PERMANENT - Leonardo DiCaprio

Chapter 7 - Rude Awakenings

Friday 7.58pm

I heard the buzz at my door, as I hobbled over to the speaker with only one heel on. "Yes?" I asked. "It's Jake" "Okay, I'll let you through". I buzzed him in and sat down on the arm of the couch to put my other heel on. I walked over to the door so that he could just walk in when he came up, but he was already at the door, with the biggest bunch of flowers I had ever seen. "Hey," he smirked coolly down at me, scanning me up and down with his eyes. "These are for you." He said, as he handed me the flowers. "Oh Jake. They're beautiful. They really are." I said, as I found a vase and filled it with water, then came back out of my kitchen. "You look beautiful." He said. Probably the most sincere sounding thing he had said since we met. I blushed (yes, it really was happening this time).

"You clean up well too," I joked back, as I linked my arm in his and shut the door of my apartment behind me. "Please. As if you've seen me dirty." He replied with a wink, and I couldn't help but laugh as we walked to his car.

//

"And so I say to the guy 'Buddy, there's no way you can beat me at this game, I'll bet you all my winnings. I lose, you get everything I've won tonight. You lose, I get all of yours' and this idiot actually took me up on the deal. Sorry prick didn't even know I was counting cards the whole time and lost all of his $5,000." Jake shook with laughter, the atmosphere lighting in the restaurant twinkling in his eyes like stars. He was a great talker. He had a way to captivate you and hold your attention, whether it was talking about his life, politics, or in this case, counting cards in blackjack. I stared at him dreamily, smiling like an idiot, and I was fully aware of it. I guess I just didn't care.

"Anyway," he said after a moment. "What about you? You got any stories to share?" Did I? I was far too career driven, maybe that's why I fell short of stories. "Nothing like that, no. Sometimes I wonder if I've wasted my life away, what with my lack of experiences," I replied solemnly. "Penelope, you're 21. You have your whole life to live." He said, putting his hand on top of mine which was perched on the table. For some reason it seemed like he had all the answers, and I felt like I had no problems in the world.

//

I woke to the sound of birds chirping outside my window, and I rolled over to my side, away from the light, only to be met with a very large, very tanned man lying in my bed. In shock, I stared at him in shock, frozen as he began to stir. Clutching the sheets to my bare body, I scampered off the bed to the nearest item of clothing I could find, which happened to be my brother's oversized t-shirt that I had stolen from him back in the UK and taken here with me. He wasn't happy about it, but he got over it. I turned back around unaware of just how naked I had left Jake without the sheets, and threw the sheets back at him. "Oh god," I whispered, which sounded vaguely like disgust. Not disgust at him, but disgust at myself – or maybe both of us.

"Good morning." He grinned. I pinched the bridge of my nose and inhaled deeply, as if to cleanse my soul. "Morning." I replied. We stared at each other a moment longer, him staring lustfully, smirking and me staring in pure shock and horror. "I uhhhh...I have to go to work but...you know help yourself to anything you want. If you want it."

I turned around and went to my drawer, pulling out clean underwear and then to my wardrobe to get my tight midi skirt, tucking the t-shirt into the skirt so that I didn't look like a complete boy for work today. Hurrying to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and splashed some water on my face to freshen up. I didn't really want to be in the same room as him, and I felt guilty for sleeping with him so soon. If that was his plan all along, to get me into bed at the closest opportunity, I'd rather not look at him till I was calm again, so without having a shower, or even breakfast, I put my hair up in a bun, put my trainers on, and left my apartment.

//

"It's not like we using loads of make-up with you for this character, they didn't use make-up half as much in the early 1900's as we do now, but we have to see what to use for your skin tone, what subtly goes with that hair," Daniel leaned back and examined my face, make-up brushes in hand, "But you do have such a wonderful complexion honey you're gonna be a dream to work with." He walked over to the table that held a large collection of make-up, in all different shades and variations. "This one time I worked with Naomi Campbell. Let me tell you, she just glowed. Like, naturally! She must have some sort of supernatural thing going because I swear....."

I wasn't listening to Dan anymore. My little escapade with Jake sat heavy on my mind, and I wasn't sure if I should cry because he took advantage or laugh at my sheer, utter stupidity. I wonder if he was still at my apartment where I had left him. Or maybe he had stolen half of my possessions by now and skipped town.

"Well hello buttercup," I heard Leo cheerily say as he walked passed and pinched my nose, disrupting me from my thoughts. I heard Dan's flamboyant voice shout "Damn it, you lil pendejo how you expect me to do her face when you keep touching it huh?"

"Sorry," I heard him snigger, shrugging his shoulders. I laughed, "Buttercup? That's a new one." "Why, you don't like it?" I glanced over, and only now realised he was in full Jack Dawson costume, right down to the socks. He noticed me looking, so clarified "They wanted to see how it all looked on me before we head out to Baja. Kinda neat right?"He looked like he had just been plucked straight from the streets of 1912 and dropped right in front of me. As I stared at him, everything became so real. Jack was no longer a character on paper, and we really were doing this film.

"Oh, almost forgot," he interrupted my thoughts once again "I was gonna ask you if you wanted to come out with us tonight. Me and my friends, and my girlfriend." I watched him, eyebrows knotted in confusion. "You have a girlfriend?" It didn't seem that way the other week at the club. Leo nodded nonchalantly "Yeah, on and off. On right now." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows. "Oh you can bring someone with you if you like. As long as they're not journalists. Or paps."

I shook my head "No I don't think I can. I'm just gonna rest tonight, we have dance lessons tomorrow morning don't you remember?" He shrugged, "Yeah, I can make it. I'll be okay. I'm just trying to make the most out of the time we have here before we leave for like half the year." How this guy had so much energy was beyond me, and I suddenly felt bad for neglecting Aaliyah. If Leo made time for his friends, why couldn't I? "How do you not get tired?" I asked. "He considered it over for a second, then replied "You get used to it." I was just about to reply when Dan cut me off.

"Alright sweetie Jim's in the other room just over there I need you to see what he thinks, and if it matches his 'vision' or whatever." I hopped off the chair and Leo took my space. "See ya," I waved.

"Till the morrow," he joked, and waved back.