by Leela Ash
“Hello,” he said, in his deep thundering voice. Alicia, who usually was great around people, always captivating everyone with her sparkling smile and cheerful personality, shook his hand in silence.
“Please, have a seat. I’m heading in for a quick shower anyway,” Xavier said and started walking towards the door. Erin could feel her heart deaden at the sight of him leaving.
“We should all have dinner together,” Erin found herself saying, suddenly and without warning. He stopped in his tracks and turned slightly to look at her. He threw Alicia a nervous quick look and smiled.
“Maybe,” he said and opened the door and slipped back into the cabin. Erin’s brows furrowed. The air between them had changed suddenly and she had no idea what had just happened to cause it. Did Alicia and Xavier know each other? The thoughts were racing through Erin’s mind and she turned to look at her friend, who was still standing.
“You’ve been sitting here, chatting with him?” Alicia asked. Erin could see that she was trying to keep her voice low, but struggling to not sound too excited or screech.
“What do you mean? Do you know each other?” Erin breathed in deeply, bracing herself to be shot at with a long winded story about how Alicia and Xavier had once dated but it went sour after she dumped in. She could feel her fingers shaking a little. The thought of the two of them together produced an actual physical reaction in her.
“I wish.” Alicia rolled her eyes and slumped into the empty rocking chair. Erin threw her another confused look, increasingly angered by the slowness of information being given to her.
“Erin! Are you serious? You don’t know who that is?” Alicia was speaking through gritted teeth. Apparently, her friend was as annoyed with her as she was with Alicia. Erin shook her head.
“Should I?”
“That’s Xavier Cowen. Umm, the Xavier Cowen.” Alicia leaned in and spoke in a near-whisper. Erin still had no idea what to make of the revelation.
“Who is he?” she asked and watched as Alicia threw up her hands, in mock surrender.
“To put it simply, he’s a movie star,” Alicia said, not happy that her best friend couldn’t share in her absolute shock and excitement. Erin was confused, then surprised and then she broke into a fit of giggles. She couldn’t help herself. The thought of Xavier, the man she had been sitting and having a heart-to-heart with for the past hour, was a movie star? It was too unbelievable, too hilarious. She nearly didn’t buy it. She couldn’t believe that he had that frivolous a profession. She hadn’t asked, but she imagined him to be a Philosophy professor or perhaps a mad scientist.
“You’re certain of it?” Erin managed to ask, through her laughs. Alicia was sitting on the chair but had her hands on her hips now, furious at Erin’s reaction.
“I wasn’t sure initially, because of the beard. But yes, now I’m certain Erin.” She had her eyes narrowed. “Stop laughing. What’s so funny?”
“I just can’t believe it. What kind of movies does he do?” Erin asked, biting down on her lips to stop herself from laughing anymore.
“He used to be the heartthrob of the rom-coms about a decade ago, but then he had a series of Superhero films that he did. I don’t think he’s been in a movie in the past few years though.” Alicia was thinking, looking away from her and her brows were crinkled. She was in deep thought, trying to mentally trace out Xavier Cowen’s Hollywood career.
Erin couldn’t believe it, Rom-Coms, Superhero flicks? She sat back in her chair and folded her arms in front of her.
“This is crazy,” she said, almost to herself, but Alicia had heard.
“Yeah, I know. I can’t believe I just met Xavier Cowen,” Alicia replied, but she was speaking to herself as well.
“I could have sworn he was a teacher or something,” Erin said and the two girls exchanged looks.
“He does look quite different than he used to, on-screen at least. But he’s still gorgeous, isn’t he?” Alicia asked and Erin absent-mindedly nodded. He most definitely was, gorgeous. The fact that she was, even remotely, attracted to a movie star was a crazy prank the Universe had played on her. Her first boyfriend, Lawrence, who she dated towards the end of college was now an award winning sculptor and Steve, her second and last boyfriend was a Physicist. She had rarely been attracted to other men and the ones she had been, were the same league. A movie star? Erin burst into another fit of laughter.
Ms. Carter interrupted them at that moment.
“I’ve served dinner at the dining table, ladies,” she said and then slipped back into the cabin.
“I’m starving,” Erin said, and stood up, stretching her arms behind her. Alicia remained sitting, still deep in thought.
“Alicia. Food!” Erin shouted a little, trying to snap her friend out of her thoughts. Alicia looked up at her, still slightly confused and dazed.
“I don’t believe it,” she said and shook her head.
“I don’t believe it either. Snap out of it Alicia. Let’s go get dinner.” Erin started walking towards the door.
“Do you think he’ll really join us?” Alicia finally stood up and Erin shrugged.
“If he’s anything like any other superstar, he won’t. Right? Do we really care?” Erin opened the door.
“You might not. But I definitely do. I’m not leaving here without a photo with him and an autograph.” Alicia had her smile back on her face as she walked through the door.
“Leave him be Alicia. He’s probably come here to escape crazy fans like you.” Erin shut the door behind her and spoke to her friend in a whisper. Alicia whipped around to face her and smiled, her eyes were glittering mischievously, which almost always, Erin knew, meant trouble.
“It’s the price he has to pay for being a movie star and being so damn hot!” Alicia winked at Erin and strutted over to the dining room. Erin breathed in deeply and tightened the cardigan around her. Suddenly, she didn’t want to be in the cabin anymore. This wasn’t an escape, this wasn’t the vacation she wanted. This was a trap, a confusion.
Through the open door of the dining room, she saw Xavier sitting at the dining table, with Ms. Carter fussing over serving him food. She heard Alicia’s high pitched laugh as Erin waited where she was, for a few more minutes. She wished she hadn’t invited him to join them for dinner.
When Erin walked in, she noticed that Ms. Carter had already served the roast to her. She took her seat, across Xavier, while Alicia sat next to him at the table. Ms. Carter soon excused herself and took a plate of her dinner out, to her own room.
Alicia was talking excitedly as Erin poured herself some wine from the open bottle beside her. Xavier had a fixed weak smile on his face as he concentrated on cutting himself a piece of chicken.
Erin cleared her throat and Alicia stopped laughing.
“So, Alicia tells me you’re a movie star,” Erin said with a sarcastic smile on her face. From the corner of her eye, she could see that her friend had thrown her a look. Xavier continued chewing the food in his mouth after which he cleared his throat as well.
“She found me out,” he said with a soft smile and proceeded to cut himself another piece. Erin took a sip of her wine and pushed the bottle towards him. Alicia had already helped herself. She watched as he poured himself a glass and took a sip.
“I apologize that I didn’t recognize you. I can’t remember the last time I saw a contemporary movie,” Erin said with another smile and he nodded.
“Please don’t apologize. It was a breath of fresh air,” he said and Alicia broke the moment with a laugh.
“The last movie Erin watched was probably Casablanca or Citizen Kane,” she said through her laughs, but Xavier didn’t join in.
“They’re both great movies.” He looked at Erin instead and they smiled at each other.
“Alicia here, obviously thinks I’m very unfashionable. However, I should definitely watch one with you in it now.” Erin finally cut herself a piece of chicken while he shook his head.
“Please don’t. T
hat would be embarrassing. I’m not particularly proud of my filmography,” he breathed in deeply and cut off their eye contact.
“Are you kidding me?” Alicia squealed and turned towards him on her side. “The Scarlett dress? The Best Man? Little Bit of Sunshine?” she named a few more movies that Erin had never heard of and she couldn’t help herself from laughing. Xavier looked embarrassed and he turned to her with his eyes downcast.
“I loved those movies. Why don’t you like them?” Alicia continued. Xavier, as always, took a few extended seconds to respond.
“They weren’t the kind of films I had set out to do. I had to make money, so I did them.” He washed down the food in his mouth with some wine. Erin remained quiet, her suspicions were correct, he was trying to escape.
“Is that why you haven’t done a movie in a few years?” Alicia asked, leaning in towards him a little. Xavier visibly moved away and Erin smiled. This was the first time, a man was not even accepting, leave alone reciprocating Alicia’s advances.
“I want to start with a clean slate. I know now that would be impossible. My stereotype has been set in stone,” he spoke quietly and his voice seemed to silence Alicia. She was also perhaps a little offended by his reaction to her.
“Can’t you make your own movies? The kind that you have always wanted to be in?” Erin asked. He looked at her again and smacked his lips.
“I suppose I could. I want to act, though. That’s what comes naturally to me. I wouldn’t have the skill set required to produce or direct a film.” He was cradling the glass of wine in his hands. Erin poured herself some more and he grabbed the bottle from her when she was done, pouring himself some as well.
“So are you waiting then?” she asked him and their eyes met again. His green eyes bored into her own brown ones, but she didn’t look away.
“Waiting and hoping that someone casts me in a role that’ll mean something to me,” he said and kept his eyes on her while he drained his glass into his mouth. Alicia who had remained silent all this while, spoke up then.
“I think that’s selfish. You should give your fans what they want. That is what you’re good at.” She drained her glass of wine, reached for the empty bottle and then stood up to walk over to the small bar at the corner of the room.
“He should do what makes him happy. That’s not being selfish,” Erin spoke sternly, surprising even herself by the tone of her voice.
Alicia tinkered around in the bar till she found another bottle of wine that she liked and brought it to the table. Erin threw her a look.
“What? I’m sure Ms. Carter won’t mind and she’ll charge us for it anyway!” Alicia snapped and uncorked the bottle. “Anyway. All I’m saying is that Xavier is famous, rich and has women swooning over him,” she continued and touched his arm lightly. Erin saw the muscles on his shoulders tense up with the touch and he tried to delicately move his arm away.
“It’s his life, Alicia. Let it go!” Erin’s eyes had narrowed. The last thing she wanted was to have a row with Alicia in front of someone else. Especially a celebrity! Alicia was gulping down her wine and her eyes had glazed over. She had barely touched her food.
“You and your high horse Erin. I’m just telling Xavier the truth,” she said and turned to look at him. He didn’t acknowledge her but continued to eat.
“It’s not always about what other people think Alicia. It’s not all about appearances!” Erin snapped at her, clanking the cutlery down on the plate. Alicia had nearly drained the wine in her glass and was reaching for the bottle. Erin pulled the bottle away from her to her end of the table.
“Oh lighten up Erin. Seriously. This is why Steve got tired of you. Because you think of nobody else but you.” Alicia stood up from her chair with a sudden jolt and reached over for the bottle. Erin could feel her nostrils flaring. The two of them were glaring at each other.
“Erin’s right,” Xavier spoke up and they both turned to look at him. “Ms. Carter might not be happy to see that we drank all her wine without asking.” Alicia dropped her jaw, in an exaggerated dramatic way.
“So you’re on her side? Because she supports your washed-up-career choices?” Alicia laughed with a snort and poured herself some more wine.
“Whatever,” she continued, “I’m going to my room. You’re really not the charming piece of work I’d imagined you to be!” she snapped at Xavier and picked up the bottle. She left the dining room in a huff with the glass and the bottle in her hands.
Erin breathed in. She didn’t know how she was supposed to feel, furious? Embarrassed? Relieved.
“I’m sorry about that. Alicia’s been on edge ever since we arrived.” Erin tried to finish her food, but she wasn’t hungry anymore. Xavier continued with his dinner, apparently unperturbed by the scene that had just unfolded.
“Believe me, I’ve seen worse. Although, she has the personality of a movie star,” he said with a laugh and Erin smiled too.
“And the looks,” she added. They both fell into silence.
“I’m glad you agree with me. Not very many people do. My friends think I’m a fool for deserting the Hollywood scene at the peak of my career.” He was looking at his food as he spoke. Erin wasn’t entirely sure of what to say. No man had ever made himself emotionally available to her before, in fact, the only other emotions she was used to dealing with, were Alicia’s. Something told her that he needed to be handled differently.
“I’m just being honest. The only times that I’ve been happy were when I did exactly what I wanted.” She took a bite and chewed. He had finished eating and he pushed the plate away from him.
“Do you want to go look at the lake?” he asked suddenly and she smiled.
“You’ve read my mind,” she said and pushed her own plate away.
Chapter 3
Erin wasn’t sure if it had been a good idea. Xavier seemed to be warm enough in his plaid shirt and a thick woolen jacket. She had only carried Alicia’s discarded wrap along with her, over the thin cardigan she had already been wearing. Her woolen skirt and light black stockings were barely adding any warmth.
They had walked over to the lake and she was now sitting on a boulder close to the edge, while Xavier stood a little distance away from her, smoking a cigarette. They had walked in silence for the most part, and she was amazed how comfortable she was in his company. Unlike the other men who had been in her life, she didn’t feel the need to make unnecessary conversation with him.
“I didn’t think I’d meet anybody else in the cabin. I’d heard it’s usually empty this time of the year,” he said and she saw the end of his cigarette light up as he took in a drag.
“My thoughts exactly,” she said and they both laughed together.
“I’m pleasantly surprised but delighted to have met you, though,” he said and she could feel herself blushing.
“As am I,” she said and could hear her voice quivering. She wasn’t sure if it was the cold or the fact that he looked like a Greek God under the moonlight. He took a few steps towards her as he turned his head to blow the cigarette smoke away from her face.
She was smiling at him, as she remained seated on the boulder, her legs swung underneath her gently. He was smiling too and after a few seconds of holding each other’s gaze, they both laughed together again. A little awkwardly this time.
“I bet a lot of women around the world would kill to be in my position,” Erin broke the silence and watched as he flung the still-burning cigarette to the ground and pressed on the butt with his shoes. He dug his hands deep into his pockets and looked back at her.
“A lot of men are missing out on being in my position,” he said and inched closer towards her. She wasn’t really thinking anymore. Watching him, watching her, the subtle woody scent of him and the slowly freezing lake in front of them; all of it was too surreal for Erin to be thinking logically about what was going on.
“My ex-boyfriend wouldn’t agree,” she blurted out and he sat down beside her, there was hardly any space an
d they were squashed together. Their thighs were touching and Erin could feel the warmth of his arm through the layers of her clothes.
“He must have been a whole new level of foolish, this Steve guy,” he mumbled, almost to himself and Erin smiled. She believed him when he said it, and somehow the anger she felt towards Steve seemed to disappear. That was the explanation she needed to hear, not that he was a horrible human being, but that he had been foolish.
“I didn’t think movie stars were this perceptive,” Erin said with a laugh and he turned to look at her again. Their faces were inches away and she could smell the smoky scent of the cigarette on his breath, mixed with the fruity whiff of the wine they had been drinking.
“You clearly never thought very highly of my profession. I don’t blame you,” he said and was going to turn his face away, but Erin stopped him. She had reached out and was holding his chin between her hands. She had no idea where she had found the courage to do it.
They looked at each for a few seconds and before she could pull her hands away, he had lunged forward and enveloped her mouth with his. She had been right, he did taste of cigarettes and wine. His tongue was inside her mouth without any soft ceremony. They were kissing with a ferocity that he had not displayed for a second before this. Her hands had dropped to his shoulders and his hands were on her back, pulling her tightly towards him.
“This is insane,” he said gruffly when they pulled apart from each other for a second. Erin wanted to giggle, out of shock, but his lips were on her again. As they kissed this time, he picked her up and stood up himself. The thought of his height returned to her, as she could feel his arms maneuvering her so that her legs were now wrapped around his waist. She had no idea where the wrap was anymore.
They were both moaning as they kissed. She could feel the bristle of his beard on her cheeks as he kissed her hard. As his tongue thrust in and out of her mouth, she could feel herself growing wet and was immediately embarrassed to realize that he would be able to feel it too, against his chest.
She pulled away from him, and turned her head but instead of coaxing her face back towards him, he started to lower her down. It was only when her back touched the slightly damp and cold twig-covered ground that she realized he had laid her down. He hovered over her, their eyes fixed on each other. His hair fell in waves over his forehead now and his eyes sparkled and there was no denying it anymore, she wanted his body.