Prologue
DreamInColour ©
2004
She sighed as she watched him wave at the crush of fans squealing as he exited his car. He was only visible for a fraction of a minute yet she’d lost count at the amount of flashbulbs that went off. She hated where they put her. Her work station was just in front of the window that overlooked the back door that he entered and exited every day. The sizzling on the stove drew her attention away from the window and back to work. Not everyone knew how to serve a vegan meal just the way he liked it. Or they did and they refused to add one meal with meat in it a week. Rose knew; she knew exactly what he liked and didn’t like. Far from the knowledge of anyone except him Rose Phillips knew a lot about Orlando Bloom. More than she had expected and more then anyone else combined.
“He’ll be five minutes Rose.”
“Thanks Cory.” She smiled at one of his many attendants. He hated having people wait on him, complained about it a lot actually, but he resigned himself to the fact that when he was on set that came with the territory.
She got absorbed in the smell of what she was creating. It’s what she loved the most about cooking, how her creations would take form and let off the most amazing aromas. She didn’t hear him come in yet wasn’t surprised when he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.
“You have that quiet as an elf thing down.” She whispered looking at him out of the corner of her eye.
“Practice love.” He said into her ear before kissing it, “That smells divine.”
“That’s lunch.” She said turning around to finally face him, “Breakfast is already on the table for you.”
Still holding onto her he looked over his shoulder, “Only one place setting.” He observed.
“I’m not allowed to eat with you, you know that.”
He shook his head, “Whose going to know?”
She tapped his nose with her finger and smiled at him, “I will. Now go eat, if Cory sees you sharing my breathing space tongues will wag.”
He raised an eyebrow at her, “You had to mention tongues…”
Laughing she turned back to what she was doing, “It’s how I torture you my love, now go…eat.”
With a kiss at the base of her neck he reluctantly left her side and went to sit down. There was a cup of coffee, a plate of freshly cut fruit and the itinerary for his day on the table waiting for him. As if on prediction his assistant, Andy, showed up with a clipboard and a phone to his ear; “Yes Fi…no he didn’t…I’ll tell him…of course…yes…right…cheers.” He hung up the phone and flung himself across from Orlando.
“Fiona called already?” Orlando asked reaching for his fruit.
Andy sighed, “Three times now. Seems the Kate thing broke, fansites are speculating that you aren’t with her anymore.”
Rose forced herself not to turn around knowing that he would be forcing himself not to look at her. It was becoming increasingly difficult for them to act ‘normal’ around other people. They were both pretty sure that no one had a clue about their relationship, with the amount of time they spent on making sure it was a secret no one had better know.
“Hey Rose can I get a coffee love?” Andy called.
She looked over at him and rose her eyebrow, “Do I have ‘Andy’s bitch’ tattooed on my forehead?” She paused, “No I don’t think I do…get it yourself.”
Orlando laughed but didn’t turn around just continued to eat his fruit. Andy rolled his eyes, “Why the hell don’t I fire you?” He grumbled going over to get his own coffee.
“Cause no one cooks like her.” Orlando answered finally turning around. He winked at Rose as Andy stirred his brew.
“Whatever.” Andy didn’t even look at Rose as he walked over to the table and picked up his clipboard, “You have about twenty minutes before they need you in make up. Don’t let the flower prick you with her thorns.”
“Droll Andy…very droll.” Rose leaned against the counter and challenged him with her eyes. He decided to drop it and just left, he’d never understood how Orlando and Rose could get along. She always seemed so cranky with everyone except Cory.
Orlando walked over to the door and stuck his head out, “Make sure I’m not disturbed Cor, they changed the script again.”
“Okay. Want Rose out of there?”
“Nah, she’s too busy cooking to bother me. Thanks though.”
“No prob boss.” She heard the door lock and smiled to herself. This time she heard him as he cleared the room in mere seconds.
“I thought I was too busy.” She said as he kissed her neck and turned her to face him.
“You have all morning to make lunch.” He smiled against her mouth; “I need more attention then those vegetables right now.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck and chuckled, “No prob boss.”
“Finished for the day Rose?” Cory asked a number of hours later.
She nodded, “Tell him his dinner is ready to be heated when he wants to eat it. I have the snacks he wanted in the fridge and if he wants another frickin’ coffee he’ll have to make it himself.”
Cory laughed, “Did you want that to be a direct quote?”
“I trust you Cor, you decide.” She patted his arm. “See you tomorrow.”
“Bye Rose.”
She made her away around back where she kept the bike she usually drove to work. It was always a relaxing drive, after the first couple of weeks the fans had grown used to her coming and going. She said she didn’t know him and had no interaction with the rest of the cast (that part was actually true) so they left her alone, which was nice. She locked the bike in the shed by her cabin and decided to take a seat on the deck so she could stare at the ocean as the sun set. She loved this part of her job, the different locations and the beautiful settings, that of course and the perks of a boss with whom she’d fallen in love.
Yawning she forced herself up and went into the cabin for something to eat. She never ate while working; she was convinced this lack of snacking helped her figure as well as her will power. At least she used to have willpower. Working for Orlando Bloom twice in a lifetime sort of tends to hinder that. Actually she hadn’t worked for him the first time, which had been a few years ago, when he was young and not nearly as well known. New Zealand, her first job, on the set of the then secret film, Lord of the Rings, she’d fallen in love with him then. The first time she’d seen him practicing archery behind the barracks of the facility where they worked. Back then he hadn’t known her, she’d admired from afar and when his star had risen in Hollywood she resigned him to the ‘things that would never be’ in the back of her mind. Until a chance phone call from an assistant of an assistant asked her if she wanted to work on Kingdom of Heaven as the personal chef of the film’s star…Orlando.
That’s when it started. She’d told her self that she would remain indifferent to him. Treat him like any other client and not be affected. Yeah right. All it took was the first day when they’d sat together pouring over the menu he wanted. It wasn’t the fact that he was in close proximity to her, although that didn’t help, it was the fact that he not only remembered her from the LOTR set, but admitted to harbouring a crush on her. He just hadn’t acted on it because he figured she’d hardly want to spend time with the ‘poof who played the elf’ as he put it. She’d impulsively leaned across the table and kissed him, the rest as they say is history.
Except that no one knew they were together. It was almost a game for them to keep it that way. Not even their close family and friends had a clue that they were madly in love. He always told her if she ever wanted to stop being a chef she could easily be an actress. Her indifference toward him when others were in the room almost scared him, if he hadn’t been just as bad. They were a story in themselves and it was their goal to make sure no one noticed.
She felt him slip into her bed just after her clock struck twelve. “They made us run late.” He whispered into her ear.
Keeping her eyes closed she kissed the fingers of the arm he’d wrapped around her and mumbled sleepily, “S’alright.”
“I love you.” His voice was barely audible as his eyes closed.
She laced her fingers with his and smiled in her sleep, “Love you too.”
He was leaving in two weeks. Had some press to do at Cannes for the opening of Troy then he was scheduled to return to LA for a stint, after that home…to England; an ocean away from her Canadian place of residence. They’d both been avoiding that topic, enjoying each other’s company in the time that they had. The question still remained after shooting finished there in Morocco, then what?