by Wendy Louise
Settling in
Olivia’s apartment, well my apartment now too, is breathtaking.
It’s in the Hollywood Hills and has the most amazing view of LA. The lights of the city at night are twinkling through the floor-to-ceiling windows at me, just begging me to come down and explore. I’m itching to get out there and see what LA has to offer.
The entire apartment is open plan and decorated in various shades of cream and white. Very modern and spacious. My room is off the main area and is beautiful. Up to date, but warm, furnished with a large bed in the centre of the room, and an antique armoire facing it. There is a tall mirror that is framed with thick rustic wood leaning against the wall to the right of the door, and then a doorway that leads in to a large marble covered bathroom. The whole room is decorated with cream furnishings and gold accents, it is very serene, and very me.
After unpacking my two large suitcases, I decide to take a quick shower. The showerhead is one of those large ones that make you feel like you’re standing in the rain. My quick shower turns in to a much longer one, and I have to talk myself into getting out. The warm water is washing away the weariness of the day. I dress comfortably and wind my damp hair in to a clip to keep it off my shoulders. I head out to the large living space in search of my sister.
I find her lounging on the large, cream-coloured, sectional sofa with her perfectly manicured feet up and crossed at the ankles. She’s wearing a pink fluffy robe and has a green face mask on as she flicks through a magazine with a look of disgust on her face.
“Not liking what you see in there?” I ask as I gesture towards the magazine.
“I don’t know where they get these bullshit stories from,” she says as she throws the pages down on to the glass coffee table in front of her.
“I just ignore them,” she says casually, but I can tell it gets to her. She can’t hide anything from me.
Olivia continues, “Sorry Sis. I need to do a bit of beauty prep. This face mask doesn’t take long. We can head out to dinner once it’s done if you like or just order in if you’re tired. Your choice.”
“Ordering in sounds fine to me Liv, I’m starting to fade. I’m excited to explore though. This place is amazing, you must love being here.”
“I do, but I really miss home. That’s why I was so happy that you were coming out here to be with me. I miss everyone.”
“Tell me about Ryan.” I say with a sly grin.
“Wow, news gets around fast in this town. Who told you about Ryan?” she says with wide eyes and a slight blush.
“Joshua. Now spill.”
She smiles widely. “We’ve been seeing each other for a few months. He’s one of the Producers on the Film. He is sweet and gorgeous and treats me really well.”
“You lucky girl,” I say, a little envious.
What I wouldn’t give to be able to say that. I’ve never been in a relationship where I can say all that. Not that I’ve had many, well only two serious ones to be exact. Both times I have had my heart broken in to teeny-tiny pieces. I try not to dwell on the fact that perhaps I came here to put distance between myself and Cole. I mean I never really thought he was the ‘one’, if that even exists, but I did love him and I thought he loved me. It still stings, but this distance is doing wonders. I haven’t even thought about him until now.
“When do I get to meet him Liv?”
“Well there’s a party tomorrow night that he’s throwing...”
I cut her off, “Yes I know all about that, Joshua and Chelsea invited me.”
Olivia shakes her head and smiles. “You’ve been here less than 24 hours and already you’re accepting party invitations, I’m impressed Sis.”
“I only accepted because they told me you would be there. Less intimidating for me if I get to ride on your skirt-tails for the evening.” I sit myself down in to one of the comfortable looking arm chairs that frame the coffee table.
Olivia laughs her husky laugh and rises from the sofa. “I’m going to remove this face mask and then we’ll order a pizza. We can spend the evening catching up, like old times.”
“Sounds good. Liv, thanks for asking me to come and work with you. I think I’m really going to love being here, and it was a good time for me to get away and start afresh.”
She turns back and directs a concerned gaze at me. “I hope you’re not still lusting after that awful Cole. He was so not worth your time. I’m going to make sure you meet a gorgeous American boy, and you’ll never want to go home,” she says with a wink. “I’ll be right back”.
That is the last thing I need.
No more men, no relationship, no American boy.
I need space and time for myself. I won’t turn down a bit of flirtatious fun, but I’m not in the market for anything more than that right now. I’m sure my parents would be over the moon if I called them to tell them another daughter was setting down roots in the States.
Not!
American boys will not be getting any attention from this Australian girl.
I rise from the chair to make my way to the kitchen, ignoring the fact that all the while I am thinking of sapphire-blue eyes and sandy, tousled hair.
The sun is shining brightly when I open the curtains the next morning, and I can feel the heat radiating off the glass. I have a gorgeous view of the city through my window, and the thought that I’m actually here and about to start this new chapter of my life hits me. I am so excited and itching to get in to it.
I find Olivia fully dressed and stunning, eating an egg-white omelette in the kitchen.
“Morning Sis. Kettle’s boiled. I got you some green tea, but we will need to go shopping and stock up on some of your other favourites later today.”
“Thanks Liv. Green tea and toast will be fine for me. I brought my own vegemite from home.” I hold up the jar of breakfast spread so Olivia can appreciate it. I’m sure she hasn’t had any in a while, I’m not sure that it’s readily available over here.
“Yum! I so miss vegemite. When I first came here I used to get Mum to send it to me every time I ran out of it, but she hasn’t sent some in a while.”
“I have enough with me to keep us going for ages, don’t worry. Do you want some on toast?”
“Definitely,” she says enthusiastically. “I got the guys on set to try it once and they all thought it was disgusting. I guess it depends on what you grow up with. Vegemite reminds me of home,” she says wistfully. “We need to head off in about an hour okay?”
“I’ll be ready.”
I noticed that everyone was wearing jeans when I was at the Studio yesterday, so I decide to wear my best Levis, with a cute pale blue blouse and a navy linen jacket over the top. I have paired it with a long gold necklace that has a lock and key charm on the bottom of it. It’s one of my favourites despite the fact that Cole gave it to me.
I’ve pulled my hair up in to a messy bun on top of my head and kept my make-up minimal. My bright red lipstick and large gold hoops in my ears pull the outfit together. I feel good, ready to face the day.
Olivia and I head to the Studio together in her zippy little red sports car, and park in her designated place. Her license plate number adorns a small wooden stake that is pushed in to the ground in front of her parking spot. Olivia needs to head straight to hair and make-up this morning to get ready for filming, so I leave her in her dressing room and head down the hall towards the office that I now share with Joshua. He’s not there when I arrive so I sit at my desk and start to arrange things to my liking. I’ve brought a few photos from home with me, so I pin those to the board beside my lap top.
One is of my parents sitting on the beach together, looking in love and smiling at the lens. The other is of me and my group of friends back home.
I have four really close girlfriends that I’ve known since we started high school together. I was really lucky to befriend a group of girls that have always stuck by each other and never resorted to bitchy cat fights. We all love each other and are like sisters
. I’m really going to miss them all, but they have all promised to visit while I’m here.
I’m just pinning the second photo to the board when I feel a presence in the office.
“Good Morning Ava, do you know where Josh is?” a deep voice says from behind me.
I turn to face the voice, and wow.
Just.
Wow.
It’s Ethan, and he looks incredible this morning. His sandy brown hair is tousled like yesterday but is still wet around the edges. His body is encased in black cargo pants and a tight white t-shirt that shows off every plane and muscle of his amazing chest. The stark white of his top highlights the golden tan that he wears like a pro. His deep blue eyes are staring at me in the same way as they did yesterday, and I find it really hard to look away, even though my body goes in to overdrive when I look straight at him. It’s like he is glaring in to my soul and can see every deep dark secret that is there.
I catch my breath; swallow past the lump in my throat, and reply smoothly. “Good Morning Ethan. I haven’t seen him this morning. I’m sure he isn’t far away.”
Ethan lowers himself down in to Joshua’s chair and cocks his head to the side. I still need to pinch myself to believe that I’m actually in his company.
It is surreal to be sitting across from someone that you have only ever read about it magazines and gossip columns. A crooked grin emerges on his face and his eyes sparkle. His expression makes him even more handsome, if that’s possible. He smells edible, like soap and something else that I can’t put my finger on. Probably some exotic body wash that he has lathered all over that gorgeous body this morning.
Note to self: Stop these types of thoughts when he is sitting in front of you Ava! I can practically feel the blush staining my skin from my neck to my cheeks.
“Well I think I’ll just wait for him to get here. It will give me a chance to talk to you.”
Oh no, please don’t. The power of speech seems to exit the building when you’re close to me….
“What made you decide to leave Australia and come out here?”
I wipe my sweaty palms along my jeans, and sit up straight trying to get air in to my lungs. Why does he make me so nervous?
“Not much to tell you I’m afraid. I just graduated from University and felt like a change. Olivia gave me this opportunity and it just felt right. There’s nothing tying me to home right now, so it’s a perfect time to spread my wings a bit.”
“Ah, so you’re on a journey of self-discovery then?” he says with a cocky grin.
I have to tell myself to breathe.
In and out.
In and out.
My reaction to his presence is just ridiculous. I’ve never had such an intense visceral reaction to another human being before. Obviously I’m going to have to make a conscious effort when I am around anyone famous to act casually.
If that’s even possible.
Wait he asked me a question, answer it you idiot!
“Not self-discovery. No. I think I’m pretty aware of who I am. I prefer to think of it as a new adventure or a new chapter. A chance for me to decide what I want to do with my life and where I want it to go.”
He nods and sits forward in the chair towards me. His elbows are resting on his thighs and his chin rests on his hands. He looks adorable. “So why didn’t you go straight in to a career following your studies?”
“I studied Journalism, and although it was my choice to do that, I’m not sure where I want to take it. I’ve always done what’s expected. I worked hard at school, got good grades and graduated with honours from University. I’ve been the nice, good girl that my parents always expected me to be. I guess now is my time to not do what is expected of me. I just want a bit of freedom from home, and a chance to find out where my place is in the world.”
Way to go Ava. You’ve just spilled your guts to Ethan Drake. I’m sure he didn’t want to know all that.
Ethan smiles that breathtaking crooked grin again and sits back in the chair. “Well if there is ever a place for you to find yourself and live on the edge, LA is it. This place presents a lot of opportunity, especially to someone who has never been here before. I’d be happy to show you around town a bit, introduce you to some people, and help you to be naughty rather than nice.”
He is the devil!
My breath hitches and I have to look away. Those words - naughty rather than nice -coming from his lips, are a little too much for me right now.
Wait! Did he just say that he would be happy to show me around town?
Oh yes please!
I spin my chair around, and pretend I need to grab something from my purse so I can break eye contact. I hear a light chuckle come from Ethan. Goddammit, he knows that he is getting to me. I spin back around and he’s standing right beside my chair, leaning over me and staring at the photos I have tacked to the board. I inhale that scent again and it scrambles my thoughts. No one should smell that damn good.
“Are those your parents?” he asks pointing at their photo, brushing my arm as he does. Goosebumps break out from the place of contact and flow outward to every corner of my skin.
“Yes, that photo was taken on a holiday when we went to Queensland. My family loves the beach. Well everyone in Australia loves the beach, because the majority of us live near one.”
“They look so happy together in that photo,” he says with a sad edge to his voice.
“They are very happy together, always have been.” I state proudly.
“You’re very lucky to have two parents that love each other and obviously love you and your sister. Not everyone has that.” He says that so emphatically that I can’t miss the fact that there is more behind that statement than he is letting on.
His eyes look cloudy and his face looks pained. Ethan has obviously not had the loving family life that I have been lucky enough to grow up in. His expression makes something twist in my gut, and I have an overwhelming urge to wrap my arms around him and give him a hug.
Of course I don’t do that.
It would freak him out.
Ethan has a vulnerable side and it makes me realise that the public persona is not all that there is to him. He has always been painted as the playboy son of Hollywood Royalty in the magazines. It makes him appear shallow and arrogant. The Ethan that is in front of me now is neither of those things, and it intrigues and fascinates me.
He grabs a piece of paper from Josh’s desk and starts to fiddle with it, folding it over and over. I’m not sure if it is a nervous gesture or just something to keep his hands busy while we chat, but it is distracting.
I pull my eyes away from his hands and ask, “What about your family Ethan. Any brothers or sisters?”
I know that he doesn’t have any siblings, and that it has only been him and his mother growing up, but I don’t want him to know that I have an obsession with gossip magazines. Now that he is in front of me I want him to tell me about himself, I don’t want to rely on what I’ve read.
I’ve already seen another side to him in the few minutes that we’ve been talking that contradicts everything I have ever read about him. Don’t get me wrong, I am not so stupid as to not believe some of what the magazines say. It is clear that he goes through women like he changes his underwear, and that there is never a shortage waiting to take him on – I’ve seen the paparazzi photos. Yet as he sits here with me now, I detect a loneliness and vulnerability that you could never put down in words.
He answers me softly. “No brothers and sisters, just my mother and me. Oh and Nanny Grace.”
“Nanny Grace?”
“Nanny Grace was my nanny from when I was born until I turned 18. She raised me. She was more of a mother to me than my own mother has ever been.”
“Oh.”
I don’t know what to say to that.
The tabloids always made out that he and his mother were really close, portraying her as the perfect parent. Amazing how what you read can be so deceiving. It makes me somewhat disg
usted in some areas of my studied profession.
“It sounds like you two are close?” I ask.
“Yes we are. She’s in a nursing home now, but I try to get in there and see her as much as I can. She’s an amazing lady, full of life and young at heart. I wanted her to stay at our home, but my mother felt it was better for her to be in a place where there was proper medical care.”
I detect the disdain when Ethan talks about his mother. Obviously there is no love lost there. I can’t imagine the Ethan that I’ve read about in the tabloids visiting an old lady in a nursing home, I can’t get my head to put the two images that I have of him together. What a contradiction. It’s like I’ve always thought of him a particular way and today is challenging that – in a good way.
A really good way.
“So are you going to the party tonight at Ryan’s?” he asks as he seamlessly changes the subject.
“Yes, I’ve been invited. I still feel a little jet lagged so I’m not sure how long I’ll last. I’m looking forward to it though.”
“It’ll be a good night. Ryan throws great parties and my best friend’s band is playing. They’re called Awesome Rebel and they are fucking amazing.” He pauses and looks down and then says, “Sorry.”
I chuckle at his obvious embarrassment at cursing in front of me. “We curse in Australia too you know Ethan. Nothing I haven’t heard before.”
He laughs – the sound of which sends shockwaves through my system.
It is just so male.
Deep and rumbling.
He rises and heads toward the door just as Joshua comes flying in, coffee in hand. “Morning you two.”
“Morning Josh. Have you got my schedule for Monday finalised yet? I need to fit in an appointment.”
“It’s almost there, let me know what you need me to fit in and I can move a few things around.”
“Okay thanks. Nice talking to you Ava, I’ll see you at the party tonight.”
“See you then.”
He smiles again, allowing his plump lips to pull up at each end, and moves to leave the room. I fill my lungs with air, taking the first deep breath since he strolled in to the office this morning. I’m proud of myself for getting through my first proper conversation with Ethan alone without making a total fool of myself. Now I just need to get my body to cooperate and get rid of the nerves I experience whenever he is around, and all will be perfect.