Making Love (Destiny Book 1) (8 page)

When Will returned, I was pleased to have him back, and to be back in our own city. We were more relaxed in London but of course, that had a price, and the odd picture of us began appearing online. They didn’t have a huge impact, no one seemed to recognise me and because we weren’t holding hands or kissing in public, while there was speculation, there was no outrage. Okay, some people fought over whether I was a girlfriend or a friend, but their venom seemed reserved for each other and I was largely ignored.

Our first big event together was the Sentinels: Operation Nighthawk premiere. It was the eleventh film in the Shadow Watch series, and Will’s fourth movie as part of the franchise. He didn’t have a huge role but it was pivotal, he told me.

Obviously he couldn’t talk much about his role on the red carpet because of spoilers, but he was a fan favourite and had to do his part to help promote the film. Yesterday had been back to back interviews, so he was as cool as a cucumber as he traversed the red carpet, being a pro at this interviewing lark by now.

I’d forgone most of Will’s public appearances, such as the BAFTAs, because there were cameras inside the event, as well as on the red carpet. Also at that time, I didn’t exactly have an awards worthy dress and I was embarrassed over the possibility of looking out of place. He was fine with me not going, we’d only been dating for a matter of weeks then. Perhaps if Will had been nominated for an award, I would have accompanied him, but he had only been presenting one.

I had however, been to one other premiere in London, so I was familiar with the format. I arrived first and headed straight inside. I had to admit, I felt a twinge of regret that all these photographers were ignoring me, because my dress was stunning and made me look like a glamorous movie star from the golden age of cinema. I didn’t know for sure because Will wouldn’t tell me, but I had a feeling it had cost him a small fortune, and I felt a bit bad that it wouldn’t get a chance to be shown off.

Still, over all, I was happy to forgo the media attention, especially when a few fans who were queueing behind the barricades began to shout out things, asking if I was a friend of Will’s.

Now I know it may have looked rude as hell, but that totally freaked me out. I mean, I had spent the afternoon at the hairdressers, having my hair and make-up professionally done, like a bride or something, so I looked totally different from the few cell phone snaps that had appeared online. These girls must have really studied me to be able to recognise me under what felt like half a ton of make-up.

So I blanked them, pretending that I hadn’t heard. Maybe they would think they had been mistaken.

Once inside, I was directed to the bar and I ordered a glass of red wine, then looked around. I had met a couple of Will’s acting friends, I’d even been out to dinner with some couples, but there was no one here I recognised. Anyone who was famous would no doubt be stopping on the red carpet for pictures and interviews, so instead I browsed the movie posters that were framed on the walls, essentially a history of the biggest and best movies the cinema had played host to over the years.

After tonight we were going on a whirlwind tour of the world, a few days here and there, culminating in the LA premiere. I felt a little odd accompanying Will but he really wanted me with him and I had to admit, thanks to the movie people organising photo ops and the like in various countries, it was an easy way to see some of the world’s most famous places.

After that, we were having a holiday, two weeks, on one of the Tahitian islands, Will’s treat as a thank you for accompanying him, and he assured me that it was, and I quote, ‘to die for’.

I was all packed and tomorrow morning, we were off to France, then Germany, Rome, and Russia. After that the group was splitting up and Will and his co-star, Chris Watson were going to China, South Korea, Australia, and finally meeting back up with the rest of the cast in LA.

All in all I’d be away for a month, so I’d been taking on more work than usual recently, to make-up for the break. I could theoretically work while we were away, especially once on the island, but I really wanted a holiday and during the tour beforehand, I couldn’t say how much or how little time I would have to work. I had a couple of longer term projects I could work on, but I wasn’t counting on being able to.

“Hello, I haven’t seen your face before,” A beautiful woman said as she came to stand next to me. I recognised her but I wasn’t sure where from. Her voice also seemed familiar, I could tell she was British from her accent but I still couldn’t place her.

“I’m Will’s guest,” I smiled at her. She was elegance personified, in a stunning white gown.

“Are you Elle?” she asked, her expression hopeful.

“Yes?”

“Oh, how wonderful to meet you,” she grinned, but I must have looked stumped. “Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m Helen. I had dinner with Will soon after you left LA and he couldn’t shut up about you. It’s lovely to finally meet you.”

“I’m afraid you have me at something of a loss,” I admitted.

“Helen Atkins, I play Agent Castle.”

“Oh, of course! You look so different out of uniform!” I relaxed, doubting she’d be selling our story. “Will’s spoken of you too.”

“So how are you two getting on?”

“Really well,” I enthused. “He’s fantastic.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s found someone nice.”

“Thank you.”

“So, is this your first premiere?”

“Not quite, but Will only had to stop for photos last time.”

“Then you must allow me to be your guide,” she said taking my arm. “I’m sure there must be some interesting people here that I can introduce you to.”

I got the impression that she had a slightly caustic sense of humour, which I liked.

She introduced me to a few people but my shyness kicked in and I found it hard to converse with strangers. Helen covered well for me, until I suddenly turned away.

“What’s wrong?” she whispered as the people we had been chatting to drifted off.

“I think that’s Stephen Marks over there,” I whispered.

“So?”

“I’ve been following his comedy for over ten years.” I have a soft spot for comedians. Well, some comedians. I didn’t fancy him, exactly, but I was in awe of him.

“Would you like to meet him?” she smiled.

My eyes widened. “Noo!”

“Oh come on, he doesn’t bite.”

“He might!”

Nevertheless, she grabbed my hand and dragged me over to him. He was huge in person, literally. At 6’5” he would even tower over Will, and that was no mean feat!

“Stephen,” Helen said, getting his attention.

“Hello, love,” he kissed her cheek.

“I think I’ve found your number one fan. This is Elle,” Helen introduced me. “Will’s Elle.”

“The artist he didn’t shut up about?” he asked.

How the hell did he know about me?

“That’s the one,” Helen confirmed

My cheeks burned with embarrassment and my legs were literally shaking, but I was hopeful that the foundation caked on my face might hide my blush, although it could do nothing for the trembling. I was aware that I could either make a massive fool of myself, or try to act like a normal human being, so I stuck my hand out.

“Hi. I do love your work, but not in a Stephen-King-Misery kind of way. Honest.”

He shook my hand and smiled at me. I expected him to make some kind of joke about my having the DTs from Will withdrawal or something, but he didn’t comment on my nerves.

“Always nice to hear. That last bit especially.”

“I really admire what you do,” I blathered on. “I tried stand-up at university, they said it would help with my shyness but I totally bombed.”

“It’s hard to make a room laugh.”

“Oh, I made them laugh, kind of. I just stood there, frozen, like some kind of deer in the headlights. I think they thought it was part of the routine to start with, until I literally had to be dragged off stage.”

“You seem more like a bunny than a deer,” he joked.

Stephen slipped an arm around Helen’s shoulders and I blushed even more as I realised that these two were a couple. I felt like such an idiot.

“Please elope with Will,” Stephen begged. “I don’t think I can sit through another dinner with him either singing your praises, or moping because you’ve gone home.”

“Sorry.” Why wouldn’t the ground just open up and swallow me whole? While an earthquake might ruin the premiere I felt that on a cosmic scale, it was worth it.

“Don’t tease her,” Helen gently chided.

“Right, yes, sorry. Force of habit,” he grinned.

“Darling.” Just hearing Will’s voice relaxed me, especially when he then slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me back against his chest. “I’m sorry that took so long.”

“Well if you learned how to be concise,” Stephen teased. “But why use one word, when five will do?”

Will grinned. “Has he been torturing you?” he asked me.

“Of course not,” I replied.

“Just a little,” Stephen said with relish.

“I’m fine,” I assured Will.

“Do you need another drink?”

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

“That depends. How many drinks would it take to get you to make out with me in a broom closet?”

“Best part of a bottle of Jameson.”

“Ah, then no, I’m not trying to get you drunk.”

It was so weird how completely relaxed I was now that Will was with me. I supposed I’d get used to things like this after attending a few. I think we were attending another seven premieres on this tour, so I’d probably feel like an old hand once this was over. For now though, it was wonderful to have Will with me.

We pretty much stayed with Helen and Stephen until the stars of the film were all finished with their interviews, then it was finally time to actually watch the movie.

It was brilliant, as most of the Shadow Watch films were, managing to be both scary and funny, and I was sure it would be an even bigger hit than the first Sentinels film.

“What did you think?” Will asked me at the end.

“It needs more Dante,” I teased, “but other than that, I guess it was okay.”

***

The tour was both interesting and strange. I got to see a lot of things that would usually be off limits to me, either because I’m a nobody, or because I can't afford it, like some of the fancy restaurants we visited. The hotels were all lovely but by the second one, I had stopped unpacking, it just wasn’t worth it (other than hanging up my dress for the premiere). Unlike the women in the film, I was lucky in that I could wear the same dress to each event, while they had to change it each time. Even the men had to change their outfits, but between changing or removing ties and changing shirt colours, two suits were sufficient for them.

It was quite nice to be able to get to know Chris a little better since he and Will were great friends, and he seemed to enjoy talking to me. I quickly realised how monotonous this all was for the actors though; the same questions were asked again and again, so it wasn’t surprising that Chris was interested in a new face. Anything to break the tedium must have been welcome. And he was really nice, actually, I hadn’t realised he was Canadian because he always had a British accent in the Shadow Watch films.

In the interviews, Will tried to find a new and interesting way to answer essentially the same questions. Of course, there were only so many ways you could say the same thing, so it tested even his powers of loquacity.

What he seemed to enjoy most though, were the events where he answered questions from fans; they branched out a little from the usual fare, sometimes even surprising him.

When I asked him why he did all this (I knew it wasn’t only because it was in his contract) he explained that a lot of people were on a bonus pay scale and wouldn’t get their bonus unless the movie exceeded a certain target, and that didn’t just apply to the actors but to the crew too. Will’s role in this movie was relatively small, so his percentage cut was equally small, but he was doing this for the behind the scenes crew as much as himself.

Some of the interviews he did were just plain odd, especially the ones in Asia. One had him spending the day with the interviewer, acting as though they were on a date. I didn’t feel jealous or anything, I just didn’t really understand it. Another interviewer had him juggling while answering questions, and one chat show asked him to sing karaoke.

Australia was far colder than I expected, but then their seasons are reversed, so it was almost winter. Still, it was far nicer than a London winter.

During the tour our secret started to leak as people caught me in pictures of Will. Usually I was standing with Lee, or sometimes with the other handlers or assistants. Some people thought I worked for Destiny PR with Lee, some that I worked for the movie company, while others thought I was the girlfriend, and they continued to argue among themselves. Still no one knew who I was.

I had a nasty feeling that our grace period was about to come to an end, but I tried to push those thoughts away, not wanting to spoil our adventure with my fears and worries.