《Crash Into Me》 One ¡°A humble actor? That¡¯s an oxymoron I don¡¯te across very often,¡± Sandy said with a slightly sarcasticugh. She was about to leave when her phone rang, and Andrea was on the other side telling her that she needed to clean up her cottage for a long-term rent prospect. ¡°I¡¯m tellin¡¯ ya¡¯, this John Brady is well known for his good attitude, super cool guy, and down-to-earth vibe ¡­ everybody loves him Sandy, EVERYBODY!!¡± her best friend sh property agent sh life advisor sounded ecstatic for her client. ¡°I know John Brady, I haven¡¯t seen all his movies ¡­ but an actor is an actor, they don¡¯te in a ¡®humble box¡¯, okay babe? I¡¯ve had actors and actresses, all sorts of celebrities stayed at my cottage and they¡¯re a whole different species,¡± Sandy said while putting on her sneakers. ¡°No, no, no, you don¡¯t understand, this is JOHN BRADY ¡­ you know? Urgh I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m friends with you! How could you not know about this? He¡¯s the ultimate fantasy boyfriend!! He¡¯s the most private guy in the celebrity universe, not much is known about him except the fact that he¡¯s super nice, generous, and kind ¡­¡± Andrea went on with her praises until Sandy couldn¡¯t keep up with her anymore. ¡°Okay ¡­ okay ¡­ I get it, jeez, you¡¯re such a fangirl, you said that about all the actors who stayed at my cottage ¡­ I don¡¯t mind the rent money, honey, six months sounds like a dream, I¡¯ll even throw in a discount if I have to ¡­ so what do I have to do to secure the contract with His Majesty the Ultimate Fantasy Boyfriend John Brady The Humble Actor a. k. a mythical creature?¡± ¡°Oh God ¡­ you¡¯re so going to love this guy! I¡¯m sending you the requirements to your email as we speak! We¡¯re bidding this with four other agents, Sandy, it¡¯s not a sure deal but keep your fingers crossed, let¡¯s hope fate is on our side!¡± and she ended it with a scream of excitement that made Sandy pull away from her phone. ¡°Fingers crossed, Andrea! Goodmission ising your way!¡± she yelled to her phone and hung up. She opened the email from her phone and sighed, ¡°Shit! 30 pages?? Gosh Andrea, this better get me a 6-month rent,¡± she cursed and closed her door to go back to herputer. There goes another day at the gym she had been postponing forever. It¡¯s been several months that her cottage had been rent-less, she¡¯s behind on her payment to the owner. A life investment she didn¡¯t really think about when she took a 20-year lease on a luxuriouspound in Bhorma Ind, consisting of two cottages to be re-rented for profit. She was instantly captivated by the wooden interior and exterior of the main Vi, the feel of a cabin in the woods with modern ss windows, wide view facing the mountain at the back balcony. She saw herself starting a family there with the love of her life, two kids, a vast grass yard for them to y, a swimming pool. It was a ce they didn¡¯t have to take a vacation from. A dream that was too soon to be realized. She used all her savings to make the down payment of the first five years of the lease because she was in love, and thought it was going tost forever. The first and worst mistake she ever did in her adult life, she was 26 at the time. Trevor paid half of the down payment and left her soon after. Her five years is up and now she¡¯s struggling to pay the rest by herself. The only way she could afford to cover the lease was to rent it out to celebrity clients because of how extravagant it was for a single woman with a regr job with little to no savings. Trevor felt like a lifetime ago, but her stomach still turns every time she¡¯s reminded of him, how hard she fell for the handsome blue-eyed young entrepreneur, how hard her heart broke because of how he left without a word. Her jaw tightened, her eyes got watery, she closed her eyes to extrude the memories away. She took a deep breath and moved on, every single time. The first 20 pages of requirements were standard for celebrity guests, the usual cleanliness, security, privacy, maintenance, confidential agreement, and so on. The checklist started to look peculiar on the twenty-first page, Sandy sat back on her chair and thought about it for some time. []Lights out after 8 PM []No music or loud sound after 8 PMThis content is ? N?velDrama.Org. []No children under 6 years of age allowed on the premises []No maid or cleaning service allowed inside the property when the client is inside []No visiting guest []No staying guest []No visiting guest Andrea did mention he¡¯s a very private guy, it wasn¡¯t too much out of the ordinary, under the circumstances, most celebrities had even more bizarre requirements. At least he won¡¯t be having parties like most celebrities do, and scratch her wooden floor, smash her window or burn her sofa. She tapped her fingers on her desk, and finally put the ticks on every box that needed it. She didn¡¯t give it a second thought and sent out the document to Andrea. Two ¡°Here¡¯s to six thousand dors worth ofmission from one single sale this month!!¡± Andrea lifted her tequ shot and bumped it to Sandy¡¯s. They both licked the salt, took the shot, and sucked on their limes. ¡°Here¡¯s to a five-year rental in one sale!!¡± Sandy took another shot, her face grimaced from the taste but beaming with relief. ¡°This is the best sale I have ever made!¡± Andrea shouted in victory. ¡°Hey! We haven¡¯t got the deal yet, so don¡¯t over celebrate ¡­ I¡¯m kind of nervous for some of the requirements they asked for,¡± Sandy said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ I kinda ticked on everything ¡¯cause I really need this, Andrea.¡± Andrea almost choked on her lime. ¡°No?? What?? Are you serious?¡± Sandy suddenly felt stiff, her heart raced. ¡°Which part of the requirements?¡± Andrea asked, she didn¡¯t read through all of it herself. ¡°You know what ¡­ never mind, I can handle it, just seal the deal for us, okay?¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± Sandy nodded as she sipped her Long Ind Iced Tea. It¡¯s a girls night out and she doesn¡¯t want to ruin it with work. They danced and drank the night away, after passing the age of 25, they enjoyed girls¡¯ night out even more than before. They¡¯ve matured enough to care for themselves when they drank too much, they didn¡¯t go out to impress anymore but rather to enjoy each other¡¯spany. To enjoy the moment and celebrate life as ordinary and as beautiful as it really is. They¡¯ve been friends for over ten years, they¡¯re practically sisters. They crash at each other¡¯s ce every other week after a night out. They¡¯re both single and not looking. They were women who were fed up with disappointments and found themselves in their independence and loved it. Once in a while they stumble upon a guy, go out on dates, and realized infatuations and small talks are a waste of time and energy. Men their age are morepatible with their teenage self than they are now. ¡°In less than two months, John Brady would be living right next door to you ¡­ do you realize that?¡± Andrea said while peering out the window from Sandy¡¯s kitchen, looking at the main cottage that they will rent out. ¡°I hope so ¡­ you know how much I need the money, right?¡± Andrea shrugged, ¡°You know I can always lend you some money if you really need it.¡± Sandy waved a dismissive hand, she never epted her offer on that. ¡°But John Brady, though!! God I have wet dreams about that guy thousands of times! Or wait ¡­ maybe I was masturbating over him thousands of times.¡± Sandy was pouring her coffee, ¡°E,¡± she added brown sugar. Andreaughed, she was very open with her sexuality, she admitted that even though she wasn¡¯t in a rtionship, she needed casual sex every now and then. Sandy took a sip of hertte and exhaled, ¡°I really hope we make the sale, Andrea ¡­ my rent is due next week.¡± Andrea sat in front of her and touched her shoulders, ¡°Hey ¡­ I told you, I can lend you some money for ¡­¡± Sandy shook her head, ¡°No ¡­ no charities, okay, we¡¯ll make the sale, if we don¡¯t ¡­ I¡¯m gonna take that Public Rtions post that Lucas offered, he¡¯s been chasing me for it actually and I¡¯m having a hard time dying my answer.¡± Andrea chuckled, ¡°Tell me about it ¡­ you know that post is open for you forever, right? He¡¯s been on my ass for your address and asked me if you¡¯re seeing anyone.¡± Sandy never shared her address with anyone except Andrea, it was mostly because she lived in apound that she rented out to celebrity guests that required total privacy, but it was also partly because she was hiding from her past. Andrea knew better to respect her best friend¡¯s wishes, even though Lucas had always tried to get intimate details from her.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Lucas is a nice guy, he¡¯s obviously crazy ¡¯bout you ¡­ I know it¡¯s making you ufortable sometimes, I just don¡¯t want you to feel like you need to do it, so if you ever need the money ¡­¡± she didn¡¯t have to finish her sentence. Sandy cupped her best friend¡¯s hands in hers, ¡°Thanks babe, I really appreciate it, we¡¯ll see about the deal, okay? I¡¯m not making any decisions yet.¡± Three Bhorma sunsets are probably one of the most breathtaking scenery anyone could ever experience. She could sit by the beach and stare at the ocean, listening to the waves and the sound of seagulls while the winds blew her hair as she sat upon the sandy beach until the sun would go down all the way.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. There¡¯s a feeling of serenity, a private silence in the midst of people enjoying the same thing as she does. The sense of peace inside her when she does this is the one thing that tied her to this beautiful ind she calls home. She will never leave this ce, it would be like leaving herself, and she would never do that again. Andrea was slowly walking toward her with champagne in one hand and two sses in the other. ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here,¡± she startled her. Sandy turned to look at her best friend grinning like a crazy woman. ¡°We got the deal!!¡± she screamed. ¡°What?? You serious??¡± she jumped on her feet. Andrea nodded excitedly and they were jumping up and down screaming. ¡°Oh my God!!¡± They hugged andughed and danced to celebrate what would be the best contract they have ever made ¡­ yet. ¡°Oh God! I feel so relieved!! I¡¯m gonna tell Lucas that I won¡¯t be taking the job,¡± Sandy said. They clinked their sses and finished the whole bottle by the beach. ¡°We are so going to watch all John Brady¡¯s movies before hees in July,¡± Andrea was not joking. ¡°I¡¯m so going to stay at your ce so frequently you¡¯ll have to get a restraining order to get rid of me,¡± she added and theyughed. ¡°What movie is he going to shoot here anyways?¡± Sandy asked. ¡°It¡¯s the second installment of that assassin movie ¡®Wicked Games¡¯ ¡­ haven¡¯t you seen that one?¡± Sandy shook her head. She¡¯s not big on movies and celebrities even though she hosted many of them in her cottage, she doesn¡¯t really know who they are. ¡°I¡¯ve seen his other movies though, where he yed the detective solving a murder and the other one where he yed the doctor ¡­ so six months, huh? We have to start doing some renovations and maintenance soon, I have the list ready.¡± ¡°You¡¯re gonna love him, Sandy, he¡¯s an absolute gem!¡± ¡°I hope so ¡­ having to live with someone in the samepound for six months, I hope he¡¯s no Robby Dalton,¡± Sandy was referring to a bad celebrity guest she hosted before. ¡°You probably won¡¯t be seeing a lot of him ¡¯cause they say he¡¯s a really private guy ¡­ he goes about his way alone most of the time, so his management won¡¯t be there either, they¡¯ll stay at a hotel.¡± That¡¯s good news for Sandy because she doesn¡¯t like a lot of people on her property as well. As for privacy, she¡¯s one who indulges in total istion, it sounds like the arrangement with Mr. Brady was going to work out like a charm. ¡°I¡¯m gonna spend time with Kevin a lot before July, though, he won¡¯t be able toe once John Brady starts renting the cottage.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°He specifically asked no child under 6 allowed in the premises.¡± Andrea¡¯s jaw dropped, ¡°You did not agree to that?? Did you?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even read the list, did you?¡± Sandy mocked her. ¡°But ¡­ how is that going to work out?¡± Sandy made a calming gesture with her hand, ¡°It¡¯s fine ¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it, don¡¯t worry about it, Kevin can stay at my mom¡¯s for six months, I can just stay there instead of my ce,¡± she assured her. Andrea sat back, she trusted Sandy with that decision. ¡°People say he¡¯s a really nice guy, maybe he¡¯ll change his mind when the timees.¡± Sandy nodded, ¡°Maybe.¡± ¡°You know he lost his son when he was only 14 months old? It was a long time ago but he never had another one after that,¡± Andrea said. ¡°Oh, poor guy ¡­ maybe that¡¯s why he doesn¡¯t want kids in the area, what about his wife? I thought you said he wasn¡¯t married?¡± ¡°He wasn¡¯t, it was his fianc¨¦ and they have broken up after their son¡¯s death ¡­ even worse, his ex-fianc¨¦mitted suicide after they¡¯ve broken up.¡± Sandy covered her mouth with one hand, ¡°Oh, dear, how tragic, he must¡¯ve been devastated.¡± ¡°Yeah, he went into depression for a few years after that, but that was a long time ago, maybe fifteen years ago.¡± Sandy was silent after that. Some people don¡¯t understand that tragedies, no matter how long it¡¯s been, are still tragedies. And the pain never really goes away. They just got better at coping with it, she had her share of tragedy herself. Four She texted Lucas that night to tell him that she won¡¯t be taking the job after all. He was disappointed of course, but he was still hopeful. He told her that the position will always be open for her. Lucas was a divorcee who started his business in Bhorma five years earlier. They knew each other through Andrea who introduced them on a party one night, not long after he moved to the ind. They were friends ever since, even though Lucas wanted the rtionship to grow into something more, Sandy always had him at arm¡¯s length. Bhorma is a small ind, they meet coincidentally every now and then. Sandy always managed to politely decline his approaches. Lucas was a decent-looking guy, sophisticated and sessful, there was nothing wrong with him. But Sandy had gone through something traumatic five years earlier, including the fact that her fianc¨¦ left her without a word that she build up a wall so high that no man would be able to climb it. Lucas never gave up, for years he was patient, there was something about Sandy that he really liked. He knew about Sandy¡¯s tragedy from words of mouth, people who knew, talked about it. It made himpassionate about her and understood that she needed time to heal, to trust again. Some men would see it as baggage they don¡¯t want to carry but Lucas was up for the challenge. It seems, the more she pushed him away, the more he wanted to get closer. Sandy: I have to do a lot of maintenance and repairs for a new contract ¡­ I have a clienting in less than two months. Lucas: Can I help? Which property are we talking about? Sandy: (Hesitant to reply) The one I¡¯m living in, I rented out the main cottage. Lucas: So ¡­ you¡¯re letting a stranger live in yourpound? And you¡¯re not even letting me know your address? (Smiley faces) Sandy: (Frowning faces) I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t mean to be rude. Lucas: It¡¯s okay (smiling) I¡¯m just teasing, so how about that help? I can call people, anything you need. Sandy: That¡¯s awfully nice of you, Lucas, I will definitely let you know if I need anything. Lucas: Promise? Sandy: (Hesitant to reply) Lucas: Maybe we can go over it over dinner some time? Sandy: (Rubbing her face in distress) Lucas: Pleaseeee (hopeful emojis)This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Sandy: (Smiley faces) That sounds lovely, but I will be very busy with the new client, I can¡¯t promise you anything. Lucas: That¡¯s okay (sad face) I¡¯ll wait. Sandy: Okay (smiley face) I have to go, Lucas, it¡¯s nice talking to you. Lucas: Alright then, good night Sandy. Lucas looked at his phone and smiled, he loved his conversations with Sandy, even though she has yet to let him through. She was always nice to him. Sandy never let anyone know who her clients were, it¡¯s part of the confidential agreement. As soon as the contract fell through, John Brady¡¯s representations started contacting her to follow up on the setup before his arrival. She almost never had any contact with the client directly, sometimes not even when they¡¯ve already upied the property. There were always people who took care of all the arrangements, all the client does was juste and go whenever they need to, with peopleying stones in front of them to walk on. There was always someone else who answers their phones, conveyed messages, ordered stuff, made their appointments, everything. She¡¯s somewhat familiar with celebrity treatment after years of experience. It¡¯s a life of luxuries and privileges, exclusivities and royalties. A kind of life that she cannot rte to and never dreamed of for herself. They¡¯re usually very meticulous with their choices of things and very specific with their requests, just because they can. It¡¯s a lot different with John Brady, all his reps concerned was mainly security and privacy. He didn¡¯t seem to have any other difficult demands. ¡°We have motion censors here, our garden light will turn on automatically when the censors are stimted. We use security code for the locks, it¡¯s updated regrly every end of the week ¡­ CCTV that can be monitored from the web, I will personally give the special password to Mr. Brady when he arrives,¡± she said on the phone. ¡°You can give that to us, we¡¯ll be handling everything at our end,¡± his representative said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s our security policy, the only one who can ess the CCTV is the client himself, it¡¯s to prevent any leak of private videos that the client will not benefit from.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very good ¡­ that¡¯s actually what we need,¡± they were testing her. ¡°I will also be upying a smaller cottage in thepound, I¡¯m sure Mr. Brady had already been informed of this?¡± ¡°Yes ¡­ that¡¯s no problem ¡­ but there won¡¯t be anyone else?¡± they made sure. ¡°No, I live alone, no one else, we have a policy of no parties, no guests, no sleepover guests while the main cottage is upied, no picture taking, no recordings, no press, no onlookers, a total privacy and confidentiality.¡± ¡°That sounds perfect!¡± they were happy with her answer. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re happy with that, we do have the best security n in our property, that¡¯s why it¡¯s been trusted to house so many celebrities from around the world ¡­ is there anything else that Mr. Brady would like to be provided with?¡± (Distant mumbling) ¡°Yes ¡­ he would like to buy a motorcycle for his means of transportation while he stays there.¡± ¡°Do you have a specific model that we can look for?¡± ¡°Yes ¡­ he prefers the Norton Commando motorbike.¡± (Taking notes) ¡°I will look for a Norton Commando dealer on the ind and get their contacts, would Mr. Brady prefer to do the purchase on his own upon arrival or should the bike be ready by then?¡± (Distant mumbling) ¡°He¡¯d like to buy the piece himself if you could be so kind to ask the dealer to share his list with us.¡± ¡°Will do ¡­ no problem ¡­ anything else?¡± They ended the call after that and no other phone calls were made again until the days approaching the arrival date. It was by far the simplest request she ever worked with a celebrity clientele. She started to feel bad forpletely brushing off Lucas Morritz to deal with what she assumed to be a difficult client when she ended up just fixing the ce and preparing it for a seemingly ordinary guest. Five John Brady was not young anymore. He was a heart-throb, as they call it, back in his younger days, but never really lost his charms and even gained more charisma as he got older. At the age of 45, he did most of his stunts himself, which can be dangerous at times. He yed characters much younger than his age because he didn¡¯t look a day older than 30. He loved what he did for a living, never spent more than three to six months at a time without work. It was a passion he had pursued since he was a boy. Acting was his first love, the kind of work he can escape from from the real world, from pain and suffering that always seemed to find him. Ever since the tragic deaths of his son and ex-fianc¨¦, he closed up all doors to guard what¡¯s left of his fragile heart. He put his love life on the back burner, even though he hadn¡¯t given up hope that one day he would find someone who can see him for who he is, and not the characters he portrayed, or the persona of a movie star that people always associated him with. He kept his life private from the public eye for the entirety of his career. He didn¡¯t enjoy the limelight, the only thing he enjoyed about being an actor was the work itself. Money and fame came with the job, but it was never what he was looking for. He didn¡¯t have many friends from his peer group because they couldn¡¯t rte to his simple lifestyle. It would be the first time he ever set foot on the ind of Bhorma. The ind of the gods was what it¡¯s famously known for. He couldn¡¯t wait to find out why. The first thing he did was to stop by the dealership just to look at the motorbikes and talk about them. The second love of his life. It was one of the reasons why it was hard for him to find someone who would take the third best ce in his life. He caressed the Norton Commando, felt it with his hands, it was just like the one he has back home. He preferred a motorbike to go from one ce to another rather than by car. It was a form of meditation for him. To ride on a bike and feel it¡¯s motion helped him clear his busy head. ¡°I love it! I¡¯ll take this one,¡± he said and proceeded with the payment. He immediately mounted the bike and asked his crew to lead the way to the cottage where he¡¯ll be spending the next six months and call it home. ********** ¡°I promised them that there won¡¯t be sleepover guests nor visiting guests ¡­ no parties, no pictures, the usual,¡± Sandy said. ¡°What kind of promise is that??¡± Andrea was disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t be able to stalk her favorite actor from the most convenient ce. Sandy gave her a sharp look, she knew better than to nag about something like that. Andrea pouted, ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll just stalk him from the shooting location.¡± ¡°You can stay here when I¡¯m away ¡­ just in case he needs anything ¡­ I¡¯ll introduce youter ¡­ how about that?¡±This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. Andrea hugged her and gave a good smack on her cheek. ¡°I love you, I love you, I love you!¡± Sandyughed, ¡°And I ¡­ you,¡± she bowed. They have been preparing the final touch-up since morning. Sandy always made it a habit to provide gift hampers at the cottage as aplimentary for the client. She set up fresh flowers, toiletries, sandals, sarongs, and everything a person might need when they stay in Bhorma. She always got a good rating for her services and hospitality because she treated her clients as she would treat her own family. When a ck Mercedez pulled up on the driveway, they went outside to wee their guest. But somebody else came out of the car. ¡°Hi, I¡¯m Larry Greyson, you must be ¡­¡± ¡°Sandra Lowry, and this is my agent Andrea ire,¡± they shook hands. Larry was wearing an earpiece and was talking through a walkie-talkie. ¡°Mr. Brady will be here soon, he¡¯s on his motorbike straight from the dealership ¡­ thanks for the reference, by the way, Mr. Brady is very pleased with his purchase.¡± ¡°No worries, I¡¯m d to be of help,¡± Sandy said. Another car pulled up. For most celebrities, sometimes there would be seven carsing to drop them off with all their belongings. One car for an assistant, a hairdresser, a make-up artist, another car for personal trainers, masseuse, chiropractor, another for bodyguards, and so on. Some even brought their own personal social media managers, with cameramen, photographers, and the whole lot. A chain of entourage would swarm the ce before the actual client arrived. There were only two cars that came before a Norton Commando finally arrived. Six Tall, dark, and handsome. Sandy had to look up to talk to him. His skin was pinkish after a short exposure to the Bhorma sunlight. He was sweating underneath his motorbike apparel. He took off his helmet and his shades, he greeted her politely with a firm handshake. She noticed his ck, unruly hair, his thick beard had a few gray hairs sticking out. He looked exactly the way he did in the movies, only much real. ¡°Please, follow me, let me give you a tour of the cottage and the security details,¡± Sandy led the way. She could smell a hint of sunlight as they walked side by side and a soft scent of his perfume. She looked over to Andrea who was tongue-tied from being so starstruck, she couldn¡¯t find words to say. The moment they entered the cottage, John Brady¡¯s eyes were wide in delight, he gasped, ¡°Wow ¡­ you have a really nice ce, I really like it.¡± Sandy smiled, ¡°This will be your ce for the next six months, Mr. Brady, you can use it as you please, I can assure you that it¡¯s very secure and private, but if you need anything, there¡¯s an inte directly connected to my cottage, or thendline to call anyone you want ¡­ the emergency numbers are on the files.¡± She walked over to the dining table and took a folder. ¡°All the information is here, I suggest that you keep it to yourself because there¡¯s a password for the CCTV monitor that you can ess from your mobile and also my mobile number is in there too ¡­ just in case you need it, I¡¯m sure your crew has all my details too,¡± she said. John took the folder, he looked tired from the long flight. He said he will go through the filester. Sandy showed them all the rooms, the kitchen, bathrooms, and the private pool at the back. John stopped and stared at the scenery that weed him when they opened the door to the back. It was facing a vast green grassy field and a view of a mountain far beyond the horizon. The clear blue sky was opened up as if there were no boundaries between them and nature. ¡°The ind of the gods ¡­ I think I¡¯m beginning to see it,¡± hemented with a smile. One of his crew came in with tworge suitcases and asked him where he wanted them. He nicely said to leave it there and that he will be taking them to his roomter. He was surprisingly nice, and from that brief first encounter, he didn¡¯t strike her as a movie star at all, apart from his strikingly good looks. ¡°I guess that¡¯ll be all from me, I won¡¯t be taking much of your time, Mr. Brady ¡­ you might want to rx and enjoy your first day here,¡± Sandy was about to retreat to her ce. ¡°John ¡­ please call me John ¡­ Sandy, right?¡± he remembered her name. ¡°Okay, John, have a pleasant stay, if you need anything ¡­¡± ¡°I will ¡­ thank you very much,¡± he shook her hand with both hands. His crew spread around the cottage to do their procedural checking. They went through every inch of the ce to make sure there was no unfavorable angle for paparazzi shots or easy ess for obsessive fans to lurk because John¡¯s home was broken into by a stalker awhile back when he was sleeping in the middle of the night. But he was nice enough to offer the woman a drink and told her to rx in his living room before he called the police. Sandy left the main cottage while they were still setting up the ce for John. Andrea was jumping up and down in excitement, ¡°Oh my God!! I think I¡¯ve died and gone to heaven!¡± she screamed. ¡°He¡¯s GORGEOUS!!¡± she added. Sandy was amused by her reaction, but she agreed with Andrea, John Brady was gorgeous.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org. ********** The crew left the premises after thirty minutes or so. The cottage was quiet. Andrea stayed for coffee and ranted about what a great day it was to have met John Brady in person. The sun was almost set, and Andrea had already left when there was a knock on the door. John was in front of her door with a bottle of wine. ¡°Hi ¡­ sorry to bother you, I just finished unpacking my stuff, and I brought this for you,¡± he handed her the bottle. He looked a lot fresher than before, she can smell the shower gel she included in the toiletries package she left for him. ¡°Oh my God, that¡¯s so nice of you ¡­ you really shouldn¡¯t have,¡± she eximed. His smile was wider than before, it wrinkled the corners of his eyes. Even though he smiled a lot, she caught a glimpse of sadness in them. ¡°Oh, no, it¡¯s my pleasure, I really love what you did with the ce, I really appreciate the hospitality ¡­ I¡¯ve never felt more weed in a strange country before.¡± Sandy offered him toe inside but he declined. He said he was on his way to stroll the streets, he wanted to try the local food. So she gave him a few rmendations and a couple of advice on what to do and not to do. He was very appreciative about it and went on his way. She watched him mount the bike and drive away. She put the bottle of Chardonnay on her countertop, she thought for a second, she might never drink it. She put it on her disy shelf instead. A gift from John Brady. Seven The handle of her bedroom door was rattling, she remembered to have locked it before she went to sleep. It was rattling rather noisily, followed by a bang, then stopped. Her heart was pulsing, she curled up on her bed and waited in silence. The door smashed open and a dark figure stormed into her room. She jolted out of bed, gasping for air. It was just a dream. She was trembling, ovee with fear. She had to calm herself down before cautiously walking out to the kitchen for some water. She walked down the hallway, ng to the walls. She looked around in the dark, terrified of her own shadows. Her hands were still shaking when she filled her ss with water. She engulfed it to quench her thirst. It was a hot night, the clock said 12 A. M. She had only been asleep for an hour. She peeked through the kitchen window, her client had just returned. He was parking his motorbike on the driveway. His movement stimted the motion sensor. John looked up and all around, acknowledging the lights, then he went inside. Sandy put down her ss, rubbed her arms tofort herself, and went back to her room. Her eyes were wide open for some time, she couldn¡¯t help but think, there was a stranger living in herpound. It might have triggered her anxiety. But she managed to brush off her awful thoughts, she told herself to toughen up. She should be d that someone was staying at herpound. She was not alone, and nothing bad would happen to her. ********** The next morning, she went out to see Kevin at her mom¡¯s ce. She saw John was training with his coach on the frontwn. His staff mentioned that John preferred to do all his training at the cottage as much as possible before the shooting starts in a week. He was focused and serious, she didn¡¯t want to bother him with small talk. So she went on her way. Lucas : Good morning (smile emoji) how are you today? Sandy: Good morning (smile emoji) I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking, why so formal? Lucas : What¡¯s your n for today? Sandy: It¡¯s my day out with Kevin. Lucas : Perfect! Stop by at Gino¡¯s for lunch? Sandy: (Hesitating) I can¡¯t stay long though, I promise Kevin we¡¯ll go to the beach.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Lucas : Great! (happy emojis) I¡¯ll see you at Gino¡¯s at twelve? Sandy: See you Lucas. Sometimes it¡¯s hard for her to reject a nice invitation. Although she knew Lucas¡¯ intentions were not casual, it wasn¡¯t a date either. She didn¡¯t want to be a bitch about it. She didn¡¯t want to lead him on and gave him the impression she was interested. It¡¯s not easy to be single at her age when men always assume that she was looking forpanionship. Although, the problem with girls, no matter what age, they will always have that dream of a fairy tale romance. As they grew older, they learned that to expect it to happen with every guy they meet would end up disappointing them every time. There¡¯s something about Lucas that doesn¡¯t ¡®click¡¯ with her. He was smart, friendly, quite good-looking, single, and avable. He was 39 years old, sessful, but he was just not for her. He tried really hard to have the kind of connection that would make Sandy feelfortable around him, and eventually let down her guard. But she never did. They¡¯ve been good friends for over three years, but she never let hime to her house. She never epted his invitation to a date. She would only agree to go out on a casual lunch out or happy hours with friends, or with Kevin. Lucas didn¡¯t mind, it was a date nheless, just without a prospect of sex or rtionship. He tried to hold her hand every time they met, she always pulled away. ¡°You know my birthday ising up?¡± Lucas said as they strolled down the beach. Kevin was ying by the water, picking seashells from the shore. ¡°Oh, when is it?¡± Sandy asked. Lucas sighed in disappointment, ¡°You don¡¯t remember my birthday?¡± Sheughed, ¡°I¡¯m just ying with you ¡­. yeah, I remember how drunk everyone wasst year, July 17th, right?¡± He smiled in relief, ¡°Right ¡­ would you have dinner with me on my birthday?¡± He stopped his steps and studied her face. She took a deep breath and exhaled, ¡°Lucas, you¡¯re a nice guy,¡± she said. ¡°Thanks,¡± he smirked. Sandy looked him in the eyes, he was looking at her so hopeful. ¡°I¡¯m serious, I really mean that, you¡¯re a very nice guy ¡­ I don¡¯t want you to waste your time with me.¡± He looked away, trying hard to disguise his disappointment. ¡°Toote for that, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s been three years ¡­ not that I¡¯m counting,¡± he let out a sarcasticugh. ¡°You¡¯re kind and smart, and ¡­¡± ¡°Everything you¡¯d look for in a rtionship, right?¡± ¡°Yes, and any woman would be so lucky and happy to have you as a partner.¡± Lucas put his hand on his chest, ¡°Ouch ¡­ that hurts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what to say to you, I don¡¯t want you to think that we can be more than friends ¡­ I mean, I love having you as a friend.¡± He watched her closely with his stare, ¡°So ¡­ would you have dinner with me on my birthday ¡­ as a friend?¡± Sandy couldn¡¯t believe his persistence. ¡°Please? It would mean a lot to me ¡­ as a friendly gift to a friend ¡­ have dinner with me?¡± he begged her. She shook her head in disbelief, he always managed to make her say ¡®yes¡¯. ¡°How can I say no to that?¡± ¡°Yess!¡± he gestured in a winning pose. ¡°She said yes, everybody!¡± he announced to the people passing by. ¡°Lucas! It¡¯s not a date, though, please don¡¯t make it hard on me.¡± ¡°No ¡­ no ¡­ of course not, I¡¯m just d you¡¯re epting my invitation, so I¡¯ll pick you up at seven?¡± he pushed on. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there at eight, La Lune, okay?¡± Lucas nodded, and shut his mouth after that, he didn¡¯t want to push his luck. He was already nning a nice intimate dinner with her in his mind. Eight ¡°Why can¡¯t I stay with you. mommy? I miss you,¡± Kevin pleaded. She hugged him tighter, ¡°Oh I miss you too, baby, it¡¯s just that ¡­ I have work to do ¡­ I¡¯ll be back tomorrow, okay? We¡¯ll go to the yground and we¡¯ll have some ice cream.¡± She was holding back her tears. Kevin was on the verge of crying, he was pouting. ¡°Will you stay and tuck me in bed?¡± ¡°Of course, honey, let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± She kissed her forehead and carried him to his bed. She went home with a heavy heart, like so many times before. She didn¡¯t like to leave him for too long, much too often. But she prefers it that way, she kept him away from the cottage as much as possible. Especially when her client specifically demanded privacy from young children. Kevin would have to stay with grandma for much longer. She was just about to take off her clothes to shower when the inte beeped. She pressed the button, ¡°This is Sandy.¡± ¡°Hi, Sandy, sorry to bother you sote,¡± John said at the other end. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine, I wasn¡¯t sleeping or anything, is there something I can do for you?¡± He didn¡¯t reply immediately, ¡°I kinda need a favor ¡­ I sprained my wrist this morning ¡­ it¡¯s a stupid ident, actually, I was training.¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry to hear that, are you okay?¡± Johnughed lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just a little sprain, really, I¡¯m okay ¡­ nothing serious, it¡¯s just that ¡­ my staff ¡­ umm ¡­ can Ie over and exin it to you? I feel weird talking to the inte.¡± She giggled off the inte, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll be right down.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Great, okay ¡­ see you.¡± He came over with his left wrist fully bandaged. He waved it and cringed from the pain. ¡°Oh ¡­ that looks terrible,¡± Sandy sympathized and let him in. ¡°Yeah ¡­ they X-Ray it this afternoon and it¡¯s fine ¡­ just a mild fracture, might need a few weeks to heal ¡­ it¡¯s just that ¡­ my staff insisted that I need a nurse toe over and treat it until it¡¯s safe to take off the bandage,¡± heughed at the thought. ¡°I told them it¡¯s ridiculous, I can change my own bandage,¡± he threw his right hand like it was a no-brainer. Sandy kept listening. ¡°Well ¡­ as it turned out ¡­ I couldn¡¯t do it myself, and now I¡¯m bothering you to help me out with this thing,¡± he grinned looking embarrassed. Sandyughed, ¡°Sure ¡­ I¡¯ll help you change it, no problem, pleasee in.¡± ¡°Yeah ¡­ and it¡¯s kinda a two times a day thing ¡­ I mean, I know I¡¯ll be able to do this myself after a few times, right? It¡¯s just that, I¡¯m left-handed and it¡¯s a bit tricky with this hook here,¡± he tried to show her theplexity of the bandage. ¡°No worries, I¡¯ll help you out ¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to do it yourselfter ¡­ here, sit down, let me see it, do you have the kit with you?¡± She pulled up her dining chair in her kitchen and let him sit. John took out the kit he brought home from the hospital. She sat across from him on the edge of the dining table and began to take off the bandage. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing you haven¡¯t started shooting,¡± she said. ¡°Yeah, this might change our schedule a little bit ¡­ a minor setback, but that¡¯s okay, it happens a lot.¡± Sandy smiled, she was happy to hear about a setback, it just meant that they will extend his stay at her cottage. She offered him some coffee, he epted in delight. He had been craving a hot coffee all day. They ended up talking over coffee. Heined that he wasn¡¯t allowed to ride his motorbike until he was healed. He had enjoyed his stroll on the first day and thought that there were so many ces he wanted to see. ¡°Were you born on this ind?¡± he asked. ¡°No ¡­ I moved from the city about five years ago.¡± ¡°Oh ¡­ well, I can see why, it¡¯s a beautiful ind.¡± ¡°It¡¯s peaceful here, I¡¯m not a city girl, I don¡¯t like crowded ces ¡­ here, even though it¡¯s always packed with tourists in some ces, the rest feels like home ¡­ everyone¡¯s on vacation here, so you can feel the ease, the vibe is always rxed, a lot of celebritiese here for holidays but the people here are not as nosy as city people ¡­ they won¡¯t bother you for pictures or autographs as much as you would be in big cities,¡± she exined. John listened intently and nodded, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get back on my bike ¡­ I can¡¯t go a day without riding my bike ¡­ maybe you¡¯d take me to the best ces on the ind ¡­ when I¡¯m better?¡± ¡°Sure ¡­ there are lots of ces you can go, the best ces are actually kind of far in the suburban area, the beaches there are perfect ¡­ quiet, no one around, it¡¯s the best.¡± She couldn¡¯t help but admire how rxed he made her feel. It¡¯s unusual for her to be in the presence of a celebrity yet she didn¡¯t feel intimidated in any way. He was as humble as theye. There was some sadness in his expression that she captured every now and then. He seemed like a nice enough guy that she can talk to for hours. He would close up when it came to certain topics that touched a soft spot. He reminded her of herself. They ended up talking for almost two hours before he realized he might have overstayed his wee, so he went back to his cottage and asked her to help him with the bandage again the next day. Nine ¡°You¡¯re kidding, right?!¡± Andrea couldn¡¯t believe her ears as she licked through her ice cream. Sandy told her about herte-night conversation with John Brady, and Andrea just flipped like a burger. ¡°Oh my God, I envy you so much right now, I could kill you!¡± Sandyughed about it while she cleaned Kevin¡¯s shirt from a spill. Andrea went on about it for an hour until she finally remembered to ask Sandy something. She told her that she was hooking up with one of Lucas¡¯s friends and she heard about the date Sandy agreed to with Lucas.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°Oh Jeez ¡­ seriously? It hasn¡¯t been 24 hours and he already ¡­ How many people know about it?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ just me, probably, he sounded so excited about it, what¡¯s up with that? You finally caving in on Lucas?¡± Sandy exhaled deeply, ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­ is that wrong? I don¡¯t know how to tell him to go away ¡­ ¡¯cause he¡¯s nice, and we¡¯re friends, I don¡¯t want to jeopardize our friendship but sometimes he can be exhausting.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a persistent guy ¡­ so it¡¯s not like a date or anything?¡± Andrea made sure. ¡°No, it¡¯s his birthday ¡­ which you¡¯re not invited, by the way, it¡¯s just a nice gesture, right?¡± Andrea leaned on the pic table, ¡°Yeah, I guess ¡­ he really likes you, I think he¡¯s already proposing to you in his head.¡± Sheughed. It was not an exaggeration. ¡°Maybe you can tell him to back off a little bit when ites to me, huh?¡± Andrea shrugged, ¡°Haven¡¯t we done that for the past three years? It¡¯s amazing how he kept his hopes up all this time ¡­ maybe he¡¯s hoping you¡¯ll cave in eventually ¡­ as I see you already have,¡± she mocked her. Sandy threw a cone to her face and ignored herment. ********** She prepared a quick dinner for herself and John. He was there earlier than the night before, his training session had finished early. She unwrapped his mangled bandage and cleaned his wrist with some cotton soaked with alcohol. She applied the ointment and carefully wrapped it with fresh bandages. When she looked up, she caught him staring at her, he smiled. ¡°Does it still hurt?¡± ¡°No ¡­ only if I bend it, I still can¡¯t clutch my motorbike.¡± ¡°You might want to take it easy for a few days before you do that.¡± ¡°Yeah, that sucks ¡­ thanks for doing this, I really appreciate it.¡± ¡°No problem ¡­ there, you¡¯re all done ¡­ do you want some dinner? I made some spaghetti?¡± she offered. ¡°Oh, yes please ¡­ I¡¯m starving!¡± He took a bite of her cooking and was surprised by how good it was. ¡°This is just about everything I can cook,¡± sheughed. ¡°Well, maybe a few other dishes ¡­ but it¡¯s quick and easy ¡­ I don¡¯t go out much so I learned to cook the easiest and fastest dish I can for a quick dinner alone,¡± she added. John was nodding in agreement with his mouth full, ¡°Me too ¡­ I do that too.¡± ¡°Really? I thought you¡¯d be like going out on fancy dinners and wine every night?¡± Johnughed at herment, ¡°Not every night, I do love wine ¡­ I like staying home, I like going out too, mostly by myself, I hang out with friends every now and then but not very often.¡± ¡°Hmm ¡­ yeah, I love going out alone too, especially to the beach here, taking a stroll before sunset ¡­ there¡¯s a kind of peace and serenity to be in touch with yourself, isn¡¯t it? Some people don¡¯t understand how busy it is in my head ¡­ the conversations I have with myself ¡­¡± she stopped herself, realizing she might sound crazy to him. But he was looking at her in amazement, ¡°People think you¡¯re quiet and lonely ¡­ but really, you¡¯re just loving your ownpany?¡± he finished her sentence. They looked at each other for a brief moment and smiled. When they¡¯ve finished dinner, Sandy washed the dishes. John walked over to her bookshelf, ¡°You read?¡± He was checking out her book collection. Some of them were familiar to him, others were the kind of books that he would read. He took one that stood out to him, an old copy of Rumi quotes. It had a lot of markings and handwriting on it. It was quoted on love and life, and it seemed private so he put it back on the shelf. ¡°When I have time ¡­ I read, with music, and coffee, and asionally wine.¡± ¡°Sounds like my best nights,¡± he scoffed, ¡°And movies?¡± ¡°Yes, movies too.¡± ¡°Any of mine that you like?¡± She had finished with the dishes and walked over to him, ¡°I love the Quantum Realm ¡­ that one is my favorite of yours,¡± she said. ¡°Hmm ¡­ you like sci-fi?¡± ¡°Not really, I didn¡¯t see it as a sci-fi ¡­ well, it is a sci-fi, but I think it¡¯s about self-awakening, spirituality ¡­ but it was delivered in a sci-fi package to make it more interesting for the general public.¡± John curved his lips, very few people he met can capture the movie in that light. ¡°But that¡¯s just my take on it, people interpret art in their own way ¡­ I guess as long as it gives meaning to them, it doesn¡¯t matter whether their interpretation is correct or not,¡± she handed him a hot cup of coffee. ¡°I agree, thanks,¡± he thanked her for the coffee. ¡°What about you? Do you watch your own movies?¡± she sat on the couch to getfortable. ¡°I tried not to,¡± he smiled awkwardly. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It feels weird looking at myself on the screen, I love making movies, I love watching movies ¡­ but not of myself,¡± he was shy about it. The conversation went on with John telling her the stories of how he first started out, and she was asking him from one thing to another until they realized howte it was. The night visits went on every day until the shooting finally started. Even then, John hasn¡¯t managed to do his wrappings by himself. Sandy had done a really nice job with it that he trusted her to help him out. It was the basis of their instant friendship, although the things they had inmon were the gem that paved the way. They could talk for hours without running out of things to ask each other, and it was rare for the both of them. Ten The only thing that was weighing on her mind about her newfound friendship was ¡­ she hadn¡¯t told him about her son. Their conversations never went there. It¡¯s not so much that she was worried he didn¡¯t want young children to be on the premises, it was more of the follow-up questions that she¡¯s reluctant to answer. It was the first day of shooting, John had invited her toe with Andrea. She agreed to it, she thought it would be a good time to introduce her new friend to Kevin. The sun was pretty high that day, a lot of people were on the set. Some locals gathered around to watch, police officers can be seen securing the location. Not many people knew about it, they kept it pretty secret so the public wouldn¡¯t swarm the ce. It was the first time she ever set foot on a movie set. There wasn¡¯t much prop used because the main scene was a fighting scene. It was also the first time she ever saw John in another light. He was big and tall, he stood out among others who were there. He was in a suit, his expression looked like he was already in his character. Serious, rough, and angry. A make-up artist was fixing his hair and facial hair and put on some fake blood on his face. She took a quick look around in the surrounding area, then she fixed her attention solely on him. ¡°Who is that man, mom?¡± Kevin asked, clinging to her neck. ¡°He looks like a superhero.¡± Andrea was too excited to be there, she couldn¡¯t stop taking pictures, taking videos, and posting them on Instagram. But when the shooting started, everyone was asked to turn off their phones and not to make any sound. He did all the fighting scenes himself, he memorized the choreography and learned to use weapons as a real badass assassin. Sandy was watching from the sidelines like a fangirl. She couldn¡¯t believe how different he was from his real persona, it was like looking at a whole different person. ¡°Hey ¡­ the first transfer just came through, I¡¯ll wire you the moneyter,¡± Andrea said. ¡°That¡¯s great news! Thanks, hun,¡± she was relieved she could meet her deadline for the next installment. ¡°I have another project in Manta so I¡¯ll be ind hopping for the next two weeks ¡­ but if you need anything, just let me know, okay?¡± Andrea had been busy with her work because of the development that¡¯s taking ce on a nearby ind of Manta. She had been generating a lot of clients from other countries, her career was skyrocketing in the past year. On the shooting break, John finally noticed them on the sidelines and made time to chat. He quickly switched to his daily persona, it was astounding. ¡°This is Kevin ¡­ my son,¡± she didn¡¯t expect how fast her heart was racing when she said that. His jaw dropped, ¡°You have a son?¡± ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s staying with my mom for a while.¡± John stuck out his hand and offered Kevin a handshake, ¡°Hey little guy, I¡¯m John ¡­ it¡¯s really nice to meet you,¡± he was smiling widely. Kevin was a little shy, but he shook his hand. ¡°Firm handshake! I like that, just like your mom.¡± Kevin smiled and hid his face on Sandy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re the superhero,¡± he said. It made Johnugh, ¡°I am ¡­ but you shouldn¡¯t be watching the fighting scene, though, you shoulde to the cottage.¡± ¡°Can I mom?¡± Kevin looked at Sandy. Sandy awkwardly looked at John, and he gave her the sweetest look. ¡°Yes, can he mom?¡± John asked. ¡°Sure ¡­ maybe tomorrow, okay? ¡®Cause I have to work with aunty Andrea today.¡± John frowned at Kevin, ¡°We¡¯ll be seeing each other more often then, I have to get back to my trailer now ¡­ I¡¯ll see you tonight?¡± ¡°Yeah ¡­ see you tonight.¡± ¡°Will you being too, Andrea?¡± John asked. ¡°Oh ¡­ no ¡­ I¡¯ll be leaving for Mantater today, you guys have fun, okay?¡± That was the moment Andrea noticed something different in her best friend¡¯s eyes. They were fixed on John. ********** Sandy walked up the stairs to the main cottage with two bags of take-outs in her hands. She decided to visit him in the main cottage, knowing that he must¡¯ve been very tired from shooting that day. She knocked on the door, no answer. The door wasn¡¯t locked, so she poked her head in and called out, ¡°John!!¡± ¡°Sandy?¡± his voice was distant. ¡°Come on in, I¡¯m upstairs, I¡¯ll be right down.¡± She stepped in and put the take-outs on the dining table. The ce was messy, it turned into a typical bachelor pad. The floor was dirty, things were lying around everywhere. She would offer him a cleanerter. He came down, still dripping wet from the shower. His shirt was halfway in as he descended the stairs. She can¡¯t even remember how long it¡¯s been since she had seen a man like that in that cottage. ¡°Hey! Take-outs! I love take-outs!¡± he eximed, took a wing from one of the bags, and munched on it. ¡°Do you need a cleaner, John?¡± she went straight to the point. He looked around the room and realized it was a mess. ¡°Okay, but it¡¯s not a regr thing, right?¡± ¡°No, just whenever is convenient for you, I can call a cleaner once or twice a week.¡± He agreed to it like it wasn¡¯t a big deal. After they settled down to eat, that was when John finally asked her, ¡°Why did you never mention Kevin?¡± Sandy told him about the contract she signed with his management, and it blew his mind. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous? I would never ¡­¡± he was appalled that his management would include such a use in the agreement because he had nothing against children. Knowing him for the past week, Sandy believed him. ¡°My management is great professional people, I¡¯m sure they mean well ¡­ but for you to keep your own son away, no way! That¡¯s not eptable,¡± he said. His expression turned dark, ¡°I had a son ¡­ and he had a heart defect from birth,¡± he was struggling to say it. ¡°He died when he was 14 months old, and ¡­ there were times when it¡¯s hard for me to be around children.¡± A surge of sadness reflected on his face. ¡°It must be ¡­ I¡¯m so sorry to hear that,¡± Sandy touched his forearm.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. John nodded, he didn¡¯t say anything else about it. ¡°Please, don¡¯t keep your son away on my ount ¡­ that would be terrible.¡± She mended his bandages before she left. She was d the swelling was reduced. She rubbed the ointment carefully and thoroughly, she knew he needed to heal fast, and she wanted that for him. ¡°Is Kevin¡¯s dad still in the picture?¡± he surprised her with that question. She looked up and found his eyes were gazing at her. She had a faint smile on her face, ¡°No.¡± Her answer was short but she can see he was expecting more than that. ¡°My fianc¨¦ left us when I was still pregnant with Kevin ¡­ didn¡¯t say a single word, no notes, no nothing, and we had only just made our down payment on this cottage,¡± she scoffed in irony. He took a deep breath, her story hit a nerve in him. ¡°My father left me when I was three ¡­ some men are just not up for the challenge ¡­ what an asshole,¡± he said. It made Sandyugh. She adhered to the bandage and put down his hand. She looked at John and felt something different in his stare. ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. She smiled, ¡°You¡¯re wee, I¡¯ll see you tomorrow?¡± ¡°Yes, please, I still need your help ¡­ as it turned out, I¡¯m pretty useless,¡± heughed lightly. ¡°I think it¡¯ll healpletely by next week, maybe you should check it again to the hospital ¡­. just to be sure,¡± she gazed at him before leaving the doorstep. ¡°I will.¡± She swore she felt something different in the way they looked at each other, or maybe it was just her. Eleven His life had been a series of short term rtionships ever since the tragedy. He couldn¡¯t seem to find someone who can stick for more than a few months at a time, a year at best. He¡¯s had his share of beautiful faces, sexy bodies, young and older, famous and not, he¡¯d lost count on how many women he¡¯d been with. He wasrgely driven by his sex drive which lead him into rtionships based on casual sex. Women swooned over him, and he caved to the temptation. He had enough experience to learn that sex and good looks were not enough to keep a rtionship, most of them couldn¡¯t even bring him to fall in love like the hopelessly romantic that he was. He knew that his passion for his work and motorbikes sometimes drove women away, and his simple way of life drove almost all of them away because they expected something rather posh from one of the highest earning actors in the industry. He wasn¡¯t entirely truthful when he said he was going to try and do his own bandages. He felt warm and fuzzy inside when she touched his hand, when she slowly rubbed it with care and tenderness. He enjoyed it so much, he didn¡¯t want their routine to change. Sandy was the type of woman that when he looked at her, the more beauty he can find in her. The more he got to know her, the more interesting she was. The most addictive kind of all. He loved the fact that she didn¡¯t wear make-up. Most men loved the way women looked after the magical touch of make-up, John preferred them in and real, it¡¯s their personalities that shone through and made them beautiful. He admired the fact that she presented herself as she is, and let people love her for who she is and not who she pretended to be. He adored the way sheughed after telling him the bitter part of her past because she had ovee it. She reminded him of himself. He admitted that Sandy looked different when she wore make-up. He was surprised to see her wearing them, and dressed up for a special asion. He had just arrived on his motorbike after a stroll around the neighborhood, his hand was feeling better. She was standing in front of thepound, dialing her phone when she was startled by his arrival. He stared at her in amusement. ¡°You look nice,¡± heplimented her. ¡°Oh, thanks ¡­ I¡¯m actually going to a birthday party, ¡­ so you¡¯re back on the saddle? Do you still need me to change the bandages?¡± ¡°Oh, no, I guess not ¡­ maybe I¡¯ll take it offter and see how it goes, ¡­ are you waiting for someone to pick you up?¡± he was curious. ¡°No, actually, I¡¯m calling the cab,¡± she waved her phone. ¡°I can take you there, I¡¯ve been trying to find an excuse to go around with my bike the entire week,¡± he chuckled. She was reluctant to ept the offer. ¡°Where¡¯s the party? Are all your friendsing too?¡± She hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s more like a dinner party ¡­ my friend, he¡¯s celebrating his 40th birthday party at his restaurant, La Lune, it¡¯s a fancy ce ¡­ hence the dressing up,¡± sheughed awkwardly. ¡°Cool ¡­ just point the way, hop on ¡­ I¡¯ll take you there, Andrea¡¯s not picking you up?¡± he wondered. ¡°No, she¡¯s still in Manta, anyways, it¡¯s more like a dinner for two, he set up a special dinner for the big 4 0.¡± John had a confused expression on his face, ¡°Oh ¡­ so it¡¯s a date?¡± ¡°No ¡­ no ¡­ it¡¯s not, he¡¯s my friend ¡­ we¡¯ve been good friends for years,¡± she wasn¡¯t really sure about it either. John mounted his bike, and helped Sandy hop on the back. ¡°It sure sounds like a date to me,¡± he was being cheeky. ¡°No, it¡¯s not a date, just a dinner with a good friend,¡± she denied it. ¡°If you say so,¡± he put on his helmet. He smelled her perfume as she cling to him all the way to La Lune. She tried to cover her exposed legs with her flowing dress, he noticed how nervous she was without saying a single word. Sometimes he nced at her from the rear view mirror when she wasn¡¯t looking. He folded his arms in front of him while he stared at her fixing her skirt and hair when they arrived at La Lune. There was an ill feeling inside him knowing that she was going to step into the restaurant and have dinner with a man. Was it too soon to be annoyed by another man? He looked at La Lune, a typical fine dining bistro with a bar, the setting and the ambience was simr to the high end restaurants that he sometimes went to back home, but the only thing he wanted to see at that time was the man whom she was going to have dinner with. ¡°Not a date¡± he quivered at the thought. She smiled nervously when she was done, ¡°Thanks for the ride, I¡¯ll see youter ¡­ or maybe tomorrow.¡± ¡°You¡¯re noting back tonight?¡± it was worse than he thought. ¡°No ¡­ I mean ¡­ you might be asleep when I get back, so ¡­¡± she exined. ¡°Right,¡± he smiled embarrassed. ¡°Have a nice dinner date,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not a date,¡± she whispered.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. He raised an eyebrow with a smirk on his face, he saw her off entering the bistro and then went on his way. He didn¡¯t know where he was going, he could¡¯ve just stroll around like he always does with his bike. But on that particr night, he felt like he was in need of a direction. He was troubled by the uneasiness he felt, it was annoying that he felt the way he did. He barely even knew her, but it bothered him to see her out on a date looking so nice. There was an itch he had to scratch, and it¡¯s gotten itchier the further he went along the road. ¡°Fuck it!¡± he muttered, he turned his bike around and went straight back to La Lune. Twelve It was the most awkward thing that ever happened to her. She cringed inside the entire way to La Lune. She didn¡¯t expect to see John right the very moment she was going to call the cab. The shooting must¡¯ve wrapped up early that day. She was sweating a little bit, she had to sit face to face with Lucas for at least two hours and had to persuade him to let her leave the ce without him driving her back home. She should¡¯ve thought that through before she agreed on this ¡­ dinner invitation. La Lune was packed, as usual. All the tables were full on the first floor. The bar stools were all filled. The head waiter looked like he was expecting her, ¡°Miss Lowry ¡­ this way please,¡± he asked her to follow him upstairs where it was closed for the public. The head waiter opened the door and escorted her in. The floor was empty, except for one single table in the middle of the room with a candle light. The lights were all dimmed, candles were lit all over the room. Lucas was leaning on the bar looking dashing in his tuxedo. He was beaming and his eyes sparkled as soon as he saw Sandy walked in. He kissed her hand and pulled out the chair for her. ¡°You look lovely ¡­ thank you foring,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, you don¡¯t look so bad yourself,¡± she returned thepliment. The waiter came with a bottle of champagne, poured in their sses, ¡°The entr¨¦e will be served shortly, enjoy your evening,¡± he said. Lucas lifter his ss, ¡°To friendships,¡± he toasted. ¡°Happy birthday, Lucas, I wish you everything you¡¯ve ever hoped for wille true,¡± she toasted for him. He looked at her sharply, ¡°Thank you ¡­ you know you can easily make that wishe true, right?¡± Sandy smiled, drank her champagne. ¡°You promised this will be a friendly dinner ¡­ so no flirting, okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s kinda hard to do that with you,¡± he wouldn¡¯t take his eyes off her. The thing with Lucas is, no matter how hard she tried to revert the conversations to casual friendly talks about everyday life, he always managed toe back to where he wanted the conversation to go. Putting her on the spot with flirtatiousments, and indirect confessions of his infatuation over her. She felt like he looked at her as a challenge that he needed to conquer, and that doesn¡¯t sit well with her. She respected him as a friend, he¡¯s been a gentleman all through his journey of trying to win her over. He¡¯s never seen with a woman. Although he can easily get a good decent woman, he never did. Their friendship would¡¯ve blossomed even more if he didn¡¯t try so hard to be more than that. The second floor was surrounded by ss windows. They can see everything from there, the outside and the inside of the restaurant. In between the main course, she saw it. The waitresses downstairs escorted a tall, dark, handsome man to the corner seat. People turned to look at him, but he was cool about it, and took his seat without any hassle. She felt a lump in her throat, suddenly it was hard to swallow. Lucas was saying something to her, and she just didn¡¯t catch any of it. John leaned over to one of the waitresses and ced his order, he took out his phone and browsed it without looking around. Not long after that, the head waiter came to interrupt the dinner. He whispered something to Lucas. He nodded knowingly and didn¡¯t say anything. ¡°You know ¡­ desert is going to be lovely, it¡¯s your favorite,¡± he said after a moment of silence. She nodded, ¡°Great ¡­ I love desserts, thank you,¡± she replied. He described what the desert was in detail, it just went past her. Her attention was pulled to John who was drinking his wine quietly alone. She nodded along and smiled at Lucas¡¯s description of desert. When she had finished her main course, Lucas was finally done with his boration of the desert. ¡°I hate to do this to you ¡­ but I have to check on the desert in the kitchen ¡­ and greet a special guest we have in the house,¡± he was stalling just to say that. ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about it, go ahead,¡± she finally knew what the whisper was all about. ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you? I hate to interrupt our dinner but ¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay Lucas, do what you need to do,¡± she urged him. ¡°I won¡¯t be long,¡± he excused himself. When she looked to where John was sitting, he was sitting back in his corner stall looking at her. He wasn¡¯t smiling, he raised his wine ss at her and winked. Sheughed and waved at him. He drank his wine and smiled in another direction, he was smiling at Lucas who came over to his stall. The special guest. **********Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Lucas spoke to John for no more than five minutes, then he was back with desert. He had a wide smile on his face. She nced at John, he was taking pictures with some fans and then back to his loner mode, built a barrier between him and his surrounding just so people wouldn¡¯te and interrupt him with himself. He was just like her. Lucas touched her hand and pulled back all her attention to him. ¡°Stay awhile ¡­ I¡¯d love to talk some more with you,¡± he asked. ¡°Sure,¡± she replied nervously. ¡°You look nervous,¡± he caught it. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine,¡± she denied. ¡°More wine?¡± She nodded, ¡°Not too much, though, I have to get back.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take you home.¡± ¡°No ¡­ it¡¯s not a date, remember?¡± He squinted almost like he was in pain, ¡°I don¡¯t want anything bad to happen to you on your way back ¡­ it¡¯ste.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be fine ¡­ I¡¯ve done it thousands of times before.¡± He backed down, he just couldn¡¯t win. He exhaled deeply, trying to rx himself. She sipped on her wine. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± he asked. She nodded slowly. ¡°Why? ¡­ why can¡¯t it be me?¡± She paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. ¡°Why can¡¯t we be friends, Lucas? You¡¯re a great friend, why can¡¯t we just have that?¡± she asked gently. ¡°Because I don¡¯t want to be your friend, I want more.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± she asked ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I mean ¡­ I see you as a man with determination ¡­ you always have to get what you want ¡­ knowing my past makes you feel challenged ¡­ it¡¯s like ¡­ I¡¯m something you must win, and afterwards you¡¯d just ¡­¡± she didn¡¯t finish her sentence. ¡°What? Jeez ¡­ is that what you think this is?¡± he was aghast by her implications of his intention. ¡°I am a man with determination ¡­ there¡¯s nothing wrong with that,¡± he defended himself. ¡°The things I would do for you ¡­ to you ¡­¡± he rubbed his head in frustration, ¡°you can¡¯t even imagine what I would do ¡­ but I certainly wouldn¡¯t do what you suspect me of.¡± He grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes, ¡°Is there any chance of us in you? Please tell me the truth.¡± Sandy looked away from him for a second and gently broke it to him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Lucas, ¡­ I just don¡¯t feel the way you do ¡­ I wish I could.¡± ¡°See? It¡¯s that ¡­ ¡®I wish I do¡¯ that gets me ¡­¡± ¡°Oh my God, Lucas? What do you want me to say?¡± ¡°Just tell me to go to hell or something, you hate me, you¡¯re disgusted by me ¡­¡± ¡°Is that what you want me to say to you? On your birthday?¡± He put his face down on the table, shook his head, ¡°No,¡± he said almost in a whisper. She can see from the corner of her eyes, John was looking their way. In other circumstances, she would¡¯ve sumbed to Lucas¡¯s determination, he showed how genuine his feelings for her. But that chance have been stolen by the tall, dark, gorgeous loner she can¡¯t seem to shift her attention from. ¡°Is there someone else?¡± he couldn¡¯t have asked her a more on point question. ¡°I hate to have been broken like this just to find out that there¡¯s someone else,¡± he added. ¡°No.¡± she said simply. ¡°You know how hard it is for me since ¡­¡± He nodded, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± They were silent for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m sorry too,¡± she said. He walked her to the door holding her hand, she didn¡¯t resist this time. She felt bad enough to have broken him like a twig. John was nowhere to be seen. They stood face to face on the porch. He looked at her with longing in his stare. It¡¯s the first time he didn¡¯t say anything but the look in his eyes told her everything. He leaned in for a kiss, she looked down. He kissed her forehead instead. He wanted to say it, but he didn¡¯t. ¡°I had a really nice evening,¡± she said. His smile was sluggish, ¡°I¡¯m d you did.¡± ¡°Good night,¡± she said. ¡°Good night.¡± It¡¯s the first time he didn¡¯t say he wanted to see her again. Maybe he didn¡¯t want to, maybe it¡¯s better for the both of them. She descended the stairs and waved goodbye. He took a deep breath and walked back into the restaurant when she disappeared into the night. Thirteen She walked a few steps away from the bistro to the streets, and there he was under the street light, leaning on his motorbike, arms folded in front of him. She walked over to him. He tried to assess her expression, but he didn¡¯t know her well enough to do that. ¡°How was the ¡®not a date¡¯ went?¡± Sheughed, ¡°Exhausting.¡± He raised his eyebrows. ¡°Not like that! You know ¡­ long story,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve got all night ¡­ we can discuss it over beer, or wine? Your choice.¡± ¡°Beer.¡± He mounted his bike, ¡°Beer it is.¡± They stopped by to get some beer on the way back to the cottage. They flipped a coin over which cottage they should have the beers in, and it was Sandy¡¯s. They gotfortable on the sofa immediately. Sandy sighed a breath of relief and put her legs up. John opened two cans of beers and handed one to her. ¡°He seemed like a nice enough guy,¡± he started the conversation. ¡°He is,¡± she said. ¡°But?¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t feel the connection, you know? It¡¯s just not there.¡± Chemistry, he¡¯s more than familiar with that. ¡°If we¡¯re together ¡­ it would be like ¡­ he wouldn¡¯t understand half of the things I care about, but he would support it either way because he feels like he has to ¡­ you know what I mean?¡± He had his shares of those kinds of rtionships, none of them worked out. He nodded. ¡°Sometimes I wonder if there¡¯s really anyone out there that can connect with someone in that level ¡­ and if there is, what are the odds of them ever finding each other,¡± she was talking to herself out loud, and then he noticed John was gazing at her. ¡°Why were you there, John?¡± her question struck him off guard. ¡°I didn¡¯t know where else to go,¡± he answered. They locked eyes, tried to figure out what the other one was thinking. ¡°You weren¡¯t spying on me, were you?¡± she asked jokingly, then she realized she was a bit tipsy, that¡¯s when her mouth usually blurted out the things she¡¯ll regretter. Johnughed shyly and scooted closer to where she was sitting. ¡°What if I was?¡± he challenged her. She blushed. She was screaming inside, she wasn¡¯t expecting him to tease her. ¡°What are your demons, John?¡± another question blurted out of her tipsy mouth, she kept herposure. John was taken aback, he leaned on the sofa. ¡°Tell me your deepest, darkest secrets,¡± she added. He was fidgeting on the floor, not sure what he was going to tell her but then he did. He told her how he fell into depression after his son died, followed by her ex-fianc¨¦¡¯s suicide because she couldn¡¯t cope with the loss. He contemted the idea of killing himself too, he even nned to do it a few times, but didn¡¯t have the courage to go through it. ¡°Life was so hard to do back then ¡­ but there was a little speck of hope that maybe someday ¡­ I¡¯ll find the reason why I had to go through the hell I was put through.¡± It wasn¡¯t easy for him to open up, he hasn¡¯t done that in a long time. He said his mom and sisters were his rock that prevented him from slitting his wrists or put a rope around his neck at the time. ¡°It does get better, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sandy remembered how hard it was for her too. ¡°What about you? What¡¯s your story?¡± he turned to face her. She drank the can to thest drop and opened another one. ¡°We were almost engaged ¡­ I was sure he was the one,¡± she smiled sadly. ¡°I moved here to have a life with him ¡­ and then ¡­¡± she chugged down the beer, her hands were sweating. ¡°And then we found out that I was pregnant ¡­ eight weeks into my pregnancy he was gone ¡­¡± he held back her tears and drank some more. ¡°Did he ever tried to contact you after that? Just to find out about Kevin?¡± Sandy shook her head, ¡°No ¡­ I thought he really loved me ¡­ I mean, I trusted him with everything I had ¡­ never once I had any doubt ¡­¡± she was choking but she swallowed it in. ¡°There hasn¡¯t been anyone after that ¡­¡± sheughed bitterly, she nced at John looking at her, she could see he was feeling her pain. He looked so gorgeous with his messy hair, and his five o¡¯clock shadow, she was falling for him. But she was afraid to let him in. She¡¯s not sure whether he was there because he was feeling something for her, or whether he was just looking for someone to warm his bed. ********** He wanted to kiss her badly, he wanted to take her in his arms and be that much closer to her. He felt a connection with her, the kind that she was talking about. But he can also see it in her face that she was scared. The attraction between them was intensifying, he knew she felt it too. They were tip toeing around a time bomb that¡¯s waiting to explode. It felt like something that can blow so high, but not sure if it could go all the way. This was new to him, the long talks they had for the past couple of weeks. The sex usuallyes first, but she had a hook on him now, he was enticed. He wanted to know where this could go, but he knew he had to take his time. ¡®What are the odds of ever finding each other¡¯ her words echoed in his mind. His journey had been a long and winding one, if this was where it all had lead him to, he wanted it to be done properly.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She was getting more intoxicated by the minute, that could lead to something regretful. He wanted her to be sober when she decided that she wanted him as much as he did. Fourteen ¡°Help me Andrea ¡­ I¡¯m in so much trouble,¡± she pleaded. She told her everything that went on while she was away, and now she didn¡¯t know what to do. ¡°Yeah ¡­ I saw how you looked at him that day at the shooting scene ¡­ I thought there was something going on.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking about him ¡­ and I want to see him all the time,¡± she cringed at her own feelings. ¡°Did you tell him?¡± Andrea¡¯s question stopped her cold. ¡°No ¡­ I couldn¡¯t bring myself to tell him,¡± her voice trembled. ¡°You know you have to tell him?¡± Sandy didn¡¯t reply. ¡°He is probably the most perfect guy you can have in your life ¡­ but think about it for a moment, babe, John Brady? He¡¯s a tough ¡­ tough guy to hold on to.¡± She had a really good point. Sandy thought about it for a moment, ¡°I think I¡¯m going to stay at my mom¡¯s house for a couple of days ¡­ would you stay at my ce?¡± she asked. Andrea beamed with joy, ¡°Would I? To stay at the samepound with John Brady? Get his autograph and selfies ¡­ maybe asionally stalk him as he showers?¡± It used to sound benign when she didn¡¯t know him the way she did now, but now it sounded weird like Andrea was going to stalk her friend. ¡°I¡¯m just teasing you ¡­ just imagine, how many women all over the world are thinking the way I¡¯m thinking right now? And how many would jump on the first chance they get to get him to bed ¡­ and you know I masturbated over him like thousands of times ¡­¡± ¡°Oh eeew jeez ¡­ stop it you pervert! Okay! Okay! I get the point!¡± she covered her ears. ¡°I¡¯m just looking out for you, babe ¡­ and you have to tell him the whole thing ¡­ I want you to be happy ¡­ who knows? It could work out ¡­ buty down all the bad shit up front ¡­ there¡¯s a lot in stake here.¡± Sometimes Andrea makes a lot of sense. ¡°Are you going to tell him that you¡¯ll be staying at your mom¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m letting him know right now,¡± she said, and texted a message to John. John : So I won¡¯t be seeing you for two days? Sandy: Yeah, I have to be with Kevin for awhile. John : You know you can always bring him to the cottage? Sandy: I know ¡­ I just don¡¯t want him to spend too much time at the cottage. John : Why?Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. Sandy: It¡¯s safer that way ¡­ there¡¯s a pool at the cottage, and the yards are huge ¡­ you know? John : That¡¯s a strange reason ?? but okay ¡­ Sandy: Andrea¡¯s gonna be staying at my ce if you need anything. John : I need you toe back ?? ?? ?? Sandy: I will ?? ?? ?? John : Come to the set? Sandy: Not today ¡­ after I get back John : ?? ?? ?? Her heart was pounding, even when they were only texting. Sometimes she browsed the inte just to see a picture of him, and her heart sank. ¡°What the hell am I going to do?¡± He didn¡¯t text her the whole day that day. She kept her mind busy with Kevin, the love of her life. She was stronger because of him. She could¡¯ve given up on herself when the world crumbled around her, but Kevin was her sail. He kept her going. She was lucky to have a friend like Andrea, who stood by her in the darkest times. Her mom was also there to support her decision, and helped her take care of Kevin when she couldn¡¯t. Sometimes she looked at Kevin and wondered how a person coulde into her life through her body and changed her lifepletely. She suffered a terrible baby blues period after she gave birth to him. She sobbed whenever she looked at Kevin and how much he looked like his father. She thought she could never loved him the way he deserved to be loved, but she did it effortlessly. ********** ¡°John? Sandy¡¯s not here,¡± Andrea opened the door to a knock in the middle of the night. ¡°I know, she told me, ¡­ actually, I¡¯m here to see you,¡± he said. Andrea was surprised, but she was ready to have a conversation with him as well. She let him in. She knew that if something was to happen between Sandy and John, she should at least warn him of the consequences. She loved Sandy more than she was a fan of John Brady. ¡°Have a seat, you want something to drink?¡± Andrea opened the fridge and found some beer. ¡°Sure ¡­ thanks,¡± he seemed to have something weighing on his mind. Andrea sat across from him, admiring his incredible good looks. She understoodpletely why Sandy had fallen head over heels for this man. ¡°Did Sandy told you that we spent the night herest night? ¡­ just talking but ¡­ she was on a date and ¡­¡± he stuttered. ¡°Oh yeah ¡­ the ¡®not a date¡¯ ¡­ she might have mentioned it, why?¡± Andrea said lightly. ¡°Is there something going on between the two of you?¡± she bluntly asked. John sipped on his beer, ¡°I have yet to find out ¡­ did she say anything?¡± ¡°No ¡­ she didn¡¯t, but I know you spent a lot of time togethertely, and I was wondering if ¡­¡± she didn¡¯t continue. ¡°No ¡­ we were just talking ¡­ a lot ¡­ which I don¡¯t do very often,¡± heughed a little. ¡°Neither does she.¡± She took a deep breath, ¡°John ¡­ I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a kind and decent man, Sandy¡¯s my best friend and ¡­ she had gone through something terrible in the past, it took her years to ovee it ¡­ I¡¯m not even sure she has gotten over itpletely,¡± she let it out in the open. She¡¯s got his full attention. ¡°I don¡¯t want her to get hurt, because having a rtionship with someone with your stature ¡­ is not a conventional one, and I don¡¯t think she can handle it,¡± she blurted out the truth. ¡°Is that why she¡¯s staying at her mom¡¯s?¡± ¡°No, she¡¯s not avoiding you or anything ¡­ This is just me being concerned because I care about her very much.¡± ¡°I do too ¡­ I mean, I know we¡¯ve only known each other for a short while, but I feel like I¡¯ve known her all my life ¡­ it¡¯s weird.¡± Andrea saw the honesty in his face, he wasn¡¯t just looking for someone to hook up while he¡¯s away for work. ¡°There¡¯s something you should know about her before you decide to proceed with this.¡± John looked at her intently, he knew about her ex and what an asshole he was, but it seemed like there was something else. ¡°She was engaged once ¡­ a few years back ¡­ they were going to start a new life here and made a huge investment on this property,¡± she began to tell the story. John sat back and said, ¡°She told me that, and then she got pregnant, and he left.¡± ¡°What else did she tell you?¡± John looked confused, ¡°Was there something else?¡± ¡°She was raped ¡­ by a mutual friend ¡­ and then she got pregnant,¡± Andrea paused. John¡¯s face lost its color, he was stunned before he sighed in agony, ¡°My God ¡­ she didn¡¯t tell me that ¡­ so Kevin¡¯s not her ex¡¯s child?¡± ¡°No ¡­ she was brutally raped and got pregnant as a result, the bastard couldn¡¯t handle it so he left without even a note ¡­ she had to carry the child on her own ¡­ it was horrible,¡± Andrea held back her tears remembering what it was like. John rubbed her face, trying to absorb the news. ¡°How did it happen? Who was this man? Is he in jail?¡± ¡°He was a business associate of Trevor¡¯s ¡­ Sandy¡¯s ex, he was sentenced to two months in jail and got deported after that ¡­ she had a restraining order against him for five years ¡­ and that was it.¡± Andrea wiped a tear from her eye. ¡°What? How fucked up is that?¡± his tone of voice was heightened. ¡°Do you know where he is now? Does he know about Kevin?¡± Andrea shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about it, I think he might have known something because he was a mutual friend, he could¡¯ve asked around ¡­ he was deported back to Algonia ¡­ we tried not to talk about him with Sandy, it took years to recover from that, I saw how she struggled and I just have to tell you this ¡­¡± Andrea touched John¡¯s arm with a serious look on her face. ¡°Please ¡­ she doesn¡¯t know that I¡¯m telling you this, but I just can¡¯t let you walk into her life without knowing this.¡± John looked her in the eyes and didn¡¯t say anything. His jaw was clenched, his eyes darkened. He tried to keep his cool, but he was raging inside. ¡°What¡¯s the guy¡¯s name?¡± he asked calmly. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you any more than that ¡­ it¡¯s her privacy, she will tell you when she¡¯s ready ¡­ I hope you can talk about it, but I hope you will take some time before you decide anything with her,¡± she pleaded. John nodded, his mind was somewhere else. ¡°Does Lucas know about this?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± John didn¡¯t look very pleased to hear that. He stood up looking grief-stricken. ¡°Okay ¡­ Thank you for telling me this ¡­ I think I should head back.¡± He withdrew into himself and built his barrier. He was overwhelmed by what he just learned and the walls were high and thick. Andrea didn¡¯t have a choice but to let him leave without even ncing at her. Fifteen He buried himself in his work, trying hard not to think about her. She didn¡¯te to the set. He kept looking at his phone, no message from her. She busied herself with taking care of Kevin, she didn¡¯t contact him because she didn¡¯t know what to say to him. He was the only thing that upied her mind, her heart skipped a beat every time she looked at pictures of him. She went home after dinner, his lights were still off. She went to take a warm bath and indulged herself with a good book on the sofa, a ss of wine and snuggled in her nket. She missed him so bad but she¡¯s not letting herself loose too soon. He came back a littlete that night, just a little after 2 AM. Her lights were dim, at least she was back. He took a hot shower to loosen up his tired muscles. He wanted to see her, but it waste and he didn¡¯t know if it was appropriate to message her at that hour. He paced around in his room. John : Are you back? Sandy was surprised to receive the message at 2. 30 AM. She thought for a moment. Sandy: Hi ?? yes, I¡¯m back.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. John : Can Ie over? Sandy: It¡¯s sote ¡­ you need to rest. John : No, I don¡¯t ¡­ I need to see you. Sandy: Okay. He was knocking on her door in less than two minutes. Her heart was beating faster as she walked over to open the door. He stood in the dark of her porch, the tall and handsome man who had stolen her heart. She didn¡¯t have the chance to say ¡®hello¡¯ when he walked in and kissed her lips. One soft kiss on her tender lips, her heart stopped, he¡¯d taken her breath with a kiss and the look in his eyes. She stepped back and let him in. He tried to read her expression, but she looked away blushing. She took his hand, lead him in. ¡°I¡¯m having wine, you want some?¡± There was a bottle of wine on the coffee table, her nket on the couch and an opened book. He sat on the couch, still holding her hand, he pulled her close. She sipped her wine and gave it to him. They sat so close, their faces almost touched. He tried to find her eyes but she kept looking away. He touched her chin and turned her face to look at him, ¡°I can¡¯t break through it ¡­ you have to let me in,¡± he said almost in a whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯d want to ¡­ once you know what¡¯s inside,¡± she smiled sadly. ¡°Try me,¡± he dared her. She looked hesitant. ¡°Tell me everything,¡± he said. She held his hand tighter, she finally had the nerves to look at him. The face that weakened her inside out, she buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, caressed her, and didn¡¯t say anything. He was going to let her tell him in her own way, in her own time. She didn¡¯t want to face him, she didn¡¯t have the courage. Sheid on his chest, ¡°I need to tell you something horrible ¡­ but ¡­ can you not ask me anything about it?¡± John nodded. ¡°I was pregnant with Kevin because I was raped ¡­¡± she can hear his heart was pounding harder and a bit faster. ¡°Trevor asked me to go over to a friend¡¯s house to drop some papers, they were business partners ¡­ we¡¯ve known him for quite some time ¡­ the door was opened, so I went inside because he knew I wasing,¡± she paused and braced herself. ¡°He was in his study ¡­ he called me in to bring him the papers ¡­ so I did ¡­ At first we were just talking casually, and then he started to make advances on me ¡­ I told him off and was about to leave when he blocked the door ¡­ and locked me in,¡± her voice started to tremble. ¡°He said I was a tease and that I was asking for it ¡­ he said I might as well came into his study naked because I¡¯d been flirting with him for so long ¡­ pretended that I didn¡¯t want him to fuck me was annoying ¡­ he pinned me down to the desk ¡­ he ripped my clothes off, he was hitting me.¡± John took a deep breath, he fidgeted in his seat and squeezed her hand. ¡°I screamed for help but we were so deep inside the house, no one could¡¯ve heard me ¡­ I told him to stop, I pleaded, I begged him ¡­ but he was in a trance, he wasn¡¯t even listening to my cry, he was so strong I didn¡¯t have a chance ¡­ and all the while he was raping me, all I could think of was what could I have done that made him thought I was flirting with him ¡­ I told him I was sorry ¡­ (sobs) ¡­ I was sorry but please stop because I didn¡¯t ¡­¡± she couldn¡¯t control herself anymore. ¡°Please ¡­ stop ¡­ you don¡¯t have to tell me any more,¡± he said, he couldn¡¯t take it, there was a tear in his eye. It was too hard for him to sit through her confession. ¡°I was bleeding ¡­ he came inside me, it was dripping all over me,¡± she was shaking. ¡°My face hurt, my body hurt, everything hurt ¡­ he dragged me out of his house and put me in my car, he said if I ever told anyone ¡­ he woulde and do it again ¡­ I was shaking all over ¡­ I couldn¡¯t even get my car to start ¡­ When I did, I went straight to the hospital and asked them to call the police,¡± her sob started to ease. ¡°Trevor was in shock ¡­ he was his business partner for years, I was hospitalized for four days, he broke my rib from pinning me down too roughly, they had to stitch me because I was ripped ¡­ I had nightmares every night ¡­ it was happening to me over and over again in my head, I woke up screaming ¡­ Trevor didn¡¯t know how to deal with it ¡­ I wouldn¡¯t let him touch me, I felt so dirty and broken, I took long showers ¡­ rubbed myself until my skin bled ¡­ I still couldn¡¯t get him off me,¡± her hands were shaking remembering how it was. ¡°The police caught him immediately ¡­ he was about to flee when they arrived at his house, they found evidence in his study and he was sentenced to jail for two months ¡­ my wounds hadn¡¯t even healed perfectly when he was out ¡­ he was deported to Algonia and I had to apply for a restraining order for him to stay away from me for five years ¡­ and that¡¯s when I found out I was pregnant.¡± The room was silent for a moment, Sandy was shivering in his arms, her face wet with tears. He calmed himself down, organized his breath. He had to take in the images of her being brutally vited as part of her. He admired how well she¡¯d done for herself despite the horrible tragedy that she had gone through. ¡°It¡¯s not your fault ¡­ don¡¯t ever think that you had anything to do with what he did to you,¡± he whispered in her ear. It took her years to know that, but to hear it from him, it was apletion, he gave her assurance that he would respect her the way she needed to be respected. She asked him to stay with her until she fell asleep, she kissed him, one gentle kiss upon his lips. That was all she allowed herself of him that night. They fell asleep in each other¡¯s embrace, right there on the couch. Sixteen He was still there in the morning, fast asleep on her couch. She watched him as the sunlight touched his face, still couldn¡¯t believe that he didn¡¯t flee as soon as she told her story. Something inside her thought it would¡¯ve been easier for her if he just stood up and left, because the load was too heavy to carry. But he stayed, and the anticipation of what will be, gave her the chills. Her overthinking head was chattering continuously. No one had touched her since that day, the notion that she will have to let him touch her was terrifying. But the kiss came so naturally, and in his arms, she never felt safer. He opened his eyes and grasped his surroundings. He saw her sitting on the floor staring at him with a smile. ¡°How long have you been staring at me?¡± he asked shyly, covering his face with a cushion. ¡°Not long enough,¡± she giggled. He sat and ran his fingers through his hair. She had never seen anyone look so beautiful waking up from the couch. His pillow face, his sleepy eyes staring at her was breathtaking. ¡°Do you want to go out for breakfast?¡± she asked. His lips curved in a smile, ¡°I¡¯d love to ¡­ I¡¯m famished.¡± She took him to her favorite spot for breakfast by the beach. There weren¡¯t many people around in the morning except for a few joggers and surfers who liked to catch the morning waves. They didn¡¯t bring up their conversation the night before, instead they swap stories about the life they¡¯ve lived and the things that excites them. ¡°What time do you have to leave for work?¡± Sandy asked. He nced at his watch, ¡°We still have time,¡± he looked at her, ¡°let¡¯s go for a walk on the beach.¡± He took her hand and went walking towards the shores. They were enjoying the scenery, the breeze and each other¡¯spany. She can feel that he just wanted to spend more time with her, just as she was with him. ¡°What is it that you love so much about this ind?¡± he asked. She looked at the horizon, her eyes sparkled, ¡°What¡¯s not to love? It¡¯s Paradise ind ¡­ the ind of ¡­¡± ¡°The gods ¡­ yes, I was told,¡± he looked in the same direction she was gazing at, he found it too. There was a peaceful energy in the air, a quietness that lets the sounds of nature sips into the soul. She put her arm around his waist as they walked further, it felt natural to her. To be so close to him and have him in her arm felt normal, even though they¡¯ve only known each other for a few weeks, it felt like she¡¯d known him forever. He stopped his footsteps and turned to face her, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Her heartbeat quickened, she nodded. ¡°Can I kiss you? ¡­ properly this time ¡­ ¡± his gorgeous smile made her blush. ¡°Yes ¡­ properly ¡­¡± she said. He leaned in slowly to kiss her, their lips touched. They closed their eyes. He pulled her closer, she put her hands on his face, his tenderness made her want more. They got lost in the kiss for a moment. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She ran her fingers through his thick luscious hair, he looked incredibly sexy with messy hair. He was intoxicated by her and the kiss was a push towards madness. ¡°I can do this all day,¡± he said. Theyughed, and kissed some more. ********** He loved working. It was his passion. It was one of the reasons why he was put on this earth, he believed that. Fame was not something he wasfortable with, but he embraced it nheless. The money he earned from it, he almost never saw. He gave it away, much portion of it, everything else was handled by his management. He never ran out of it, and the jobs kepting, he never ran out of that either. Sandy watched him as he trained and worked. He was focused, and worked really hard, something she admired from anyone who had found their passion in life. The shoot on the location was going to wrap up in a few days. He had asked Sandy to take him out to the suburbs for his two day break. It was a sunny day, he was still not used to the heat. Having to wear a long sleeve and full length pants, his face looked like he was struggling to breathe. Sandy and Andrea were sitting by the sidelines in their ind dresses, everyone was getting tanned, except for John. ¡°Lucas!¡± Andrea shouted and waved at Lucas who came to see what the fuss was all about. He wore shades and a very casual T-shirt and shorts, looking rxed. ¡°Hey girls! So this is where all the girls hang out? I heard John Brady was shooting on the ind,¡± he said and sat next to Sandy. He hadn¡¯t been in touch with Sandy since that night. ¡°Hi, Sandy ¡­ it¡¯s good to see you,¡± he said politely. ¡°Hey, Lucas, how are you?¡± she genuinely wanted to know. ¡°Okay ¡­ I guess ¡­ considering,¡± he said with a less enthusiastic voice. Andrea nudged her elbow, Sandy turned to look and saw John was looking their way. He was distracted by Lucas¡¯s presence but she pretended not to notice. Lucas mentioned that he had met John in his restaurant that night, Sandy made noments on that. The confidential agreement strictly prohibited her to share any information about her client. They were talking casually,ughing and being friendly, until something in the crowd caught her attention. Her face turned white, a surge of horror punched her in the stomach. She grabbed Andrea¡¯s arm so hard that she screamed. ¡°What?¡± Andrea asked, slightly annoyed. ¡°Get me out of here,¡± she whispered, her hands were cold. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Lucas jumped into the confusion. ¡°I think I just saw Patrick,¡± Sandy said almost in tears. ¡°What? Where?¡± Andrea looked around to find a familiar face. Lucas stood up and scanned the area. ¡°Please ¡­ I just want to leave,¡± she started to shiver, she clutched on Lucas¡¯ hand. Andrea held her close and escorted her away from the set. Lucas was still on the lookout, when he was about to follow their footsteps, he saw him. Standing among the bystander, watching the spectacle just like everyone else. Patrick Evans was holding a can of cold beer, ate peanuts, he was alone. It didn¡¯t feel right. Why would someone who had been deportede back to the ce where he¡¯s done his crime, only a few days after his restraining order expired.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Seventeen Sandy was hyperventting by Lucas¡¯s car, her legs had given in to the panic. She slumped on the pavement and wept. ¡°Get in the car,¡± Lucas came rushing. ¡°Was it him?¡± Andrea asked. ¡°It was him! I saw him!¡± Sandy eximed. ¡°Yeah ¡­ it¡¯s Patrick,¡± Lucas said calmly. ¡°Shit! We have to call the police!¡± Andrea screamed. Sandy went into aplete panic, she was on the verge of hysteria. Lucas held her up, opened his car door and let her in. ¡°Stay calm ¡­ we¡¯ll figure this out, okay? Let¡¯s just get out of here first.¡± Then he drove them back to La Lune. ¡°We have to contact the police,¡± Andrea said while consoling Sandy. Lucas paced back and forth, ¡°We can¡¯t ¡­ they¡¯ll just dismiss it ¡­ he hasn¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± He was turning his brain upside down. ¡°Are we going to wait for him to do something wrong?¡± Andrea was terrified for Sandy. ¡°He knew I was there ¡­ he¡¯sing for me ¡­ he said it to me ¡­ he¡¯s going to go after me if I ever told anyone,¡± Sandy was panting uncontrobly. ¡°Does he know where you live?¡± Lucas asked. ¡°He can find out ¡­ I don¡¯t know ¡­ I can¡¯t think ¡­¡± Sandy sobbed. ¡°Look, don¡¯t worry, okay? I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± he kneeled before her, took her hands and calmly talked her out of her panic state. ¡°I can call some people and get some information ¡­ it¡¯s gonna be fine,¡± he stroked her hair. She nodded, somehow Lucas¡¯s words made her feel a little safer. Her phone rang, it was John. ¡°It¡¯s John, I have to take this,¡± she stood up and walked away with her phone. ¡°John?¡± Lucas turned to Andrea. She raised her eyebrows, ¡°John Brady.¡± Lucas was rendered speechless. ¡°He¡¯s the client that rented her cottage,¡± Andrea exined. He was quiet. Andrea touched his shoulder, ¡°Please don¡¯t tell anyone ¡­ it¡¯s confidential.¡± John : Are you okay? What happened? Sandy: Nothing ¡­ I¡¯m fine ¡­ (Silent) John : I saw you left in a hurry, something wrong?Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Sandy: (Hesitant) I¡¯m okay ¡­ it¡¯s a long story John : Will you tell meter? Sandy: Of course (Silent) John : Where are you? Sandy: (Hesitant) At La Lune John : With Lucas? Sandy: Yeah ¡­ and Andrea John : I¡¯m finishing up here ¡­ I¡¯lle and get you He didn¡¯t wait for a reply, he turned off the call. ¡°He¡¯sing to get me,¡± she told her friends. Lucas looked at Andrea with a million questions in his eyes. Andrea tapped his shoulder as if to confirm his worst expectation. John arrived at La Lune an hourter, tired and worn out for the day. He managed to force a faint smile and the courtesy to be polite to her friends. He took Sandy¡¯s hand, nicely excused himself. They left Lucas and Andrea watching them as they left hand in hand in his motorbike and drove away. ********** She told John what happened. She wasn¡¯t crying anymore, but she was shaking. The reality had sunk in, she knew she had to be brave. She hugged herself and tried to control her shivers. John pulled her in his embrace and kissed her forehead. ¡°You¡¯re safe with me ¡­ will you stay here tonight?¡±. She nodded, she needed to be with him. He went upstairs to take a shower and contemted his day. He was falling for her, hard, but their rtionship is walking on thin ice. He desperately wanted it to go further, deeper, as deep as his feelings for her. He knew he couldn¡¯t force it, not until she was ready. He didn¡¯t know what more to say to her to make her feel safe with him. To her, he was aplete stranger who trampled upon her life so suddenly. She was curling up on the sofa with a hot coffee in her hand when he came down. She looked more beautiful every time he saw her. He kissed her shoulder and hugged her from behind. She made him feel at home in a rented cottage in a foreign country. ¡°Are you okay?¡± he whispered in her ear. She leaned on him and nodded, ¡°I am now.¡± ¡°I want you to be able to tell me anything ¡­ I know we¡¯re not there yet, but I want to be.¡± She closed her eyes and felt his warmth, ¡°I want that too ¡­ I¡¯m sorry about earlier, I just don¡¯t want to throw things at you and scare you away.¡± He shook his head, ¡°No, I want it ¡­ everything, all of you ¡­ whatever it was, whatever it is.¡± No one had ever said that to her before, so early in a rtionship. He kissed her hand. He put her arms around his neck, and kissed her. He wanted her to be so much closer to him, with what he was starting to feel for her, he wanted everything at once, right then and there. ¡°I want to tell you something,¡± he broke the kiss. ¡°It drives me crazy every time you¡¯re with Lucas ¡­ I just ¡­¡± Sandy didn¡¯t let him finish, she kissed him to assure him there was nothing to worry about Lucas. Heid her down on the sofa, her legs were tangled around him. His hand slid up along her thigh. Her heart was throbbing, she was sure he could hear it. She felt his weight on her, they were breathing heavily. She wanted to pull off his shirt, but she stopped him instead. ¡°John ¡­¡± she whispered. John opened his eyes and looked at her, ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry ¡­ I¡¯m scared,¡± she said. He smiled, pressed his forehead against hers, his breathing was slowly lowered. He kissed her lips, ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯m sorry ¡­ whenever you¡¯re ready.¡± She wrapped her arms around him, he felt her tremble. It made him regret his advances. He was supposed to take his time. But he couldn¡¯t help it, she drew him in so deep to a point where it felt scary for him too. Eighteen John had asked her to tell him his name, he wanted to know what he looked like, where he lived. But she wouldn¡¯t tell him, she didn¡¯t want her problem to bother his work. It wasn¡¯t fair for him. Little did she know, it was weighing on his mind either way. Lucas was constantly on the phone, he hired a private investigator to track down Patrick Evans. Sandy being with John was the nail to the coffin for him, but nothing had changed. No matter how bad he wanted it to change. He spent that night drowned in booze, alone in his luxurious vi, drank the night away. He woke up on his bathroom floor, numbed by his broken heart. He tried to go out and be with friends. All he could think about was how John Brady took his heart by the hand and went away with it. He had lost his smile, he kept going back to the bottles. Every woman he saw, he wanted her to be Sandy. It¡¯s true what she said, he could be with many other women if he chose to. So he did, he took her home, and another, and another. They warmed his bed, but none of them was Sandy. It shamed him, he was using all these women to forget someone that his heart refused to give up on. All the while, he couldn¡¯t stop his head from imagining what John Brady was doing with her body, touching her, kissing her, God forbid, making love to her. ********** She went to her mother¡¯s house the next day. She wanted to be with Kevin. She stayed there for two days. She told her mom what happened as subtle as she could so she wouldn¡¯t worry. But it was unavoidable, she worried. She told her about John, it worried her too. Sandy was not a little girl anymore, she can take care of herself. But Kevin ¡­ he needed his mom to be safe, he needed to be safe. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s best I go to my sister¡¯s house for a while ¡­ I can¡¯t go about my day knowing that bastard is out there,¡± her mom said. They discussed it for a while and agreed that it might be the safest option for the time being. Sandy helped them pack and took them to the airport. Her aunt lives in Bluebridge, a quiet small town far away from Bhorma. Kevin was reluctant to leave, he wanted to be with his mom all the time. The reason why she didn¡¯t let him live with her at the cottage was the same reason why he had to leave for awhile. ¡°I¡¯ll let you know if there¡¯s any news,¡± she told her mom. They hugged for a long time. ¡°Be safe ¡­ call the police if you have to, please, honey,¡± she stroked her daughter¡¯s hair. ¡°It¡¯s gonna be okay, mom, I promise.¡± She held Kevin as long as she could. His cry shook the ground beneath her feet, but she had to stay strong for him too. She held her tears until they boarded the ne, she broke down in her car. She couldn¡¯t believe after all those years, she still hasn¡¯t woken up from the nightmare. ********** John had finished wrapping up at the set, it was the crew¡¯s night out before they moved to another location. They were all going to a bar to loosen up. John asked her toe along, it was the first time they would go together as a couple. They arrived at the bar at around eleven. The crew were already there. She dressed up a little bit, even though it was a casual bar. She wanted to look nicer in John¡¯s social gathering. He held her hand from the moment they stepped out of the car. A lot of people were there, they were all cheering for him. Suddenly it hit her, she was with a very big celebrity that people knew and admired. When it was just the two of them, he was just John, a sweet, gentle, loving person that she had grown to admire and slowly be attached to. But that night was an eye opener, he was John Brady.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. His fans were constantly asking for pictures and autographs, he was always polite and weing. He held her hand tight, and they started to ask questions, ¡°Are you his girlfriend?¡± ¡°Who are you with, John?¡± and she shied away from the crowd and the shlights. It couldn¡¯t be more ufortable for her. The film crew wasn¡¯t much of a help, they were as surprised as the public was. John had never had a girlfriend during a shoot, they were all smiling at her like they had a lot to say. She was still figuring out how they feel for each other and people have already made assumptions about them. ¡°John ¡­ I think I need to go to the bathroom ¡­ I¡¯ll meet you inside,¡± she whispered to him, he was still caught up by his fans. The bodyguards made way for her, then continued to guard him from the mob. She took a deep breath after freshening up in the bathroom, and walked out of the door. She didn¡¯t know what to expect when she agreed to dive into his world. Just when she thought the night couldn¡¯t get any more awkward, she saw Lucas canoodling with a mystery woman by the dance floor. She took a stool by the bar, ordered her first drink, hoping to stay invisible for the night and enjoy her drinks. In less than ten minutes, Lucas wobbled down her way. He looked like he¡¯d been drinking the entire day. ¡°I thought I¡¯d imagined you into life,¡± he took a stool next to her. ¡°Hey, Lucas, enjoying your night?¡± she was referring to the woman he left on the dance floor. He turned to look at the woman and waved at her, she didn¡¯t take it nicely. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good,¡± shemented. ¡°No ¡­ not as good as John Brady, I suppose,¡± he was bitter. ¡°Is he here?¡± ¡°He¡¯s outside.¡± He looked annoyed and drank his whiskey, ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to drown that image for days ¡­ I think I¡¯ve killed you in my mind every night with women after women ¡­ after women ¡­ just to find out that no matter how many times you tell me that you don¡¯t want to be with me ¡­ it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I still want to be with you ¡­ how fucked up is that?¡± he finished his ss and asked for a refill. ¡°You¡¯re drunk, Lucas,¡± Sandy told him nicely. ¡°And then!!¡± heughed sarcastically, pointed his index finger up, ¡°I found out about John Brady!! John Fucking Brady!!¡± he looked her deep in the eyes, his eyes darkened. ¡°Really?¡± he shook his head and clenched his jaw. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say ¡­ it wasn¡¯t intentional.¡± His stare could cut through her soul, anything that came out of her mouth just made it harder for him to control whatever he was feeling inside. He touched her face gently, ¡°He¡¯s going to break your heart, Sandy ¡­ you know that, right?¡± Sandy pushed his hand away, ¡°You¡¯re drunk, you need to go home,¡± she was annoyed by hisment. ¡°Go home to what? So I can fuck girls and pretend that they¡¯re you?¡± he chugged on his whiskey. ¡°You¡¯ve had enough of those, you¡¯ll be saying things you¡¯ll regretter.¡± John walked in on them, he saw the intense conversation as he was entering the bar. ¡°Lucas? Good to see you here, man,¡± he greeted with a smile. ¡°John! How is it going?¡± They shook and bumped shoulders. But Lucas immediately excused himself and went across the room, his eyes rested on Sandy for a moment as if they wouldn¡¯t let her go. He took heavy steps away from them and disappeared into the dark corners of the bar. ¡°What was he saying to you? It looked pretty serious,¡± John asked as he ced an order. ¡°Nothing, he was just drunk,¡± she said. She looked down, something inside her felt awful. She never intended for Lucas to find out about John like that, it was clear how devastated he was and her heart sank knowing she had caused his pain. Lucas was good, he deserved better than that. ¡°Is he going to be okay?¡± John was genuinely concerned. ¡°Yeah, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± she assured him, even though she wasn¡¯t sure about that either. John kissed her on the lips, and took her to join him and his crew. All the while, Lucas was watching them from the corners of the room. Nineteen She spent a few hours talking with John¡¯s co-workers. All that time, John was always interrupted by fans who wanted to take pictures with him. He was used to it, and he was nice about it. She scanned the room once in a while to check on Lucas. He was drinking, and sulked at the bar. Sometimes she caught him looking at her while in John¡¯s arms. She wasn¡¯t intentionally parading John in front of him, but it was hurting him nheless. Her awkwardness didn¡¯t escape John, he saw her smile fade in between conversations. When he went to the bar and saw Lucas t on his face on the counter, he went to get Sandy. ¡°I think we need to take Lucas home, he passed out on the bar.¡± ¡°What? You mean, now?¡± John insisted on driving him home since Lucas¡¯s car was parked outside. He found the car keys in Lucas¡¯s pocket and carried him all the way to the car. He ended the night early with his crew, and asked his management to take care of the bills. It was a very thoughtful gesture that no one can fake, Sandy was sure she made the right choice to be with this man. She put on the seat belt, looked at Lucas who was unconscious in the back seat. John studied the car for a minute and drove the car back to his home. Sandy showed him the way to Lucas¡¯s luxurious vi, it was a 20 minute drive from the bar. Lucas had shared his security code with Sandy, it was her birthday. John single handedly carried Lucas into the vi andid him on the sofa. They left a note, locked the door behind them. The ride home was quiet. Lucas¡¯s vi was a mess, she pretended it was nothing out of the ordinary but she knew how organized and meticulous he was. The ce looked like it had held parties for days and nobody came to clean it. Empty bottles everywhere, dirty sses on the sink, clothes on the floor. She didn¡¯t realize how hard it was on Lucas to find out about John. John wasn¡¯t saying anything about it either, she didn¡¯t dare to ask. But he knew, after all, he was a man who had fallen in love and got broken in ces many times before. He knew what he saw, and kept it to himself. They got back to the cottage by cab, Sandy was totally swooned by him, she couldn¡¯t find words for it. ¡°Thank you,¡± she said when they got home. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the least we can do, right? He was pretty out of it.¡± ¡°It was the nicest thing,¡± she added. He shrugged, ¡°So what¡¯s his story, anyway?¡± ¡°Lucas?¡± John nodded. ¡°He was married for five years, I think ¡­ and then he caught his wife cheating on him, and they got a divorce,¡± she took off her shoes and tried to rx on the sofa. ¡°He came here for a vacation after the divorce and fell in love with the ind ¡­ he decided to start a new life here ¡­ that¡¯s when he first got acquainted with Andrea, she helped him find the vi and then a property to start his business ¡­ which is La Lune.¡± She stretched on the couch. ¡°When did you first got acquainted with him?¡± John sat by her side. ¡°I think it was about the second year he moved here ¡­ I was recovering from my ¡®thing¡¯ when Andrea introduced us ¡­ we¡¯re friends ever since, not long after I had Kevin.¡± ¡°It was love at first sight for him huh?¡± Johnmented. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± ¡°What did he say to you at the bar?¡± She shrugged, ¡°He was drunk ¡­ he was talking nonsense.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Nothing ¡­ it was drunken nonsense,¡± she refused to tell him. John looked at her in distrust.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. She sat up, ¡°John?¡± ¡°Well ¡­ can¡¯t you at least tell me his exact words and then I¡¯ll decide whether it¡¯s nonsense?¡± he wasn¡¯t taking ¡®no¡¯ for an answer. ¡°John??¡± she really didn¡¯t want to pursue it any longer. ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to keep him like a secret ¡­ you know what I mean? Every time I asked you about him, the answer was always ¡®nothing¡¯ ¡­ there¡¯s gotta be something?¡± He tried to reason with her. She didn¡¯t see a point of sharing what Lucas said to her, ¡°He found out about you, I guess he was upset,¡± she finally told him. ¡°Was he drunk because of that?¡± She lifted her shoulders, ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­ I wouldn¡¯t assume.¡± John paused for a moment, ¡°Was he being mean to you?¡± ¡°No ¡­ he was just drunk and upset.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still not going to tell me what he said to you?¡± ¡°John? I don¡¯t see why it matters so much?¡± ¡°It matters to me ¡­ like I said, I don¡¯t want you to keep him like a secret from me,¡± he really meant it. ¡°Okay ¡­¡± she drew a breath, ¡°He said he¡¯s been dating some women.¡± John was listening intently, ¡°And?¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not working,¡± she finally told him the very mild version of it and saw his expression didn¡¯t change. ¡°Okay ¡­ thank you for telling me,¡± he was tense. Sandy tried to lean towards him, but he excused himself instead, ¡°So we go to the suburbs tomorrow?¡± ¡°Are you upset?¡± she was confused by his sudden eagerness to go back to his cottage. ¡°No ¡­ I¡¯m just tired ¡­ I¡¯ll see you first thing in the morning,¡± he said and gave her a kiss. She watched him walk away to his cottage and not look back. Twenty She was ready in the morning. The n was to take a stroll on John¡¯s motorbike for a cross country, or cross ind, enjoy the scenery and try new things along the way. She saw him getting ready from the kitchen window. She missed him already, maybe because of how he left things the night before. Looking at him with his pillow face and messy hair was a delight. He smiled at her and waved, her heart sank, the effect he had on her was bewitching. She came over him on his motorbike, ¡°Are you ready to go?¡± ¡°Ready when you are,¡± his eyes were soft, the tension fromst night was gone. He pulled her by the waist and kissed her. ¡°I miss you,¡± he said. He made her feel like a teenager again. When she held him close, she didn¡¯t want to let him go. He was cool and calm as they rode away to the farther side of the ind. The more she thought about how good he made her feel, the tighter she held him. He smiled, even though she couldn¡¯t see it. They made plenty of stops along the way. John just couldn¡¯t resist stopping to help a car broke down, or waited for a herd of cattle to cross the street. He paid more money than needed whenever he bought something from a street seller or at the market, most of the stuff he didn¡¯t even need. He loved road trips, and thepany. She took him to try local foods, spicy exotic Bhorma cuisine that burned his tongue but he justughed it off. She told him folklore and the cultures, he was engrossed by it. She told him about her favorite Bhorma dance that¡¯s usually performed during sunsets, he said he wanted to see it. ¡°It¡¯ll be too dark for us to go back after the dance,¡± she said. ¡°Then we¡¯ll just go back tomorrow.¡± Their eyes were fixed on each other, she shied away from his stare. ¡°Where are we going to stay?¡± she hesitated. ¡°Anywhere you want,¡± he replied. ¡°Okay ¡­ I think I know a ce you might like, with a nice view of the mountains.¡± He took her hand and kissed it, ¡°Perfect.¡± They took a walk on a secluded beach before going to the dance. There was no one around. ¡°This is my favorite ce to go ¡­ for an alone time,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s really nice here, I can see why you like it,¡± he was absorbing the beauty of his surroundings. Sandy pointed to a dpidated cabin hanging at the edge of the cliff, ¡°That¡¯s where I usually hide from the rest of the world.¡± He looked at it for a minute, ¡°Can¡¯t we just stay there for the night?¡± She was reluctant to answer, ¡°It¡¯s a mess ¡­ I haven¡¯t been there in awhile ¡­ there¡¯s a really nice resort that suits you better.¡± John smiled, she wasn¡¯t letting him in her sacred ce, not yet. ¡°What do you think about when youe here?¡± he asked. ¡°Nothing ¡­ and everything ¡­ you know, the usual.¡± Theyughed. As strange as it may be, he understood itpletely. ¡°I do that too ¡­ I¡¯ve never met someone who does that,¡± he looked at her in the eyes. ¡°Neither have I.¡± They were both listening to what the other was not saying. Aplete stranger that felt like a long lost love. It¡¯s as if their souls recognize each other and they were saying ¡®hello ¡­ we meet again¡¯. They didn¡¯t understand what was happening, they only knew how bad they wanted to be together. ¡°I think we should go and see that dance now,¡± she broke the silence. They left their footsteps in the sand and walked back to the motorbike. The Papak dance was more like a musical drama of an ancient battle of the gods. It was performed by a circle of around 150 performers, percussively chanting ¡°Pak ¡­ pak ¡­¡± and moving their hands and arms in the air. The chant was captivating and the energy surrounding the whole performance was intense, they were almost in a trance and she couldn¡¯t take herself out of the experience. She loved it so much, no matter how many times she¡¯d seen it, it was a different experience every time.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. Tourists gathered to watch the fire dance, the name it¡¯s also known as because the performers circled around a huge bonfire. There was an element of fire in it that made it even more enigmatic when the sun had setpletely and the sky was dark. She told John that she used to watch it alone because she couldn¡¯t find someone who¡¯d watch it more than twice. ¡°I¡¯ll watch it with you again,¡± he smiled, and kissed her hand. The fire reflected on his face, it was surreal. Just a few weeks ago, she was talking about how John Brady, the famous actor, was going to be her next client. And then there she was falling head over heels for this man who seemed to want to be with her as much as she wanted to be with him. After the dance, some of the visitors recognized John and asked him for pictures. It was unusual for him to have managed going about the whole day without meeting a fan, but on that day, it was the first encounter. They went straight to the resort Sandy picked for them. The Hills was a luxurious resort in the area, secluded in the higher ground and the rooms were all facing the mountains. The Hotel Manager recognized John and offered him the best suite in the house, he epted. He escorted them to the Presidential Suite through a private elevator and they held hands all the way up. ¡°Enjoy your evening Mr. and Mrs. Brady ¡­ we have aplimentary champagne for you on the dining table ¡­ Please don¡¯t hesitate to contact our desk if there¡¯s anything else we can do for you, we are avable 24 hours,¡± the manager told them before he left. The elevator was locked from inside the suite with a personal security code. The suite was extravagant. There was a huge living space with a firece next to the dining area. A ss door opened to the vast scenery of the mountains. The bedroom was on the left side through a doorway. The bathroom and the bathtub was divided by a clear ss. Sandy blushed from the time the manager mentioned ¡®Mrs. Brady¡¯ to finding out that the bathroom was see through. It felt like it was just the two of them in the world and that¡¯s when she¡¯s mostfortable with him. Not the actor, not the celebrity, just John. ¡°I¡¯m not taking a shower in there,¡± she said. Johnughed, ¡°I will.¡± ¡°I do need a shower though,¡± she wasn¡¯t feeling particrly fresh after a whole day riding on a motorbike. He kissed her neck from behind, ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower then.¡± She was shy about it, ¡°No ¡­ you take a shower, and then I¡¯ll take a shower if you promise not to look.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t promise you that,¡± he teased her. John took off his jacket and shoes, he couldn¡¯t wait to hit the shower. The look on his face told her that he wanted her toe with. He sat on the edge of the bed with an inviting look. She knew right then and there, it was going to happen. She approached him, sat on hisp and kissed him. She wanted more this time, even though her heart pounded harder than before. He pulled her against him, they were inside each other¡¯s throat but it wasn¡¯t close enough. She felt him between her thighs. She bit his lips softly, he had turned on something inside her that¡¯s been dormant for so long. ¡°Let¡¯s take a shower,¡± she said between her breaths. ¡°Are you sure?¡± She nodded. He stood up and carried her to the bathroom, they didn¡¯t even have time to turn on the lights. He pushed her against the ss wall of the shower booth. She turned on the shower, water came trickling down their faces. He pulled down her panties underneath her dress, and she unbuttoned his jeans like they were in a hurry. Her dress top was sagging from the weight of the water, he pulled it down and exposed her beautiful chest. He never took his mouth off of her. His touches took her into a dreamlike state, she wanted him inside her. She had long forgotten how it felt like to be touched in the most erotic way, he ignited her senses and she was drunk with his kisses. Her hands were pulling his hair to calm her nerves like it was her first time, and then he came in gently, as gentle as his calming words to trust him with her body. And then she was his to take. He moved her, he carried her weight, he took care of her, he made sweet love to her until she erupted in a thousand different pleasures and moaned his name. He kept going, just a little longer, he said, stay with me just a little bit more. She knew it was the end of her, and the beginning of him. She had found the man that can bring her back to life, but her life was now him. He turned off the shower, he wanted to see her without the water raining down on them. He wanted to see her beautiful blushing face as she caught her breath with her half opened mouth. He stared at her with a faint smile. She shied away from his gaze. He passionately kissed her mouth, resting his head on her shoulder trying to even his breath. ¡°I just remember something ¡­ I didn¡¯t bring any clothes,¡± she said in his ear. ¡°Me neither,¡± he said. Theyughed. Twenty One Thest time someone touched her, she was violently vited. It was a memory she could never erase from her mind. She thought she would never feel the pleasure of it ever again, but then there was John. He was passionate and gentle at the same time, he had touched her all in the right ces. They showered together afterwards, the kisses never stopped. They put on a robe and spent the rest of the night talking over champagne. And just before they went to sleep, they made love one more time. ********** Sheid naked underneath the sheets, her exposed shoulder was kissed by the first sunlight. Her hair rested over her neck. He watched her sleep, swiped some strain of hair away from her face. He caressed her arm with the back of his hand, her skin was soft, as soft as her touch when she rubbed soap all over himst night. She touched every inch of his body and tasted him with her mouth. Just thinking about it made him lust for her even more. He hugged her from behind and kissed her shoulder. She opened her eyes, the first thing she felt was his warmth wrapped around her, his breath upon her ear and his whisper, ¡°Good morning beautiful.¡± She turned and looked at his gorgeous morning face and kissed him. He was ready for her again, ¡°Let¡¯s not go back today ¡­ let¡¯s stay here another night,¡± he said. ¡°Put our clothes in theundry ¡­ and we¡¯ll go back tomorrow,¡± he added. ¡°Okay,¡± she smiled. He kissed her again, stealing her breath away. He pushed her on her back, and spread her open. ¡°I want to do this with you all day,¡± he said nibbled in her ear. Sheughed softly, ¡°You¡¯re going to kill me John Brady.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all your fault ¡­ I think I¡¯m addicted to you now,¡± he kissed her again. He made love to her again ever so gently. They were falling for each other hard and fast. Nothing else mattered. ********** ¡°I want to have breakfast ¡­ they serve great breakfast here,¡± she said. ¡°I thought we just had breakfast,¡± he teased her. ¡°Food, John ¡­ food, we have to eat something.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to wear,¡± he reminded her. ¡°Shit! I forgot, I guess they can bring breakfast here, right?¡± She was famished. She called the front desk to arrange breakfast andundry services while John was biting her neck and shoulder. The elevator beeps a few minutester, John attended to it. At the same time, Sandy¡¯s phone rang. It was Lucas. Lucas : Hi ¡­ where are you? (he was less enthusiastic) Sandy: Umm ¡­ I¡¯m at the suburbs ¡­ near The Hills Lucas: With John? Sandy: Yeup ¡­ with John Lucas: I just want to say thank you for the other day ¡­ that was embarrassing ¡­ (chuckled) Sandy: No problem, d you¡¯re alright, it was John¡¯s idea actually Lucas: Yeah ¡­ send him my regards for that Sandy: I will Lucas: Sandy ¡­ (clears throat) ¡­ I don¡¯t mean to ruin your escapade or anything ¡­ but there¡¯s something you need to know ¡­ Sandy: What is it? (Looking at John talking to the room manager) Lucas: It¡¯s about Patrick Sandy: (Walked out to the balcony) What is it? Lucas: I had some people checked on him, he did indeed bought a one way ticket to Bhorma only one day after the restraining order expired Sandy: So he¡¯s still here? Lucas: He hasn¡¯t bought another ticket yetThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Sandy: Shit! Lucas: Have you seen the newspaper this morning? Sandy: No ¡­ why? Lucas: Well, it¡¯s a littlete, it¡¯s all over the inte actually ¡­ there are pictures of you and John at the club ¡­ I just thought you should know that. Sandy: (Touched her face) Oh no ¡­ shit! Lucas: Just be careful, Sandy, he might be watching you ¡­ I still have some people trying to track him down ¡­ when are youing back? Sandy: Tomorrow morning Lucas: Be safe, okay? I¡¯m just ¡­ looking out for you Sandy: Okay ¡­ thanks Lucas Lucas: Sure ¡­ I¡¯ll see you soon When she hung up, John was standing by the doorway with a serious look on his face. ¡°Who was it?¡± Sandy was still recovering from the news, she started searching for the pictures on the inte. ¡°It¡¯s Lucas.¡± John had that ¡®Oh, Lucas¡¯ expression. She told him what Lucas said, her mood was dropped to the lowest level. She found the pictures on various sites and social media. ¡°John Brady with Mystery Lady¡± ¡°John Brady Shoots Next ¡®Wicked Games¡¯ in Bhorma¡± ¡°John Brady seen with mystery woman at a local Bhorma club¡± ¡°John Brady held hands with ady friend¡± ¡°John Brady, another fling?¡± ¡°John Brady¡¯stest date recap¡± John took her hand to stop her from looking any further. ¡°Stop looking at that ¡­ please, let¡¯s just have breakfast.¡± John never shared anything on the inte, he was very tight with his personal life. People took pictures of him and posted them on the inte with whatever caption they felt fit. Most of them were click baits so people would be interested to read their articles. He never searched himself on the web, he didn¡¯t care much for what people say about him. He knew there were 90% garbage that was said about him, his only concern right at that moment was how Sandy reacted to it. ¡°He could see those pictures, you know? And read those articles,¡± she had lost her appetite. ¡°Or he won¡¯t ¡­ we don¡¯t know that, lets not specte,¡± he said, eating his sandwich. ¡°Besides ¡­ Lucas has his private investigators tracking the bastard down, right?¡± he was being sarcastic. Sandy didn¡¯t respond. ¡°Everything is well taken care of ¡­ by Lucas,¡± he sounded more annoyed than before. ¡°You don¡¯t get to be jealous of Lucas, John,¡± she broke her silence. ¡°And why is that?¡± ¡°Because Lucas is just one guy whom I don¡¯t even have feelings for,¡± Sandy yed with her food. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Sandy looked John in the eyes, can¡¯t believe he didn¡¯t understand what she meant. ¡°Do you know how many women out there who would give anything just to be with you?¡± John raised his eyebrows, ¡°What? That¡¯s besides the point,¡± he dismissed her. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the point, Lucas is one guy versus millions of women who wants to be with you.¡± ¡°They want the idea of me because I¡¯m a celebrity ¡­ Lucas wants you ¡­ all of you ¡­¡± ¡°Oh, they want all of you too, trust me,¡± she insisted. ¡°Not to mention fellow actresses, and crews, and nuns ¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± she added. John was amused by her argument, ¡°There¡¯s nobody for me ¡­ there¡¯s nobody calling me, texting me, telling me sweet nothing or what have you ¡­ nobody¡¯s looking out for me and keep track of what I¡¯m doing all the time ¡­ here, you can check my phone,¡± he handed her his phone. He made a gesture to trade phones with her. ¡°I dare you to trade your phone with mine.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, I¡¯m not gonna check your phone.¡± John threw up both his hands, ¡°I rest my case.¡± ¡°Can we not talk about that?¡± Sandy was avoiding any further discussion about Lucas. ¡°Fine ¡­ I just don¡¯t like the way he looks at you,¡± John was not done with the topic. ¡°You paid attention to the way he looks at me?¡± ¡°Of course ¡­ it¡¯s a guy thing, I guess, the way a guy looks at a woman, says everything,¡± he said while looking at Sandy. ¡°And what does it mean when you¡¯re looking at me like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s for me to know, and for you to find out,¡± he teased her. Twenty Two The rain fell hard that day. John ordered plenty of wine for them to stay in, literally the whole day. Drinking it off each other¡¯s body, lying naked on the bed, on the floor, on the couch. They took more showers than needed. Turned on movies they didn¡¯t really watch. She put on the bathrobe because it was cold, but he kept on taking it off of her. They just couldn¡¯t get enough of each other. ¡°I think I¡¯m falling in love with you,¡± John said as he was devouring her glow after they made love. She smiled and touched his face, ¡°I think I¡¯m going crazy over you.¡± She fell asleep in his arms that night, listening to his heart beat. They got their clothes back the next day. They had breakfast at the resort¡¯s restaurant like other guests. They stopped by at ces along the way back and eventually arrived at the cottage when the day was turning dark. John was parking his bike when Sandy ran to her cottage to check on a package that was left on her doorstep. It was nicely wrapped, she picked it up to see whether there was a note or a tag, but there wasn¡¯t. She unwrapped it and opened the box. John watched from afar, wondering who would have entered thepound and left a box on the porch. Her face turned pale as a corpse when she threw the box on the floor. John came running. ¡°What is it?¡± She was shaking heavily, and fell into his arms. She started crying. ¡°What? What is it?¡± he picked up the box, there was a torn panty inside it, a handwritten note saying ¡°I¡¯m gonna get you BITCH!!¡± He held her tight and looked around the premises, ¡°It¡¯s okay ¡­ I¡¯m here ¡­ he¡¯s not gonna hurt you,¡± he calmed her down. ¡°John, we have to call the police,¡± she was in tears. ¡°Let¡¯s go inside and talk this through,¡± he carried the box and locked the door behind them. John wasn¡¯t keen on the idea of calling the police. That would mean his management will be informed, and his whole movie production will be affected. They will cut ties with Sandy and would not want to be associated with her in any way. And they will not be able to see each other again for the whole production period. Sandy curled up on the sofa, weeping. John looked at the torn panty, all he could see was how hard it was ripped from her just before she was raped. He tried to keep his cool. ¡°You can¡¯t be away from me from now on, it¡¯s too dangerous.¡± She tried to control her crying. She was reliving the day of the incident and was clenching her legs. John pulled her close, ¡°I won¡¯t let himy a finger on one hair of your body, I promise,¡± he put her head on his chest, it made her feel safe. ********** Sandy went to his shooting location the next day. It was a huge luxurious vi, East of the ind. They gave him one of thergest bedrooms for his dressing room. The master bedroom was going to be used for a love scene he had to perform with a co-star. It was going to be their location for at least 10 days. ¡°When is the love scene?¡± Sandy asked. ¡°Third day of shooting.¡± ¡°Okay ¡­ I won¡¯t be here for that.¡± ¡°Does it make you ufortable? Jealous?¡± he put his arms around her wait, rubbed her nose on hers. ¡°Mmm ¡­ I won¡¯t find any pleasure in it, that¡¯s for sure.¡± He kissed her neck, ¡°Let¡¯s just find pleasures here then.¡± She wriggled away when John¡¯s hands got frisky. ¡°John ¡­ they¡¯re waiting for you out there,¡± she whispered. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, you¡¯re such a distraction,¡± he straightened up his shirt and fixed his hair before opening the door. Amanda Riley was in front of the door. She flew in to shoot some scenes with John. Including the love scene they were just talking about. A gorgeous, tall, blonde model who became an actress and was ying his love interest in the movie. ¡°Mandy! You¡¯re here?¡± John eximed. They hugged and gave a peck on the cheeks. They¡¯ve known each other for a while, but nothing more than a professional rtionship. ¡°This is Sandy Lowry, my girlfriend,¡± he introduced them. The first time he ever mentioned the word ¡®girlfriend¡¯. ¡°Hi! Nice to meet you!¡± She greeted her with polished teeth, hair like a goddess and face like an angel. Sandy was having a girl crush, she was absolutely stunning. Deep inside, she was crushed. These are the kind of women John was surrounded with every other day. She started to sink inside herself, second guessing her own judgment. Maybe she was rushing into things because of how infatuated she was by him. She started to think that she might be biting more than she can chew. ********** She reached out to Andrea who was still busy with her project. She needed some girl time. Andrea was leaving for Manta for a few days, she jumped at the opportunity to tag along. She left the set without telling John because he was in between takes. She packed her bag and went straight to Andrea¡¯s, just in time to go to the harbor for an ind hopping trip. ¡°You left without telling him?¡± Andrea was perplexed. ¡°He was working, I didn¡¯t want to interrupt ¡­ I¡¯ll tell himter, it¡¯s okay, right?¡± she hadn¡¯t been in a rtionship for so long, she wasn¡¯t sure herself. Andrea tilted one shoulder, ¡°Tell me everything.¡± So she did, the trip to the suburbs, the two nights sexcapade at The Hills, about Patrick and the ripped panty, she even told her about the blonde goddess. Andrea assumed thetter was what drove Sandy to flee with her. ¡°Oh My God ¡­ and here I am going back and forth doing property business with corporate suck ups and dealing with major corporate fuck ups ¡­ that is a cruel reminder of how boring my life is,¡± Andreaughed. ¡°I miss you babe, we should go out for some drinks tonight,¡± Sandy looped her arm over Andrea¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I¡¯m all for that ¡­ we¡¯re gonna go out to the seaside bar with cheap drinks, you¡¯ll love it, the music¡¯s great,¡± Andrea suggested. They arrived just before sunset, dropped their bags at the hotel and went straight to the seaside bar for happy hours, dinner and a long night of music, dancing and drinks. Her phone rang at about 8. 30 PM. It was John. He just got off the set and was unassuming. John : Hey ¡­ where are you? Sandy: Hi ¡­ I¡¯m with Andrea John : At her house? Oh ¡­ you¡¯re at a club? I can hear the music. Sandy: Yeah ¡­ let me get away from the noise for a bit (she walked towards the quiet beach) Hi ¡­ sorry ¡­ I ¡­ I forgot to tell you ¡­ I¡¯m in Manta with Andrea John : (Silent) You¡¯re where? Sandy: Yeah, I called her earlier to have a girls night out ¡­ she said she was leaving for Manta, so I tagged along John : (Silent) ¡­ okay ¡­ when are youing back? Sandy: In a few days John : (Silent) Sandy: John?Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. John : Is there something wrong? Sandy: No ¡­ why would there be anything wrong? We¡¯re at a seaside beach right now, it¡¯s really awesome ¡­ maybe next time we can go together John : (Silent) ¡­ I wish you would¡¯ve said something, you left the set without saying anything and then you jumped on a boat with Andrea ¡­ and you won¡¯t be back in a few days Sandy: I¡¯m sorry ¡­ it¡¯s just ¡­ it¡¯s something we do, me and Andrea ¡­ I¡¯m not used to ¡­ I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s my fault John : No, it¡¯s fine ¡­ I just ¡­ (sighed deeply) ¡­ can I call youter? I¡¯m going back to the cottage, take a shower and then I¡¯m gonna call you again, okay? Sandy: Okay ¡­ bye He was stunned. He wasn¡¯t expecting that to happen. He was having the best time with her for the past few days, he thought she was too. He couldn¡¯t stop thinking what could¡¯ve gone wrong that made her flee. He was still high with their love making saga, he thought it would go on for weeks even months toe. But then she left for a few days. John : You¡¯re freaking me out, Sandy Sandy: What? Why? John : I thought we were having a great time, I thought you had a great time? Sandy: I did ¡­ we did ¡­ What does that have to do with anything? John : I don¡¯t know, but I kinda want to be with you all the time, don¡¯t you want that too? Sandy: Of course I do, I just wanted to spend time with Andrea for a little bit, we always had girls night John : (Silent) ¡­ okay, it just feels like you¡¯re running away from me or something ¡­ I just ¡­ I don¡¯t understand Sandy: Don¡¯t be silly John, it¡¯s only for a few days ¡­ I¡¯ll be back soon ¡­ I¡¯m giving you some time to miss me (giggled) John : (Sarcasticugh) ¡­ more like a heart attack, you¡¯re scaring the shit out of me ¡­ and I¡¯m worried about ¡­ Patrick Sandy: (Took a deep breath) ¡­ I¡¯ll be fine, John, I¡¯ll talk to you again tomorrow, okay? I think Andrea needs me John : Okay ¡­ be safe Sandy: I will ¡­ bye Twenty Three It wasn¡¯t entirely true. She was having a stage fright with the whole ¡®dating John Brady¡¯ thing. She spent the whole day looking at her phone, reading articles and checking out pictures of him with his previous girlfriends. There were a lot of them. She started to regret that she didn¡¯t do that before she jumped into the John Brady wagon, and had a love affair with one of the most eligible bachelor in the world. ¡°You need to stop doing that before it drives you crazy,¡± Andrea took her phone from her hand. Sandy sighed, threw herself on the bed, ¡°It¡¯s already driving me mad ¡­ uuuuurgh ¡­. what have I done? What did I get myself into?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a little toote for that, isn¡¯t it? Anyway, you can¡¯t believe everything you read on the inte ¡­ not that there¡¯s anything bad on him in there, he¡¯s a genuinely good guy, Sandy ¡­ so he had a series of girlfriends, who can me him? He¡¯s single, God-like handsome, kind-hearted, generous ¡­¡± she wasn¡¯t finished. ¡°I know! I get it! He¡¯s all of that ¡­ And I¡¯m just ¡­ crazy about him, Andrea, he¡¯s everything I¡¯ve ever wanted ¡­ and the sex is so ¡­ God ¡­ the sex is so good!¡± she covered her face with a pillow. ¡°Bitch!¡± Andrea cursed. ¡°He can¡¯t be thinking about this to be more than a fling, right?¡± Sandy asked. ¡°Does he make you feel that way?¡± Andrea returned the question. Sandy was silent, no, he never made her feel that way even for a minute. She felt his sincerity, his emotions when they made love, and when he called and told her how scared he was, it felt truthful, it was scaring her even more. ¡°No, he made me feel very special ¡­ shit! I¡¯m in so much trouble!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get caught up by what the world says about him, you can ask him directly anything you want to know ¡­ you¡¯ll get the vibe from him ¡­ if he gives you a funny vibe then try not to get too close, you know what I mean?¡± said the rtionship guru. ¡°Yes, Master, I hear you ¡­ and what about you? How¡¯s it going with Rnd?¡± Andrea was not only on her way up in her career, she was also in a very promising rtionship with an equally sessful guy. She was beaming when she talked about him, it made her feel kind of guilty for throwing everything on her face all the time and not knowing what¡¯s going on with Andrea. She was happy for her, she loved listening to her sex stories and funny moments which she seemed to always have. Sandy: Have you done the love scene with Amanda? John : (Sighs) ¡­ yeup Sandy: How did it go? John : It was fine ¡­ I was hoping toe home and make some love scenes with you ¡­ but apparently ¡­ Sandy: (Laughed softly) Really? After Amanda Riley? John : You know it¡¯s true ¡­ (sighs) ¡­ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re doing this to me Sandy: Do what? I¡¯m just hangin¡¯ out with my best friend John : Are you having fun over there? Sandy: (Sighs) ¡­ not really ¡­ John : Why? Sandy: (Smiled) ¡­ I don¡¯t know ¡­ John : Sandy ¡­ Sandy: Hmm? John : I miss you Sandy: I miss you too John : You¡¯reing back tomorrow, right? Sandy: Yes, tomorrow ¡­ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow? John : You better ¡­ you¡¯ve been very ¡­ very bad to me Sandy: (Smiled) ¡­ I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, John, bye She couldn¡¯t sleep that night, she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about John. She kept imagining how the love scene went with Amanda Riley. How could he still say those things to her after a sex scene with such a beautiful woman. It was hard to believe, hard to ept, her insecurities just wouldn¡¯t let her believe it to be true. Her heart was racing when she arrived home. It was still early in the afternoon. The anticipation of seeing John again made her nervous. A three day away from him had confirmed how deeply she fell for that man. She couldn¡¯t think straight, being away from him was horrible. She kept herself busy all afternoon, made dinner for herself, listened to music, anything to keep her mind off John. There was finally a knock on the door close to 10 PM. It was him. His beard had grown, he looked tired but happy to see her. His eyes stared deeply into her soul. He lifted her off the floor, devoured her with his kiss. She wrapped herself around him as he took her to the sofa, and both fell on the floor. There were no words exchanged. Just a mutual understanding that they both needed to be physically connected at that very moment. Their skin needed to touch, tongue tangled, bodies be one. There was no time for anything else. ¡°Don¡¯t ever do that to me again,¡± he said cupping her face after a session of heated love making. ¡°What? Making love to you?¡± ¡°No! You left me for three excruciating days!¡± he buried his face between the curve of her neck. ¡°I can¡¯t, Sandy ¡­ I can¡¯t,¡± he grunted. She kissed him. ¡°Are youing to the set tomorrow?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­ probably not,¡± she said. John sat up, he had a serious look on his face, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Are you done with the love scene?¡± ¡°Yeah, it was one take,¡± he said it like it was nothing. Sandy pouted. ¡°What?¡± John couldn¡¯t figure her out. ¡°Nothing ¡­ I have some things to do tomorrow.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I took up some work with Andrea, I thought I¡¯m gonna look into that tomorrow.¡± He sat back on the sofa, and stared at her, ¡°What is it?¡± Sandy kept silent. ¡°I can¡¯t read your mind, you¡¯re gonna have to tell me.¡± ¡°Nothing, I really do have things to do tomorrow,¡± she denied it. He took her hand, ¡°You can¡¯t lie to me ¡­ you¡¯re me ¡­ I know this.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You¡¯re creating a gap ¡­ you¡¯re assessing me ¡­ you¡¯re making assumptions in your head, and I¡¯m not letting you do that ¡­ please, tell me what¡¯s bothering you? I¡¯m all in, Sandy, I have nothing to hide, I have no secrets, I don¡¯t know how else to exin it ¡­ I¡¯m falling head over heels for you because you¡¯re like a mirror to me ¡­ I¡¯ve never met anyone like you ¡­ ever,¡± he opened his heart to her. She didn¡¯t say anything, she wasn¡¯t denying it. He held her face close to his, ¡°I¡¯mying it all on the line for you, I need to know we¡¯re on the same page.¡± She kissed him to answer his question. He had said all the right things to her, she was doomed. ********** She was tangled in the nude with John on the sofa when she woke up. She took his shirt and put it on to go about her morning. She made a fresh pot of coffee, her answering machine was blinking. There were 10 messages. She pressed a button. Her mom called and left a message. Kevin¡¯s voice melted her heart, she was nning to call him after breakfast. There were other messages from the marketingpanies, and Andrea, and Lucas. She fast forwarded Lucas¡¯s message, worried that John might hear it. Thest message was odd, there was a heavy breathing. ¡°Did you get my gift?¡± Patrick¡¯s voice hit her hard, she froze. ¡°I kept it all these years ¡­ as a reminder of what a good time I had with you ¡­ (hisses)¡± Her hands were trembling. ¡°I smell it every day just to rey it in my head ¡­ (groaned) ¡­ you liked it, didn¡¯t you?¡± Her head felt light, she didn¡¯t notice John was awake. ¡°I told you not to tell anyone, you bitch! I¡¯m gonna fuck you so hard you¡¯re gonna wish you were dead the first time! ughed)¡± John came running and turned of the answering machine. ¡°Motherfucker! I¡¯m gonna fucking kill that guy!¡± he held Sandy¡¯s shaking body. ¡°It¡¯s okay ¡­ I got you, baby, I¡¯m here ¡­ he can¡¯t hurt you, I won¡¯t let him,¡± he was calming her and himself too. ¡°We have to call the police,¡± Sandy was in tears. John sat her down and touched her face, ¡°They put him in jail for two months for raping you ¡­ what do you think they will do for prank calling you?¡± he spoke calmly. ¡°You¡¯re safe with me, as long as you¡¯re with me, you¡¯ll be fine,¡± he added. He had a point, and it was convincing at the time. But Patrick was getting closer, she wasn¡¯t just worried about her well-being, she was thinking about John¡¯s too.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Twenty Four She was never alone after that day. She was always with Andrea or with John. Lucas had disappeared behind the scene. She changed her phone numbers. A few weeks after that was uneventful. Their rtionship was blossoming into something they both were unprepared for. The conversations got deeper, they found themselves in each other like a long lost lover in the universe that was finally being reunited. A connection they¡¯ve never made with anyone before in their lives. They couldn¡¯t keep their hands off each other. They took rendezvous every time there was a break off shooting. They spent it lying naked on the bed all day, sometimes two days. The sexual connection was beyond anything they¡¯ve ever experienced with anyone else. They were drunk in love. Until pictures of them started to surface on the inte. The paparazzi smelled the scent of money all the way from across the sea. They travelled all the way to Bhorma just to get bad snapshots of them canoodling with each other, strolled on a motorbike, having lunch together, hanging out on the beach. Everywhere they go, there was somebody taking pictures and asking questions to their faces. It didn¡¯t take long for that situation to take it¡¯s toll on Sandy. She withdrew herself from going out in public with John. She was so ufortable to the point where she¡¯d prefer to hide in her cottage and read about it on the inte. She was brooding, drowned in overthinking. She suddenly snapped back into reality that she was dating an international super celebrity, she was way in over her head for thinking that it couldst forever. The more she thought about it, the worst it gets. Up to the point where it was hurting her head, her stomach twisted and she was crying. John came back to the cottage to find her in a state of war. She was quiet, her eyes plumped like she¡¯d been crying all day. She didn¡¯t greet him when he came through the door. He felt the hostility from the moment he stepped inside, he knew she was sulking over the paparazzi¡¯s pictures and the articles she was reading on the inte for days. He came unarmed for what she was about to unleash. ¡°Have you been looking at your phone again all day?¡± John leaned on the wall. Sandy was curling up on the sofa with a long face. She lifted her shoulders and threw her phone on the couch with a long exhale. She covered her face with a cushion. John knew it was going to be a long night. He came over and sat by her side, tip-toed on what to say next, ¡°Do you want to talk about it?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. She shook her head. ¡°I want to talk about it ¡­ let¡¯s talk about it,¡± he prepared himself. He had been in this kind of situation hundreds of times before, but never with Sandy. He sat there waiting, it was going toe out sooner orter. She took the cushion off her face, tears were streaming down her face. ¡°At what point do we stop and realize that this is never going to work out?¡± she shot it out. ¡°What are you talking about? It¡¯s working out just fine ¡­ up until you think that it¡¯s not,¡± he said. ¡°No ¡­ no, John, it¡¯s working out just fine because we¡¯re not thinking this through ¡­ I mean ¡­ after your shooting wraps up, what then?¡± she stared at him with tears still running down her face. ¡°I¡¯d still want to be with you,¡± he was calm. ¡°How? How will that work? You go home to your life, and I¡¯d still be here with mine,¡± her voice started to crack. ¡°You cane with me ¡­¡± he had thought about it, despite Sandy thinking otherwise. She fell silent. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you ¡­ I can¡¯t imagine going back to my house, it would be more like a home with you in it,¡± he took her hand and kissed it. She took back her hand, her feet were cold, her heart raced. It made John nervous. ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± she broke down and cried again. It was going downward after that. She promised herself to never change her life drastically for a man, she loved her life in Bhorma. On top of that, she had a small child who needed stability, it wasn¡¯t fair for Kevin to have to adjust with her love life. She told him she could never be well adjusted in his life. To have people constantly prying on her privacy, post it on the inte withments that were so hard to hear. She couldn¡¯t handle the fact that a life with John means having to deal with the scrutiny of public opinion about them. She was escting to a point where she was in a brink of panicking, John listened to every word she was saying. ¡°It¡¯s not going to work, John ¡­ we might as well just be done with it now before it gets too far,¡± she finally said it. ¡°What? No ¡­ no ¡­ no ¡­ calm down, baby, calm down,¡± he quickly grabbed her, held her in his arms. She felt warm and fuzzy inside his embrace that it made her sob uncontrobly. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, John ¡­ I¡¯m in way over my head with you, it¡¯s so foolish to think this can go beyond this,¡± she said between her breaths. ¡°This is working so much better than anything I¡¯ve ever done in my life ¡­ what we have is the definition of working, you and me, we¡¯re so good together, don¡¯t you feel it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s working now, but it won¡¯tst, so what¡¯s the point?¡± she was pessimistic. ¡°The point is to work it out so it willst, don¡¯t you think? It¡¯s not gonna be easy, but we have to try ¡­ I get your reasons for not wanting toe back with me, maybe I should consider staying here with you?¡± Sandy¡¯s eyes widened, ¡°You¡¯re crazy, John.¡± She shook her head. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m crazy ¡­ I¡¯m crazy for you ¡­ I want this to work, Sandy, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t move here! That¡¯s outrageous!¡± she sounded angry. John was confused, ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes, I would consider it.¡± As wonderful as it sound, it terrified her. ¡°No! No!!¡± she shouted. ¡°Why not?¡± his tone was higher, now he started to think that she was just making excuses. ¡°Because ¡­ you have your whole life there, your career, your business, your family, your home ¡­ are you out of your mind?¡± ¡°Well how else do you think we¡¯re going to do this? I¡¯m just weighing on the options here, and you¡¯re making it impossible to find a solution,¡± he was beginning to get aggravated. ¡°I would never ask of you something like that, it¡¯s crazy, that¡¯s exactly why I can¡¯t see this beyond your stay here,¡± she insisted. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve already made up your mind about it? I thought we¡¯re talking this through?¡± Sandy paused for a moment, ¡°I think we should take a break, and take our time to think this through, John.¡± ¡°No! No breaks! I don¡¯t want breaks! I want to resolve this, if there¡¯s a problem, we talk about it and resolve it ¡­ not taking breaks?!¡± he held her by the wrist and tried to find her eyes in the chaos, but she dodged him, and wriggled away. ¡°Sandy! Look at me! We can work this out! You were just overwhelmed by what you were reading ¡­ it¡¯s garbage, baby, it¡¯s interfering with all the great stuff we¡¯re having right now,¡± he persuaded her. She tried to free her hand from his clutch, but he wasn¡¯t letting her go. ¡°It¡¯s an eye opener, John, why can¡¯t you see that? This is not fair ¡­ do you know how hard it is for me? You¡¯re my first after that horrible thing that happened to me, if we keep this going and for what? A six month sexcapade? Just another series of short term rtionships that you¡¯re so good at?¡± she stuck a knife in his heart with that statement. He was stunned speechless. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just said that to me ¡­ I¡¯m gonna pretend you didn¡¯t mean that, Sandy,¡± he breathed heavily, his eyes widened in anger. ¡°But it¡¯s true, John, you¡¯ve never had a long term rtionship ever since your fianc¨¦ died ¡­ it¡¯s all been a series of short term rtionships ¡­ you have a sexual appetite that¡¯s just insatiable ¡­¡± He didn¡¯t let her finish, ¡°Fuck that, Sandy! Are you fucking kidding me? We were fine! Fine!! Until you started looking up all kinds of stuff on the inte and you cooked that up in your head that you believed it more than you believed me?? And now you¡¯re releasing a shit storm at me and twisted everything around like it¡¯s my fault?? Fuck!!¡± He let go of her and walked away. She had pushed all the buttons that night and the tank was nearly full. Sandy fell silent, she shut downpletely. ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it anymore,¡± her voice was weak. John¡¯s head was hurting, he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. ¡°You can¡¯t do that, baby, you can¡¯t bring something like this up and shut me out!¡± he was still going strong. ¡°There¡¯s no point in talking about this,¡± she was retreating. He shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m going to my room ¡­ please lock the door on your way out,¡± she dismissed him and walked away without looking back. ¡°Fuck!!¡± John muttered, he mmed the door and locked it. Twenty Five He couldn¡¯t sleep that night. Thinking of ways not to fuck up this thing he had with Sandy. She said she wanted a break. She said it, she thought it was pointless. She was not the first to be frightened of the reality of his celebrity status. He could never understand how women think, they always seemed to find something wrong even though everything was going good. But it was different with Sandy, he would¡¯ve left it as it was with anyone else. She¡¯s the only one he ever asked toe back with him, the only one he would consider changing his life for, and probably the only one who said ¡®no¡¯ to that. She was the one. God forbid after all these times he¡¯d been looking for her that it should end being ¡®the one that got away¡¯. She shut him down, just like that. Just the way she left Manta for three days. She yed every string in his heart, she spoke hisnguage. His demons sat well with hers. When they were together, there was never a moment when he doubted she was the one he wanted to spend his days with. When they made love, it felt like their bodies were made as a pair. He was always hungry for her, and she was right, he was insatiable ¡­ of her, and she quenched his thirst every time. He knocked on her door in the morning, no answer, he used his key to open the door, called out to her, no answer. He couldn¡¯t stand leaving things the way it was the night before. He wanted to make sure that everything was alright before he started his day. He went to her room, but she wasn¡¯t there. She left early, she probably had done it on purpose. She was trying to push him away. He left the cottage with a bitter after taste of an unresolved first fight they ever had. Hoping she wille aroundter in the day and realized how foolish their fight was. She said she needed time to think, he should give that to her. He did what he does best, showed up to work, and gave it his full attention. At the end of the day, he checked his phone, she never called or texted. He went back to the cottage, prepared this time. He might find her sobbing on the couch and start another round ofst night¡¯s unfinished match. Her lights were off, his heart started to race. It was close to 1 AM, had she been out all day? He called her phone, threw all his pride out the window. She didn¡¯t answer. He took a shower, thinking of the right words to text her. He couldn¡¯t find any. He called her cell again, still nothing. He paced up and down his room. John : Andrea? Sorry to bother you sote ¡­ is Sandy with you? Andrea: John? ¡­ she was this morning ¡­ the whole day, actually, she left about six ¡­ she said she was going to have dinnerBelongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. John : By herself? Andrea: Yeah, I couldn¡¯t go because I had a date ¡­ why? Is she not back yet? John : No ¡­ her lights are off, she wasn¡¯t there, I checked Andrea: (Thinking) ¡­ she was in a pretty bad shape this morning, I mean ¡­ I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m suppose to tell you this, John, but ¡­ she wasn¡¯t in a good ce John : Should we be worried? I mean ¡­ it¡¯s reallyte ¡­ she¡¯s alone and ¡­ (sighs) Andrea: (Long exhale) ¡­ she usually goes out for drinks when she¡¯s like that, but I don¡¯t want to specte ¡­ I¡¯m getting worried too John : By herself? But how would she get home? Andrea: (Hesitant) ¡­ she¡¯s been taking care of herself for so long sometimes she disregards her own safety ¡­ but she¡¯s always responsible, John ¡­ she was in a pretty bad shape though ¡­ oh God now I¡¯m really worried John : Did she say anything to you? Where was she going to have dinner? Anything at all? Andrea: No ¡­ she said she was done for the day ¡­ she was going to grab something to eat, I assumed she went straight home after that John : Wait ¡­ my phone is beeping ¡­ there¡¯s another call ¡­ it¡¯s her Andrea: Oh Thank God! John : Okay, thanks anyway, Andrea ¡­ sorry to bother you, talk to youter Andrea: Goodnight John, I hope you guys work it out John : Thanks He was relieved to see her name shed on his phone. It was close to 3 AM, he quickly epted the call. John : Sandy? Where are you? Sandy: John? It¡¯s Lucas ¡­ I think you need toe and get her ¡­ she¡¯s in La Lune Twenty Six She arrived at La Lune around 8 PM. She had her dinner by the beach, contemting on her own, then she decided to have lots of drinks. She took a spot on the bar and ordered vodka martini. She was going to have a lot of those for the rest of the night. She was minding her own business, but after a few drinks by herself, some guy thought she was looking forpany. Lucas watched her from afar. He hadn¡¯t seen her since that night at the club. It was impossible for her to be at La Lune and not be seen by Lucas. He was entertaining important guests but he never let his eyes off of her. She was acting weird that night, John was nowhere in sight. When a strange man approached her, he watched them more intently. ¡°Hey ¡­ please get thedy another drink of her choice ¡­ on me,¡± the guy said, as he leaned on the bar and smiled at her. She smiled back, ¡°Thanks ¡­ that¡¯s very nice of you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Eric ¡­ what a lovelydy like you doing here by yourself?¡± a ssic pick-up line. ¡°Drinking ¡­ obviously,¡± she lifted her ss and sipped her martini. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind if I join you ¡­.¡± he was fishing for a name. ¡°Sandy.¡± ¡°Sandy ¡­ a lovely name for a lovely face.¡± A guy with a booty call in mind and a cheesy pick-up line. Sandyughed at the gesture. He kept buying her more drinks and warmed her up with shallow conversations pretended he was interested in her stories. She was just enjoying her drinks, and was happy enough that someone was buying them for her. He started to lead the conversation to another direction, looking for a possibility of taking her home, or just getting out to find a little privacy. Sheughed at his assumptions that it was what she wanted, so she challenged him to a drinking contest instead. People cheered for them, she was making a scene. Lucas was still watching from the sideline to see how far she would go. More people stood around and cheered her on, Eric started to get frisky as the night progressed. It was almost 12 and it looked like she had a little too much to drink. The guy was standing so close to her and whispered in her ear. She wasughing and holding her drink on one hand. The guy then put his hand on her hip and slid it to her waist, his face was grazing on her cheek, he looked like he was about to kiss her neck. Lucas was burning from watching their flirtatious gesture. He went over to them and tapped the guy on the shoulder, ¡°You need to go buddy,¡± he said. ¡°What?? Who the fuck do you think you are?¡± He confronted Lucas with his chest. Lucas kept his cool, ¡°I own the fucking ce, if you so much touch thisdy again I will beat the crap out of you.¡± Eric looked at Sandy, she shrugged and raised her hands, ¡°He¡¯s the boss,¡± she said with a smile. The guy looked pissed, ¡°Bitch!¡± He muttered and left. Lucas leaned on the bar next to her looking serious, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sandy didn¡¯t answer, she asked the bartender for a refill. ¡°Youe here drinking your socks off and making a scene with random guys, trouble in paradise?¡± He asked again. Sandy exhaled, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be great? If you were right?¡± He sighed, telling her ¡®I told you so¡¯ is not something he would take pride in. He leaned to the bartender, ¡°We¡¯re closing early today, could you please let all the guests know their bills are on the house and please extend my apologies to them,¡± he whispered. The bartender nodded and went on his way. ¡°Let¡¯s go upstairs,¡± he took her hand and led her to the stairs. She took the opened bottle on the counter with her. The second floor was already closed to the public an hour before, Lucas wanted her to have her privacy and sulk in her misery rather than drink her ass off at the bar. He went behind the bar and poured himself a drink, ¡°What did he do?¡± He sipped his whiskey. Sandy sat on the stool and brood. ¡°Nothing ¡­ I guess I was just stupid to think it would work out.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve broken up?¡± There was a hint of hope in his heart. ¡°No, we had a fight, ¡­ I don¡¯t know what¡¯s the point of continuing if we can¡¯t be together ¡­ the shooting is wrapping up in two months.¡± He started to understand the problem, he didn¡¯t say any more. ¡°He¡¯s going to leave me in two months,¡± she said on the verge of crying. She covered her face with her hands, she couldn¡¯t hold her tears. Lucas was a calm and controlled man, but when ites to consoling a crying woman, he had no idea what to do. He poured her another drink, she took it and engulfed it in one go. She was already drunk. He couldn¡¯t find the right words to say to her, at least none that might calm her down. ¡°Put on some music, Lucas,¡± she said. ¡°Okay?¡± It was an odd request. ¡°Your favorite, let¡¯s just dance ¡­ I don¡¯t wanna talk about it anymore,¡± she said. Lucas walked over to the yer and searched a song, his favorite. He looked at her, she was a mess. He put on his ultimate favorite song that constantly reminded him of Sandy, a slow dance might do her good to burn off the excess alcohol in her blood. ¡°Oh my God, this is my favorite song,¡± she said smiling. ¡°Enjoy your dance,¡± he said and poured some drink for himself. She took his hand and pulled him to the dance floor, ¡°Dance with me.¡± She held him close, he was taken aback with her gestures. She was drunk, he wasn¡¯t ready for her behaving like that. She leaned her head on him, he could smell the sweet scent of her hair, he was afraid to touch her. She led him to sway along with the song. He looked away, knowing that she was so upset that she would let herself be close to him like she did. ¡°I¡¯m so drunk, I can¡¯t even feel the ground,¡± she said with augh. He didn¡¯t say anything, he was afraid of what this could lead to. ¡°Say something, Lucas,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± He asked. ¡°Anything, how stupid I was to think it would work, that I was wrong ¡­ I can¡¯t think straight ¡­¡± she said as she held her tears with everything she had left. She looked up to him and kissed him. He closed his eyes, to have her lips touching his, it was painful to taste her tears. Tears that was not for him, tears from how much she loved another man and hurt by her own affection towards John. She snapped out of it and startled herself, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± she said and walked away from him. Lucas grabbed her hand, ¡°Sandy! Don¡¯t go!¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, I¡¯m sorry,¡± she was crying, now guilty of what she had done. ¡°Stay, ¡­ please, calm yourself down first ¡­ he doesn¡¯t have to know,¡± he knew she was a wreck and she needed to wear off the alcohol in her blood. He held her hand tightly, he¡¯s not letting her go. She fell into his embrace and cried. He would never take advantage of her, it was her doing, he was just there to help her ease the pain. He held her tight, something he had wanted to do so badly for years, he finally got it but for all the wrong reasons. ¡°I¡¯m still in love with you,¡± he said. She was crying, she might not have heard it.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°You love him, it¡¯s why you¡¯re such a mess ¡­ but I do, I¡¯m still a mess for you ¡­ he doesn¡¯t have to know, and you don¡¯t have to be sorry,¡± it was so hard for him to say that. He sat her down on the seat against the wall, and he sat beside her. He kissed her forehead and ran his fingers through her hair. He let her cry herself to sleep. He found himself alone in the dark of his restaurant, the woman that he loves broke down on him for another man, he dwelled in his thoughts for a moment and decided to take her phone and called John. Twenty Seven His mind went nk after the call. He didn¡¯t ask anything to Lucas, just a simple ¡°Okay¡± and hung up. He hopped on his bike, rode as fast as he could to La Lune. His heart was racing, his face was warm, his jaw clenched. He took a deep breath, swallowed with a lump on his throat when he arrived. The ce was dark, there was no one there. He approached the entrance, the door opened from the inside. Lucas greeted him with an uneasy look on his face, John stared him down, ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She¡¯s upstairs ¡­ please,e in,¡± he said politely. The tension was high, he walked past him, climbed the stairs, Lucas followed behind him. She was slumped on the sofa, hair covered her face. He kneeled before her, she was sleeping. ¡°What happened to her?¡± ¡°She had a little too much to drink,¡± Lucas cleared his throat, leaned against the doorway with his hands in his pockets. John turned to look at him, his face hard, eyes darkened. ¡°I didn¡¯t touch her ¡­ if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking,¡± Lucas said. John brushed her hair off her face, ¡°Sandy ¡­ Sandy ¡­¡± She slowly opened her eyes. Her head was spinning, her vision was blurry. ¡°John? ¡­ what are you doing here?¡± she tried to sit up, she held her head to stop the room from spinning. ¡°I¡¯m taking you home,¡± he carried her in his arms. When he turned, Lucas held up his car keys, ¡°Take my car.¡± Sandy put her arms around John¡¯s neck, she gave everything she had not to vomit. ¡°We¡¯ll talk tomorrow,¡± John said to Lucas, he gave him a half nod while looking at Sandy. She could smell him freshly out of shower. His body felt so familiar, big and tall. His face, though, hardened, agitated, she touched his hair in a dreamlike state. He put her down on the ground to open the car door. The spin was too much for her, she threw up beside the car. A stomach pumping vomit that shot all the vodka out through her mouth and nose. John leaned on the car as he watched the painful aftermath of having too much to drink. ¡°Jeez ¡­ how much did you drink?¡± he mumbled. She felt better afterwards, she cleaned herself with some tissue from the car. She sat on the ground for a while just to get back in touch with reality. ¡°Can we go now?¡± John¡¯s voice was still tense. She nodded, slowly stood up and got into the car. He shoved the door, and got into the driver¡¯s seat. He stepped on the gas, he was driving at least 100 Km/hour. She felt nauseated. The street lights shed into her eyes, the speed was scaring her. ¡°John ¡­ slow down, you¡¯re scaring me.¡± He stepped on the gas even deeper. She curled on the seat, covered her face with her hands. Her fear was sobering her up. She was sure they were going to crash sooner orter. ¡°John ¡­ please, we¡¯re going so fast,¡± she pleaded. The tension was building inside him, his heartbeat was bouncing out of control. The car screeched into a halt in front of the cottage. She stormed out and walked towards her cottage. ¡°Where are you going?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m going home, John, you should too!¡± her tone was high. ¡°What? You don¡¯t get to be angry at me, Sandy!¡± he was ready for a full fledged fight. ¡°You could¡¯ve got us killed! Driving like a lunatic!¡± she shouted. He followed after her into the cottage and mmed the door. ¡°We had our first fight, the first thing you did was to go and see Lucas??¡± it finally came out of his system. ¡°Do you know how worried I was when I came back at 1 AM and you weren¡¯t here?! Did you ever think about anyone else other than yourself, Sandy??¡± heshed out. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking for Lucas, it¡¯s not like that,¡± her voice was calmer. ¡°What was it like then? Please ¡­ enlighten me!¡± he was still fiery. ¡°I wanted to have a drink ¡­ lots of drinks ¡­ so I went to La Lune because it¡¯s safer there,¡± she exined. ¡°What time did you get there?¡± She tried to remember, ¡°I don¡¯t know ¡­ around eight, I think.¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°You¡¯re telling me, you started drinking at eight and I got the call at a quarter to 3 AM? What were you doing for seven hours?¡± his face was hard. ¡°I drank ¡­ a lot ¡­ I told you.¡± John came over to her and held her wrist ¡°I don¡¯t believe you, what did you do, Sandy?¡± Sandy pulled her arm away, ¡°Are you implying that I¡¯m lying?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m implying that you spent 7 hours with a man who couldn¡¯t wait to get in your pants while heavily drinking ¡­ and I¡¯m supposed to believe that he didn¡¯t make any advances on you?¡± he was about to burst in a jealous rage. She looked him in the eyes, ¡°He didn¡¯t John ¡­ I wasn¡¯t drinking with him, I was drinking at the bar ¡­ I told you, I didn¡¯t go there to see him, and he¡¯s a very courteous gentleman who would never take advantage of me in any kind of circumstances and that¡¯s exactly why I went there in the first ce.¡± Maybe it was better if she had told him that Lucas did make advances on her, he wouldn¡¯t feel the burning pain in his chest. But Lucas didn¡¯t take advantage of her, that¡¯s enough to tell John that Lucas loved her, and he made her feel safe around him. It was also enough to push John to a brink of madness. The fight they had the other night, she wanted a break, she said. And then she made him worried sick for the whole day only to find out she spent hours and hours drinking with a good gentleman who loved her enough not to take advantage of her. It disrupted his calm, it was too much to handle, he lost hisposure, he was not all that great, he was just a jealous guy. He grabbed her waist and kissed her in anger. He pushed her against the wall, he went hard on his kiss, she was out of breath. She didn¡¯t resist. She too was tired of all the worry she put herself through, all her anguish and her fear can only be redeemed by his touch. She ripped the shirt off his back. He broke the kiss in surprise, he looked her in the eyes, she wanted him. He pursed a smile. He was back in full force, and she was leveling his energy. He let her unbutton his jeans, he rested his hands on the wall on either side of her face. They were still tangled in a passionate kiss, there was no time to properly take off their clothes, they couldn¡¯t wait a second longer to be inside of each other. He lifted her up against the wall, she wrapped her legs around him, and their moans echoed through the silent night. ¡°God I want you so bad,¡± he said between his breaths. She felt him deep inside her, her body was screaming for him and there was nothing else she wanted more. She dropped on him as he carried her to the bedroom. He kissed her gently, his anger had subsided. Heid her on the bed as he stood over her, naked. His eyes were gentle, it was the best angry sex she had ever had. He smiled, ¡°Are you ready for round two?¡± ********** He woke up with her in his arms in the morning. He kissed the back of her head. He watched her sleep, thinking if everything were fine again. She woke up smiling, it was a good sign. ¡°Good morning,¡± he greeted her. She kissed him, ¡°Good morning.¡± He was staring, waiting for her to say something, but she didn¡¯t. ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Nothing ¡­ are you okay?¡± he made sure. ¡°No ¡­ I¡¯m having a really bad hangover right now,¡± she stretched out her arms and yawned. ¡°I mean ¡­ are we okay?¡± he asked again. She looked at him. He couldn¡¯t read her expression. ¡°I just ¡­¡± She covered his mouth with her hand, ¡°Stop ¡­ talking ¡­¡± she mounted him and sat on hisp. ¡°Can we have our make up sex this morning? I just want to kiss and make up with you today, John.¡± She didn¡¯t have to say any more. ********** He returned the car on his way to the set. Lucas was there to receive it even though La Lune was still closed. ¡°How is she?¡± he asked, given how drunk she wasst night. ¡°She¡¯s fine now,¡± John said. ¡°Look ¡­ I appreciate what you did yesterday, calling me, and lending me your car,¡± he added. ¡°No problem, I¡¯m just looking out for her.¡± John took a deep breath, ¡°Yeah ¡­ I just want to tell you that ¡­ she¡¯s with me now,¡± he stared at him in the eyes. Lucas raised his eyebrows and smiled, ¡°I know that, man, but she came herest night, crying ¡­ because of you,¡± he didn¡¯t back down from John¡¯s stare. ¡°I can firmly say ¡­ that we¡¯ve resolved our problems ¡­ I really care about her.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, I¡¯m d to hear that ¡­ but I will always look out for her, that¡¯s what friends do,¡± Lucas said. John nodded, ¡°Fair enough ¡­ just make sure you know where the lines are drawn,¡± he patted him on the shoulder before he turned to leave. Twenty Eight ¡®She didn¡¯t tell him about the kiss¡¯. That was the thing he thought when John left with his motorbike. He would¡¯ve punched him in the face if she had told him. He¡¯d been silent for weeks, faded into the background. But he always kept an eye on her, watched over her without anyone knowing. He knew where Patrick stayed on the ind. He followed his every move. He had his private investigators keep a close watch on Patrick, and diverted him from chasing Sandy. It was the reason why she hadn¡¯t received any further harassment from the guy. Patrick wasn¡¯t going to leave the ind until he got his hands on Sandy. He could never forgive her for putting him in jail. He was raped and assaulted too many times in the short time he spent locked up in a foreign country, and it was not a fair trade for what he did to Sandy, at least for him. He wanted to even the score. He had spent weeks searching for ways to get to Sandy, but he was misled by false information that seemed to be nted to distract him and kept him off track. He got smarter, and disappeared from Lucas¡¯s radar. ********** A few dayster, they were taking a three day break from shooting. John and Sandy were cozying up with the crews at a seaside lounge. Andrea and Rnd joined them for a night of wine and dine between close friends. They were rxing on the lounges by the beach with a small bonfire between them. Sandy was in John¡¯s arms, it was a regr scene among the crew. They were always canoodling with each other at the set, sometimes they disappeared into his trailer or dressing room. They were always all over each other. The crew have grown to know her, they love the fact that she made John happy, and she never interferes with his work. John¡¯s mobile rm turned off, it startled him. He looked at it with a puzzled look on his face. ¡°What is it?¡± Sandy asked. ¡°Nothing, let me check this for a minute,¡± he took his phone and walked away to a quieter ce. A few minutester, he came back and said there¡¯s something he needed to do. ¡°I¡¯ll be back, okay? Just wait for me here,¡± he kissed her. ¡°But ¡­ where are you going?¡± Sandy was confused.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. ¡°I¡¯ll be back,¡± he was in a hurry and ran toward the exit. She didn¡¯t think anything of it and continued the night with Andrea and Rnd. It was already the fourth month of shooting, but she tried not to remind herself of that. She didn¡¯t have an answer when Andrea asked her what she was going to do after the shooting wraps up. She just shrugged and smiled. John hopped on his motorbike and sprinted out of the premises. His heart was pounding, his blood boiling. The rm was triggered by a break-in at the cottage. He checked the CCTV from his phone and saw a man lurking inside thepound and broke the rm system. He knew exactly who it was and he was going to after him alone. When he arrived at thepound, the lock on the gate was forced open. He quietly entered the premises and looked around for suspicious movement. His cottage door was ajar but there was no movement. There was amotion inside Sandy¡¯s cottage, her lights were on. He walked towards Sandy¡¯s cottage, hid behind the bushes to see. A man came out of Sandy¡¯s ce, he stood on the doorway with both hands on his waist. He couldn¡¯t see his face clearly, it was dark on her porch. He squatted forward to get a good look, he didn¡¯t seem to bring any weapon. John wanted to know if it was safe toe out from the bushed to confront him. But before he could do that, the safety light was triggered by his movement, thewn was lit up like a stage. John saw his face, he was startled and looked his way. John stood up to show himself, ¡°Hey!¡± he shouted at the man. The guy jumped off the porch and ran. John went after him. He was sprinting towards the gate but John managed to grab him before he reached it. They fell onto the ground and wrestled. All the training for the movie was put to use. He punched the guy on the face, he fought back. They rolled on the driveway pavement and tried to overpower each other. John had the upper hand, he was much taller and well trained. He punched him again on the face, his nose was bleeding this time. Patrick used all his strength to push John back, he finally had room to kick him in the stomach and John was pushed. He managed to stand up and made a run for the gate. John went after him again, but a car passed by. The son of a bitch climbed on a small motorbike he parked across the street and fled. He was catching his breath and decided not to pursue him on the road. It would be too dangerous, and it was not a scene in a movie. He went back inside to see the damage. Sandy¡¯s cottage was turned upside down. The most disgusting thing was the semen all over Sandy¡¯s floor, the fucker had been jerking off in the dining area and the living room. Sandy¡¯s things were scattered and there was graffiti on the walls and furniture. ¡°Die Bitch!!¡± ¡°Fucking Cunt!¡± A picture of Sandy and Kevin fell on the ground and he wrote a note on it, ¡°My son!¡± John didn¡¯t touch anything, he went over to his cottage to see the damage there. But his cottage was rtively fine, except for the writing on the wall. ¡°I will make your girlfriend cum and you¡¯re gonna watch!!¡±. John went outside and kicked a pot so hard that it smashed into pieces, he should¡¯ve killed the son of a bitch. A car pulled inside thepound, it was his management car. Larry and Sonya burst out of the car and Sandy followed behind them. ¡°John! Are you okay?¡± Sandy shouted as she ran towards him. ¡°I got a call from the rmpany and then I watched the CCTV ¡­ oh my God, why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± she was hysterical. John was still struggling to ept that Patrick managed to escape. He held Sandy tight in his embrace. The guy was strong, not stronger than him but the image of him forcing himself on Sandy was raging in his mind. ¡°I¡¯m okay,¡± he said, but he wasn¡¯t so sure. Twenty Nine ¡°Are you alright, John? Do you need to go to the hospital?¡± Sonya asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m fine ¡­ shit!!¡± he ran his fingers through his hair, still annoyed by the circumstances. Sandy was still wrapped around him in distress, but she was relieved that he was unharmed. Larry and Sonya went inside the cottage to assess the damage. Sandy was going to check on her ce too, but John stopped her, ¡°Don¡¯t go there ¡­ it¡¯s a fucking mess.¡± He pulled her back in his arms. ¡°You can¡¯t stay here anymore,¡± she said quietly. ¡°I know, shit! I almost got him, he got away,¡± he was still pissed. ¡°We can¡¯t stay together, ¡­ they won¡¯t let us,¡± he added. Larry and Sonya came out of the cottage, they moved on to Sandy¡¯s. John knew that was a done deal, the moment they saw what he did to the ce, they were not to see each other again until the end of the shooting period. When they came back, theyid down the rules and the damage control procedures. They had a procedure for circumstances such as this one, it¡¯s usually caused by a fan turned stalker. This was obviously different, and moreplicated because it involved Sandy. John didn¡¯t like the terms. John was going to be relocated to a confidential ce of lodging, he was not to be seen with Sandy. The management will pay for any and all damages on the property and the rent will be paid in full, but Sandy had to sign an agreement that whatever had taken ce that night was not going to be reported to the police or anybody else for that matter. The management will deny any knowledge of the case pertaining to Sandy¡¯s past or deny any association with the culprit. In order to protect John¡¯s safety and hismitment to the movie production, they had to wash their handspletely from any association with a case like this. Otherwise it would jeopardize their production and they would have to face the horror of dealing with reporters should news like thise out to the public during production. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Sandy ¡­ but those are the rules, I wish it could be different,¡± Larry said. ¡°And what if I don¡¯t agree with it?¡± John asked, he wasn¡¯t feeling it at all. ¡°They will terminate the production once the news is out or if something happens to you ¡­ they¡¯ll sue you for breach of contract and probably ban you from future productions,¡± Sonya exined. ¡°Fine ¡­ I don¡¯t care,¡± John replied. ¡°No! ¡­ No!! No! He didn¡¯t mean that, John ¡­e on? It¡¯s fine I can handle this,¡± Sandy tried to make sense out of him. ¡°Just pay them what they want ¡­ I don¡¯t care, I¡¯m not leaving her to fend for herself ¡­ Did you see what that asshole¡¯s done to the ce? Did you read what he wrote on my wall?¡± he couldn¡¯t keep his cool. Larry and Sonya had an ufortable look on their faces, they didn¡¯t like the rules either but they were all tied to the same contract. ¡°John, I can stay at Andrea¡¯s for awhile, it¡¯s fine,¡± she held John¡¯s arm to calm him down. ¡°Andrea? How is that safe? He broke in here and trashed the whole ce, Andrea doesn¡¯t even have a security rm.¡± ¡°John ¡­ we don¡¯t like this as much as you do, we¡¯re justying all the rules here ¡­ it¡¯s procedure, we can find loopholes around it, figure something out, but the main thing is you cannot be seen together,¡± Larry said. ¡°Actually ¡­ John, there are security guards assigned to watch over me, they weren¡¯t here today because they followed me to the lounge,¡± Sandy said. John¡¯s eyes widened, he wasn¡¯t pleased to hear that at all, ¡°Lucas?? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± Larry and Sonya felt a fight was going to erupt, they took a few steps back. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you two to decide on this, okay?¡± John wasn¡¯t even listening anymore, ¡°It just can¡¯t get any worse can it, Sandy?¡± He paced up and down the porch. ¡°John, please, it¡¯s best for everyone,¡± she spoke with a low voice. ¡°No! No! It¡¯s not best for everybody! Where Ie from, I would be the one to protect you, not some guy who¡¯s been wanting to sleep with you for years ¡­ do you know how fucked up that is?¡± he was not calming down. ¡°He¡¯s doing this as a friend ¡­ he¡¯s just a friend, John.¡± ¡°You might see him as a friend, do you think he looks at you as a friend? I can¡¯t believe we¡¯re even talking about this, are we not there yet? Are we not at a point where I can say ¡®no¡¯ I don¡¯t want Lucas to have anything to do with you! No! I don¡¯t want him constantly monitoring your life, and do things for you without being asked! Are we not there yet, Sandy?¡± he was on the verge of meltdown. ¡°I don¡¯t know where we are right now, we haven¡¯t decided on that yet, right? All I know ¡­ we¡¯re in a difficult situation and Lucas¡¯s help is the only thing that makes sense,¡± Sandy was still calm. ¡°I have decided, I have, and I just did it again ¡­ but you said ¡®no¡¯! You don¡¯t want me to help you on this, you chose Lucas instead!¡± he was starting to yell at her. ¡°It¡¯s too much for you to sacrifice, John, it doesn¡¯t make sense ¡­ I¡¯m trying to find a middle ground here where everyone can go on with their lives as normal as possible,¡± Sandy held his hand. ¡°There is nothing normal about my life anymore, Sandy ¡­ not since I fell in love with you ¡­ but you don¡¯t seem to understand it, you just shut me down and go back to Lucas,¡± he said. Sandy shook her head, ¡°You know that¡¯s not true, this is not what you think it¡¯s about ¡­ gosh, I just can¡¯t make the sense out of you, you¡¯re too consumed with being jealous of Lucas and it¡¯s just too painful for your pride to take this road, which is easier for everybody.¡± John sighed sarcastically, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s easier for you ¡­ it¡¯s definitely not easier for me,¡± he hung his hands on his waist. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sandy, what do you think it means? It seems like you¡¯ve figured out everything for everybody,¡± he kept pushing. ¡°Okay ¡­ that¡¯s enough talking, I¡¯m packing my stuff, you should too,¡± she didn¡¯t want to prolong the argument that was spiraling down very fast. He swallowed a bitter pill, he couldn¡¯t win with Sandy. He kicked a chair on his way inside to pack his bag. Once they were done, they left the cottage as it was. A professional cleaner was arranged toe the next morning under a confidential agreement, everything was organized by John¡¯s management. They didn¡¯t say anything to each other in the car. When Sandy was going to step out of the car, John pulled her hand and kissed her, ¡°I hate you ¡­ I hate you for doing this to me,¡± he softly said. She kissed him again, and closed the door after her. Thirty John was relocated to a hotel, the management increased the security around him. He was going to be moved around from hotel to hotel until further assessment of the situation. The situation caused a real mess for his production. Sandy stayed with Andrea, three security guards were assigned to her by Lucas. They were not to leave her out of sight until further notice from Lucas. Lucas : How are you holding up? Sandy: I¡¯m okay ¡­ the whole thing is a mess, though Lucas : I¡¯m working on it, I have people tracking him down as we speak Sandy: Thanks for your help, Lucas, I really appreciate it Lucas : (Sighed) ¡­ how¡¯s John? Sandy: (Exhaled deeply) ¡­ pissed ¡­ like really pissed Lucas : That¡¯s understandable ¡­ does he know about ¡­ Sandy: (Silent) ¡­ he knows you¡¯re helping me, that¡¯s why he¡¯s so pissed, but he doesn¡¯t know about ¡­ Lucas : Okay Sandy: About that ¡­ Lucas, I don¡¯t want you to get the wrong idea, I was drunk and ¡­ Lucas : It¡¯s fine, Sandy, we can pretend it never happened Sandy: (Exhaled) ¡­ I love him, I haven¡¯t told him that yet, but I do ¡­ Lucas : (Silent) ¡­ I know you do Sandy: I¡¯m sorry, it¡¯s just ¡­ it¡¯s been hard Lucas : I just want you to be okay Sandy: I know ¡­ thank you Lucas: Sure ¡­ I¡¯ll call youter As soon as she hung up, her phone rang again, it was John. John : Hey Sandy: Hi John : What are you doing? Sandy: Nothing John : (Laid down on the bed) I wish we can do nothing together Sandy: Me tooContent (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. John : I have a three day break and I¡¯m stuck here in a hotel ¡­ by myself ¡­ with nothing to do ¡­ I feel like I¡¯m going to cry Sandy: (Laughed softly) John : Are youughing at me? This is all your fault, you know? It¡¯s not even noon, I¡¯m going out of my mind, I kept checking out the balcony looking for ways to escape those bodyguards outside my room ¡­ jeez ¡­ Sandy: (Sighed) Me too John : What are we going to do about it? Sandy: (Laughed) What do you have in mind? John : We¡¯ll just plot several ns and see which ones works best ¡­ we have all day, right? I¡¯m not settling for this arrangement, it¡¯s ridiculous. I feel like a minor being grounded for something I didn¡¯t do. They ended up talking on the phone for hours,ughing and giggling, teasing each other while plotting an escape. They finally figured out a way to go around it, and John took his motorbike the next day and picked her up for a two day escape to the suburbs. Everyone was hassled by it, but they didn¡¯t care. They spent two days away, they talked, made each otherugh, and made love like the rest of the world didn¡¯t matter. They never had anything better than that, just two people who couldn¡¯t get enough of each other. She loved listening to him when he told her about his work. She admired his passion, and how much he loved what he did. His smile, the twinkle in his eyes, the glow on his face, the way his hair fell naturally and how his beard enhanced his gorgeous face. She was smitten. They sat on the bed facing each other, legs tangled. She held him close, put her head on his chest. She loved the way it felt. She was overwhelmed with emotions, tears started running down her face. With every minute passed by, she was closer to the end of the best thing she ever had. She loved it when they were alone, when the world didn¡¯t have its grip on their lives. But reality was always lurking in the corner, waiting for the next turn. He was going to be done with his filming, and the whole thing will be over. ¡°Hey ¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± John felt the warmth of her tears on his chest, they were in the middle of a casual conversation. She smiled and wiped her tears, ¡°Nothing ¡­ I¡¯m just so happy to be here with you.¡± John wasn¡¯t convinced, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She nodded, and hugged him again, ¡°Just let me hold you close ¡­ I love the way you feel.¡± She put her head back on his chest, listened to his heart beat. He kissed the top of her head. He didn¡¯t want to ruin the moment, he felt her that time, he felt the love she didn¡¯t dare say. ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± John broke the silence. She nodded. ¡°This new arrangement ¡­ not seeing you ¡­ can we still sneak out and meet somewhere ¡­ whenever we can?¡± She let go of the embrace, ¡°I think that¡¯s the idea.¡± ¡°Will you promise me something?¡± She nodded. ¡°It would kill me not being able to see you, and knowing that you¡¯re out there somewhere with Lucas ¡­ while I ¡­¡± She smiled and touched his lips with her index finger, ¡°Will it make you feel better about the arrangement?¡± He kissed her finger, ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be seeing Lucas ¡­ not if it bothers you that much,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s you, John, I want you ¡­ not Lucas,¡± she added. She finally gave it to him, the reassurance he¡¯d been waiting for so long. He kissed her, and made love to her, again. Thirty One Sandy took a week off to Bluebridge to be with Kevin. When she returned, they couldn¡¯t find their way around to meet for another week. Their bodyguards were always following them around, the next shooting break was not until two more weeks. John brooded a lot, he was not himself. He kept his professionalism on the set but afterwards, he shut down and avoided everyone. He often expressed his frustration on the phone. Sometimes he let his mind run wild and used Sandy of meeting up with Lucas while they were forced to be apart. Being jealous was easier than dealing with his longing to be with her. Sometimes their phone calls ended with a fight, more often than not it was over silly things. John : It¡¯s been almost a whole fucking month ¡­ (sighed) ¡­ am I the only one who¡¯s counting? Sandy: I have good news John : What? Sandy: He bought a one way ticket back to AlgoniaThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. John : Really? When will that be? Sandy: Next Tuesday ¡­ we can see each other again soon, baby John : Lucas told you this? Sandy: Yeah, he called this morning to tell me the news John : Why didn¡¯t you call me earlier? Sandy: Because you were working ¡­ we always call at this time John : What else did he say to you? Sandy: Lucas? Nothing ¡­e on, babe, we¡¯re not gonna talk about Lucas John : We¡¯re not? I thought he¡¯d be our favorite topictely Sandy: Your favorite ¡­ not mine ¡­e on, aren¡¯t you excited? It¡¯s gonna be over soon John : My break ising on Wednesday too ¡­ I want to take you somewhere ¡­ it¡¯s a surprise Sandy: Really? You¡¯ve prepared something for Wednesday? What if we couldn¡¯t see each other then? John : I don¡¯t fucking care anymore ¡­ I¡¯ll abduct you somehow Sandy: (Laughed) I miss you so much John : Wednesday ¡­ we¡¯ll see each other on Wednesday Tuesday passed, and everyone was relieved. She came to the set just before they wrap up the shooting. They cuddled all night while having drinks with the crew. John took her to his room that night, couldn¡¯t wait to get his hands on her naked body. She yfully refused, ¡°Let¡¯s wait another night.¡± ¡°What? No ¡­ I want you right here, right now,¡± there was hunger in his eyes. ¡°One more night, I want tomorrow to be special,¡± she refused. ¡°It¡¯s always special with you, baby, are you seriously going to make me wait?¡± he was kissing her neck and caressing her thighs. ¡°Yes, ¡­ I¡¯m serious, John, look at me ¡­ look at me,¡± she touched his chin. ¡°Tomorrow ¡­ we¡¯ll have drinks and talks ¡­ and tomorrow we¡¯ll go away just the two of us and ¡­ you can do whatever you want with me,¡± she bit her lower lip. ¡°Whatever?¡± Sandyughed, ¡°Whatever you want.¡± John buried his face in her breast and grunted, ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can wait that long ¡­ you¡¯re torturing me ¡­ whatever I want? You¡¯re going to let me do whatever I want to you?¡± ¡°Okay ¡­ now you¡¯re getting creepy ¡­ you know what I mean ¡­ nothing that involves violence and bondage.¡± He pushed her gently to the bed, ¡°Can we at least get naked tonight?¡± he tried. ¡°No ¡­ I won¡¯t be able to stop you if we¡¯re naked,¡± sheughed lightly between his kisses that tickled her. ¡°I¡¯m serious ¡­ can you wait until tomorrow? Have some self control?¡± He grunted andid beside her, he touched himself that was already hard under his pants. ¡°Why torturing me like this?¡± She hovered over him, rubbed herself on him. ¡°Because you get to do whatever you want with me tomorrow,¡± she kissed him teasingly. He moaned, he was on the verge of having a fever, his eyes were dazed, he took her hand and ced it on the bulge of his pants. ¡°Can you at least help me out here?¡± he was in agony. She kissed him again with a yful tongue, she unbuttoned his pants and touched him from the inside. He groaned. ¡°Stay here ¡­ I¡¯ll take care of you,¡± she said as she glide down and went down on him. Thirty Two He rented a secret beach for their getaway. Just the two of them, by the pristine beach in the suburbs. He had people set up a m tent, away from the tide but right on the edge. It was decorated with Christmas lights. The tent was stocked up with wine and a long table of food and deserts. Everything was white right in the middle was a round king size bed. She kept her promise, they even skipped dinner. She let him have her any way he wanted. He was prepared, he wanted her to have the best time she had ever had. John was a pleaser, there¡¯s a certain satisfaction for him to please his woman on the bed. Letting him do whatever he wanted with her would be the best sex she will ever have in her life. She didn¡¯t know how special she was for him. He had touched every inch of her body with his hands and tongue just to find out all her spots, where he can squeeze the most pleasure out of her. By then, he had found them all. He would watch her face as he did things to her, and felt her squirms and moans, pleading for more. He knew when she started biting his lips, he was on the right track. He loved it when she did that, it meant that she was ready to pick up the pace. Her eyes would get dreamy, she went to another level of consciousness. That¡¯s when he get to do it. She surrendered to himpletely and gave him full control. He made her burst into pieces under him, on top of him, bending over or standing up. She didn¡¯t know how special she was to him. ¡°Do it again, John,¡± she said with her face still blushing from the heat of passion, and he always find the strength to do it all over again. Whatever she wanted, he¡¯d give it to her. John was a pleaser, because when she was fulfilled, it gave him back what he needed. Theyid under the soft lights inside the tent. He was looking at her, she was gazing at the ceiling of the tent. ¡°Stop staring at me John Brady, it¡¯s rude to stare,¡± she joked. ¡°I can¡¯t help it, you¡¯re so beautiful when you¡¯re like that.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Unaware ¡­ contemting ¡­ inside your busy head ¡­ one can only wonder what part of your life you¡¯re assessing at the moment ¡­ if you¡¯re happy about it ¡­ or unhappy about it ¡­ something you wanted to change ¡­ and then you realized something about yourself, you learned something and you make sense of things ¡­ that¡¯s when you snap out of it and realized that I was watching you all the while you were travelling to the moon and back.¡± Sandy turned to look at him, she was amazed. The only way he could know all that was because he too was exactly the same way. ¡°Come home with me ¡­ I live in a house that¡¯ll be twice as empty when I get back, now that I¡¯ve found you,¡± he kissed her shoulder. She covered her face with both hands, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m dreaming when I¡¯m with you, John ¡­ and every time we try to talk about anything after your shooting is done, it felt like I have to wake up from the dream ¡­ and I don¡¯t want to,¡± she said. John closed his eyes almost like he was in pain. ¡°Just tell me what you want me to do, and I will do it, Sandy,¡± he pleaded with a soft voice as she moved closer to her. She shook her head, ¡°I want this ¡­ just the way it is ¡­ I love this ¡­ and we¡¯ll have this forever if we don¡¯t force it to be anything other than this.¡± John was taken aback, ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m ready ¡­ for this to be what it is ¡­ and you should too,¡± she said calmly. ¡°What?? Have you made up your mind about it? That¡¯s it? After six months and that¡¯ll be it? Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± his heart raced, he didn¡¯t like where the conversation was going. ¡°You¡¯re breaking up with me?¡± his chest was about to explode waiting for her to answer. She sat up and touched his lips, ¡°One more month ¡­ we have one whole month ahead of us, we should make it the best we ever had and stop talking about it.¡± He put her hand away from his lips, ¡°No ¡­ I want to talk about it, because I¡¯m not letting you off that easy, ¡­ you¡¯re talking shit again ¡­ I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re even thinking about it that way,¡± he was getting stirred up inside. Sheid on her back and sighed, ¡°Please don¡¯t make it so hard, John, I don¡¯t want to spend the next four weeks fighting about it and ended up losing the fight ¡­ and wasted our precious time.¡± John came face to face with her, ¡°Look me in the eyes and tell me ¡­ you¡¯ll be able to live with being parted from me without a fight ¡­ and all this, whatever crazy thing we have going on right now will end, and that you¡¯ll have no regret for not trying?¡± She looked away from his eyes, something was pushing behind her eyes, ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we should do, John.¡± He turned her face to face him again, ¡°Look at me and tell me that you¡¯ll be able to go on without looking back and wonder what it could be between us ¡­ just like that ¡­¡± She didn¡¯t reply. ¡°Because I can¡¯t do that, not this time, not with you ¡­ can you do that to me?¡± She closed her eyes, her tears fell down from the corners of her eyes, she turned away from him without giving him an answer. He didn¡¯t really want to know her answer, he didn¡¯t want to hear it. He wondered if he was the only one who dreamed about a future between them, she was so ready to let him go. His heart was breaking. She was crying, at least he knew her heart was breaking too. But she was giving up on him, she wasn¡¯t even trying to figure out ways for them.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org. He walked out of the tent and took a stroll on the beach. After all the shitty things that¡¯s happened in his life, this was what made sense of them all. But this too was falling apart. She was holding on to her heart so tightly, she wouldn¡¯t let him in. He thought he had broke down her walls, but he was wrong. It was still there guarding her, relentlessly keeping away anyone who gets close to her. Thirty Three He had toply. She had the lock and key when it came to conversations about their rtionship. Once she had put the lock in, she threw away the key and he had toply. One more month, he thought, four more weeks of chances, so he let it go for the time being. He took her back to Andrea¡¯s ce after the getaway. Andrea was still away on her business trip. She was going to pack up her things and arrange to go back to her cottage the next day. He had to meet up with his director and go over some script for the next shoot. So he left her there by herself. No more bodyguards, no more rules, things were about to go back to normal. Lucas had been calling her since the getaway, she avoided his calls. He kept calling and she finally took the call when she had settled in. Lucas : Sandy, why didn¡¯t you answer my calls? Sandy: I was with John ¡­ what is it? What¡¯s wrong? Lucas : Where are you now? John¡¯s not with you? Sandy: No, he left half an hour ago, I¡¯m at Andrea¡¯s, why?Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. Lucas : I¡¯m on my way there ¡­ lock the doors! I¡¯ll be there in fifteen minutes. Sandy: What? What¡¯s the matter? Something wrong? Lucas : It¡¯s Patrick ¡­ he never went on the ne, I just got the details yesterday ¡­ he¡¯s still on the ind. Sandy: What? Are you sure? Lucas: I¡¯m in my car right now, 15 minutes tops! She ran to the door and locked it. She closed all the curtains. She¡¯d been in there for half an hour, and then she was scared. She had a bad feeling about it. She peaked through the blinds and there he was in front of Andrea¡¯s doorsteps. He¡¯d been watching her and knew she was alone. ¡°I know you¡¯re in there by yourself, Sandy ¡­ might as well just open the goddamn door,¡± his voice made her wince. ¡°I called the police, they¡¯re on their way here!¡± she said. ¡°Great! I¡¯ll be finished with you by then ¡­ you know how long it takes for them toe, right? You¡¯ll cum twice before they get here ¡­¡± hisugh was appalling. She was disgusted by it. She started to shiver uncontrobly. She felt dirty, all her trauma came back to her in an instant. She took a knife from the kitchen. ¡°I have a knife ¡­ I¡¯ll fucking stab you!¡± she threatened him. ¡°Good ¡­ more resistance than thest time,¡± he kicked on the door but it didn¡¯t budge. He got angrier by the minute, he kept kicking until it finally broke open. Her first instinct was to run, even though she was holding a knife. He grabbed her by the hair, and threw her against the wall. She dropped the knife. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m gonna have such a good time with you tonight, baby,¡± he said to her ear and licked the side of her face. She squirmed in disgust, he was too strong for her. He dragged her around while verbally abusing her. ¡°You know what I¡¯m gonna do? I¡¯m gonna fuck you until you fucking cum and then I¡¯m gonna kill you ¡­ and I¡¯m gonna kill myself, so we¡¯ll be together in hell remembering this fucking night!¡± his hand was in her crotch as she was struggling to escape him. ¡°Do you know what they did to me in prison? I don¡¯t think you do ¡­ but you will, you fucking bitch! I¡¯m gonna do them all to you right now!¡± he tore off her dress and her front was exposed. She covered herself with her arms, ¡°Stop it, please, don¡¯t do this,¡± she pleaded in tears. He mocked her, his eyes were filled with lust and rage towards her. He squeezed her breast as he turned her around and held her from behind. ¡°Too bad your actor boyfriend is not here, maybe we should record this just for fun ¡­ and he can watch itter,¡± he took his phone while his mouth ran through her neck and ear. Sandy wriggled and kicked but it was pointless, she started to scream but he covered her mouth. He tackled her down to the floor, he went down with her. She was face down, he was on top of her. ¡°The only scream you should be screaming out of your mouth are your moans when I fuck you, do you understand?¡± She was crying, she couldn¡¯t move, he pinned her down so hard, she could hardly breathe. He put the phone beside them with the right angle to record. She was struggling to breathe with his hand covering her mouth. He lifted her skirt and pulled down her panty. She shook her head and cried even harder. She felt him unzipping his pants and pulled out his penis. ¡°Oooh it¡¯s hard baby ¡­ so hard it¡¯s gonna be good ¡­ just try to rx, you might as well enjoy this,¡± he rubbed himself on her. She screamed her lungs out, she couldn¡¯t believe it was going to happen to her again. She was giving up there was no more strength left in her, only terror and despair. She bawled her hands into a fist, she tried to wriggle away onest time. She felt light, a weight was lifted from her back. Vaguely, she realized Patrick was pulled away. She was still in shock, it took her some time to be aware, Lucas was there. He was the one who pulled Patrick away from her. They were fighting, they wrestled and threw punches at each other. Her eyes were clouded with tears, her head was fuzzy from being terrified. She was still sobbing, and curled up on the floor, frozen in fear. Lucas punched Patrick and choked him. Lucas pushed him against the wall and banged his head to it. Patrick struck his knee at Lucas¡¯s stomach and pushed him to the ground. They wrestled again. Lucas punched him on the side of his ribs but then Patrick managed to grab the knife on the floor. Lucas held his arm with all his strength to stop him from stabbing him, while his other hand tried to prevent Patrick from choking him to death. Patrick fell on the floor, his eyes turned white right before he hit the ground. Sandy had hit his head with a stone statue from the side table. Lucas stood up and held her shaking body, ¡°Oh my God, are you alright?¡± She sobbed in his arms, screaming and crying. ¡°It¡¯s alright ¡­ I¡¯m here ¡­ it¡¯s over now,¡± he was teary when he said it. He wasn¡¯t so sure before, he thought he was going to lose the fight. He kissed her forehead, thank the universe he was there just in time. He looked at Patrick on the floor, he didn¡¯t seem to be moving. ¡°Is he dead?¡± Sandy asked, still in tears. Lucas asked her to step back as he kneeled and check on Patrick. He checked three times to make sure. Sandy covered her mouth, she was on the verge of panicking. ¡°No pulse ¡­ I think he¡¯s dead,¡± Lucas said. ¡°Oh my God! Oh God! I killed him?¡± she started to hyperventte. Lucas ran to the door and closed it, blocked it with a chair. He ran back to Sandy to hold her, ¡°Ssh ¡­ calm down, it¡¯s gonna be okay ¡­¡± ¡°What are we gonna do, Lucas? I just killed a man? Oh God!¡± she covered her face. ¡°No ¡­ you didn¡¯t ¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it ¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± he calmed her down. She dropped down on the floor and wept. She was overwhelmed. Lucas knew he had to take over the situation. He took off his jacket to cover her half naked body. ¡°Do you want to call John?¡± he asked. She shook her head, ¡°No ¡­ No ¡­ I don¡¯t want to get him in trouble, he can¡¯t be involved in something like this ¡­ oh ¡­ Lucas ¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± she cried. He held her in his arms, ¡°First ¡­ we need to get you cleaned up ¡­ did he ¡­?¡± She shook her head again, ¡°He was rubbing himself on me ¡­ when you came in ¡­. uurgh ¡­ God ¡­ he almost did,¡± she clenched on Lucas, cringing over what almost happened. He was somewhat relieved to hear that, but she was terribly shaken nheless. ¡°We need to get you cleaned up ¡­ can you stand and walk to the bathroom?¡± She shook her head and nged on to Lucas. Her system had dropped, it was as if she couldn¡¯t move her joints after the shock it went through. Lucas took her in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. He filled the bathtub with warm water, ¡°I¡¯m gonna have to take your clothes, Sandy ¡­ can you do it yourself?¡± She nodded. He looked away while she took off her torn dress, her torn bra and her panty was still in the living room. Lucas was about to step out of the bathroom when she grabbed his hand, ¡°Stay with me, please ¡­ I need someone to stay with me,¡± she was trembling. He slowly turned, he looked down to avoid looking at her naked body. She got into the bathtub holding his hand, he sat on the floor next to the bathtub, she was squeezing his hand and cried. He ran his fingers through her hair, ¡°I need you to be strong, Sandy, no one can know about this,¡± he said softly. She looked up to him and nodded. ¡°Do you have any bruises and scratches? Something that John might notice?¡± She cupped her breasts with her hands and kneeled in the tub, she slowly turned 360 degree so Lucas can check for bruises. He soon regretted his question, it was the first time he had seen her naked and it gave him mixed emotions. He looked closely at every inch of her body, her skin was smooth like porcin just as he¡¯d imagined. He swallowed every thought that came in his head. After she turned a full circle, she saw it in his eyes, briefly before he looked away. ¡°What¡¯s your n, Lucas?¡± she submerged herself back in the water. ¡°This never happened ¡­ as far as you¡¯re concerned, he was never here, I was never here ¡­ I¡¯ll fix the ce up like it was never touched ¡­ I¡¯ll take care of it,¡± he exined. He was fidgeting, his mind raced, he was figuring it out as they were talking. ¡°What are you gonna do with his body?¡± she was still holding his hand. ¡°This never happened, you don¡¯t need to know that,¡± he spoke gently. He hadn¡¯t had the answer for it, but he will. ¡°I¡¯m scared ¡­ what if they find out?¡± ¡°You mustn¡¯t tell anyone, not even John ¡­ Can you do that? I need you to promise me that ¡­ or it¡¯ll never work,¡± he needed her to understand the ramification of the event. She nodded, ¡°I promise ¡­ you saved me ¡­ why are you doing all this, Lucas? You¡¯d get in trouble.¡± He was in trouble. He would¡¯ve killed Patrick himself if he had the chance. He didn¡¯t, but he would take the me for her, he would cover it up for her, he would do just about anything for her. He was silent for a moment, he kissed her hand, ¡°Because I love you,¡± he said. She looked deep into his eyes, he was telling her the truth. It was the first time she ever felt anything for him. His eyes were gentle and longing, he¡¯d been through hell and he¡¯ll go even further for her. She approached slowly and kissed his lips. Her soft lips on his felt like heaven amidst the hell they were trapped in. He needed it too, somefort that they were going through this together. The kiss was a surge of calm in the middle of chaos, it wasforting, it was calming their nerves. He touched her face, pulled her closer and engulfed her mouth in his. The only sound they could hear was their breaths tangled with each other. He brushed his face against hers, eyes closed, he absorbed every moment of that kiss like thest drop of water in the Savannah. He kissed her forehead, long and hard. He loved her like nothing else in the world. They knew it was a kiss in the moment. They just went through something traumatic together, and they were going to keep this between themselves. The kiss was a thank you and a secret they will never tell. Thirty Four Lucas took her clothes and left her to finish up in the bathroom. By the time she was done, he was gone. Patrick¡¯s body was gone. He had told her to leave as soon as she was ready, he said he would take care of everything. All the other details, she didn¡¯t have to know. She tried to put back all the stuff in its ce before she left. She wanted to call him so bad but she didn¡¯t, she went straight to her cottage and spent a sleepless night alone. ********** John started a new shooting day the next day. He was excited to go back to the cottage afterwards. Just before the day was wrapped, there was a fuss among the crew who where watching the TV. Sonya called John over, ¡°The guy who broke into the cottage ¡­ his name was Patrick Evans, wasn¡¯t it?¡± she whispered to him. ¡°Yeah, why?¡± ¡°The local news said they found him at the bottom of a cliff, he fell in his motorbike and died,¡± she exined. ¡°What?¡± he went over to see what¡¯s left of the news, and then he saw it, Patrick Evans ID and passport was shown on TV and his body being evacuated from the scene of the ident. John : Sandy ¡­ have you seen the news? Sandy: (Sighed) ¡­ yes, I just didContent is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. John : Was that him? Sandy: Yes ¡­ it¡¯s him John : I thought he went on a ne on Tuesday? Sandy: Apparently not ¡­ (silent) John : Are you alright? Sandy: Yes, I¡¯m just shocked ¡­ and relieved ¡­ I don¡¯t know ¡­ it¡¯s weird John : Are you at the cottage? Sandy: Yeah, I¡¯m here John : Okay ¡­ I¡¯ll be there as soon as possible Sandy: I¡¯ll see you soon, bye She was extremely quiet that night. John couldn¡¯t help but think there was something more than what she was telling him. But she didn¡¯t want to talk, she just wanted to drink wine, lots of wine and have lots of sex. Even then, she felt different, distant, as if she was getting over something through sex. She was on top of him, grinding away, her head was somewhere else, she wasn¡¯t even looking at him. ¡°Talk to me,¡± he said. She didn¡¯t answer. She felt so good it distracted him. He came for the third time that night, he was extremely exhausted and a little drunk. She was getting ready to have another go. ¡°Stop it,¡± he refused. He never refused, ever. She kept kissing his neck and licked him all over, she wanted another go. ¡°No ¡­ Sandy ¡­ stop it,¡± he told her again. She buried her face on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. She kept it all inside, the hardest thing to do was to keep secrets from the one that she loves. ¡°What is it, baby? Do you want to talk about it?¡± he asked with a gentle voice. She shook her head. ¡°Okay,¡± he paused. ¡°Look at me,¡± he said. She didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Look at me,¡± he asked again. She lifted her head and looked at him. ¡°There you are,¡± he smiled. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you all night ¡­ are you alright?¡± She curved a smile, he was so easy in the eyes, ¡°I am now.¡± He was relieved to see her back again. ¡°Good ¡­ I missed you ¡­ we were making love all night but you seemed so far away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± she answered swiftly. He swiped her hair so he can see her face, ¡°Wee back ¡­ so what do you wanna do now?¡± She smiled shyly, ¡°Do you have to ask?¡± ¡°Oh no ¡­ no more ¡­ I¡¯m so tired, baby ¡­ I can kiss you,¡± he negotiated. She kissed him and bit the bottom of his lips gently. ¡°I can kiss you down there.¡± he told her. She let him slip his way down and kissed her. He took care of her like he always did. ********** She was drinking her coffee in the kitchen, gazing at the frontwn. He was sure she didn¡¯t get any sleepst night. ¡°Good morning,¡± he greeted her and held her from behind. ¡°Good morning,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°Kevin ising today ¡­ he¡¯ll be staying here with me for a couple of weeks, is that alright?¡± ¡°Of course ¡­ I can finally get to know the little guy,¡± he was excited. ¡°Yeah ¡­ I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s finally over,¡± she exhaled deeply. He kissed her cheek, ¡°I¡¯m d too ¡­ I gotta go get ready, what time is Kevining?¡± ¡°After lunch, I¡¯m picking them up at the airport and then I¡¯ll drop my mom at her house.¡± ¡°When do I get to meet your mom?¡± he said yfully, and sheughed it off. ********** He came back to a very different scene that night. Sandy was cuddling andughing with Kevin on the couch. She was going to get him ready for bed when he entered the cottage. ¡°Hi! ¡­ Kevin, this is my friend, John ¡­ do you remember?¡± she told him. Kevin stared at John, unsure what to say or do, he held on to his mom¡¯s legs. ¡°Hey, Kevin, I heard you wereing, so ¡­ I bought you something.¡± John took out a box of Captain America and he immediately ran over to John to get his present. ¡°What do you say, honey?¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± he said timidly with a shy look in his eyes. John tousled his hair and smiled, ¡°You¡¯re wee buddy.¡± ¡°Okay, we¡¯ll y with that tomorrow, it¡¯s past your bedtime sweetheart ¡­ let¡¯s go brush your teeth, and I¡¯ll read you something.¡± Kevin was so sweet, he listened to his mom and ran to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He took Captain America with him to bed. It was the first time he really saw her as a mother. She was just Sandy all these times. He was about to experience a very different side of her with Kevin. Just when he thought he couldn¡¯t fall deeper in love with her, he fell further for the mother in her. He watched her intently as she put Kevin to bed, prepared his meals, yed with him, kissed and snuggled with him. The way she changed his clothes, washed them, negotiated with him when he wanted something he couldn¡¯t have, cleaned him. She was everything he wanted in a woman, a mother of his children. They would have breakfast together every morning when Kevin was there. John managed to capture Kevin¡¯s affection by taking him for a swim before he went to work. He took him out for a 10 minute motorbike ride after breakfast because Kevin had asked him to. Sometimes they yed hide and seek while Sandy washed the dishes or did theundry. John came home to a heart warming feeling when he heard themughing or singing in the cottage, sometimes even dancing. She looked tired but relieved, another day had gone by smoothly. She had put Kevin to sleep and walked over to John to kiss and hugged him. ¡°I love seeing you with him, you¡¯re so good with him,¡± heplimented her. She didn¡¯t reply. ¡°You¡¯re such a good mother,¡± he kissed her forehead. Sandy burst into tears, she buried her face on his chest. ¡°Baby ¡­ what¡¯s the matter? Did I say something wrong?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a good mother, John, I¡¯m not ¡­¡± she walked over to the couch and threw herself on it. ¡°Where Ie from, what you disyed is the definition of a good mother,¡± he was puzzled. She broke down and cried, as if she had been holding it back for some time. John went over to sit beside her and let her pour it out. ¡°I was eight weeks in when I found out I was pregnant ¡­ the only reason why I didn¡¯t get an abortion was because it was toote ¡­ too dangerous for me ¡­ illegal ¡­ and then Trevor left, even though I was determined to gave him up for adoption, Trevor couldn¡¯t deal with it ¡­ it was the worst 9 months of my life,¡± she reminisce the darker times. ¡°I was at war with myself over this unwanted child ¡­ how could I ever love it or live with it, raise it? It was a constant reminder of the most horrible thing that ever happened to me ¡­ I hated it even before he was born into the world,¡± she wept. The pain and anger of the past came surging. ¡°And then when he was born ¡­ I took one look at him ¡­ and I thought, who could possibly love a child whose own mother doesn¡¯t even want? He didn¡¯t deserve that ¡­ so I changed my mind ¡­ in an instant, I held him in my arms and I changed my mind ¡­ I was keeping him, I was going to raise him by myself,¡± she paused and calmed herself down. ¡°It wasn¡¯t hard to fall in love with him, but it wasn¡¯t easy to love him either ¡­ I struggled, he looks more like Patrick every day ¡­ and I wonder when he does things that I don¡¯t recognize, was it gics from Patrick¡¯s side? And then I resent him for it ¡­ I second guess my decision ¡­ I¡¯m not a good mother ¡­ Even today when he had a tantrum and I was tired, I second guessed my decision, why did I ever thought I could do this? That¡¯s why I need my mom to help me out with him ¡­ I can¡¯t handle him alone ¡­ he¡¯ll be in school soon ¡­ and they¡¯re going to ask about his father and I wouldn¡¯t know what to tell him ¡­ I just ¡­¡± she cried again. Johnforted her in his arms, he never felt closer to her. In the moment of anguish, she shared her darkest thoughts with him. ¡°Thank you for telling me that,¡± he whispered to her ear. It was all too human what she felt for Kevin. It didn¡¯t change the fact that she was raising him as best she could. It reminded him of his own grief when he had lost his child and his fianc¨¦, he struggled for years to be able to trust life again. It was a very different story than what Sandy had gone through, but the tragedy was the same. He sat by her all through the night, she poured out her mixed emotions, and he was there to listen to her. All the while he was thinking of ways of how he could get her toe home with him. Where would Kevin go to school, what work could she do, how would she go about her day, how he could split his closet to fit all her stuff in. His shooting will wrap up in two weeks, she hadn¡¯t shown any sign that she would have another conversation about it. That night was not a good time, he had to wait for another chance. Thirty Five She dropped Kevin back to her mother¡¯s house. On the way to John¡¯s set, she stopped at La Lune. It¡¯s been two weeks and she hasn¡¯t heard from Lucas. She wanted to know how he was doing. The ce was full as usual. The minute his staff saw hering, they informed Lucas immediately. She was escorted to his office. They hugged for some time, it was an embrace they didn¡¯t have when theyst saw each other. ¡°How are you, Sandy?¡± His voice was gentle as ever. ¡°I¡¯m okay, how are you?¡± ¡°As well as I can be,¡± he smiled. They sat across from each other, his gaze fell on her for a moment, a deep and longing stare that said a million things. He told her he was leaving for Greece. He had decided to take a long vacation. He had rented a house there for 6 months and had made arrangements with his team to take care of business while he¡¯s away. They didn¡¯t mention anything about that night, the only way to make it work was to pretend that it never happened. She didn¡¯t stay long, she just wanted to know how he was doing. She stood up and excused herself. He came over and held her hand. ¡°Thank you, Lucas ¡­ I guess I wanted to say a proper thank you ¡­ before you go,¡± she said. He looked into her eyes and smiled, ¡°You really didn¡¯t need to say that, but ¡­ you¡¯re wee,¡± he kissed the back of her hand. ¡°I can never just be friends with you, Sandy.¡± ¡°I know,¡± she finally agreed. ¡°I wish it were different,¡± he came closer to her. ¡°Any woman would be so lucky to be loved by you, Lucas, I hope you¡¯ll find her,¡± she touched his lips to prevent him from leaning over to kiss her. He closed his eyes, ¡°I already did.¡± ¡°I guess this is goodbye then?¡± she sighed. ¡°For now,¡± he answered. They embraced each other again, longer than before, and said their goodbyes without a kiss. ********** ¡°I stopped by at La Lune today,¡± she told John when they were at the cottage. ¡°Oh?¡± he was surprised.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Lucas is leaving.¡± ¡°Leaving?¡± ¡°He said he¡¯s taking a long vacation to Greece,¡± she said casually as she got undressed. ¡°How long?¡± ¡°He rented a home for 6 months, I think he¡¯s nning to start anew there,¡± she smiled. ¡°I thought you¡¯d like to know.¡± She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, ¡°I¡¯m gonna draw a warm bath, you want to join me?¡± ¡°I thought you¡¯d never ask.¡± They made love in the tub. Her mood was so much lighter than the night before. It seemed like a burden had been lifted off her shoulders, she was back to her usual self. He was happy to have her to himself again, even happier to hear that Lucas was going away. But time was ticking, and it was weighing in his head. He hated to think that he was going to go back home and leave this wonderful person he¡¯d just found when he wanted her to be in his life all the time. She told him stories, smiling andughing away. All her words were muffled by a thick cloud of thoughts in his mind. She was moving in slow motion in his head, the image of him going back home without her was pushing him to the edge until it finally blurted out of his mouth. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to be with me?¡± She was taken aback by his question, ¡°Of course, that¡¯s an odd question?¡± she furrowed her eyebrows. ¡°Can we talk about this now?¡± he was serious. Her demeanor quickly changed, she looked away. ¡°Are we pretending we don¡¯t have to deal with this? ¡¯cause I can¡¯t pretend anymore, Sandy, we¡¯re running out of time.¡± She could tell by his tone, he was getting upset. ¡°I don¡¯t know what to say, John, do we really want to talk about technicalities without solutions?¡± He went over to her side of the tub, ¡°Come with me ¡­ please ¡­ I beg you.¡± She covered her face with her hands and sighed, ¡°I can¡¯t, John ¡­ you know that.¡± No matter how many times he heard her say it, he hoped the next time he asked, the answer would be different. ¡°I¡¯ll stay here with you then?¡± She shook her head, ¡°I can¡¯t let you ¡­ I¡¯m not gonna be that person who snatches you away from who you are ¡­ you love your life in Algonia.¡± ¡°You have to choose one or the other, because long distance rtionships just don¡¯t work,¡± he slipped between her legs and wrapped his arms around her waist. ¡°I know ¡­ neither does forcing one or the other to give up their lives, that¡¯s not gonna work either, John,¡± she yed his hair with her fingers. He knew she was making sense, but the boy in him just wouldn¡¯t give up, ¡°What are you saying, baby?¡± She forced a faint smile, ¡°Two more weeks ¡­ we¡¯ll have that ¡­ and then you¡¯ll go back to your life and I¡¯ll go back to mine ¡­ no goodbyes ¡­¡± her voice was cracking. ¡°No ¡­ no ¡­ you¡¯re breaking my heart, Sandy, tell me how? I want you in my life.¡± She couldn¡¯t hold back the tears any longer, the day had turned from happy to sad within minutes. She held his face close to her, ¡°I¡¯ll be here, I¡¯m not going anywhere ¡­ we can still be in each other¡¯s lives ¡­ just not the way we want it ¡­ who knows, maybe you¡¯ll go back home and find someone else and ¡­¡± ¡°No ¡­ no baby, don¡¯t put that ugly thought in your head, that¡¯s not how it is for me ¡­ this is not a temporary thing, or something I sought out to keep me upied while I¡¯m here, it¡¯s not like that for me ¡­ I fell in love with you, it¡¯s the most unexpected and wonderful thing that ever happened to me, and it¡¯s killing me right now ¡­ I can¡¯t even imagine that you would go on with your life and meet someone ¡­ you might as well just put a knife in my chest and kill me,¡± he was at his wits end. ¡°Parting from you is going to be my next hell, John, I don¡¯t want to say goodbye to you ¡­ ever ¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not say goodbye then ¡­ be with me, please,¡± he pulled her in and kissed her hard. Her arms were around his shoulders, her hand all over his soft hair. She pulled him tight. Their tongue were inside each other¡¯s throats. He was desperate for her, she was heart broken. She couldn¡¯t go through with it, she broke down and cried. He sighed and kissed her forehead. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom as she cried on his shoulder. It wasn¡¯t a break up. They weren¡¯t going to say goodbye to each other. They told themselves it¡¯s not really over, but it felt like it was. Thirty Six They held it together as best they can. Two weeks gone by like a blink of an eye. Neither one of them was their usual happy self. He held her hand everywhere they went, and kissed it every now and again. Those who knew him can see how terrified he was as thest day of shooting was approaching. The team had arranged a big farewell party at a fancy beach club. They were supposed to fly out the next day. They¡¯d even arranged some staff to pack up all John¡¯s stuff at the cottage so he didn¡¯t have to. She dressed up for the asion, he held his breath when he saw her. His fans cheered and asked for pictures. Camera shed everywhere. The scene was distasteful for Sandy, she was about to go through one of the hardest nights in her life. The music was loud, happy faces all around. They were d for a job well done, and she was about to drop herself in the mix and poison them with her gloom. ¡°I can¡¯t do this, John,¡± he tugged his jacket. ¡°What? What do you mean?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t go through with this, you go ahead and celebrate ¡­ I¡¯ll wait for you in the cottage,¡± she said. John pulled her back, ¡°Wait, no, Sandy ¡­ it¡¯s ourst night together, please stay,¡± he begged her. She paused for a minute, listened to her surroundings, at the same time, she heard what her heart was telling her. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, John, I don¡¯t think I can do it ¡­ I¡¯ll wait for you in the cottage.¡± She kissed him and left. Sonya saw her as she left, she was waiting for John to enter the venue. ¡°She¡¯s noting?¡± John was signing autographs, he couldn¡¯t even put a smile on his face. ¡°Nope,¡± he answered. Sonya asked the bodyguard to escort John inside and kept his fans at bay. All the crew was sensitive to his situation, they sensed his dark mood, far from his usual calm and collected manner. They were supportive of the rtionship, they¡¯ve grown to know Sandy and they really liked her. She brought out the best in John. John was asked to deliver a speech to wrap up their 6 month production. He thanked everyone for a great job. Everyone can see how distracted he was, and they felt bad that he had to go through with it faking a smile on his face. He loved his job, but this was the first time they saw there¡¯s something else he loved equally. The soonest he went down from the stage, the director pulled him away and told him to go where he needed to go. So he did. ********** When she arrived at thepound, she went straight to John¡¯s cottage. His suitcases were packed and organized by the foyer. The ce was cleaned from any traces of him. They left nothing on the coffee table, dining table, anywhere. It was as if he was never there except for the suitcases and a faint scent of his cologne. Something died inside her, she had to hold it together. She went upstairs to the main bathroom, his personal belongings were all packed and ready to go. She opened the ss door to the balcony to get the night air in. She took candles from the storage and lit them up in the bedroom and turned off the lights. She wanted theirst night together to be special. She¡¯d been telling herself since morning to hold back her tears, she¡¯ll have plenty of time to cry, but not that night. When she walked out of the bedroom, John was already standing in the hallway. ¡°John? You¡¯re back early?¡± she was startled. She forced a smile, ¡°They¡¯ve packed up all your stuff,¡± her voice trembled. He just stood there with an empty stare. The tall, dark and handsome actor that had swept her off of her feet, sleeked in his suits and tie. This man had managed to made her heart skip a beat every time she looked at him. ¡°Sandy ¡­¡± he called her softly and walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her forehead, ¡°I love you,¡± he said. She closed her eyes and took it all in. His words wrapped around her soul like a warm nket. ¡°I love you, John,¡± she said softly and opened her eyes to meet his gaze. He kissed her passionately, swept her off her feet, literally. They entered the bedroom, no words needed to be said. He knew the minute he saw her in that ck dress, he was going to take it off her. His firm hands ran over her skin as he slid down the dress and caressed her with the back of his hand. She tasted sweet in his mouth and it hurt. ¡®Thest time¡¯ It echoed in their minds as it tried to figure out how to enjoy this knowing it was going to be thest. His grip was stronger that night, his pushes harder, his kisses engulfed her breaths. He was angry, and sad, confused, in love, everything fused in the way he made love to her. He didn¡¯t want it to end, he didn¡¯t want it to be thest time. He knew her body like the back of his hand, and he knew she felt him like it was meant tost forever. She was his, they have found each other for a reason but the reason was dissolved in the harsh reality that they had to be apart once again. It stopped him for a brief moment, he buried his face in the curve of her neck, he closed his eyes. She brushed his hair with her fingers and kissed his cheek, ¡°It¡¯s¡¯ okay ¡­ we can do this,¡± she whispered in his ear. He took a deep breath, he had to fight it. His eyes darkened when he emerged. She couldn¡¯t decipher the look on his face. Whatever he was feeling, it was the source of his incredible endurance that night.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org. When he finally came, he fell on the bed next to her, face down, panting, and heart broken. They curled up with each other in silence, there were too many things to say that can only be spoken through their touches. They kissed until they fell asleep in each other¡¯s arms. Thirty Seven She watched him sleep as the sunlight crept upon his skin. How much this man had changed her life, and how much she was going to miss him. She gathered herself, she swore she was going to keep it together for just a few more hours. She slowly got out of bed, put on her clothes, thest thing she wanted was to wake him up. She took a pen and paper, ¡°No farewell ¡­ Love: Sandy¡± and put it on the pillow next to him. She climbed down the stairs and saw the suitcases, they were saying goodbye to her. She walked out the door to her cottage. She changed her clothes, packed up a few things in her backpack and left. ********** He woke up from the piercing sunlight upon his face. He jolted out of bed when he felt she wasn¡¯t next to him. Then he saw the note, he crumpled it in his hand, ¡°Goddamn it, Sandy!¡± he cursed. He put on his pants and ran downstairs, he called out her name but no answer. He ran across thewn to her cottage, called out her name, nothing. ¡°Fuck!!¡± he hit the wall with his palm. He called her mobile, it was turned off. He texted, not delivered. He sat on the porch shaken by herst cowardly act. He tried her cell phone again, it went straight to voicemail. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you¡¯re doing this to me, Sandy, I¡¯ll be leaving in two hours ¡­ please don¡¯t let me go without seeing you, where are you, baby? Meet me at the airport in two hours?¡± he left the message hoping she woulde to her senses and meet him at the airport. His team came an hour early to pick him up. He asked them to leave the motorbike at the cottage. They loaded his suitcases to the car and locked all the doors after a final scan of the property. They left the keys at Sandy¡¯s cottage. She hasn¡¯te back. John left her a letter on her dining table. He took onest look at the ce, he was crumbling inside. The memories he had in that ce will be cherished for the rest of his life. He zoned out, he didn¡¯t respond to anything anyone said to him. He looked out the window all the way to the airport. He tried her cell again at the airport, it went to voicemail again. ¡°Sandy ¡­ I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re trying to gain with this ¡­ vanishing act ¡­ but it¡¯s hurting me ¡­ more than you could ever imagine ¡­ I can¡¯t believe I have to go like this, what am I supposed to do now, baby? Why are you doing this to me?¡± He waited until the veryst minute, but she never showed up. His bodyguards were having a hard time trying to keep people away from crowding around him. ¡°John ¡­ it¡¯s time to go, man,¡± Larry told him. He nodded reluctantly, and boarded the ne. He didn¡¯t say a single thing in the 24 hour flight to Algonia. ********** The minute she left the cottage, she was a wreck. She cried her heart out at the beach, by herself. She turned off her cell phone and drowned in sorrow. The dreadful day had finally arrived and she couldn¡¯t handle herself. She tried her hardest not to look for him, not call him, destroyed in the pain of losing the one she¡¯d been waiting for all her life. ¡°Oh ¡­ God ¡­ help me,¡± she cried as she fell down on the sand. She hugged her folded legs and buried her face between her knees. She stayed there until afternoon and then went to Andrea¡¯s. ¡°Oh honey ¡­ I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Andrea said when she opened the door and hugged her. Sandy cried all day until she couldn¡¯t even speak. She couldn¡¯t eat, couldn¡¯t sleep, all she did was cry. ¡°I love him, Andrea, I love him so much,¡± was the only thing she managed to say. There was nothing anyone could do but to let her pour her heart out. She didn¡¯t want to go home because it would make it worse. She stayed at Andrea¡¯s for three days and didn¡¯t turn on her phone. When she was finally able to control her crying, she went back to her cottage and turned on her phone. There were dozens of messages from John, a reminder that her life was not really over even though it felt like it. The first thing she found was the letter he had left her, ¡°Goodbyes are only for those who love with their eyesThis content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org. Because for those who love with heart and soul, there is no such thing as separation¡± He quoted Rumi, her favorite poet. And it made her break down and cry again. She spent the night staring at the wall, tears streamed down her face every now and again. John was going back to his life, and she was drowning in a pool of tears, her life was once again falling apart. She received a link of a youtube post from Andrea with a text, ¡°call him ¡­ he looks as miserable as you are.¡± She clicked the link and it was a video of John when he arrived at the Algonia airport after he left Bhorma. It was a five minute video taken from the Paparazzi¡¯s camera and he looked absolutely devastated. The bodyguards were hauling away the cameras and the people who were waiting for him at the airport. There was no trace of smile on his face, he wasn¡¯t even looking at them. His eyes were hollow. People were screaming out his name and he didn¡¯t respond. He was hurting too. She took the courage to listen to her messages, she missed his voice so much and after watching the video, something inside her wanted to know that he was okay. ¡°I can¡¯t stop thinking of you, baby ¡­ I don¡¯t know what to do ¡­ I wish I can talk to you, just hearing your voice would make me feel better ¡­ I can¡¯t stop wondering if you¡¯re feeling the same way or are you partying with your friends ¡­ (scoffed) ¡­ it¡¯s like you¡¯re tearing out my chest and taking my heart out and squeezing it in your hands, this is beyond cruel ¡­ nothing ¡­ no words, nothing ¡­ I don¡¯t know if I should miss you or be angry with you ¡­ please, Sandy ¡­ I need to talk to you ¡­ please ¡­ (sniffed) ¡­ pick up the phone, call me, anytime at all ¡­¡± He left so many simr messages and she was struck with guilt. Not only she was hurting herself, she was hurting him too. She didn¡¯t know what to do either, it was the only way she knew how to deal with the situation. Listening to him hurting the way he did took it¡¯s toll on her. She decided to pack up her stuff and leave for her sanctuary in the suburb, the small dpidated cabin by the cliff where she hides from the world. She spent weeks there when she was recovering from her tragedy years before, and now she was seeking the same answers there. She meditated by the beach. Alone in the breeze, listened to the waves and the birds that seemed to be looking out for her. She watched the horizon as the sun wasing down. There is something magical about a person that wasn¡¯t there before but then when they meet each other, as if the world was not functioning the way it suppose to after they were gone. She felt like someone was standing in the far side behind her. When she turned to look, it was the face that could make all her sorrow go away in an instant. Tall, dark and handsome. His beard and his messy hair, she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re back?¡± He raised an eyebrow and shrugged it off. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± he said. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re here.¡± She was puzzled, didn¡¯t know what to think about the fact that he was there at her most sacred ce just to see her. She stood up to face him. The wind blew his hair, he had a serious look on his face. ¡°I have no idea why I¡¯m here either ¡­ I just want to be with you ¡­ if you¡¯ll have me,¡± the circle around his eyes told her that he hasn¡¯t been sleeping, just as she was. He probably hadn¡¯t even got over his jetg from the flight back to Algonia. ¡°I don¡¯t know how we can work this out, but I want this to work ¡­ God I swear ¡­ if I ever wanted anything to work, I want us to work,¡± he looked deep in her eyes even though they were far away from each other. Sandy walked over to him, her eyes were red and plumped from crying every day since he left. John saw it as she¡¯s gotten closer, she looked the way he felt. ¡°Are you staying?¡± she sounded fragile. ¡°I¡¯d like to think so ¡®cause it was a freakin¡¯ long flight,¡± he was able to joke. Sandy blurt out augh, he can always made herugh even though she was still sad, she was crying too butughing. She held him tight just to be sure that she wasn¡¯t imagining it. She felt his warmth and cried over how much she had missed it, she will never be able to let him go again. ¡°You¡¯re going to break my heart John Brady ¡­ I could die over you,¡± she said, still trying tough behind her tears. John touched her chin and turned her face to look at him, he wiped her tears with his palms. ¡°We¡¯ll figure this out, Sandy, don¡¯t give up on us,¡± then he kissed her ever so gently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I was so scared ¡­ I didn¡¯t know what else to do,¡± she said. ¡°I know, I was scared too ¡­ but I love you ¡­ I¡¯m not giving up that easily,¡± he held her in his embrace. She rested her head on his chest, ¡°I love you, John.¡± And it was enough for them right that very moment. The love they felt for each other, the need to be together. They embraced by the sshing of the water, surrounded by the pristine beach and the sound of seagulls. Unattached to anything else but their own existence. In that very ce, nothing else seemed to matter and it was okay. They were going to be alright. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!