Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
I boarded the first train to London bright and early the next morning. I’d called for an early morning lift the night before and had packed just a few small items into a small bag.
I’d never been to a movie premier before and was a little befuddled as to what to wear.
What did one wear to a movie premier? How glitzy could it be?
Figuring it all out had been the true dilemma.
I’d finally opted to wear comfy jeans and a simple white shirt for the train ride with the intention of changing into a simple but very chic hot red cocktail dress once in London.
The bulkiest thing in my bag were the three inch shiny red pumps I absolutely had to wear with that little dress.
The sun had barely been up when I tiptoed out of my room and down to my waiting lift.
“The train station?” the driver had said.
“That’s right,” I’d said with a smile as I slid into the back seat. “I’m off to London.”
We’d reached the station in no time and once on that train I simply couldn’t stop smiling. I felt so absolutely cosmopolitan. I felt so worldly and well-travelled, although I’d hardly ever travelled at all. But the adventure of it suited me so very well.
I took my seat, happy to have a window through which I could watch the scenery pass me by.
The weather was perfect; cool temperature, light breeze and high feathered clouds that didn’t hold a drop of rain. What a beautiful day. What an exquisite day.
The train pulled into London leaving me more than enough time to find the venue, find a nearby place to change into my cute cocktail dress and then wait for Damen’s limousine to pull up.
With so much time on my hands, I opted to do a little bit of shopping.
I found a huge department store and got an eyeful of gorgeous everything; clothes, shoes, house décor.
.. all of it. I finally found my way to the jewelry department and bought a perfect little bracelet to go with my dress.
Pleased with myself, I stepped back out onto the street only to find that tiny droplets of rain had begun to fall.
“No. Oh, no, no!”
The rain, the humidity... even the wind had picked up. What had happened to my lovely day?
Disheartened, I marched back inside the store to buy an umbrella and, sulking like a child, walked back out to face the rain. Time was ticking, and I had to find the venue for this movie premier.
Following the map on my phone, I walked two blocks, turned right, walked another block and turned left.
Why had I not realized how far the venue was from the train station?
Seemed when I’d first checked it was just minutes away.
.. by car. There was my mistake. I’d neglected to specify that I was on foot.
“Damn,” I groaned to myself. “I can be such a dunce sometimes.”
It turned out to be so much farther than I’d anticipated that I now had to rush to find a nearby place to change.
Why hadn’t I changed at the store? Why? Because I hadn’t wanted to walk in my heels more than absolutely necessary. I chastised myself again. I simply wasn’t thinking ahead.
As I walked around with no luck, I grew more and more disenchanted. My genius idea of finding an adequate place to changed proved to be another challenge I hadn’t anticipated. Many of the neighboring businesses and restaurants were either closed or filled to capacity, refusing to let me in.
I finally managed to enter a hotel lobby and go to their restroom to change.
I slipped into the tight dress, struggled to get the zip at the back completely pulled up, then put on my heels.
After quickly shoving my jeans and shirt as well as my walking shoes back into my bag, I checked my hair and makeup.
While the humidity added a little more frizz to my curls, it still didn’t look bad. And all my make-up needed was a fresh swipe of lipstick and I was good to go.
I walked out, and while the clerk looked at me funny, she said nothing as I passed her by and exited the hotel.
Feeling pretty and proud to be there to support my new love, I went to the theatre where a crowd of fans had already begun to line up despite the rain.
A limousine pulled up and the crowd screamed. But when the director stepped out with her husband, who also appeared in the movie, the crowd quieted down. A few fans even left, giving me front row access.
Three more limousines came by to drop off other stars of the movie. With each one that came and went, the rain fell harder and the crowd of fans grew thinner.
Finally, I saw Damen emerge from the last limousine. My heart swelled with love and pride. He looked so dapper, so incredibly handsome. He looked every bit the big star that he was. I couldn’t help but smile knowing that he was all mine.
His co-star, Roma Lane, a pop star turned actress, came out right behind him.
She was breathtaking. Her thick auburn curls were swept up, exposing her long delicate neck and highlighting her gorgeous features.
She wore a sexy yellow gown, that clung to her curves just right.
Damen took her hand in his, held it up high, then kissed her hand.
For a second, I felt a pang of jealousy. I knew it was all a part of his job, but still... did he have to look so happy holding her hand.
Yes, I realized. Yes, and I had to get used to the idea. This was what I had to expect in dating a man whose career consisted of making romantic movies with beautiful actresses.
I pressed a smile and waved without looking too fanatical.
Under the shelter of a large umbrella held up by a guard, they entered the theatre. And that was it. They were gone.
He hadn’t even seen me. He hadn’t even looked my way.
I shook off the disappointment.
It was to be expected. All the cameras flashing their lights in his face. All the excitement of the day. He didn’t even know I was in London. He didn’t know to look for me.
*****
SECURITY AT THE AFTER party was rather lax, perhaps due to the inclement weather.
With the rain falling so heavily, few uninvited guests tried to enter.
Despite that, I knew that I still had to time my attempt at entry carefully.
I waited until a group of four, two men accompanied by two women with oversized hats, arrived.
They kept the guard busy, and he didn’t notice me as I passed behind the foursome.
Inside, I breathed and immediately picked up a champagne flute, determined to find Damen and celebrate this great evening with him.
I walked through the crowd and noticed the many hungry eyes that looked my way. But my mind was on Damen.
Then in the distance, I saw him. His eyes sparkled as he spoke to the people around him. He was animated and excited. Clearly, the premier of the movie had pleased him. He was proud.
Smiling, I made my approach, my heart so eager to surprise him.
But before I reached him, his co-star, Roma, came up to give him a big kiss.
How bold of her, I thought.
But then again, she had just finished a movie with him and perhaps she felt close to him.
It’s just a kiss, after all. No big deal.
Damen stepped away from the people he’d been talking to and pulled Roma into his arms to kiss her more passionately.
Stunned, I stopped walking and just stood there staring. I knew it wasn’t just a celebratory kiss. This was more. So much more. I stepped closer.
“Damen?” I said, not sure my voice would reach him.
But it had, for he turned to look at me. His eyes went wide with surprise, then narrowed with uncertainty and finally grew blank.
I grimaced. I went numb.
“Yes?” He said, as if talking to a stranger. “Can I help you?”
“Damen.” I almost choked on his name. “It’s me, Holly.”
He looked at Roma, a ridiculing grin on his lips. “I don’t know how these fans get by security.”
“Do you want an autograph?” Roma asked. She sounded artificially sweet, completely unaware of the situation but clearly not caring. She was completely oblivious of the fact that the man standing next to her was breaking my heart in that very moment.
Or worse still, did she know?
I shook my head. “I... I... I...”
“Dear girl,” Roma said with a shake of her head.
The way she looked at me left me feeling so small and insignificant.
“Can I just speak to you a moment?” I begged of Damen. “Just a moment.”
Grabbing Roma’s hand, he turned and walked away. The sting of his rejection was like nothing I’d ever felt before.
I wanted to crumble to the floor. Standing there amidst the stars of this movie, I simply wanted to crumble into nothing, to instantly disappear.
Before I could turn to walk away, a security guard came up to me, his uncompromising hand snug around my elbow.
“I suggest you go without making a fuss.”
I had no intention of making any fuss at all. I wanted to get as far away from that place as I could.
The guard shoved me out the door and into the pouring rain.
Numb, I walked down the street, barely aware of where I was.
I’d heard of heartache before, of the pain of having your heart broken, but I had never thought of the actual pain.
.. the physical pain. And yet, that was what I felt.
Damen might as well have punched me in the gut.
I was certain that it wouldn’t have been more painful.
I didn’t want to cry, but the pain of holding it in only made matters worse. Would passers-by know I was crying if I walked through the rain? Hadn’t so many songs been written about crying in the rain?
And suddenly, they burst through. The tears streamed down my face, the heat of my tears mingling with the coolness of the rain.
I shivered. Drenched in the cold rain, I realized I’d left my umbrella behind. I wasn’t even sure where I’d left it. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to stave off the cold, but I shivered more and more violently.
The bright lights of commerce and nightlife disappeared as I found myself on a dark deserted street.
I was lost, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
Hopeless, I sat on a stoop and hugged myself as rain continued to pour down on me. My hair, my dress... oh heavens, my shoes... all ruined.
How could he do this to me? He loved me, didn’t he? He’d always been so tender, so caring, so attentive. I closed my eyes, seeing that sated grin on his face. He’d enjoyed every minute with me. Only two nights ago. That was when he’d brought me to his room to make love to me. Two nights. And now...
Where was his heart? Had he a heart at all?
Susan. She had been right. Why had I not profited from her wisdom. She knew. She saw right through him. She saw the scoundrel that he truly was. The lying cheat that he was.
I cried my frustration out, letting the emotions drain me until I had nothing left to cry. My heartache left me empty, a huge void deep inside me.
The rain stopped suddenly, leaving only the drippings from the trees to fall on me.
In a stupor, I stood and turned back to where I’d come from.
I knew I had to get out of the cold, but a part of me just didn’t care.
Shivering violently, I found my way back to the brightly lit streets, heavily peopled with party-goers and tourists.
The happier people seemed, the angrier I became. It wasn’t fair. How could people be so happy and merry while others were clearly so miserable?
They passed me by, paying no mind to my pain.
I turned to run away although I had no idea where to go. But my first step had me running into a hard and uncompromising body.
“Excuse me,” I said as I tried to push past him.
“Holly?”
The name barely filtered through to my brain. Damen? Had Damen come out to find me? I was silly enough to believe it for that second.
I looked up to his face. “Major Cooper? Major Cooper, is that you?”
“Indeed, Miss Holly. What on earth are you doing out here?” He looked at the state I was in. “You’re drenched to the bone. For heaven’s sake, your lips are blue.”
His friend leaned in to take a better look at me. “We have to get her warmed up. My car is just around the block. I’ll go get it and bring it here.”
“Yes,” Major Cooper said as he shrugged off his coat and wrapped it around me.
His friend disappeared and returned moments later, pulling his car up to the curb. He stepped out to open the car door and Major Cooper helped me into the back seat.
I looked at the friend who seemed so familiar. I knew I’d seen him before. In a dream? In a movie? At Moon Manor?
I had no idea. All I knew was that I had finally found warmth. Major Cooper got into the back seat with me, holding me to his warm body and adding to the much-needed warmth the car provided.
“Should we take her to Moon Manor?” the friend asked.
That voice. That smooth, calm, soothing voice. Yes, I knew that voice, just as I knew that face, just as I knew...
Baker. Bradley Baker.