The Magic of Hollywood // Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 12

Charlie's POV

I pull up the hood of my sweater and put my sunglasses back on the second I step out the door of Victoria's club. I didn't want her to feel like I'm hiding where I'm coming from so I waited until I was out the door. Honestly? I don't care if the whole world knows I just visited my mysterious Starbucks girl but I know what it means for her and, more importantly, I know what it would mean for her club opening if the press caught wind of me being here. I know this is important to her and right now my priority is to make it perfect not to ruin in.

I can't help but smile all the way back to my apartment. I found her. The second I entered her club and saw the way she looked at me I felt even worse than I had the past week. Deep down I knew I hurt her, but seeing the pain and anger in her face... that was something completely different. The way she looked at me and the things she said... I thought I fully blew it. It felt like she wanted to be mad at me. Like she was fighting with herself to not give in and forgive me. It hurt me that I was the reason for her inner fight. At first I didn't think I was gonna get through to her. When I realized I have to be completely honest with her if I wanted her to believe me I got so scared. I'm used to always being happy and cheerful, not letting any other emotions slip through. With her I had to let down those walls and trust that it's ok the be vulnerable.

To think that she thought I didn't care about her was crazy. All I did was simply because I care about her. I'm really glad she knows that now. Whatever this weird connection we have is, I don't ever wanna loose it. It's like she gets me by just looking at me. She can sense whenever my mood changes and I can tell what she's thinking by just looking into her eyes. Her eyes are literally insane. They have such a beautiful deep ocean blue. I could get lost in them. I have no idea why we ran into each other that day on Sunset Boulevard but I know for sure that it was meant to be.

When I get to my apartment I almost forget why I'm even here. Right, I was gonna get my guitar. I grab my acoustic guitar, put it in it bag and call an Uber. I could easily walk back to the club but it would take me longer and walking around LA with my outfit and a guitar seems a little too suspicious to me. Yes, calling an Uber could draw the attention of my driver but that risk is much smaller than all the people I could run into walking back.

I think about what song I could play... then I remember Valerie... she is a tough one. I like it. Either she has no clue who I am either or she doesn't care... I like that. It's really rare these days to be treated normal by others. While I was in the club with Victoria I didn't have to be careful about how I act or what I say. I know, I don't really know her but I have this feeling that I can trust her. After all we do have a connection. Ok, right, I was thinking about a song. I think back to when I played A Little Too Much by Shawn Mendes. I think I can still remember all the chords and lyrics pretty well. Just to be sure I pull it up on my phone. Yeah, looks good. Guess that's what I'm going with then.

The closer the Uber gets to the club the more nervous I get. Precociously I didn't put in the address of the club but the address of the Starbucks where I took Victoria. It's only two minutes from the club and in case the Uber driver did recognize me he has nothing much to tell other than that he drove me to get a coffee. I take a detour around the block to avoid anyone noticing me going into the venue. "I'm back" I yell smiling when I enter. Victoria and Valerie jump up, both screaming. "Gotcha" I can't stop myself from bursting into laughter. Valerie regains her cool pretty easily. "What took you so long pretty boy? Got cold feet? Now go and impress your girl." My face turns bright red. I look over at Victoria who looks shocked but bursts into laughter the second she sees my reaction. I clear my throat and walk up to one of the barstools.

"Alright Ladies, you ready for the performance of your life?" Valerie rolls her eyes and Victoria... oh dear, the way she looks at me... I could drop dead right there. Her gaze is so soft and warm and full of curiosity. It's rare that people don't know my voice by now and I start to get a little nervous. I never am because singing and playing has been a part of my life since forever, but with her... my hands start to get sweaty. Valerie seems to get impatient and raises an eyebrow at me. Victoria seems to sense my unease. "Ignore her, she's just pretending to be a tough one. Deep inside she's a softy." Oh if she only knew that Valerie is not the reason for me being nervous. I'm certain I can convince her about me being a great choice for the opening. I clear my throat once again and start strumming the first chords.

She would not show that she was afraid
But being and feeling alone was too much to face
Though everyone said that she was so strong
What they didn't know is that she could barely carry on