Theo
Six months later
Theo exited the studio and beamed at Sarah, who was waiting for him in the lobby. He hurried over and picked her up, spinning her in a circle before gently lowering her to her feet and kissing her firmly on the mouth.
Sarah laughed. ‘The audition must have gone well.’
‘So well. They couldn’t say anything officially, but they basically confirmed it’s going ahead.’
‘I’m so proud of you.’
Theo noticed Sarah was distracted by something behind him, so he turned and saw his fellow auditionee approaching them. Rachel Kim was a Korean Australian like him, and she’d been selected as his almost-certain love interest in their new drama series.
Rachel skipped over and grabbed Sarah’s hand. ‘You must be Sarah. I’ve seen you in the tabloids, but you’re way prettier in person.’
Sarah couldn’t help smiling. ‘Thank you.’
‘I know this might be a weird thing to say, but I hope you never worry about anything… unscripted… happening between me and Theo. He looks exactly like my older brother, so I could never be interested in him romantically.’
‘Let’s never introduce Sarah to your brother, okay?’ Theo joked.
‘He’s happily married, so you have nothing to worry about,’ Rachel assured him.
‘I appreciate you saying that,’ Sarah said. ‘I mean, I’m not normally the jealous type, but after what happened in Japan…’
‘Theo told me, which is why I wanted to get everything out there upfront. Also, I don’t really tell anyone because my manager would kill me, but I’m seeing someone too. He’s a civilian, so the poor guy has to put up with a lot—just like you do. I should probably introduce you sometime, and you can bond over the unfairness of your raw deal.’
Sarah laughed. ‘I admit it took some time to get used to being in the spotlight as Theo’s partner, but the whole thing with Yu-jin and my stalker weirdly worked in my favour. I think Theo’s fans felt sorry for me, or they at least tolerate me now. It’s not exactly the method I would have chosen to gain acceptance, but at least something positive came out of the situation.’
‘That’s the spirit.’ Rachel’s phone buzzed, and she looked down at the screen. ‘My manager wants me to meet her at a restaurant around the corner, so I have to go. But I’m so excited to get to know you both better. Maybe we can even do a secret double date sometime.’
‘We’ll see,’ Theo said neutrally. He didn’t want Sarah to feel pressured.
‘I’m in,’ Sarah said. She quickly took Rachel’s phone and typed into it. ‘Here’s my number. Text me when you want to set up a time.’
‘Yes! Maybe next week. I’ll check my calendar.’ She waved as she hurried off.
‘You didn’t have to do that for me,’ Theo said.
‘I know. But I wanted to. She’s sweet. And I can tell she’s genuine.’
‘I think so too. Anyway, I now have the rest of the day off. Do you want to go out to eat?’
‘No. I want to go home and order in.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. I know you can still get away with the occasional anonymous dinner, but I don’t want to risk that we’ll run into anyone who recognises you. I want you to myself.’
He grinned. ‘You’ll always have me to yourself.’
‘I hope so.’
After the incident with Casey—who was currently in custody pending his court case—Sarah had spent the next three nights at Theo’s. He’d listened to her debrief about the fear she’d experienced when she realised she’d been drugged and that Casey was her stalker, and then they’d talked about how it had put their feelings and problems into perspective. Not knowing where Sarah was and then finding her in such a dire situation made him realise nothing was worth sacrificing their relationship for. He’d then invited her to move in permanently, and she’d immediately agreed. Her parents understood she was no longer comfortable at her place, so they agreed to put it on the market. Gabe had also realised he’d been stagnating while staying there and decided to rent a place on his own.
Since Theo had already paid for his apartment in full, he didn’t need Sarah to contribute to the mortgage, but she insisted on paying all the utility bills. He’d disagreed at first, but she worried she’d look like she was taking advantage of his wealth otherwise. He had tried to tell her that no one would know either way, but he couldn’t change her mind.
Theo took her hand and pulled her over to the elevator, pressing the button for the basement where his car was parked.
Inside the elevator, he covered her neck in tiny kisses, and as they walked to his car at the other end, he wrapped his arm around her waist, keeping her close.
He loved this woman, and he wanted to do everything in his power to keep her safe and happy.
A small velvet box had been in his jacket pocket for a couple of days now, and he couldn’t wait to give it to her.
He just had to find the right moment.
Maybe it would be tonight.
Sarah
‘Go-ma-weo,’ Sarah said in halting Korean when Theo handed her a glass of wine.
‘Neh,’ he replied with a smile.
He had been trying to teach her so she wouldn’t feel so isolated when they visited Korea for his filming schedule, but she worried she wasn’t very good. It was hard to learn a new language, and she felt like an idiot most of the time trying to make the unfamiliar sounds. But she was determined to at least have conversational Korean, even if she had a terrible accent.
Theo sat beside her on the couch in their apartment and rested his head on her shoulder. She tipped her head to side to rest her cheek on his head.
‘So tell me, truthfully, are you happy?’
His question caught her off guard. ‘What?’
He sat up and turned so he was facing her. ‘It’s a big adjustment. Are you sure you’re okay with it?’
Sarah searched his face. It had been a big adjustment. Moving in together. Her life becoming public fodder. Learning Korean. Becoming his stylist. So many things had changed.
‘Which adjustment are you talking about, exactly?’
He grinned. ‘Living with me and working with me. Are you doing okay with it?’
She smiled back. ‘I am. I was a little worried at first that I would get sick of you?—’
‘Hey!’
She laughed. ‘I’m joking. I was actually more worried that you’d get sick of me, but I realised we actually don’t spend all that much time together during the day. Sure, I do your hair and makeup for shoots, but once I’m done, I don’t usually see you for hours.’
‘And the salon? You don’t miss it?’
Sarah seriously considered what he was asking. Did she miss the day-to-day grind of dealing with salon customers? Not really.
‘No. I know it’s in excellent hands with Becky. Plus, I get to do my favourite clients when I’m home.’
Becky was the new salon manager Sarah had hired when she accepted the job Theo’s management had offered her. Becky was amazing, and she had contacts in local media circles, so their celebrity clients had increased. That was also partly thanks to Theo.
As for Theo’s management team… yeah, Dan-the fucking-man was gone. And good riddance to him. When Theo’s company found out how Dan was managing—mismanaging—Theo, they axed him. There had even been indications that Dan had been skimming from Theo’s payments to line his own pockets. Theo had decided against criminal proceedings, but Dan had been blackballed in the industry… well, for as long as that sort of thing lasted. People seemed to have short memories for some things and ridiculously long ones for others.
His new manager, Do-Wan, was Korean, and understood how to properly manage someone with Theo’s diverse fanbase. The fan cultures between Australia and South Korea were very different, something Dan had never understood. Do-Wan also knew the Korean entertainment industry, another benefit for Theo since he was now in demand as a romantic lead in some high-profile Korean dramas.
‘What about you?’ Sarah asked. ‘Are you happy?’
The smile that broke over Theo’s face was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, and it made Sarah’s heart skip. Would she ever get over just how beautiful he was?
‘I am so happy. In fact, I don’t think I have ever been this happy in my entire life.’
Sarah put her glass of wine aside and cupped Theo’s cheeks. ‘I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me.’
He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. ‘And I’m so glad you were willing to put up with my crazy life.’
Sarah sighed and snuggled into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, and she closed her eyes as she breathed in his familiar, comforting scent.
‘Saranghae,’ Sarah murmured. She had practised saying ‘I love you’ so many times to make sure she got it right.
Theo tightened his arms around her for a moment and then pulled back so he could look at her.
‘Nado saranghae,’ Theo replied. ‘I love you too… so much. In fact…’ he pulled something out of his pocket. A small box. He opened it, and nestled inside was a sparkling diamond ring, made even more sparkly by the tiny lights inside the box. ‘Will you marry me, Sarah?’
Sarah sucked in a breath as she looked at the ring and then at Theo’s face. She leaned forward and kissed him.
‘Yes,’ she murmured against his lips. ‘Definitely, yes.’
Her phone rang with the ringtone she had specifically set for her mother. No way. There was no way Fran already knew that Theo had proposed… but then… Fran’s predictions had been scarily accurate of late.
‘Ignore it,’ Sarah said, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers. ‘Put a ring on it.’
Theo laughed and took the ring from the box before sliding it on her finger. It was a perfect fit.
‘I love it, and I love you. Now take me to bed.’
‘Your wish is my command.’
He scooped her off the lounge and headed for the bedroom. There would be time later to tell her family, and then they would have to do a press conference and deal with the inevitable backlash by some of the fans. But Sarah was no longer worried. She and Theo could weather any storms that came their way as long as they were together. That’s what love was.
‘I love you,’ she said again as he laid her on the bed.
‘And I love you,’ he replied before kissing her.
The End