into her hair. “Baby?”

“Mmm…yeah?” She mumbled.

“I have to ask you something.”

She groaned quietly and shifted. “Can it wait until the morning?”

“No,” I answered. “You’re leaving in the morning.”

“I know but…we can talk while I finish packing and get ready,” she returned.

“I don’t want to wait,” I persisted. “This is important.”

She sighed heavily, then shifted again so that she could look up into my eyes. She was so adorable when she was sleepy. I felt guilty for bringing it up but I knew I had to. “What’s on your mind?” She asked.

“My last name,” I whispered. “I want you to promise me that you’ll at least consider the idea of marrying me someday if we’re together long enough.”

She sighed again, louder this time, and turned away to roll out of my arms. “You’re only saying this because your brother and my best friend are completely lovesick. You and Shannon are in a band together, Jared. It doesn’t mean you have to do everything else together, too.”

Wow. That was a clean slap in the face. My sudden anger was too intense to ignore. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I snapped, sitting up. “You honestly think I’m bringing this up because of the two of them? Weren’t we having a conversation about this even before he told you that he thought he was in love with her?”

“Yes,” she returned, her own voice still level and even. “And we haven’t talked about it since then, so what do you expect me to think?”

“That I’m least being genuine!” I shot back. I was nearly shouting now.

“Keeping yelling, Jared,” she said. “That’s really going to help things…”

I started to push the covers back and crawl out of the bed then, but her hand suddenly landed on my forearm. Her grip was tight, and I could see her glaring at me even through the darkness. Now she was sitting up, too.

“Stop it right now,” she said firmly. “Look…I promise I will think about it, okay? I’m sorry for accusing you of being insincere. I know that you’re serious, I do, but it freaks me out, Jared. I’m not gonna lie. But I swear to you that I’ll think about it, all right?”

I was still trying to calm my ragged breathing. The sight of her bare chest didn’t exactly help. It just confused me.

“Now please, lie down again and just relax,” she whispered, beckoning me towards her. “Come on, honey…”

And just like that my pulse stopped racing. She could completely melt my resolve when she looked at me like that.

I eased down under the covers and rested my head on the pillows once again, pulling her on top of me. “I’m sorry,” I whispered, feeling her legs settle beside each of my hips. “I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“And I don’t mean to be so cynical,” she returned. “I meant what I said, I know you’re being serious.”

“And you’ll really think about it?” I pressed.

“Yes, I’ll really think about it,” she responded. “But I’m not making any promises. You’re asking me to reconsider a decision that’s been shaped over 32 years worth of experiences when you and I may not even make it that far.”

“Stop with the cynicism already,” I chuckled, reaching up to pull her face down to mine. I gave her a long, deep kiss, then wrapped my arms around her and looked into her eyes. “I like to entertain the idea that we’ll last a very long time…”

****

Two days later we were gathered in front of the television in Shannon’s livingroom. He and Presley were curled up on one couch and I was sprawled out on the other. It was 10 a.m. and The View was going to start any minute.

“I can’t believe we’re watching this,” Shannon grumbled.

I could only snicker at him. I couldn’t really believe it, either, but then again I’d appeared on the show and we were watching it for a good reason anyway. I couldn’t wait to see Eliza’s face.

“It’s called moral support,” Presley chirped. “I’m calling her when it’s over so that we can commend her on her awesome job.”

“I’m sure Holden and Violet were standing sidestage the entire time,” Shannon sighed. “We could just youtube it. It aired two hours ago on the east coast.”

“Shann, shut up,” I laughed. “We’re not looking it up on youtube. Just suck it up and watch the show. It’s not gonna kill you to watch a talk show for five minutes.”

He finally laughed. “You don’t know that. And hey, you won’t be saying that when it takes twenty minutes for them to get her ass onstage.”

“You’re probably right,” I agreed. “But it doesn’t matter because we’re watching it anyway.”

And sure enough, twenty minutes later Barbara Walters was introducing her.

“She’s written seven New York Times Bestsellers and makes one of the best dishes of Cioppino that New York has ever seen. She’s visiting from Los Angeles to promote her newest novel, The Perfect Medium, which will be in bookstores next Tuesday. Please welcome Eliza West.”

As the crowd began to applause, so did Presley. Shannon and I laughed at her as Eliza appeared on the screen. She had on a busy black and white print shirt dress, an oversized pearl necklace, and three inch black heels. She was wearing the red framed glasses I rarely ever saw on her, and she looked so professional and so sophisticated that it nearly took my breath away.

“Man, she looks great,” Presley breathed as Eliza greeted the hosts one by one with handshakes. “Look at her…”

“Yeah…” I sighed. “She does look great.”

My heart ached so badly for her that it was almost painful. I watched closely as she settled into an oversized white chair and began to chuckle while the crowd settled down.

“Cioppino?” She asked with amusement. “What, did you guys talk to my old boss?”

“As a matter of fact we did,” Joy Behar answered. “Now I have to ask since his explanation was so complex. What exactly is Cioppino?”

Eliza laughed again. “It’s fish stew. It’s typically a combination of dungeness crab, clams, shrimp, scallops, squid, mussels and fish with fresh tomatoes in a wine sauce, often served over long pasta and toasted buttered bread, either sourdough or baguette.” She took a breath when she finished. “Wow that one’s always a mouthful.”

“Sounds interesting,” Whoopi Goldberg nodded. “Although I have to admit that I’m not a big fan of fish stew. How about you?”

“It’s not my favorite but I do enjoy it,” Eliza answered. “I’m a vegetarian so I tend to eat a lot of seafood.”

“A trained chef that’s a vegetarian…” Barbara said in wonderment. “How do you do it?”

“A lot of self-discipline,” she grinned.

They chattered away for another minute or two, until Elizabeth Hasselbeck steered the subject to Eliza’s new novel.

“What do you think makes this novel different from the others?” She asked. “You’ve got a reputation for applying new elements to each novel that you write. Your protagonists are never quite the same…”

“No, that’s true,” Eliza agreed. “I’d say that with this one…my protagonist is slightly more autobiographical than in some of my other novels. Most people write about what they know and…in the past I’ve always done extensive research on anything I’ve written, whether it be location, medical conditions, personality traits and characteristics, but…this time I decided to try and stay closer to what I knew.”

“And what’s the novel about?” Barbara questioned.

“Self-fulfillment,” Eliza replied confidently. “Finding it though unconventional means, and not through an equation that, in the main character's eyes, seems to work rather well for most people. My protagonist, Joshua Marshall, sometimes feels as if he very much stands alone in this way. This is his journey of revelations on his own unique road to happiness and personal satisfaction.”

“And this is your first time writing from a male perspective, yes?” Joy asked.

“Yeah, first person point of view as well, which has been very interesting,” Eliza nodded. “In a way this was a sort of revelation for me, too. I wasn’t sure I could finish it even when I was halfway through…”

“So what would you say is the biggest thing you have in common with your main character?”

Eliza laughed awkwardly, pausing for a long moment before answering. “Probably…his complete and utter aversion to marriage. I’ve never really felt the need to marry.”

“Well…that brings us to our next question,” Barbara chimed in. “We hate to do this to you, but…it’s on the mind of all our viewers and has been ever since this picture was taken last week…”

And to my horror the same photo from People magazine that had caused Eliza so much grief flashed up on the screen.

“No fucking way,” Presley groaned.

The camera switched back to Eliza’s face, and I was relieved to see her expression free and clear of stress. She was merely smiling patiently.

“Dating?” Joy pressed.

“Friends,” Eliza clarified with a laugh. “I’m actually very good friends with everyone in his band, 30 Seconds to Mars. I hope they don’t kill me for spilling the beans but…his older brother, Shannon, who’s the drummer, is dating my best friend. Jared’s a great guy but…we’re definitely friends.”

“And what’s his take on marriage?” Elizabeth asked.

Eliza laughed again, and although I was sure no one else had noticed, I could see the way her cheeks flushed just the slightest bit. She cleared her throat and smiled coyly at her hosts. “Well I don’t know, you’d have to ask him that.”

“Liar!” I shouted at the television. I rolled over to stuff my face into the pillow underneath my head and listened as they wrapped up their interview with her. “She’s killing me,” I groaned. “She should’ve just said the topic was off-limits…”

“Is that what you would’ve done if you were in the hot seat?” Presley demanded. “Give her a break, Jared, I think she did well.”

“Me too,” Shannon sighed. “And I’m surprised to say that the first twenty minutes weren’t all that painful after all.”

I laughed loudly into the pillow, then lifted my head just enough to see him. “Are you gonna be watching The View now?” I teased.

“Oh hell no,” he laughed. “Not unless someone we know is on again.”

I rolled over again just as they went to a commercial. Shannon grabbed the remote from the coffee table and changed the channel as Presley stood up with her mug of tea.

“I’m going to call your girlfriend,” she announced. “Would you like to speak with her and congratulate her on a job well done?”

“Yes, please,” I grinned. “When you’re done.”

Shannon settled on the Discovery Channel, and as we watched a rerun of Survivorman I could hear Presley on the phone with Eliza in the other room. She laughed loudly a few times, but otherwise I had no idea what they were talking about.

Suddenly she came into the room and thrust the phone towards me. I stood up and gladly took it from her, quickly pressing it to my ear as I relocated to the kitchen just as Presley had.

“Hey,” I said softly. “You did great.”

“Thanks,” she whispered. “Look, I’m really sorry about what I said on the show about the whole…marriage thing. I meant what I said to you two nights ago. I’m…thinking about it. It’s just going to take some time…”

“I know, it’s okay,” I returned. “I would’ve preferred if you’d just told them the topic was off-limits, especially since I know you don’t like talking about any of it, but…I think you handled it well.”

“Thanks,” she repeated, sighing heavily. “God…I wish you were here. This isn’t as fun when I know you’re back in Los Angeles without me…”

Her words made me sad. “Well you’re having a good time with Holden and Violet, right? It must help that you’re staying at her place…”

“No, it does,” she answered. “I just…didn’t think I’d miss you this much.”

“Well…I’m not doing anything over the next few days,” I told her. “I mean nothing set in stone anyway. I could…come to New York.”

“That’s crazy,” she chuckled quietly. “I’d be working the whole time. Thank you, though. That’s very sweet.”

I could hear Holden’s voice in the background, and then her muted reply before she returned her attention to me.

“I’m sorry, Jared, but I’ve gotta go. Holden and I have a meeting in thirty minutes and we have to get going. I’ll call you later, okay?”

“Yeah, all right,” I replied. “Miss you.”

“Miss you, too,” she whispered.

Once again, the lingering sadness in her tone made my heart ache as we both hung up the phone. As I placed it back on the receiver and began to wander back towards the livingroom, I seriously considered flying to New York despite her telling me not to.

“Hey Shann?” I asked when I reached the doorway. Presley was stretched out on the couch with her feet in his lap.

He looked up at me. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I was just…wondering if you had any plans to head into the studio over the next few days.”

“Nah, I need a break,” he sighed. “I figured we could start fresh on Monday or something. Why, what’s up?”

“Because…I’m thinking about taking a coastal trip.”

Presley tilted her head up so that she could see me. “I think you should do it,” she smiled understandingly. “Do you know what Holden said to her when he first told her about the magazine photo? He said the honeymoon period was over for you two. I think you should go and prove to her that it isn’t.”

“He said that?” I asked incredulously. “I ought to kick his ass…”

“He didn’t mean any harm,” Presley laughed. “And besides, for all intents and purposes, she believed it anyway. He didn’t have to say it. But regardless, I still think you should go. I mean just think, you could even meet Violet. It’s the next best thing considering you’ll probably never meet her parents.”

“What makes you say that?” I questioned curiously.

“Oh you know the story,” she shrugged. “She hates their guts. They don’t approve of one single thing she’s done. Dating an actor and musician isn’t going to help the matter. Sorry but it’s the truth.”

“We should introduce her to Mom,” Shannon piped up. Then he frowned and glanced down at Presley. “As a matter of fact…we should take both of you over there.”

“I’m down,” Presley nodded.

They both turned to me again. “What do you think?” Shannon asked me.

“Yeah, sure,” I returned as I dug my car keys out of my pocket. “But…back to the subject at hand. I’m gonna…go to New York. I’ll see you guys in a few days…”