Paper Cranes

"Oh, come on, Ro! Please come with me!" Jared begged as he pouted and flashed the infamous pair of puppy-dog blue eyes. I groaned and ran my fingers through my loose black hair. I sat on the bed, arms crossed, turning away from the man kneeling in front of me. He held onto my knees. "Come on, Ro… please!" he continued with his pleadings.

"But… Jared… I-I have never been to anything like that and I'm… I'm not pretty enough or qualified enough to be there," I explained, turning my attention back to him.

He heaved a loud sigh and let his fingers grazed the side of my face, stroking my hair. "You are as qualified and as beautiful as," he thought for a while. "Cameroon Diaz, Ro," he said. "And besides, there's no such thing as you have to be beautiful or all glamorous in order to attend such events. Everyone is allowed to be there and I want no other person to be with me than you, Ro." He flashed a gentle smile which relaxed his face muscles. He brushed away the strand of hair aside from my eyes and leaned in to give me a peck on the lips. He pulled away and held my hands, waiting for my answer.

I rolled my eyes and hated how he could have such an immense effect on my decision making. I nodded in defeat. He grinned and threw himself on me, causing both of us to fall onto the bed. He supported himself on both his hands and gave me a kiss on the lips. Then, he proceeded to tickling my abdomen. I started laughing incontrollably. I was a ticklish person and he knew it. I was gasping for air as I laughed. He was laughing along too, not because of someone tickling him but because he loved the amusement of me being tickled and my reaction to it.

He stopped after a while, watching me gaining my breath back. There was a smirk plastered on his face. "Come on," he pulled me up from the bed. "Do you have something to wear?" he asked. I pondered on the question and began to remember what I had brought with me in the suitcase. "Yeah, I have something," I said.

"You sure? Cause we can go shopping if you want?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. I'll go get ready then," I said. He nodded. I went to my suitcase and rummaged through the folded clothes and took out my satin white dress. It was meant for the dinner with Jared's parents but now, I had to sacrifice it for now. I put the dress against my body, checking to see whether it would be okay for tonight. It was a simple, spaghetti strap dress, v-neck and it reached all the way down to the floor. I had brought a pair of high heels along. Thank god, I had thought about having to dress up. I went to take a quick shower and was only wearing a bathrobe around me as I sat in front of the guest room's make up table. I took out my bag of make up and browsed through it, deciding on whether to go for a misty kind of look or a bright and fresh kind of look.

"Hey, Ro! What colour dress are you wearing?!" Jared shouted across the hallway.

"White!" I shouted back in reply.

"Okay!"

I shrugged and finally decided to go for the misty look since it was the premiere of a ghost movie. Then, I had to decide how to style my hair or not style it at all. I played around with it, pulling it into a bun, a ponytail, the Arwen-look, the relaxed-let-it-loose look. Arwen seemed to be the best choice. I pushed my hair back and started to put on the make-up. Night cream, foundation, a mixture of purple and blue eye shadow, a light tinge of rouge and a bright red lipstick. I glanced at the reflection which was staring back at me. The person looked so different. I was slightly scared by the transformation and what was about to take place soon but I inhaled a deep breath and told myself that everything was going to be alright. I put on the dress and fixed my hair into my favorable style. Then, I hooked on my pair of earrings which dangled all the way to my neck, framing my face. I put on the ring necklace which was a present by Winona a year ago for Christmas. It was like a friendship ring. She had one herself. I smiled approvingly at the end product.

I strapped on the gold heels to check the effects of the whole outfit. I turned 360 degrees to check myself from head to toe, making sure there were no errors. I took off the shoes and took out a small handheld pouch to put in my ID and anything else which was essential.

I took my heels and went to Jared's room. He was fixing his white tie. He looked absolutely elegant and suave. I couldn't help but stare and wondered on the same thought I had since the beginning of the relationship. I was so lucky to be able to be someone special to a guy like Jared. I still couldn't comprehend why he chose me among all the other women he met.

He turned to me after he was done with his tie. He gaped, his jaw slightly ajar. I chuckled and stood by the doorway, hands behind my back, staring straight into his blue eyes. He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You look," he stepped forward. "Magnificent," he breathed and placed his hands on my shoulders before letting them slide down my arms, pulling my hands to the front and he held onto my wrists. At that moment, everything seemed so right. It was like everything in my life, the bad and the good had dissolved into thin air and was replaced by a sense of surrealism. Everything was perfect.

I smiled and so did he. The lines on the corner of his eyes when he smiled appeared. He was cleanly shaved, the smell of his cologne wafted in the air but it wasn't too overpowering which would put you off the mood. He had on a black shirt and suit with a white tie. Now, I knew why he asked me what colour dress I was wearing, he wanted to match our clothing.

He leaned in and gave me a peck on the lips but both of us couldn't help but turned it into a more passionate kiss. It felt right. He felt right. Life was great. He pulled away and I laughed a little at my smudge lipstick on his face. I wiped it off his lips and checked my own complexion.

He checked his watch for the time. "Let's go," he nodded towards the doorway. I linked his arm with mine and we walked down the stairs. I put on my heels and he put on his leather shoes and we were off.

The limousine was waiting outside. We got into the car and it was my first time in a limousine. It was crazy. There was a mini-fridge inside with a mini-television and the place could fit at least eight people inside. The ride towards the premiere was short and rather nerve-racking for me. I couldn't believe I was going to walk down a red carpet! It was the premiere of some horror film directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The movie had stars like Mark Wahlberg. Jared held my hand. "Don't worry. It's just walking. Nothing else. I'll guide you all the way into the building. Don't worry," he assured. "I'll be by your side, all the way through."

I nodded. The car stopped in front of the carpet and already, flashes from cameras were blinding my sight. Jared gave a light squeeze on the hand. The door was opened by a well-dressed gentleman. He held out his hand for me and I gave a quizzical look to Jared before I took the stranger's hand and he pulled me out. Jared followed from behind and took my hand from the stranger. His grasp around my hand tightened. I was shocked out of my wits at first by the cameras in front of us but immediately I put on a smile which I hoped was a good smile and not too awkward. Jared did lead me down the carpet. He waved at some fans who were calling out his name and stood in front of the rows of paparazzi, with me beside him, his hand never let go of mine. I smiled, trying to ignore the fact that I might go blind any second. After all the bright flashes, I was seeing colours around me. Fortunately, Jared held onto me and guided me down the way. It seemed like the longest red carpet ever. He finally stopped in front of a crowd of fans. They were screaming and shouting to him, shoving posters of his band and pictures of him to sign. For the first time that night, he let go of my hand and began signing. He also took photographs of fans with him with various fans' cameras. He was such a crowd pleaser but it was so natural for him, I realized. It was like programmed inside him. He knew what to do and not to stay too long in one spot. He continued with this for about ten minutes before taking my hand again and we were off. After that, it was pretty quick before we reached the building.

Inside were swarmed with an endless supply of movie stars and producers and directors. I felt star-struck as Drew Barrymore walked past me and Jared was busy talking to Mark Wahlberg. I felt so honored when Jared introduced me to Mark. I thought I was just going to be by Jared's side and not talking to anyone but the next thing I knew, I was talking to Mark and some other actors and actresses. Even though Jared wasn't in the movie and he barely attends any of this sort of event, especially when he wasn't in it. He said he hated all the fuss and glamour. But today was special because he was invited as a special guest or something.

After drinking a glass of champagne, we entered the cinema where the movie was shown for the first time. I felt kind of unique to be able to witness for the first time of some horror movie which was supposed to be very good. And it was. After watching it, I was amazed at how well the whole film was directed, shot, the lines, everything was organised. There were some really unexpected scary moments whereby I had buried my face into Jared's jacket as he chuckled at my reaction but still held onto me.

At the end of the premiere, I thought I was done for the night but apparently I was wrong. There was an after-party and I was supposed to go with Jared. I did suggest to Jared maybe we should just head home and relax instead but he insisted on staying for a while first. So, we went. It was at some nearby club. I was with Jared for the first half-hour, a glass of wine in hand as we talked to various people, most of the talking was done by Jared, and I just stayed close to him. I didn't want to say something stupid in front of these famous people and let Jared down. So, most of the time I was just quiet. Unfortunately, Jared was pulled away by some guy who said they need to talk in private. I was by myself by the bar, drinking my second glass of wine when some random guy came up.

"Hi! My name's Jimmy," he extended his hand. Wearily, I took it for a shake. He did seem friendly.

"I'm Rowena," I said sheepishly as our hands parted.

"I know," he smiled. "You're Jared Leto's girlfriend right?"

I nodded shyly.

"You're everywhere on the magazine," he said.

I chuckled awkwardly and took a sip from my glass.

"So… you enjoyed the film?" he asked, taking the empty seat next to mine and ordered a margarita.

"Yeah. It's great! Very well directed and written," I replied. "You?"

"Yeah. I agree with you. It was a great film," he said.

We sat in an awkward silence as his margarita was served. I prayed silently for Jared to return as fast as possible but he was nowhere in sight. I excused myself and went roaming around, looking for that familiar face. It was getting a tad bit too much for me now. I just wanted to get out of the place. People were dancing, drinking, laughing, and talking. I must have looked like some lost child in the crowd as I looked everywhere for Jared.

After half an hour of a hopeless search, I went to the bathroom. I put the toilet seat cover down and sat down, taking in a deep breath. I closed my eyes and tried to silence the loud thumping music from outside. It was to no avail.

"Hey, you saw that chick with Jared Leto?" a female's voice said suddenly. My ears perked up as I eavesdropped on the conversation.

"Yeah. She looked… so ordinary! Why did Jared even fall for her?" another voice said.

"I know! I mean is he blind?! She's so… pshh…"

Pshh? I thought confusedly as the conversation went on. My heart was beating faster and faster.

"He so shouldn't date her. I mean… they don't even look good together! Come on, he's this like sex god and she's like this… country-looking girl!"

The other girl groaned in frustration. "Whatever. Let's go party."

As they left, I heard the door swung shut behind them. After a while, I unlocked the cubicle and came out. A tear had escaped my eye and I stared at the miserable reflection in front of me. I knew it was just too good to be true. I wiped away the tear and told myself to hold it in. I didn't have to listen to these people. They were just jealous or something. As long as Jared loved me and I loved him, it was all that matter. I couldn't live up to everyone's expectation. If I did that, life would just be hell. I took in a deep breath, fixed my make up and waltzed out of the bathroom.

When I was approaching the bar, an unbelievable sight came into view. I stood a few feet away, mouth gaping at HIM and HER, KISSING. I closed my eyes and opened them again. They were still there, she was sitting on his lap, arms wrapped around his neck, and her dress was so short that it revealed half of her thighs as she threw herself onto him. On the other hand, he was enjoying it! He just held her around the waist, just like he did to me! His lips were all over hers. His eyes closed as he enjoyed the moment. I felt a sharp pain cut through my heart; it felt like a blade had just sliced through it. The tears started to stream down my cheek again as I stood in front of them.

When his eyes opened to the sudden realization of someone staring, he saw me. Immediately, his eyes widened in shock, as he pushed the girl off him. "RO! I can explain," he said, flustered, hand running through his hair in nervousness.

"You just did!" I shouted over the loud music and ran out of the club. I felt flashes from cameras went off as I exited, running down the street. Half way through the running, my luck just got worse, I had forgotten about my heels and one of them broke. I twisted my ankle and fell right onto the concrete pavement. I was sobbing like some crazy lunatic in the middle of the streets. My fist was punching the floor.

How could I be so stupid? How could I have believed he was the one?! How could I have trusted him?! How could I have believed a guy like Jared Leto would fall in love with a girl like me?! I must be out of my mind. I heard whispers from the passers by and decided to pick myself up and limped my way to a nearby bench. The dress felt so out of place. I felt out of place. I was in the middle of nowhere. I was in a city where I didn't belong to. I was invisible.

I looked down on my dirt covered white dress and my broken heel and scratched arms. I had just created another disaster for myself. I sat on the bench, eyes closed; hoping that this was just a long nightmare and everything would just go back to normal when I opened my eyes. But life was never that simple. Life would never be that simple. It would never be perfect like we all hoped it would be. That was just a fantasy.