I Wanna Sing You a Sunrise

Chapter 15: Unexpected

A/N: So, I seem to have settled into a Monday & Thursday update routine with this story and I will try to keep that up... School is back on next week but I have most of this story written/outlined and two chapters a week seems to be okay in terms of having enough time for editing and proofreading in between posting. So I'm going to try to stick to that.

This chapter is quite eventful and also a bit long... bear with me:) Let's go.

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Bradley followed Irina into the suite that had been chosen as the venue for a small after-party; there was no one else yet apart from staff and honestly, he was grateful for a small moment of solitude and quietness. He was still feeling absolutely euphoric, all the stress and nervousness having finally left his body; there was still the small matter of reviews to deal with on the following day but judging by people's reactions, he hoped there wouldn't be anything especially terrible. Not that he was really planning to even read any reviews, having decided that a long while ago; he was proud of his work, the movie had turned out far better than he had dared to hope even in his wildest dreams and to him, that was enough.

Irina checked her phone, smiled and showed him the screen. "Amy says Lea is all worn out after a day at the water park with her and Gloria."

He smiled at the photo of their adorable daughter sleeping deeply, clutching her pink kitten toy, thumb in her mouth. "I miss her."

"Yeah." Irina put the phone back into her bag, sighed a little. "Listen, Bradley..."

"Come here." He grasped her hand, tugged her close for a tight hug. "Thank you so much for... putting up with me throughout the making of this movie. You have been amazingly patient, and I love you."

She watched him for a moment, gave a small smile, then shook her head. "No, you don't."

He frowned, swallowed. "What?"

The suite door opened, a few people making their way in, waving at them, heading straight to the well-stocked bar area. Irina sighed, pulled him to the balcony, giving onto a stunning view over the Venice night, lightnings still flashing at regular intervals, far in the distance.

"Bradley..." She swallowed, leaned her arms against the railing of the balcony. More people arrived, whooping, shouting congratulations at him and then his eyes landed on Stefani, his heart immediately skipping a beat.

She had switched her baby pink dress for a stunning little black one, reaching her mid-thighs, the upper part lined with lace, making the dress look very proper when in reality it clung to her every curve, sinful and sexy as hell. Her hair was still swept up, her lips painted red, a chain of white pearls around her neck, his bracelet around her wrist. She stopped at the doorway to the balcony, eyes moving from him to Irina who was still leaning onto the railing, her back to the party and Stefani gave him a small nod and turned, made her way back into the suite. Irina said something and he tuned back in, turning his head to her but by then the damage was already done, she had turned and seen what his attention had been directed to, a small chuckle leaving her lips.

"What is it?" Bradley touched her arm. "Talk to me."

She shook her head, smiled a little. "We'll talk later, okay? Go say hi to everyone, it's your party. The movie is incredible; I'm really proud of you."

He hesitated still, and she rolled her eyes, pushed him inside and headed to get a drink; he frowned, then made his way to Stefani, despite her fiancé and everyone else around them grabbing her and pulling her into a tight hug, spinning her around to the great amusement of their fellow cast members. She laughed, kissing him on the cheek.

"Stop, you'll make me dizzy."

He chuckled, rubbed her back. "We need to get some food into you; have you eaten anything today?"