Chapter Eight - One more Day

The day was growing tiresome. India had managed to purchase the "essentials" for city living, excitedly, but Seren was overwhelmed. Her eyes grew wide at the sheer size of the buildings. Everyone rushing by, trying to get somewhere, be somewhere. It occured to her that the city didn't suit her as much as she didn't suit the city. But there was the prick of determination at the back of her mind that told her sometime soon they would see eye to eye.

"So, you like your cell phone?" India asked, breaking into Seren's thoughts.

"I have no idea what all those buttons are for." She confessed.

"It's a touch screen phone, Seren, It's minimalist buttons." India said sarcastically.

Seren shrugged. The entire shopping trip had been plagued by India's new found love of buying things she'd never had access to before. Part of the little girl Seren grew up with on the communes was still there, but the woman she'd grown into was determined to take full advantage of city life. She shuddered as she hoped that would never happen to her, but worried that somehow it would.

"Well, you're going to need something for people to call you on once you start getting jobs, or whatever they call them."

Seren suddenly felt the panic rise in her chest. " Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Don't be silly. There's like thousands of actors in New York all you've got to do is slip yourself into their world and make sure you're better!"

"Is that all?" Seren replied dryly.

India rolled her eyes. "It's a walk in the park! Apparently."

Her analogy got Seren thinking about the one thing she'd been trying to forget. And it bothered her that she'd been putting so much effort in trying to forget. It didn't help that she'd been forced to give the "details" when all she'd wanted to do was try to erase his face from her mind. But during the course of the day, India had brought Rob up in conversation too many times.

"You could always call Rob up on your new phone!" She joked, as they crossed the street onto the block near the apartment.

"I don't have his number." Seren replied, almost regretfully. "Anyway, why would he want to help me?!"

India was philosophical. "Maybe he completely fell in love with you."

Seren sniggered. "He has a girlfriend. That Kristen girl."

India laughed, rubbing her hands together furtively. "Oh my god! Are you crazy? That's like the biggest debate of our time and you're on Team Robsten?!"

Seren cringed. "Robsten?"

"Yeah, it's what they call Robert and Kristen, for those who believe the hype. But there are those out there who take a more realistic approach. Apparently she had a boyfriend the whole time they were doing the Twilight movie. Personally, I'd say they were just good friends. Surely they'd have admitted it by now? There's SO much hype it would send anyone insane enough to just admit it! Oh my god....did he admit it to you? That Kristen Stewart is his girlfriend?"

Her excitement grew. She stopped Seren in the middle of the street, her expectant face flushing for the exclusive. She hated to disappoint her.

"No, he didn't say anything about her."

Frowning, they began to walk down the street until they reached the apartment. Taking out her keys, India turned to Seren and smiled.

"Well, he's still fair game then." She laughed.

Seren still didn't know what to believe. "I guess so."

He pushed open the door with an apprehensive shove. Kicking his bag inside, he closed his eyes and hoped he wouldn't have to move again. He was relieved. The room was more simple, with everything you would need without the extravagance. The high window overlooked SoHo.

"Do you hate it?" Asked Dean, dropping two bags in the doorway.

Rob shook his head. "I don't hate it."

Dean smiled. "I'll be back in an hour, do your thing."

Rob nodded towards his faithful bodyguard and decided to check what was going on in the bathroom. To his relief, he didn't hate that either. Perhaps it was too white, but there nothing too grand. Unpacking his clothes, he realised he hadn't brought enough underwear. As usual, it didn't bother him. He checked out the bed, it was soft and smelled like fabric softener. The wardrobe had more than enough hangers, and once he was done he sat next to the window and pulled out his guitar. Free time was so hard to come by, he almost didn't know what to do with himself. Strumming gently, his mind wondered back to the old hotel, to the broken elevator. He would have kissed her, he would have shown her exactly what he meant to say. Of course he wouldn't have. But in a perfect world, he'd have bitten the bullet. It irritated him more than anything that he had an entire day to wait until he would know if he would see her again. For an entire hour he sat, playing his guitar, wasting his thoughts on wondering. He barely had enough time to get changed when there was a knock on the door and Dean appeared, expecting him to be ready.

"There's something the matter with you." He remarked.

Rob ducked behind the wardrobe door and scanned his shirts before pulling a plaid one off the hanger and pulling it round his shoulders. He picked up his cell phone and jacket and made for the door.

"I'm fine." He said, gesturing Dean out of the room.

"Nick's waiting for you in the car. Shouldn't take too long to get there. Do you want to pick anything up on the way?"

Rob shrugged. " There'll be food at the studio, let's just get there."

Sat in the car behind blacked out windows was Rob's manager, Nick. A formidable man, that Rob hadn't entirely liked when they first met. Now he was like an uncle that always forgot your birthday but remembered when you needed to take an exam. He was like family, when there was no other around.

"Rob, you like the new hotel?" He asked, moving up so Rob could climb inside.

"Better than the last one." He said, slamming the car door.

They tried to keep a low profile but blacked out windows always caused a stir. As they made their way to the studio Nick handed him a pile of papers.

"What's this?" He asked.

Nick looked pleased with himself. "Scripts. I thought you'd like this one. Take a look tonight, If you want to do it we'll make it happen."

Rob eyed the title on the front page. "Bel Ami." He mused.

Nick raised an eyebrow. "It's an adaptation."

"I've read the book." Rob said, his interest sparked. "I can do it after Eclipse."

"Aren't you even going to read the script?" Nick asked, amused.

Rob shrugged. "I loved the book."

"Still..." Said Nick. "Read some of the script. Let me know. They're filming in Europe. I thought you'd like that."

There was always that nervous tripidation before going to a studio. He knew the audience would be in high spirits. And it didn't really bother him, it was always much better than having a room of lack lustre people. But he wondered if he would ever get used to the attention.

"Filming starts tomorrow." Nick said, his eyes hidden under raybans.

"Yeah, Central park." Rob replied, genuinely excited.

"Expect there to be crowds, you can't keep them down. They're psychic i'm sure." Nick joked, as they pulled into the studio.

But it didn't matter to him. As long as she came.

Chapter Seven - Late night & Twilight

India was incessant with her questions. What was he like? What did he say? Did she talk about her to him? Did he say anything back? Seren switched off from her cousin and turned her attentions to the bed she ached to climb into.

" You can't go to bed yet! This is too awesome for words!" India exclaimed, pulling out two wine glasses from the kitchen cupboard.

"I was travelling all day. Partying, and then stuck in an elevator. I haven't slept for almost 24 hours." She protested.

India's face fell. Seren thought she might have to endure another couple of hours but then she shrugged and put the wine glasses back.

"No, you're right. You must be exhausted. But you have to promise to give me details tomorrow!" She said, her enthusiasm never waning.

Seren rolled her eyes. "Ok, I'll tell you. But there's not much to tell so don't be disappointed."

But this didn't seem to matter to India. And in a strange way, Seren liked her unwavering energy. She wondered if the same thing would happen to her, once she had been living in the city a while longer. Her body was still in commune mode. Tomorrow would be her first real day on her own. It scared her and excited her at the same time. It couldn't have started with more of a bang. And not because she had spent the evening with a Hollywood star. But because she had met someone who had made her feel things she had never felt before. She knew it was true, as she slipped between the bedsheets and sighed heavily. There was only one person on her mind.

He was acutely aware of the size of the bed as he laid down on top of it, fully clothed. His ipod was playing Morrisey on repeat and the room was spinning. Rob's phone began to vibrate again but he didn't care. Throwing it across the bed, he felt stupid for not just saying the things he had meant to say and cursed the hotel for stealing the moment. He didn't even want to sleep there. But soon his eyes began to grow heavy, and he did sleep. Although he didn't know it, across the other side of Central Park, she slept too.

It was still dark when she opened her eyes. The street lamps outside glowed behind the curtains and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Her throat tickled for water, and after stumbling over her bags she finally found the lightswitch. Her eyes squinted as she took in the room. Her own room, for the first time in twenty two years. She still couldn't get her head around it. Tip-toeing to the kitchen, she took out a glass from the cupboard she had seen India go in earlier and ran the tap as quietly as possible. Then it hit her. The intense feeling she had felt only once before, for the first time that day. She began to remember things which had never happened and suddenly it dawned on her that she had dreamed about him. In the haze of her mind, Seren blushed as she remembered a sweet kiss which had never truly happened. Kisses always seemed to etheral in dreams. Like no matter how hard you tried, you would always feel the intensity of the kiss without feeling your lips touch at all. She tried to imagine his face as she had seen it that evening, but she couldn't picture it quite right. India's laptop sat on the coffee table in the living room. She'd used one a couple of times before after visiting Simeon at his house. He'd developed a love for all things electrical and had somehow managed to collect a wide variety of gadgets, some of which had no real use. But his laptop had been a source of entertainment for hours. She remembered the video's on youtube and he'd taught her how to use google. As the laptop whirred to life, she wondered if she cross that line. Would she regret what she was about to do? Thinking about him was all consuming. She just wanted to see his face. She typed his name into the search bar and held her breath. And there he was. His face smiling into the camera, flanked by a crowd behind him. She clicked on the image and almost wished she'd never bothered. It was one thing to be told who we was, what he did. But to see it for herself made it real. He really was A-list. Curiosity got the better of her and she clicked through a few more pictures. All of them tore at her heart. With the intensity of her dream still burning inside her, and the memories of their short time together.

Then one picture caught her eye. He was dressed smartly, his arm wrapped around a pretty brunette. He looked down on her protectively and longingly. She looked back up at him with the same warmth in her eyes. They looked entirely happy, entirely lost in each other. Underneath the picture was a caption. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart at the Twilight Premiere. He'd not said anything about her. He'd not said anything about any girl. Foolishly she wondered if he wasn't just trying to do her a nice favour by asking her to come to his film set. Perhaps she'd read the signals wrong. This girl looked like his girlfriend, in all the pictures she found of them together. Her heart sank. She slipped back to bed and pushed the dream, and the previous evening's events from her mind. She would never know his true kiss. And it bothered her that this bothered her until the sun began to rise, and finally she fell back to sleep.

As sunlight began to spill through the window, Rob opened his eyes to realise he'd forgotten to close the curtains. His ipod had died, and he was laid in last nights clothes on top of the ridiculously large bed. He was moving to another hotel today, and couldn't wait to get out. He went into the bathroom and rolled his eyes at the grandure. Was he meant to get used to this? He tried to ignore that niggling feeling in his stomach as he stepped into the hot shower. It felt as if he had forgotten something, like there was something missing. And then when he thought about being stuck in the elevator, the feeling went away. She was what was missing. And he knew he would search the city for her if she didn't come to him. Why hadn't he taken her number? Why hadn't she offered it to him? The fear that he'd read the signals wrong occured to him. He stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist before switching the TV on absently and making a strong morning coffee. He noticed his phone on the bed, where he had thrown it the night before. 5 missed calls. 3 from his manager. 1 from his Mother. And 1 from Kristen. He checked the time difference, and hit the number he wanted to call back.

"Hey." She said, the busy sounds of a film set murmuring in the background.

"Hey, how's filming going?" Rob asked casually, making his coffee one handed.

"Long. Had to re-take this one scene like twelve times already."

Kristen was in Los Angeles, filming her next movie after the one which had propelled them both to stardom.

"How's the hair?" He joked, knowing she'd had to cut it short for her role.

"Fuck off." She said playfully. "How's New York?"

"Well, the hotel is a douchebag. If buildings can be douchebags. And I got stuck in the elevator for two hours after the electrics went down."

"Are you being serious?" Kristen asked, laughter in the edge of her voice.

"I know. But it was worth it."

Kristen sensed the soft edge to his voice. It was something they had come to know about each other, in the past 18 months. They'd gone through it together. The constant photography. The incessant insight into their lives. When it seemed they were alone, they found that they werent. But with it came the inevitable drawbacks. Ever since they had been interviewed together for Twilight there had been stories of them being a couple. They had laughed it off. But sometimes it wasn't funny.

"You so met a girl." Kristen teased. "Fangirl?"

Rob laughed out loud. "Complete opposite actually."

"She been hiding under a rock?"

"A hippy commune actually." Rob said.

Kristen fell into hysterical laughter until she realised he wasn't joking.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to laugh." She said, still fighting it off. "It's just...only you. Only you could get stuck in an elevator with the one girl who had no idea who you are!"

Fate, some would say. But Rob had never really believed in any of that. All he knew was that if he didn't see her again it would be the greatest regret of his life.

"So, what's with the late night phone call?" He asked.

Kristen hesitated. "I dunno really. Just seems weird you're not here to ruin my life."

He laughed at the sarcasm and wondered how it would feel for him, filming something new without her. She'd become his best friend in such a short space of time that he couldn't imagine his life without her in it now. She had been the first person he told about Seren. She had been the first person to know when he had broken up with his last girlfriend just after he arrived in America. The media could make of it what they would, he resigned to himself.

"Have you got the script for New Moon yet?" He asked, trying not to think about Seren too hard.

"Not yet. I had an email from the director though. He emailed us all, so you should probably check yours."

From behind her, Rob heard Kristen's name being called.

"I gotta go, Call me tomorrow." She said, before the line went dead.

Rob sighed and downed his milk warm coffee before deciding it would be a better idea to check out and get to his new hotel before doing anything else work related. If only for the reason he would only allow himself another hour of thinking about her before he drove himself insane.

Chapter Six - Bittersweet

Taking out the last cigarette he had, Rob passed it to Seren. She lit it up and took a drag before passing it back to him. There was a haze of cigarette smoke hanging above them, but neither of them cared. The clutch bag was ruined, but it didn't seem to matter anymore. They shared the last cigarette, passing it back and forth, talking about everything from the first time Rob set foot on a film set, to the Christmas Seren had spent on a Greenpeace boat in the Antarctic. She fascinated him in a way he couldn't describe. She held his attention so effortlessly, and he found himself being drawn to her. Soon his body was next to hers, side by side. But she didn't mind. She noticed the way he ran his fingers through his hair when he got nervous, and seemed to think hard about what he wanted to say before he said it. The more he watched her, the more he noticed. The blonde strands of hair which sat on her shoulders underneath the dark new colour betrayed her. The dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. Time had almost stopped inside their tiny space. Seren stopped thinking about India, wondering if she knew where she was . Or if she had gone home without her. She no longer cared. They spoke until their eyes grew heavy, the quiet din from downstairs faded and tiredness took over. How long had it been?

"Wait...do you hear that?" Rob whispered, holding his hand out in a quiet gesture.

Seren held her breath. Underneath the din coming from downstairs there was a sound building up beneath them.

"You think it's help?" She asked, but Rob hushed her again.

"That's not a person...."

The elevator began to tremble. The lights flickered. Instinctually she flung herself against the wall. The emergency light went out. And the elevator began to move. Rob looked at her, his face a mixture of relief and dread. He didn't need to say it. She felt it too.

They came to a stop and the doors opened onto an empty floor. The bathrooms faced them, and Seren remembered the reason she had got into the elevator in the first place. Rob stepped out first, checking the door before he gestured for Seren to step out. The floor was silent. Not even the din from the lobby penetrated the silence. An awkwardness hung in the air.

"I guess...well...." Rob said, his hands pulling wildly through his hair.

She noticed his jaw flex, and that warm feeling between her chest and stomach began to gnaw at her.

"Thanks for being stuck with me." She said, almost kicking herself afterwards for saying something so lame.

But Rob smiled. And it devastated her more.

"Thanks." He replied, putting his hands in his pockets to save his hair.

"I owe you a pack of cigarettes." Seren told him, wondering if he would take her offer seriously. Part of her was joking, but part of her hoped that he would.

"It's fine." He said, and her heart sank.

He noticed the way her eyes fell as he spoke. He wanted to say something, do something to change it but he was faltering at every turn. Here was a girl he could hang out with all day and never get sick of. And the right words to say it evaded him.

"I mean...I don't mind about the cigarettes." He sighed.

It occured to Seren that they had been speaking so freely she hadn't thought about what she would say when it came time to part.

"Well...thanks." She said again.

A door at the bottom of the corridor swung open. Footsteps sounded towards them.

"Listen..." Rob said, checking they were still alone, "I'm filming in Central Park on tuesday. I'll tell the crew your name. You won't be turned away. Will you come?"

India appeared at the elevator foyer, and Rob's phone began to vibrate.

"Seren! Oh my god....I've been worried sick!" She proclaimed, wrapping her arms tightly around her.

The hotel manager appeared behind her, his face turning a shade of pale as he saw Rob's phone. He turned away to answer his phone, the hotel manager mouthing words of apology.

"We've been trying to get you out for hours, the electrics went out, the whole hotel went down." India explained, fussing over Seren.

She subtley pushed her cousin away. "I'm fine. How long was I in there?"

India looked at her peculiarly. "Two hours."

She noticed where Seren's eyes were looking and who the hotel manager was talking to.

"Holy shit! You do know who that is, don't you?!" She whispered excitedly.

But she didn't care. She wanted the man she'd shared captivity with to turn and face her so she could give him her answer. But he seemed locked in a deep conversation not even the hotel manager could penetrate.

"Yeah, I know who he is." She said.

There was no way to avoid the way they parted. Even though his eyes burned into her, spoke to her without saying a word they parted as strangers. Finishing his phone call, he turned to face the hotel manager and accepted his apologies. More members of staff were beginning to arrive in the corridor. There was no way to say it, without being heard. She watched him make his polite departure and felt a chord of herself go with him. He wanted to know if she would come. But he wouldn't let anyone else know where he would be. There was no other way than to walk off and hope that she would come.

Chapter Five - Small Spaces

There was something very cathartic about being held in a small space. But the novelty soon wore off. Seren had run through every thought in her mind before she could take no more of the monotonous worry about if her cousin had noticed she was gone. Or if she hadn't noticed, and somehow left without her. Rob checked his phone again and again, even though he knew it was no use. Both of them were growing bored. Both unaccustomed to the walls being so closed in for such a long time. How long had it been? Five minutes? Ten? Time moved slowly in their eleagant cave. And even though they had each other for company, neither were sure of whom they shared their space with.

Rob's eyes darted, from the flashing emergency light, to the doors, back to Seren. He wondered if she was bluffing. Perhaps she was pretending not to know him so he didn't feel uncomfortable. Perhaps she knew who he was, and didn't like his work. He hadn't met anyone in a while who hadn't known his name. If she was pretending, he didn't know whether to be touched by the gesture, or offended. Or, perhaps she truly had no idea who he was. And in that case, here was a girl he could relax with.

Seren was puzzled by the way he looked at her. She decided to move the bag and stretch her legs out, paranoid about the position she had been sitting in. It was more than she could take, wondering what he was thinking.

"So." She began. "Not exactly how you planned to spend your evening."

Her remark caught Rob off guard. He hadn't expected her to speak again. But he was glad.

"I guess not." He replied, checking her face.

She looked down, tapping a finger on her clutch bag. He felt brave enough to test the water.

"I guess since we are stuck here, It would be rude not to..." He said, taking a pack of cigarettes from his pocket.

There was a no smoking sign above their heads on the wall. But Seren took the cigarette he offered to her, and decided the hotel couldn't expect them not to break the rules in this situation. They had every excuse in the book at their disposal. Stress...Anxiety.

"The smoking laws are a joke in England." Rob said, taking a long first drag. "You can't smoke in pubs, clubs. You can't smoke in work places."

Seren was genuinely shocked. She recalled the freedom of the commune, and the first time she had ever tried a cigarette. There had been so many at her disposal. Smoking was almost a way of life for her.

"Really? Isn't that the point of pubs and clubs? To drink and smoke?" She surmised.

Rob nodded in full agreement. "It used to be. Now it's all about freezing your knackers off in the smoking area."

Seren smirked at his English words. She liked them.

"I like your accent." She confessed, lighting her cigarette and suddenly wondering where she was going to flick the ash.

She opened her clutch bag. There was nothing inside it, except a small bottle of perfume and a purse with some money inside. She'd never had a cell phone, never needed one. She took the contents out and placed the bag between her and Rob, flicking the ash inside. He looked at her, perplexed.

"You don't like this bag?" He asked, almost laughing.

"It's not mine." She confessed.

Rob could tell it was an expensive bag, and he wondered if Seren knew. She seemed unaware of everything. He found himself being drawn to her.

"You like my accent." He said, repeating Seren's words. He seemed pleased with himself. "You should come to England. You'd be spoilt for choice."

Seren almost choked, the laughter rising in her throat as she took another drag. Rob laughed too, and for the first time she saw him smile. It was strange to her, that she should feel the way she felt when saw it. His smile was entirely ordinary, the corners of his mouth turned upwards and his teeth on show. But his smile did something to her no other smile had done before. She felt a warmth between her chest and her stomach.

"Where are you from?" He asked.

It was a simple enough question, but Seren had to think about how she would answer it. To be honest? Or just say where she was born and leave it at that?

"Well...It's complicated." She said," We moved around alot."

Rob shrugged. "Ok...so where are you mostly from?"

She decided to just go with the place of birth. "California."

Rob raised an eyebrow. "It's nice there."

But Seren shrugged. "I can't remember it, really. I haven't been there since I was a little kid."

She seemed to be far away in that moment, looking at the elevator doors as if they held the entrance to her past. Rob noticed this, and decided not to ask again.

"So what brings you to New York?" He asked instead.

Seren's face lit up. "Everything." She said.

Her positivity was contagious. Rob found himself touched by the light in her eyes. She seemed to grow more beautiful when she was happy. And it struck him, almost like lightening, that he should notice this about her so soon.

"How about you?" She asked, and he noticed she had dodged answering his question again.

But now it was him who needed to dodge. But he found he didn't want to. She had no idea who he was, he was certain of that now. What difference would it make if she knew? He couldn't change who he was, or what he did. And he didn't want to either.

"I'm here for a couple of months, to do a movie." He said casually.

Seren stubbed her cigarette out in the clutch bag and sighed heavily. "You're lucky." She said wishfully.

He couldn't argue with that.

"I don't even know where to start." She confessed. "All I know is...this is what I want to do."

It took Rob a few moments to realise what she was talking about.

"You're an actress?" He asked, pleasantly surprised.

Seren shook her head. "No, I'm not an Actress. I'm not anything yet."

"Is that what you want to be?" He asked then, taking another cigarette out and offering it to Seren.

"If you'd asked me a year ago, I'd have said no. But then again, a year ago I never watched TV. It's all so new to me. And I love it."

Rob was floored. He wondered who this girl was, that she had not watched TV. His interest in her peaked, and he realised he was intensely attracted to her. And not just for the way she looked. She was a mystery.

"Seriously? No TV at all?" He asked, lighting up his second cigarette.

"Some. There was sometimes a TV around. But I never took an interest to watch it much. And then we ended up in a Motel just outside Arizona. My brother was sick so we had to stay there a while. Pretty much the only thing to do was watch TV. That's when I decided what I wanted to do."

She couldn't read Rob's face. He was looking at her peculiarly. She wondered what she had said, wished she hadn't said so much. And then there was that smile again, and she wondered why she had worried.

"You really did move around alot, didn't you." He said, as if it was no big deal at all.

Seren recalled the one bag she had with every earthly belonging she owned. She was afraid to put the things inside it on the shelves of her new room at India's apartment. But knew she would, eventually.

"Yeah, understatement of the century." She said, imagining her things sitting in one place for the first time.

"So where've you been?" Rob asked, as he leaned forward towards her.

She sensed his body more than she should have. She noticed how he inched towards her, listening to everything she said. Wanting to know more.

"California. Arizona. Florida. Ohio. Indiana." She said, reeling off a list of states.

Rob was engrossed. "Where did you live?"

Seren took a deep breath. Just like he couldn't hide who he was, she couldn't hide who she was either. The space was too small for hiding.

"My grandparents were real big on the hippy scene. My Mom was born in a commune in San Francisco. She never left until she met my Dad."

Rob seemed genuinely surprised. "A hippy commune? They still exist?"

Seren laughed at his naívety. "Sort of. You've heard of Greenpeace, right? My Mom's a campaigner for them. They live off the land in communities all over the world. There's hundreds in north America. You didn't know that?"

Rob took a long drag off his cigarette. "Not really. So why would you give that up?"

She wanted to scream. But he didn't know what it was like. She looked at him and saw in him the sort of person she'd always wanted to be. Settled. But he looked at her in the same way. He wanted to be like her. He wanted to have lived in a world away from the god forsaken media.

"I've only ever been to one school. For senior year, I went to a High School in Ohio. The rest of my time was spent being educated with my brothers and my sister and cousins by our parents. I never made friends. Not ones outside the communes anyway. Then my brother left and settled down, and my sister. One by one we all started to drift away. I thought it was my time."

It seemed, to Rob, that she had never said these things to another person before. Perhaps she had no intention of telling someone she was close to. He was glad, even though it had at first been a huge inconvinience, that he was there now with this girl. Seren felt better for telling him, and wondered what he thought.

"That sounds nice." He said quietly, nodding his head in thought.

Seren was almost horrified. "Nice? It's hard to know what's nice when you know no different."

He agreed with that too.

"Well, I went to private school in London. My parents had good jobs, my sisters always had friends coming and going. I think our lives were so ordinary they could have been straight from a text book."

She liked the sound of that. "So how did you end up being an Actor? If your life is so ordinary. Shouldn't you be sat in an office right now?"

"It's only a recent thing. Believe me. I'm still the same person I was...before."

Seren picked up on the bittersweet tone in his voice. "So you've had some success?" She asked.

"Yes, you could say that." He replied, almost laughing.

Seren sighed. "What...are you a Hollywood movie star or something?!" She joked.

But Rob's face fell. He'd not wanted to say it, but here it was. The biggest thing about him, and yet it had only just come up in conversation. He looked at Seren in the eye. She looked back sincerely, and he knew he could tell her and that she wouldn't even flinch.

"Yes." He said, dead pan. "I am now."

She blinked once, but never moved.

"Well... " She said. "You'll be my muse then."

Chapter Four - Broken Strings

Shaking off the throbbing pain in her hand, Seren stepped inside the lavish elevator. It amazed her that even the smallest of places could make her head spin with their grandure. The back wall was lined with full length mirrors, and she watched herself back up against the mahogany wall on the opposite side of the man. She noted the softness of the deep red carpet underfoot and decided to kick off her shoes. The man looked at her peculiarly, but Seren didn't notice.

"Which floor?" He asked in a softer tone than she'd heard him speak in earlier.

She rolled her eyes. "First floor. I think...I'm just trying to find the bathroom."

He pressed the button for the first floor and it lit up under his touch. He then pressed one of the buttons for the top floor and stood back as the elevator door began to close.

Seren had never liked small spaces. As a child she had always known the wide outdoors and the open spaces. Small places went against everything she knew. And as she gripped the wooden bar behind her for comfort, she closed her eyes and willed it to climb faster.

"Are you ok?" The man asked, his eyes looking her up and down.

"Yes, I'm fine." Seren lied, " I'm just not a fan of elevators."

The man nodded and slipped a cell phone out from his pocket. No sooner had he flipped it open, then the elevator began to shake violently up and down.

Gripping the wooden bar until her knuckles became white, Seren fell to her knees and closed her eyes. The man pinned himself against the wall, both arms stretched wide. The light above them flickered until finally it died. And they were alone in the dark. Not moving. Her heart pounding and palms sweating, Seren managed to drag herself to her feet. The man across from her moved, but she couldn't see him.

"Are you ok?" He asked, his feet shuffling across the carpet.

It suddenly occured to her that she was stuck. And it was dark, and this person she was stuck with was a stranger to her. Her regrets were forming already as she wished she was on her way to Jacksonville for than ever.

"I'm...fine." She stuttered, trying to discern which direction the footsteps were going in.

She heard buttons being pressed, and a lighter being flicked.

"Damn it..." He spat, throwing something on the ground. "The damn thing never works!"

Seren rummaged in her bag for the same thing, and flick it to life. His face was incredulous. She held it over the buttons as the man pressed the emergency help.

"Thanks." He said humbly.

In the flame she noticed his face for the first time. His jawline was covered in stubble, he looked like he hadn't slept for days. Amongst the black ties and cocktail dressed downstairs he stuck out like a sore thumb. He smiled gratefully and Seren let go of the fuse as it began to grow hot and burn her. But she knew now, she was in no danger. He would not hurt her. She wasn't alone with someone to fear. And her thoughts of Jacksonville faded away. As did the darkness. The light above them flickered, and even though it was dimmer than before, it came back on and basked the tiny elevator in a low orange glow. The emergency button was flashing, but neither of them knew what that meant.

"Perhaps it sets off an alarm or something." Seren surmised.

"One they'll never hear down there." The man added, sighing heavily and checking his phone again. "No signal."

A silence hung over the small space. The man slumped to the ground and rested his head on his arms. Seren slid down the wall and leaned against it, putting her shoes beside her. She knew she wouldn't be missed for a while. She was glad for the first time that she hadn't genuinely needed the bathroom.

"I hate elevators..." She said, hugging her arms tightly around herself.

"Not crazy about them either." The man replied. "But since we're stuck here...I'm Robert."

"Seren...." She began, about to say the rest of the name she loathed. But she didn't. "Seren Phoenix."

"I didn't realise we were doing last names too..." He joked. "Robert Pattinson."

She nodded politely and went back to assessing the situation. She couldn't help but notice the man's face. It was staring at her, and he looked confused.

"Nice to meet you." She said, wondering if this was the response he was looking for.

"And you." He said quietly, returning to his cell phone that wouldn't work.

Rob sighed in relief and suddenly it didn't matter that he had no signal. The girl opposite him seemed to not know who he was. He'd had reservations about telling her his name, but then thought the most logical thing to do would be to get it out of the way. At best, she would know who he was and not care. At worst, she'd start asking for pictures and autographs when he least wanted to give them. Being an actor presented so many amazing opportunities. And some not so amazing. He wouldn't have changed a thing. But sometimes when all he wanted was the put his head down and walk around, there was nowhere to hide. His face was omnipresent in all the magazines. Which was why it struck him as odd that the girl would not know him at all. He studied her closely. She wasn't pretending. She had no idea who he was.

"So Seren...enjoying the party?" He asked, finally relaxing in her company.

She thought about it. "Not really. I'm only here for my cousin. I've only been in the city a few hours. It's been a little...overwhelming."

The words slipped out like verbal butter. She usually never gave this much away. But somehow she'd said too much, to someone she wasn't sure cared to know.

"I only arrived today." He replied. "But I can't stay here. It's a little too...grand."

Seren nodded. "Yeah, it's a little intimidating."

Robert pulled the zip of his hoodie down and curled it up behind his back. Seren wanted to cross her legs, but the dress would never allow the position without embarassment. She placed her bag between her legs and hoped it would hide her blushes.

"Let's hope their elevator alarm is just as grand." He said, watching the button flash over and over.