When I woke up that morning, I ordered breakfast from room service and read over my lines while I ate the grapefruit and toast that were sent up. I only had a scene to shoot that morning and after that, I was looking forward to some alone time, browsing through the market. Hopefully, I wouldn’t be recognized and could get a perfect afternoon . Thing is, I’m an actress. People say I’m the best one in the world.
I don’t agree.
What I am is the most paid actress in the world, a fact that makes be both happy and incredibly sad. I am not that good an actress. Oh, I can deliver a line, but the reason I am as well paid as I am is because I’m blonde, short, and good looking. I have that Californian look that people seems to love. A look I now have to work at keeping, because it’s what’s paying the bills. But lately, it’s stopped being enough. I have more than enough money to last me several lifetimes and I’ve been starting to think that it was time for me to retire.
As I finished my coffee that morning, I’d been feeling restless for months, as thought my skin was starting to get too tight for me. If asked, I wouldn’t have been able to pinpoint the problem.
As far as anyone could see, I had the “Perfect Life.” Enough money to pay off a small country’s national debt, a house I adore, a loving family that always manages to keep me grounded, a gorgeous corn-fed boyfriend and good looks. But I wasn’t happy. In my opinion, that “Perfect Life” meant that I was paid to have absolutely no life, a house that I haven’t had time to move in yet, even if I’d bought it a year ago, a family that was understanding of why I was never around and a boyfriend that was more and more boring every time I saw him. Which happened maybe once a month. The looks? I had to work on it and besides, I have no control of what Nature gave me. All in all? My life was far from perfect and I was getting tired of it pretty fast.
I never would have imagined that everything was about to change.
+++++++++++++
It wasn’t raining yet, but after a month in London , Buffy Summers knew it wouldn’t be long before the sky came down. With some luck, she would be back at the hotel when it did. She looked down at the list her sister had pushed in her hand the last time she’d seen her. Dawn had given her a list of souvenirs she wanted along with a reminder to find a gift for their mother’s tenth wedding anniversary. Buffy knew she easily could have sent her friend and assistant Tara with the list but some things were sacred. Family was one of those things. So instead of learning her lines or taking an afternoon for herself relaxing, Buffy was spending her first off-time in three weeks in a crowd of strangers, hoping she wouldn’t get recognized.
The baseball cap and sunglasses weren’t a very original mean of disguise but it managed to keep the less observant fans at bay. The fact that she was wearing a jean and tank top combo and no hint of make-up instead of the heavily polished look she usually sported in public also helped.
Buffy sighed when she realized that the only thing left on the list was Joyce’s gift. She loved her sister, she really did, but a three hours shopping spree? Last time I take one of her list…..This isn’t shopping, this is torture … She looked up to find herself in front of a bookstore/café. She recognized the name as being a line from a play she’d read a few months ago. Theatre was one of her little pleasure. It was much more demanding than films, and the reward was greater. The money often wasn’t but the contact with the public was priceless.
Maybe it was the name of the place, or the fact that her arms hurt from hauling all those bags, but Buffy decided that she deserved a break and a good book and a coffee was exactly what she needed to breathe a little. She grunted as she moved the bags around to free one hand. That’s it, I’m going to kill Dawn…
Once inside, she pushed the sunglasses down and looked around, eyes wide open. This wasn’t what she’d expected. It was better. It had the feel of a library, with high ceilings and dark woods. Bookshelves covered every inch of the place, encased within the walls. Four large columns stood in the middle of the room, their sides laden with colorful spines. At the front of the store were half a dozen little round tables with high-backed chairs. Soft music played throughout the room, some bluesy number that she recognized as Louis Armstrong’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow . Buffy smiled.
This was perfect.
It was tidy and homey. The rich smell of coffee and the low drow of voices made her want to tucked herself in one of the deep chair she could see at the back of the room. Moving toward the coffee counter, she looked up at the blackboard that hung besides it. She was so engrossed in her choice that she didn’t see the black clad man that stood in her path. What she did feel was the hard chest against which she collided just before she fell on her ass to the floor.
“Bloody hell,” came a voice from over her head. Ooh, British….. She had a thing for British accents and the fact that she had been hearing variations of it for over a month didn’t stop her from enjoying this one. The voice was deep and smooth and carried the edge of anger.
“Can’t you bloody watch where you’re going?” The stranger turned around, and Buffy gasped. This man was gorgeous. And since she was surrounded by beautiful people everyday of her life, she ought to know. Hair bleached to a blinding white and eyes of the deepest blue she’s ever seen, he had defined cheekbones and a strong jaw. His left eyebrow was scarred and his nose was perfectly straight, his lower lip full and inviting. But more than good looks, he also had the kind of magnetism that made every one notice him. The other thing she couldn’t fail to notice was that his gorgeous eyes were angry.
Shocked by the anger she felt coming from the man, Buffy slowly got to her feet. She couldn’t understand why he was so angry. She’d only bumped into him and she was the one who had fell down. She was about to tell him he was overreacting when she saw that he was covered in scalding coffee.
“I’m so sorry.” She scrambled to reach for some napkins, her mind not registering that she was probably not helping.
Spike looked at the tiny girl who was seemingly going crazy in front of him. His skin was still singing from the hot liquid but for some reason, the ache was diminishing. She was a gorgeous creature. The low slung jeans and the snug white top showcased a skin that was burnished by the sun. Golden hair hung in a single braid down her back, tendrils escaping every which way to frame panicked hazel eyes.
“Hey! It’s alright.” Slowly, the panicked gleam left her eyes and her breathing slowed. Buffy ducked her head, a bit ashamed of her reaction.
“I really am sorry.” She sounded so much like a lost little girl that Spike could only smile. “And it’s really all right.” With a sigh of relief, Buffy looked up again. Pushing down the urge to grab the napkins again when she saw the coffee stain, she asked, cringing. “Don’t suppose you’d let me buy you another coffee to replace the one you’re wearing?”
“There’s really no reason, I’m the owner.”
About to insist, Buffy switch tracks when she heard the last part. “The owner? My God, this place is so perfect! I feel like I should just be curling around on one of the chairs in my pjs and read until I fall asleep!” This time, Spike couldn’t stop the chuckle. “Thanks. That’s what we were hoping for,” He answered holding out his hand before adding “By the way, I’m Spike.”
Buffy reached a hand and removed the sunglasses before shaking his hand. “Nice to meet you.” The yummy stranger didn’t look like he’d recognized her and she was hoping to keep things that way. It was a rare thing for her to be treated normally and she was craving it.
Spike smiled. The woman in front of him was the most famous one in the world and she was acting like a schoolgirl. The minute he had seen her eyes directly, he had recognized her. Those changing hazel eyes had always fascinated him. There was something in them, something hidden that he had always been curious about. But she seemed so relieved that he hadn’t recognized her that he lowered his voice. “And you’re Buffy.” For a second, Spike could have sworn he saw dejection in her eyes but the next instant it was gone, leaving behind the shiny persona that he had seen thousands of time on television. Somehow, the too bright, too shiny image rubbed him wrong. The light that now lighted her face was wrong, showing none of the carefree girl she’d been seconds before. He couldn’t stop himself. “Don’t” Surprised, Buffy looked at him. “What?”
“Don’t do that. I promise that as long as you’re here, no one will bother you. How’s that?” Buffy met his gaze. He looked sincere. But there was no way he could control everyone in the store. Knowing that it was an impossible promise, she nodded and let her smile fade a bit. Spike must have seen her doubts in her eyes because he said.
“Come on, coffee’s on the house” Spike walked behind the counter. “Coffee? Tea? Hot chocolate? Anything.”
"I could go for a mocha, but I can pay for it myself. Money's not an issue, remember?" The wary look in her eyes had Spike frowning.
"It's not about money luv. Whipped cream on the mocha?" His easy tone had Buffy blinking. He wasn't treating her like glass and he wasn't falling all over himself. In fact, he was acting as thought they were friends and she was just a normal girl. She couldn't remember when was the last time she had been able to simply relax in public, without being harassed by fans. As grateful as she was for the fans, she often wished they weren't so aggressive. Still, this man was completely relaxed and easy going. Better not get used to it; it's probably just a front, but still…
With an inner sigh, Buffy nodded "Sure, I love whipped cream."
Author's Chapter Notes:
I know, another WIP. I can tell you that Rain is almost done writing. There is a sequel in the works, but I need to decide which way it’ll go. While I do that, you get this one. An All-Human one. I’m not a big fan of all-human, and I never thought I’d write one. But I work in a video store, and I have to watch movies while I work. Notting Hill is one I watch a lot and one day, it got stuck in my head. This is very loosely inspired by that movie. I’m not planning on a rewrite of the movie because there is no point. If that’s what you’re hoping to find, just rent the damn thing. Some situations may be really similar but when they do, it’ll be mostly because that part of the movie is too great. Likewise, you may get quotes from other movies. When it happens, I’ll mention where it comes from. Updates are going to be far from regular because RL is a bitch. I have too much on my plate and sadly, fanfiction is at the bottom of the list