Tristan had endeavoured to be discrete when dealing with the paparazzi and fans. He hadn’t wanted Stella concerning herself with it all, but Stella couldn’t help notice. It was hard not to when there was, what seemed like, a permanent group of paparazzi and fans outside the hotel waiting to catch a glimpse of him.
They had tried a couple of times to go out for dinner but never able to make it too far from the hotel before being followed, Stella couldn’t be more thankful of the tinted windows in the car. She didn’t like to be the object of attention in general, let alone with a swarm of people trying to catch up with them to get a photo, fortunately Sam was a very skilled driver and they never got close enough to get a photo. After driving around for what seemed like hours, Stella managed to convince Tristan they didn’t need to go out after all and she would be happy to eat in at the hotel. Tristan couldn’t hide his irritation when they’d returned to the
hotel,
he was clearly upset he wasn’t even able to take Stella to dinner, something other couples were so easily able to do. Stella appreciated his efforts though, knowing he wanted to make each moment with them special.
She’d returned to work on Monday feeling strangely like she had just been living in a dream land and now she was back to reality. She tried to keep her mind focused on her work, but couldn’t help but think of Tristan and how much she wished she could ditch work and go see him. Just as her thoughts of Tristan and their weekend together resurfaced in her memory, she heard her phone ding, the sound of a text message being received. Checking no one was nearby she reached in her bag and pulled out her phone, instantly smiling when she saw his name as the sender.
T- Hey, how’s work? Missing you already
S- Hey you! Work is work :( I miss you too...
T- Glad to see you have finally saved my number in your phone! No more excuses for not calling me now!
S- *rolls eyes* I only did it so you’d stop hassling me!
T- Oh please! You love my persuading techniques ;)
She felt herself blush. Tristan had left kisses on every inch of her body, persuading her to put his number in her phone. Even though they had agreed to take things slow, Tristan was very good at making her knees go weak without ever pushing the envelope.
She was secretly thrilled when Tristan had insisted she save his number in her phone and she give him hers. She hadn’t wanted to be the awkward one and ask him if she could call and text him when she went back to work, thankfully Tristan had beaten her to the punch.
S- So what if I do? Maybe I could do some of my own persuading...
Stella had never been good at flirting, generally her encounters with men consisted of awkwardness and embarrassment. Tristan, however, made her feel confident in herself and she found herself enjoying flirting with him, even though there was always a part of her that told her to be careful and abstain from getting too close to him.
T- You’re killing me Stella! You can’t say things like that when you’re at work and I’m not allowed to see you :(
S- Well you’ll just have to think about tonight when we can see each other again ;)
hehe
T- If I wasn’t about to go to an important meeting now I might just be inclined to come and drag you away from work and
keep
you to myself.
Stella wished Tristan would do exactly that. Work had always been boring and tedious, yet now she had this new life outside work it made work that much more unbearable.
S- I wish... Anyway I better get back to it, before I get caught for slacking and get fired.
T- Getting fired would mean more time with me though ;)
S- And I’m sure all those bills sitting on my kitchen table will just miraculously pay themselves.
T- You never know, being famous does have its perks though $$
The thought of taking money from Tristan didn’t sit right with her. She never took money from anyone, even her own parents. When she lived with them while finishing her degree she insisted on paying rent and covering her part of the bills. She figured when she turned eighteen if she was considered an adult, she would act like one, including all the responsibility that came with being an adult.
S- There is no way I’m taking money from you. I am quite capable of taking care of
myself,
I’m not one to take money from anyone. Including someone I’ve only just started dating!
T- I know you can take care of yourself, and I’m not saying you have to take money from me, I’m just saying, if you ever needed to, I’m always here to help.
S- I appreciate the thought Tristan, but I’m good.
She didn’t want to argue about something so trivial, but she needed him to know she definitely wasn’t someone who needed anyone to look after her.
T- I’m still seeing you tonight then?
Of course she still wanted to see him tonight; she was currently counting down the minutes until she could leave work and be in his arms again.
S- Yep, see you then :)
T- Can’t wait ;) xo
Stella smiled at his sign off, she had pondered doing the same thing but was worried it was too much too soon and Tristan would freak out, clearly he thought it had been quite all right.
“What are you so happy about?” Stella quickly pushed her phone aside and looked up to see her boss standing over her, clearly not impressed.
Shaking her head Stella replied, “Nothing, I was just getting ready to go do some more filing.”
“Try and focus on work Stella, please,” her boss answered, he had obviously been standing over her long enough to see her texting on her phone.
“Of course, sorry,” she quickly replied running off to the back room ready to spend the next couple of hours filing away. She had to giggle at her boss’s last statement. It would be near impossible to focus on her work now with thoughts of Tristan swimming in her mind. She sighed and began filing the paperwork, continuing to count down till she would see him again, four hours and twenty three minutes couldn’t come soon enough.
It had been a long and painful week for Stella. After her weekend with Tristan she felt like she was on cloud nine, but her week at work was tense and stressful.
As much as she tried to refrain from seeing Tristan every night that week, she couldn’t help herself. Suddenly the thought of not having him by her side while she slept made her feel uneasy. She’d attempted to stay at her house several times, but after enduring hours of restless tosses and turns, unable to sleep, she caved and went to Tristan’s. It was like the universe was trying to pull them together no matter what. She had cursed herself many
times,
she hadn’t enjoyed relying on Tristan’s presence just so she could get a decent sleep. She’d never had to rely on anyone before, especially for something so simple. She ended up forcing the thoughts from her head, she knew if she thought about it too much it would eat her up inside. For the first time in a long time, she was just going to go with it, as painful as it was for
her,
she knew it was the only way.
They had settled on PG rated affection; kissing and cuddling. She knew if Tristan tried to take things any further she wouldn’t be able to resist. She had nearly lost herself with him many times that week, but he had promised to be a gentleman and kept his distance, even though it pained him to do so. He had told her that he wouldn’t try anything unless Stella made it very obvious she wanted it, begged even, which seemed to amuse him greatly.
It was only moments after she’d finished work on Friday that she got the call from an accounting firm offering her a full time position as a junior accountant. She had surprised herself when she had told them she would think about it over the weekend and get back to them on Monday.
She had been waiting for a job opportunity like this for months now, she expected to be overjoyed with the opportunity, but no matter what she did she could only convince herself to half be happy about it. She didn’t know why she had felt like this, but she knew a part of it was because she didn’t really enjoy accounting at all, and a part of it meant she would need to stay here for her job which meant she didn’t know where that left Tristan in her life since he travelled a lot.
The position meant security and stability, two of the things she had wanted for so long, but not the two things she craved now. She desired the unknown.
Stella pulled her car into the large car park. She had parked at the public car park on her way to see Tristan at his place, that way she could stop by the bottle shop on the way to the hotel to grab a bottle of champagne to celebrate her job offer, that and the fact they were now able to have the whole weekend together doing whatever they pleased.
She closed the car door behind her, swinging her handbag over her shoulder. As she neared the end of the car park leading out to the street she had a sudden feeling she was being watched. She turned quickly, not knowing what to expect to see, but hoping for nothing.
Stella shook her head and let out a sigh of relief when she had turned and nobody had been there, just a typical parking lot full of cars.
The sun had not long ago set and it was getting darker. It was only six o’clock at night and she knew she was near busy streets with ample lighting. Nothing would happen at this time of day, she convinced herself.
She made a mental note to herself to stop watching horror films, they had imbedded unnerving thoughts in her head, having her believe that some axe murder would turn the corner any second now and attack her.
She set off down the street towards the bottle
shop,
it only took her a few minutes to find the champagne she wanted. She quickly paid for it as she, getting excited about seeing Tristan again, she thanked the man as he placed the bottle in a bag for her and she was soon out on the street again walking towards the hotel.
The further she walked down the street, the more unsettled she felt. Her instinct telling her she was being watched, she glanced over her shoulder a few times, but nothing out of the ordinary. She kept her head high, convincing herself it was nothing.
She turned down another street, noting most of the shops and cafes had already closed up for the day leaving the street deserted. She looked up at the clouds forming in the sky, dropping rain drops on her face. “Great, just what I need,” she grumbled to herself.
She heard her phone ring, reaching into her handbag, and pulling it out. She looked at the caller id and saw Tristan’s name.
“Hey,” Stella spoke calmly in the phone, trying to not let on that she was growing more nervous by the minute, as she walked further down the street with little sign of anyone.
“Hey, whereabouts are you Stella? I thought you’d be here by now?” Tristan’s said, his voice sounding concerned.
“I’m on my way.” She glanced up at the street sign, and then turned down the street. “I’m just walking down Jenkins Street now.”
“What are you doing there? I’ve told you to use the hotel car park.”
“I know, I wanted to get something and I thought it would be easier parking in the public car park and then drop by the shops on the way to see you rather then backtracking from the hotel.” She could feel the raindrops started getting heavier
now,
she had nothing to protect herself from the rain so all she could do was quicken her step to get to the hotel faster, finding shelter under some of the building’s awnings.
“What did you need to get?” he questioned, but before she could answer, she caught a glimpse of a tall figure in the corner of her eye as she turned to cross the street. She moved her body to get a better look, she watched as he quickly ducked behind a car.
She could feel her legs moving faster, her breath quickening. Distantly had heard Tristan’s voice talking to her through the phone, but was so frightened by the prospect that someone was following her that she couldn’t speak.
“Stella! Answer me! You’re scaring me!” She tuned into his voice now, his voice had become almost deafening.
She looked behind her again and she noticed the tall figure, quite possibly a male was still following closely behind her, this time not moving from her vision. If anything, his steps had also quickened.
“Tristan?”
Her voice becoming more unsteady, the rain falling heavier now, she could feel herself getting drenched. “I think I’m being followed,” she whispered, fearing her own words.
She turned once more and noticed a second person also following. It was hard to tell their features because of the darkness and rain that fell around them, but she could tell by their movements they were moving faster, trying to get closer.
“Where are you now Stella?” His voice sounded hard and sharp.
She looked up at the street sign approaching. “Smith Street.” She was close to the hotel, but as soon as she turned down the street she immediately regretted it. It was barely lit up at all, and not a person in sight. “I’m scared,” she heard herself whisper into the phone.
“I’m coming,” she heard him say, before she heard loud voices behind her. She glanced behind her, seeing if the men had followed her down the street. They had, and by this time there were now four of them. She couldn’t make out what they were saying, but as she turned she saw the flash of a light behind her.
Her step now turning into a run as she feared what would happen if they got to her.
Why hadn’t I just gone to the hotel?
she
thought to herself, her fear escalated quickly with every stride.
She was now in a full sprint, blinking the rain furiously from her eyes as she scanned for a way out, a safe place. She tripped on something on the uneven ground beneath her causing her to fall to her knees, the bag with the champagne crashed onto the sidewalk, smashing the bottle to pieces. She pulled herself up quickly leaving the bag, her eyes swelling with tears.