Away From the Spotlight

by Tamara Carlisle

  Once alone again, Will asked, “What can I do to fix things, Shannon?”

  I had been thinking about it in the cab ride over and I responded, “Don’t obsess about the paparazzi.”

  “I can do that. What else?”

  “If they cause a problem, don’t take it out on me.”

  “I didn’t mean to do that. I’m sorry.”

  “I didn’t hear your promise on that one.”

  “Okay, I promise.”

  “One more thing: Don’t take me for granted. You’re so used to getting your way. Even Pam did what you wanted and told you where I was without regard for what I wanted. And you just assumed I would see you and fall into your arms and forgive you.”

  “I don’t take you for granted. Why do you think I acted the way I did? I’m afraid of losing you.”

  “You won’t lose me if you don’t push me away.”

  “Anything else?”

  “Yes. Let’s forget this all happened and have a good time together like we planned.”

  “That’s what I want too. I am sorry, Shannon, really. I love you more than anything.”

  “Apology accepted. So what’s good to eat here?”

  Chapter Thirty

  The next day we decided to try to see some of the sights in and around London in spite of the paparazzi.

  The photographers were now both in front of and behind the building. However, there were less of them at the back, which was also closer to the car. We decided to walk out the back with our heads down and try to run to the car.

  Upon exiting the building, it was clear that running would be impossible. The door opened to lots of clicking cameras. There were also about five photographers in front of us that had little sense of personal space firing questions that I didn’t hear as I tried to concentrate on the ground and putting one foot in front of the other. Neither Will nor I answered. I clung to his hand as we continued somewhat slowly toward the car. When we hit the cross-street where the car was located, I heard others join us and additional cameras clicking.

  When we were finally safely in the car and driving, I looked up at Will. He had a pained expression on his face, and was looking in the rearview mirror.

  “We’re being followed.”

  “Wow. Persistent aren’t they? They have to have gotten enough photos of us by now.”

  “You weren’t looking up. They would prefer it if they could get a better shot of us together.”

  “Is this what it’s like for you?”

  “Sometimes. I’ve probably made a little worse in that I’ve made it clear I’m trying to hide you. It’s like waving a red flag in front of a bull.”

  “How many are following us?”

  “Two. I doubt I’ll be able to lose them in this traffic. We should probably find a place to go that might keep them out. I have an idea.”

  We valet-parked at one of the more exclusive hotels, and our pursuers were unable to park in order to get to us even if they would have been allowed to enter the hotel. We went inside and hurried out to the entrance near the Green Park Tube Station. We ran into the Tube and laughed once we got on the train and the doors closed. We were safe for now. We had headed south not really knowing where we were going to go.

  “Where can we go for a view?” I asked after we stopped laughing.

  “There’s one place. It’s very touristy, but the view is spectacular. Let’s get off next stop. I need to use my cell phone and make arrangements.”

  We ended up at the London Eye, a modern Ferris wheel-looking contraption that appears somewhat out-of-place with its historic surroundings. It has individual pods, rather than seats as a much smaller Ferris wheel would have. I looked up and thought that, considering its height, the view of the Thames and of London in general had to be amazing from those pods.

  As it was August, I was surprised that we were able to get tickets, but Will somehow managed. We ended up taking a private ride with champagne. It was very romantic, like we were in our own little world. The view was spectacular.

  When our ride was ending, I asked our host to take a picture of Will and me together. After we exited, we walked down alongside the Thames and crossed over Westminster Bridge. It was a leisurely stroll. I loved looking down the river.

  “What are you thinking?” Will asked as we continued to walk hand-in-hand across the bridge.

  “I’m having a great time today.”

  “Even while being stalked by paparazzi?”

  “I know you worry about me, but you shouldn’t. I’m fine, really. I’m just glad to have some time with you all to myself - no school, no work for either of us, no studying for the Bar, just us, alone.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way. I do too.” He pulled me to the side of the foot traffic close to him and kissed me, not caring that the crowd walking over the bridge was staring.

  We continued walking and strolled around Westminster. I didn’t really see the need to go inside the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Abbey as it was a nice day and I had been to both places during past trips.

  We hopped on the Tube at the Westminster station and decided to go find a place to have a late lunch.

  Will chose a restaurant in Chelsea off the King’s Road that was a little closer to the South Kensington Tube Station than the one at Sloane Square.

  It was very crowded, but Will had no problem getting a table as he was recognized upon entering the restaurant. Will received a few stares as we walked through the restaurant, but not too many. This was the type of place that famous Londoners likely hung out.

  We were seated at a large light wooden table with matching chairs divided up into four sections. Each of these long tables seated eight people and there were no or practically no breaks between the tables. Consequently, you were practically on top of the couple sitting next to you. However, it was loud and, therefore, not so easy to hear your neighbors’ conversations unless you were really trying.

  “You have a strange expression on your face. What are you thinking about?” Will asked.

  “I just don’t picture you going to trendy places and this is the second one in two days. Not that I don’t think you have before. It’s just that you seem to shy away from that in L.A.”

  “I do avoid them most of the time. I like this place though and for lunch, it’s good. At night, it’s more of a place to see and be seen. Notice we’re here during the day. I’m trying to add a little variety to your experiences while you’re here. You don’t like it?”

  “No, I do. It’s nice and the food looks good. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time. You just surprised me.”

  “I hope that’s not a bad thing?”

  “Nope. I don’t imagine you will ever stop surprising me. You may become bored with me, but . . .”

  “That’ll never happen. You keep me on my toes too. Weren’t we at Cambridge yesterday?”

  I laughed when I realized that maybe I do surprise him from time-to-time.

  We ordered and when we were served, I realized that Will was right about the place. The food was delicious. Of course, all that mattered to me was that we were together. I didn’t want to think about the fact that, in a few days, he would not be sitting across a lunch table from me.

  After lunch, we cut over to the King’s Road and wandered down, window shopping, toward the Sloane Square Tube Station.

  Since we were not that far, we decided to stop by the food halls at Harrods to grab something for dinner that evening. The food halls were massive and I couldn’t imagine that there was anything they didn’t carry. We spent quite a bit of time as I wandered around amazed. I had been here before, but managed only to race through it without buying anything. This time, I bought a gift-set with two Harrods mugs and tea for my mother and we picked up a bottle of red wine, pasta that only required reheating, and a pre-made salad. We were set. It was time to return to the car in Mayfair and head back to brave the crowd waiting for us in Hampstead.

  Rather than leaving me in the back of the
building to be harassed, we decided to enter the flat together from the front. Will parked around the corner again and, as we turned the corner toward the flat, I put my head down. The photographers immediately spotted us and ran toward us. They shadowed us as we walked toward Will’s building, cameras clicking away the whole time. I made a mistake at one point when a huge flash distracted me and I looked up briefly to see what it was. I then realized that I now had been photographed head on. Well, at least they still didn’t know who I was.

  “What was that big flash?” I asked as we got inside and put the bags down.

  “One of the photographers was probably trying to get your attention.”

  “It worked. I looked up. I’m sorry.”

  “It was going to happen sooner or later, I guess. The picture won’t hit the papers until after you’ve left for Ireland. You should be fine then.”

  “What about you?”

  “I start shooting on Monday so I’ll be busy. It won’t bother me.”

  Will clearly was making a concerted effort to keep his promise not to obsess about the paparazzi for which I was grateful.

  We had a delicious dinner, and then decided to watch television and relax together. We lay on the couch with Will’s arms around me and watched a British comedy or two. It was amazing to me what they could get away with compared to American television shows. They were a bit raunchier both in terms of the sexual nature and general gross behavior. They were much funnier too. Toward the end of the second show, I turned around to face Will and kissed him.

  “Finished watching already?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “Absolutely.” We continued to kiss.

  Eventually, we migrated into Will’s room. While we were lying on his bed wrapped up in each other later that evening, Will looked over at the clock, turned back to me and kissed me. “Happy Birthday. It’s the fifth.” He kissed me again and we continued our evening’s activities.

  I woke up the next morning, put my green silk nightgown back on, and engaged in my normal teeth brushing routine. Will must have been feigning sleep when I left the room because, when I returned, there was a little blue box on my pillow.

  I stared at it as I sat down on the bed. “What have you done?”

  “You agreed that I could spoil you on your birthday.”

  “I did,” I said reluctantly. I kissed him and opened the box to find diamond earrings that matched the necklace that Will had given me as a graduation present. “They’re beautiful. You did too much as usual.”

  “Not possible.”

  I ran to the bathroom and put them on along with the matching necklace I never took off except to shower and sleep.

  Will was studying me as I returned to the room.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, confused by his expression.

  “There’s just one thing: I would be happier if the diamonds were the only thing you were wearing.”

  I complied and we continued with my birthday celebration in our own private way.

  As we rose to get going for the day, I tried not to think about the fact that this was almost our last day in England together for over three weeks. Although I would return to London a few days before Labor Day Weekend, we only would have those last few days here before our flight home and return to reality.

  I was told only that we were going someplace nice. Will should have warned me before I left L.A. as I really hadn’t packed much for nice. My trip was supposed to be barely a step up from backpacking through Europe. I wore my only nice pants outfit to meet his parents and I only had two dresses, one completely unsuitable and the little black dress that, although it wasn’t particularly suitable for the daytime, would have to do. Will had on a suit and tie.

  We headed through the throng of cameras to get to the car. This time, there were a few video cameras and microphones as well. I continued to try to look down this time, but was only partially successful. I heard some of the questions asking where we were going and why we were so dressed up for the middle of the day. Other than saying hello, Will did not respond to the reporters’ questions.

  We made it to the car, only to be followed again. We headed off to the hotel where we had parked the day before and I thought we were going to use our trick of heading into the Green Park Tube Station. However, instead of heading off in that direction, we headed toward the main restaurant.

  We were seated near one of the floor-to-ceiling paned windows. The room was very formal, one you would expect to find in a French palace, very ornate with paintings on the wall and ceilings. It was far more formal than any place I had ever been by a long shot. I looked around and marveled at the room. I then looked over at Will and he was smiling, seemingly pleased that I appeared happy.

  “Is this a good place for your birthday?”

  “Yes. Too good for me. Wow.”

  “Never too good. I was going for special.”

  “You succeeded. I have never been to any place like this in my life. It’s beautiful.”

  “Happy Birthday.”

  “You spoil me.”

  “I try. I love you.”

  “I appreciate your thoughtfulness. I love you too.”

  We celebrated with champagne and a wonderful lunch. I don’t eat what I refer to as cute animals – deer, duck, lamb and rabbit – so I had a steak that was presented beautifully. I couldn’t resist the desserts. Although I am more of a vanilla than a chocolate person, I selected a chocolate dessert that was rich and decadent.

  By the time we finished lunch, it was mid-afternoon. We retrieved the car and headed back home to change. Will suggested that I dress a little more warmly for what he had planned. I couldn’t imagine what else Will could have in store for me.

  Will and I braved the masses again on the way into the flat. I then properly thanked Will for a wonderful birthday. Although we both wanted to continue, Will informed me that we had another appointment to keep. We reluctantly got up and dressed nicely, but a little more warmly than we had for lunch. I wore a black skirt and sweater, but brought a bag with pants and a heavier sweater just in case.

  After making our way through the press again, we drove away toward the heart of London and then toward the Thames. I had no idea where we were going and couldn’t imagine how Will could top what we already had done today. We parked and walked along the Thames to one of the piers.

  Will had chartered a private cruise along the Thames for the evening. It was a long, single-deck cruiser. The bow of the boat contained the bridge. Behind that was the galley and a head followed by a private salon with windows on each side, and then a long main cabin with a stocked bar, built in couches lining the windows, and tables and chairs in the middle. It looked to hold a group somewhat larger than just the two of us. On one of the tables, there were platters full of canapés and pitchers of juice and water. The stern of the boat was open with some seating around the edges.

  Will let me know that we were going to cruise for a while and stop in a few hours to have dinner brought aboard. We decided to sit outside since it the weather was good. As we cruised, though, there was a little chill in the air so I grabbed my heavier sweater. We sat outside for what was probably a few hours, drinking wine and not saying much, cuddled into each other and watching the sights of London pass by us as we moved through the central part of London and back. I could have sat there with him forever. Before we knew it, we were back at the pier and dinner was brought on board. We stood up and remained outside with me wrapped in Will’s arms.

  When the boat left the dock again, Will kissed me and led me into the salon where dinner had been laid out for us. The lights were low and the dinner was excellent. We ate at sunset and, by the time we were finished, it was dark. The lights of London could be seen through the windows.

  After dinner, we moved into the main cabin and sat down on one of the couches along the window’s edge.

  “I’m surprised we’ve barely seen a crew member since we’ve been on the boat other than those bringing in dinner at the
dock.”

  “I asked that we have privacy. I wanted it to be just you and me.”

  “You think they’ll stick to that?”

  “Yes. Why?”

  “Because . . .” I walked over and turned out the lights in the inside of the cabin. I returned to Will and I could tell that it had clicked in his head what I planned on us doing.

  “I can’t imagine what you have in mind,” he said facetiously.

  Will sat still for a moment with me straddling him. He then started to laugh, kissed me and made love to me as we watched the lights of London pass by us.

  Afterward, I put on the pants I had brought so that we could sit outside a while longer in the dark. It was cold now, but I couldn’t feel it as much since I was still flush from being with Will. We sat out on deck arms around each other, intermittently making out.

  I didn’t want this night to end, but end it did, and by midnight, we were on our way back to Hampstead.

  The next morning came too quickly as we had stayed up late, not wanting our time together to end. Unfortunately, I had a 1:30 p.m. flight to Ireland and we needed to get out the door mid-morning to ensure that I made it. We were both fairly quiet as we showered and got ready, and I checked to make sure that I had everything repacked that I had laundered for the trip.

  Leaving the flat, we faced the paparazzi again with questions regarding where I was going and why was I leaving so soon, which neither of us answered. We both looked a little sullen and I wondered what the press would make of that. In my thoughts, I could see break-up stories in the tabloids. When we arrived at the car, Will kissed me lightly as he handed me into the front seat. That probably effectively canceled any plans on the part of the press to report our break-up.

  “You kissed me in front of them,” I said with surprise as we drove away.

  “I couldn’t control myself. You’re leaving.”