Unexpected love

Al Pacino

Bradley's POV

I held Stefani's hand as I stepped out of the limousine, helping her out afterward. The photographers and journalists went wild upon seeing me with her; I noticed her embarrassment. I paused on the red carpet for a few photos, while Stefani stood off to the side, watching. As promised, I wouldn't do anything to make her uncomfortable; I knew that calling her over for photos would make her uneasy.

My manager, David, told the photographers that was enough and signaled for me to go inside. I offered my arm to Stefani, and she linked hers with mine. I smiled at her, noticing she was still startled by all the chaos.

Inside, many people approached to greet me, and I gave a few quick interviews while Stefani waited with Debbie, David, and Russell.

David then escorted me to the conference room, where I sat with my fellow cast members for a Q&A session.

A journalist stood up and said, "My question is for Bradley Cooper. First, congratulations to everyone on the movie " I nodded in acknowledgment. "Bradley, you recently went through a divorce, and tonight you have a companion. Who is the young woman with you?"

"I thought we agreed to keep the questions only about the film," I said with a slight, awkward laugh. At the back of the room, I saw Stefani covering her mouth as she quietly slipped out to avoid drawing attention. "She's just a friend I met when my car broke down, and she kindly helped me. That's all. Out of respect for my colleagues, please, no more personal questions."

Whispers filled the conference room now. I was blushing, but I wouldn't let that ruin the night. My co-stars and I answered a few more questions, making it a one-hour interview when it finished. When I glanced toward the back, I saw Debbie, but Stefani was nowhere in sight. I stood up and walked over to my assistant. "Where is she?"

"In the lobby," she pointed.

I left the conference room and went looking for Stefani before the journalists could find her and ask her uncomfortable questions too. In the lobby, there was a door leading to a small balcony, and I saw her leaning against the railing, looking out. I approached her and leaned beside her. We didn't look at each other; we just took in the view of Manhattan.

"You handled the answers well," she smiled, looking down at her crossed hands on the railing.

"What are you thinking about here?"

"The craziness of it all. I can't imagine being in your shoes," she glanced at me, but I didn't meet her gaze.

"It's just my job," I said after a few seconds of silence, finally looking at her. "Shall we?" I offered my hand to her. Stefani nodded, and we left the balcony holding hands. "Your hand is cold."

"They get cold when I'm nervous."

"That doesn't make sense," I chuckled as we walked toward the party venue, already hearing the loud music coming from down the hallway.

"I know!" she exclaimed.

As we entered, the party began to fill up with people. I spotted Al Pacino at the bar and didn't hesitate to pull Stefani over to make her dream come true. She seemed stunned, standing there wide-eyed.

"Alfredo!" I called out as he poured himself a glass of water.

"Oh, Bradley!" Al Pacino smiled at me and then glanced at Stefani, who remained frozen.

"This is my friend, Stefani. She's a big fan of yours."

"Friend, huh?" Al Pacino furrowed his brow and then looked back at me, as if to say, "Don't try to fool me with this 'friend' story."