by J. O Mantel
She nodded.
Lukas smiled and the young girl sat down beside him. Sienna took the photo with the girl's phone and handed it back to her.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Pleasure,” Sienna replied.
The young girl pulled out her diary and handed it to Lukas.
“Oh, do you have a pen?” He asked.
She looked around in her bag and felt around in her pockets, but to her disappointment she couldn't find a pen.
Sienna reached into her purse and grabbed a pen, “Here you go,” she said, handing Lukas the pen.
“Thanks,” he smiled. “Who shall I make this out to?”
“April,” the girl smiled.
Lukas scribbled in the diary and handed it to the girl. She smiled at both of them and thanked Lukas before walking away.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“It's ok, I understand.”
“Do you think you could ever get used to that?” Lukas asked.
“Well, I'd like to try,” Sienna replied, in a slight daydream.
The waitress returned with the bill, but before Sienna even had the chance to grab her purse, Lukas had already handed her a fifty. She smiled at him and after realizing who he was, she gasped and headed back inside.
“Thank you, you didn't have to do that,” Sienna said.
“I know, but I wanted to.”
“Does it happen often?”
“Does what happen often?” Lukas asked, looking at her with confusion.
“You know, people approaching you in the streets asking for your photo and autograph?”
“More often than I would like, but at the end of the day, it is the price you pay for fame.”
Lukas stood up, he walked over to her and pulled out her chair, he grabbed her cardigan and helped her put it on.
“Thanks,” she said, adjusting her collar. He leaned forward and admired her fragrance, “New perfume?” he asked.
“Sorry?”
“I don’t recognize that fragrance, is it new?”
“Um…its Chanel, it was given to me by Ivy for my birthday.”
“Ivy?” Lukas paused for a moment and stared at Sienna, gathering his thoughts, “Why does that name ring a bell?”
“Ivy was the girl that I went to your concert with in Vegas, she was at the meet and greet, remember? You thought we were lesbians.”
“Oh, yes! How is she?” he asked, slightly embarrassed.
“She’s good, actually.”
They both stood there, unsure of who should make the next move. Sienna couldn’t help but gaze into his eyes again, no matter how many times she looked at them, she was still mesmerized, every single time.
“Shall we go for a walk?” Lukas asked.
“Sure!” they turned and made their way down Broadway, as they walked they would get the occasional stare from onlookers and loud “Oh my god it’s Lukas Dark” whispers.
“You will get used to that, I promise,” Lukas said.
They continued walking, Sienna really wanted to make conversation. She was walking down the streets of Manhattan with the one man she had been obsessing over for years. This was every girl’s dream come true, and yet she couldn’t find a single thing to talk to him about.
“So, have you had many girlfriends?” she asked, almost smacking herself in the face at how stupid that question sounded. Lukas turned to her and laughed. “Not as many as you would think, Sienna, and besides, like I’ve told you before, none of them have been as pretty as you.” She blushed again, Lukas put on his shades and zipped up his leather jacket. They continued walking a while longer, Sienna adjusted her cardigan and looked in shop windows.
“Is there anything else you want to tell me, Sienna?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, we’ve been walking for almost ten minutes and you haven’t said a word to me.”
“Lukas, I’m sorry, it’s just-” she hesitated for a moment, he could see the tears almost forming in her eyes, again. They stopped walking and he grabbed her by the arm, “Hey, I thought we had been over this already. What’s going on?”
“Lukas I…I just can’t believe that all this is actually happening. Out of the millions of girls that you could have chosen, you picked me. Why?”
He brushed his hand down her face, she rested her cheek against the palm of his hand. She looked up, their eyes fixed on one another with neither one of them saying a word.
“You're right, I could have chosen any other girl that I wanted. Like I said, I’ve met many of them, but none like you. Sienna, when you came to meet me, there was just something about you, something that made me click. I know what you're thinking, I’m a rock star I’ve had many flings.”
“Yeah, pretty much,” she said.
“But that’s all they were, Sienna, just flings. I’m always busy, in the studio recording new material and travelling on the road with the band. But now, I’m ready to settle down and find a girl who I can spend the rest of my life with.”
“But why me?” she asked again.
“Because I came alive when I met you. No girl has ever made me feel like that.”
Grabbing her arm again, he pulled her in towards him and spinning her around, her lips met his once more and they kissed. It was as perfect as it had been just moments earlier and Sienna couldn’t help but have that awesome sensation run through her whole body again as he held her close to him.
“Are you sure this is really going to work?” she asked.
Without any warning, he leaned in and kissed her again, this time his tongue was making circles around hers, Sienna moaned slightly, before the realization that they were in public kicked in and she went silent again. The kiss was slightly longer than the previous occasions and although Sienna wasn’t complaining, she was having slight trouble breathing. She was getting over a bad cold that she had developed over the last couple of days and all she wanted at that moment, was an excuse to just break away for a brief second so that she could have a desperate burst of air.
Lukas pulled away, relief finally swept over her as she caught her breath and smiled.
“Are you alright?” he asked, noticing her red face.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ve just been a bit sick the last couple of days and I was having a little bit of trouble breathing,” she laughed, “I’m sorry, you’ll probably get sick because of me now, too.”
“Well, at least we get to be sick together.” They both smiled, looking at one another as they started walking again.
“I know this may sound a little…strange, but what do I call you? I mean, are we technically dating?” she asked.
“What would you like to call me?” Lukas asked.
“Well, earlier you told that girl that you were having some time out with a special friend…” she paused for a moment, “I’d like to be more than just your special friend, I want to be your-”
“Girlfriend?” Lukas interrupted, reading her thoughts.
She nodded and put her head down. He lifted her chin, and it was that sparkling smile that got her again. She looked into his eyes as he loosened her hair out of its pony tail and kissed her gently on the nose.
“So, does this make me your boyfriend then?” he asked.
“Yes, I guess it does. Is that going to be an issue for you?”
“Not at all,” he said, running his fingers through her frizzy hair, she suddenly regretted not washing it this morning.
Lukas grabbed her hand and held it gently. They walked further and Sienna eyed a clothing store up ahead. As they approached the shop, she squeezed Lukas’s hand a little tighter and pulled him into the store with her. She walked over to the sales rack and grabbed a skirt that she had been admiring on many occasions. Lukas removed his glasses and looked around. With the exception of a few, most of the shoppers were women who had obviously dragged their partners along with them.
“I’ll be right back,” Sienna said, grabbing the skirt and making her way to the dres
sing room. Lukas moved around the room, randomly eyeing the limited range of male clothing that the store had on offer. A grey leather jacket caught his attention, he grabbed it off the rack and held it against his chest. He turned and looked in the mirror, noticing Sienna’s reflection as she walked out of the dressing room.
“Wow!” he said, turning and admiring her. “You look amazing.”
“Really?”
“Yes,” he replied, walking over to her as she admired the skirt in the mirror. “It looks beautiful on you.”
Sienna rubbed her hands up and down her thighs, she had never worried about her image, but standing there in front of the mirror, in that skirt, did no justice for her ass.
“My ass looks fat,” Sienna muttered, under her breath.
“But it’s a beautiful ass,” Lukas said, hearing her and leaning in, kissing her neck.
“Lukas!” she whispered, slightly embarrassed as people walked past them.
“What?” he said, teasingly.
Sienna looked at the price tag and raised her eyebrows.
“Oh! Well so much for that,” she looked at Lukas and noticed the leather jacket he was holding. “What’s that?”
“Oh! Nothing, I was just trying it on.”
He was about to place the jacket back on the rack when Sienna walked over to him and grabbed the jacket out of his hand. She helped him put it on and the two of them stared into the mirror.
“Lukas, that jacket looks great on you, you need to buy it.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Yes!”
He looked at her and then back into the mirror, “Ok, on one condition.”
“What’s that?” Sienna asked.
“You let me buy you that skirt and wear it to dinner.”
“Dinner?” she asked, confused.
“Yes! Tonight.”
“Lukas, I don’t need you to buy me clothes, I have a job and I can buy things for myself.”
“I saw the way you raised your eyebrows when you saw the price tag. Please, let me buy it for you.”
She stared at him, feeling overwhelmed and slightly embarrassed. She didn’t want to give Lukas the impression that she couldn’t support herself. The skirt wasn’t overly expensive, but the price tag was a little more than she would have liked to pay.
“As long as you promise to buy that leather jacket,” she said, eyeing the jacket that he was still holding.
He smiled at her, admiring her beauty.
“Deal.”
She headed back to the dressing room and changed back into her clothes. She handed Lukas the skirt and he made his way to the counter. Recognizing him immediately, the clerk grabbed the clothes from Lukas and smiled.
“Hi Mr. Dark,” she smiled.
“Hi!”
She placed the items through the register and Lukas handed her his credit card. After she finalized the purchase, the clerk handed Lukas the bags and Sienna walked over to him. He wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled at the clerk as they slowly made their way out of the store.
Sienna looked in her bag and admired the skirt once more. Lukas could see the happiness on her face and smiled at her. She turned and looked at him, thanking him with a kiss. Holding hands, the two of them headed down Broadway.
Later that night, Sienna combed her hair, put on her best earrings and a white blouse that she only ever wore to special work functions. She grabbed the skirt that Lukas had bought for her which was lying on her bed and put it on. She finished getting ready and headed out into the living room. Jake was lying on the sofa watching the television, he heard Sienna walk out of her room and he sat up.
It was the first time he had looked at her properly since the fight, standing up he walked over to her and stopped.
“I’m sorry” they both said in unison, throwing their arms around each other, embracing in a hug.
“Why the fuck are we both so stubborn?” Sienna said.
“I guess that’s what makes us best friends,” Jake replied pulling away. “You look beautiful,” he said, smiling at her.
“Thank you.”
“Well, I’m heading out, so I’m going to take a shower. Have a great night and I want to hear all about it in the morning. Actually, no I don’t,” he kissed her on the cheek, turned and headed for the bathroom while Sienna waited for Lukas.
After he finished getting dressed he gelled his hair, looking up from the sink, he gasped. He suddenly noticed that Lukas was staring at him.
“Oh, hi! Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Jake looked at him through the mirror and finally, he smiled.
Sienna sat at her desk, for the first time in many months, she had finally caught up with her workload and she was now getting home earlier most evenings. She and Lukas had been officially dating for around three months, and whenever she was with him, she always had a great big smile on her face.
It had been a scorcher of a summer, with temperatures well above the August average. Dark Falkon had started working on their fourth studio album, and although Lukas spent a lot of time in the studio, he still made time to see Sienna, no matter how short their visits were.
Jake and the rest of Lightning Ridge were busy promoting their current album. They were still performing at charity benefits and now, thanks to their agent, they were also securing gigs as support acts.
Even though Jake had accepted the fact that Sienna was dating Lukas he still wasn't happy about the idea. There was always tension in the room whenever Lukas came around to pick up Sienna. For the sake of their friendship Jake remained civil and professional, even though deep down he wanted nothing more than for their relationship to fail.
“Sienna, these just arrived for you,” Deb said, placing the large bouquet of red roses on her desk.
Sienna opened the card, You deserve all this and much more. Happy three month anniversary x, she read aloud.
“Wow! A man who doesn't forget an anniversary, I'm impressed,” Deb said.
Sienna's smile widened as she smelt the roses. She then placed them in a vase and sat them on her desk.
“Yeah! I think I'll keep him,” Sienna joked.
“It must be hard for the two of you,” Deb said.
“What's that?”
“You and Lukas. I’m sure it must be difficult dating a celebrity.”
“Oh! I don't see Lukas as a celebrity, at the end of the day he's just a person like you and me. I can't stand here and tell you that it's been easy, but I wouldn't say it's been difficult either. We both knew what we were getting into when we started dating. We understood that there would be difficult times in our relationship and we would work through them.”
“You've got more patience than I do. Eric and I were seeing each other for three weeks before he even held my hand, much less kiss me.”
“Lukas has been really considerate. He's always on the road with the band or in the studio recording, so our time together is minimal. We talk every day and we do see one another when we can. I guess that's what makes this all worth it.”
Sienna kept admiring the flowers on her desk, Deb noticed the smile on her face.
“He makes you happy, I can tell. Since you've been with him, you're nothing but smiles.”
“He does make me happy, Deb.”
“I better get back to it, I'll see you later,” Deb turned and headed back to her desk.
Thank you for the beautiful flowers, Happy anniversary x, Sienna text as she went back to her work.
By the end of the day, Sienna was looking forward to going home. It was the first weekend she had off in many months. She and Lukas hadn't made any plans for their anniversary, in all honesty she actually thought that he had forgotten about it, like most men do. She decided that she and Jake could do something together if he had no plans, it would be the first full weekend the two of them could actually spend together without work commitments or band practice getting in the way.
She pulled up in the drive and headed inside,
throwing her bag on the kitchen bench and kicking off her heels. She let out a sigh of relief as she unzipped her jacket and loosened her blouse.
“Jake?” She called.
“I'm in here,” he yelled from his bedroom.
Sienna walked over to his bedroom and opened the door.
“Hey!”
“Hey! You're home early.”
“Yeah, I managed to finish up everything at work. It's funny, but since Lukas and I have been together, I’ve been able to keep on top of things and get ahead,” she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
Jake raised his eyebrows, “I can see that he really makes you happy. Lately, you've always had a great big smile on your face.”
“You know, everyone's been saying that to me all day. I'll admit, this is the first time I've been happy in a long time. Jesse was a great guy, but I never saw a future with him, it's different with Lukas.”
“I just don't want you to get too attached to Lukas and have your heart crushed if things don't work out.”
“Thanks, Jake. I appreciate that. I was only telling Deb today, there have been moments where things have been tough. Lukas is often away at practice or recording some new song with the band and we hardly see each other. But maybe that's why things are great between us, we still get to have a relationship and not be in each other's way all the time.”
“I guess that's one way of looking at it,” Jake said, trying to sound interested.
“What are you working on? New song?” She asked, looking at Jake as he scribbled some notes.
“Yeah! The album has done really well. The band and I have had some positive feedback so we figured it was time to start writing some new songs.”
There was a knock on the front door.
“I'll get it,” Sienna said, walking out of the room and opening the front door. There was a messenger standing there, he held a small package in his hand.
“Ms. Forrester?”
“Yes.”
“Sign on line three please,” he said, handing her the clipboard and pen.
Sienna signed her name, thanked the messenger and grabbed the package, she then closed the door and headed back into the kitchen.
“Oh my god!” She yelled.
Jake was quick to his feet, he ran into the living room and looked at Sienna.