Chapter One
DreamInColour ©
2004
“Hi honey I’m home!” Rose called into her apartment.
“Rose!” Eddie exclaimed as she ran into the entrance to greet her roommate, “I didn’t think you were coming home till tonight.”
Rose laughed and passed one of her bags to her friend so she could grab the other two sitting in the hall, “I wasn’t going to but I got an earlier flight. I wasn’t really in the mood to arrive at 3 in the morning.”
“You should have called I would have picked you up.” Eddie admonished then added as an afterthought, “Lord what do you have in this bag woman?”
“Just keepsakes and all the toiletries I got addicted to.” Rose looked around her room and sighed, “It’s so vacant.” She stared at the blank walls.
Eddie grinned, “That’s cause you only lived here for two weeks then abruptly left me for almost 5 months.”
“I told you living with me wouldn’t be boring.”
“Are you kidding me? It’s been nothing BUT boring cause I haven’t really lived with you yet.” Eddie shook her head, “Let’s not think of this now though. You can unpack later, let’s go get a Starbucks and go for a walk in Stanley Park.”
That sounded amazing to Rose. If there was one place she loved it was Vancouver. In fact the whole province of BC was a haven to her. She honestly thought it was the most beautiful part of her country. She’d told Orlando on numerous occasions that he had to come and see it. Maybe that’s what she could do; get him to come visit her. Right after his Cannes trip…the wheels in her head start to run. She missed him already and it hadn’t even been twelve hours since they’d parted ways. She felt Eddie staring at her and forced a smile, “That sounds lovely just let me throw on something else, these plane clothes need to be removed.”
Eddie raised an eyebrow at her friend but didn’t say anything, “I’m giving you fifteen minutes.”
“Twenty.”
“Fine twenty…and not a moment later.”
“I promise.” Rose reached forward and hugged her, “It’s good to be home Eddie.”
“It’s good to have you here.” She said into Rose’s shoulder, “Now hurry up.” She swatted her butt and left the room.
Rose laughed; one couldn’t help be endear themselves to Eddie’s love for life. When she was sure that she was alone she reached into her carryon bag and pulled out the framed picture. She ran her fingers over the image of her and Orlando at a villa he’d rented in Italy. He’d managed to get a weekend off in the middle of filming and had taken her there. No one ever checked up on her when she was at home so she hadn’t been missed which meant that no one assumed that she was with him. She let a tear fall as she stared at his dark eyes that held laughter. They were both laughing because they’d spent the better part of two hours trying to figure out the timer on her digital camera. After many pictures of her butt as she ran to him or them with their mouths open or eyes closed they’d managed to get this picture, the two of them looking at each other laughing hysterically. Taking a breath and ignoring the tears Rose put the photo under her pillow and stood up. She’d see him again…he’d promised that and she believed him. She had to.
*Twenty four hours earlier*
“Do I really want to keep this shirt?” Rose asked holding up a bright yellow t-shirt with ‘staff’ on the back.
“I don’t know where the hell did you get it?” Orlando asked from his perch on her bed where he was reading the script changes for the next day.
“It’s my brother’s, he was staff at some folk festival thing and passed this on to me. I never wear it though and I have to conserve space. The plane will only allow me to take so much.”
He looked up and smiled, “Nice shade.”
She laughed, “Yellow’s not really my colour is it?”
“How would I know?” He shrugged, “I can’t even tell you what my ‘colour’ is…apparently all I wear is campy shite. According to my stylist…” He cringed, “I hate that.”
“Yes darling I know you hate that you have a stylist.” Rose chided him, “Comes with the super star…omigod he’s Orlando Bloom…status thingie.” She pretended to swoon and speak in a high pitched voice, “Oh my goodness Tiffany did you see his dreamy eyes? I think I like him better with blue eyes…you did NOT just say that Lauren…his eyes are much better dark…” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye.
He had put his script down and was staring at her with a decided smirk on his face, “Are you about done?”
“Oh no I have enough fan ammo to last me a lifetime. It pays to be able to stand amongst them when they don’t know me.”
“When did you do that?” He was getting up off the bed slowly.
She stayed her ground but braced herself to run, he had that look in his eye that made her delightedly nervous. “I go outside on my breaks.” She explained slowly making her way to her bedroom door, “If I sit near the back door I can hear them gossiping as they wait for a glimpse of you coming or going. Did you SEE the top of his head Tiff? He’s so sexy!”
“You have too much time on your hands love. I think I need to make you work more.” He was moving towards her.
She burst out in laughter and broke into a run, “Orlando Bloom I have to pack!!”
He completely ignored her and sprinted after her, “I’m not the one mocking now am I? You need to be taught a lesson I think.”
Later on that evening as she waited for the airport taxi they sat close together in the living area of her empty cabin. She laced her fingers with his and leaned back on him trying not to notice all of her bags packed and ready sitting by the front door. “I don’t want to leave.” She whispered.
He turned her so she was facing him, “This isn’t the end Rose. Just a bit of time apart is all.”
“You’re going to get caught up in your life and forget about me.”
“Never.” He admonished, “We’ll see each other soon.”
“Promise?” She hated how pouty she sounded but she couldn’t help it, she didn’t like the idea of being away from him.
He leaned down and kissed her, “Promise.” He said against her mouth. Lord how she loved this man.
She’d left the shirt with him as a pathetic attempt at helping him to remember her. Her thoughts weren’t at all with her, as she mechanically got ready to walk with her roommate in one of her favourite places. She would hate herself if she didn’t love the feeling of loving him so much.
“Times ticking!” Eddie’s voice pulled Rose out of her reverie. She splashed water on her face to wake her up and smiled at herself in the mirror. She could take him camping couldn’t she? They’d be in the middle of nowhere, no one would recognize him, and he’d mentioned time off after Cannes. Maybe…just maybe. She fingered the charm bracelet he’d bought her in Italy. There was a heart, a Canadian flag right next to a Union Jack…and a bow and arrow one she’d bought herself as a joke. He’d rolled his eyes, but had smiled when she did that.
“Rose get your butt out here. Your grace period is officially over! I have a caramel machiatto calling me!” Eddie called.
Laughing Rose left the bathroom and grabbed a hoodie before joining her roommate, “All right I’m here, don’t get your panties in a twist.”
“They’re more comfortable that way.” Eddie joked, “Let’s go.” She hooked her arm in Rose’s and pulled her out of the apartment, “I need to work on getting you to tell me where you were and why it’ so secretive.”
Damn. Rose’s blood ran cold, what the hell was she gong to tell her? She had been told when she left that it was all right to tell people she trusted where she was, so that was okay. But how was she going to talk about Orlando without Eddie knowing. It was easy to hide her feelings from people who didn’t know her, but with Eddie it was different. This woman was like a sister. Did she want to finally tell someone she was in love? Or was the secret too much fun to keep.
Many miles away Orlando was having the same problems and living through the same memories. He had a few pictures of her hidden in a compartment in his rucksack and fought the urge to pull them out when he was on the plane taking him to Cannes. It was just too risky; even though the businessman sitting next to him on first class seemed to care less who he was Orlando had learned not to trust people like that. He hated having to be this cautious, but he valued his private life way too much to compromise it by being whimsical and moony in public. It was a sacrifice he’d chosen to make when he’d become more popular.
He did, however, pull the photos out when he was by himself in the hotel suite that was set up for him. After spending forty-five minutes getting through the crowd in the lobby he was enjoying the semi-quite of his room. He smiled at her laughing face and wished she was there with him. He looked at his watch and calculated the time difference. If he called her early in the morning after the premiere then he ran the risk of speaking to her roommate. He knew that. He also knew that just as hard it was going to be to hide his feelings from his cousin, Sophia, once he got home, Rose was going to find it difficult to hide hers from her best friend, Eddie. Besides he needed to talk to her, so he decided for sure he was going to call. Maybe they could work out seeing each other after his press run for Troy.
“Bloom!” A voice boomed as fists pounded on his door, “If you don’t open the fucking door I swear I’ll sic Bana on you and it won’t be pretty!”
Orlando laughed pushed the photos back into his bag and ran to the door, “Brad!” He exclaimed giving the man a hug, “It’s good to see you mate.”
Brad laughed and smacked Orlando’s back a couple of times. “Good to see you too. Did you just get in?” He sauntered past Orlando into the room.
“About two minutes ago.” He looked out into the hall then back at the superstar, “I thought you said something about Eric being…” He couldn’t say the next words because he was in a headlock. “Fuck.” He managed.
“Looks like you’ve been creating a right stir for yourself doesn’t it!” Eric laughed as he messed Orlando’s hair, “Still haven’t cut your hair.” He let the guy go and looked at Brad, “He had it straightened.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Brad laughed.
“Don’t even start with me.” Orlando tried to straighten his shirt, “It’s not my fault, and you should talk.” He pointed at Brad, “You’ve done some shirty photo shoots too.”
“Yeah well…” Brad shrugged
Orlando cut him off, “Besides it was only for that shoot…”
“Yeah, yeah it’s all curly and shite now. Natural and whatever…let’s change the subject.” Eric laughed, “Have you seen how many people are down there?”
“I had to squeeze my way through them to get in here.” Orlando quipped.
“Really? Jen and I snuck in the back.”
“You didn’t get the memo that we have to mingle?” Eric asked.
“Got it and threw it out. I don’t give a fuck, they have enough pictures of us.” Brad rolled his eyes.
“So when do we have to go to this press conference thing?” Orlando asked, changing the subject.
“Ten minutes.” Eric looked at his watch, “Come on pretty boy, fix the hair and come with us.”
“Fuck you.” Orlando flipped him the bird, which made the Aussie burst out laughing. He grabbed a piece of cloth and put it on his head, “Problem solved, let’s go.”
“It’s amazing what he can get away with.” Brad looked at Orlando’s brown pants, and blue shirt covered by a black long sleeved t-shirt, his ever present amalgamation of items on a couple of necklaces. The suspenders hanging from his pants and the chain attached to two belt loops made him look like a transient, yet he got away with it.
“It’s disgusting is what it is.” Eric laughed, “We have to wear suit jackets and he looks like we pulled him off the street.”
Orlando shrugged, “Are we going?”
“After you.” Brad said with a laugh as the three friends headed out to the media frenzy that was waiting for them at the Cannes Festival.
Later on that night Orlando managed to disentangle himself from a rising starlet that attached herself to him the moment he’d finished his interviews. He’d have to remember to thank Bean later for that. He was staring off into space for what seemed like forever when someone sat next to him. He sighed not wanting this woman to continue with her obvious campaign to get him into her bed.
“Who is she?”
He opened his eyes and turned to look at a smiling Jennifer Anniston, “What?” He said slightly taken aback by her question and, like always, how gorgeous she was in person.
“The woman you’ve been thinking about all night.” She said with a smile, “The one who was in your thoughts when you stumbled over that question earlier and the one who’s distracting you from not caring that, shit, uh what’s her name, has been all over you.”
He laughed, “What makes you think that’s because of another woman?”
Shaking her head Jen forced him to look at her, “Because I’m a woman and I can tell when someone is in love. That’s why.”
What’s the big deal? He reasoned, whom was she going to tell? If anyone knew how to keep a secret in this business it was someone who worked in it, “So what if it is a woman.” He finally said.
“What’s her name and how did you meet her?”
“If I tell you, you can’t…” He started just to be safe and all.
She laughed, “What you mean I can’t call the tabloids that I have on speed dial?? Shit Orli, have you seen whom I’m married to?”
He grinned then looked around to make sure no one was listening, “Right. Her name’s Rose and we got together when she was hired as my chef on KOH. Of course I’d briefly met her when she worked on the ‘Rings’ set, but we never got to know each other then.” He breathed out as if he’d been holding his breath the whole time he’d said that. His head felt lighter it was amazing how good it felt to actually tell someone.
Jen smiled, “Where is she from?”
“Canada.” He said with a wistful sigh, “I saw her off yesterday.”
“When are you going to see her again?”
“I don’t know…sooner then later I hope.”
They were cut off when Brad showed up, “Bloom! Are you trying to steal my woman?” He asked as he wrapped an arm around Jen’s waist.
Jen squeezed her husband’s side and laughed, “He’s more sensitive then you are, and does a much better English accent.”
Orlando burst out laughing as Brad slowly turned to look down at his wife, “Hey now I resent that.”
“Too bad.” She grinned at him.
Shaking his head he looked at Orlando again, “Diane and her husband are leaving, they want to say goodbye.”
Taking a last swing of his drink he nodded, “Right. Thanks Jen.” He patted her arm and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
“Anytime sweetie.” She squeezed his arm back.
“Thanks for what?” Brad asked as Orlando walked away to say goodbye to his former cast mate. He really needed to call Rose when he got back to his room, he missed her something crazy when he was around couple’s like Brad and Jen.
The phone was ringing when Eddie and Rose returned from their walk. Rose felt rejuvenated and consequently wide-awake, the latter she assumed was from the strength of the coffee she had just drank.
“I’ll get it!” Eddie called.
“Fine.” Rose said as she went into her room to tackle unpacking. She was thinking about the conversation she’d had with her best friend. She’d finally told Eddie that she was in love with someone, but she couldn’t bring herself to reveal who it was. It felt weird saying it out loud for some reason. ‘I’m in love with Orlando Bloom.’ She felt like she was some fan, especially since Eddie had known about her crush on him when she’d been in New Zealand. Of course it was different because he loved her back. She smiled in spite of herself.
“Rose!” Eddie came into the room with the cordless phone, the mouthpiece covered with her hand, “A guy with a really sexy British accent is on the phone for you.”
Her heart stopped, she was sure of it, “Really?”
Eddie grinned, “Really, really. You failed to mention he had an accent, what else aren’t you telling me?”
Rose reached for the phone, “N-nothing…I…let me talk to him.”
Holding the phone over her head Eddie maintained eye contact with her friend, “We have all night Rose darling, you WILL tell me what’s going on.”
Realizing that she wasn’t going to get out of this any time soon Rose finally relented. “Fine.” She said, “I’ll talk.”
“You’ll tell me everything?” Eddie raised an eyebrow.
Rose jumped for the phone, “Yes I promise, everything.”
Smiling Eddie handed the phone to her friend. “Good, cause I want to know if he’s got any cute friends.”
The irony of that statement was not lost on Rose who smiled, “You never know he just might.” Putting the phone to her ear she practically whispered, “Hello?”