Taking a Chance

"Enough about me" You say, trying to deflect the topic of conversation away from yourself. Like you always do."What's it like being a famous actor"

"It's intense. Some of my earlier roles were disturbing, but the action movies I've been involved in recently have been great" He replies excitedly."I really didn't want to get famous. I just wanted to do what I loved and having my picture everywhere's the price"

"And I bet you love all the attention from your fans" you tease.

Jeremy chuckles and takes a sip of his coffee.

"Without the fans there wouldn't be any movies. Meeting them is great, but it's crazy too. It takes a while getting used to it"

"I bet you see all kinds of crazy" You thank the waitress as she refills your cups for the third time.

"Normal crazy I can deal with. Fan crazy is totally different" He is trying to be serious, but the slight chuckle sells him out. You can tell he is amused by his experiences.

"What kind of crazy?" You ask. In truth, you have a fair of idea of what crazy fans are capable of, but what you don't know is how many of them actually played out their fantasies.

"All kinds" He laughs.

"Give me an example then"

"Alright. When we were filming the town I was staying in some hotel I always seemed to lose-"

"So the hotel moved?" You ask sarcastically, teasing.

"Smart ass" he grins and continues"I had been to a bar one night and someone recognised me. A fan. Next thing I know I'm walking out of there for a smoke and this group of half dressed teenagers just run at me"

You laugh openly at his animated features.

"So, I said to them I would sign a few things and then that's it. I was always told to be nice to the fans even if you're having a nightmare of a day. Anyway, so I signed a few things and posed for pictures and the next thing I know I feel someone groping my ass. Not like, touch, fully grope" he starts to chuckle, a little flushed in the face."I'm like, what the hell, and there's this girl shoving her number and her wet thong into my waistband."

You start laughing and you make no attempts to control your amusement. The mental picture will be enough to keep you smiling for the rest of the day.

"And what did you do?"

Jeremy looks at you with a serious glint in his eyes.

"I ran like hell back to the hotel. Only problem was I forgot where I was staying and wandered into three different buildings. I'm sure they thought I was on drugs" He is laughing now, but the whole situation probably freaked him out at the time.

It was a situation that would probably freak out a lot of people. You are also a little freaked out that someone, a complete stranger could be so forward. Then again, it doesn't quite surprise you.

"Did you call this girl?"

"Like hell I did. I don't do one night stands." He replies casually."It's not what I'm looking for"

You can understand that perfectly. Your own track record hadn't been great, a list of unsuitable boyfriends and complete assholes. The kind of guys your mother warns you about and you go and date them anyway.

"We're all looking for something" you say, a little regretful, a little sad."Sometimes you find it. Sometimes you don't. This has been really great catching up, but I need to get back to the studio"

Jeremy nods and offers to drop you off in his rented car.

"You're right. This has been great catching up. Maybe we can do it again? I fly out to New York on Thursday and fly back in on the Sunday." Jeremy suggests as you wrap your coat tighter around you.

"Sounds good to me. Let me know when you're free"

***

You would have liked nothing better than to sit and drink coffee with Jeremy all day, but sadly you have things to do and you're running a business. Maybe if Michelle hadn't been unwell you could have stayed longer, but of course Michelle is unwell and you needed to return to the studio.

The flashing light on the answering machine catches your attention as you peel off your coat. The annoying, computer voice says you have three messages. They are all from Michelle. With a sigh you dial her number.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" You ask warmly as she picks up the phone.

"Like hell" she murmurs down the phone."Where were you?"

"I was out for lunch. An old friend's here for a few days so we met up"You reply simply, wary of your friend's suspicious mind.

"Sounds lovely" she says."A guy?"

"Yes, a guy."You laugh."Don't start with your crap"

Michelle laughs.

"You know me too well. Anyway, I was just checking in on you."

"Everything's running smoothly. Nearly finished developing the photos from the wedding the other day. The bride looks amazing" You say as you slide another photograph into an album, chosen by the customer.

"I'm going back to bed. I'll see you tomorrow"

You tell Michelle to call you if she needs anything, but you know she won't. She wouldn't call you if her leg was hanging off or she had fell down the stairs. It's just the way she is.

****

By the time you get home to your condo it's already eight-thirty and the hunger that had been bothering you most of the day has faded, giving you a headache instead. You skip the notion of making anything and decide against ordering out, the lack of energy finally out weighing everything. You crawl to bed, literally bouncing off the walls and as you undress and slip into your pyjamas, your cell bleeps, signalling a text message. You yawn as you sit on the edge of your very comfortable bed and open the message, a smile tugs at your lips as you read what Jeremy has sent.

Today was great. Good night xx