Destined for the Star (Starstruck)

by Dell, Teresia

  Just touched down in Chicago. Waiting for my connecting flight. Miss you painfully much. Can I call you as soon as I land, even if it’s early in the morning your time? N.

  She replied right away.

  Yes, please do, doesn’t matter what time it is. I miss you too, so very much. Thank you for the beautiful flowers. They made my day much more bearable. Olivia.

  Glad to hear it, sweetheart. Wish I could have sent myself instead of just flowers though. Sleep tight, and dream beautiful dreams, preferably about me… N.

  She didn’t know how to reply to that, so she didn’t.

  ”It’s from him, isn’t it?” Lukas asked with a grin.

  ”Yeah,” she said, unable to stop smiling.

  ”I can tell, you’re glowing. Sparkling, even. You really like the guy, don’t you?”

  She looked at him with tears in her eyes.

  ”Yes, I’m afraid I really, really like him,” she whispered.

  Chapter 6

  She fell asleep that night, after having read his texts what seemed like a thousand times, with a smile still on her face. She was awakened by her phone ringing. Immediately she leapt for it and answered, almost in her sleep.

  ”Hello,” she said in English, not even a thought that it was anyone but Nate calling.

  The voice on the other end sent shivers down her whole body - it was so gorgeously masculine and sexy. She would never tire of hearing it.

  ”Olivia,” he said her name like a caress, ”I’m so sorry to wake you. I just couldn’t contain myself. I’m in the car home from the airport. Is this really okay, or do you want to go back to sleep?”

  ”No!” she croaked. ”No, I don’t want to sleep, I want to talk to you.” She hesitated for a second but she couldn’t keep it in, ”I miss you so much, Nate,” she whispered, feeling so shy and vulnerable at once.

  ”Oh baby,” came his tender voice from across the Atlantic. ”I miss you too, more than I know how to express. This is torture, being so far away from you.”

  ”I know,” she said, wishing more than anything that she could reach out and touch him. She tried to shake the intense longing she felt for him, and bring the conversation to safer ground.

  ”So, how was your flight?” she finally asked.

  ”Long and torturous,” he said. ”You have bewitched me, Olivia. I couldn’t think of anything but you, the whole way across the Atlantic. Right now, I can’t even remember what I’m doing back here. Why am I not in Stockholm, with you?”

  ”You have important business to attend to,” she smiled, so happy she felt like exploding that he seemed to miss her as much as she missed him.

  ”Business-schmissness,” he snorted dismissively.

  She laughed.

  ”Have I told you I adore your laughter?” he asked then.

  ”No,” she smiled.

  ”Well, I guess it’s really self-evident since I adore absolutely everything about you.”

  She blushed and didn’t know how to reply to that.

  ”Olivia?” he finally prompted. ”Did you go back to sleep?” he teased.

  ”No,” she said, ”I was just thinking how you’re too good to be true.”

  ”Hardly,” he snorted.

  ”You know, Sasha thinks you’re either that or a serial killer,” she teased.

  ”Really? How perceptive of her,” he teased back. ”But I only care what you think, Olivia.”

  ”I think you are too good to be true, but I’m pretending not to notice, lest some higher power realizes her mistake and takes you back.”

  ”Hm, clever girl,” he said, laughter in his voice. ”Well, I know you’re way too good to be true and that I’m completely undeserving of you, but I’m so selfish I’m claiming you for mine, anyway.”

  She giggled.

  ”Nate, it’s impossible to be too good for you, and especially for me to be too good for you. Surely you’ve noticed how ordinary I am and how extraordinary you are? Or don’t they have mirrors in Oklahoma?”

  ”Ha!” he exclaimed. ”You really have no idea who you are, do you?” He sounded incredulous.

  ”On the contrary, I think I have a very realistic self-image,” she retorted.

  ”Do you really see yourself as ordinary, or are you just playing with me?” he asked then, suddenly serious.

  She grew quiet.

  ”I don’t want to talk about it, Nate,” she finally said.

  ”Why not?”

  ”It’s embarrassing. I’ve just never appealed to men. I’m the kind of girl who sort of, you know,” she squirmed, and wished she could think of a way to change the subject without having to finish the sentence.

  ”What, Olivia? Tell me, please.”

  ”Well, let’s just say, that if I had been born in another era I would have been the girl left in the corner at the dances. I’m a wallflower. When Sasha and I go out, she’s like a magnet, all the men gather around her. She’s so full of life. And I’m quiet and shy, not a big hit with the men here it seems. It’s like I’m invisible. And that’s fine with me, that’s just who I am,” she quickly added, afraid he would pity her. ”Sasha is so pretty, so petite and with those huge brown eyes and her glossy dark hair - well, I look so Swedish in comparison, very ordinary, you know.”

  He was quiet for a second, and then he asked,

  ”Is that truly how you see yourself, Olivia?”

  She couldn’t answer - she felt too embarrassed to speak, at having bared herself like that.

  ”Olivia,” he said, his voice so tender and sincere, ”when I walked you to the subway station the other day, there were guys tripping over themselves, left and right, to get a good look at you. I felt so proud that I was the one who got to walk beside you. You are breathtakingly beautiful and the most desirable woman I’ve ever met. Never doubt that.”

  She felt tears fall down her cheeks, completely stunned that he saw her that way. What kind of magic was this?

  ”Olivia, are you all right?”

  ”Yes, yes, I’m fine. Thank you for saying that,” she whispered.

  ”Are you crying, sweetheart?” he asked, suddenly sounding so worried.

  ”I’m just…” she hesitated. ”I just wish so much that you were here, Nate.”

  ”Oh, baby, I do too. I’ll call and cancel those meetings, I’ll think of something. And then I’ll get on the first plane back, okay?”

  ”You’d do that for me?” she asked, astonished.

  ”Of course,” he said. ”It’s torture being away from you, Olivia. I’ll call you right back when I know which flight I’ll be on.”

  ”No!” she cried out. ”Don’t do that! You can’t let all those people down, that you have meetings with. It might hurt your business. I’m fine, I can take it. I promise. I’m sorry I went all emotional on you. It won’t happen again,” she assured him.

  ”But I want it to happen again,” he said quietly. ”I want to know everything you’re feeling, always. Never hold anything back from me, Olivia. I don’t think I could stand it.”

  He was quiet for a second, and then he asked,

  ”Are you sure I shouldn’t cancel and come back straight away?”

  ”No, I want you to finish your business first. I would only feel guilty otherwise. I’m fine, really I am. Three weeks is nothing. I’ll keep busy. Time will fly by, I’m sure.” She tried to sound cheerful.

  ”Okay,” he said. ”But I will try and be back sooner than in three weeks, if I can reschedule some of my meetings.”

  ”Okay.”

  ”Are you working tomorrow?”

  ”Yes, in a few hours, actually,” she said, looking at the watch. It was a little after four in the morning.

  ”Then you need to get some sleep, baby.”

  ”No, don’t go,” she protested.

  ”I’m at my house now. Tell you what, I’ll go inside and then I’ll tell you a story or two, until you fall asleep. How’s that sound?”

  ”Sounds perfect,” she smiled. ”What’s the
story about?” She settled back down into the pillows.

  ”Well,” he said, ”I’ll tell you more about growing up on a cattle ranch. You should see all the scars I have.” He sounded as if he smiled at the memories.

  ”Yes, please,” she said, ”I want to hear all about when you were a little boy. I bet you broke a lot of hearts, even back then.” She couldn’t help teasing him, it was so much fun.

  He chuckled.

  ”None that mattered,” he assured her.

  ”Mattered to you or to them?” she asked drily.

  ”Ha, ha, very cute. I’m not a kiss and tell kinda guy. I’ll tell you about the time I tried to ride a bull instead. You know, like they do at the rodeo? Do you know what a rodeo is?” he asked her. But before she could answer, he started talking again, but not to her, she realized.

  ”Hi there, baby girl! Have you missed me? Yes, I’ve missed you too, very much.” He kept cooing tenderly, and she felt as if a hand made of ice squeezed her heart. Who was he talking to? Was he taken after all? Did he have a girlfriend? Heaven forbid, a wife? Her mouth went dry with fear but she had to know.

  ”Nate? Who are you talking to?” She could hardly get the words out.

  ”Oh, sorry, Olivia, I’m just saying hello to my beautiful Sadie.” Then he continued to whomever Sadie was, ”Yes, baby girl, I’m home now, for a while, then I have to go away again.”

  ”Who is Sadie?” Olivia whispered, dread filling her voice. ”Nate, are you married?”

  There was a stunned silence on the other end, and then he burst into laughter.

  ”Married? No! Sadie is my dog, my little baby girl. I got her from a high-kill shelter a couple of years ago, just in time before they were going to put her down. She was just a puppy then - the cutest one I ever saw, a little black and white fur ball. She stole my heart the moment I saw her. We’ve been together ever since. Though she’s not so little anymore, are you, baby girl? She’s some kind of a cross between a German shepherd and a Collie, and probably a few other breeds thrown in for fun.”

  Olivia felt relief flood her insides.

  ”Sadie is your dog?” she asked, just to make sure.

  ”Yes,” he said. And then, ”Olivia, were you jealous just now, when you heard me greet her?”

  She squirmed. She didn’t want to admit to that particular weakness, but she’d never been a good liar.

  ”Maybe a little,” she said at last.

  He chuckled happily.

  ”That’s adorable, love, I like the idea of you feeling a little jealous because of me.” He did sound pleased. ”I thought I was the only one driving myself crazy imagining all the handsome Vikings who could come and sweep you off your feet while I’m gone.”

  ”Really?” She felt a tingling warmth at the thought.

  ”Yes, really. I told you Olivia, you have bewitched me - all I want is to hold you close to me and never let go.”

  ”You know, I may not be able to let you go again either, when I see you next time,” she admitted.

  ”Good,” he said, ”I don’t want you to. But now I’m going to continue with my story, ’cause you need to get some sleep, sweetheart, and I’m sure I can bore you to sleep pretty quickly.”

  She giggled.

  ”I highly doubt that, but please go ahead and try.”

  He kept talking, until his husky voice tenderly lulled her to sleep.

  Chapter 7

  The days did pass quickly, or at least faster than she had dared hope they would. Every afternoon, after she got off work, they Skyped. He made a habit of calling her before he went off to work in the morning. Sometimes it was as early as six in the morning his time, when they talked, depending on the meetings he had that day. She loved seeing him on her computer screen. He looked so boyishly sexy - often straight out of the shower, his hair still damp and with a simple white t-shirt on. It seemed they never ran out of things to talk about. She felt as if she had known him forever. She felt so at home with him and he seemed to understand her, even when she confessed to one or another of her little quirks. Even when she had trouble explaining things properly he seemed to get what she meant, intuitively.

  They compared tastes in everything, and talked about what they each wanted out of life, and what they most liked to do in their time off. They realized their tastes were sometimes polar opposites (he liked country music; she only rarely listened to music at all, preferring silence when she was at home) and sometimes she was surprised to discover things they had in common, like their mutual appreciation for ballet.

  ”Really?” she asked him, thrilled at the revelation. ”You like ballet?”

  ”Yep,” he smiled at her. ”Tulsa actually has a full-time ballet company. My family has always had this Christmas tradition of going to see ’The Nutcracker’. It was important to Mom that her boys learnt to appreciate fine arts. Much of it was lost on my brothers, I think, but I always loved the theatre and anything taking place on a stage. Ballet is an amazing art form.”

  ”Yes it is. I used to dance growing up.”

  ”You did? So that explains your amazing legs.” He cocked a teasing eyebrow at her.

  She blushed then.

  ”I don’t know about that,” she squirmed.

  ”Well I do, I’ve seen your legs and I hope I’ll get to see the rest of you too, in the not so distant future. I have a feeling I won’t be disappointed.” He seemed to enjoy making her squirm.

  ”Great, now I’m not at all feeling the pressure,” she groaned.

  He chuckled.

  ”If it’s any consolation I plan on stripping for you at the same time, so you won’t have to feel alone.”

  God, the man was incorrigible.

  ”Please, don’t hold back on my account. If you’re itching to strip I don’t mind if you start right now. I have a pretty good view from here.”

  He shot her a crooked smile and slowly stood up and turned around. Very slowly he started to pull his shirt off and she got a glimpse of his broad, muscular back, lightly tanned and extremely sexy. She felt the heat spread in her stomach and down between her thighs. Then he stopped and plopped back down in his chair, grinning broadly at her.

  ”Nooo!” she groaned. ”Why did you stop? You were doing so great.”

  He grinned.

  ”If I show you the goods now, you might change your mind about letting me come back to see you. I’m not taking any chances.” Then he threw two big bare feet on the table in full view of his webcam. ”But these are nude, look all you want.”

  She started giggling then.

  ”Gee, thanks, how generous of you, Nate.”

  ”Anytime, sweetheart.” He shot her his devilish grin as he dropped his feet to the floor and leaned forward again.

  ”So, why did you stop dancing?”

  She felt a little shaky at the way his smoldering eyes seemed to burn right through her, melting her insides to mush. She was grateful for getting back on topic.

  ”I started taking lessons when I was six. Sasha and I started together. I loved it but not enough to keep at it when it started getting serious around fourteen. I love ballet but not enough to sacrifice everything else for it in order to make it a career. Besides I never had the right body for it. I’m too tall and heavy.”

  Nate snorted at that.

  ”In what crazy alternate reality would you be considered too heavy? You have the perfect body. And your height fits me perfectly. It’s like you were designed just for me.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.

  She blushed several shades of pink then.

  ”Nate, you have to stop this or I’m going to get on a plane right now to come see you.”

  He laughed then.

  ”Really? I have that effect on you?” He seemed quite pleased at the thought. He suddenly turned serious. ”I miss you so much, Olivia. I have it bad for you, baby.”

  She let herself get lost in his longing gaze.

  ”I miss you too, Nate. Whoever put us on different continents mu
st have had a mean streak the size of the Atlantic.”

  * * *

  She missed him so much, but she was very grateful that they could Skype every day. She felt a little bad for him because he was the one who had to get up extra early every day to talk to her, but when she mentioned it, he made light of it.

  ”I’d much rather talk to you than get an extra half hour or so of sleep, love. It’s no big deal.”

  She asked him about his brothers and he told her that both of them were married. And that Matt, the middle brother, already had two children; a boy, Trevor and a baby girl, Vanessa. Nate said that he tried to spend as much time as possible with them. The tender longing in his voice, when he spoke of his nephew and niece, made her heart beat faster. She couldn’t help imagining how beautiful his own children would be, if he had some one day. She asked him if he wanted a family of his own one day.

  ”Yes, definitely. I would like to be a young dad, if at all possible,” he confided.

  That reminded her of Sasha’s question.

  ”I don’t even know how old you are!”

  He laughed, his sexy baritone sending shivers of pleasure through her.

  ”I’m twenty-seven. Well, actually I haven’t turned twenty-seven yet. My birthday’s in December.”

  ”What date?”

  ”The third. When’s your birthday, Olivia?”

  ”I turned twenty-three this summer, on July sixteenth.”

  * * *

  She found out that his favorite thing to do when he had time off, apart from playing with Sadie and going hiking with her, was watching movies. He seemed to be a real cinephile and loved discussing his favorite directors’ and actors’ work. Apparently he watched a lot of movies, from all over the world, and knew the work of some really obscure filmmakers that she had never heard of. She loved seeing how enthusiastic he became when he told her about some film he’d watched the night before, and what he liked or didn’t like about it.