Page 5 of Lost Love Found

I give my head a shake and follow her to the backyard where the music is now playing loudly. I see Raf’s wide, toothy smile as he chats with a woman I don’t recognize. “Riv! There you are!” He excuses himself from the conversation and pats me on the shoulder in a half-hug.

“Yeah, dude. I’m here. You told me nine!” I scowl at him and throw a fake punch to his ribs.

“I didn’t think you’d actually be on time! Sorry, bro. And I wanted you to ease into the party. I knew if you showed up and the place was packed, you’d turn around and leave before you even made it to the door.” He raises one eyebrow at me, giving me a knowing look. Raf is my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids and no one knows me better than him, other than maybe my sister, Gwen.

I huff out a loud sigh. “You know me too well, man.”

“You bet your ass I do! Now let’s grab a drink and get you socializing with some people, preferably of the single female variety.” His eyebrows dance up and down his forehead and he steers me towards the bar with an arm around my shoulder. “Being a hot movie star should make it pretty easy for you to meet a beautiful woman, no?” I don’t feel much like drinking. Or socializing. He knows that I've been questioning my purpose and place in the world, and I can tell that my friend is trying to be supportive. He keeps offering advice and reassuring me that I have a lot to offer.

And he's right about one thing. Being a well-known actor does make meeting women easier, actually. But they’re never the women I want to meet. Never anyone I have any interest in spending time with. I let him take me to the bar and tell myself one drink won’t hurt.

* * *

I don’t even finish that first drink. By the time ten o’clock hits, I’m so far done with talking to strangers and making small talk. On a whim, I put my drink down and walk towards the gate that I assume leads to the front of the house. I’m about to call for my car when I see the lights on inside, remembering sleeping beauty.

I wonder how she’s doing. Is she awake? I hope she’s feeling better.

What. Is. Happening? Why am I thinking about this girl so much? It’s been years since I gave any woman more than a moment’s thought.

I take a deep breath, my heart pounding as I step into the house. My feet shuffle across the floorboards with agonizing slowness, each footstep seeming to take forever. When I finally stand outside the door, I release a deep sigh and shake my head. I have never been indecisive before, and the fact that I can't make up my mind this time is deeply unsettling. After what seems like an eternity, I finally muster enough courage to reach for the door handle. I’m gonna have to talk to my therapist about this.

Finally, I push the door open slowly because she could still be asleep. She’s sitting on the couch with her head back, feet on the coffee table, knees folded up and she’s cursing like a sailor. I let out a laugh the moment I hear the profanities coming out of her full pink lips.

is the word ‘lubrication’ even sexy?

elaina

“…sucker, piece of shit, motherfu–” I sense him before I hear him. His laugh is deep, and he sounds genuinely amused by what he sees. I can imagine it’s something like a crazed girl with wet spots all over her face and chest, aiming everywhere but at her actual eyeballs with the eye drops. “I’m glad I can be of amusement.” I smile and say with no cynicism in my voice.

He chuckles as he closes the door behind him. I should be concerned since I can’t see a goddamn thing, but I think it’s Adam - the guy who helped me earlier. At least I hope it is. He had a friendly voice and smelled SO. DAMN. GOOD.

“Sorry, I’ve just never heard so many swear words strung together like that before. You’re a modern-day poet.” I can hear the smile in his voice as he says this, though I can’t even see my hand in front of me and I have no clue what this man looks like.

I snort-laugh. “Thanks. Adam?” I’m at least looking in the right direction. I can tell because I see the movement as he steps closer to the couch.

“Yeah. Sorry, I should have announced myself. Hi, Tornerose. No, wait… Bonnie? Or is it Lainey?” My stomach does a little flip. What did he just call me? How does he know my nickname? He’s obviously talked to Maeve. Suddenly, my mouth feels a little dry.

Get a grip, Elaina! Are you so starved of male attention you’ll let a total stranger you can’t even see get you all worked up?! Snap out of it!

Yeah, that checks out. I need to get it together. I clear my throat. “Lainey is fine, though you’ve obviously met Maeve, if you know her other nickname for me. Not sure where Tornerose came from though…” I feel the sofa shift and I can tell he’s sitting next to me. Not too close, but close enough that I smell his soapy scent again.

“How did you get the nickname Bonnie, with a name like Lainey?” I feel him shift. He must have put his arm on the back of the couch. I can feel the warmth of his body closer to my shoulder. “As for Tornerose, that’s your newest nickname, I suppose. I’m the one who gave it to you since you slept through my attempts at waking you earlier.”

“Oh. Umm. Are you the one who moved me down and put a blanket on me?” I can feel the blazing heat rush up my neck to my cheeks.

Why are my palms sweating? Oh, right… because a strange, delicious-smelling guy manhandled you and tucked you in! Am I in a rom-com? The ‘com’ obviously being my disheveled state and temporary partial blindness. Insert eye-roll here.

He reaches over and takes the bottle of eye drops from my hand. Our fingers brush and that lava hot heat is now making its way from my fingertips to my arms. “That’s right. You passed out before I got back with your water and strawberries, which I can see you found.” He must spy the empty bowl of strawberries on the table. I was feeling around for the table and found a bottle of water and strawberries, assuming Maeve or Charlie left them there for me. His voice is deep and gentle. It’s also very familiar, but I’m almost certain we’ve never met.

“Oh… thank you. For the water and strawberries. Strawberries are like my Kryptonite. Though that’s probably not the right saying, because they can’t hurt me, I just love them so much I could eat them forever. They’re my weakness. They’re a perfect fruit, you know? They go well with just about any other fruit and they’re in all the best desserts. The seeds don't need to be removed, they look like little hearts, and they're a perfect size. They’re like nature’s candy.”

Shut up, shut up, shut up!

He chuckles softly, and the sound sends a chill up my spine. My body is so confused. Hot, cold, ice, lava… what are we doing here? “I’ll agree with you on this one. Strawberries are pretty perfect.”

I feel a smile tug at the corners of my lips. “Hmm… Something about your voice seems familiar…” I’m now trying as hard as I can to see his face, squinting like I’m staring at the sun. I’m sure the effect is nothing short of magical for this stranger who, for some unknown reason, seems to want to be trapped in this room with me.

“Are you trying to see my face?” he asks with an amused tone.

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