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My hangover the next morning was vicious, and I contemplated not getting out of bed at all. That is, until my stomach told me it had other plans. I felt Orlando stir beside me as I sat up, then bolted to the bathroom.

When I returned to the bedroom ten minutes later, with freshly brushed teeth and a headache that felt like someone was drilling a hole in my skull, specifically above my left eye, Orlando had set up a tray on the bed, with dry toast and two bottles of water on it. I smiled to myself as I crawled back under the covers, careful not to dislodge the tray.

“How’s your head?” Orlando said as he came back into the room, clad only in navy silk boxers. He had a cup of what smelled like tea, and just the simple aroma made me nauseated again. I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to fight it off.

“I’m never going to drink again,” I groaned, burying my face in my pillow. Even my own perfume was starting to make me sick.

“The water will help, love,” Orlando soothed, rubbing his hand over my back. “And the toast will calm your stomach.”

“Is that your answer for everything?” I snapped, knowing it was unfair to be angry with him just because I had overdone it with the alcohol the night before. “Fuck water and dry toast. Just the thought is sickening.”

“Charlie, darling, I promise it will make you feel better.” He opened a bottle of water and handed it to me. I sighed and accepted it, drinking deeply. It felt like the cold water was rushing to the sorest parts of my head, and he was right, it did make me feel better.

I was just laying down again when Orlando’s cell phone rang from the nightstand, causing me to wince. I pulled my pillow over my head to muffle the sound, and he chuckled at me as he answered it. He then got up and hurried out into the hall. I stayed in the quiet and darkness that my pillow offered until he came back.

“Everything okay?” I said when he came back, flinching at the dim light as I pulled the pillow away. He looked so serious all of a sudden.

“Everything’s fine, love,” he said, grabbing a piece of toast for himself. “I have a meeting this afternoon, that’s all.” He smiled at me, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

I felt too awful to question it, so I finished my toast and water, and went back to sleep.

I awoke later that day to an empty room. There was a note on the pillow beside me, though, so I sat up and read it.

“My beautiful drunk,” it read, and I could see in my mind’s eye the look on Orlando’s face as he wrote it. I smiled. “I didn’t want to wake you, for fear of incurring your wrath again, but I’ve left you some Aspirin on the nightstand, with a bottle of water. I’ll be home for tea, and hopefully you’ll be in better spirits. I love you, my darling, and I’ll see you later. Love, Orlando.”

I sighed as I looked over at the nightstand. Sure enough, there was the bottle of Aspirin and an unopened bottle of water. My head wasn’t throbbing too badly now, but I reached over and took one anyway, just for the little bit that was left. I had to perform that night, after all. A headache, no matter how small, was the last thing I needed.

As I was putting the cap back on the Aspirin bottle, my stomach began grumbling viciously. I sighed as I threw back the blankets and padded to the kitchen for food. It was after three o’clock, and I had only eaten a piece of dry toast for the whole day. No wonder my stomach was cranky.

Lisa was sitting at the kitchen table, nursing a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. I got myself some coffee and a muffin and sat down beside her.

“So, how badly did your head hurt this morning?” I said, taking in her blond hair, wild around her head and standing out at all angles, and her pale face, with slight bags under her eyes. She looked about as good as I’d felt that morning.

“It wasn’t pleasant, that’s for sure,” she said, turning a page in the paper. “Orlando said you were lovely company before you passed out again.” She grinned at me. “I’m guessing you don’t do this very often.”

I laughed. “No,” I said, shaking my head, perhaps a little too vigorously. “And now I know why.”

“Orlando said he had a meeting before he bolted out the door earlier,” she said, turning serious again. “He looked stressed. Any idea what that’s about?”

I shook my head again, but more gently this time. “He didn’t say,” I said, peeling the wrapper off my muffin and picking a blueberry out of the side. “I’m assuming it has something to do with the movie they’re trying to get him to do with Kate, but I’m not too sure.”

“Are you going to be okay with that?”

“Why does everyone ask me that?” I said, trying not to get frustrated. The truth was, it was disconcerting having my own fears echoed back to me by my friends. “He’s an actor, it’s his job to work with these beautiful starlets, right?”

“Yes, but not all of them are his ex-girlfriend,” she pointed out, closing the paper. “Who, might I add, was more than willing to take him away from you before.”

“That was months ago,” I said, brushing off the little encounter Orlando had had with Kate on New Years’ Eve. “Chances are she’s moved on by now.”

“And if she hasn’t?”

“Then he has,” I said, my appetite slipping further and further away the more we discussed it. “Lisa, the bottom line is, I trust him. I have to. Otherwise, what’s the point of being with him?”

“You’re stronger than I would be,” she said, standing up and taking her coffee cup to the sink. “If Jeremy had to work with his ex, I’d be a basket case.”

“If I’d only been with Orlando a few weeks, I probably would be, too,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. “But it’s been the better part of a year. If I don’t fully trust him by now, I never will.”

“I suppose.” A big grin spread over her face. “Has it only been a few weeks? I feel like Jeremy’s been around forever.” Her eyes glazed over, and I could tell she was thinking some rather unsavory thoughts.

“I could hardly tell,” I teased. “You spend more time at his place than you do here. I’m guessing it’s getting pretty serious?”

Her grin grew wider. “You could say that, yes,” she said. “God, Charlie, he’s fantastic. He’s just so sweet, and amazing to be around, because he’s funny and charming like you wouldn’t think he is. I’ll admit, he’s a bit scary when he goes into his corporate executive mode, but it’s unbelievably sexy at the same time.”

She gushed about Jeremy, who, I was told, had gone home to shower and change for work earlier in the day, for the next hour or so, until I swear the grin on her face was permanently stuck there. I listened patiently, and made the appropriate comments, but I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d gotten this carried away about Orlando at any point in time. I was just glad she was so happy, and I hoped it would last.

Lisa was just recounting how she met Jeremy, for the hundredth time, I might add, when Orlando came into the apartment, looking more than a bit frazzled. In fact, he looked just plain worn out. He gave me a small smile and went into the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

“That doesn’t look good,” Lisa said as we stared at the closed door for a second. “You’d better go see what happened.”

I did just that, knocking lightly on the door before going in. He was sitting on the bed, with his head in his hands, and he looked so sad, I went over and took him in my arms without saying a word. I figured if he wanted to tell me, he would. But as soon as I touched him, he had other things in mind.

“Charlie,” he breathed, pulling me down into his lap and burying his face in my neck. I felt his little nipping kisses as his hands began working on the buttons of my nightgown. I sat there for a moment, more shocked than anything, then I began to respond to him, turning so I was straddling his legs. He pulled back from my neck and looked at me, his hand stilling on my clothing. There was a terrible sadness around his eyes that I couldn’t ignore. I kissed his lips lightly and pressed my forehead to his.

“Orlando, tell me what’s wrong?” I said, stroking my fingertips over his cheek. “Tell me why you’re so sad?”

He sighed heavily and hugged me to him tightly for a brief second. “I had a meeting this afternoon about this movie they want me to do with Kate,” he said finally. “My agents are really pushing me to do it, and I sort of want to, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea.”

“Couldn’t they just get another actress if she makes you that uncomfortable?” I said, working my hands under the collar of his shirt so I could rub his shoulders.

“No, that wouldn’t work, love,” he said. “Kate’s been signed to this movie for a long time, it’s her project. It wouldn’t be right for me to walk in and take it over.”

“Are you uncomfortable with this because of me?” My stomach flipped at the idea that he could be passing up a good role for me. I wouldn’t let him do that.

“In a way, yes,” he said, his hands running up and down my arms as I shifted on his lap. His breathing hitched momentarily. “But at the same time, I just don’t know if I can convincingly play her lover without sending the wrong messages, you know?”

“You’d be her love interest?” He hadn’t told me that before.

“Yes, love, I would be,” he said. “Does that change how you feel about this?”

I hesitated for a moment, then remembered what I’d told Lisa. “You know what?” I said after a few seconds. “I’m not going to let that bother me.” I kissed him briefly. “I know you love me, I know you wouldn’t do anything you shouldn’t, so as far as I’m concerned, there’s no real reason for you not to do this movie, if you want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely,” I said, though I know I sounded more confident than I felt. “Take the part, sweetheart, if it’s what you want to do.”

He kissed me, a deep, passionate kiss that sent chills up and down my spine. I moved my fingers from his shoulders up into his hair and held him tightly to me while his hands busied themselves with my nightgown. He laid back on the bed, pulling me down on top of him, and shoved my nightgown down my arms before splaying his hands over the bare skin of my back.

He rolled me beneath him and came down over me, my fingers coming up to the buttons on his shirt. He smiled gently down at me as I opened his shirt and reached up to kiss his collarbone. The weariness and sadness were gone from his beautiful face, and only love and need remained. I pulled him down to me again and crushed his mouth on mine. I knew in those moments that any thoughts of Kate were completely forgotten.