Youth and Beauty

"Laurie!" Andrew yelled up the stairs, trying to wake me up from my deep sleep. Okay, it was eleven in the morning, but I was still dealing with the jetlag. (Kinda.)

I only turned over, ignoring his request.

Within a few minutes, his voice came from just above me, "Laurie, I need you to meet someone."

I opened my eyes and nodded, still very out of it. "Ok," I mumbled, pulling off the covers and revealing my Elmo shorts and my Hello Kitty tank top.

He looked at me and laughed. "You might want to change."

I looked down at my clothes and shrugged. "I'm fine."

He smiled and shook his head. "You're such a kid." He followed me out of my room and down the staircase into the living room. I collapsed on the comfy couch and cuddled into the fluffy pillow. He looked at me and shook his head. "You've been here a week, it's not the time change that's making you so tired! It's the staying up till four in the morning."

"It's the water. It makes all foreigners drowsy."

He laughed and messed up my hair. "I'll go get him so you can introduce yourself, but you need to get ready. I've got to get to set today."

"Set?"

"What, you think I'm gonna take you in and not expect you to do the job I brought you here for?" he joked, yelling from the kitchen.

I groaned slightly and tried to smooth down my hair, wanting to look somewhat presentable.

Although, when I looked up at the man standing next to Andrew, I really wished I had opted to change my clothes.

Standing before me was one attractive hunk of man. His skin was a light tan, complimenting his dark brown hair. His eyes seemed to match his hair, and they sparkled as his mouth twitched in amusement as he saw me.

"Laurie, this is Ben Barnes. He's set to play Prince Caspian in the films," Andrew said. "Ben, this is Laurie Stillwell. She's from the US; we’re hosting her through a career building program."

I smiled at him and ignored his eyes as they scanned my shorts. "It's nice to meet you," I said, holding out my hand.

"Laur, he's gonna be staying with us also," Andrew added. "He got the part too late to make immediate arrangements, so instead of staying in a hotel, we're gonna just let him stay here. Is that a problem?" he asked, looking from me to Ben.

I smiled to myself. "It's your house, Andrew. Move in a zoo for all I care," I joked, sitting back down on the couch.

Before I could get comfortable, though, Andrew gave me a sharp look. "Set, remember?" he reminded me, raising an eyebrow in my direction. "Also, go show Ben where he'll be staying. It's the room to your left."

I nodded and watched Andrew walk off towards the kitchen, most likely to grab his newspaper and a cup of coffee.

"So, you're living here?" Ben asked, making small talk as I stood up.

"For about a year. Or less, depending how long Andrew and Donna can put up with me," I said, walking towards the stairs. "The average stay is a year."

"I wish I didn't have to stay with a stranger. I've only met him once, and then I found out I'd be staying with him. I'd much rather stay in a hotel," he said in a smooth British accent.

I nodded and stopped at his door. "I know how you feel. I hadn't even talked to Andrew before he picked me up at the airport. I just knew he was some director."

"I couldn't do that. Walk away from my family for a year."

I shrugged and messed with the ends of my black hair. "It's not much of a family," I mumbled, looking down. "Well, I need to get ready, so I'll be in my room if you need anything," I said, smiling and walking away from Ben, feeling his eyes on the back of my head as I walked into my room.