| �Well, they�re not in Rupert�s suite and they�re not in here. Where else could they have gone?� Dan asked, sitting with Adrienne in the girls� suite. They had searched the city high and low for a half hour and had found no trace of either of them. Wherever they had gone, they had not stopped back at their rooms to drop anything off. �I just don�t understand this!� Adrienne said, still in complete awe. �That�s what I don�t understand,� Dan commented, frowning. �You seem so shocked about it, but to me, it�s really nothing.� Adrienne sighed. It all finally hit her and everything had clicked into place. Why Terren had stared openmouthed for so long and why she had refused to speak to her the rest of the night. She was so entranced by Dan that she never even remembered how obsessed Terren had been with him. Terren was completely convinced that she would marry Daniel Radcliffe some day, no matter when. How many times had she said to Anya that the only person she wanted to meet was Dan? Not Rupert, not Emma, not Bonnie or Tom� just Dan. How was she supposed to tell the person sitting next to her that her best friend was in love with him? �How do I begin?� she whispered to herself. She looked up at Dan and felt an instant rock in her stomach again. He was so beautiful and staring at her the way he did, not in a pressing way, but loving and caring made her tremble from head to toe. �It all started in high school when Teri became obsessed with the book series� It didn�t take long before she was obsessed with the movie series either,� she explained. Dan was listening intently, taking in every word. �She was convinced within every fiber of her being� that one day she would meet you�. It sounds so stupid to even be saying out loud, but you get what I mean, right?,� she stopped, watching Dan smirk at her. �You know how many times I�ve heard that? �We were meant for each other, Daniel.� Girls I don�t even know. It�s perfectly normal. So what troubles you about it?� he stopped for a second after asking and then he understood. �Oh no�� he whispered. �You and me, the airplane� the premiere� she was there� I didn�t even� oh no�� �Exactly. That�s why I�m so worried about what�s going to happen with Rupert.� �I know what you mean,� he said, quieter this time. �I owe her an apology.� �No, Dan,� Adrienne reassured him, placing her hand on top of his lovingly. �You don�t owe her anything. I�m the one that owes her an apology.� �Why?� he asked, grasping her hand. Another knot twisted in her stomach. �I�ve been so uptight about Harry Potter� the whole idea� the whole movie notion� that she�s been very short with me. I always put her and Anya down in school because of it, and I was even worse before than I am today. But that all changed the day I made Anya cry.� Dan�s eyes widened. �Cry? What do you mean�?� Adrienne sighed and closed her eyes painfully at the memory. She stood up and walked away from Daniel, toward the window. She stared out of it, folded her arms, and began. �I was disgusted at the fact that my two best friends were completely obsessed with something mainly aimed at little kids. I was always brought up to believe that dependency or obsession with anything or anyone was a sign of weakness. I didn�t want my friends to be weak, so I tried to talk them out of that supposedly stupid idea for months. �Teri and I always would get into fights about it. Anya was our mediator. She managed a cool head all of the time, but sometimes our fights were so huge she would go completely insane. Writing became her only outlet for her frustrations. When I heard that she was writing a Harry Potter story, I lost it. It seemed to me that her dependency had leaked into her natural talent and I told her that she shouldn�t waste her talent on it. She was so upset. That�s when I realized I was being unreasonable.� Dan got up and walked over to her, not saying anything. �I was always so mean to Terren. I still feel like I don�t cut her enough slack.� A tear crawled out of her eye and Dan cautiously put his hands on her arms, comforting her. It did just the trick. �Terren�s my best friend, and I�m so cruel to her� I finally realized after so long that all of this beating up on her goes back to the fact that I�m unhappy about myself.� Dan leaned forward and whispered in her ear, �There�s no reason for you to be unhappy with yourself. You�re wonderful.� She turned in his arms and stared into his eyes. �How can you say that? You don�t even know me.� �You don�t have to have the answers to everything,� he whispered to her. �I have to.� �Why? Why does everything have to have an answer? Why can�t something just be?� �I� I don�t know.� �Then just let it be,� he said, and within a few seconds, he pressed his lips to her own and kissed her so passionately that Adrienne didn�t know what to do. Pulling away from Dan for a few seconds, she stared at him. �I have to have an answer.� �No, you don�t,� he said, stepping closer to her. �You can just be with someone. You don�t have to have an answer as to why.� Adrienne looked at her feet for a second. �I feel like I�m betraying Terren.� Dan took her hands and rubbed them gently. �I know you love your friends, but I�m not concerned with Terren. I saw you on that plane, Adrienne, and I knew immediately I was headed for something. I didn�t know Terren then, and you didn�t know me then. None of it matters now. It�s just us.� Going with what Dan was saying, Adrienne allowed his embrace to take over her. She lost track of the minutes they spent holding each other. She had never felt this way about anyone and there was no way she was going to stop the feeling from continuing. Until the door burst open. Shocked from the intrusion, they pulled apart immediately. Rupert and Terren were in the doorway, holding hands, looking on in a surprised, but amused state. Adrienne�s eyes drifted quickly to Terren�s face. Teri was not the least bit fazed that her best friend was in the arms of the man she�d been obsessed with for so many years. In fact, she looked in a complete state of bliss. Rupert looked the same exact way. Adrienne�s eyes found their hands locked together next, and in a flash, the questions came flying out of her mouth. �What happened to you? Where did you go? What is going on here? Why are you so happy? Why are you holding hands? What is he doing here?� The two laughed at Adrienne as Dan stepped up behind her, smirking as well. �I think what Adrienne is trying to say is� what happened?� They laughed again and Rupert began, �What happened was�� when he was interrupted by loud shouting outside. �Do you honestly think I�m going to let you drag me down about this?� �Why can you not understand what I�m trying to say?� �Because I�ve heard you say it to me too many times already!� �Not this time! This isn�t the same thing!� �Yes it is, Tom! It always is!� The four in the room looked around at each other. Rupert whispered, �I always knew they had it out for each other.� �What are you talking about?� Adrienne asked. Terren frowned in confusion. Daniel rolled his eyes. �Ever since Tom met Anya, he�s been talking about her nonstop, even if it seemed negative. It�s so obvious that he�s in love with her.� �What are you talking about?� Teri yelled suddenly. �In love with her?� Rupert nodded. �There�s no doubt in my mind. I even told her it would happen.� �Listen to the way they�re bickering!� Adrienne said. �They hate each other!� �But you see, my dear,� Daniel piped up. �If there was no feeling there, then why would Anya fight so hard?� This caused silence among the group as the voices came closer. They all retreated to the bedroom, closing the door. The door of the suite opened and the voices stopped in one place. Anya had ridden home in the cab, trembling with fury. She couldn�t believe how rude Tom had been. But she was completely surprised at his sudden transformation at the distinct pain on her face. Clambering out of the cab quickly, she dug into her purse for her keys and heard behind her, the all too familiar voice. �Please just let me explain,� it came from behind her. She whirled around. �You just don�t quit, do you? Go to any lengths of the earth to make a girl feel special, there�s Tom Felton for you.� Tom bit his lip and approached her as she hurried into the hotel. �Can�t I just talk to you for two seconds? I�ve got it all organized now.� �Ha!� she laughed. �What? Your long list of insults? Or the way in which you are going to use them on me?� �No, if you would only stop!� �Why should I, Tom?� They were in the hotel lobby, causing a scene. �Why should I stand here and listen to you completely trash my entire reason for living? You might as well just say, �Jump off a cliff Anya Bisbee!� � �But I didn�t and I don�t want you to!� he cried desperately. She scrambled to the elevator, waiting for a door to open. He stopped beside her. �If I could just get you to listen to reason. I just want you to know something.� �And what is that?� she asked angrily. �You�re not�� �What? Fit to be a writer? A decent human being? Sorry, Tom, but I have better things to do than sit here and discuss why I shouldn�t be a writer with you,� she hurriedly got onto the elevator, and for a second she didn�t think he would follow, but before she knew it, he was on with her. He turned to her, grabbing her by the arms and making her look at him. She trembled under his grip and he didn�t miss this at all. The tight grasp he had on her wasn�t menacing, nor was it at all tender. Staring into his sky blue eyes, she saw that despite all of the ugly things he said to her, he had a very structured and attractive face. He would have been the exact type of man she would have fallen for. Breathing hard, Tom looked down at the woman in his arms. Her once elegant, light red hair was fraying out of its style and her face had reddened out of anger, fury, and distress. The bright green eyes twinkled at him in no way he would have liked to be looked at. It was full of contempt for his character, at the mere fact that he was so close to her. But being this close to her made him feel things he wouldn�t have normally felt. He had the overwhelming urge to kiss her, madly, passionately� any way� just to get his lips close to her. The sexual tension in the elevator was so thick it suffocated them. Standing so close together and breathing heavily did nothing for it. �I� I don�t want you to be angry with me� I didn�t really� I didn�t� mean� I didn�t�� Tom suddenly found the words wouldn�t come out of his mouth. Anya didn�t know what to do while he stammered. It was obvious why he was doing so, because if she had spoken at that moment she would have struggled with what to say as well. Luckily, the elevator door opened before either of them had the chance to say much more, but once out of there, the fight picked up at its normal pace. Now, standing at her suite door, watching the tall, handsome man writhe in some kind of hostile anger was too much for Anya to handle. She wanted to collapse, she wanted to scream� she wanted to do something. Looking up at Tom finally, with tears in her eyes, she said in a cracking, hoarse voice, �Tom, go away� please.� Tom stood in front of her, astonished. A woman with such fire and confidence in herself had finally been broken down to her limit. She was now pleading, crying� she was on the verge of a breakdown. He couldn�t believe he was the cause of it. He stepped forward, putting a hand on the door. He whispered so softly that Anya gave in. �I have to say something.� Stepping outside, they stood in the hallway. The four emerged from the bedroom, staring at each other wide-eyed. �I�ve never heard that kind of voice come from Anya.� �She�s really letting him get to her.� �It�s because she�s in love with him!� �If she didn�t care at all about him, she wouldn�t have sounded that way.� Slowly and cautiously, they all walked toward the door. �We have to get her out of there,� Adrienne whispered. �Why?� Daniel asked suddenly. �If anything, we have to push those two together.� �And how do you propose we do such a thing?� Terren asked. �It�ll be simple,� Rupert whispered, �if they don�t do it themselves.� The two had walked away from the door and were now quietly conversing in the hallway. �I don�t like seeing you like this,� he said to her. �What do you care?� she asked, wiping her eyes with the Kleenex she had in her purse. �All you care about is seeing your name in one of my trashy little books, which, by the way, I don�t understand at all.� �What do you mean?� he asked. �You keep saying how trashy and ridiculous my books are, yet this whole thing started because you were offended by not seeing your name mentioned in my book. What�s the deal?� she leaned up against the wall and waited for an explanation. He stepped close to her, almost as close as they had been in the elevator. �It�s simple, really.� �What?� she asked, her eyes watering again. He hated seeing her cry and wished he could comfort her in some way. Reach out to her or do anything just to comfort her. Maybe that would be enough. �I don�t hate your books.� She looked up at him slowly and almost wanted to smile. �You don�t?� �No,� he said, hoping it sounded all right the way he had put it. �Not at all. Actually, when I got your first book, I was a completely devoted reader. When I saw the dedications page at the beginning and that you gave mention to the actors who played the parts in the movies� I was really excited about your Draco Malfoy book.� She sighed and closed her eyes. �I don�t know how to explain this to you�� �I didn�t see it,� he said, ignoring her. �And I was crushed.� Staring at him for a moment or two, Anya tried to register what he was saying to her. �I didn�t know what to do when I saw that I wasn�t mentioned at all� I just� I couldn�t believe it. I was so devastated. I had no idea how I was going to handle talking to you about it the next time I saw you, and then out it came. Trashing your novels and your writing abilities. I felt terrible. How was I going to tell you after that that I was actually a huge fan?� Anya stared at him incredulously. �That story almost makes you sound normal.� Tom�s jaw dropped. �Excuse me?� �Do you think that just because you�ve turned all this around and given me the truth, it excuses you from what you�ve said to me? Telling me I need to find a new passion! Telling me that my books were trash! What do you think that did to me?� �Well what do you think telling me I�m a bad actor did to me? And leaving me out of your one Draco book. How was I supposed to respond to all of that?� �You didn�t have to rub it in my face so rudely,� she shot. Sighing and scratching his head, rustling up his already messy brown hair, he said, �I didn�t mean it to be that way.� �You may not have meant it, but that�s how it came out, and that�s how I�ve taken it,� she sighed, walking away. �Please, Tom, leave me alone. I don�t need anything from you. I don�t need an explanation, I don�t need justification, and I don�t want any kind of pity. Just go away.� Stalking away in a blur of anger and tears, she didn�t hear the thud Tom made as he slid his way down the wall, landing on the floor in defeat. He too, was on the verge of tears. The four stuck in the hotel room finally found their cue to leave. Daniel and Rupert went to Tom on the floor, and Adrienne and Teri following the trail Anya had made. Tom was in a right state, head buried in his hands, sobbing. �Tom?� Daniel asked calmly. He started, looking up. �Rupert? Dan? What are you two doing here?� �Long story,� Rupert said, smirking slightly. �Come on, get up,� he said, offering his hand to him. �No way,� Tom said, looking down at the floor. �There�s no way I�m getting up from this spot. I was just shut down by the one woman I ever allowed to get to me.� �Is it any wonder why, Tom?� Daniel asked wisely. Tom sighed. �I don�t need any lectures, Daniel,� he said. �I just need to get her back. I never realized how much I really� I really� until she walked away.� �Stand up,� Rupert demanded, offering his hand again, but this time, Tom took it and stood up. �That�s the spirit.� Anya had collapsed onto a couch in the lobby, sobbing into her hands. All she could think about was that the most attractive man on earth was a huge fan of her work and she had pushed him away. But he told me I was a terrible writer, screamed a voice in her head. Why should he be let off easy? �He didn�t mean it,� she whispered. �He was hurt. But he hurt me and I don�t know what to make of it.� She let a few more tears slip out of her eyes and onto the Kleenex when she heard two familiar voices behind her. �Anya?� It was Teri and Adrienne. �Honey, are you okay?� She didn�t answer. �Anya?� They sat down next to her on the couch. �What happened?� Anya sighed and recalled the conversation. �He�s actually a huge fan of my books and was only rude to me because he was hurt that he wasn�t mentioned.� Terren smiled, but on the contrary, Adrienne frowned. �How unbelievable!� she cried. �How romantic,� Teri sighed. The two girls shot a Look at their friend. Anya looked up at Adrienne and asked, �What is wrong with her?� �I�ll uh� explain later,� Adrienne said. �Now, why in the world do you think that it�s romantic?� she shot at Teri. Teri was so happy that she didn�t notice the snotty tone her friends had taken with her. �I can�t believe you don�t see the romance in that.� �Then explain it.� Terren took Anya�s hand and looked her in the eye. �First of all, he�s a huge fan of your work, which means that he�s interested anyway. He was obviously excited when he saw your Draco book and not seeing his name in there had to have crushed him. Since he was interested anyway, what do you think it did to him when he saw that you overlooked him?� �He insulted her work, Terren! He was rude about the most important thing in her life. How is that romantic?� �He didn�t mean it. If he had, he wouldn�t have bugged her constantly about it. If he had wanted it to sting and didn�t care, he would have let her alone to brood in his words.� �Come on, Teri!� screamed Anya, letting her eyes water. �If I�m not mistaken, Anya, you insulted him about his acting as well, not meaning it.� �Oh, I meant it.� �No, you didn�t.� �Yes, I did!� �No, you didn�t!� �YES I DID!� �You�re LYING! You said that ONLY to WARD him off because of what he said about you!� �Fine! Fine! I did. I didn�t mean it, okay! Okay?� she screamed, standing up and storming off. �Thanks, Teri,� Adrienne shot at her. �What? She pretty much just confessed that she�s in love with him.� �What?� Adrienne and Teri said no more to each other and followed Anya down the hall. They followed Anya toward the elevator. After a tense silence, they got off on their floor and came face to face with Tom, Daniel, and Rupert. �I don�t want to do this,� Anya said, scooting into the back of the elevator. �You have to,� Terren said, grabbing her arm. Adrienne reluctantly grabbed hold of her other arm and pushed her out into the hallway. Daniel and Rupert quickly slid into the elevator and the door closed behind them. Once again, Anya found herself face to face with Tom. They said nothing. Anya couldn�t help but notice how close she was to his body again. The wonderful smell of his cologne mixed with her sweet perfume smelled heavenly to both of them. The silence remained. Finally, Tom inched forward. �Anya�� �Tom, don�t say anything at all. Please.� �No, Anya�� �Tom�� she said, starting to cry again. She could feel her emotions welling inside of her. Standing in front of him was more than she could bear. He was so beautiful, so charming, and she finally realized how much in love with him she really was� �Anya�� he was choked up as well. �Don�t leave. Please. I didn�t mean to hurt you. I never intended on making you feel the way you are now.� �Tom, it�s too late for explanations.� �No! No it�s not!� Tom suddenly remembered the advice Daniel and Rupert had given him and he became assertive with her. �It�s not too late to do this,� he said, stepping toward her, but she backed away too quickly. �My heart can�t take this, Tom, I can�t do it,� she said, moving to walk away. �Don�t leave me like this!� �Tom�� she sighed, and the tears came forward. She started to sob hysterically and turned to run. �Anya!� he screamed. She turned around to face him and suddenly, weak kneed, fell forward. Tom raced underneath her and managed to catch her before she could hit the floor. Looking up weakly, still breathing heavily, Anya�s eyes met Tom�s. �I don�t want you to hurt me again,� she whispered. He set her steady on her knees and kneeled to face her. �Never.� Sweeping the hair gently out of her face, brushing the tears off of her face, Tom surveyed every inch of her beauty. He let his hands graze her silky cheek and move down to her neck. He allowed it to progress to her hair, and staring into her twinkling emeralds, he closed his eyes lazily, leaning in slowly, and carefully closed his lips onto her own. Feeling as though the tides changed in the sea, Anya completely melted into Tom�s touch. It was as if they had been made to kiss each other. They fit together perfectly like puzzle pieces. Pulling away carefully, Anya saw a tear escape Tom�s eye. �What�s this for?� she asked, wiping it away delicately. �I�m just glad I didn�t lose you,� he whispered, pressing his head into her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist. Setting her cheek on Tom�s head, holding him in her arms, she whispered, �Well I�m here.� As if on cue, the elevator gave a ring and the doors slid open. Anya�s eyes darted toward the door and the first face she saw was Rupert�s grinning one. �You owe me a dinner.� |
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