by John, Ashley
“Nolan!” she cried after him, the tears flowing freely.
He stopped in his tracks, and bowed his head, just as he had done after the fight. This time however, he turned to face her. His dark eyes pierced her, letting her know the hurt she'd caused.
“Find me when you're next in New York or something,” he shrugged as he bounced on his heel, “If I meant anything to you.”
He half-smiled at her, before turning to walk out of the departure lounge. She stared desperately after him, trying to think of the right thing to say to make him see how serious she was. Her mind buzzed with different arguments and pleas, but it was her heart that was shouting above the noise, drowning everything else out.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. The entire departure lounge was staring at her as she ran her hands furiously through her matted hair.
“Nolan,” she cried.
He didn't stop.
“Nolan I -,” her voice trailed off.
He sped up.
“Nolan, I love you.”
She was sure it only came out as a whisper, but she heard people in the crowd gasp. With her eyes clenched, she screwed up her fists and stopped breathing. She couldn't take those words back.
She didn't want to.
When she opened her eyes, she saw the unexpected. Nolan had stopped walking and he'd turned to face her. The crowd of rushing people filled around him, but her eyes trained on him like a sniper on a target.
“I love you,” she repeated, louder this time.
Another round of gasps and 'awwws' came from the watching crowd. A tear trickled down her cheek and her heart ached. She'd never said those words to a man before, because she'd never meant it.
The ache in her heart told her that she meant it.
“Give her a chance!” a woman's voice called from the crowd.
“Yeah, give her a chance dude! She's hot,” a man's voice this time.
Through the noise and the people, they stared deeply into each other's eyes as if they were the only people in the room. It wasn't until she was standing in front of him that she'd realized she'd walked towards him.
“I love you,” she repeated, “I really love you.”
Nolan pursed his lips and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. The man slid his bag from his shoulder to the ground. She could see in his face that he was battling his emotions.
“Kiss her!” a woman called.
“Yeah, kiss her!” another called.
“Nolan?” Delilah's voice cracked, “Say something?”
He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed them, and wrinkled up the space between his eyes, before taking off his glasses. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he let out a deep and long sigh. The entire time, Delilah held her breath, waiting for a response to her grand gesture.
“Say anything,” she mumbled.
“Delilah -” he started, but he stopped himself.
“Nolan?”
"You lied to me," he sighed, "how do I know you're not lying to me now?"
She picked up his hand and placed it against her chest. Her heart pounded against his palm.
"Does that feel like a lie?"
“Delilah,” he sighed and relaxed his face, slotting his glasses back behind his ears, “I love you too.”
His voice was barely above a whisper, but it was loud enough for the watching crowd to hear. One lady stood up and started to clap and others sighed.
Delilah on the other hand, started to breathe again. She stared deeply into Nolan's eyes, but he still looked deeply hurt.
“Say it again,” she urged.
“I love you,” he said, sounding more convinced this time, “I love you. I actually love you.”
Each time he said it, he sounded more and more confident with what he was saying, and each time she believed what she was hearing. Her stomach knotted and her heart danced as warm fuzz ran over her body. She could almost forget that she was standing in the middle of a bustling airport with matted hair, dirty clothes and no shoes.
“Say it again,” she whispered.
“Delilah Smith. I love you,” this time, he smiled.
The dimples appeared in his cheeks, melting away the last shred of doubt that Delilah had. It had only been a week, but it was long enough for her heart to spot the real deal.
“Kiss!” a voice cried from the crowd.
Delilah smiled and bit her lip.
Nolan looked hesitant as he wrapped his fingers around her cheek. She stared deeply into his eyes, letting him know that she meant every word she'd said.
“I'm so sorry,” she whispered softly.
The hand on her cheek tightened, drawing her into his lips. He brushed softly against her lips, silencing her apology. His tongue brushed delicately against hers as his other hand cupped the bottom of her back. It was a moment that Delilah wanted to last forever. It wasn't until he pulled away that she heard more than one person clapping at their public declaration of love. She glanced into the crowd and several people had phones in their hands, recording everything that was happening.
She forgot that she was still Delilah White.
“I never meant for any of this to happen,” Delilah whispered, setting her hands gently on Nolan's chest, “I just didn't want to hurt you. I shoved my head in the sand because I didn't want to ruin the way you made me feel. After you told me about your ex-wife, I knew I should have said something, but the longer I left it, the stronger I felt about you and the harder it was.”
He silenced her with another kiss, which was even more passionate than the last.
“Today is the start,” he pulled away from the kiss and whispered into her ear.
“I have no idea how this is going to work,” she laughed.
“We'll make it work,” he whispered.
And Delilah believed him.
Hand in hand, they left the watching crowd and headed back the way Delilah had ran. She glanced over her shoulder to look at the departure lounge and people were already getting back to their magazines and phones.
“What now?” she asked, clenching onto his hand, never wanting to let go.
“We enjoy the rest of this holiday,” Nolan squeezed her hand.
“What about your flight?”
“Fuck it!” he leaned in and kissed her on the top of her head.
“You know Julia is going to kill you when we get back? She was so pleased when she told me you'd gone.”
“I think she has a crush on me.”
“If you want me to fight her, I will do?”
“There's been enough fighting in that hotel to last a lifetime.”
Delilah suddenly remembered André sunbathing next to the pool. It should have bothered her, but she didn't care. As they walked out into the hot sun, hand in hand, she felt renewed and carefree. She didn't care about the life she had waiting for her in LA, because it would never be the same again. She could feel a new life waiting for her, and that new life was holding her hand.
It shouldn't have made any sense, but it did. She shouldn't love a man she'd only just met, but she did. She'd never been surer of anything in her entire life.
“I really do love you,” she whispered into Nolan's shoulder as they sat in the back of the taxi.
“Good,” he mumbled.
She snuggled into his side and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into his side tightly. With a deep breath, she inhaled his spicy scent and closed her eyes.
Delilah White had found something more important than money and fame.
She had found love.
Epilogue
2 Months Later
“Remember what I told you,” Tony's nicotine stained breath hit her in the face as he stared dead in her eyes, fastening the tiny microphone to the front of her dress.
Delilah nodded and sighed as her makeup artist started to dust more powder across her face. Tony had been talking about this television interview for weeks. He'd drilled it into her that it was her chance to set the
record straight about what really happened in Spain with André. She'd been given an entire story to rehearse that involved a lot of fiction and lies.
“And what do you say if they ask if you're dating?”
“I tell them I'm single,” she slapped his hand away, “I'm not stupid Tony.”
Tony stepped back and rolled his eyes at her. Since she'd landed back in LA, he'd barely been talking to her. The news of the fight with André and the scene in the airport had gone completely viral. She'd practically been forced to stay hiding in her apartment until things calmed down. She was convinced the label were going to drop her and cancel her album, but when Tony called to let her know she'd be appearing on The Talk, a woman-based panel talk show, she knew exactly what they were doing. They were letting the natural publicity of the events in Spain speak for themselves, and the second things died down, Delilah would come out of hiding and tell her side of the 'story'.
“On in 5 Delilah,” one of the production staff whispered to her.
They watched from the sidelines as they wrapped up talking to the first guest of the show. When they cut to a commercial break, she was hurried onto the set and after a quick greeting with each of the women, she was forced in her chair for final makeup and hair touchups.
In preparation for her interview, she'd watched a couple of episodes of the show, and the women could be brutal. They were typical 30-50 something year old women who liked to complain and moan about things that didn't concern them. They'd been hyping up their exclusive interview with Delilah all week, and in the run up, they'd been talking about her 'outrageous antics' and running paparazzi pictures and video clips.
The director waved his hand and the crowd cheered. Delilah plastered on a relaxed smile and let the anchor introduce her.
“Okay guys. Our next guest is somebody you all know. She's been in the news a lot recently after her infamous trip to Spain which caused the breakup of her relationship with the gorgeous French model, André Beau. Here to tell her side of the story, it's Delilah White!”
The crowd clapped, and the woman behind the desk readied themselves for a tough interrogation. Delilah took a deep breath, but after appearing on live Spanish TV with no translator, nothing scared her anymore.
“So, Delilah,” Cathy, one of the women leaned across the desk towards her putting on her best 'girlfriend' voice, “what really happened in Spain?”
“Where do you want me to start?” she laughed charismatically.
The crowd laughed and so did the panel.
“What really happened with you and André. Girl, did you cheat on him?”
Delilah took a sharp breath in the tight dress and thought back to what Tony had told her. She'd been told to tell them that Nolan was one of her gay stylists, and her and André broke up because of the long distance nature of their relationship. She's agreed to say it, just to keep Tony happy, but as she sat on national live television, the lies wouldn't come out of her mouth.
“Do you want to know the truth?” she asked.
“Of course! Tell us sister! Tell us what really happened,” Betty, the oldest woman on the panel asked.
“Me and André were never together,” she heard the audience sigh and even caught some of them roll their eyes, “no it's true! I'm not denying that's how it came across, but it wasn't a real relationship. It was more of a business deal struck up behind his manager and mine to promote us both.”
“Hang on,” Cathy chipped in, “you're telling me it was a showmance?”
“You could call it that,” Delilah nodded, ignoring Tony's frantic waving from the sideline, “I didn't know at first, but André was being paid to appear to be my boyfriend. I didn't find out until my assistant told me in Spain. That's why you saw us arguing.”
“Are you serious?” Jane gasped.
“I hate to say it, but yes,” Delilah reached for the glass of water and took a sip, “there's a lot you don't know about this industry. There's a lot I ignored, but I never thought the people around me would take advantage of me like that.”
“I can't believe this!” Cathy reached out her hand to Delilah, “Who would use somebody like that?”
Delilah glanced at Tony on the sidelines who had turned a deathly shade of white.
“So who was this other man?”
He wasn't a gay stylist.
“I met him in Spain,” she smiled to herself, “he was in the room next to me, and I wasn't very nice to him at first, but we got talking and it turned out he was the most amazing man I'd ever met.”
“Girl, are you telling us you fell in love with a mystery man in Spain?”
“I guess,” she shrugged, taking another sip of the water, “there are certain people that didn't want me to tell you this, because they're still trying to manipulate my relationships, but when I sat down in this chair, I knew I couldn't lie to you ladies. I'm done with being a puppet.”
“Did you hear that, people at home? Delilah White has just cut her strings. Give her a round of applause.”
The crowd cheered and whooped, drowning out the rage that was pouring from Tony on the side.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for this?"
"Absolutely," Delilah nodded, "but I feel like this needs exposing."
“Who is this mystery man? He sounds perfect, doesn't he ladies?”
The crowd clapped and cheered again.
“His name is Nolan. He's a travel journalist.”
“So are you dating him now?”
Delilah remembered what Tony had told her over and over 'make sure to remind the world that you're free and available'.
“We're more than dating,” she looked down in her lap where her hands were nervously fumbling with each other, “we're in love.”
“That deserves another round of applause, don't you think?”
“He's here today,” Delilah glanced out to the front row of the crowd.
She'd avoided looking at Nolan when he'd been whisked away to sit in the crowd next to Marcus. Both Marcus and Nolan sat, mouths ajar, staring at Delilah with shock in their eyes.
“He's here?” Bertha clapped, looking out into the crowd, “Stand up Nolan! Let's see the man who has made this woman so happy.”
Nolan rose to his feet shakily and a camera was soon in his face. He smiled and waved awkwardly as Marcus sat frozen next to him, shaking his head at Delilah.
“Tell us Nolan, what made you fall in love with this woman?”
Nolan smiled, and he slowly took his glasses off. The entire crowd hushed to a silence as they listened for his reply. Delilah's stomach turned as she watched him as he stared into the camera, staring into millions of people's homes.
“I saw the real Delilah,” he started, his voice trembling slightly, “and I loved what I saw.”
The crowd erupted, louder than ever, and the panelists clapped and cheered along with them. Every member of the production staff had appeared on the sidelines to watch what was happening. Tony had collapsed into a chair, with his hands clenching his thinning black hair.
“There you go people. It's live TV and anything can happen. Isn't he adorable?” Cathy spoke into Camera 1, “you just heard the truth from Delilah White. Who would have known? Have you got one last thing to say Delilah?”
She thought for something to say that would be profound and leave a lasting impression on the audience at home. She thought about telling Nolan that she loved him, or that people should always follow their heart no matter what, but she thought of something better.
“Tony,” she glanced away from the camera to her manager who looked on the brink of death, “I think I'm going to find some new management."
“There you go people!” Cathy shook her head at the camera, “I think we need to have this lady on every week! It's time to go to a quick commercial break, but when we return, we'll be giving you an irresistible recipe for a Red Velvet Cake that is sure to make you cheat on your pre-Christmas diets. You don't want to miss it!”
The crowd clapped,
and the cameras tilted down. The four women started laughing and staring to Delilah. They dropped their nice 'girlfriend' acts and thanked Delilah for what was likely going to be a ratings record breaker. They disappeared off the set, leaving Delilah to yank her microphone and mic pack off.
“What the hell was that?” Nolan laughed as she walked towards him.
“The truth,” she sighed, “for once, the truth.”
He bit his lip, trying to hide the huge smile that was spreading across his face.
“What did I do to deserve you?” he asked softly.
“Something really bad in a past life. I'm your punishment,” she winked.
“I guess I'm gluten for punishment,” he reached out his arms and wrapped them around her shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug. Over his shoulder, she could see Marcus fanning Tony with a clipboard as he swayed in the chair.
“I wonder if there are any good managers in New York?” she whispered into his ear.
“Seriously?” he pulled away from the hug and held her at arm's length.
“I'm done with this town. I want something real. My label has an office in New York. If they still want me, they can have me, with some new conditions."
They walked hand in hand off the set. She walked past Tony, but she didn't acknowledge him. Marcus held a bottle of water with a straw to his mouth, but he didn't drink. Instead, he stared blankly as his prize pet walked out of his life.
“Hang on,” Nolan leaned in to her as they walked down a corridor towards her dressing room, “is this you moving into my apartment?”
“Is that a problem?”
“Nope,” he pushed her up against the door of her dressing room and kissed her, “just promise me you won't demand that the neighbors move out to make way for an assistant.”
“No promises.”
The End
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