I Met Her On the Balcony

by Sandra Corton

  “Look, we can just use the wig okay,” Ash told Mark sharply. “It didn’t look bad in the interviews last time. It still looked like Martin James.”

  “What interviews?” Lucy asked curiously.

  “The week that I was away before school started. Yes, I know I lied to you, but I truly did forget my phone.” Ash told her, before she could protest.

  “Alright, just don’t lie to me again, Ash. There is nothing that annoys me more than that.” Her voice had an anger laced through it that Ash had never heard from her before. He walked over to her, and gently cupped her face in his palms.

  “I swear that I will never lie to you again, Belle.” He whispered with his eyes intent and mesmerising, as he leaned in to give her a quick reassuring kiss.

  “Okay, break it up you two, we have more important things going on right now.” Mark interrupted them, and Ash looked up at his melodramatic tone.

  “Hmmm, like what, Mark?” Ash asked against Lucy’s cheek, as he cuddled her closer.

  “Like I have to drive across town because my case is locked and I forgot my keys.” He told them frantically. Ash cursed, and moved away from Lucy reluctantly, only to see Mark flapping his hands around like a floundering fish.

  “Oh, for God’s sake, Mark! Why did you even lock it?” Ash shook his head.

  “I didn’t mean to, so don’t treat me like an idiot,” Mark snapped back.

  “Will you two chill out?” Lucy called out loudly, cutting through their argument.

  “And how can you help?” Mark grouched at her.

  “Enough with the attitude, and I might be able to solve your problem,” she told him firmly, and he instantly went quiet. “Good, now show me this lock of yours.”

  He presented a large silvery briefcase that appeared locked, and Lucy just smiled at him. She fished through her handbag for her tool kit, and showed it with a flourish.

  “Piece of cake,” she told them.

  “You know you never did explain to me how you came across this skill of yours,” Ash mused, as he realised what she was up to, and she began picking the lock.

  “My brother's a cop and a volunteer fire fighter; where else do you think I learnt it?” She muttered, as she concentrated on the task.

  Within a minute, Mark was praising her to the stars, which Lucy made her shake her head. Wasting no time, Mark set to work on Ash, giving him a glossy black wig that looked like his real hair. Lucy watched with a smirk on her face, trying not to snicker at the elaborate working Mark insisted on, so it looked perfect.

  “You do know how creepy you look? Ugh, it’s so weird seeing you like this.” She told him, once Mark was happy with the way the wig sat. Ash just sent her a grin, and she frowned.

  The doorbell interrupted her musings, and Ash asked her to answer it, as he pulled his glasses off. The woman at the door stunned her with her beauty. Her raven black, chin length bob swung effortlessly around, while her pale face shone with beauty. Her bright green eyes assessed Lucy from behind her long lashes, as they stared at each other.

  “Hello and you are?” The woman asked brusquely.

  “Lucy and you?” She asked the stranger in return.

  “Sally Rutherford. I hope that Martin is here,” the woman pushed past her rudely, and Lucy could only watch, as she stalked confidently into the lounge room.

  “Martin! It is so good to see you.” Sally gushed, and Lucy couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. The woman sent her an icy stare, before turning back to Ash with a loving smile.

  Lucy let out a gasp when she saw Ash as Martin James. He stood in front of her, as if he owned the world. Panic hit her strong. She shouldn’t be involved with a celebrity, even one in hiding. Images of every disaster her mother had made her endure flooded her mind.

  “Are you okay, Belle?” Ash asked in concern.

  “I’m just great, Martin,” Sally told him, flicking her hair out of her face dramatically.

  “Not you, Sally,” Ash said, as he walked over to Lucy. “It’s still me Belle; it’s just a colour change, that’s all,” he said quietly, as he reached out to touch her arm.

  “It’s not. God, I miss your eyes. That just looks too unreal,” she managed to whisper.

  “I can’t take them off. Sally doesn’t know that much about me, and I intend to keep it that way.” He whispered in her ear.

  “Okay.” Lucy told him.

  “Come, Martin, we have to get you ready.” Sally almost purred, and Lucy wished that he could refuse.

  “Well, it's good to see that you're late as usual, Sally,” Mark said to her snidely, as he walked into the room, while gesturing Lucy towards him. She took a hesitant step his way, until she saw a pair of scissors in his other hand, then she took a step back.

  “Thanks, but, no.” Lucy told him.

  “Come here, Lucy, it’s the least I could do for you. You saved the day by unlocking my case for me.” Mark encouraged with a smile.

  “Fine, but don’t think that you’re going to dress me up like some Barbie doll.” She warned him.

  “How about we just aim to look nice for your date?” He asked and Lucy gave in.

  If she had thought that Penny was bad before their last date, it was nothing like what Mark had in mind. Before Mark finished, Lucy felt groomed meticulously and polished to perfection. She felt as though she hadn’t seen Ash for hours, when they were in not only the same building, but also the same apartment.

  “Sally, will you listen to me. This is fine,” she finally heard Ash arguing, so she walked through the open door to find him still in his jeans and a shirt.

  “Geez, you know you’ll have to get dressed sometime soon, right?” Lucy asked him cheekily, and he turned to her. His frustrated expression went to one of pleasure instantaneously, as he stared at her.

  “Wow, Belle, you look amazing.”

  He walked over to her, sending her that irresistible smile, which made her heart thud uncontrollably. He reached out a hand to grasp hers, and pull her closer to him. She couldn’t get used to the green of his eyes; she missed his golden lion’s eyes, and couldn’t look at him for too long. He spun her around, so the yellow dress she was wearing flared out.

  “I am not going to be able to take my eyes off you all night.” He told her hastily, making her smile at him, as her stomach fluttered madly.

  A throat cleared from behind them, but they didn’t even take any notice. They finally both turned to see a rather angry, flustered looking Sally tapping her foot impatiently.

  “If you give me a minute to myself, then I will get changed,” Ash told Sally abruptly. The woman let out a huff, and stormed out of the room. Lucy went to follow, but Ash’s fingers tightened in hers. “Stay.” He whispered, which just made her raise an eyebrow at him.

  “So, is this where you get to throw your undies at me?” She teased, which only made him smirk at her.

  “Not today. I just don’t trust her.” He shook his head, and his longer black hair swished all too naturally around his face.

  “I really can’t get used to this. I truly miss Ash.”

  She reached out a hand to touch his hair, and he turned his face, so he could kiss her palm. She shivered, as she ran her fingers along his roughened cheek, feeling an almost magical connection.

  She stood there in the room with him, and realised that she was falling for him. She had known him for such a short time, but her heart didn’t lie.

  Was she going to her doom with him? Well, at least it would be a hell of a way to go, she thought happily, as she smiled at him. He returned a charming smile her way and her heart melted a little more. She seemed to be getting in deeper with a guy she knew as Ash, who was actually a famous singer, called Martin James.

  Chapter 10 – Red carpet drama

  Lucy stood at the shadowed end of the red carpet, closest to where the theatre was, hidden behind some props. She watched Ash intently. He looked unbelievable in his charcoal suit, showing off his broad shoulders and slim build. He wa
s smiling broadly, but she could tell by the slight tightness around his eyes, and the tiny twitch in his upper lip that he was uncomfortable.

  The man next to her, constantly on the phone, was Ash’s agent George. Ash had made him swear to look after Lucy, and the man had begrudgingly agreed. Her eyes moved unwaveringly back to Ash, and funnily enough, Penny came to mind. Her sister would be freaking out if she knew Lucy was standing here. Unable to stop herself, and knowing that she would regret it, she crept away from George, and edged her way into the crowd.

  Screaming girls, fainting girls and obsessive stalker girls seemed to be the only ones in amongst his fans today. Ash forced the smile back on his face, and signed some more autographs. He didn't even acknowledging the girls that were staring at him as if he was some kind of God.

  “Wow, they are real screamers,” he heard a wry, very familiar voice, making him turn his focus on the strawberry blonde haired girl in front of him. She looked beautiful, standing calmly in the crowd of screaming, crazy girls.

  “What are you doing here, Belle?” He asked softly, sending her a worried, but relieved look.

  With her there, he was able to breathe again. He could feel the panic ease that had been growing, ever since he started this walk. His awareness of the reporters around had him tensing up. He could only hope and pray that Lucy’s Mum wasn’t one of them.

  “Well, I was thinking about Penny actually, and how she would kill me if I didn’t get your autograph….” Lucy began saying, before a screaming fan pushed in front of her. The girl shook, shuddered, and squealed, as she stared adoringly at Ash.

  “Oh! Martin James, it is you!” The girl exclaimed hysterically, which only made Lucy chuckle.

  “Yeah, obviously, who else would it be.” Lucy told the girl sarcastically, and Ash couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

  “Yes, it’s me, what would you like me to sign?” He asked the girl, who gestured to her shirt.

  “How about this, instead?” Lucy gave the girl a handout for the movie that she noticed on the ground.

  The girl pouted, and sent Ash a saucy smile, as she pointed to her shirt again. Ash just grabbed the pamphlet Lucy held out, making sure to brush his fingers against hers, and sending her a small smile. He quickly signed it, and handed it over to his rather disappointed fan that glared at Lucy.

  “C'mon, Martin, get moving,” a huge man ordered abruptly from behind him, as he sent Lucy a grin. She had met him upon leaving Ash’s apartment building. He seemed beyond intimidating, but he had been nothing but friendly to Lucy.

  “Yeah, I’m going, Sam.” Ash muttered to the bodyguard that kept close to him.

  "Lucy McConnell, in a dress! I never thought I’d see the day,” a girl’s sarcastic voice rose above the screams, and Lucy turned in shock to see Rachel standing there.

  She was wearing an elaborate dress that showed excessive thigh and cleavage, with the highest heels Lucy had ever seen. Lucy closed her eyes, and forced herself to take a deep breath. She sent a quick look to Ash, who had stiffened in panic, but swiftly recovered, and began to sign papers for his fans.

  "Rachel, should I even be surprised that you’re here?” Lucy asked dryly, with a shake of her head.

  “Of course not. I’m here as Ash’s date, just as I promised,” Rachel told her haughtily, and Lucy let out a snort of laughter. She heard an answering snigger from Ash, but she refused to draw attention to him by glancing over at him. “I wonder where he is.” Rachel mused, and Lucy couldn’t believe how delusional this girl could be.

  “He’s meeting me near the entrance, actually,” Lucy told her, and Rachel frowned in her direction.

  “Well, what are you doing here?” Rachel asked slyly.

  “Getting an autograph for my sister.” Lucy told her, with a roll of her eyes.

  “Here you go,” Ash muttered, as he handed her a folded piece of paper, which Lucy took and held tightly in her fist.

  “I have to go now, you know, because I actually have a ticket to see this.” Lucy told Rachel smugly, as she walked off.

  Ash tried to keep pace with her to avoid Rachel seeing him, but he lost her in the crowd. He cursed under his breath, while keeping the smile plastered on his face. He’d passed the point where the fans were, and found himself now surrounded by reporters. He hated the paparazzi with a passion. He couldn’t keep his anxiety from slightly showing, as he talked to them about working on this project.

  His eyes kept darting around, as camera flashes threatened to blind him. Where was Lucy? When he finally spotted her giving him a thumbs up, as she crept around the reporters, he could finally relax. She smiled cheekily at him, and he couldn’t help but return it.

  Unfortunately, it caught the attention of some of the reporters who were watching him far too closely. Lucy had managed to duck down, as they turned their cameras her way. Ash used it as an excuse to keep walking past them. He finally made it to the end, only to find one frantic agent awaiting him.

  “That girl is such an annoyance! Where did she go? I turned around, and she was gone, Martin. This was not my fault,” George insisted firmly.

  “Calm down, I know where she is. You head in and I’ll wait for her.”

  Ash had a lot of time and respect for his agent. He had helped Ash through some difficult times, but the man tended to stressed over the most trivial matters. Ash knew Lucy could handle it if there were any hassles.

  It didn’t stop him worrying about her any less. He was able to convince George to head into the theatre with the other well-dressed people heading that way. He ducked behind a large stand of palm trees that had been set up, and peered through them while looking for her.

  Lucy snuck up behind him, as he was shooing George off, and made sure that nobody was looking over at them. She reached up, and covered his eyes with her hands. For a second, he flinched before he relaxed back against her.

  “Hello, Belle. I have to go and get changed, will you please wait here until I come back,” he pleaded.

  “Yes, but how did you know that it was me?” She asked, as she pulled her hands away from him, and he smiled at her.

  “Vanilla and cinnamon.” Ash explained, and Lucy just stared at him, wondering if his wig was digging into his brain a bit.

  “Huh?” She asked when he grasped her hand, and brought her wrist to his nose.

  “You always smell like vanilla and cinnamon. That’s how I knew that it was you,” he explained, as he took a deep breath before letting go of her hand. “Now, let me get rid of this look. I’m tired of being Martin James.” He went to scrub a hand through his hair, then he stopped when he realised that he couldn’t. He picked up his duffle bag that George had left for him, and walked to the men’s room.

  She stood there, watched people streaming past her hiding place, and could only wonder at this crazy world. Her anxiety when watching Ash mobbed by crazy teens had been extreme. She had wanted to slap the girl silly who had wanted her t-shirt signed. What was wrong with these girls?

  In the bigger picture, he was still just a guy. Sure, he made her shiver, shake, and melt. She often found herself mesmerised by his eyes, and absolutely enamoured with him as a whole, but he was still just a guy. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself.

  She leaned back against the wall, happy that the props set up to create a tropical island theme, hid her. She kept her eye on the people strolling by, feeling slightly apprehensive that Ash was still gone.

  Fierce panic hit her in the chest when she glimpsed her mother briefly. She was flitting about, while demanding answers from this actor or actress that had starred in the film. Lucy cringed back against the wall, and made sure to hide even better. Why did seeing her mother always send her into such anxiety attacks?

  Flashes of her mother telling her how useless she was, how she would never amount to anything, flashed through her mind making her hold her head in her hands. Her mother’s voice echoed in her brain, as she dropped down to the ground and curled into a ball. You’re no
t like that, she told herself repeatedly.

  “Belle? Belle, what the hell happened? Are you alright?” She heard a voice say, as if from a distance.

  Warm arms held her close, and she found comfort in them. The hands touching her face shook, but still gave her security. She forced her eyes open, only to find a pair of panicked golden ones looking back at her.

  “What’s wrong, Belle? Please, tell me,” he asked, his voice smothered with worry.

  “My… mother,” She managed to stutter.

  “Did she hurt you?” Ash enquired, trying to contain the anger that he was feeling.

  “A long time ago. It haunts me to this day.” Lucy whispered.

  “Do you want to leave?” He asked seriously, but she shook her head.

  “No, I’m not going to let anyone spoil this for us. I’ll be fine in a minute. I just…haven’t seen her in a while…” Lucy trailed off.

  Ash sat down, pulled her fully onto his lap, and tucked her smaller frame against him. He sat his chin on top of her head, and felt relieved when she relaxed into him. He hated this. He had never seen her look so vulnerable. She was the one that was always in control, she was never like this, and she was always so strong.

  “Breathe, Belle, Breathe,” he murmured in her ear.

  “Well, and what is going on here?” A haughty voice made Ash look up.

  The woman would have been beautiful, if not for the stiffness of her features. He could tell that nearly everything about her was unnatural. Her lips swelled out of proportion, while her cheeks were unnaturally high. The only thing that seemed real was her blue eyes. Those eyes were the same as her daughters, except colder, more calculating than Lucy’s would ever be.

  He saw residual panic enter Lucy’s eyes, before she flinched. Without even talking to the woman, Ash felt an intense dislike developing for her. What had she done to his wonderful Belle to cause this bizarre reaction? What could possibly make his fiery girl defeated and destroyed?

  “Hello, Mother,” Lucy pulled herself to her feet to stand straight and calm, as though nothing had happened.