Chapter One
"Steel and Granite Reminders"
Chapter One: Steel and Granite Reminders
Here I go again I promised myself I wouldn't think of you today
Ever since you've been gone
June 26th, 2004
Beverly sat at the bar of Xanthos', staring at the crumpled and very worn piece of paper in her hand. Things were quiet now, the restaurant closed, the patrons safely home in their beds. It was well past time for her to go home too, and Kaitlyn would be wondering where she was� but Beverly couldn�t make herself move. She sat alone, under the dim and flickering lights of the neon signs, and stared at the small piece of paper with the scrawled numbers. She�d been carrying it around for a year now. A year to this very day.
She reached deep into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out another rumpled page, this one much more recent than the first. Her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the smiling faces of the happy couple, and the headline burned into her eyes as it did every time she dared to look at it: Rumors Abound: Kate and Orlando to Tie the Knot?
She sighed heavily, crumpling up the torn out magazine page and shoving it back into her pocket. Why did she torture herself this way? Why was she still working here, at this place, in this town, where every little thing seemed to keep that memory alive? She fingered the paper still in her hands. Why hadn�t she thrown that away yet? Why did she insist on keeping it with her still, after all this time... why did she let herself stare at it during so many late nights? Did she really think there was any hope of him coming back?
She shook her head sadly, glancing up to look at herself in the Budweiser mirror across the way. No. You know there�s no hope. But you keep hanging on because you don�t want to believe you were that stupid� that gullible� that na�ve�
Beverly gritted her teeth, wrapping her fist around the paper and squeezing it as if she could squeeze the memory from her mind. But it was still so vivid. She could still recall every detail from those whirlwind days, and his words came back to haunt her so often she could recite them in her sleep. She could throw away that paper and that magazine page, and she could move across the country, but she knew a part of him would always remain with her, a part of him she couldn't just throw away. He had come waltzing into her life a year ago today, and then too abruptly he had left it, leaving her with a little scrap of paper and too many painful memories�
*
June 26th, 2003
It was rather busy for a Thursday night and Beverly subtly checked her watch as she poured the next drink. Good. She only had one more hour to endure before she could go home to some peace and quiet. She turned to hand the customer his drink and smiled at him as she accepted his money. But then she was off again, struggling to keep up with the steady stream of customers that still wondered through the door.
Beverly shook her head. Did these people have nothing better to do at one in the morning on a Friday? She moved down the bar to the newest customer, hardly glancing at him as she greeted him. �And how are we doing tonight?� she asked, not really thinking about the question. It was her traditional greeting.
�I'm doing bloody brilliant now that you're here, love,� came the answer, and the British accent quickly brought Beverly�s gaze back to this new customer. She blinked, recognizing him immediately as Orlando Bloom, undoubtedly in town for the
Pirates of the Caribbean premiere, which was the event no one could stop talking about lately.
She found herself staring and cleared her throat, taking a deep breath. �Well, um� good,� she sputtered. Regaining her composure, she straightened from the bar and gestured with a hand to the shelves of alcohol behind her. �What will you have then?� she asked.
He eyed her silently for a moment, and Beverly shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny. Her mouth had suddenly gone dry. It wasn�t the fact he was a celebrity, she�d seen many a familiar face in Xanthos' � it was just� he was sexier in real life than he looked on the screen.
He shrugged finally, smiling and showing off his dimples. His eyes shone and she realized abruptly how very dark they were. �I dunno, love,� he said, �this is the first time I�ve been to this place. Give me whatever you would recommend.�
Beverly smiled back at him but failed to find her voice. She nodded and turned away from his eyes quickly, hurrying to get his drink for him so she could move on to the next customer.
But as her last hour wore on she found it very difficult to move on to the other customers. Mr. Bloom made himself very visible, and very loud, and he drank whatever she handed to him quickly, seemingly just so he could wave her over to order another one. But at last 2 AM rolled around, and Beverly set Mr. Bloom's sixth drink down in front of him firmly.
�Here you are, sir,� she said brightly. �I wouldn�t suggest you have any more after this one, but if you feel inclined to do so, just ask my friend Jan over there, okay?� She pointed to the young woman who had come in to relieve her. �I�m going home now. You have yourself a good night. And be sure to let Jan call a cab to take you home.� She flashed him a grin at his confused frown and ran into the back to get her things, letting out a breath of relief. Finally. It had been a very long night, and Mr. Bloom hadn�t made it any easier.
She was just about to leave through the back door when Jan called out to her.
�Beverly! Beverly!� the woman gushed, and Beverly turned around to face her friend, frowning worriedly as her friend nearly tripped in her excitement.
�What?� Beverly asked in dread. �What�s wrong?�
�Wrong?� Jan repeated, coming to a halt just before crashing into Beverly.
�Nothing�s wrong� but�� she gripped Beverly�s shoulders tightly, grinning from ear to ear. �Orlando Bloom just asked me for your name!�
Beverly stared at Jan, thinking at first her friend must be crazy for getting so excited over such a stupid thing, but then the words began to sink in. She swallowed hard. �And�?� she prodded, wondering if there was more to it� wondering if she wanted there to be more to it.
�And?� Jan repeated again, rolling her eyes. �What do you want an and for?
He asked for your name! Do you know what that means?�
Beverly shook her head mutely, though she had some idea of what Jan was going to tell her. Of course, this had happened to her often enough before and certainly nothing had come out of any of the other name-seekers, not even the good looking ones.
�It means he�s interested in you! He wants to know more about you!�
Beverly shrugged. �So? Plenty of other men have done the same thing. And you know what happened. Nothing.�
Jan sighed in exasperation. �But this is Orlando Bloom. Fucking movie star� fucking rich� fucking beautiful! You know� him!�
Beverly smiled tightly at her friend, patting her on the shoulder. �And he�s out there waiting for another drink, so you�d better go give it to him.�
�Beverly!�
�Maybe if you get him drunk enough you can convince him to come home with you,� Beverly snickered, and Jan shot her a glare. �I�m just kidding. Look, I�m tired, and I want to go home. Good luck entertaining Bloom� and have a good night, Jan.�
Jan sighed, shaking her head. �You�re impossible, Bev. I give up. Fine. Go home, pass up this lifetime opportunity�� She waved as Beverly continued to head out the door. �Night, hon. Drive safe.�
Beverly returned her friend�s wave and shut the door decisively behind her, glad to finally be rid of the noise of the bar and the nagging of Jan. The woman meant well, but she could be overbearing at times. Beverly walked toward her car quickly, glad for the close parking. One thing she didn�t like to do was walk the streets of LA after dark. She unlocked her car door and was about to climb in when a male voice said her name.
�Beverly?�
She startled, whirling around to face the voice and barely biting back her yelp of surprise. She fell back against the side of the car, immediately reaching into her purse and grabbing her can of mace. She paused from pulling it out when she saw who it was. Orlando Bloom walked slowly across the parking lot toward her, hands in his jeans pockets, his face hidden and unhidden again as he walked beneath the streetlights.
Beverly struggled to calm herself, taking slow, deep breaths, but she didn�t let go of the mace. He had been drinking, and she was alone. One could never be too careful�
He smiled at her as he approached. �Oh good. I thought your friend might have lied to me about your name.�
Beverly stared at him blankly, her hand tightening around the mace as he came to a stop about two feet in front of her. He shrugged at her expression. �Some people do that to me, you know,� he explained quietly, still smiling. �I don�t know why. I guess they think it�s funny when I make myself look like an idiot.�
Beverly swallowed hard and managed a weak smile at his attempt to be funny.
His grin widened and he extended one hand out to her. �I�m sorry,� he apologized sincerely, �I didn�t mean to scare you. I�m Orlando Bloom.�
Beverly slowly accepted his hand, nodding dumbly and feeling like a complete idiot. �I know who you are,� she croaked, hoping he wouldn�t notice how sweaty her palms were.
He lifted his eyebrows. �Oh. Right. But I still don�t know who you are. Beverly�?�
�Henderson,� she finished for him, tucking a strand of dark blonde hair behind her ear nervously. �But I really should be heading home now...� she trailed off into an awkward silence, thinking she really didn�t feel like going home anymore. But it would be the proper thing to do.
Orlando stuck his hands back in his pockets and looked down to his feet briefly before bringing his dark eyes up to meet hers directly. �So� you wouldn�t be interested in going out to have a drink with me?�
Beverly blinked, feeling herself blush furiously at the question. There was a note of hope in his voice that she found endearing, and yet at the same time an alarm was sounding in the back of her mind, warning her to refuse the offer. It was late, and she really needed to get home. Not to mention she did not know Orlando Bloom at all, other than his name and face. Still, Jan�s voice came back to her very strongly. The opportunity of a lifetime! Was it? She sighed heavily, fiddling with her car keys anxiously.
�Well�� she stammered, �I � I work at a bar you know�� she struggled for excuses, but Jan�s reasoning was slowly winning her over. Fucking movie star, fucking rich, fucking beautiful� Jan had that right. He wore dark jeans and a long sleeved button-up white shirt, left open just far enough at the throat to be maddening. Beverly kept finding herself mentally undoing just one more button�
�We can go somewhere else,� he suggested easily. �I mean, another bar, if you prefer?�
She pulled her eyes from the overview of his body and landed them on his face. �You�ve already had quite a few drinks, Mr. Bloom� Orlando,� she sputtered, angry at her sudden speaking disability. �Are you sure you should� be drinking any more?�
He grinned suddenly, flashing his perfect teeth. �Your recommended drink wasn�t that strong, love.� He winked. �I could handle a few more. And you look like you need to relax.� He nodded his head toward the street. �Come on. Let me take you out.� He lifted an elbow, inviting her to take his arm.
Beverly stood in a moment of indecision, looking at him, looking at his extended arm, looking to the back door of Xanthos' and then to her car. Oh my God, she thought, what in the fuck am I doing? She drew a deep breath, slinging her purse over her shoulder and resting her hand lightly on her can of mace for reassurance.
�Okay,� she nearly whispered, stepping forward and taking his offered arm. �But I�ve got to be home before five.�
He nodded. �Of course. But in the meantime, I�ve got the perfect place for early morning drinks in mind��
He turned to the front and led her down the street a few blocks, but Beverly had stopped paying attention to where they were going. She watched him as they walked, studying the play of the streetlights on his dark curls, the long sideburns, the shape of his nose. She felt his arm against hers, the motion of his steps against her side, and breathed deeply the smell of his cologne. She hardly felt like any of it was real, and yet she tried very hard to memorize every detail. If this was the opportunity of a lifetime, as Jan had said, then she didn�t want to forget any of it.
*
Beverly stumbled through her apartment door at sometime after seven in the morning, barely able to see straight from both the influence of alcohol and the effects of exhaustion. She slammed the door shut behind her and triple-bolted it clumsily, then threw down her purse and kicked off her shoes.
She was still grinning madly as she made her way slowly through the hallway, feeling along the wall for guidance, tripping over her own feet. She zig zagged from wall to wall, but Beverly didn't notice how drunk she was. She just kept seeing Orlando, standing there in the dawn's light, apologizing profusely for not getting her home by five in the morning.
But at that point Beverly hadn't even cared. She had had so much fun with him for those too few hours... they had gone drinking and chatted amiably for the first two hours, and by the time Beverly had started to feel like she'd known Orlando for months, he suggested a walk out to the pier. Normally rather paranoid, Beverly had wholeheartedly agreed to the idea, feeling absolutely safe in Orlando's presence.
They had walked off some of the drinks, talking all the while, and sat down at the edge of the pier, staring at the ocean and the twinkling stars above. Then they had gone in again to have a few more drinks, and by then Beverly could tell she'd taken on too many. But she didn't want to go home. Orlando's smile kept her riveted, and she wanted him to keep talking just so she could hear the sound of his voice.
But as the sun came up he'd finally led her back to her car, somehow, though he had then decided she was definitely not fit to drive. Beverly giggled to herself as she staggered through her bedroom door and fell across her bed. She lied there with her eyes closed, catching a scent of Orlando's cologne. She brought the sleeve of her shirt closer to her face and grinned again as she realized she still smelled like him.
He had called her a cab and paid the fare plus some... but before she had left him he'd pressed her close and kissed her...
Beverly sighed dreamily, aware somewhere in the back of her mind that she was getting far too carried away with this man. Her logical side protested it had only been one date, if it could even be called that. But at the moment Beverly could not make herself see it that way. She rolled onto her back, throwing her arm across her eyes and breathing in his smell deeply. She would worry about all that tomorrow, when she woke up with a hangover and regrets. Right now she could only think of the feel of his lips, the taste of his tongue, the touch of his fingers against the back of her neck, the warmth of his body as he'd hugged her to him...
It had been over all too soon, but hope was not lost. He had given her his cell number, and she had given him hers. He had promised to come by and see her again at Xanthos' that Friday night, and he had even asked for a second "date". Beverly could hardly wait. She didn't even mind that he had kept her out past five AM. She would have stayed with him longer if he had asked.
Beverly dug the piece of paper with his number written on it out of her pocket and stared at it with unfocused eyes. Oh Jan, she thought, I hate to admit it, but you were right on this one!
Beverly rolled over, wincing at the dizziness that overtook her, and carefully placed the piece of paper under the phone on her nightstand. Satisfied it was safe; she flopped back on the bed again and silently congratulated herself on taking a chance with this Orlando Bloom. Maybe it wouldn't last forever, but she wouldn't mind at all if it lasted a few more nights...
***
It's been seven months and counting
You've moved on
I still feel exactly the same
It's just that everywhere I go all the buildings know your name
Like photographs and memories of love
Steel and granite reminders
The city calls your name and I can't move on
The lights go out the same
The only difference is
You call another name
To your love
To your lover now
To your love
The lover after me
"The Lover After Me" by Savage Garden