You Deserve Better (Book 1)

Chapter 20 - Pursuit Lets Wisdom Ride The Wind

" My life is worth it you're beautiful
Just save yourself yeah!
Leave the hurt and despair all behind
I must pave my way. "

'Pursuit Lets Wisdom Ride The Wind' -  A Skylit Drive

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Emily stirred slightly but didn't wake. He lay there for a bit and shot off an email to his PA Jess and told her that he would need a plane ticket to LA from Anchorage for this Saturday evening, also telling her that he would be bringing a plus 1 for the award show on Sunday, with the name 'Emily Kapinski'. He yawned and saw that it was currently 2:15am in the morning.

Switching to his camera on his phone he decided to take a photo of the two of them. There was enough light coming in through the window from the city that cast itself onto the two of them lying together on her couch.

James angled the camera so that he was in the screen and the top half of Emily's body was in it with the throw covering her, but her arms and bare shoulders were on display. He made sure that her face wasn't in it as he knew she was uncomfortable about all of the attention that unfortunately came with his fame.

He took the photo and made sure it was just of his chest and arm and Emily's bare shoulders and arm and smiled to himself. He rarely shared personal stuff with the world after previous bad stints with the press that flung him straight into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, but he wanted to share this moment and no one would know who she was. She would be able to remain anonymous.

Emily had said as much herself that she barely had an online presence due to Jason, so no one would be able to track her down and invade her privacy; or worse, unless they wanted to travel all the way to Alaska to harass her.

Flicking to his Instagram, he clicked to upload a new post and added the caption 'Let me Love the Lonely out of You <3' He double checked it quickly, making sure everything was OK with the photo and nothing could be easily identified, then hit 'OK'.

James looked back across at a sleeping Emily and smiled to himself. She looked so peaceful as she slept, her eyelashes grazing her cheekbone and her perfect rosebud lips, lightly puckered together. He gently reached across to tuck some strands of hair behind her ear and gently grazed his lips across the exposed skin of her neck. Emily sighed softly in her sleep and her eyes flickered slightly but she didn't wake up.

Climbing carefully off the sofa so as not to wake her, he re-found his boxers that had been strewn halfway across her living area and pulled them back on, looking behind him and gently tucking the throw that he had draped over the both of them, more tightly around her.

He made his way over to Emily's bedroom where he retrieved his MacBook, bringing it back out to the sitting area. He set it down in front of himself at the kitchen island and poured himself a glass of water before returning to his laptop proceeding to read and fire off some emails that he never had a chance to reply to earlier on at the café.

His phone buzzed from the island next to him where he had place it. Picking it up, he looked at the notification and saw that Jess had sent him an email in reply to the email he had sent her earlier in regards to getting a plane ticket sorted for Emily to come and join him in LA for the award show. She had said that she would sort it all and get back to him.

Jess also asked James about Emily and asked what she was like and said she looked forward to meeting her sometime. James replied back quickly with a short,

'She's gorgeous. You'll love her 😊'

He replied to a few more emails, before he felt himself starting to yawn and his eyes becoming heavy. Stretching and letting out a soft groan as he did so he closed down his laptop and briefly picked up his phone again to check the time. '3:06am'. He knew he should probably get some sleep before he caught his plane later on just before lunchtime.