The smell of black coffee moved in the air. It hurt to move, but as she did Seren realised where she was. The rough texture of the carpet grated against her cheek, and it was soaking wet where she had drooled all over it. Wiping her mouth, she realised her lipstick was still there. But it didn't matter what she looked like, everything was hazy and nothing made sense.
"Here....drink this." India said, pushing the cup under Seren's nose.
Looking up at her immaculate cousin, she wondered if the previous night had happened at all. Her clothes were pressed and clean. Her hair combed neatly and pinned up loosely. Her freckles were clear and untouched by makeup. Seren couldn't look.
"What time is it?" She inquired, pushing the coffee away.
"Just after 6. I have to go to work, I thought you should probably get to bed you've been chewing the carpet all night."
Dragging herself up onto the sofa, there was a sense of guilt emanating. Why had she drunk so much? Never again... Every sound, every movement hurt. So when India slapped a magazine down on the coffee table Seren winced.
"You need to check out page 19." She said, putting on her jacket and heading for the door. "Those guys are quick!"
Wiping eyeliner across her face, Seren picked up the magazine and squinted into the pages. Page 1, Page 2, Page 3....India slammed the door on her way out, opening it again to apologise and close it more quietly. Page 4, Page 5, Page 6...The door opened again and India grabbed her handbag, repeating her goodbyes. Page 14, Page 15, Page 16...The table began to vibrate. Illuminating the dark room, there was no use trying to work out the number on the screen. She didn't recognise it.
"Hello?" She croaked, vaguely remembering which number she had to press to answer.
The voice at the other end hesitated. "Uh...Morning."
The hangover seemed to melt away. Her swimming head reached land and her heart soared. He had called.
"Hey..." She replied, trying to remain calm.
"Which apartment number is yours?" He asked, and the familiar sound of footsteps began to drift up the hallway outside.
Checking herself in the mirror the panic began to rise.
"Uh wait...what?" She stammered.
"Some guy was on his way out and held the door open for me, I am in the right building aren't I?"
Frantically pulling a brush through her hair one handed, she splashed cold water on her face. "Yeah, Building 5?"
"Yeah...I'm outside 4A?"
Slamming the phone down she pulled the silk komono she reserved for the hot summer nights on the commune around her and wondered if she should get dressed. She ran into her room and then heard the ominous knock on the door, she looked at it as if he was about to somehow magically walk through it and hovvered between the bedroom and the hallway. She picked up a pair of blue jeans and then threw them back down. He knocked again. Checking herself one last time, she ran to the door and threw the gauntlet down. He came unannounced. It was his own fault if he didn't like what he saw. Deciding a swift approach was probably best, she fumbled with the lock before pulling the door open wide.
"Well, I see you had about as productive a night as I did." He scoffed, looking her up and down.
She couldn't help but laugh at him. Unshaven and bleary eyed, he looked almost as bad as she did. Suddenly having panda eyes didn't seem so bad.
"Didn't take a piss in a cup did you?" He asked, and realising he was still a little drunk added, "No, sorry. Ignore me. I'm a really terrible drunk. Humiliating myself comes naturally."
Seren took him with a pinch of salt and suddenly remembered what she had been doing.
"What are you doing here so early anyway? I thought you had filming to do." She said, absently picking up the magazine.
Within the blink of an eye Rob had snatched it out of her hands, breathing deeply in a way she didn't entirely feel comfortable with.
"No! Don't read that...I mean, not before I explain...."
He'd been incredulous. But Seren had been around too many people who didn't deserve second chances, and she eyed him suspiciously. "What the hell is going on?" She demanded.
His face crumpled and set into a serious furrow. Falling back into one of the arm chairs, he sighed heavily and flicked to page 19.
"Sometimes I hate my job because of this shit. But I can't regret the good things it has brought me, so I keep calm and carry on. The english stiff upper lip and all that bollocks. Just remember, when you see that shit, none of it is real."
He handed her the magazine and sat back.
At first, a gut wrenching pull threatened to collapse her chest inside her stomach. And it was within her to rip the pieces of paper up and throw them out the window. But she looked again, and somehow she knew it was all wrong and didn't have to get angry. There, in the corner of the page was a picture of Rob on set making his way to a car with a mysterious black haired girl behind him. The headline read "TRYING TO KEEP KRISTEN UNDER WRAPS AS ROBERT PATTINSON WRAPS FOR THE DAY" They still thought he was with Kristen. And they thought she was Kristen.
"But this was us...Why do they think I'm Kristen?" She asked, puzzled.
"They couldn't get a good picture of your face. I'm so sorry. I could scream it from the rooftops but they'll always make their assumptions, They want it to be true because we play Edward and Bella."
She put the magazine down, didn't even try to understand it. But one thing she knew, one thing that was glaringly obvious was that deep down, she didn't care.
"It doesn't matter to me. They don't know the real you. They can write whatever they like, it wont make any difference."
The relief in Rob's eyes was obvious. And as she sank down onto his lap she knew it was true. What difference did it make what the world thought? The world wasn't here now, and the world wasn't there yesterday either. And the world had certainly seemed altogether detached from them in that tiny elevator booth.
"When I achieve everything I came here to achieve, I hope to have even half the success you've had. And if they scream my name, and want a piece of me I shall let them have what scrap or morsel they can find. But they'll never have what they seek. And I'll be content with that. As you are."
Rob nuzzled his face into the curve of her neck and breathed her in. "You'll be spectacular. Which brings me to the other reason I came over."
She pulled away curiously so her eyes could meet his. She pouted and waited for him to speak. But he hesitated and lingered on her face, laughing at the expression she pulled.
"Being an extra would almost be an insult to you. So I've told my agent all about you. I didn't want you to think you hadn't earned it. So I'll leave it up to you if you want to get in touch with her. But I think you should, she's amazing. She's the one who got me the Twilight audition after I came to America."
She could have screamed but her lungs felt tight with apprehension and excitement. Instead she squeezed him tightly to her, rocking him slightly with her joy.
"No...no. If it's one thing I've learned since coming here it's to take every opportunity thrown at you! I don't know what to say!"
"Say you'll call her?"
It would have made no difference who he was. What he did for a living. As she looked upon his strict jawline and the 5 oclock shadow there she'd never felt such desire. Here was a man she could debate with, laugh with. Tell her inner most secrets to. Her equal? It was possible that everything she held close about herself would change with this man. But only for the better. What could she possibly offer him in return?
"I'll call her. It's just overwhelming. I can't do anything as lovely and incredible as this for you. I wish that I could. But I literally have nothing."
A solitary finger moved down her face and cupped her chin. "I don't give to receive. I never have, just ask my sisters! Every Christmas and birthday they got me awesome presents. And I could barely scrape a good idea together about what to get them. One year, I got Lizzie a voucher for this make-up shop in London only do discover she couldn't use it because she had allergies to their products. That's how shit I am."
Seren laughed, trying to imagine him in the far off life, doing these things he could no longer do.
"Well, thankyou. Sincerely. I don't know what I did to deserve you coming into my life like this. But whatever it was, I'm grateful."
But Rob was more humble than that. "People meet people all the time. Sometimes those people turn out to be those you grow close to. If I had never met you, I'd have carried on. But since meeting you it's brought to my attention that there's a great need for you now. And I couldn't carry on now, without you."
"Very serious for this time in a morning." Sighed Seren, as she realised time was passing quicker than she'd have liked. "Perhaps we should give them something else to print? Breakfast?"
And there was a twinkle in Rob's eye. "Looking like this? They'd have a field day!"
Seren shrugged. "Ok then. How about a shower first?"
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