The Facade

Chapter 51

Every other moment, I'd look over inside to find Marlon staring at me. He'd catch me glimpsing over at him as well. Gosh, he looked good. In his eyes, I knew he was looking what he saw as well.

With a confident stride and champagne in my saucer, I entered the apartment from the terrace. Some people stared back and forth between us, whispering to each other. They all knew of Marlon and I's past. The hostess couldn't help but notice the spectacle.

"Rose." Marilyn said softly. I turned to her, breaking my stare that I had set on Marlon, who chatted with a director pretending as if he hadn't seen me. "I hope you don't mind my inviting Marlon here. I figured both of you were on good enough terms to be in the same room."

"I actually haven't seen him since..." I began. Marilyn's face softened.

"Oh... I'm sorry..." She began to apologize. I shook my head. For a moment my eyes darted over to Marlon, who was still looking toward me.

"No need for that. It's quite alright. I've moved on and so has he. We're both adults." I reassured her. She smiled, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Good. Well then, please, mix and mingle with everyone! Make yourself at home." Marilyn smiled as she walked off. Looking around the room, I tried to decide where I wanted to stand. In my eyes, anywhere away from Marlon was the best place.

Then I set eyes on Troy Donahue.

Waking over to the handsome sexpot, I smiled as I interrupted the conversation he was having. Warmly I outreaches my hand. "Troy Donahue, right?"

"Right." Troy shook my hand. "And you're Rose Taylor."

"In the flesh." I smiled, placing a hand on my chest as I slightly bumped the girl Troy was speaking to out of the way. She scoffed, walking off to another area of the party.

"Isn't that interesting." Troy looked me up and down with a grin. "You surely are beautiful in real life."

"Those photographs they take of me are horrid." I laughed, placing my gloved hand on my cheek.

Troy chuckled along with me. "You're even beautiful in your candids." He still complimented. This was exactly what I wanted. I glimpsed across the room at Marlon, who was now noticing me more and more. Someone was speaking to him, but he cut the conversation off and began to walk closer.

He stopped not too far away, beginning a conversation with someone else. It's as if he thought I didn't know what he was doing. His eyes couldn't help but glimpse over at me. When he noticed Troy, his face hardened. He began to full on stare. He was no longer trying to be coy.

Troy noticed Marlon's death stare too. "Uh oh. I hope not to get in trouble with Stanley Kowalski."

"Oh trust me, he has no power over me any longer. I'm a perfectly single woman." I grinned, sipping my champagne.

"Are you, now?" Troy nodded with a grin. "That's always nice to hear about a gorgeous girl like you."

Marlon slowly moved closer to us, as he maneuvered through the crowd he picked up a champagne saucer. Keeping total eye contact with me, he walked to the wall opposite of us and nonchalantly leaned against it. He still stared at me deeply, his lips wrapping around his champagne glass. I froze for a moment, then forcibly cut my focus to Troy. "You're an actor, aren't you?"