Authors: Jasmine Bowen

Tags: #romance, #love, #friendship, #disability, #best friends, #emotions, #actor, #blind, #care, #superstar

Blind Love (3 page)

Caius
let Phil do up his cufflinks in the dressing room of set, having to
go straight to the awards ceremony. Phil sighed, watching Caius as
he put up one arm, and then the other, like a robot.

“I
thought you were an actor, pal. Act happy,” he said, giving his
client a little nudge.

“Why?”
Caius replied, without emotion. His voice was slightly slurred, he
habitual drinking spree of the depressed descending like a cloud
after Emily had stormed out. She had left Phil with her diagrams
and instructions, and then turned off her phone and headed to the
airport without so much as a goodbye. “What does it matter? If I
don’t win, it’s because I suck. And if I do win, it’s likely that I
suck and someone has found out and given me the pity
vote.”

“If
there was even the slightest inkling of the story leaking, Page 6
would have done about ten issues on it by now,” Phil reminded him.
“And beside, pal, it can only be good for you. All those women
throwing themselves on you, hoping to help you. Hey, slow down,” he
said, alarmed as Caius popped the tab on another beer can and
slugged it down.

“Why
the hell is this world so focused on how people look, anyways?” he
asked, angrily, and Phil had to laugh.

“Funny
question, coming from someone of your profession.”

“No,
I’m serious. Why the hell do I care what they say is beautiful. I
know what I like, what feels good, and if they don’t like it, good
for them, more for fucking me!” He threw the beer can in a fit of
anger, causing a crash as things fell off the table. Phil winced.
Caius had always been prone to fits of frustration when things
didn’t go his way, but not like this. Even if he won tonight, he
likely wouldn’t be fit to make it up those steps, blind or
not.

“Come
on, the car’s waiting,” was all he said, giving Caius a gentle push
in the right direction, and pulling out his phone at the same time.
He sent a quick text to the team of assistants that were stationed
carefully every step of the way. As soon as they opened the door,
they would be mobbed by paparazzi, from here to the Oscar theatre,
and he needed to be careful. There were assistants positioned to
open the door, guide him in and out of the car, and assistants
posed as paparazzi to nudge him down the red carpet. Still, it was
going to be a feat. “Are you sure there isn’t any pretty bird you
can call to be your date? Any girl. Hell, I’ll find you a hooker!”
Phil was starting to panic that the chaos in the entrance way was
going to be Caius’s down fall.

Caius
turned suddenly, his sightless eyes on fire with rage.

“I
will be walking down that red carpet alone, the way I’m going to be
the rest of my life. And if you mention a date one more time,
you’re fired.” And with that, he stormed off towards the door,
leaving Phil in shock. This was going to be a disaster.

By the
time they pulled up in front of the theatre, Caius was well on his
way to drunk. He had not allowed anyone to say a word to him in the
limo, and only when he felt them pulling up did he
speak.

“Maybe
I should just tell them,” he said, “let them all know that their
talent is easy to fake. A blind man could do it!” He threw his head
back and laughed, and Phil buried his head in his hands as the car
came to a stop.

“Look,
dude, keep it together for about three more hours and then I really
don’t care if you set yourself afire. I’m done with this,” he said,
reaching for the door handle, and putting a hand out to stop Caius
from sliding out of the car. “Let me go out first, idiot, and make
sure everything is in place. You may be self destructive, but I’m
not.” He launched himself out of the car, eager to get away from
his snarky client.

Immediately, flash bulbs went off in his face, but he ignored
them, scanning the crowd to make sure the plants were all in place.
It was only when he looked directly to his right that he
jumped.

“Emily!” he exclaimed, stunned. Her hair was in long curls,
cascading down her neck, her body in a slimming back dress. From
her neck, drifted the smell of roses and lavender. Her only
jewellery was a cheap silver necklace, tarnished with age. The
charm on it, in scrolled letters, said ‘Best’.

She
caught him looking at it, and her scarred hands began to fiddle
with it, tears in her eyes.

“He’s
my best friend. What am I supposed to do? Even if he hates me for
what they say about us, maybe he’ll finally see.”

“Em,”
Phil said, smiling for the first time all day, “he’s already seen,
and all he sees is you.” He reached into the car, indicating for
the driver to send Caius out. And then he stepped aside, letting
Emily reach her hand into the limo to pull him out.

He
knew the second he grabbed her hand, and he reached further up her
bare arm, pulling her down.

He
looked a mess, she could see it as soon as she laid eyes on him.
With a gentle smile, she shook her head, reaching out to touch his
face.

“Em?”
he asked, doubting his sense.

“Yes,”
she replied, even as the paparazzi began to shout her
name.

“You
came back.”

“Of
course I did, stupid,” she said, reaching out to touch his chest,
where the other half of the necklace lay. ‘Friends’ it said, having
pressed against her during their last hug. She hadn’t realised he
still had it, let alone still wore it. “I couldn’t leave you to
your own devices, you’re a bull in a china shop. Look at you! Are
you drunk?”

His
familiar lopsided grin played across his face, as he pulled himself
up and out of the car, wrapping her tight in his arms.

“I
love you, Emily,” he confessed, in a rush of emotion. She felt her
breath catch in her throat, and she buried her face against his
chest, safe in his embrace from all the stares. He turned to where
he heard the crowd, pulling down his sunglasses to keep his eyes
from outing him. “Do you all hear me? This is Emily Lancaster, and
I love her!”

The
crowd exploded with questions and pictures, and against his chest,
she shook with laughter.

“Oh
Caius, you always were the dramatic one.”

“Let’s
go find out if I’m the most dramatic of this whole town,” he said,
taking her hand, trusting her to lead. And, with one fortifying
deep breath, she did.

“Ha!”
Emily laughed out loud the next morning, as she sat beside Caius in
bed, checking the tabloid headlines. He winced, his head still
sore, but grinned, rolling over to lay his head on her bare thigh.
Beside them, on the night stand, the Oscar sat,
gleaming.

“What
is it, love?”

“I
will never understand your world,” she replied, reaching one hand
to scratch his scalp. The window was open, and the cool breeze
flooded their naked bodies with relief, after a hot night of
passion. She had never had a man love her the way he loved her. His
hands had wandered over every inch of her body, wanting to know
her, to kiss her, never getting enough of her. Normally, she’d hide
under the sheets, the lights off, letting the man meet his needs,
and then slinking off before he got a good look at her. But here,
last night, in his own way, he had seen every inch of her, and she
had let him, opening. And when he was done, he wanted to see her
again, and again, until both of them were delirious with pleasure.
“They outed you, but not in the way you’d think.”

“What?” he sat up, confused.

“Not a
word about me, or about your eyesight, or even about your outburst.
What they all want to talk about is how drunk off your ass you
were,” she laughed, scrolling through the articles. “This is just
silly. This entire industry doesn’t seem to care about what
actually matters.”

“Drunk
with love, baby,” he replied, kissing her gently. She stopped
talking, returning the kiss with pleasure, their tongues dancing
back and forth in their mouths. “Marry me, Em?” he asked, and she
pulled away.

“What?”

“Marry
me. Don’t act like it’s sudden, we’ve known each other since we
were kids. And I’ve loved you about that long.” He fumbled for her
hand, and then reached under the pillow. After a moment, he pulled
out a ring box. She gasped, opening it, and then laughed. In it,
was a prop ring from the first show they ever did
together.

“Millions of dollars, and you give me a cracker-jack ring?”
she asked, silently slipping it on.

“I
thought you didn’t want dramatics?” he replied, teasing her, his
heart pounding in anticipation for an answer. “I’ll give you
anything that you want, babe, as long as you say yes.”

She
looked at the ring on her hand, carefully, in the morning light,
and then glanced at him. The sun glinted off his face, making him
appear with a halo, his gold hair catching the light. He was so
beautiful, and she didn’t need to glance in the mirror to know what
she looked like beside him. But those weren’t the important things
in life.

“Yes,”
she breathed, and he yelped in happiness, throwing himself on top
of her to smother her in kisses, “but let’s get one thing straight.
I’m not walking you down any aisle, you’ll have to get there
yourself and wait for me.”

“For
you, I’ll wait a lifetime,” he replied in her ear. And then, the
words were lost in ecstasy.

###

About the Author

Jasmine Bowen is an accomplished actress living in the heart
of Hollywood North. She has performed across the nation on stage,
and internationally on television and film, working with Donald
Trump, Joe Estevez, U2 and the Black Eyed Peas. She currently hosts
‘The Cache Metals Market Overview’ on AM640, a national station by
Corus Entertainment. She has always been inspired in creating
characters for audiences on paper, stage and film.

Jasmine has published many short stories, and eBooks over the
past few years, both online and in hard copy. She currently has a
feature length novel on shelves: ‘The Children Will Inherit The
Earth’, and book two of the series is due out in
mid-2013.

Discover

Discover other titles by Rhetorical Ratatouille:

Hello Bitches!

Delilah

Other
titles by the same author:

Love Under the Mistletoe

Passionate Pasts

Connect with Jasmine Bowen Online:

Website:
www.jasminebowen.com

Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jasminebowenactor

Twitter:
twitter.com/jasminebowen

iTunes:
itunes.apple.com/artist/jasmine-bowen/id545488668