Paper Cranes

It wasn’t long before I felt his body plastered against mine as the crowd grew and there was less space for us to dance. I had to admit I enjoyed the moment but at the same time I was scared that he was just some random guy who wanted to take advantage of random girls he met at a club. I tried my best to keep my distance but at the same time not making it obvious that I wasn’t comfortable. He was funny guy. He loved to joke around and at one point he even did an Elvis impersonation that those around us stopped and watched and had a good laugh from it. He didn’t seem to mind the fact that he was making a fool out of himself which was something I had never witnessed from a guy before. Most of the guys I met had always tried to either be all ‘cool’ or ‘I’m-all-that.’ So, this was something totally new for me.

However, the next thing I know, he was trying to yell to me something about paparazzi or photos and that we had to leave. I didn’t get his message at first but then he pointed to a man with a camera, taking photos. Before I asked any further questions, he took my hand and pushed past the crowd, pulling me with him towards the back door. I was confused but followed him, since I needed some fresh air. As we reached the back alley, he didn’t stop but started to pull me towards a black car. That was when I protested and stopped.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked a hint of fear in my voice as he turned around to see why I had stopped.

“There are paparazzi in the club just now and I doubt they are going to stop following,” Jared explained. “So… let’s not waste any time and let them catch up with us and get the hell out of here before it’s too late!” he exclaimed, gesturing to what I presumed was his car.

“Em… but why? I mean… they are just paparazzi… why should we care so much? And why would they follow us?” I asked still puzzled.

He rolled his eyes, obviously impatient with all my questions. “I’ll explain to you in the car, Rowena. But can we just go first?!” he pleaded with his eyes wide and nervous, darting back and forth from the back door to me to the car.

I thought for a while, uncertain whether to believe his words or not. He seemed like a trustworthy person but at the same time I couldn’t be too sure about that. Although, he did really seem scared by who was about to come through the back door of the club any second now. As I was about to agree, he sighed and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the car. “We got no time!” he said, unlocking the doors and signaled for me to get in as he got in and was already starting the engine. Quickly, I got in, shut the door and strapped myself with the seatbelt as he sped off into the road.

We didn’t say a word to each other at first when he was just driving aimlessly down the road, constantly glancing at the rearview mirror to check whether anyone was following us. I was holding onto my purse tightly, having second thoughts that maybe I had trusted the wrong guy again. Just as I was about to tell him to drop me off by the streets so I could get a cab or something to go home, he slowed down the car and stopped by the side of a street.

He turned to me, a weak smile on his face. “Sorry about that. It’s just…” he scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t really like the paparazzi following all day and all night long,” he explained.

I had my head cocked slightly to my right like I always do when I was confused about something. “But… why would the paparazzi follow you?” I asked stupidly. “It’s not like you’re famous or something.”

Without any warning, he burst out laughing at what I just said which made me even more confused with what was going on. Why was he laughing? He just laughed and laughed, shaking his head. And all I did was sat there and stared at him laughing hysterically. He stopped abruptly when he noticed that I wasn’t joking and was still very much confused.

He wiped the tears that had formed on the brim of his eyes. “Okay… okay…” he said, catching his breath. “I’m sorry about that.” He unbuckled his seatbelt and cleared his throat. “You don’t listen to rock music do you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “Not very often. I prefer the old-school kind of rock,” I answered honestly.

He nodded with a mischievous smile. “Erm… have you ever watched Fight Club? Or Requiem For A Dream? Or… or Panic Room?” he asked with his hand turning in a treadmill motion as he thought of the movie names.

“Erm…” I pondered on the names of the movies he had just mentioned. “Well… I heard of Fight Club and Panic Room but I had never seen it,” I replied bluntly.

He sighed and slapped himself on the forehead. “Well, how about Chapter 27 or Lord of War or Alexander or American Psycho?” he asked, slightly frantic now.

I shook my head hopelessly. I wasn’t really a movie fan. I was always the slow one with movies.

“How about Lonely Hearts or My So-Called Life?” he asked, holding onto the steering wheel.

“Wait! Wait! Did you say Lonely Hearts?” I asked. The name was familiar to me and I knew I had watched a movie with that name somewhere before.

His eyes widened and were full with hope suddenly. “Yes! Yes! Lonely Hearts,” he smiled. “It had John Travolta and Salma Hayek in it. Ringing any bells?”

It was then when I remembered as the movie flashed before my eyes. I had watched it a few months ago. I was a huge fan of John Travolta, of course I had watched it. I nodded. “I loved that movie!” I exclaimed.

He chuckled. “Then… do you remember the character Raymond Fernandez? The maniac killer that sleeps with the women for their money?”

“Of course I do!” I said, hitting my purse on my thighs as I got excited. “The actor did a great job with the role! He was so convincing and charismatic,” I commented.

He laughed. “Why, thank you for the wonderful comment,” he said, making me even more confused. He rolled his eyes again and turned to the back seat, searching for something. Then, he returned with a hat and put it on. He looked at me, posing with the hat, and raising his right eyebrow in question. I stared at him, studied him posing with the hat. Then, suddenly it hit me right on the face. He was the guy in the movie! He was Ray!

“OH. MY. GOD.” I exclaimed, eyes wide. “YOU ARE RAYMOND!”

He nodded. “FINALLY!” He laughed and took off the hat. I was still staring at him, shocked and was completely star-struck.

He waved his hand in front of my eyes. “Hello? Anybody home?” he asked jokingly. I blinked and was blushing profusely. I was sitting in a famous Hollywood star’s car and I had just made a fool out of myself.

“It’s okay. I’m actually kind of glad the fact that you didn’t recognised me or else you might have been like all the other girls and just scream and yell and pull,” he said as if he had just read my mind and was trying to calm me down. I didn’t know what to say. I was just shocked. The one day I went to a club was the one day that I met a famous Hollywood actor. I couldn’t believe it!

He grinned and leaned in to give me a kiss on the cheek. That made me blush even more. I touched the spot where seconds ago Jared’s lips had just brushed against. It was still tingling. I didn’t care how dumb I looked anymore. All I knew was that someone famous had just kissed me!

He grinned even more, leaned in for the second time and gave me a peck on the lips. I was so surprised at what had just happened that no words were coming into my head. I started to unbuckle the seatbelt and got out of the car. I strolled down the empty street as fast as my legs could bring me. I didn’t know what to do or where I was going. I just had to get out of the car.

I heard footsteps behind me as Jared yelled, “Wait, Rowena! Where are you going?!” I didn’t stop but continued with my fast pace. He caught up with me shortly and grabbed hold of my arm. I was swiveled around and once again I was looking into those enticing pair of blue eyes.

“I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable…” he began. “I- I just…” He ran his hand through his black hair and let out a frustrated groan. “I really like you when I saw you tonight at the club and… and I guess I just don’t know what to say or how to act around you,” he explained. “I… I’m not usually the kind of guy who likes to boast about their career or success or whatever you want to call it. It’s just… I had to get out of there when the paparazzi started to take pictures. And I thought you already knew who I was but it turns out you didn’t and I had to explain to you before you leave and I might not see you again,” he said in one breath.

I opened my mouth to say something but nothing came out. I was just shocked and didn’t expect him to explain so thoroughly. I closed my mouth and tried to get a sentence from my currently malfunctioning brain. He was looking at me expectantly, waiting for my response and all I could do was stared back at him. After a minute or so, I heard myself said, “O-okay…”

A smile appeared on his face immediately and he let go of my arm. “Let’s start over again.” He wiped his hands on his jeans and extended his right one. “I’m Jared Leto. I’m an actor and singer. I’m a vegetarian and I think you are an interesting lady and very beautiful too.”

I chuckled and rolled my eyes. I felt myself relaxed. “My name is Rowena Harris. I work in a law firm as an assistant and clerk. I have a pet goldfish and I love cheesecakes.” I took his hand for a handshake. He smiled and so did I.

We pulled away. “Well, let me send you home,” he said, looking around the empty street and closed shops. I nodded. “That would be very nice.” He started for his car and I trailed behind. Once we were back in the car, he started the engine and was waiting for me to tell him the address. I told him and he drove down the road, so I presumed he knew where it was. I sat in the car in silence until he switched on the radio but turned the volume down.

“So… what kind of music do you usually listen?” he asked, starting a conversation.

“Well, I don’t particularly have a favourite genre. I love stuff like John Mayer, Cyndi Lauper, classic rock, some Frank Sinatra… a mixture of everything basically. It’s kind of hard to pin-point one particular genre,” I answered. “You? You said you sing, right?”

He nodded eyes still on the road. “Yes. I play in a rock band. It’s called 30 Seconds to Mars,” he replied. “I prefer rock music. But I still listen to other genres, so yeah.”

“Cool,” I said, thinking what to say next.

“So, is it hectic to work in a law firm?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Nope. Not really. It’s quite fun really. I mean of course there would sometimes be a huge case and there would be endless paperwork but… you know…” I said and kicked myself mentally, how would he know?

But he nodded. “Yeah. As long as you enjoy your job, everything just seems fun and less hectic.”

I smiled. He actually understood. I was impressed. But before I could say anything we were already in front of my apartment building. I took off the seatbelt and turned to him who was already facing me with the same gentle smile when I first met him tonight. “Thank you so much for the ride,” I began. “And the company. I really enjoyed tonight.” I smiled and summoned all my courage, leaned towards him and gave him a peck on the cheek. I was about to open the door when he stopped me.

“Can I have your number or something so I could at least contact you?” he asked hopefully. I couldn’t believe what he just asked me but calmly I took the pen that he gave me and scribbled down my number and name on an old receipt that he had lying around. I handed it back to him, said goodnight and left.