Unintended

"I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital Importance of Being Earnest."

Applause filled the theatre with the perfect delivery of the play's last line, clapping hands echoing loudly off the walls of the National Theatre. The crimson velvet curtain descended from the top of the stage, blocking the view of the audience, who was still applauding tonight's performance. The actors let out a breath of relief as well as sadness with the last performance. The curtain was falling for the final time.

Out of sight, all the actors rushed onto the stage to give our final bow for The Importance of Being Earnest. Randall, the actor who played Jack, my potential lover, grabbed my hand with an arrogant smirk. He had just given the last line of the play with great precision so he was glowing with the success of our final performance, giving him every right to display his arrogant joy. I had a feeling that I also wore a smile on my face of the same nature.

The curtain rose once again as the actors all stepped forward in a straight line, raising our interlocked hands and bowing before the audience. They cheered louder as we bowed, the sound almost deafening. Once the initial bows finished, the other actors hurried off-stage while the four of us that portrayed main characters stepped forward for one last bow. This was it. This was my final moment portraying Miss Gwendolen Fairfax in The Importance of Being Earnest.

The curtain fell one last time as bittersweet accomplishment set in. All of the actors as well as the production crew congratulated one another on a successful four month run. I just tried to snap myself out the nostalgia that washed over me as I looked at the beautiful stage I was lucky enough to be standing on. There were a lot of fine memories from this production that I soon wouldn't forget. It was one of my greatest achievements yet and I would miss it. With one last sigh, I gathered the fabric in the front of my Victorian dress and began to walk to the dressing room to transform into myself again. It was time to hang Gwendolen Fairfax back up on the hanger and become Gabriella Nightingale once again.

It was time to step back into the reality I easily escaped from when I stepped out onto the stage.

The first thing I did was remove the stage makeup from my ace, watching as the reflection in the vanity mirror changed dramatically into someone else. My natural complexion had returned to normal once all the pancake was off my face. After I finished that task, I carefully removed my costume dress and replaced it with a black satin party dress, hanging the costume up on the rack where it belonged. I slipped on the black stiletto heels near the costume rack and applied light makeup to my face, dark mascara and a touch of eyeliner brightening up my dark green eyes. I ran fingers through my medium length, now curly hair.

With one final look in the mirror, I decided I looked good enough for the last event: the final cast wrap-up party.

I grabbed the tiny clutch off the vanity counter and walked out of the room. Wandering down a narrow hallway with no sense of direction, I hoped I was going the right way. I just didn't want to end up in the broom closet… again.

Now it was time for the cast party celebrating the end of our production. Usually, I wasn't a big fan of these kinds of parties. What usually happened was the company allowed well paying customers, aka: the 'important' people, to joining the cast of the play for a cocktail party with an open bar. There were always people from other theatre companies and television shows milling around to recruit the actors who were only guest starring in the play, such as me. This party was basically designed to mingle amongst all of the people looking for talent, schmoozing and boozing of the theatre crowd in order to create social networks and connections to lead to future projects. It was the kissing up to other rich snobs that I didn't enjoy. Unfortunately for me, it was a necessary part of the biz.

At the age of seven, I decided to become an actress when my grandmother took me to the theatre to see a production of Peter Pan. I was completely mesmerized by the magic of it. I wanted to be on that stage with everyone and stay in Never Land forever. After that moment, I decided that what I wanted to do was be up on that stage, just like Peter Pan. What other job allowed make-believe and dress up? What could be more fun that playing the games I already loved to play for a living?

A week after I saw the play, my parents brought me over to London, England when my dad's job got transferred. I was just a dumb kid from Los Angeles, California who was now completely alone and wanting to become Peter Pan. I begged my parents to allow me a chance to go to acting classes, which they gave into quite quickly. From there, my acting career seemed to skyrocket.

I was scouted right away to act in a few television shows. Actors and directors I worked with seemed impressed with my professionalism and range of performance at eleven years old. It was rare for children to be recognized for their talent, especially when child actors were expected to only remain child actors. Many directors commented to my parents that they looked forward to watching my talent develop further in my career.

After a few dozen small television roles and BBC mini-series, such as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, I was finally allowed to return to the place I fell in love with as a child; the place that opened my mind up to the possibilities of imagination: the stage. I was cast in small supporting roles in various productions, such as Shakespeare comedies and Tennessee Williams plays. By age twenty one, Neil Simon's Come Blow Your Horn was the production that allowed me the opportunity to become a leading lady. My performance as a secondary character in that play created such buzz in the media that I had become the most-sought after, young actresses to take part in the National Theatre Company production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest as Gwendolen Fairfax.

Despite my rising stardom on television and stage, I kept my head buried in the books to receive my education. I would constantly take more acting classes to gain more practice and learn more about the craft. I also took part in various writing workshops in order to gain a better understanding of the techniques used and composition of the works I performed on stage. I always remained a bookworm, even when I was busy working. My mother was a university professor who always drilled "the importance of education" speech into me from a young age. With her influence, I continued to educate myself all I could. There's always room for more knowledge and improvement. That was my mantra.

Now, at twenty four, I never thought I'd be where I was at this moment. Just having ended my starring role in a National Theatre Company production, the possibilities for the future seemed endless. I was constantly turning down offers for jobs because I was already involved in other productions. The press and other media continually bombarded me with questions regarding my next project when the truth was, I didn't know what I was going to be doing next. I didn't know what kind of work it would be. My manager left me all sorts of scripts to read for the next job opportunity but first, I wanted to enjoy time off and relax.

I made my way to the party at last, which was already in full swing by the time I entered the room. I grabbed a glass of champagne, needing a little liquid courage to help me circle the room. I kept hearing the same lines of 'congratulations' and 'you were brilliant' over and over again on repeat from different people as I joined different groups, always responding with a polite yet tired, 'thank you'. It was the usual chit chat at these types of gatherings. Though it became tiresome to hear after a while, I still appreciated their praise. It was nice to hear people had enjoyed my performance.

"Gabriella," I heard someone call out.

I glanced to the left and noticed my manager, Carolina Jones, dressed in a red dress and cell phone glued to her right hand, waving me over to her. I excused myself from the current conversation with one of my cast mates and walked towards her, snagging another glass of champagne from the waiter as he passed. When I reached her, she was typing away on her Blackberry, as usual, unable to notice my presence. Once she finished, she finally looked up and smiled at me with a satisfactory grin.

"You were marvelous darling," she said, her posh English accent sounding sing-song as she spoke.

"Thank you," I replied. "Now tell me how much longer I must engage in the same conversations," I added, taking a sip of champagne.

"Oh stop," she said with a look that said I was being ridiculous. "It's not that bad. This is good for your career, you know. You're the new 'it' girl of the West End. Everyone wants a piece of you now."

"You make it sound like I'm a piece of prime rib," I laughed.

"Well with the salary you've earned for this play, you would be considered a porterhouse," she laughed.

"Well I'm flattered but you know how I get about things like this," I said, gesturing to the party around us. "I'm not good at sucking up to the important people when my thoughts are centered around the fluffy bed waiting for me back in my apartment."

"You'll have plenty of time for that when you start your vacation tomorrow," she replied.

"I guess you're right. I have to be here but I'll be damned if people get too drunk and try grabbing my ass. Though people think of me as high quality beef professionally, I'm not a piece of meat," I said, taking another drink of my champagne.

"Of course you're not a piece of meat," Randall's familiar voice laughed from behind me. "You're the one that's supposed to be my wife, remember?"

I turned around, expecting to see only Randall standing there but was met with another extremely attractive man. He was much taller than my co-star and well-built underneath the black suit he wore. He had short, blonde hair that covered the tops of his ears, slightly disheveled around his handsome face. His dark eyes were scanning my body with little indiscretion and his lips were turned upward into the dazzling smile he was best known for.

"I'm sure that your current wife would object to my becoming the third wheel in your marriage," I replied, glancing over at Randall and back to the other actor I had yet to meet. I stuck my hand out towards him and smiled, "Gabriella Nightingale," I said, introducing myself.

"Ianto Marks. Pleasure to meet you Ms. Nightingale," his deep Welsh voice replied, shaking my hand as well.

I noticed that as we shook hands, all of the women at this party were staring at me in envy and at him with starry eyes. It wasn't much of a surprise to me that they reacted that way. Most women and some gay men did most of the time. Everyone in the theatre business knew who Ianto Marks was.

Ianto Marks was one of the most popular male actors in the theatre business, especially with the Royal Shakespeare Company. He was always cast as the male lead in most of their productions and gave stellar performances. Everyone knew who he was, due to his talent as well as his flirtatious nature. He was the type of actor who enjoyed having a new lady upon his arm every night, which struck a lot of media attention. I had a feeling that he planned on chatting me up but I wasn't like the other women who practically threw themselves at his feet. He wasn't the type of man I was interested in.

"Ianto and I have been mates for years now and he wanted me to facilitate this meeting, though I did warn him that there would be no chance in hell that you would accompany him for a date if he did introduce himself," Randall said to me.

I laughed a bit, shaking my head, "You would say that being my husband and all. Seriously Randall, there's no need to be so protective over me. I'm a big girl who can take care of herself," I smiled.

"That's what you think love," he winked. "Now if you two will excuse me, I must go and speak to my beautiful wife over there," he said, gesturing towards the bar.

"Of course. Tell Melinda I said 'hello', will you?" I replied.

"I shall. Place nice now," he smirked before wandering off in the direction of the cute brunette near the bar.

"Has he always been that playful?" I asked curiously.

"Ever since we met in secondary school. It's part of his charm I suppose," Ianto smiled in reply. "Now I must say, your performance tonight was excellent. You brought such vivacity in Gwendolen Fairfax I haven't seen before. It was quite thrilling to watch," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. "I appreciate that."

"Have you had any ideas for what your next project might be?" he asked.

"Not yet. As of tonight, I'm taking a small break from plays so I can rest a bit before I delve into the stack of scripts waiting for me at my apartment for my next job," I told him, taking a sip of champagne.

"That sounds rather good. I wish I could have a break as well," he said, with a nod. "After I finish up this mini-series with the BBC, I'll go right into my next play with the company."

"That's rough" I replied.

"Ah but what to do? Tis the life of a thespian," he chuckled.

"Well this thespian has been working non-stop since I was eleven years old so I think a little mini-break is well deserved, don't you?" I asked.

"Of course. We all need a break from work from time to time," he replied, taking a sip of his drink. "What shall you do during this time? Spend time with loved ones, go on a romantic getaway with the boyfriend perhaps?" he asked, fishing for personal information.

I knew he was going to try and sneak that subject up on me. With the way he's been staring at me all night, it was inevitable he would try and make his move on me. Despite his debonair exterior and dashing smile, I couldn't fall for his charms. He may have been the pretty boy of the theatre world but he definitely wasn't my type.

"No, none of that. I'm just going to spend my time in my apartment catching up on the things I've missed out on while I've been working. Once I've had my fill of R&R, then I shall pick up a new script and begin working again," I smiled, finishing off my glass of champagne. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm just going to head to the bar and get another drink," I told him.

"No, of course," he smiled.

"It was lovely meeting you and hopefully we'll have the chance to work together in the future," I said, shaking hands with Ianto once again.

"I hope so too. Enjoy your time off," he grinned.

I made my way away from him and towards the bar, glancing over my shoulder at him one last time. I sighed with relief that I escaped the conversation with mild flirtation. As charming and good-looking as he was, his reputation preceded him. I only admired him as a fellow actor rather than a potential romantic interest. At the moment, I didn't really want to develop any type of romantic attachments. There was just no time for a personal relationship when it would interfere with my first and true love: the stage.

"So, Ianto Marks, huh?" Carolina said suggestively as she appeared beside me. "Is he as charming as the papers say he is?"

"Of course he is but I'm only looking at him as a fellow actor. I have a feeling that he was interested in me for other reasons aside from my acting," I replied.

"Well, if you two did become romantically attached, it would cause quite a stir in the papers. Theatre's latest break-out star involved with the heartthrob of the West End; ah, the amount of publicity it would create for you," she gushed with starry eyes. "The amount of offers that would come in for you would increase tenfold."

"Unfortunately for you and your headlines, I will not become romantically involved with Ianto Marks. You know I have no time to date with the career I lead," I said.

"Oh well. A manager can dream," she sighed. "Now, there's someone important I'd like you to meet."

"Who would that be?" I asked curiously.

"Trust me, you'll like meeting this person," she said with a smile.

"What? Did Doctor Who fly in with the TARDIS and catch the performance because that would be something I like very much," I said.

"Be serious. Does that even sound logical to you?" Carolina asked, shaking her head.

"No but a girl can dream," I replied with a sigh.

"Well, this person I'd like you to meet is an important stage director who is taking the helm for an upcoming Shakespeare production and it would be good for you to meet him in case he thinks of using you as part of the cast," she said.

"Alright, I'll meet him but I'm going to get a drink first from the bar," I told her.

"Alright. I'll meet you in a while," she said, walking towards a group of people.

I made my way to the bar in the far corner of the party and set down the empty champagne glass on the black counter top. The bartender approached me; a handsome young man dressed in a white button-up and black trousers. He was drying a brandy glass with a towel when he asked me what type of drink I'd like.

"Greygoose and Red Bull please," I smiled, setting my clutch on the counter as well.

"Right away," the bartender replied, wandering towards the bottles of liquor.

I took a seat on the empty barstool beside a very tall, lean man. Glancing briefly at him, I noticed his black, shaggy hair outlined his handsome face, making his blue eyes appear even brighter against his pale complexion. He looked vaguely familiar to me as I continued staring yet I couldn't seem to place him. He was dressed rather casually for this type of party, in a pair of tight-fitting black trousers, black button-up shirt, and white well-cut blazer, which made me wonder why a man who was so obviously out of place sitting at the bar. What bothered me most about this person was the fact that knew I had seen him before but couldn't remember him.

The bartender setting down my drink snapped me out of my thoughts, causing me to look away from the stranger after staring at him for what seemed like forever. I nodded toward the bartender and raised the glass to my lips for a taste of the delicious alcoholic beverage. The man glanced at me; a small smile playing upon his lips as he also took a sip of his refill of beer.

"You're Gabriella Nightingale, right?" he asked curiously, his British accent evident as he spoke.

"Yes, that would be me," I replied tentatively.

"You put on a brilliant performance tonight. Honestly, I haven't enjoyed Oscar Wilde quite like that since- well, ever to be perfectly honest," he said quickly, making me giggle at him.

"What made you decide to attend the play if you're not a fan of Oscar Wilde?" I asked.

"I needed a night away from work to be honest. My mate had a ticket but wasn't able to make it due to unfortunate scheduling on his behalf so he gave the ticket to me. I heard good things about this production so I decided to just take a chance on it," he replied with a shrug. "I'm glad I took the chance. I had a lot of fun."

"Well, it's usually the decisions made on a whim that lead to good things. I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself this evening. It means I'm doing my job as an actor," I smiled.

"Yes well, you were absolutely lovely tonight," he replied, also smiling at me. "Though I'm sure you've heard that plenty of times this evening."

"I always appreciate hearing feedback, even if it is the same line over and over again. Thank you though," I said, taking another sip of my drink.

"Trust me, I know the feeling," he said lowly. "So, what are your plans now that you've finished the play? Anything else lined up that a new fan should know about?" he joked.

"Well, I plan on taking some time off now before selecting my next job," I said honestly. "With how much work goes into making these productions, I rarely get time to myself where I can just enjoy the scenery around me so for the time being, I plan on just relaxing."

"Ah, I know what it's like to want a rest. My job requires constant travel and work so there isn't much time for myself where I can just stay at home and read the stacks of books I have yet to glance at, or make myself a nice home-cooked meal instead of eating out all the time. You just need the down time to remind yourself that there's more to you and your life than constantly working all the time, no matter how much pleasure work may bring," he said.

"Yes, that's exactly it," I said with a look of surprise. "God, you've just said everything I've felt about my upcoming break from the stage. I don't think anyone else has quite understood my decision until now."

"I understand because I've felt the same as you in the past, even now to some extent, but I know once you've discovered that you're still you in this small break from work, you'll return to work with a fresh outlook you can apply to your next role," he smiled.

I sat there for a moment in awe, looking over this attractive stranger and continually thought of all the places I could have seen this man before. When it came to guys I found attractive, I thought I had a pretty good memory yet I couldn't figure out if we had met before or not. Judging the fact that he had asked my name, I had a feeling this was the first time I was meeting him but still, I couldn't shake the familiarity of him. He had so much in common with me yet I barely knew him at all. He was just too good to be true. I needed to know who he was. I needed to know why this stranger understood so much about me.

After a long moment of silence, I decided to just ask rather than run through the list in my head of the possible places I had met him.

"This may be terribly rude and I'm sorry to ask, especially considering we're just two strangers at a bar and since we've been speaking to each other for a while now, but what is your name?" I asked curiously.

"Oh, how terribly rude of me! I should've told you earlier," he laughed. "I'm Matt Bellamy," he said, offering his hand to shake.

"Matt Bellamy…. Matt Bellamy… Matt Bellamy…. The name sounds so familiar… where have I heard it before?" I asked myself mentally as I gently shook his hand.

"Have we met before? Your face seems very familiar but I can't seem to place you," I admitted sheepishly.

"No, we haven't met before," he replied, "but you may have seen me on posters or the telly before I'm sure."

"Oh, are you an actor as well?" I asked.

"No, I'm not. I'm a musician," he smiled. "Are you familiar with the band, Muse?"

Suddenly, it was as if a light bulb had gone off inside my head as all the pieces of the jigsaw had finally pieced themselves together. Muse was one of the biggest bands in the whole of the United Kingdom right now, putting out chart-topping albums and playing sold-out arena shows all over the world. Currently, they were in the studio recording their new album, which was highly anticipated by their fans, including myself. Once he said the name of his band, I suddenly realized that this man was familiar to me because he was the lead singer and guitarist for one of my favorite bands.

"Oh my- really? Yes, yes, I am familiar with Muse. You guys are one of my favorite bands. I even went as far as to schedule time off to catch your performance at Wembley Stadium two years ago," said, fumbling over my words a bit. "Jeez, no wonder you understand how I feel. We're in the same industry after all," I prattled on lowly, speaking my thoughts aloud to myself as he stared at me with some confusion. I just shook my head and smiled, "Wow, I can't believe I'm actually meeting such a musical genius."

"Oh come now. You're embarrassing me," he said bashfully. "I'm just a lucky bloke who enjoys writing music. I'm not any sort of musical genius."

"And you're modest as well. That's a rare commodity for a rock star of your magnitude," I said.

"Well I hardly think of myself as a rock star so I guess that's the reason our success hasn't gone to my head," he replied.

"How humble of you," I smiled. "It's quite refreshing to see someone who's so successful yet completely modest about such success. Modesty beats arrogance any day of the week in my book," I added with a wink.

"I agree," he smiled, raising his glad to me. "Here's to modesty within an industry where stardom is everything."

"Cheers," I nodded, clinking my glass with his in toast.

We both took a sip from our drinks as Carolina made her way back over to me, looking rather flustered. I sighed, knowing my time with Matt Bellamy had come to an end for the evening. I had to return schmoozing with the other self-important people of the acting industry. I would have rather continued my conversation with the lead singer of Muse than talk to a director who would maybe think of me in the future for a job. It sounded much more fun.

"Where have you been? It's been nearly ten minutes and I've been waiting for you while making a fool of myself," Carolina hissed lowly, looking briefly at the man by my side.

"I got caught up in conversation," I replied honestly, shooting Matt Bellamy a smile.

"Well hurry up! We still have guests to speak to," she said with urgency.

I sighed and finished the rest of my drink, setting the glass on the counter along. I stood from my seat and looked to the lead singer, whose eyes seemed rather sympathetic to my situation. I had a feeling that he understood the obligation I had to make nice with the important people of the business; even though I was against inflating the egos of self-important people just to get the job. I'm sure he also has done his fair share of making nice with other business connections.

"I guess I have to get going now," I said reluctantly, grabbing my clutch.

"Sounds like it. I'm sure others would like to pay you some more compliments on your performance," he said with a small sigh. "Well, it was lovely to chat with you Ms. Nightingale," he said.

"Please, it's Gabriella," I said, offering my hand to shake once again. "And it was very lovely meeting you Mr. Bellamy. I look forward to the upcoming album next year," I added.

"Matt," he said, shaking my hand, "and I shall look forward to whatever role you plan to take on next. Enjoy your time off."

Carolina cleared her throat impatiently; obviously annoyed with the way Matt and I were taking our sweet time with our farewells. I just rolled my eyes, making Matt chuckle lowly, before I gave a slight shrug of my shoulders and whispered goodbye. Carolina led me across the room to the group of people she wished me to speak with. I glanced over my right shoulder once more and saw him leaning against the bar, blue eyes still watching me. When our gazes met, we both let out little smiles before my attention was taken away my Gareth Detricks, the director Carolina wished me to meet.

He disappeared soon after that. I looked around the party for him but unfortunately, he was nowhere to be found. I felt a little disappointed I wouldn't get to speak to him again this evening but I knew just speaking to him to begin with was more than any other fan was able to do. I was lucky to have spoken to him the ten short minutes I got at the bar.

As the night continued on, my thoughts lingered on the wonderful short-lived conversation I had with Matt. It was hard to believe that I met one of my favorite musicians at the closing night of my play at a party I wished I didn't have to attend. Not only was I lucky enough to meet him but I actually held a conversation with him that didn't bore me to tears. There was something about him that struck a chord with me, making me want to stay and chat longer.

Matt Bellamy, the mysterious man at the bar I was fortunate enough to share a drink with, was the best thing that happened that evening. It almost made me feel sad that I wouldn't see him again but at the same time, I was glad we shared a moment together. The one good thing about showbiz is you never know who you'll meet. I was glad that fate seemed to be on our side tonight, even if it was only for ten minutes.

Those ten minutes were enough to help me survive through the rest of the evening.