Chapter 2
=ooOoo=
Bella was pacing her hotel room, completely oblivious to the majestic beauty of the River Thames that was glistening in the dark London night.
She should have been learning her lines for the next day of filming, but for some reason, she wasn't able to concentrate on the written words before her. It just didn't seem possible to evict the quaint early twentieth century countryside in Wales before her mind's eye when she was very much aware that she was in London, England, and that it was the present day.
She just couldn't seem to forget the green eyes and the chiselled features, the unruly hair and stubbly jaw of one certain acting student.
Groaning, she grabbed her phone.
"Bell," her favourite voice sounded from the other side of the Atlantic. "Man, I thought you'd never call!"
"You could've called me," she quipped, finally relaxing a little. She sank into the couch and took a sip of water.
"You were working, right? As a matter of fact, I should be working, right now, you know. It's only three p.m. over here."
"I'm sorry," she said immediately. "Is this a bad time to talk? I can call later if you want me to."
"Nah, 's okay. The article's not due for another hour."
She could hear him open the window, then something sizzled, followed by a short silence, and an inhale of breath.
"You did not just light a cigarette," she stated, knowing better.
"Um, no?" was the eloquent reply.
"Babe, you need to stop doing this to yourself. Just imagine if there will be more tests they'll put you through when filing for an adoption? You don't want to ruin that!"
She could hear him swallow, and she knew how much will power it cost him to stub out the cigarette.
"Good boy," she smiled into her phone.
"You really think they test whether I smoke a couple of cigarettes a day?"
He sounded concerned.
"I don't know, Em. But I'm afraid they might be harder on gay couples, or... I don't know." She sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say anything."
"No, you're right," he said immediately. "I'll just need to stop. I mean, I'll have to, anyway, if we ever get to that point."
Bella smiled.
"So how was your Q and A?" he asked, pronouncing the words in a ridiculous British accent.
"It was quite nice, actually," she replied.
She'd called him the day before and yammered to him how overwhelmed and under qualified she felt to be doing a Q&A with students in their final year at one of the finest acting schools in Europe. Emmett had calmed her down and made her see herself in a different light than she'd seen herself in.
She was a successful actress with a Tony Award under her belt. Though by no means rich, she had no worries financially. Men desired her. (Bella had protested this point, but Emmett was adamant.) She was regularly seen on the big screen, mostly in arthouse and indie movies, but sometimes also in big productions, like the teacher in the Blue Moon trilogy.
"Yeah? You won them hook, line, and sinker?"
"I wouldn't say that," Bella replied, "but they were rather responsive, and very interested."
"Any hot, young Brits?"
Emmett was constantly trying to convince her to date, which she hadn't done in over three years. He just wanted her to be as happy as he himself was – Emmett had been in a relationship with his husband, Garrett, for over ten years, and they were one of the most perfect couples one could imagine.
"Actually," Bella swallowed before she spoke. "Yeah, there was this guy… He didn't say anything, but he was really cute. Green eyes, bed-hair…"
"And you didn't talk to him?" Emmett bellowed. "Aww, Bell."
"What?" She smiled a little at his good-natured outburst. "He's a student, Em. You want me to seduce a twenty-two-year old?"
"Well, yes. Sure. Just imagine the stamina!"
"Em…"
"I'm just saying, Bell. Live a little."
"I am living a little, Em. I have a good life! I love my job more than anything, you know that."
"I do know that. But a little action here and there wouldn't hurt you either. Am I right?"
Even though Emmett couldn't see it, she rolled her eyes. She knew he meant well, but still, he'd been there during the whole debacle with Austin, and even though it was almost three years in the past, Bella still had the odd nightmare here and there.
"I know you're rolling your eyes right now!" he chuckled, and Bella couldn't help but smile. He could always be counted on to steer her away from her darker moods. She was just about to give him a teasing reply when she heard a ruckus in the background of Emmett's New York office.
"Shit, I gotta go, Bell. Nettie just came in with the papers. I'll talk to you later, okay, hon?"
"Yes, sure. Bye, love you."
They ended the phone call and Bella just sat for a couple of minutes before grabbing her text for the next day. Two lines in, her phone chirped with an incoming text message.
Think about it… the stamina. Just sayin'. Em
Bella couldn't help but laugh loudly.
She got out of her seat and stood to watch the dark river again.
Had she been hiding those last few years, after everything that had happened with Austin?
How beautiful the city looked, black and mysterious, the hundreds of thousands of lights reflected in the river, sparkling and bouncing.
Bella sighed. Maybe Emmett was right, after all. Maybe she needed to live a little. Maybe it would do her good to just see the next two months as a little break from her normal life.
=ooOoo=
A/N
Dear readers, thank you so, so much for the response to chapter 1; you guys absolutely made my week!
I know you're impatient to get another glimpse at Bella's green-eyed mystery boy… I think he'll be back quite soon.
For teasers and pics, join me on facebook: I'm Harper Pitt.
Have a great week!
Hugs,
Harper
