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A few days later, I was practicing vocal scales in my apartment, when the phone rang. I got up from the piano and rushed to answer it. I was waiting for a call about the audition and I was hoping that was it.

“Hello?” I said when I picked up the phone.

“Charlie?” the voice on the other end said.

“Yes,” I said slowly. I knew the voice, but I couldn’t put my finger on who it was. “See, I told you I’d call.”

The British accent and the smooth, silky tones meant it could only be Orlando. “How are you?” I practically squealed, delighted that he’d actually called me. “Wait, where are you?”

“St. Vincent’s,” he replied. “I’m on an on-set break.”

“Really? Are you having a good time?”

“It’s a lot of work, and it’s very tiring,” he said, his voice suddenly sounding haggard. “But of course I’m loving it.”

“I’m glad.”

“Have you heard about the audition yet?” he asked eagerly.

“Not yet,” I replied, surprised that he’d remembered. “Should be this week, hopefully.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Of course I’m nervous, silly,” I laughed. “Don’t you get nervous waiting to hear about parts? I’ve just never had to wait for one this big before. That’s the worst part.”

“I’m sure you’ll get a part,” he said reassuringly. “I actually don’t have long to talk tonight, but I wanted to call and let you know that I’ll be in Toronto on the seventh of September, for the festival. I’m coming in from Venice, from another festival. Will you be around?”

“You still want to see me when you’re here?” I couldn’t help but sound surprised.

“Don’t sound so shocked,” he laughed. Then he turned serious. “I meant what I said last week. I want to see you.” He paused. “Would it be strange if I said I missed you?”

I didn’t say anything for a minute. I’d missed him, too, but I hadn’t let myself think about it. Finally I said, “No, that’s not strange. I missed you, too. But then, I didn’t think you’d call me.”

“I have to go,” he said abruptly, suddenly sounding rushed. “I’ll call you in a few days, okay? Take care of yourself.” He hung up.

I stared at the phone in my hand, not believing what had just happened. I shook my head and went back to practicing.

***

When the day of Orlando’s arrival finally came, I spent the day in the salon, getting a manicure, pedicure, and leg-wax. I wanted to be perfect for him. It never even crossed my mind that he might not call me again. I hadn’t heard from him since the one phone call he’d made from the set over a week before, but that didn’t make me any less optimistic. I’d gotten the part I wanted in Wicked, so I figured my luck was going to hold out. And if not, at least I looked great.

The phone rang around six-thirty that night, and I knew before I even picked it up that it was him. I felt the butterflies build in my stomach as I answered.

“How long will it take me to get to you?” he asked as soon as I said hello. “I rented a car, I’m at the airport, give me directions.”

“Hello to you, too,” I laughed, elated that he was so anxious to see me. I gave him the directions to my apartment, then said, “You’re really coming here, aren’t you?”

It was his turn to laugh. “Why wouldn’t I be?” he asked, still chuckling. “I’m getting on the highway now. How long do you figure it’ll take me to get to you?”

“If you’re on the highway, not more than an hour and a half,” I said. “This is so stupid, you know. I’ve met you once, and I feel like we’ve been together for years!” I stopped dead at the words that had just come out of my mouth. I didn’t want him to think that I thought we were “together”, because that certainly wasn’t the case. “Uh, I mean…” I trailed off, not sure how to fix what I’d done.

“It’s strange for me too,” he said, skipping over my comment like I hadn’t even said it. I didn’t know if that was good or bad. “I haven’t even checked into the hotel yet, and I’m driving over an hour to see a girl I’ve met one time. But it’s absolutely what I want to do. I don’t understand it at all.”

“You sound a little tired,” I observed, noticing his speech was a little slower than I remembered. “Are you sure you’re okay to drive? We could always get together tomorrow.”

“I’m fine,” he assured me. “I may not be much fun when I get to you, but at least I’ll be there.”

“Orlando, why are you coming here?” I asked suddenly. The words were out of my mouth before I’d even had a chance to think about them. For some reason, I felt I needed to know why he was coming to see me. His celebrity wasn’t what was bothering me, just the fact that this guy I’d met once and spent one afternoon with was coming all that way to spend time with me. I really doubted I was that good a kisser.

“I haven’t figured that out myself yet,” he said honestly. He sounded as puzzled as I was.

“I don’t know what you’re planning, or what you think is going to happen between us, but I seriously doubt we’ll see each other again after you leave when the festival is over,” I said, not wanting to lie to myself or to him by pretending there was any kind of future for us. “Is it fair to get this excited about something that’s not going to last?”

He was quiet for a few minutes. If not for the little bit of static coming from his cell phone, I would have thought he’d hung up. “Orlando?” I said after a long time. “Are you still there?”

“Yeah,” he said finally. “I was thinking about what you said.”

“Do you want to hang up and talk about it when you get here?” I asked, thinking maybe the driving time would be good for us to think about what I’d just said.

“Is that okay with you?”

“Yes, absolutely. I think it will be good for us to figure out what our expectations are before you get here. That way there are no surprises.”

“I’ll see you in a bit, then.”

He hung up. I flopped down on my sofa and studied myself carefully. My nails were done, my legs were waxed, my outfit was new, and my hair was swept up with sexy tendrils framing my face. I knew I’d had sex in the back of my mind all week, wondering whether it would happen with him, but looking at myself now, I realized I was basically offering myself to him. I couldn’t do anything about my nails or my hairless legs, but I could change my clothes and hair. Maybe it would be easier if he wasn’t attracted to me.

I went into the bathroom and wiped the lipstick off my mouth and pulled the pins from my hair. It fell in waves around my shoulders and down my back. I left my eye make-up on because, let’s face it, I do have some dignity. Then I went into my room and threw on an old pink workout suit, and went back into the living room.

When he arrived an hour or so later, I was about as unsexy as I could be. But my good intentions flew out the window as soon as I saw him in the doorway. He was wearing black slacks, a white dress shirt, un-tucked and open over a white t-shirt, and black dress shoes. His hair was longer than I’d remembered and pulled back in a small ponytail at the nape of his neck. He had stubble on his face, I guessed from being a pirate for his new movie, and his dark eyes were bright with excitement.

“Hi,” I said as I stared at him. It seemed such an insignificant thing to say, but I couldn’t find any other words.

“Can I come in?” he whispered as he stepped inside and pulled me to him. He hugged me close for a short time, then leaned back to look at me.

“You’re making me nervous, you know,” I said after he’d stared at me for way too long. I smiled. “Do you want to sit down?” I gestured vaguely toward my living room.

I stepped away from him, went into the living room, and sat down on my sofa. He sauntered casually into the room after me, looking around as he went. “Nice place,” he said when he’d joined me on the sofa. “Warm and comfortable.” He looked at me. “Like you.” He took in my outfit and grinned.

“Thanks,” I said, shifting to face him. He leaned toward me, his lips open slightly, his eyes holding my gaze with his sexy, smoldering one. “You’re going to kiss me, aren’t you?” I teased, moving closer to him.

Then he said the magic words that made me melt: “Can I?” he breathed, just inches from my mouth. I inclined my head slightly, parted my lips a little, and leaned toward him more. He gently pressed his mouth to mine as his arms came up to pull me right against him. He tasted sweet, just like the last time, and I reveled in it. Everything about him felt right, from his taste, to the feel of his arms sweeping gently over my back, to the sensations he was creating with his mouth on mine. I clutched his muscled shoulders with my hands, kneading the flesh tenderly before moving over his hard chest and stomach. I had never felt anything so wonderful.

We broke apart some time later, breathless and flushed, both of us grinning from ear to ear. “Wow,” I breathed, my hands still on his chest. I was amazed that we’d been kissing so passionately, and yet his hands had never left my back. He was being a complete gentleman, even though I could see the lust in his eyes, and feel it in his kiss.

“We need to talk,” Orlando said after a few moments of silence. “I’ve been thinking about what you said on the phone, and we have to get that straightened out before anything else happens.” He smiled slightly. “I’m amazed I can think straight after a kiss like that.”

“I know,” I said, settling back on the sofa. “So what are we going to do?” I looked down at my hands. “Do we just forget this and move on, or what?”

“Forgetting this isn’t going to happen,” he said, taking my hands and forcing me to look at him. “And what’s more, I don’t want to forget this. I figure we have two weeks together. Let’s make the most of them.”

“And then what? We just go about our lives as though nothing happened?”

“We’ll figure that out when we come to it,” he said, his fingers lightly caressing my face. “All I care about right now is going with what feels right.”

I turned my face into his hand and kissed his palm. “Orlando, I don’t want to get into something and have my heart broken in two weeks. That’s not fair.”

“Long distance relationships are hard, and they very rarely work,” he pointed out. “Can’t we just enjoy each other for the time being, and sort out the rest later? Why turn away from something great just because it won’t last forever?”

“Do you really want to make a go of whatever this is?” I asked hesitantly.

“I’d like to try.” He had such an earnest expression on his face that I couldn’t help but smile. “What do you say, Charlie?”

“If you really want to, I think we can try,” I said, standing up.

He rose too and pulled me to him. I loved how he felt right up against me, head to toe. When his fingertips grazed a small exposed patch of skin at my waist, I had to fight every urge so that I didn’t tremble. Before I lost control, I forced myself to pull away.

“Uh, have you eaten anything lately?” I asked, going into the kitchen. I had to get away from him. I didn’t trust myself. “Dinner or anything?”

“No, I haven’t had a chance yet,” he replied, following me. “What did you have in mind?” He turned me to face him and pressed me against the counter, embracing me securely.

“Food,” I said, playfully shoving him away. Before I could say more, there was a loud knock on the door.