Hollywood Princess

by Dana Aynn Levin

  “Your other beaux won’t mind.” Danny teased.

  “No. I’m not seeing anyone exclusively.”

  “Elizabeth, you are now. I expect my girlfriend to be exclusive.”

  “You’re making a lot of assumptions, Daniel.”

  “That I am,” he grinned. Then Danny kissed me again.

  The waiter, a pleasant young man wearing the restaurant’s uniform khaki trousers and denim shirt came to take our drink order.

  “Would you like a bottle of wine, sir,” he asked Danny.

  After a moment Danny responded, “Let’s make it champagne.”

  Champagne! The perfect drink for this now very special evening.

  Soon the waiter returned with our champagne and took our dinner order. Danny and I decided to split a Caprese salad, and we each selected filet mignon. With Juliette gone from his life, Danny was back to being a carnivore.

  When the waiter left, Danny turned this attention to me. My heart beat rapidly. Danny raised his flute, and I followed. I blushed. I melted. Danny was so intense.

  “Elizabeth, my best friend and now my girlfriend,” Danny began. “You’re not only beautiful, you’re compassionate, smart, funny, and most important, you tolerate my BS. Thank you for waiting.”

  A tear escaped my eye as we gently tapped our glasses together and Danny delicately brushed it away. Then we took our first sip of the wonderfully dry champagne.

  “This is excellent,” I said softly. I didn’t know how else to respond.

  Finally, I raised my glass, my hand trembling, “Daniel, I would be proud to be yours exclusively. Thank you for this magical evening.”

  The food was as wonderful as the atmosphere and that wasn’t because I had consumed too many dining hall meals. The Beach House rivaled the best of New York and Beverly Hills.

  A few sips into his cappuccino Danny put down his cup and took my hands. He was unexpectedly serious. His deep blue eyes held sadness I couldn’t comprehend.

  “Is something the matter?” I asked tenderly.

  My stomach turned nervous flip-flops as I mentally replayed the evening. It had seemed perfect and Danny quickly confirmed my interpretation.

  “No. It’s been a great evening,” Danny smiled.

  I was even more confused, but Danny continued. “I’ve been sending you a lot of mixed signals lately.” He paused for a breath. “This is hard. I’m not good at discussing my feelings. The truth is, Elizabeth you’ve become the most important person in my life. But the rapidity scares me. Hell, we weren’t even on a date when we left Donnelly. Now you’re my girlfriend.”

  I felt drunk with joy. Danny had meant what he said earlier.

  “Elizabeth, you have no idea how much I wish we were staying here tonight.” Danny’s sapphires darkened with intensity. “But I’m not ready. I can’t give you the commitment that would require. I’m afraid of hurting you and I want to be more certain that I won’t.”

  I was shaking. Danny massaged my knuckles to calm me.

  “Why do you think you would necessarily hurt me?”

  Danny inhaled deeply. “I’ve seen it with my parents,” he quietly admitted.

  “But they’re happy, right?”

  “Mostly, I think. They are now. But Dad has caused my mother much pain over the years. My parents don’t know that I know, but Dad has cheated on Mom.”

  Danny’s voice quivered as he told me this family secret. I squeezed his hand in support.

  “Is that why they once separated?” I asked in a near whisper.

  Danny nodded sadly. “I overheard my mother crying to yours. I’m sure that’s why they sent me to Bromley. With me at boarding school, Mom could go on location with Dad.” Years later, his parents’ marital problems still affected him.

  “I’m so sorry. I can feel how hurt you are.” I brushed his cheek with my fingertips. Danny took my hand and kissed my palm.

  “I’m okay, but I’m determined not to hurt you like that. Eli, you know I never make any promise that I’m not one hundred percent certain I can keep. I don’t think I can promise to be true to you. I’m asking a lot, but I need to work it out for myself. I don’t want to hurt you. I’ll understand if you tell me to go to hell.”

  Holy shit! I wanted Danny so badly, but I didn’t want him being unfaithful.

  “I could never say that to you.”

  “I’m glad. Part of me would die if you did.”

  “Maybe you’re being honest in a way that most men never are. Should I do the same? Not promise to be faithful?”

  “No. I told you before you are mine exclusively. If there’s a guy you’ve been dating, Eli you’re not anymore. You’re through with him. That’s how it has to be.”

  I gazed intently into his eyes. Danny’s sincerity was palpable. I took his face in my hands and kissed him. Danny knew he was the only man for me.

  It had taken him over eighteen years to take me on a date. Then he had declared me his girlfriend. Danny was overwhelmed. Settling down with me was in complete contradiction of his carefully crafted self-image. The lift of an eyebrow, a simple smile, those damned sapphire eyes, could land him any girl in the room and often did.

  So here we were. What about today had been different? Was it as simple as us spending the afternoon apart? I had no idea. Something had made Danny take himself out of the game for the one girl whose very existence spelled permanency.

  Danny was petrified. If it made him feel better to have invented a twisted out-clause we both knew he would never use, I would go along with the fiction. I was in it for the long haul.

  “Let’s get the check,” I suggested. “I want to see the beach.”

  After Danny paid, we strolled the resort’s grounds. The night was considerably colder now. Danny wrapped his arm around me, holding me close as we found the shore.

  The lights from the inn illuminated the beach enough for us to see how pretty it would be by day. The moon reflected off the lake’s smooth glass-like surface. Of all the places I had been, none compared to this.

  Danny pulled me tighter. The electricity between us was so powerful I was trembling. He thought I was cold and held me even closer. Our eyes met, followed by our lips, and Danny transported me someplace magical.

  A teak bench situated where the patio met the sand provided a private sanctuary. I settled onto Danny’s lap and snuggled in his welcoming arms.

  Danny and I were so into each other, content to enjoy the feel of our arms locking us together. Sharing kiss after kiss denied us all year was more potent than any spell.

  “I could do this all night,” I sighed as Danny’s hypnotic eyes smiled at me.

  Then he laughed nervously. “Eli, you have no idea how petrified I am. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do with a girlfriend. And you’re even less experienced.”

  “Don’t think so much,” I said tenderly, and I nibbled Danny’s lips. “We’ll be the same best friends we were this morning, only now we can have sex.”

  “Sex with Elizabeth Jacobs,” Danny pondered. “Do you realize the enormity of what I’ve done? You’re the one girl I’m afraid to have sex with.”

  “Let’s just get it over with. Then you won’t have to worry anymore about me being Elizabeth Jacobs.”

  “You make it sound so simple.”

  “It is, Daniel,” I said breathlessly. “It is.” I reached around his neck and brought his lips to mine for another kiss. My poor honey; so full of conflict.

  Later, Danny and I sat starring at the full moon caught between two tall pine trees. I frowned knowing our evening would soon be coming to an end.

  “Before we go public, I want to give us time to become solid as a couple.”

  “You don’t want the attention, do you?” Danny asked.

  “Yeah,” I said quietly, summoning my confidence to say what had been gnawing at me. “You split with Juliette, but have you been seeing anyone else?”

  “Yeah.”

  “What!” I sat straight up and glare
d. How did I not know?

  “You asked me a direct question. I promised to always be honest with you, Eli.”

  I glared at Danny, but he was smiling which puzzled me.

  “There’s this beautiful, wonderfully neurotic brunette from Santa Monica. I think you might know her.” And he shut me up by kissing me again.

  “Are you as happy as I am?” I asked.

  Danny grinned and looked straight into my eyes.

  “Yes. And relieved,” he finally answered. “Eli, I’ve been conflicted from that first day in the dining hall. When we hugged... I told myself it was the surprise of seeing you again and how I’d forgotten you’d become a woman. I wasn’t expecting it.”

  “I felt it too. It frightened me. I didn’t want to become a twelve year old with a hopeless crush again.”

  Danny hugged me and laughed, “I loved when you were a twelve year old with a hopeless crush. It was so cute.”

  He hugged me again and continued. “We were together so much it frightened me. I didn’t handle it well. I wanted you, and at the same time I wanted to keep the line drawn. That’s sort of why I hooked up with Juliette.”

  I smirked. “You hooked up with Juliette to stay away from me?”

  Danny laughed. “I thought if I had a girlfriend it would inoculate me. Obviously, it didn’t work. I spent more time with you than with Juliette. I was hoping I could get to Christmas before breaking up with her.”

  Now I was laughing. Juliette was such an obvious mismatch for Danny.

  “No, Thanksgiving,” I choked. “You’re spending the holiday with my family.”

  “That’s right. All the time I was with Juliette, I was craving you. I need a girl I can be myself with. It’s great that Juliette’s a vegan, but it’s not me.”

  I thought of my two hapless dates with Greg.

  “Like if we were to go to a movie Friday night, you and I would share a big bucket of popcorn. And I would slather it with as much butter as I wanted, because of course that’s the only way to eat movie popcorn.”

  “Yeah,” Danny answered. “What other way is there?”

  “You would never complain that we were about to ingest ‘butter-flavored chemicals’ and forbid me.”

  “Did somebody do that?” Danny asked in surprise.

  “Yes,” I answered earnestly.

  “It probably is butter-flavored chemicals, but so what? We don’t eat it every day. Movie popcorn has to be buttered.” Danny paused for effect, and then twinkled his sapphire eyes at me. “And then I would kiss your buttery flavored lips.”

  “I would expect nothing less,” I flirted back.

  “All because of buttered popcorn. Let’s see what’s opening Friday night.”

  “I’m available.”

  “You’d better be or I’ll have to break up with you.” Danny answered, and he playfully rubbed his nose against mine. I giggled in delight.

  “Your busted ankle was the turning point for me. The moment I received your text, making everything better consumed me. Those two nights were amazing.”

  “But we didn’t do anything.”

  “Didn’t matter. It was so incredibly intimate. Especially when the storm frightened you.” Danny smiled at me. “Holding you while we slept felt so right.”

  “We can do it again,” I said eagerly.

  “I told you, I’m not ready.”

  “If you sleep with me you won’t want to sleep with anyone else, not ever.”

  “You certainly are confident,” he laughed. “What if you don’t like sex?”

  I looked Danny straight in the eyes as I brought my face to his and kissed him.

  “Impossible. I’m with you.”

  CHAPTER 26 - ELIZABETH

  Saturday dawned bright and warm for early November. Following a perfect Friday evening movie date, spent sharing a bucket of saturated buttered popcorn with Danny, it was going to be a great afternoon for rugby.

  Chloe accompanied me to the field. “I don’t understand anything about rugby,” she giggled. “I just love watching cute guys run around in shorts.”

  Rachel refused to be a hypocrite. “Count me out,” she declared. “I don’t care if it is Danny and Cam. Rugby’s a waste of my time.”

  Despite having attended several games, I still didn’t understand the sport. No matter how many times Danny had explained it, rugby made no sense. Football, soccer – those I understood. Rugby, forget it, but I could still cheer for my man.

  My man! Today marked my first appearance on the sidelines as Danny’s girlfriend, though I didn’t think anyone yet knew.

  “Hey, look at you! Elizabeth Jacobs, photo-journalist.” Danny teased when he spotted me, my camera hanging from my shoulder, standing with Chloe.

  “Be nice or you won’t get in the yearbook,” I teased back.

  “Great lens,” Cam noted, referring to the high-powered zoom I had purchased on Thursday for this purpose. Cam was an avid photographer. He could teach me a thing or two.

  Chloe and Cam left to talk privately, leaving me with Danny.

  “Be careful,” I cautioned. Our eyes locked, and we shared a lovers’ glance while our fingertips touched. Electric!

  “Don’t worry,” Danny smiled, “It’s not as dangerous as you think.”

  “Newman.” Duncan appeared from out of nowhere. I jerked my fingers away from Danny’s. “I see you have your own publicist,” he sneered.

  I held up the badge dangling from a lanyard around my neck. “Yearbook staff,” I answered curtly.

  “My mistake, Lois Lane,” he sneered.

  “Duncan!” Danny admonished.

  “I didn’t mean to offend Malibu Barbie,” Duncan smirked.

  “You are too low on the food chain to offend me. Plus it’s Danny who has a house in Malibu. Not me,” I retorted.

  Danny shook his head in frustration.

  “Elizabeth, Duncan, put away your claws,” Danny said in a stern, commanding voice. “I’ll be with you in a minute,” he told Duncan.

  “Right.” Duncan knew he’d gone over the line and left to join the team.

  “Can’t you two be civil?” Danny asked.

  “Ask him,” I answered. I sounded like a petulant little girl. I had disliked Duncan from the first and the sentiment appeared to be mutual.

  Danny sighed. “Got to go, babe.” He laced his fingers with mine. “Game time.”

  “Play well,” I said, and I rose to full height to kiss his cheek. “And safe,” I added. Danny grinned, and kissed me back. Then he headed to the team.

  “Did you see that?” a girl standing behind me gaped to her friend. I smirked, stifling a giggle. Yeah, ladies, he’s taken.

  My new lens was awesome. I got great shots, and the zoom put me in the action without getting clobbered. Not so Danny. I cringed every time he was tackled.

  “Rugby is safer than football,” Danny had explained. “The rules are stricter and it’s illegal to hit the head. There are rarely any concussions, Eli.”

  I didn’t buy it then or now. There was something comforting about football players encased in aerospace-grade plastics.

  The game was close until the final minutes. A Donnelly player got possession of the ball coming out of the scrum. As he was about to be tackled, he lateraled to Duncan. Duncan picked up a few yards and as he was tackled, he passed the ball to Danny.

  Danny’s speed enabled him to reach the goal after outrunning several opposing players. He scored!

  “They won!” I screamed, and I jumped up and down hugging Chloe.

  Moments later, the game was over. We sprinted down the field where the athletes were already celebrating. I threw my arms around Danny from behind and he spun around to greet me.

  I stared in horror. “Your face!” I exclaimed. Danny’s right cheekbone was bruised and puffy. I touched it cautiously.

  “Ouch!” he grimaced.

  “Get an ice pack,” I barked at Cam.

  “It hurts that much?” I asked in my gentlest voic
e.

  Danny tried smiling but cringed. “I’m okay. I’ll just be ugly for a few days.”

  “You could never be ugly,” I empathized.

  Cam ran over with the ice pack. I grabbed it and pressed it against Danny’s battered cheek.

  “Sonofabitch! Eli, that hurts.” Danny grimaced, and he grabbed the ice pack. “Get any good shots, babe?” He asked as he held the ice to his face.

  “I think so. I’ll show you later. Can I get one of your face?” I smiled. “I’ve never seen you ugly and probably never will again. I want to remember it.”

  “Fine,” he scowled. “Just don’t blackmail me.” I rolled my eyes. Like I’d ever do that. Danny complied and lowered the ice pack. The bruise was already turning purple. I snapped a few photos. “Perfect.”

  “Don’t send that to my mother,” he warned.

  “Not a chance,” I agreed. Ellen would freak.

  “Newman!” Oh great –Duncan! “C’mon. It’s party tine.” Then he looked me up and down and smirked.

  “E, the team’s going to The Cellar. You and Chloe coming?” Danny asked.

  “Lois Lane,” Duncan sneered, “Rugby parties are not for amateurs.”

  “I can hold my beer.” I glared.

  “Eli, you don’t drink beer,” Danny reminded me.

  “I do now,” I responded stubbornly.

  “This should be fun. Let’s see how plastered Lois can get,” Duncan smirked.

  “Elizabeth,” Danny cautioned, “This is a bad idea.”

  “We’ll see. Elizabeth Jacobs does not back down from a challenge.”

  “I’m going to clobber both of you.” Danny sighed, exasperated. “Elizabeth,” he said crossly, “let’s go.” And he grabbed my arm.

  “Lois, leave the camera home.” Duncan ordered. “Paparazzi makes me nervous.”

  I burst out laughing. What did Duncan know about the paparazzi? His father was a Louisiana oil executive.

  “Duncan, we’ll catch you at The Cellar,” Danny said.

  “Looking forward to it Lois,” Duncan sneered, and I glared as we walked away. Slime! Total slime.

  Danny and I strolled over to my Range Rover. He didn’t take my hand. Crap.

  When I reached for the ignition button, Danny grasped my hand to stop me.