Just Friends?

by K E Osborn

  “Again, Will? You’d better not be in more trouble,” Patty answers.

  I exhale a long breath.

  “Will, what’s wrong darling?”

  “Patty, there’s two men camped outside our door with cameras. The blinds are shut and the doors and windows are locked, but no matter what happens, if they don’t leave before we have to tomorrow, then they’ll definitely see us leave here together, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it.”

  I hear Patty sigh again. “Oh Lord, give me strength. You two are the worst at being just friends you know that,” she says jokingly. “Let me have a think about what to do and I’ll call you back. Whatever you do, don’t go outside or open any doors or windows. Just keep a low profile. Can you do that for me, please?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  ~ KAT ~

  Will hangs up his cell and looks over at me.

  “She’s going to call back, but for now we have to hang tight,” he says with a defeated look in his eyes. “I’m sorry I never meant for our little getaway to be ruined by those fuckers outside. I wanted our time together to be special and stress free.”

  “I know. Don’t beat yourself up about it. We’re a little bit popular at the moment, so we’re bound to be followed everywhere we go. We should’ve thought about it a bit more. It’s not your fault.”

  I can tell he’s blaming himself for it and I don’t know what to say to make him feel better. It’s no-one’s fault. We should’ve been more careful. One thing’s for sure, we’ll know better next time.

  “Right,” I say as I stand and take our dishes to the sink. “Come with me.” I drag him upstairs and to the bed. “Let’s snuggle up in bed and watch some television.”

  I push him onto the bed and walk over to pick up the remote. He climbs into bed, placing his cell on the side table. I get in under the covers and cuddle into him tightly and then hand him the remote. He smiles and takes it from me turning it on and changes the channel to an entertainment program, and I all but tune out as I cuddle into my man.

  A few more car doors slam and I hear a general chatter downstairs. Will tightens his grip on me and I feel his body tense up. Will gasps, leans forward looking at the television and turns up the volume.

  “...photos taken today of the two lovebirds having a naked swim together at a secluded waterfall, clearly showing Will Sanders and his on screen love interest, Katerina Barrett sharing more than just on screen chemistry. Shortly after their naked romp, Will is seen getting out of the water to fetch his leading lady a towel. He’s clearly been working out by the looks of that chiseled stomach wouldn’t you say Nancy?”

  “I sure would Rob.”

  “I’m Nancy O’Dell.”

  “And I’m Rob Marciano.”

  Will turns off the television. I sit there stunned. The photographs clearly show us in the water and worse, Will out of the water.

  “Fuck,” Will exclaims loudly and slams his fist into the bed.

  I wince at his outburst and move my hand to his shoulder. Suddenly his cell rings. He reaches over and answers.

  “What...

  “Oh, sorry, Wildon. Yes, I just saw it… What do you want us to do?” Will puts the call on speaker so I can hear.

  “There’s nothing we can do! The photos clearly show you both together, kissing and God only knows what else in the pond. How could you both be so fucking stupid?” Wildon yells.

  I bite my bottom lip. He’s angry, really angry.

  “We’re both sorry Wildon. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “Of course it wasn’t supposed to happen,” he yells, “You should’ve never been seen together outside of the set. People were already suspicious of you two spending your time together in that house with your friends. This could ruin everything Will!”

  I look at Will whose face has dropped into a frown, so I decide to speak up.

  “Wildon, we know we stuffed up. There’s no denying it, but there’s also no point on dwelling on it either. What’s done is done… What do we do from here?”

  “Oh, hi Kat, I didn’t know you were listening. Sorry for yelling and cussing. Well, I guess there’s only one option, because denying it now, would just make us look like complete fools,” Wildon says more calmly.

  “So, we’re announcing our relationship then?” I ask.

  Will looks at me; I can see he’s holding his breath in anticipation of the answer. There’s a long pause while we wait for Wildon to speak.

  “I guess so,” Wildon says, sounding defeated. “You’ll need to run this through Patty, but there is not much choice now is there?”

  “Thanks Wildon. We know you didn’t want our relationship to be public knowledge and we’re sorry it’s come out this way, but we promise that it will not affect our working relationship,” Will states and I quickly agree.

  “Of course not. We’ll always be professional on set and won’t let our relationship get in the way of the movies,” I say, hoping that it will appease Wildon.

  “I guess I’ll have to wait and see. I’m still not happy about this guys,” Wildon berates.

  “We know and again we’re sorry,” I apologize.

  I hear him exhale. “Well, just don’t go splitting up now until the fourth movie has wrapped okay? We don’t want to have to publicize this relationship if it is only a fleeting attraction.”

  “Point taken. And it’s not a fleeting attraction, it’s the real deal. I love her Wildon, I really love her.”

  “And I love Will too,” I call out excitedly.

  I hear a slight chuckle from Wildon and then he exhales again. “Okay, well get Patty to make an announcement, today,” he demands.

  “Thanks again Wildon. You don’t know how much this means to us both,” I confide as Will wraps his arm around my shoulder.

  “Yeah, yeah. Just don’t fuck this up,” he commands and then hangs up.

  “Finally! I’m so excited.”

  He smiles and chuckles and then we hear a few more car doors slam.

  “Me, too,” he says and then kisses my head. He walks over to the window pulls back the blind ever so slightly and looks down to see the rather large crowd of people that have gathered.

  “How many?” I ask and Will shakes his head.

  “A few and I think there are some fans down there as well,” he says trying to sound nonchalant. I exhale and pat the bed next to me. He walks back over and climbs in. I cuddle up beside him and we continue to watch the television.

  Will’s cell rings again and it’s Patty. He answers, but I don’t pay attention to what’s being said. I cuddle into Will’s chest and think about the fact that we’ll be able to touch and kiss each other in public. We’ll even be able to arrive at events in the same car.

  Will hangs up his cell and kisses my forehead.

  “What did Patty say?” I ask, as I run circles on his bare chest with my fingers.

  “She’s going to release a statement saying that we’ve recently started dating and we came here to discover whether we wanted to be together, and that we’re both currently enjoying some quality time together,” he says matter-of-factly.

  “Awesome.”

  “Things will be so much easier now we don’t have to hide.”

  We talk about how we’re going to handle the crowd in the morning. We figure most will go home over the course of the night so there won’t be as many to deal with when we have to leave. With that thought, we decide to cuddle and drift off into sleep.

  Throughout the night, I wake to hear car doors banging and the sounds of cars driving, whether they are pulling up or driving off I’m unsure because I’m still half asleep. Will wakes every now and then, but swiftly falls back to sleep as well.

  ~*~

  The alarm on Will’s cell wakes us at nine. I raise my head slightly to see Will turn off the alarm and stretch as he yawns.

  “Well, that has to be one of the worst night’s sleep I’ve had in a while.”

  “Mhum,” I mumble whi
le he leans over and kisses me gently. I have a sneaking suspicion that my cold is coming back, my throat is slightly croaky and I have a pounding headache.

  “How are you feeling?” Will asks, noticing my lack of enthusiasm this morning.

  “Like I’ve been hit by a bus.”

  “Oh crap, is your cold back?” He rests his palm over my forehead checking my temperature. My whole body is aching.

  “Yeah, I think so.”

  “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have made you swim in the cold water yesterday,” he says looking saddened.

  “Baby, it’s not your fault. I’ll be alright. I’m sure I just need a coffee and some food.”

  “Coffee, bacon and eggs coming right up. Stay here and I’ll bring it to you.”

  “I’m okay. I’ll come and help.”

  “No you won’t! I’m going to spoil my girl. Now lay back down and I’ll bring it up when it’s ready. No arguments.” He walks out of the bedroom and downstairs. I’m actually quite relieved that I get to spend some more time in bed. I lay back down and as my head hits the pillow I’m out for the count.

  I wake to the sound of footsteps on the stairs. I slowly open my eyes to see Will walk in with a tray of food. I sit up casually and put a stack of pillows behind me.

  “Here you go, I made the coffee a little stronger for you,” he says as he rests the tray on my lap and kisses my head.

  “Thank you. You didn’t have to do this you know.”

  “I know, but I wanted to.” He walks out of the room to grab his tray of food.

  We eat our breakfast in bed together and then decide we’d better face the music. We both get dressed and pack our things ready to head out to the car. We haven’t looked outside to see how many people are waiting for us, but we guess there’s still a few because we can hear them chatting. We make sure the retreat is tidy and exactly the way we found it. Then it comes time to open the blinds. Will comes over to me and kisses me softly.

  “You ready?” he asks, looking into my eyes for confirmation.

  I nod and exhale. We don’t expect there to be too many out there, after all it’s all over the news anyway so there’s not much to see.

  Will exhales and opens the blinds around the back of the retreat and works his way to the front where the paparazzi will be. I must admit my heart is beating a little faster knowing that we’ll most probably be hounded as we make our way to Will’s car. He opens the blinds to the front door and flashes start immediately as the light enters the retreat. I can’t quite see how many there are, but a group of young girls start screaming the minute Will opens the blind. He walks over to me and takes my head in his hands.

  “I love you,” he says and kisses me quickly.

  “I love you, too.” I pick up my bag and Will takes our luggage and opens the door.

  ~ WILL ~

  As soon as the door is open, the screaming starts to get louder as the paparazzi run toward us. Both of my hands are full and I look back at Kat, who’s been separated from me.

  “Kat?” I call out as I place the luggage down next to the car. I fight my way back through the crowd to find her stuck at the door being hounded by some girls.

  Fuck… she looks petrified.

  “Mr. Sanders, is it official that you and Miss Barrett are together?”

  “I love you, Will.”

  “Will you marry me?”

  “Mr. Sanders, can I have a photo of you and Miss Barrett?”

  “Move,” I yell, as I fight my way back to Kat. I take one step toward her and I get pulled back by the girls tearing and pulling on my shirt. My heart is pounding through my chest wall. All I want to do is protect her.

  “Let go,” I yell whilst trying to fight my way through. “Kat, I’m coming,” I yell again, hoping she can hear me. I see her huddled against the front door surrounded by teenage girls and paparazzi. I finally make my way back to her and she almost collapses in my arms. I wrap them around her and pull her with me to the car.

  “Miss Barrett, did you have a good time?”

  “Are you two getting married?”

  “Will, I love you.”

  “Are you alright?” I whisper in her ear while she holds me tightly. She nods and I kiss her head and open the passenger side door for her to slide in. Lights flash in every direction, making it hard to see, as I buckle her in.

  “Lock the door when I close it,” I tell her. She looks up at me with tears in her eyes.

  Fucking hell, I’m supposed to be protecting her. Nice job Will... not!

  I kiss her nose and shut her door. Her hand shoots up and locks the door as soon as it’s shut. I make my way around to the trunk, open it and throw the luggage in. All the while being pulled and poked in every direction.

  This is un-fucking-believable!

  “Will, I love you.”

  I see Kat watching me so I decide not to talk with the fans and walk around to the driver’s side. I try to open my door, but as I reach it, I’m immediately accosted by more screaming fans. I sign a few autographs and take some photos with the girls as the paparazzi continue to take their photos. Kat is waiting patiently in the car. At least I know she’s safe in there. My heart pounds and I don’t understand why these girls are screaming for me… at me. I’m a one woman man now; none of them have a fucking chance in hell. I look to the back of the crowd and see one woman standing quietly just watching and I recognize her instantly.

  “Hi Kira,” I call out and wave at my only non-screaming sensible fan. She smiles brightly and waves back. I open the car door and try to get in with girls fighting just to touch me.

  This is mad, absolutely fucking mad!

  “Watch your hands girls,” I call out as I go to shut the car door. They let go of me and I close the door and lock it. I exhale and breathe in erratically trying to calm down from the storm outside my car. Girls are knocking on the windows while the paparazzi are firing questions non-stop at both of us. This is mental. I’ve never seen anything like this before. There must be at least fifty people here, maybe more, all vying for attention. I look at Kat, who’s trying her hardest not to cry.

  “It’s okay. I won’t let them hurt you,” I say, rubbing her knee.

  The car starts to shake as some girls push it.

  “This is bullshit,” I concede while I start the car. I put it into reverse and slowly start to back out. The last thing I want is to run over someone.

  “I love you,” Kat mumbles quietly. I look up at her as a single tear falls down her beautiful face.

  Fuck, fuck… fucking hell!

  “I know baby, I love you too. Don’t worry; I’ll get us out of here.” I reverse a little quicker and the girls run alongside the car as I pull out onto the road. I put it in gear and edge forward, but the paparazzi flash at every angle, making it difficult for me to see. I reach over to the glove box and pull out some sunglasses and put them on, hoping they’ll help. My heart is pounding and my fight or flight response is definitely telling me to set flight. I move the car forward slowly gaining speed. The paparazzi get the message to move or I’ll run them down. I start to breathe a little lighter, and once the girls have stopped running behind us, I drive off with relentless speed. I notice a couple of vans following, but I don’t care so much about that. It’s those screaming girls that concern me.

  “Right. Now are you okay? Talk to me please,” I say as I move my hand and place it on her knee to stop it agitating. I glance over at her and she’s still has that petrified look in her eyes.

  “Kat, please, talk to me,” I plead with her.

  “Kat, I swear to God. I’ll pull this car over if you don’t start talking to me right now!”

  “No, don’t pull over, Will, please. I’m terrified Will! One of your nut job fans said… she said that if I stayed with you she’d hunt me down and end me.”

  “What! Are you kidding me? That’s ridiculous! Do you think she was serious?”

  Kat exhales and starts softly crying.

  “Oh bab
y, please don’t cry. Don’t let one fucked up teenager with an overactive imagination get to you. I know it’s hard, but trust me; I won’t let anyone hurt you. I’m going to make sure we’re never in a situation like this again. I’ll make sure that you have a bodyguard at all times from now on.” I pull out onto the freeway.

  “Just get us home and I’ll be happy,” she says, wiping away a falling tear.

  I exhale and keep driving, faster than I probably should. We make it to the lot and I park the car. I quickly get out and open the trunk of the Chevy and pull out our luggage. Kat helps and we walk briskly to the house. Just as I go to open the door, the paparazzi pull up and jump out of their van and run toward us.

  “Crap,” Kat says while I struggle with the lock.

  The door opens and Olsen looks at us, and then at the paparazzi, their cameras are flashing non-stop in our direction. He bends down and picks up the luggage and then takes it inside while I help Kat. I grab her hand and pull her to me.

  “Let’s give them something to talk about,” I whisper in her ear.

  She looks at me with crinkled eyebrows; I smile and then lean her down and kiss her in the doorway of the house. I feel her relax against my lips. The paparazzi cheer and their cameras go berserk capturing our Hollywood style kiss. I pull her up and we wave at the paparazzi and then walk in and close the door.

  “So, naked pond fun, eh?” Olsen asks as we walk into the living room. Kat gawks at him and I laugh.

  “You’re just jealous,” she teases.

  “Mmm,” Olsen mumbles.

  I take a seat in my usual chair with Kat on my lap. The front door opens and Charlie walks in.

  “There’s a whole bunch of those stupid photographers outside again... Oh you’re back! Well, that explains it, I guess. Yay, glad to have you back guys.”

  Kat gets up and gives her a hug. “I’ve missed you too Charles.”

  “Okay, hold up… back up. Since when has it been okay for you to call me Charles? I’m not a prince,” she says, holding Kat at arm’s length. She laughs sarcastically making the rest of us laugh.