DreamInColour © 2004
“Mmm.” Hope groaned and turned over to face the phone. “Stop ringing.” She muttered.
“If you answer it, it’ll stop.” Elijah mumbled from somewhere beneath
the covers.
“Why do I have to…”
“Just answer it.”
“Hello?” She said with a sigh.
“Fresh bagels, strawberry cream cheese and gourmet coffee.” Orlando’s
voice still had a morning rumble in it.
Hopes stomach growled as her heart did a flip-flop, he really did sound
dead sexy in the morning. “Sounds absolutely amazing.” She rubbed a hand over her
face and looked at the clock by the bed, “It’s only 9 Orli, what are you doing
up?”
“Couldn’t sleep. I ordered enough room service for two.” He teased.
She laughed, “I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Good.”
After hanging up the phone she stretched a bit. She noticed the outfit
she had worn last night to the party. It was way to uncomfortable for this time
of morning so she grabbed the sweats Elijah had been wearing the night before.
She was wearing a tee-shirt he had lent her she pulled the drawstring and ran
her fingers through her hair. After quickly washing her face and brushing her
teeth she left a note for Elijah who hadn’t moved since she’d answered the
phone and grabbed his key. She gently shut the door then slipped down the hall
in her bare feet.
Orlando had propped the door open so she softly pushed it so she could
step into his room. “Orli?”
He stepped in from where he had been standing on the balcony and smiled
at her, “That was quick.”
She shrugged, “You didn’t ask for beauty.”
“Yet it arrived all the same.” He smiled at her.
“Cheap flattery even in the morning.” She yawned, “I’m impressed.”
He shook his head but didn’t react to her comment, “Have a seat the food
just got here.” He indicated a seat at the table that sat next to the sliding
glass door.
“That coffee smells absolutely wonderful.” She inhaled slowly.
He chuckled and watched her pour the brew, “So you said that you have
sisters?” He asked.
She nodded and reached for a bagel, “Twenty year old twins.”
“And you’re going to be 29?” He asked.
“Yup a year away from thirty.”
“You don’t seem as depressed as most women are about getting older.”
She shrugged, “It happens to all of us I have more important things to
worry about then what age I am.”
“Okay so these sisters, twins…” He smiled, “Why the huge age
difference?”
“My mom had me just before she turned 16 so obviously it was a good idea
for her to wait before she had more kids. Kierra and Kylie are the products of
my mother marriage when I was 6.”
“Really? Are you close?”
“As close as we can be. I mean the girls are in their first year of
college now so I rarely see them. We keep in contact via email a lot and my mom
has always been more like a big sister than a mother to me. Ross is cool too,
since I don’t know my biological father he’s a good substitute.” She took a
bite of her bagel.
“Have they ever asked after Elijah?”
She looked at him funny, “Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know it seems that teenage girls follow that sort of thing. So
if they know that you know him then I just figured they’d ask after him.”
“Ahh.” She smiled, “That’s the key, they don’t know that I know him.”
“Why is that?”
“It’s never come up and I’ve never been overly thrilled with his status
so I didn’t tell them.”
“So maybe part of you is worried about the teenage hormone thing?” He
prodded and watched her eat.
“Maybe although they both have boyfriends so it’s not like they’re
searching for someone let alone some celebrity they seemingly can’t touch.” She
stared at him for a moment while she chewed a bite of her bagel, “Why so many
questions?”
He shrugged, “I don’t know much about you and questions seem to be the
only way to figure stuff out.”
“Well that’s not fair I don’t know much about you either.”
“Then go right ahead and ask.” He smiled and finally took a bite of the
bagel that had been sitting in front of him, “I don’t have anything to hide.”
“How many women have you been with since you became famous?”
He choked and tried desperately not to spit the bagel out of his mouth,
“I…uh…”
Hope watched him with an amused look on her face, “Don’t remember?”
“No it’s uh…it’s not that I just…” He coughed and tried to swallow, “Wow
I didn’t expect you to ask me that.”
“Why not? It’s been nothing but sexual innuendo since me met. The way
your friends talk about you I’d have expected to run into a blond on her way
out when I came in here.” She leaned on the table and took a casual sip of her
coffee. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. It was just a
question.”
“Why does it matter? You’ve made it abundantly clear that you want
nothing to do with me romantically.”
“I don’t I was just curious.”
He shrugged, “Not as many as you’d assume. The lads always play it up.
Just because I sometimes get attention in public doesn’t mean I’m always
courting it in private.”
“Not always but sometimes.”
He smiled at her, “Sometimes.”
She nodded and right then and there knew she could trust him because
he’d been honest about that. “So…” She looked around the room, “What are you
doing today?”
“Well we, the cast, have some interviews to do and I think a couple
photo ops…but that should only take us till round 3.”
She yawned, “Sometime today I think I should try and get into my room.
I’m just worried I’m going to run into a naked Dom and once in a lifetime is
enough for me.”
“How about you and I spend some time together after I’m done with
promotions?” He suggested.
She eyed him for a moment trying to see if he had any ulterior motives,
“Why?”
“Because,” he sighed, “you’re different.”
She rolled her eyes, “You keep saying that and I have no idea why.”
“Basically it’s the truth. I don’t feel as though I’m to play a game
with you. You’re straight up and honest and a complete gas to be around. I’m
just asking for your company as a friend.” He held a hand up, “I swear.”
She thought about it for a moment then nodded, “As long as you aren’t
planning to seduce me then I’m in.”
He grinned, “I’ve been trying to seduce you since we met. It obviously
hasn’t worked, so I’ve stopped trying.”
She laughed, “Well good at least that’s out of the way. Listen thanks
for breakfast. I think I’m going to go have a shower and try to get back into
my room.”
“Why don’t I give you my mobile number, you can give me a ring if you’re
bored or if you’re not going to be here when I return.” He offered as he
followed her to the door.
She turned as he leaned against the doorframe. “I’ll get it from Lij
although I can pretty much guarantee I won’t be going very far.”
“Well, even so just in case.”
“Right.” She smiled and leaned in to lightly kiss his cheek.
He actually blushed, “What was that for?”
“For being different.” She winked and headed down the hall back to
Elijah’s room.
Elijah was sitting at the table reading the paper when she walked in.
He’d apparently showered and changed already. “Hey.” He smiled, “Didn’t bring
me a bagel? What kind of bed buddy are you?”
“One who didn’t get bed benefits so you don’t get morning privileges.”
She laughed and leaned in to kiss his nose.
He wiggled his eyebrows and pulled her onto his lap, “Anytime you want
bed benefits you know you have them baby.”
She snuggled against him for a second then sighed. For a split second
she wondered what it would be like to date him, then let the thought slide.
“Well as comfy as this is I really must shower and see if I can get into my own
room.” She stood up. “Mind?”
“Not at all. Use whatever’s in there and you can wear those clothes as
long as you need them. I think I have a hoodie around here somewhere that you
can borrow if you get cold.”
“I should be okay.” She went towards the bathroom, “Thanks Lij.”
“Anytime.” He said and watched the door close. He sighed and took a sip
of his coffee; he wondered if she had any idea how much she truly affected him.
Twenty minutes later she was out of the bathroom running her fingers
through her hair, “Hey Lij can you give me Orli’s cell number?”
He looked up from the itinerary he was reading, “Huh? Why?”
“I’m hanging out with him later on and he wanted to make sure I could
get a hold of him.”
He reached for his own phone and flipped through the address book,
“Hope.” His voice held warning, “Watch it.”
“Relax.” Hope rolled her eyes, “We’re just hanging out as friends. I
think it’s about time he had a girl who was just his friend.”
He wrote the number down and handed it to her, “Good luck with that
endeavour.”
“I don’t know why you find this such a difficult concept to follow.”
He shrugged, “It’s just never happened.”
“What about Liv?”
“She had her moment, but I’m talking about available women that he
actually pursues.”
“Well he’s informed me that he’s stopped pursuing so you can relax.”
Hope placed the card in the pocket of the hoodie she’d ended up borrowing and
picked up her clothes. She leaned in to kiss him lightly like she always did,
“Have a good day promoting, I’ll see you later.”
He smiled and followed her to the door. “Here.” He handed her his extra
card key.
“What’s that for?”
“In case Dom and Allie decide for a repeat performance.”
She nodded, “Right. See ya later Lij.” She waved.
“Orlando?” Viggo called, “Your phone’s ringing!” He had just walked by
Orlando’s stuff and heard a distinct sound coming from one of the pockets.
He looked up from the interview he was giving, the fourth in the last
two hours and called back, “Answer it then! If it’s me mum she’ll love me
forever.”
Viggo shrugged and reached into the coat to answer the phone, “Orli’s
phone, and no I’m not his pimp.”
Hope paused for a second slightly taken aback then laughed, “Viggo?”
“Yes and who is this?”
“It’s Hope.”
“Ah my Hope at last. I was starting to lose it you know.” He walked over
to about five feet from where Orlando was conducting his interview.
She chuckled, “Don’t think that’s the first time I’ve heard that Vig.”
“It’s not?? So my plans to woo you aren’t working?”
Orlando’s gaze strayed from the reporter and looked at Viggo
quizzically. Unfortunately he couldn’t say anything because the person he was
speaking with struck him as the type to quote anything. So he just raised an
eyebrow and kept on with his conversation, his ear trained on the man holding
his phone.
“They aren’t working yet, but you’re free to keep trying.” She flirted.
Most people didn’t get a chance to have the king from Lord of the Rings flirt
with them, so she was going to fully enjoy the experience.
“Wonderful. I’ll have to pull out the big guns when I see you next.
Orlando’s in the middle of talking about how great he is any sort of message
you want left for him?”
“You can tell him that I went to the park. It may be winter but it’s
nice out today and I want to take advantage of that. He can meet me there if
I’m not in my room.”
“I’ll tell him and if he doesn’t meet you there you come find me and
I’ll kick his ass.”
“Thanks Vig, it’s good to know I’ve got someone on my side in an Orlando
ass kicking. Although if you think about it, if he caught a breeze I wouldn’t
have to do much.”
“Very true my dear.” Viggo laughed, “Enjoy your walk.”
“I will. See you.”
Orlando lolled his head back and forth trying to get the kink out of it. He’d been sitting in the same chair for a few hours now, with this final reporter he would be done for the day. He was looking forward to spending some more time with Hope. She was a refreshing change from the women he met nowadays.
“So Mr. Bloom how has working on the Lord of the Rings movies changed you?”
Ah here’s the moneymaker, couldn’t they just use the recording of the last ten times he’d answered this question? “These movies have given me friendships that will stay with me for a long time.” Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah. “…for the better.”
“Thank you for your time.”
He smiled at the woman, who blushed, his smile broadened, “You are quite welcome, Helen was it?”
She nodded and stood to leave she was slightly flustered, “Yes, thanks again for your time Mr. Bloom.”
He rose and took her hand, “Please call me Orlando and again you are quite welcome.” He squeezed her hand lightly then nodded as she hurried to leave. He chuckled to himself.
“Never takes any work does it?”
He whipped around to face his friend, “You still here Vig?”
“Well who else would answer your phone and take your messages.”
His phone? Oh right it had rung during this last interview, “So who was it then?”
Viggo sauntered over to where he was waiting to do his last interview. The reporter was a little late so he had taken to organizing some photos while he waited. “It was my Hope restored, that woman is a treat I tell you. Shame you met her first.”
“And don’t you forget it. She wasn’t cancelling our date was she?” He all of sudden felt a wave of panic and it wasn’t a familiar feeling.
“Don’t mess with this one Orli.” Viggo didn’t look up just continued sifting through his photos.
“What do you mean ‘mess with this one’?”
“You have this thing with collecting beautiful women, showing them off then discarding them. Hope deserves better than that.”
“Okay first off that is a gross exaggeration and I really would appreciate it if you lot would stop telling her I’m this scoundrel who uses women on purpose.” Orlando inhaled then continued, “And second you’ve just met her so how the hell do you know what she deserves?”
He looked up briefly and smiled at his friend, “She’s obviously affected you more than I gave you credit for so I apologise. I don’t mean to preach at you kid, I mean I’m not exactly a saint here. Just don’t discard this one.”
“I have no intentions of discarding anyone besides she’s made it very clear she just wants to be mates.” He sighed and cleared his throat. “Now what was the message?”
“Oh yeah…” Viggo went back to his photos, “She said she was going to be the park, apparently the weather drew her outside, so you can find her there.”
“Thanks mate.” The words held more meaning than it sounded and Viggo knew it.
He stood up and clapped Orlando on the back, “Anytime kid. Now go, I gotta finish this interview before they set me free.” He nodded towards a woman who was making her way over to where the two men stood. Orlando didn’t need any more encouragement, with a final wave at his friend and a nod at the reporter; who beamed at him, he was gone.