The Interview (English) *completed*

Chapter 13

"Hello?" George's soft voice nearly made me drop my phone.
Oh my god, I didn't even think about what I would say if he answered. Camilla moved her hands around, animating me to talk, but my mouth was sealed.
"Hello?"
My voice shook when I answered. "Hi."
"Is this who I think it is?"
"This is Alexandra." I bit my lip, waiting for his reaction.
"So it is you. I thought you never wanted to see me again."
Swallowing another sip of wine I walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch.
"Well, I'm not actually seeing you, so it is okay."
I felt a smile creep on my face when he laughed.
"I'm very glad, you made this exception. What can I do for you, I'm guessing there is a reason for your call?"
"I had to think about it for a bit, but I want to give you a chance to explain yourself."
I rolled my eyes at Camilla peeking into the living room, she gave me the thumbs up.
"Fair enough. I don't want to do this over the phone though. We should meet and discuss this in person."
I swallowed when he said that. Camilla saw my worried face and mouthed What? at me. I waved at her to stop distracting me and tried to think about George's proposal.
"Okay."
Camilla was now sitting next to me trying to listen in on the call. I smiled at her and was weirdly satisfied by the worry in George's voice.
"Oh you are still there, I wasn't sure anymore."
"I am not sure why I am still here either, but this is your chance, do you want to make use of it?"
"Of course I want to, otherwise I wouldn't have given you my number. I am in Vancouver right now, but I should be available sometime next week then. Maybe Sunday."
My heart fluttered at the thought of meeting him again. This couldn't be real.
"Yes okay, text me as soon as you know when you are free." I could feel my organs tense up, this was too exciting for my body, was I really organising a date with him?
"We will have to be careful with paparazzi, maybe we can find somewhere more private and I will try to make sure that no one follows me around." His voice was soft and I took a deep breath. This whole thing was insane. I just wanted to tell him that I am not interested in anything with him. Because even if he wasn't on good terms with his fiancé, I would never be able to live a life with him. No matter if it would be in public or in secret.
We quickly ended the call since he had to get back to work and I just sat on my sofa, Camilla next to me and the phone in my hand.
"What did just happen?"
The next few days at work went by and I barely even noticed it. I was so focused on the upcoming meeting with George that everything else seemed irrelevant. Camilla had promised me to take me shopping on the Saturday before my date, insisting I bought new, nice underwear and clothes that weren't for the office or worn out.
One thing that made my days a lot better was George texting me on a regular basis. Of course there was a time difference but more than once we had actually talked for over half an hour and I enjoyed it quite a lot. It made me forget who he was and it just felt normal. Until I saw the videos of him at premieres in expensive suits on the red carpet, waving at the crowd and giving interviews. Those moments were the ones when I was certain that I did not want to be involved with him, but when I was in bed late after work, texting with George, I was sure that I never wanted to stop having him in my life.

Sighing I let my bags fall onto the floor in my hallway.
Never again!
I had been on my shopping trip with Camilla and calling it shopping torture would have been a more accurate description of my day. Not only had she dragged me into more shops than I could count, she had also insisted on taking me to the spa and get manicures and waxes. Especially the later was the physical torture part of my day. My new wardrobe was spotless and so was my body. I had spent at least an hour in the bathroom and in my bedroom, showering, doing my hair and picking out an outfit, before I was happy with myself. It was boiling hot today so I had put on a pair of black shorts and a royal blue strap top. Originally I wanted to cover as much skin as possible but it was just a pain in this hot weather to wear an inch more fabric on your body.
I had gotten a few more texts from George over the day and it nearly seemed like George worried about me cancelling last minute.
I stood on my balcony, smoking a cigarette and watching the street. I was so nervous that I nearly threw up and secretly I wished I could turn back time a few more hours. Or days. Or maybe even weeks, to not take the offer to have the interview with George because that was when all the trouble had started.
A sleek black car came around the corner and parked near the entrance to my flat. My hands started to shake again. George got out of the car, got something out of the boot and then scanned up the buildings around us. His eyes met mine and even from the distance I could see his smile.
Taking a deep breath, I threw the end of my cigarette into the ashtray and went inside to open the front door for George.
I was shivering and didn't know how to calm my nerves down. This was not an interview, this was no professional ground. Nothing could've prepared me for this.
When I heard a knock at the door, I threw all thoughts aside and tried to just think of the purpose of this meeting. To finally put an end to this madness. With one last breath, I opened the door and looked at George, biting down on the inside of my cheek at his handsome appearance. This wasn't fair. It had 28 degrees Celsius outside, it was as humid as never before this year and he looked so good in suit trousers and a button up shirt without shedding a drop of sweat.
My gaze wandered up his body and to his face, I watched a smile appear on his lips and a warm feeling spread inside me.
"Hi." My voice sounded quite croaky, so I tried to clear my throat a bit.
"Hi. Here," he handed me a small bouquet of lilies.
I smiled and took the flowers, my fingers shaking slightly when they brushed his.
"Thank you. They are beautiful. Why don't you come inside?"
The second George actually stepped into my flat, it felt even smaller than before. His presence didn't fit into the small space and the luxury of his entire being made it look shabby. I walked into the kitchen in front of him and when I went past the mirrors in my hallway, I could catch a glimpse at George checking out my behind. I tensed up, wondering if the shorts really were a good idea.
"Can I get you something to drink?"
I grabbed a vase from a shelf and turned to the tab to fill it with water for the flowers.
"Just water, thank you. Should I put this in the fridge?" He held a bottle of wine in his hand. I nodded and got some glasses to fill them with water and ice. It was such a weird picture, to see this man in my kitchen. Putting a glass down in front of him, I went to the living room table to put the flowers down, careful not to brush his shoulder on the way out of the kitchen.
"I'm making this awkward, I'm sorry."
Surprised I turned around to George. "What do you mean? You've only been here for two minutes."
He sighed. "I know, but I can see that you are uncomfortable. You are so tense in your own home."
I chuckled at him and felt something in me relax. "It is just an unusual thing for me to have a superstar sitting at my kitchen isle, that's all. I'm fine, really."
George smiled. "I would love it if we could just enjoy this evening as two normal people and ignore the whole superstar thing."
If it could be that easy.
"It would be great but let's be honest, this is something you can't just ignore. So I'll just accept it and try to work around it."
I saw that he was thinking about my words. "Fair enough, that is what we had agreed on. You giving it a try."
I nodded and went back to the fridge to get the ingredients for dinner. It was weird how our first "date" was so intimate, private. Normally one would go out for coffee or dinner in public, not show off their messy cooking style. But we were not normal, were we?
"Do you need help?"
With all my stereotypes about rich people in my mind, I was surprised when he offered that. "I'm fine, but thank you. You can cook?"
I started rinsing the vegetables and chopped them up while George leaned back against the counter.
"Yes, my dad insisted on teaching me and my little brother. He always said: If you want to win a woman's heart, just wow her with your cooking." He smiled at the memory. "I'm pretty sure my mum forced him to say that."
I laughed and put a pan on the stove. "Is it actually successful? The cooking as a way to seduce women?"
George's look got more intense on my face. "I was about to test that theory, but you are not cooperating, are you?"
I tried to ignore his gaze and just rolled my eyes. "As I said, I'm fine over here. If you want to wow me, you could get some cutlery and the wine glasses for later."
I pointed at the cabinet with the glasses and he nodded. When he asked where my cutlery was, I realised I was standing right in front of the drawer and so did he.
"I think you might be in the way." his breath tingledagainst my ear and his body brushed against my back. I tried to step away togive him space, but there was nowhere to move to. His arm reached around mywaist, while his other hand pushed my hair to one side of my shoulders. "Youare so beautiful." I could feel his lips against my bare neck and automaticallyclosed my eyes in delight. My head fell back against his chest and Iintertwined my fingers with his on my waist.

AN: A very short one, maybe I have to arrange the chapters to be put together differentely... but for now I hope you like it, would mean the world if you left a vote or comment for me :)
Lena