"Fairy tales are what you make them. You can make them come true if you believe"
I was told this by my mother years ago when I was a child. I had been told that fairytales were not real by a girl in class and I went home crying to my mother asking her why people wrote stories if they were not true. This was her answer and for some reason it has never left me. I can't understand why she said it though. Not all little girls grow up to be princesses, have lots of money and a handsome prince who rides in on a white stallion to whisk them off to marry them. It just doesn't happen like that anymore. Definitely not in the middle of London at least. Just like New York for Americans, London was meant to be the place where all of your dreams came true and where people go to fall in love, have a fantastic job and live in massive houses.
Clearly I was not told that you have to work your way to the top to get any sort of happy ending. And as I am someone who is starting out, here I am stuck in an dingy office all day and yet all I have ever wanted to do was to be a writer. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to sit down with my laptop in front of me and just write for hours. About what? I could never say. I could write for a newspaper, I could write books, I could write about politics, current events, serious things that matter in the world.
And what am I doing for a living? I am a writer for the celebrity column called 'The Daily Journal'. Why of all things I will never know. I am not interested in celebrities and what they get up to in their day to day lives, but as it is remotely close to what I want to do and it pays the rent I sit in the office day after day writing about something that never happened and about some z-listers new crazy diet that involves eating nothing but cardboard and air, and sell a fitness regime on DVD that apparently made them lose 2 stone...ridiculous.
Although I do moan, it does mean that I get invited to some very swanky do's. I am always on the list on the door and I am always known by first name basis by the stars. It is like I have my own celebrity status and I love that I have some recognition in the world. But despite all of this something has been missing from my life.
Thanks to these opportunities, I get a lot of life experience. But the only thing I have never really experienced is love. I mean head-over-heels type love. Don't get me wrong, I have had a lot of male friends who stay over more than once a night getting quite intimate, but I have never had a real boyfriend... or at least I wouldn't call them boyfriends. There has been the heavy smoker, the wine connoisseur, the mummy's boy, the self-conscious, the possessive, the soppy romantic that would make you sick, the one night standers who promise to call for a second date who you know won't and many more but I have never had a decent boyfriend...EVER!
So currently in my early twenties, here I am sitting in a restaurant interviewing another famous face for my news article and I could not help judge him. He is the typical rich good looking american playboy. Never earned a penny in his life thanks to his family, is naturally quite good looking and is trying to suck up to me just to get something good in the paper.
"So tell me Mr Salvatore, what is it like knowing that one day all of the empire that your family created could one day be yours?" I ask. Sitting across the dinner table from me is the newest celebrity from the block. Mr Stefan Salvatore. Like I said he is very good looking but he is arrogant enough to know that he is from the way he presents himself. Sitting across from me wearing a sharp looking grey suit with a white shirt and black tie, he stares back at me if this was the first time he has ever been asked this question. Everyone already knew his story. His family owns a large successful publishing firm that was transferred to England and little Stefan and his older brother Damon moved over here with their parents when they were young and have been claiming to be working for them over the past few years in hope to know enough to take over the company when their parents pass it on.
"Daunting really." He answers me eventually. "It's like learning a new skill. It takes time to settle into it and get it right. I believe I am doing enough at the moment to take over the business in full confidence." What a typical answer. Too vague and too generic. Of course he would say that. I can't make a story out of this. I can only make it into a teen- heart throb magazine style interview. We have already discussed his job role and family business. I tried something more serious about the current climate but I couldn't put that into a celebrity column. I had to keep it simple. There is no point me going anywhere near the conversation of love life. He is known as a playboy for a reason! A very... tall... handsome...playboy. Every night he is seen with another blonde twig wrapped around his arm clearly looking for a good time. So I go for a different tact.
"Is there anything you like to do as a hobby?" I ask, hoping I can get something good out of this for the readers who would try to get anything about his life from any magazine.
"I like to ski, I like to read. I'm actually quite a dull person. I don't really do anything major or daring." He answered
I manage a small polite chuckle in response "I'm sure that is not the case Mr Salvatore. What about your family? Do you see them often with the amount of work you do?"
"I am from a small family Miss Gilbert. We are not that close but we see each other a lot." He answered.
With a twist I was not expecting, he suddenly turns to me staring at me over our lamb roast with a smirk on his face that would melt a thousand hearts and ask. "So what about you Miss Gilbert?"
I look back at him puzzled trying to hide my blush on my face from embarrassment from being taken by surprise. "What about me?"
"We have been talking about me all night. I want to know a bit about you." He smiled taking a sip from his glass filled with beyond expensive wine while silently inside I was rolling my eyes thinking 'here we go'.
"Not much to know really. One brother, two parents, live in a flat with my friend, work for a newspaper. Nothing spectacular" I answer thinking that would hold him for a while. I always get asked about my life from people I am interviewing. I guess it makes it fair on them so they don't feel so interrogated. I should have seen it coming tonight.
"I don't think it's dull at all." He answered surprising me. No one ever said that my life was interesting. Everyone normally just says okay and I carry on with the questions.
Answering the quizzical look on my face he continued "It's normal. I've never known normal. Only this." Pointing towards the table and around the room.
"Maybe you have just been lucky. Most people would love to have the lifestyle you have" I answered
"Maybe. I was just born into a family that had worked hard all of their lives. Anyone could have that life if they were lucky enough" He answered looking straight into my eyes. He looked... honest. With that I took my chance to get a real interview with him.
"So going back to your previous comment, if given the chance would you give it all up for a normal life?" I asked
He sat there thinking about this for a while. "Of course a few thousand in the bank is nice, but nothing beats having a house of your own, the ability to have a quiet life with someone you love and a family and no one following you around everywhere." I smile knowing that this was the quote I needed for a good article. Mr Salvatore - the family man.
"So what about you? I'm sure you have a boyfriend who is probably waiting for you to go back home." He comments
Mentally I'm rolling on the floor with laughter at that comment. If only he knew how pathetic and dull my life really was. The pay is average for what I do and the hours are so unsociable that the only men I meet are celebrities who could not give two tosses about me and what I may be like as a person. For his satisfaction I answer with a restrained chuckle. "I don't have a boyfriend Mr Salvatore. Like I said I live with my best friend"
With that he smiles at me and takes a sip of wine knowing that that part of the conversation is now over. The rest of the night carries on with the basic chat. Normal interview type questions, great food and even a bit of banter. When I think I have all of my questions answered, he pays the bill and walks me outside of the restaurant.
"Thank you for tonight Mr Salvatore."
"You're welcome Miss Gilbert. I had a great time. Most reporters are serious and to the point, but it was nice for a change." He answers looking straight at me making eye contact.
"Please... call me Elena." I answer smiling
"Okay. It was nice to meet you... Elena." He says reaching out his hand for me to shake it.
After shaking my hand, he reaches in his inside blazer pocket and hands me a small card with a smile that has not left his face since we were in the restaurant. "Maybe I will see you again soon." He says sounding slightly hopeful. Looking at him I couldn't help but admit it to myself. Okay he is really cute, but this is a big deal for the magazine so I pull it together enough to calm down the blush that was rising in my face. Clearly seeing what I was trying to do, his smile increases. Smug bastard.
"Maybe" I mutter to myself watching him walk away.
Nodding his head he walks away while I walk away happy to know that I have met the one and only Mr Stefan Salvatore...