Hi, sorry I'm late, I've been a little busy the last few months. But I'm back. Leave me your comments.
BirdsandStars
I stared at him, surprised by the discovery I had just made. I looked at Christian briefly and he was very serious. Grace had no idea who the author of the novel was.
—Anastasia, Christian, meet Joey Taylor, the author of the novel. —she said as she handed a towel to me and another to Christian.
I dried the water a little bit and tangled the towel on my body.
—It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Taylor. —I told him with a smile that he gave me back. —I didn't imagine you were so young. —I told him honestly.
—Call me Joey, please. —he replied in a low voice. —You're the first people to know me, I imagine it's going to be a shock to everyone when they find out. —he said as we all laughed.
Everyone except Christian.
—Nice to meet you. —Christian said very seriously as they shook hands.
—Grace had told me that you have good chemistry together, and this scene you just shot just proved it to me.
He had seen part of the film? Although luckily it wasn't the shower scene, or the first time together. I don't think I'm very comfortable shooting one of those scenes knowing who's watching.
—Grace, I'd like to have a word with these two in private. —Grace looked at him thoughtfully. —I want to tell them something about the second part of the novel, which might help them with their characters.
—I will accompany you to Anastasia's trailer, you can wait for them there while they change their clothes.
Grace took the writer off the set. And Christian and I exchanged a look and headed off to wardrobe again. We changed into the clothes for the next scene we were going to shoot and then headed to my trailer. Christian opened the door for me and I went in right after him.
The author of the novel was standing in the middle of the trailer.
—Where's Grace? —I asked, not seeing her in the trailer.
—She went to prepare everything for the filming.
He had changed the tone of his voice, now he had a sweet, melodious, pleasant voice. It was completely different from the way he had spoken in front of the others.
Christian came over to where he was and the two of them hugged each other tightly. You could tell they were very close. Christian smiled at him, passed an arm over his shoulders lovingly as he stared at me. He stepped aside and sat down on the bed. I stared at him.
—Ana. —he said, holding out a hand to me.
I approached him and interlocked my fingers with his as I sat beside him.
—Christian told me about you. —she said very quietly as she gave me a smile.
—Yes, he told me he helped you.
Seeing Christian smiling at her, and the loving way he had embraced her, made me jealous. A long time ago they had been a couple, they had shot a movie together, they had been the talk of L.A., the perfect Hollywood couple. And from the way she looked at him, I knew she still had feelings for him.
—I thought you wanted to keep the identity of the author of the novel a secret? —Christian asked her.
—I couldn't keep it a secret forever. —she answered as she sat in a chair.
—Why did you decide to do it now?
—The novel was a success, and now that the film had been shot, I knew I would have to break free from anonymity. But let's not talk about me anymore, tell me about you, we barely talked when you were in my house.
—I'm fine, we're fine. We're back together, albeit in secret. —he said very quietly while the three of us laughed.
—I never thought I'd see you engaged to anyone.
—You see, she's turned my world upside down. —he said as he looked at me and held my hand tightly.
—Can I ask you something about the novel? —I'm curious.
—Ask what you want and I'll try to answer you.
—Who did you rely on to create Max's character?
Jolinne stared at me in amazement at what I had just asked her. She glanced at Christian and then back at me.
—How well do you know Christian?
—I think better than his mother. —I answered her honestly.
—Then you know the answer to that question.
Yes. I think I've known it all along. Christian is Max and I guess Elizabeth is her. Now my mind was going round and round. If the addiction story was true, what other things in the novel would be true? And my mind drifted to the erotic scenes. I think it would be best if I didn't think about that. But I couldn't help thinking about the two of them together.
They had been the perfect couple. But there was something Christian hadn't told me. Why did they split up?
—Not everything in the novel revolves around him. —she told me, taking me out of my thoughts. —I guess what you really want to know is why we're not together.
Shit! She had just read my thoughts.
—You're not the first person who's wanted to know that. —she told me by looking at Christian briefly. —I'm bisexual. —she answered me while I raised an eyebrow.
That explains some things in the novel from Max's point of view.
—We can stop talking about the past, I brought you something to study. —she told us as she took two books out of his bag and handed one to each of us. —The launch is in a month, those are the first copies.
In my hand I had a signed copy of the second part of the novel. I open it immediately, I can't wait to read the denouement.
—Are you going to be here long? —Christian asks her while I close the novel.
—I don't know. I have the first autograph signing tomorrow and I'd like to see more of the film, I'd like to get more involved with the project as your mother asked me to do at the beginning.
—My mother?
—Didn't you know? They contacted me, somehow, asking for my participation in the filming.
—I never knew anything about it. —Christian replies thoughtfully. —And I'm an executive producer.
—I guess you should talk to your mother about it. —she says as she heads for the door. —I don't suppose you know about the dinner he's organizing for tonight either?
We both shook our heads.
—Well, she'll let you know.
Jolinne opens the door and leaves. And there I stand thinking about too many things, and none of them pleasant. The novel told of the relationship they had had. Now everything was becoming clearer than before. But there were things in the story that didn't add up.
—You said you'd never had a girlfriend.
—What!— he's surprised by my question.
—You told me you'd never had a girlfriend. —I repeat, staring him in the eyes.
—And I never had. I've never asked a girl to be my girlfriend, Ana. Only you, you know that. What's going on?
—But the papers said that you were a couple, that you were the perfect couple.
—Why are we talking about the past now?
—Because I want to know how much of what I read in that book is true.
Christian takes my face in his hands and slides his fingers down my cheeks.
—Why so much insecurity now, Ana? You know there were others before you, I've never denied it. What exactly is it that bothers you? —he asks me with his eyes fixed on mine. —We agreed no more lies, remember.
—That she wants to come back into your life.
—She's not interested in me.
—But I just saw the way you looked at her. You have feelings for her. —I'm telling him as I feel my heart squeezing in my chest.
—My feelings for her don't go beyond a friendship, Ana. I love her like the sister I never had.
—But you slept with her, Christian. And I know from my own experience the addiction that can be created by sleeping with you.
—Addiction? I didn't know you were addicted to me. —he says to me with a smile.
—I'm not kidding, Christian.
—Neither am I, Ana. I'm not going to lie to you, we did have sex, just once. The next morning we realized it was a mistake and that it wasn't worth ruining our friendship.
—But what about the pictures in the magazines? All those interviews where they said they were together, the photo shoots, the passionate kisses.
—They were just that. Attention-grabbing performances. —he says to me, pausing. —Ana, she's my past, you're my present and I want you to be my future. Don't torture yourself anymore about something that never was, and never will be. Promise?
—Okay. —I say with a smile.
—Let's go back to the set so my mother doesn't come looking for us. —he says as he stands up and pulls my hands.
—Let's go.
The rest of the day went by quickly. And as I finish getting ready for dinner at Grace's, I think about some things, which I know I shouldn't think about. I know that Christian has told me that he loves me, and he's shown me that on countless occasions. But I also know that behind the tabloid stories, there's always some truth.
Wasn't I supposed to worry about Jolinne coming back?
A text message takes me out of my thoughts. It's from Christian.
"The house is surrounded by paparazzi, thirsting for a good story. I need you here, I'm getting nervous. Don't delay."
His message has put me back in a good mood and I've forgotten all about it. I'll grab my purse and car keys as I head over to Grace's. As Christian himself said, as soon as I park, the paparazzi board my car. But, I can make out a familiar face among the paparazzi that approaches me and opens the door with a beaming smile.
—I was waiting for you. —he says to me as he holds out his hand.
I grab his hand, smiling at him as I get out of the car. The shutter of the cameras does not stop shooting, leaving me blind at times. I can see Christian's gaze sliding down my dress, and he stares at it more than usual. He puts one hand on my lower back and my breathing quickens as I feel his hand touching my naked skin. But I don't stop smiling as we stare at each other.
Christian leads me among the paparazzi into the house and makes me safe from the paparazzi.
—Dinner will be in the backyard. —he tells me as he drives me around the house. —When dinner's over... see you at the beach. —he says to me as he traces circles with his finger on my back.
—I don't think that's a good idea, Christian. —I say to him as I feel him clinging to my waist.
We're out of sight as we walk through the house into the backyard. Christian opens a door and pulls me in. Closing it quickly.
—I don't give a shit if it's a good idea or not, I need you, Ana. —he says in a plea putting his lips next to mine.
—You'll ruin my makeup. —we stare at each other.
His hands on my waist cling to my body as if afraid of losing me.
—I'm not going to kiss you.
I look at him frowning.
—Tell me we'll see each other after dinner?
Who am I kidding? I need it too. I don't settle for meetings on the set. I smile at him as I wrap my hands around his neck.
—All right.—I tell him with a smile as he opens the door.
He looks both ways before taking me out of the room and leading me to the terrace.
—You look very handsome tonight. —I say it as a compliment.
He's dressed in a black suit and bow tie. I think it's the first time I've seen him dressed so elegantly. Although his hair is hopeless, plus I love it when he wears it messy.
—Thank you, so do you. —he says to me with a smile as we arrive on the terrace. —But you're overdressed. —he says very quietly before he leaves me.
He was hopeless. These things he said to me were what made me fall in love with him more and more every day.
There are more people on the terrace than I thought. There are different celebrities chatting away.
—A nightmare, I know.
I turn to the side where Jolinne is. And I smile cordially at her.
—I'm still not used to this. —I tell her honestly.
—You never do, believe me. —she says as a waiter passes by with a tray of champagne glasses and she takes two and hands me one. —This is the best solution, it makes you forget everything and the night passes quickly. —she says, walking away from me.
I take a long sip from my champagne glass while I get my courage up for dinner.
Jolinne is right, the champagne helps me forget the rest of the world and the dinner goes quickly. Grace takes me by the arm and starts introducing me to various people saying I'm talented.
They all flatter me and ask me questions that I try to answer with complete sincerity. But as she repeats it, over and over again, I get doubts.
Am I talented?
I don't remember doing much at the audition. All I did was improvise and let myself be carried away by what Christian made me feel. For how he makes me feel. But I know I can't always improvise, and even though Christian and I are engaged, I don't know if this will last long either. I know Hollywood, and I know we wouldn't be the first couple to claim to love each other and after a while break up.
As the night and the champagne glasses pass, I feel more disappointed in myself. I get to a point where I don't know if Christian chose me because of my acting talent, or because he wanted to sleep with me. I stare at him. He's talking in the distance and doesn't realize I'm watching him.
I apologize to the group where I'm saying I'm going to the bathroom. I walk through the kitchen, and I pick up a bottle of champagne without anyone seeing me. I walk as I head out of sight. When I notice, I'm walking out onto the sand. I take off my heels, put them aside and walk to the shore. I sit down while I open the bottle of champagne and fill the glass.
Maybe the sound of the ocean will help me think more clearly. But I know that the tranquility by the ocean will not last long. Someone will notice I'm gone and come out to get me. I just hope I'm clear on my mind when he finds me.