Prologue
Lena brushed her hair back as she balked at the sun. She was the type of person who preferred to be in milder weather, and couldn’t believe London had to ruin its usual rain with a day full of sunshine. She was currently on vacation with her roommate and best friend, one she had met in University and had loved ever since. They had just graduated with master degrees in art (Lena focusing on photography, and her friend Kessa as a stylist) and had decided to visit their favorite spot for vacationing - central London.
Lena was twenty four years old, a brunette with blond streaks, slightly tanned caramel skin, and was tall and slender. In contrast, Kessa was quite curvy, and was half-African with brown curly hair, darker skin and brown eyes. Kessa had always been the more outspoken of the two, and was now acting as such as she asked for directions. They had just toured the British Museum, and it was making Lena feel quite artsy. She always loved looking at old paintings, and wanted to explore such concepts in her own photography. London was just so good at doing culture, though her own hometown of Paris was almost just as enlightened. Kessa nodded at the old man before bounding back to Lena, grinning from ear to ear. “Are you sure you want to do something else? I’m exhausted.” She spoke to her best friend in French, just as they’ve always done. She hoped the British folk around her weren’t somehow listening in on their conversation, but found from the past that most didn’t bother learning other languages here.
Kessa shook her head, “Lena, you’re only twenty four and it’s still 7p.m., you really want to go back to the hotel now?”
“I have the personality of a sixty year old,” Lena joked.
Kessa balked and said, “well, I have a solution for that specific problem.”
“Oh?” Lena knew she needed a way to escape, and fast. Kessa’s ‘fun’ ideas were always dramatic, and always led them to trouble, especially one that made her look this elated before she even explained herself.
“I’ve heard about these challenges all over the internet…” Lena groaned, but began following Kessa down the street, “I want us to do five little dares with the Brits.”
“With strangers?! Are you mad?”
“See? You’re too uptight, Lena. We are here to relax and have fun. This is the perfect way to meet new people! Maybe some hot guys we can take home for the night…” Kessa wagged her eyebrows suggestively.
Lena rolled her eyes. She’d never seen Kessa have a one night stand, and knew she wouldn’t be starting now. It was just not what either of them were into. “Okay. I randomly generated some ideas, and these are the five things we have to do by the end of the night. Whoever finishes them first, gets to stay on the bed tonight.” Lena and Kessa had rented a bedroom that had a small bed and a couch, since they were still on a student’s budget, and had been switching between who got to sleep on the bed throughout their vacation. Of course, the bed was the far superior choice, and something Lena would actually fight for. Kessa was just too clever for her own good.
“Okay - tell me then.” Kessa giggled and showed Lena the notepad on her phone, which read:
Five Challenges
Hug a stranger
Replicate the high-five you do with Alexander
Find someone to do a dance to the song ‘Happy’ by Pharrell Williams
Ask a stranger for a phone number and autograph
Go to the men’s room and write on the mirror ‘a woman has been here’ in lipstick.
Alexander was Lena’s best friend, one she had grown up with and adored with all her heart. Of course, they had devised a secret handshake with each other in Kindergarten, and had been doing it with each other ever since. “Got it?” Kessa asked, giving her a wink.
“Hmm…” It wasn’t as crazy as Kessa’s usual antics… Lena had a good chance of actually winning this, especially with a few shots of alcohol down her. She glanced up at the sun, which had begun setting, and nodded.
“May the best French woman win.” Before Kessa could say anything, Lena began running in the opposite direction, trying to find a nearby bar she could do all of the challenges in.
“Remember to take pictures as proof!” Kessa called out behind her.
It was quite easy to find a bar in London, there seemed to be a few in every block, and Lena had no trouble finding the closest one, one called Pit and Pendulum with a large test tube hanging as a sign up top. She entered, looking around to see if anyone would be around to help her.
She grabbed her favorite drink - a vodka cranberry - and immediately spotted three men that would be perfect for helping her with the task. One was taller than her, with blue/green eyes and curly black hair, one with light brown skin, a bit of beard, and green eyes, and a third with a smirk on his face and long wavy black hair. They seemed like they would be good sports, and she only hesitated for a second before strutting up to them.
“Hi… sorry to interrupt,” she began.
The man with longer hair turned back to look at her, smiling immediately, “I’m always fine with being interrupted by a beautiful woman.” She rolled her eyes and almost walked away when he got smacked by the man next to him, the one with the beard.
“Stop scaring her. How can we help?”
“My friend challenged me to a competition, and I was wondering if you could help me with a few of them… I do believe we can manage two out of five.” She shifted her phone to show him.
He nodded, “yes, looks like we can help you with some of them, though you’d definitely have to do the last one yourself. Can’t cheat, after all. I’m Adam, the annoying one is Felix, and you must know John.”
She glanced up at the man with the curly black hair and cocked her head, “why would I know John?”
“He’s an actor… a very famous actor. Do you really not know him?” Adam looked genuinely confused.
John shook his head, “you do realize not every person needs to recognize me, right?” His voice was deeper than the others, though Lena barely spared him a glance.
“We’ve never met a single one!” Felix exclaimed. Lena wracked her brain, trying to figure it out, and eventually came to the conclusion that Kessa must’ve mentioned him before. She would’ve been freaking out if she was here right now. Lena was glad she wasn’t.
“Hmm… maybe I recognize him…” she said.
“See?” Felix said, nudging John, who groaned in frustration.
“Enough of that, let’s do the challenge.” Adam said.
“Okay, I’ll give you a hug…” she said to Adam, “and then the two of us can do the high-five.” She tossed her phone to John, “then you can film us as we do it.” Felix and Adam burst out laughing. She looked at them, confused, “I thought you agreed to do this with me.”
“Do you really not want to hug John? You’re such a strange woman…” Felix said.
“Why does it matter? It’ll work for the challenge either way,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“Ooof… I think this woman just brutally rejected you, John,” Felix grinned, nudging his friend with his elbow.
She could see some red creeping up John’s cheeks, and immediately felt a little guilty. Was this celebrity really that addicted to people freaking out over him? “I guess I can hug him…” gods, she had no idea she’d be getting herself in a situation like this.
John handed Adam the phone, still looking a little embarrassed as they waited for Adam to start filming. She leaned across and gave him a hug, quick and without any thought. As soon as she released him, she noticed he still looked at her, a look of perplexity written on this face. It felt a little uncomfortable and weird, but she shook it aside, and began teaching Felix the handshake, which required around ten simple movements, ending with a 360 degree turn at the end. This was filmed by Adam as well, and she was feeling very pleased when they were complete. “Thanks guys!” She was about to leave when Felix grabbed the sleeve of her dress, pulling her back.
“Don’t leave so quickly, we can help you with the rest of them if you want.”
She thought about it and shook her head, “no. It can’t all be with the same people.”
“We can help you with the ‘communication’ aspect,” John said. It was his second time speaking, and it took her a second before she understood. She felt a surge of anger - was he making fun of her accent?
“Haha. So funny,” she said, emphasizing the French in her tone.
“Ignore John, he doesn’t know how to talk to women,” Felix chuckled. “C’mon, this is fun!”
Lena thought about it and finally agreed, saying, “okay let’s go,” this time, without a hint of an accent to be heard. She glared at him their entire way out of the bar.
It took only fifteen minutes before they managed to do all five tasks, and Lena texted Kessa the news as she waved goodbye to the men, who were now heading right back to the same bar for the rest of the evening. She had to admit, they were all pretty great guys, and she wouldn’t have minded hanging out with them for just a bit longer.
Kessa gasped as soon as Lena showed her the first video. “IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?”
“I knew you’d freak out…” Lena said, rolling her eyes.
“How did you find the John Smith?” She pulled Lena’s phone from her fingers and began zooming in on John’s face as they hugged. “I’m so jealous. That’s it, I don’t need to see the rest of the videos, you immediately win for meeting my celebrity crush!”
Lena burst out laughing, “you really like him that much?”
“Yes! Look how adorable he is! I want to push my fingers into those curly locks and make out with him for hours…”
Lena shook her head, “whatever. I’m just glad I get to sleep on the bed for a second night in a row.”
Kessa bounded down the cobblestone street backwards, still holding onto Lena’s phone in absolute unfiltered jealousy.
Chapter 1
Kessa: Please, please! Promise you’ll come tonight.
Lena: You know I have a ton to catch up with at work…
It was a lie, and they both knew it. Yes, Lena was quite swapped as an assistant photographer at the Paris branch of the NOI gossip magazine, but that didn’t mean she didn’t have time to go out for one evening with a friend. The real reason was because of where Kessa wanted to bring her - a premiere of John Smith’s new movie, ‘Agent 67’. She knew Kessa was begging her for two reasons. One, because they were best friends, and did most things together. Two, because Lena had met John in London almost six months before on their graduation trip, and Kessa was hoping he would still remember Lena after such a long gap.
Lena really didn’t want to see him again. Even if he did remember her, which he wouldn’t, the situation would be incredibly awkward, and she just didn’t want to face it. She also just wasn’t interested in watching another typical action movie, and would rather binge something else in the comfort of her own home.
Kessa: Stop lying. You owe me.
Lena: Owe you? In what scenario do I owe you anything?
Kessa: Remember that pasta I was saving for a rainy day?
Kessa: And you ate it without asking me?
Lena: Are you kidding me? Kessa: No, now get your ass back home and get ready for the event.
Kessa: I’ve gotten tickets and everything.
Lena sighed loudly at her desk. Kessa was always so efficient at convincing her to do things she didn’t want to do, it was almost terrifying. She slipped her laptop in her bag, switched her desk light off, and immediately started walking out the building.
Lena worked at a reconstructed building right in the middle of the Bastille district of Paris. It had quite the vintage atmosphere, which she loved about it, with brick outer walls and a dark interior with lots of black metallic accents and hanging paintings. The building itself didn’t have an elevator, and she took her time walking down the three flights of stairs, emerging in the streets of Paris at around six in the evening. Her shift had finished two hours ago, but she was still pretty new at it, and had been trying to finish editing some photos while also avoiding Kessa’s demands for the evening. Alas, she was still forced to endure the trip to the premiere.
It took her ten minutes to walk home, and she unlocked the door to see Kessa sitting on the couch, waiting for her with full glam makeup and a long evening gown that draped to the floor. “You know you’re not a celebrity, right? That is so beyond what’s needed to watch a movie.”
“You never know, we might get photographed! I want to look my best,” Kessa replied. Lena rolled her eyes and set her bag and jacket down, and headed to her bedroom to get ready.
In contrast to Kessa, she decided on some light makeup with winged eyeliner and a knee-length black dress with a sweetheart line. She couldn’t help but want to look slightly decent for John to see her after so long, but also didn’t want to appear like she was desperate like all the other girls in his life. She shook the thoughts from her head - she was overthinking this. This would be the second and final time she would be seeing this guy, and it didn’t matter what he thought of her.
Kessa already had the uber ready for them, and Lena tried not to think of much as they headed to the venue, which was dramatically chosen to be right next to the Eiffel Tower.
The amount of people there was intimidating right off the bat. Lena wasn’t the type to go out very often, and only really frequented bars on the weekend with Alex and Kessa. This - the crowds, the photographers, the interviewers - it was just too overwhelming. She didn’t know how John could handle it on a daily basis. He had no privacy in his life, and Lena would never want to be a part of that.
“How did you even get tickets?” Lena asked. She hadn’t expected it to be this dramatic.
“A friend of a friend’s from work. They were sick, and needed someone to go instead.” Like Lena, Kessa had been hired almost immediately after they finished their degrees, with Kessa now working as an assistant at a fashion company in central Paris. She was doing quite well already, and would be promoted any day now.
“Look, I see John!” Kessa gasped, and pulled Lena along, pushing her way through the crowds. Lena bumped into a few people along the way, and apologized over and over as she was tugged deep into the crowd of people. She could barely breathe as they finally emerged right behind the red carpet, which was blocked off by a matching red rope, where most of the cameramen were standing.
John was standing next to his co-star, smiling at the camera with a blue suit on. Lena could feel the heat travel up her face at seeing him for the first time after six months. She didn’t know why she was standing here, looking like a desperate fan just trying to get a glance at him. She couldn’t help but stare at how he looked in the suit though… it was very fitting for him, and the dark blue really suited his complexion. He turned to a cameraman right next to her, and she saw the moment he spotted her and recognized her. She swore internally, and tried to step back.
He looked confused, and yet happy at the same time. Perhaps because he was spotting someone he recognized? Kessa turned to her after seeing his expression as well, and gave her a wide grin, “I knew he’d remember you!”
“We should go…” Lena said, feeling more embarrassed than before.
“Okay, but now we have to line up for the photoshoot after the movie.” Kessa announced before hooking her arm into Lena’s and dragging her to the inner theater.
The movie itself was actually far more interesting than Lena had imagined. Yes, it had some of the typical tropes of an action film, but she could tell the people involved were quite talented, and it was interesting to see John in his craft. He acted very differently than how he was when they had met. She had seen him as a loyal and generous man with a teasing sense of humor, and yet the stubborn and proud man he was playing was also done quite spectacularly, to the point where she almost confused him for the real man.
Kessa pulled her to wait in line as soon as the credits started rolling, as she was still desperate to meet John in person. Her obsession with him seemed to grow these past months, especially since Lena got to meet him without her. The truth was, Lena had known exactly where the men would be after they helped her with the competition, and could’ve introduced Kessa to John if she had wanted to do so. She couldn’t pinpoint exactly why she had stopped herself, but she felt guilty now as they waited in line, and knew she should stay with Kessa to be a good friend.
It took them around thirty minutes to get to the front of the line, and again Lena could see the moment John spotted them, as he let out a wide smile and approached. “I remember you!” was the first thing that came out of his mouth. “Did you end up winning the competition?”
Lena nodded. “Yes, I got the good bed that night.” The reddess was creeping up her cheeks again, and she tried to push it down.
“I thought you weren’t a fan?” He cocked his head, looking confused but pleased.
“I’m still not,” she laughed, and tilted her head towards Kessa, who looked like she was about to burst, “but my friend loves you.”
“Oh?” John reached out his hand, and Kessa placed hers in his grip immediately. “Pleased to meet you, then.”
“I can’t believe this is actually happening!” Kessa exclaimed. They followed John to the center of the photography set up, and Kessa held onto John’s left arm as she smiled at the cameraman, who snapped quick photos of them.
John turned to Lena, who had been watching the exchange with a polite smile. Lena was just pleased that Kessa finally got to fulfill one of her life goals, and her interaction with John wasn’t as awkward as she had put it out to be. “Are you next, then?”
She shook her head, “oh… no thanks. I’m just here for Kessa.”
“You don’t want a photo with me?” He looked a little hurt, just like he did when she had rejected the hug with him months ago. Wow, he’s really not used to getting rejected… Lena thought, biting her lip.
“It’s okay, really.” Lena replied, “You have so many fans waiting still…”
“Okay, I guess I’ll see you around,” John still looked a little hurt as the two women walked off, with Kessa glaring at Lena the entire time.
“Why did you say no?” Kessa had switched to speaking French, though Lena barely noticed when she did so anymore. They were both fluent in both languages, and loved to mix it up when they spoke, preferring to pick words that would fit what they wanted to truly express.
“Because I genuinely didn’t want a photo with him…” Kessa looked down at the photo that was printed for her, and looked up to give Lena another glare.
“Did you see that hurt puppy-dog look? That man clearly wanted to be close to you!” Lena was already on her phone, pulling up the uber app to call for a ride.
“Close to me?! Are you crazy? This is the second time I’ve ever spoken to him. I’m pretty sure he’s just upset a woman’s rejected him for the first time in his life.” Lena knew she was being harsh, but that was honestly how he’d come across.
“I don’t think he’d care that much if it was just any woman, Lena.” Kessa stopped dead in her tracks, forcing Lena to stop as well, “that man lit up as soon as he saw you. I didn’t see him doing that for anyone else.”
“You’re being dramatic, Kessa. Now let’s go, the uber driver will be here any moment.” Kessa was still grumbling as they headed home, though Lena ignored her. She couldn’t help but repeat the words Kessa had spoken in her head, wondering if she had somehow made John upset without realizing it.
It didn’t matter, anyway. She would never see him again, and he would forget about her soon enough.
Chapter 2
He couldn’t stop thinking about her. It didn’t make any sense. He’d seen this woman twice, and it was absolutely driving him crazy.
Was he really such a conceited person, that the thought woman snubbing him would be this consuming? He knew almost nothing about her, and yet he was desperate to know more.
And none of it could even happen, because he had no idea where to find her, and besides, they lived in different countries all together. He knew she was around his age, was twenty four, and had a friend that was a fan of his. That was all. There was just something about her… Yes, she was attractive, but there were plenty of women in his circle that were interested in him that were just as attractive. It was the mystery of her, the fact that she was something he’d never been able to attain.
And that smile… the one she had slipped out as she chatted with her friend. He wanted her to smile at him like that.
“John? Hey, John!” His agent snapped his fingers in front of him, making John jolt in the leather couch he was sitting on.
“Ah… sorry. Lost in thought,” John said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
“Have you been listening to me at all?” Freddy groaned, “you’ve been so out of it lately.”
“Just a lot on my mind,” John replied. Well, that wasn’t a lie. “What were you saying?”
“I know ‘Agent 67’ was a huge success, but we need to expand to far bigger and greater things,” Freddy explained again.
“Is this the modeling thing again?” John said, grimacing slightly, “I really don’t think I’m cut out for that.”
“You’ve done it before… multiple times, at that. Movie posters and advertising count as modeling, too, John.” Freddy was always trying to push John to his limits, and though it was a good thing to do as an agent, it was also quite overwhelming for John most of the time. He didn’t want to reach beyond what he was capable of.
“I’ve never modeled clothing before, though. It’s a whole different wheelhouse,” John tried to explain where he was coming from, but felt like Freddy wasn’t interested in what he had to say at all.
Freddy had orange spiky hair, a trimmed mustache, and wore a fancy teal suit with gray dress pants. His office was decorated just as flamboyantly as he was, and John had always appreciated his flair for the dramatic. “Well, I already signed you up, so there’s nothing you can do about it,” Freddy declared.
“Excuse me?” John asked, arching his eyebrows, “since when did you sign me up for things without asking first?”
Freddy looked a little sheepish as he said, “okay, okay. Just try it out once, and if you don’t like it, I’ll cancel and we’ll forget it ever happened.”
John sighed, and already began standing up, “what’s the company called?”
“It’s a division of the NOI gossip magazine, they’ve just opened a branch in Paris,” John’s mind immediately flashed to the aloof woman’s smile again, “just search them up, I’m sure you’ll love it.”
“Okay, but look forward to my call to CANCEL,” he barked the last word and strutted out, slamming the door behind him.
That night, he took Freddy’s word to heart, and began googling the name of the company as he poured himself a glass of wine. He hovered through multiple articles, though each one seemed just as boring as the last - describing styles throughout the years that he had absolutely no clue about.
It was the third article that caused him to pause, and he almost spit out the wine he had just sipped when he saw her. There were two women side by side, one named Melanie Leblanc, the writer of the article, and next to her, a woman named Lena Bafari. Lena had never actually told him her name, and it had been driving him completely crazy not knowing. He would’ve been able to spot that smile from kilometers away, though.
He couldn’t believe it. She was almost handed to him on a platter, especially on a day where he had completely given up hope.
He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and pulled up Freddy’s text conversation.
John: I don’t need to meet them. I’ll do it. Whatever contract it is.
Freddy: Excuse me? I’m delighted, but what brought this on?
John: My only request is that my photographer has to be a woman named Lena Bafari.
Freddy: Why?
John: I like her photography style.
Freddy: No problem. Consider it done.
He brought up the boys’ group chat, his heart hammering in his chest.
John: Guess what just happened?
—--------------
“Hey dad!” Lena said as she answered her phone. She began stepping out of her shared office, for fear of disturbing the others. She had been having a pretty free day at work, and was focusing on editing some additional photos the last few hours. A call from her dad was a welcome break, and one she really needed.
“Hey Lenny! How’s it going with your new job?” Her dad had a thicker accent than her, coming from a smaller part of France, and still lived a couple of hours away from her.
“Good! It’s not what my goal is ultimately, but I do like the portfolio I’m starting to create,” Lena leaned against the corridor, already feeling better from hearing her dad’s voice. “Enough about me, though. Any updates about the… thing?” She still had a problem bringing up his prostate cancer. It had come up abruptly in the past year, and though he had undergone months of chemotherapy, there was still no news of it going away completely.
“It’s going okay, same as usual,” he replied. “You still can’t say the word ‘cancer’?”
Her heart skipped a beat. “I’ve already lost mom… I can’t even think about the thought of losing you–” her voice was already starting to break, and she tried to compose herself. She was at work, after all, and anyone could step out of the office and see her.
“There’s no need to talk about it. The chemo is kicking me in the ass, but Aunt Leanne is taking care of me every day,” she could hear his smile across the line.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to come by? I can fly in this weekend perhaps,” Lena already started making plans in her head.
“No, no. You’re a big girl with a big career now, I refuse to let you dote on me constantly,” he tone had shifted quickly into his serious dad voice, “I just wanted to see how you were doing, that’s all.”
Lena nodded, “okay. Just make sure you’re not keeping anything from me…”
“Lena? Could you come to my office?” She could hear her boss from inside the office, and immediately straightened her body.
“Sorry dad, gotta go. My boss is calling me,” she felt bad for cutting it off so abruptly, but she also didn't want to get on Kate’s bad side.
“No worries. I understand. Talk to you soon?”
“Love you!”
“Love you too, Lena,” he replied before she heard the click into silence. She pocketed her phone and walked back into the office space, making the mistake of making eye contact with Alexandra before walking to Kate’s office.
Since the day they had started working at NOI, Alexandra seemed to have it out for Lena. She knew it was because they had begun working here at the same time, and had similar degrees, but Lena knew she didn’t actually desire to be a fashion photographer like Alexandra, and didn’t really see the need to truly compete with her. Alexandra had dyed purple hair up to her shoulder, an upturned nose, and long lashes framed by thick glasses, and always tried to dress extravagantly for every shoot they attended.
Alexandra gave her her usual nasty grin, “got yourself in trouble again?”
Lena ignored her, and stepped up the few steps into Kate’s office, giving it a knock before letting herself in. “You wanted to see me, Kate?”
“Yes, I have quite the exciting news for you!” Kate replied, clapping her hands together.
“Oh?” Lena replied, sitting herself at the chair opposite of Kate. Kate was the head of the photography department at NOI, and was a pretty relaxing boss. She was the one who had hired Alexandra and Lena, as it was tradition to hire two new graduates every year for the company, and had been pretty pleasant to work with since. She had a long white bob on top of her head, smile wrinkles beneath her eyes, and bright red lipstick, which she wore almost every day.
“You have been personally requested by a celebrity to be his sole photographer!” She looked absolutely ecstatic, and Lena found it difficult to return the excitement.
“Um… why?” It was obviously amazing news for Lena, but it didn’t make any sense.
Kate furrowed her brows, “I’m not actually sure, to be honest. All I know is he’s not willing to work with anyone else, and will only sign the contract if you’re involved.”
“What?” Lena definitely wasn’t famous enough as a new artist to have anyone specifically request for her. So far, she’s only been a part of pretty small articles in the magazine. “Wait.. what’s his name?”
“John Smith! I know, he’s huge! I can’t believe he’s agreeing to sign on with us!” Kate was absolutely beaming.
Lena couldn’t believe it. That bastard! She was about to open her mouth to refuse, but realized there was no way Kate would allow that. He was one of the most up-and-coming celebrities in the UK right now, and his association with a new branch of NOI would be a really big deal, especially since it was his first attempt in modeling clothing. “I see…”
“Why don’t you look more excited, Lena? This could completely kick off your career!”
“It’s hard to explain…” she began, and when Kate appeared crestfallen, Lena clarified, “of course, I’m going to accept. It’s just a lot at once, that’s all.”
“Ah, of course!” Kate clapped her hands loudly together again, “well, we should discuss the details soon… I’m determined to get the article out by the end of the February edition of JOI.”
Lena spent the next few hours planning out the details of the shoot with Kate, and felt absolutely distraught by the time she exited the room. She wanted to murder him for doing this to her. What gave him the right?! She hoped he was doing this for his own selfish reasons, because if John thought for a second she would want to use him to heighten her own fame, he was sorely mistaken.
As soon as she exited Kate’s office, she signed onto her instagram, and searched up his own for the first time. It seemed to be very corporate, and not personal to him as well. It was likely he had people to manage his social media for him, and the contrast between his own millions of followers vs. her measly one thousand was a little too much for her. No, she would still attempt to contact him. It was the only method she could think of.
Lenaphotography: Hi John. I’ve just spoken to my boss at NOI, and I heard you personally requested for me to be your photographer?
She tapped her foot and waited. No response. Well, she would have to play the waiting game and be patient. Yes, she was willing to wait a few days to give him a piece of her mind.
Chapter 3
He hadn’t expected to actually feel nervous meeting Lena for a third time, but he absolutely was. She was haunting his thoughts, and he had no idea how to stop it. He was hoping that he would be able to get to know her better while working on the shoot, and perhaps with enough interaction be able to push her out of his mind.
He was a sucker for romance, but knew he wasn’t in a place in his life to be in a serious relationship. His career was still booming, and he wanted to take full advantage of it before it eventually fizzled out. He was busy, traveling constantly for shoots, and he knew that no matter how understanding the woman was, she would eventually tire of how little she got to spend time with him. So no, he wasn’t planning on flirting with Lena, not at all, but he did want to get to know her, and maybe they could begin some sort of friendship, just like how he was with Adam and Felix.
He was in the middle of having his makeup applied when he heard people enter the studio, which had had arranged with Lena’s manager, a woman named Kate. He looked up, and felt the same constriction in his chest he felt when he spotted her a few weeks before at the movie premiere. It was a foreign sensation for him, and he still wasn’t sure if it was something he liked or not.
Lena was walking next to a woman around her age, a woman with short purple hair and a blazer with a matching skirt. She glanced around the room, spotted John watching her, and immediately began walking over, her heels clicking loudly against the floor as she did.
A few of the makeup artists and stylists turned to look at the photographers as well, though went back to their work. “Hello John! I’m one of your biggest fans! My name is Alexandra, but you can just call me Alex,” the woman in front of her winked, and grasped his hand with two of her own.
He barely paid attention as he looked around her, seeing Lena begin to set up her own equipment. “Ah, I thought Lena was the one doing the shoot?”
“Oh yes! I’m just here to assist her,” he could sense a bit of strife in her tone, but it was so minor he assumed he had just imagined it.
“Well, I’ll trust your capable hands,” John said, and began standing up, desperate to talk to Lena.
“Wait, I’m not finished–” the makeup artist began.
John interrupted her sentence by raising a finger, “one second, Lexi.” The two women stared at his back as he walked up next to Lena, who was currently mounting her large camera onto the tripod prepared for her.
“Lena, hi!” He said from behind her, making her jump.
Lena turned around, holding her chest as she said, “sorry, I wasn’t expecting you!”
“No worries,” he chuckled, “I didn’t think I was being that quiet.”
She nodded and went back to her work, forcing him to stand there awkwardly, “I hope it wasn’t too forward for me to personally ask for you to be my photographer…”
She turned around abruptly and glared at him, “of course I minded! You asked my boss without even asking me if I wanted to do it. You completely went behind my back, and you had the audacity of ignoring me on instagram too!”
He looked at her, shocked, and took a few seconds to process everything. “Wait, wait… you messaged me on instagram?”
“Yes, stop pretending you had no idea!” She was beginning to raise her voice, causing the other staff members to turn to them. He pulled her aside, to a corner of the studio where no one could hear them.
“I really didn’t have a clue. My instagram and the rest of my social media is run by my manager.” He scratched the back of his neck, “I don’t actually like being a part of any of that…”
She paused, her expression shifting from anger to confusion, “if you don’t like being a part of it, then why do you insist on being a celebrity? That makes no sense.”
He sighed, having explained this a few times before, “I just like being an actor. It’s what I’m good at, and it makes me feel like I’m part of something great. I didn’t ask for this popularity, it just kind of happened.”
She raised a single eyebrow and said, “well, I still preferred you didn’t go behind my back like that.”
“Honestly, I had no idea how to reach you. You never actually told me your name,” he began explaining, and turned around to see Lena’s coworker still staring at them intently.
“Why were you trying to reach me? We’ve barely interacted the two times we’ve met,” Lena’s posture still radiated confusion, and she leaned slightly away from him, like she was still suspicious.
“I wasn’t really…” he said, “I was nervous about this modeling thing, and when I saw your face on the magazine’s website, it made me feel better that I could potentially be working with a friendly face.”
“You’re nervous? Why?” Her mood shifted to concern, which he had to admit was slightly better than the anger she had just seconds ago.
He shrugged, “I’ve just never done this before. I told you I like acting… but I don’t know if modeling is really my thing.”
“Then why are you doing it?” He chuckled. He’d neve met someone so blunt before.
“My agent is making me,” he admitted.
She smiled, and being able to see it again, especially directed at him for the first time, made his entire day, “guess that makes the two of us. Come, let’s get to work.” She left before he could say anything else, going back to her camera to adjust the settings.
Her co-worker, who’s name he already forgot, was still eyeing them suspiciously, but he didn’t mind, especially after having what felt like his first real interaction with Lena. She was still a mystery to him, but he felt like that went fairly well. At least she didn’t quit and leave the studio all together.
The shoot went relatively well. He changed into a few outfits that showed off a designer’s work, specifically catered towards the new upcoming Spring season, though he didn’t know much about it. Lena was patient with him, telling him when he was being a little too awkward, and adjusting his position when it didn’t look right. All in all, it went better than he thought.
The other girl, who he finally remembered was named Alexandra, looked pissed off every time Lena asked her to grab something, and glared at her whenever she thought she wasn’t looking. John found it slightly amusing, and decided to ask Lena about it the next time he got the chance.
He approached her again when the shoot was over, wanting to catch her before she finished packing up. “So… that went pretty well, right?”
“I would say so. See? Nothing to be nervous about,” she barely looked up at him as she shoved her camera back in the large case.
“Do you want to go to a café downstairs and chat? I’m not familiar with Paris, and it’d be nice to have a guide,” his heart was pounding, and he tried to force himself to calm down.
“No, thanks. Though I really do recommend it, it’s a great place to hang out,” she slung the camera bag across her shoulder.
“You’re rejecting me? Is it because you’re still mad about this?” He didn’t want to be dramatic, but he didn’t think anyone had ever rejected him before.
“No, I think you’ve explained yourself pretty well… I’m just swamped with work.”
“Work?” He was starting to feel like an eager puppy, one that she was probably getting tired of. This was definitely not a good look for him.
“Well, I’m an assistant photographer, as you know. I also do projects on the side to try to promote my portfolio,” she began walking out the studio, and he followed her without hesitation.
“What kind of projects?”
“There’s two - one that’s focused on improvisation drama with children, and a new organization promoting cancer research.” They began heading down the stairs to the streets of Paris below.
“That’s quite impressive,” he said honestly, “I’m sorry to be keeping you, then.”
“No worries,” Lena replied, “I’ll see you at the next photoshoot, John. I hope you’ll be able to find someone free enough to give you a proper tour of Paris.”
He held onto her wrist, forcing her to turn to face him. He let go of her, embarrassed. He probably shouldn’t have touched her like that… but it completely came from impulse, “tomorrow? Lunch? My treat.”
“You’re too used to people always saying yes to you,” she said abruptly. “Can’t take no for an answer, huh?”
He felt a pang of hurt, and stopped in his tracks, “don’t judge me before putting labels on me. I’m just trying to get to know you.”
She sighed, her expression softing slightly, “okay. But I don’t agree to lunch. I’ll meet you at the café here, and I’ll show you what’s good on the menu.”
“Do you want my number?” He asked hopefully.
She shook her head, “nope. I’ll only agree to messaging you on instagram.”
“I told you I don’t check my account!”
“I guess you’ll just have to figure it out, then…” she replied before walking off, leaving him completely flabbergasted behind her.
—-----
He barely sat down on his hotel bed before he pulled out his phone and logged into his instagram for the first time in what felt like months. He didn’t even know his own password, and had to message Freddy for the information. He got made fun of for not knowing his own account information, but it was worth it.
He scrolled through hundreds of messages from fans before finding a familiar face - a profile picture of Lena in black and white with the username “Lenaphotography”. She had messaged him the day he had requested to work with her, and like she had said, he had completely ignored her. Fuck, he felt completely stupid and careless.
JohnSmith97: Sorry, I really just saw this now.
JohnSmith97: I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.
He dropped the phone beside him and groaned loudly. What had he gotten himself into?
Chapter 4
She didn’t want to tell Kessa about it. No, Kessa would freak out, and insist that John had a crush on her. The truth was, Lena had no idea why he had insisted on asking her out, but she was trying not to think about it too much.
She spent all morning trying not to spend too long on dressing up to impress him, and eventually realized she had spent hours wasting her time just trying not to think about the date. Well, she wasn’t sure if it was a date, and preferred to call it ‘a meeting between colleagues’ in her head.
Yes, he was attractive. She wasn’t stubborn enough to not be able to admit that to herself, but he also lived in another country, had way too crazy of a life for her, and was still the type of guy she would never go for - one who was too obsessed with being famous and being the center of attention. He was right when he told her she was judging him without getting to know him, but how could someone that famous not have a huge ego? It just didn’t make any sense.
She was still obsessing over it as she showed up at the café with a red dress, black stockings and pink purse slung across her body. She spotted him almost immediately, and groaned when she saw the two teenage girls requesting to take a photo with him.
This was exactly what she didn’t want in her own life. He had no privacy whatsoever. It was absolutely suffocating to her. She waited until he was done posing for the selfie, and approached, watching the girls leave as she sat down, “if I were you I’d never want to leave the house.”
“It gets a little overwhelming sometimes, I’d be willing to admit that,” he shrugged, “I think I’m used to it, though.” He was wearing a dress shirt with small white polka dots and blue dress pants, and she once again appreciated his ability to look good in any outfit. She wondered if he had some sort of stylist choosing his outfits everyday. “You look lovely…” he commented, eyeing her up and down.
“Thank you,” she said, though didn’t take it to heart. It felt like the type of thing he’d say to any woman. With that thought in mind, she figured this would be a good time to express what was really on her mind. “Listen, John.” He looked up at her, “I don’t know what your intent is here - a one night stand, a friendship, a long term relationship - but I’m not interested in pursuing any of it.”
He looked slightly amused again when he asked, “and why not?”
“Because first, we live in different countries, and second, I’m an introvert. I have two friends, and two friends is enough for me. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like that’s what you’re interested in. And third, I’m not the type of girl to do one night stands.”
“You’re quite outspoken, you know?” He replied, leaning back on his chair.
“I find it more efficient to just say what’s on my mind outright,” she replied. “Wait, why are you avoiding my question?”
“I’m not. I just find you so interesting…”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“I could never,” he said as he raised his hand against his heart dramatically. “Well, I want to be friends with you, and I plan on making that happen.”
“I just said…” she began.
“I’m pretty sure you can handle having three friends, Lena,” he said, and turned the menu around so it was facing her, “now, I don’t read a single bit of French. Care to translate?”
She couldn’t believe it. He’d just beaten her at her own game. She was speechless, and decided to just let it go. Well, for now at least.
For the rest of the meal, the two discussed the photoshoot and her work with the two charities. She found it hilarious he had seen through Alexandra immediately, and had to explain to him why Alexandra found the need to be so competitive with her. She was shocked by how humble he was. He barely wanted to discuss his own career, or shove his popularity in her face. He repeatedly asked about her instead of talking about himself, which was quite different from other men she’d seen before. Yes, she was still a little annoyed with him, but she felt herself softening somewhat without realizing it, which was either a testament to his acting, or an indication that he was a genuinely nice guy.
By 12pm, she had to head back to work, and decided that she wouldn’t let him get the bill in any shape or form. She excused herself to the bathroom, went to the counter to pay, and came back, grinning a little from her success. “What did you just do? Why do you look so happy?”
“Nothing… but I do have to go now, John. I’ll see you at our next shoot, this was lovely,” she grabbed her bag from the chair, and walked out the café before he could stop her.
She was barely down the street when she felt her phone vibrate, and she felt a jolt of nervous excitement, one she hadn’t felt in quite a while. She scolded herself internally for feeling that way, and slipped the phone out of her purse.
JohnSmith97: I can’t believe you just did that.
Lenaphotography: Did what?
JohnSmith97: You paid for the meal!
Lenaphotography: I knew you would insist, so I did it behind your back.
JohnSmith97: I promised you I would when I asked you out!
Lenaphotography: I thought you just wanted to be friends…
JohnSmith97: Not after that amazing conversation.
Lenaphotography: John…
JohnSmith97: Okay, one more date, and I’ll stop trying to ask you out.
Lenaphotography: That’s not how that works.
JohnSmith97: I can tell you’re smiling while messaging me.
She gasped and looked around her, but there was no one there.
Lenaphotography: I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Lenaphotography: I’m almost at work. So stop messaging me!
JohnSmith97: I think you’re the one that can’t stop talking to me.
Lenaphotography: Bye, John.
She practically threw her phone back in her purse, though had to slap her own cheeks a few times to stop the smile from spreading.
“Ah, Lena… you’re here!” Kate said as soon as she entered the office space, “come to my office, let’s talk.” She was glad Alexandra wasn’t around, because Lena didn’t need more glares from her on her way to see Kate.
Kate was absolutely beaming as she headed inside and closed the door behind her. “I heard the shoot went amazing! I can’t wait to see the edits.”
Lena smiled gently, “I’ll get them done as soon as I can, Kate.”
“Now… I know this is a little unprecedented, but the designer had actually requested for John to keep the apparel. You know, in hopes that he would decide to wear it and promote her brand for her.”
“Okay?” Lena said, confused, “what does that have to do with me?”
“Well, you’re clearly his favorite, and he won’t be in Paris by tomorrow… so would you mind dropping it off at his hotel for me? After work, of course.”
Lena rolled her eyes. It was like the universe was trying to force them to meet as often as possible, “really?”
“Why do you look so upset? I thought you’d be ecstatic. It’s John Smith, after all! You know Alexandra’s been begging me to let her handle the next one, but I told her John refuses to work without you.”
“I’m not upset. It’s fine, I’ll bring it to him. Where is he staying?”
“The Plaza Athénée,” Kate said, already looking back at her computer.
Lena had to stop herself from rolling her eyes again. Of course he was staying at the most expensive hotel in Paris. The rooms were almost €2,800 a night! “Okay… I’ll leave you to it…” Lena said as she retreated, making sure to grab the two bags full of clothes on her way out of Kate’s office.
—-------------------
John couldn’t stop smiling. She was everything he didn’t know he wanted in a partner, and the more he got to know her, the more he loved. Despite not wanting the fame that felt like it’d been handed to him, he had always tried to use his money for charity, and the fact that she was personally spending her evenings every night working for free in not one, but two charities made him like her even more. She had quite the attitude on her, and though she kept trying to push him away, he knew she had a wall up, and wanted to see if her reasons were really too difficult for him to surmount.
He had explained everything to Adam, who loved accompanying him on his trips around Europe, since he was a self-made man and could take vacations whenever he wanted. He also filmed most of their trips and published them on his YouTube channel, and John didn’t mind one bit that Adam was using his connection to him to increase his own fame. That's what friends were for, after all.
He was just stepping down the stairs with Adam when he spotted the large number of fans waiting for him in the lobby. Adam groaned loudly, looking at him, “I thought we booked a hotel like this so they could stop the fans from entering… this is such an invasion of your privacy.”
John was feeling a little frustrated himself, but he had always tried to stay calm in situations like this, because a lot of his fans were teenage girls, who mostly didn’t know better. A security guard on his team was currently ushering them back, telling them that John wouldn’t be down anytime soon. “We should go hide…” Adam said, already trying to turn back around.
It was then that John spotted a golden lock of hair, and paused, realizing she looked very familiar.
Lena stood right in front of the guard with two large bags draped on her shoulders, she tried walking past him, but was pushed back. “Ma’am, you must remain calm and stay with the other fans.”
“Oh, no. I’m not a fan, I have come to drop some items off,” John could tell Lena was frustrated even from the staircase. He hurried down, still trying to hear their conversation.
“I’ve heard that excuse before. Come on, John won’t be down anytime soon. I suggest you leave before we have to call for reinforcements.”
Lena had just opened her mouth to say something when John finally reached them, “what’s going on?” He asked, looking between the two of them.
“A fan that’s trying to get close to you by any means possible!” The guard exclaimed, “this is the craziest one so far today!”
“Christ, not everyone in the world is obsessed with John,” Lena said, rolling her eyes so dramatically he could see it from his peripheral vision, “you’ve got the wrong person here.”
John was about to tease her when a few of the fans turned around, spotting him. He braced himself for the high pitched squealing, and knew they were bounding towards him at high speeds. He knew Lena wouldn’t stand for this. “Are you here to see me?” He asked hopefully.
“I was asked to drop these off,” she pushed the two bags full of clothes forward, shoving it in his hands. “Sorry to disturb your… evening with your fans,” she barely spared him a second glance as she turned and strutted out of the hotel, leaving him alone with the still screaming girls.
It took him a while to get photos and sign autographs for them, though Adam was quite used to this, and patiently waited while John indulged his fans. “Please make sure they don’t disturb the hotel guests anymore…” John said to the security guard before heading back to Adam. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s never your fault, John. I know you hate it more than anyone else.”
John slapped his friend’s back, letting out a loud ‘whoosh’ of relief, “this is why we’ve been friends since high school… I know I can always depend on you.”
“Now, what did Lena want? I recognize her from the game we played last summer. She looks just as gorgeous as she did in July…”
“I know. I can’t stop thinking about her,” John sighed, “this has never happened to me before.”
“I can tell…”
“She had to drop off some of the outfits I was forced to put on for the shoot,” John looked between the two bags he was carrying, “do you want them?”
“Hell yeah!” Adam replied, immediately snatching the bags from John’s hands.
“Wait, I want a favor in return,” John said, stopping right in front of the hotel restaurant.
“What? You never ask for favors!”
“This one’s serious. You’re good with the ladies, right?” John nodded to the waiter, who began ushering them inside.
“Not really… that’s more Felix’s domain. I’m single, just like you,” Adam sat down at the table, immediately grabbing the menu from the table. “Ugh… I’m famished.”
“I doubt you’re as bad as me with the ladies. All I need is advice on how to get Lena to stop hating me… it feels like whatever I do keeps pushing her away… which is not my intention whatsoever.”
“Well, what do you have in common? Do you even know?” Adam said as he dramatically flipped the menu around, “why do these French people never bother having an English part of the menu? I have no idea what any of this says…”
“If Lena was here she’d be able to help…”
“Snap out of it, John!” Adam yelled, causing the older couple next to them to give them glares.
“Okay, okay. Well… we’re both really involved in charities? Her friend is also a huge fan of mine, so that could be a potential lead?”
Adam nodded, “yes… I think we could work with that.” He was thoughtful for a second before asking, “do you have her friend’s contact info?”
“I have her instagram… I think I saw a few photos of them together.”
Adam grinned, “perfect.”
—-----------
Adamzvlogz: Is she ready?
KessaAdibla: Do you take me for a fool? Of course she’s ready!
KessaAdibla: She looks absolutely fabulous!
Adamzvlogz: And how do you look?
KessaAdibla: I guess you’ll have to see for yourself…
John tossed Adam’s phone back in his lap, giving him his worst glare as he said, “I didn’t tell you to flirt with Lena’s friend.”
“C’mon, did you see those photos? She’s absolutely my type. Her body is to die for…”
John gritted his teeth, “I’m pretty sure Lena would hate me even more with me forcing my friends on her friends as well.”
“Nah, she’ll be too busy drooling all over you tonight.”
John barked out a laugh, “if you really think Lena’s the type to lose herself over a guy, you haven’t been listening to me at all.”
“You’ll see,” Adam said, wagging his eyebrows. The limo turned the corner to the entrance of Lena and Kessa’s apartment, which Kessa was more than willing to share with the boys. She had convinced Lena to take part in a charity function, where an auction would determine how much money could be donated to Alzheimer’s research, and had somehow managed to lie to Lena about how she had been invited to the event in the first place.
Adam had dramatically insisted that John rented a limo for this, and had forced a tux on him as well. Adam, in contrast, was dressed just as lavishly, and John was really hoping they wouldn’t stand out too much. It was booked at a pretty high-end event center, so he didn’t think they’d be too outlandish.
As soon as the door opened and Kessa stepped in, his chest felt the same constricting sensation. Lena would be right behind her, and this could go either way. Either she would be pleased to see him, and would be pleased to attend a charity event with him, or she would consider him as a huge creep and stalker, and declare a restraining order against him. Honestly, knowing Lena, he felt as if the latter would be the most likely option.