Page 33 of Three's a Crowd
By the time Zach called to say he was on his way to see them, Adam had polished off the bottle of champagne and called down to reception for another one to be sent up, much to Daisy’s annoyance.
She’d spent the time unpacking her suitcase and glumly looking through her clothes, willing them to be more stylish and better suited to what appeared to be the most upmarket film festival in the world.
She’d known it would be a glamorous scene, but had felt that her down to earth but tasteful clothes would be fine for the few days they were staying.
Now, as she stared through the window at the crowds of elegant couples parading along the Croisette, she knew she was well out of her league.
What on earth would she wear for the premiere of Zach’s film and the party afterwards? Admittedly, she’d packed in a bit of a hurry, after being delayed at work the night before and not having time in the morning to review her choices because of the early check in time at the airport. Her standard little black dress had seemed fine at the time, but as she looked at it now,she noticed how faded it had become from being worn so much and that the hem was starting to come unstitched. She mentally checked her bank account and came up wanting. She just couldn’t afford to splash out on a designer frock at the moment.
Oh well, it’s not as if anyone’s going to be interested in me, what with all these famous Hollywood types floating around.
Now as she gazed at Zach, who had just arrived at their door looking as handsome and charismatic as ever, she felt dowdy and out of touch.
How had that happened?
She didn’t usually have a problem with her looks or style, but being here in the presence of so much wealth and elegance, she felt like she didn’t come up to scratch.
Zach didn’t seem to notice how frozen her smile was though because he strode right over to her and hugged her close to him, as if that awful scene between them all those months ago had never happened.
Her head swam as she breathed in his scent – his natural smell, not from a bottle – that she remembered only too well. She’d occasionally thought she caught his scent in the air, at the most random of times: in the studio on her own, in a friend’s car on the way to the theatre, even once just walking down the street on her way to the local shop for a bar of chocolate. Each time, it had brought her up short, desperate to locate its source and flooding her with memories of their time together.
He pulled away and looked down at her. ‘Hello Diz, it’s great to see you again.’
He hadn’t changed a bit. His dark eyes smiled into hers, twisting her stomach into knots.
Giving herself a mental shake, she made herself reply. ‘It’s great to see you too.’
Zach turned to look for Adam. He was standing by the window now, looking at them with a taught, hard expression onhis face. Ignoring this, Zach marched over, clapping him on the back and flashing his devastating smile.
‘I’m sorry it’s been so long since we’ve seen each other. I’ve really missed you both,’ he said, turning back to Daisy.
Adam didn’t reply, which was unusual for him.
Daisy frowned at him, but he just looked back, blankly.
‘Adam’s been on the free champagne since the airport,’ she said, apologetically, glaring at him and trying to motion a response with her eyebrows.
‘Yeah, it’s a good tipple this. Expensive,’ Adam finally said. ‘Thanks.’
‘No problem.’ Zach replied, looking over at Daisy with a questioning frown. She raised her eyebrows in bewilderment. ‘So,’ Zach said, choosing to ignore Adam’s strange mood, ‘I’ve got some great stuff lined up for us to do.’
He actually seemed excited at the prospect of spending some time with them, Daisy was surprised to discover.
‘I’ve found this fantastic little restaurant; it’s off the beaten track so it won’t be swamped by hangers-on.’
Adam snorted in derision at this and Zach turned to look at him.
‘Sorry, Ad, but to be frank, the place is swarming with people trying to make it in the business and they’re only here to make contacts. It’s primarily a business conference, but with a lot of glamorous events attached because of the nature of the beast.’
Adam raised his eyebrows. ‘Thebeast. That’s about right.’
‘The thing is,’ Zach continued, ignoring his friend’s sarcasm, ‘because I have a recognisable face, it’s tricky to get out and show you around without being mobbed. I don’t mean to be a dick about it, but it’s a major downside of being an actor,’ he concluded, looking over at Adam with an entreating look on his face. ‘Come on, Ad, you know me. I don’t care about all the fame shit. I really love what I do but it can be a pain in the arse to haveeverything you do put on social media. I know,’ he held up both hands, palms forwards, ‘I picked this life, but give me a fucking break, please?’
Adam folded his arms. ‘You’ve changed so much since we were kids. I hardly recognise you any more.’
Zach walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder, looking directly into his face.
‘Look, I know I acted like an arrogant arsehole the last time you saw me. I was in the middle of a messy break up with Lola and being out in LA amongst all the false adoration had warped my brain. I’m sorry, okay? I really wanted you both to be here to celebrate with me this week; you’re my oldest and best friends. I promise never to act like that around you again.’ He looked over at Daisy now. ‘Please?’ he said, his expression pleading. ‘I need the two of you to keep me grounded.’
