London Has Your Eyes

Chapter 2: Alex

I can barely contain myself as I look at Daniel Pierce. There he is, the man of my dreams, in person. What chance did we have on this planet? Zero! But I didn't give up, and luck smiled on me. I wanted it too much. I never thought about what would happen after we met. I just wanted to see him around, hear his voice and know that he was real. I wanted to know what kind of person he was outside of all the tinsel. And here he is, standing in front of me in his bathrobe, frowning and saying something in his velvet voice.

I look at him and can't take my eyes off him. He looks even better than on the screen. He's tall, skinny. His dark hair is pulled up and slicked back. Green eyes stare intently into my features, and I think he's trying to anticipate me. He's nervous. 

I have to be very focused in order to understand his speech and even answer something. I am quite fluent in English, but when he chattering his questions, I have to translate them too quickly into Russian, come up with an answer and translate it back into English just as quickly. Also, once he starts talking, it's like my personal mantra. I just listen to his voice without paying attention to the words. Who needs them anyway?

I couldn't have planned such a development if I wanted to. I just wanted it too badly once. Too much. You know what they say, our universe can hear us. Apparently it does.

I'd always dreamed of seeing London, walking its streets with its red buses and old architecture. Back in high school, I missed a trip to Britain with my class, which I regretted so much. I had dreamed about it so much, but it didn't work out. And since then, Europe has been too far away for me.

I got my first Harry Potter book one day at university. It became one of my favourites. And of course, as soon as they opened a museum dedicated to these characters in London, it became a magnet for me, a place I was bound to visit one day. 

This year I decided to give myself a present and make my dream come true. That's why I'm here in London. I guess I was too set on a magical note, but miracles started to happen from the plane.

First there was a mix-up with the hotel booking, so with a million apologies they gave me this posh room. A pleasant coincidence. And then... the first night, the first bar I saw... and him.

I don't even know how I managed to blend in so quickly yesterday, especially to be next to Daniel. He looked at me with such apprehension, and was quite wary, but I guess his friends and the alcohol had let his vigilance down. It was fun to watch him. I didn't even notice how we started saying something to each other, even laughing, and he got closer and closer. When I started to feel his breath next to mine, it became harder and harder to control myself. My whole body yearned to touch him. I wanted him so badly! Just incredible!

He must have had plans for the night too, because he said something to his friends as they left. I knew that this was the minute when I had to decide whether or not to do something. And I decided. One night wasn't enough for me.

Daniel stubbornly flaunted himself in front of me, telling funny stories and jokes, but at some point the alcohol caught up with him. It was a sight to behold. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a couple of girls reaching for their mobile phones. Of course, such content! We had to get this alpha away from prying eyes, because Daniel was already starting to put on a show.

Poor taxi driver! I'm really sorry about the interior of his car. But it was literally impossible to contain Daniel. No way. By the time we got to the hotel, he was doing his best, even getting his shoes dirty. I had to reach into his wallet and pay for the dry-cleaning of the interior. I'm still not sure I gave enough.

His clothes were damaged too. I had to undress him. He was already practically out, so he didn't even notice me pulling down his trousers and T-shirt. When I touched his skin, my fingers were burning. How handsome he was: his trim torso, his strong arms and those sexy crescents on his cheeks. Yes, I stared at him. I stared long and attentively, memorizing every inch of his body. 

We spent the night side by side, in the same bed. He snoozed peacefully, but I couldn't sleep. I tossed and turned, afraid to breathe too loudly. I was overwhelmed with emotion. I wanted to cuddle with him, my whole being demanded it. But he wasn't my boyfriend, so I had to behave. A few times I just stared at him, not believing what was happening. I fell asleep in the morning.

I woke up feeling like something was pressing down on me. It felt hot and heavy. It was him putting his arm around me in his sleep and nuzzling my neck. Nice. I let myself enjoy the sensation for a few minutes. But we certainly shouldn't have woken up next to each other. So I wiggled gently out of his embrace and went to clean myself up. A cold shower was just the thing. I needed to put out the fire inside me right away. 

When he came out of the room, I was confused. I tried so hard not to stare at him, but it was very difficult. There he was, standing in front of me in his bathrobe and pants. So close. So handsome. So confused. Asking all these questions. I want to have some fun and torture him, but I decide not to. I don't think he's ready for fun right now; his finest hour was at the bar.

Daniel gets out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, and stares at me defiantly. He looks and waits to see what effect his half-naked appearance would have on me. There's a challenge in his eyes, a smug smirk on his lips. All right, you asked for it.

I quickly slide my eyes over him, then calmly pour him a cup of coffee. 

- Your clothes are already here, so... you can... get dressed, finally,- I say, stammering slightly.

He looks at his clothes, thinks for a second, and starts to get dressed, keeping his eyes on me. He throws off his dressing gown, revealing a tantalizing picture to my eyes. I watch the muscles roll under his skin as he pulls on his trousers. And finally he hides his perfect body under a light coloured T-shirt. I want to look somewhere else, out the window, for example, but I can't. This handsome half-naked man a few feet away from me is clearly pleased with himself. Even in spite of the aftermath of last night, he's already engaged in a new game. 

I force myself to stop staring and stuck at the book.

- Well?- he sits down opposite me, - Tell me. Who are you? What do you want from me? A journalist? A blogger? How much material have you filmed so far? What am I supposed to do? - He attacks. His tone is pretty harsh.

- What? Are you serious? You think I make funny vlogs about guys throwing up in taxis? - I get a bit angry. But then I remember he's a celebrity, so I soften up a bit. - Look, I don't know what kind of people you're around, but if that's how you react to basic help, it's sad. I didn't film you yesterday, I didn't need to. But someone wanted to, so I took you out of the bar. Thank you, you're welcome.

- It doesn't work that way. You dragged me to your room, we haven't even slept together, you know who I am, and you don't want anything?  What's the catch? - He's genuinely confused.

- I do need something,- I say. He tenses up and looks at me expectantly. - See, you made me miss breakfast, and I'm really hungry. So you can buy me lunch somewhere nice and we're even. Deal? 

He seems to be calming down a bit, but he still doesn't fully believe me.

- By the way, your stuff,- I say, handing him his wallet and a pack of cigarettes.

- Is that it? Where's my phone?! - There's panic in his voice,- where is it? Shit! I can't have lost it! Shit, shit, shit! My whole life is in there! - He looks around the room, picks up the sofa cushions one by one, then runs to the bed and shakes the whole bed. There's no phone.

- Perhaps you dropped it in a taxi or in a bar. I think you can find it,- I try to reassure him. - I'll try to find the taxi driver from last night and find out. You can use my number to look for your phone in case he's gone somewhere. Give me the number.

Daniel unwillingly dictates his number. I press the call button and nothing. There's no phone in the room.