Chapter Three
Soon enough, a familiar face poked around the wall of our booth. Ethan and I both jumped having been deep in conversation about our next projects. Ethan’s cool composure settled back over him as he said, “Hello, Colton. Good to see you, mate.”
Colton politely smiled back, “You too, Ethan. Doing well?”
Ethan nodded. Our dinner had been over for a little while and we were on our third glasses of wine. I knew our time together was coming to an end but didn't want to get up yet. “Time to go, Colton?” I asked, sadly.
“Yep,” Colton said. “Sorry, I know you haven’t seen each other in awhile. Melanie’s here, though and she’ll kill us if we’re late.”
I looked at Ethan who was studying my face and asked Colton, “Could you give us moment, please? I’ll be right out.”
Ethan reached across the table and grabbed my hand again after Colton walked away. "I'm in town three days," he said. "I can come to your premiere if you want me to."
I perked up and grabbed his hand tighter, “Yes!” I had hoped that him being in NYC meant he would be coming to the premiere and party, but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. “Yes! If you can come and you’re not too busy…”
“I’m not too busy,” Ethan smiled. “That’s the main reason I came to New York.”
“Fantastic! You can sit next to me. I’ll have Colton arrange it,” I said.
We both stepped out of the booth and he hugged me, putting his hand softly on the back of my neck and pulling me into his chest. “I’ll see you then,” he said, lightly kissing the top of my head before pulling back. “And remember what I said, Elena. I mean it.”
I smiled forlornly at him, “You ever need anything, you know you can call me. Anytime. I mean that.”
Mason appeared by my side, giving Ethan a head nod. I waved at Ethan and turned towards the door. Ethan sat back down in the booth, disappearing from my sight. Mason and I walked past the hostess at the front podium, who hollered a farewell to me.
“Where are we going, again?” I asked Mason. I couldn’t help feeling a little disheartened. It was clear that Ethan was feeling despondent and lonely. He needed me. I wanted to be there for him, but as always our careers were in our way. But this was how it was. Ethan at least understood that. He lived the same crazy lifestyle I did. I knew he wouldn’t blame me, but that made walking away from him even harder.
“Gold Room,” Colton said appearing outside the door to the restaurant, surprising me slightly. “It’s a little meet & greet. There are several winners of VIP Packages for the movie premiere tomorrow. Tonight, you’ll meet the winners, sign a few autographs, take photos, and be seen having a good time. It will last an hour. Then that’s it for the night.”
This wasn’t the first time I’d done meet and greets before. It was something we did a bit for the first Monument movie and then even more for the second movie, Ricochet. The movies were based on the best-selling trilogy series targeted towards teens and young adults. It was an action-packed trilogy following Maren Marks, a badass FBI agent.
In the first movie, Monument, the movie began with Opening Day for the New York Yankees. An international terrorist group called Fusion bombs the stadium and Maren and Liam, her colleague, are assigned to investigate. There are multiple monuments that get destroyed throughout the movie and lots of suspicious activity regarding Liam. At the end of the movie, Maren was at the Willis Tower in Chicago when the building was bombed. Liam actually saved her life, but the audience was left wondering if Liam was a double agent since he was conveniently at the scene of the last bombing.
In Ricochet, it comes out that Maren was actually the double agent working for Fusion. Liam was actually investigating her. It was a huge plot twist. When Fusion attacked the Pentagon, resulting in the death of Maren’s mother, the tables turned and Liam convinced Maren to switch sides. Ricochet ended with Fusion simultaneously attacking multiple FBI, CIA and foreign intelligence operations across the world, nudging society into a state of emergency spanning across the globe. It was good stuff. Destruction, the last movie, was bound to shake things up even more.
We got in the glass elevator and rose up over the open lobby floor plan. I could see the waterfall off in the opposite corner of the lobby. I couldn’t stop thinking about Ethan’s words – that all of this would be much better with someone to share it with. I didn’t know how I would concentrate on this meet and greet. I just wanted to go up to my room, call Ethan to come join me, cuddle up and watch rom coms until we fell asleep, just like the old days.
My publicist’s stern face snapped me back to reality as the elevator doors slid open. Melanie wore her usual blazer and pencil skirt, her black-rimmed glasses framing her face, which seemed to always have an annoyed expression. Melanie was the best, but I hated testing her. She’s not someone I enjoyed getting angry. “Cutting it close,” she said sharply.
“But still on time,” Colton responded a little smirk on his face. He and Melanie got along very well. He knew just how to interact with her. When Alyssa first introduced me to Melanie, she was a little intimidating. Everyone had heard of her. She was the publicist for many big-name actors. She only took me on originally because she owed Alyssa a favor. Otherwise, she never would have taken on a nobody actress like myself. Alyssa asked her to be my publicist right as Empire Burning was wrapping. She only agreed to be my publicist for about a year. After the promotional whirlwind that consisted of promoting Empire Burning and then the multiple awards we won for the film, Melanie said she couldn’t drop me. Her support helped launch my career in more ways than I could ever verbalize.
“Let’s hustle,” Melanie said. She turned, her long red hair whipping around behind her leaving a scent of perfume in the air. She quickly walked ahead of us, while Colton, Mason, and I followed. Colton and I shared a glance. Melanie was in a mood today. Though, it was to be expected. She always got this way before premieres.
We walked into a shimmering room, with tall mirrors reaching toward the high ceilings. Small white, comfortable chairs were scattered around the wall and around the extravagant fireplace. Along one side of the room stood a long, high-top bar with a golden surface stretching the length of the room. Golden stools with white leather cushions were positioned in front of the bar. A young bartender in a simple white long sleeve shirt stood behind the bar, a drink shaker in his hands. Soft music played over the loudspeaker – some popular pop song I’d heard on the radio a lot. There were quite a few people already in the room, all of different ages.
A petite man in his mid-thirties with an unfortunate mustache and thick black hair approached us; his arms open in a welcoming gesture, “Ahh! Miss Lewis! So wonderful!” He had a thick Italian accent that made me smile. He stopped about a foot in front of us and turned to the group of people gathered behind him. “Elena is here! We will please get in a line, and then you may all say ‘hello,’ get autographs and photos with Miss Lewis!”
Colton tapped my shoulder and handed me a permanent marker. Melanie directed me to follow her over to the nearest corner, right next to the bar, where a stack of Destruction posters and memorabilia were displayed. There was a large Samsung sign posted directly behind the table of memorabilia, the sponsor for the VIP Premiere Package.
The first couple of girls walked up. They were teenagers, about sixteen or seventeen, but it was obvious they were trying to look much older. Their hair was perfectly straightened and they had caked a palate of makeup across their faces. I politely talked to them and they gushed about working with Mitchell Hayes, and how gorgeous he is, how lucky I was to be able to kiss him, and oh my god, was he here?
Melanie quickly pushed the giggling girls on after several selfies and autographs. The next couple was a man and a woman, who looked to be in their mid-forties. The woman was very polite, while the man was awe-struck. This couple was so much more enjoyable to talk to than the girls before them. They asked genuine questions about the movie and explained that they had seen every single one of my movies. At the moment, it was only four films but was still flattering.
“Well,” Diane, the female fan said. “Our first date was watching Empire Burning. And so I felt like we just had to see Serenity, though I had to literally drag Barry to come see it with me.”
I laughed, signing a Monument poster for the couple, “Yeah, it is targeted towards a female audience. I hope that didn’t stop you from enjoying it?” Serenity was the second stand-alone film I ever did before the Monument movies began. It was the film where I won my first and only Oscar for Best Actress, becoming the youngest actor to win an Oscar at the age of twenty.
Barry smiled generously, “No, it was very enjoyable. I see why it got so many awards. I think it’s your best work yet.”
“Even better than the Monument movies?” I asked as we posed together for a photo.
“No contest,” Barry said shaking his head. “They’re two completely different projects. It’d be like comparing popcorn to waffles. Both delicious, but you wouldn’t substitute them for each other.”
“Thank you, Elena,” Diane cut in. “We are so thrilled to meet you. This package was a dream come true. But I’m going to drag Barry away before he starts debating all the films we’ve ever seen.” The couple laughed. I smiled and hugged them for a brief moment before they stepped away. It was fans like Diane and Barry that made it all worth it. You could take one look at the couple and see that they were ecstatic to be here. They weren’t taking any of this for granted.
A little girl approached me next, about ten years old. She had wavy brown hair, clipped back with pink barrettes. She was wearing a beautiful blue sundress with a white shawl over her shoulders. Her warm brown eyes smiled up at me with such excitement. “Hi,” she squeaked, excitement overcoming her. “I mean, hello. I’m Izzy!”
“Izzy!” I said trying to echo her excitement. “I love that name. And I love your dress!”
“Thanks. Izzy is short for Isadora,” she made a disgusted face. A male hand gave her a soft pat on her shoulder. I followed the attached arm up to look into the face of an attractive man who looked to be about my age. He was wearing a brown suit jacket with a nice button up shirt. It fit him well and I could subtly see the muscles that defined his shoulders. He had a bright, vibrant smile and his deep, chestnut eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. His dark brown, almost black hair was cut short and just barely long enough that you could see it beginning to curl at the ends. He was gorgeous. I felt a strong magnetism towards him. I swallowed, my nerves getting the best of me as I cocked an eyebrow at the beautiful man in front of me.
“This is my uncle,” Izzy said as he stepped around to her side.
He reached his hand forward and I gave him mine in return. “Anthony Stiles,” he introduced himself. We held hands for just a second longer than normal, his warm strong hand sending electric bolts throughout my whole body, awakening every cell.
“How about a picture,” I said, trying to get my bearings. Izzy immediately crushed up to my left side, her face lighting up even more. I placed my hand delicately on her shoulder. Anthony took a couple steps towards me and stood on my right side. He was a bit taller than I was, though not a giant, either. I looked up into his sincere brown eyes for just a moment before having to pull my gaze away. His gaze could steal me in for hours if I let him.
I wrapped my arm around his lower back, unsure if it would be too forward for me to place my hands on him. Giving in, I grasped his waist and tugged him a little closer to me, trying to be inconspicuous. I heard a slight chuckle come from him, as he wrapped his arm around my waist. I could smell his cologne intoxicating me and I was very aware of his hand on the small of my back.
The photographer took our photo and Izzy stepped in front of me; Anthony remained where he was for half a second longer before taking a small sidestep away, breaking our physical contact. As I signed Izzy’s Monument poster, I asked her what she thought about the movies, very aware of Anthony’s penetrating stare on me, though I refused to make eye contact with him. I couldn’t have him fumbling my thoughts anymore. I wanted this moment to be special for my young fan.
"I am the biggest fan," she said. "I have all the movies and all the books, and there are posters all over my walls, and I can't believe I'm here! I want to be an actress just like you! Maren is my favorite character in any movie! She’s so awesome! When Maren and Liam are fighting each other in Ricochet was probably my favorite part ever. I can’t wait to see what happens in Destruction!”
“Easy, girl,” Anthony laughed while shooting me a sly wink. “Breathe.” Izzy let out a self-conscious laugh and ran a hand down the side of her curly hair. I stole another glance at Anthony while Izzy was getting herself together.
Something about Anthony made him irresistibly sexy. He stood calmly next to me with his hand in his front pocket as if he stood next to celebrities all the time. He glanced over at me and his smirk crept a bit more across his face. He was so confident, carrying himself as if he didn’t have a care in the world. I wanted him too like me – to want me.
Colton took this moment to step up to us breaking up my thoughts. He held up his cell phone and cleared his throat, "How about a photo for your Insta account?" Izzy shrieked and Anthony flinched at the shrillness. I agreed and we all started to get back into position before I had an idea.
“How about we do one with each of them? We can do a side-by-side layout,” I told Colton. Colton lifted an eyebrow but thankfully didn’t question me. I rarely put photos with fans on my social media accounts. And if I did, it was because Colton or Melanie suggested it. Never before had I offered up my own idea about a photo for social media.
Of course, we did one with Izzy first. For her photo, I lowered myself to her level and put my arms around her. She embraced me back and we cheesed it to the camera. Colton snapped a couple photos with his phone and smiled, “Beautiful!”
“You’re a natural,” I said to Izzy giving her shoulder a little squeeze.
She beamed back at me, “I can’t believe you’re going to post a photo of me on your Insta page. I have one, too. Can you tag me? My account is IzzyMaren07. Oh my gosh, I’m gonna be famous.” I laughed at her excitement and noticed Anthony step a bit closer to us.
Izzy took a breath and remembered her uncle as he stepped closer, “Oh now Uncle Tony’s turn! He can be famous, too!” I smiled and stood up straight, turning to face Anthony.
“Are you okay with this?” I asked, not wanting to impose. He took a step closer and looked down into my eyes, his proximity causing my breath to hitch. I had the inexplicable urge to wrap my arms around him and hold his strong muscular torso to mine. What was coming over me?
Anthony smirked his assured grin and placed a hand tentatively on my waist. He gave a slight tug, pulling me closer to his side. I wrapped my arm back around his waist, grasping his side a little firmer than I had before. Every area of my skin that touched his body was on fire, the nerve endings alive and creating an awareness of every inch of my body. I stood on my tiptoes and rested my head against Anthony’s shoulder, smiling at my phone in Colton’s hand. I felt Anthony tilt his head so it just barely rested atop mine.
Too soon, Colton took the photo and thanked Anthony and Izzy. That must have been Melanie’s cue because she came over and gestured for the two fans to move aside. “It was a dream come true to meet you!” Izzy exclaimed.
“You two will be at the premiere, right? I’ll see you both then!” I smiled at them. Anthony shook my hand, again. As he let go, he let his fingers slowly drift along my palm sending shivers through my hand and down my spine. He smiled his confident smile and followed Izzy back to the food bar. Heat prickled my cheeks and the feeling of his fingers on my palm still lingered.
The rest of the meet and greet went fairly quickly. Lots of photos, hugging and excited voices. I went through all the motions like I usually do. But my eyes kept drifting over to Anthony and Izzy, finding his strong frame wherever it might be. My ears were tuned to his laugh, listening for his invigorating tones from across the room. Shaking my head, I kept trying to convince myself I was being ridiculous. Yes, Anthony was attractive. His confidence was hypnotic. But he was just another guy, right? No reason to focus on him.
Finally, the Italian man – Piero was his name – clapped his hands from the front of the room. He was the event coordinator for Samsung and the man in charge of getting all the VIP Winners to where they needed to be. Piero shouted to the group, "Thank you, everyone, for participating today! I hope you all had a wonderful time and enjoyed meeting Miss Lewis." The small group cheered loudly before Piero cleared his throat and continued. "Tomorrow is an even bigger day! We will say goodbye to Miss Lewis for now, but we will see her soon, yes? Tomorrow is the big premiere of Destruction – the final chapter of the Monument trilogy.
Melanie nodded towards the doors, and Colton nudged me from behind. Time to get going. Piero turned to me, “Thank you again, Miss Lewis. Such an honor!” His accent gave me a chuckle and I waved as my crew hustled me toward the door. Before slipping out, I glanced behind me, doing one more sweep of the room with my eyes, landing on Anthony’s face. He was smirking at me again. He gave a wink and with that, the doors closed behind me.