Even the balls of my very famous feet are happy.

When you're happy, you don't walk—you bounce your way through life. And I'm bouncing.
From one place to another; I'm bouncing my way through my happy and changing life. With determined strides, Slam is struggling to keep up with me. He's a big guy, full of hard muscle and cast iron strength, so his thick thighs struggle to walk at the same pace as I am. But Slam doesn't have someone like Clara being behind his reason for walking so quickly. That's an honour that only me and my feet have. So I just keep on walking—ignoring the questioning stares and the cluster of whispers—I just keep on walking. As I walk, I'm thinking. I'm thinking about the man that I'm just about to meet. I honestly get his unsaid protectiveness towards Clara. She has talked about him to me, and there's a great fondness that exists between them. I think that since the passing of Clara's dad, Dex has kind of filled in the fatherly void that's been left behind. Their relationship is one that's cemented by respect and high regard for one another. So I get why he's reluctant about me being with his girl, because in a daughterly way, she's also his girl.

But, I am here.

I am here and ready to see our girl.

Being as I'm right in the middle of a major business district, Fame-Us isn't actually based in a high-rise building, unlike many of its nearby corporate neighbours here in Canary Wharf.
Fame-Us is actually in a low-rise modern building that sits right beside the canal.

The impressive outside is equally just as impressive on the inside—swish reception area, mirrored elevators, executive office space with great external views—all in all, a pleasant working environment. Once politely told where I am to find Dex Miller, my determined paces go up a few more notches. As I walk into the airy second floor office space, I have a quick look around. Right at the end of the vast room, I see an office that is only partitioned with glass walls. Eyeing it keenly, I have a feeling that is where Dex Miller reigns. Soon enough, an eager female is offering up her zealous assistance. "Can I help you?" Her ruby-glossed lips purse together before slowly turning them into a pouty smile, trying to make them the focal area of her face.

"I'm looking for Dex Miller?"

Standing tall, she then smoothes down her skirt, hoping that I'll notice the way in which her palms slowly skim her outer thighs. I do, but not in the way that she'd like me to notice. "You're certainly in the right place, his office is just over there." The eager blonde points to the glass office that I had already thought was Dex's. "I'm Jess, by the way. It's so great to meet you, Rhys." She blinks over and over, all sweet and flirty. "If you follow me, I'll take you over."

Giving her a mega-watt smile, I quickly interrupt her. "Actually, Jess...would you mind showing Slam here, somewhere that he can wait for me while I have a quick chat with your boss?" I don't need her to show me the way, I just need her out of my way.

"Oh, yeah...sure." Her eyes disappointedly flick from mine to Slam's. "There's a coffee room just down the hall, I'll take you there." She cooperatively tells Slam, quickly adjusting the obvious dismay in her voice.

"Thanks." Is his gratefully deep response.

"Thanks, Jess." Once again, I throw her another mega-watt smile before striding my way towards Dex's office. I can feel all the staff, watching me eagerly walk from one side of the office, to the other. All of them wondering why I am here.

Me?

I'm just wondering where Clara is.

Gently knocking on the glass door, I am soon eye to eye with Clara's boss.

Gesturing for me to walk right on in, I do. "Dex, thanks for seeing me." I say, confidently stepping more into his very exposed office, trying to evade the sneaky stares from most of his staff.

Dex swivels around in his big leather chair, a stiff expression on his slightly worn and mature face. "Did I really have a choice?" He asks, glancing up at me for the briefest of moments.

Taking a seat opposite of him, I allow just the smallest of smiles upon my lips. "Not really." I boldly say as I make myself more comfortable in my seat, and kind of thankful that I now have my back to all of those sneaky little stares.

Being the forthright man that he is, Dex gets straight to the point. "Clara is with the picture editors." His eyes then shift to something on his desk. "I've been going over the interview that Clara has done with you. I personally think that she's done a grand job. Her view of you is a very favourable one." His eyes then slowly move from the drafted interview, dubiously back up to mine. "I think your people will be very pleased with it."

"I'm sure they will be." My stare on him doesn't deviate away from his very strong stare on me.

Dex doesn't even blink, not in the least bit intimidated by who I am. "Should I be worried about Clara?" He soon sternly asks, sitting taller in his big boss chair.

Our girl had told me that Dex was habitually a pretty serious guy, but he's a serious guy that I can't help but like. I like people who say what they mean and mean what they say. Maci lies to cover so many other lies, and I keep covering for both her and her shitty lies, so I value such straight talking, truth and honesty. Wanting to give Dex his answer, I give it to him with a sincere smile. "No, you shouldn't be worried."

Dex then suddenly stands, his attention very much now elsewhere. Swinging open his office door, he starts calling out to someone. "Jess! As soon as Clara gets back, tell her I need her in my office." Quickly closing it again, he returns back to his chair and back to his stern stare on me. "I certainly hope you're right, Rhys." Dex then narrows his eyes, nodding as he does. "I really do."

Mirroring his reaction, I do just as he is; narrowing my stare on him. "I know I'm right." My nod is a little softer than his, but it's one that's expressing to Dex that I'll do right by our girl. He's about to say something else, but his eyes divert right back to his office door, which makes me do exactly the same. Once my eyes are where his happen to be, my heart actually stops at the beautiful sight of Clara.

There she is, my girl.

Looking all pristine and professional, there she is.

Confidently entering the office, I can tell she's trying to cling tightly to her professionalism as her eyes first acknowledge only Dex. "Clara, are you all done with the photo editors?" He solidly asks.

Clara nods, warily frowning. "Yes, why?" It is then, that her teal eyes slide away from the gaze of her well respected boss, to finally acknowledge me. "Hey again." Her voice is soft and warm to me, just like those enigmatic eyes of hers are.

"Hey again." I just as warmly answer her, my eyes becoming so wonderfully full at the sweet sight of my adorable British beauty.

"Rhys is just wanting to go over some of his interview questions with you. He's not quite sure how he'll come across in some of them, so would just like to have a good look at them before he returns to The States." Clara is listening to Dex, she even fixes her steady eyes on her boss for just a few seconds, but soon her gaze can't help but return back to me. "Clara?" Dex's voice deepens, trying to capture the wandering attention of his enamoured employee. "Is that okay?" His suspicious eyes begin to squint, now watching Clara's every reaction. Dex isn't stupid, he knows what's going on here. Our attraction to one another is obvious. It's so damn obvious, we all could reach out and actually touch it.

Clara is good though, like the journalistic pro that she is, she pulls herself so competently together. "Of course." Comes her composed reply with a thoughtfully given nod and a small sheepish smile that's very much on account of me still appreciatively staring across at her. "Is it okay to use the meeting room?" The sheepish smile has gone, as too has her alert gaze; Clara's attention now only belongs to Dex.

This is where I totally have to intervene. "We can take a look at it together back at my hotel. I still have loads to get done before my flight, so it would be better if we could do it from there." I'm not only lying, I'm actually enjoying telling the lies. I'm just saying all of this shit because I want to get Clara out of this office so I can give her the next part of her surprise—a surprise that I know she will love.

So yeah, the lying is totally worth it.

My girl knows that I'm stretching the truth, and once again she doesn't react. Looking from me and back to Dex again, she quickly asks. "Would that be okay?" At just the end of her question, sits the delicate timbre of excitement in her very feminine voice.

Dex appears to be defeated by my subtle fun and games, with a cautious smile he quickly answers. "Just do what you have to do." I think that's not only meant for Clara, it's also meant for me.

Just to be sure that I haven't totally pissed Dex off, I say the first polite thing that comes to mind. "You really don't mind me stealing her from you? I just thought it would be better to be sure about the interview while I was still here." I don't even know why I'm continuing with my silly charade, Dex knows full well why I am here. It's not because of the interview, it's only because of Clara.

But Dex is also happy to keep up with the silly charade. "I've had a look at it myself and I really think it's great, but if you're not 100% happy, then it's best we iron out any issues before I send it to the sub editors."

And so, the charade continues. "I'm sure Clara has done an awesome job on it, I just wanted to be sure before I leave, that's all."

Surprisingly, Dex then stands to shake my hand across his desk. "As I said before, I want you to be 100% happy with it." The squeeze on my hand is an uncomfortably tight one; a tight and warning one. "I'll see you tomorrow, Clara." He says to her as he's slowly letting go of my relieved hand. With a dubious smile now settling around his thin lips, Dex disguises yet another one of his warnings with a firm tap to the top of my arm. "Look after my top girl."

Heeding all of his cleverly disguised warnings, I give Dex my damn straight answer. "Thanks, I will." As Clara tells me that she'll just go and grab her things, I look at Dex once again. "And I mean that, I really will look after her." Then just as quick as our girl had, I promptly leave his office.

Waiting for me with an excited smile, is Clara. With our arms brushing against each other's as we leave behind all of the loud whispers and unrelenting stares, not even Slam can keep up with us as we hurry inside the elevator. "What are you really doing here?" She asks, her teal eyes wide with a knowing glint.

"I'm here because you are." Which is true, I'm only here because I can't seem to find the strength to finally leave Clara.

Positioning her body in my direction, Clara is now grinning. "I'm glad that you are." She tells me, her grin growing more gorgeous by the second.

My girl is glad, and so am I. Needing that body of hers to be warmly close, I gently reach for her hand and pull her against my side, taking full advantage of us no longer having an audience. "I decided to have one extra day here and I want to spend the rest of my British hours with you." Every hour, every minute, every second—I want them all filled with only Clara. I don't want to think about having to leave her. Not yet. For now, I want to appreciate every single moment that I get to be with her. When the elevator doors open, we reluctantly separate our hands and our bodies. Slam is there waiting, waiting to take us to Clara's next surprise. He must have ran down the stairs in order to beat our elevator, but still, he looks poised and eagerly ready for duty.

With hurried and elated strides, we hurry out to the car. As soon as we are safely out of sight from everyone, our hands quickly link themselves back together again. "I've missed you." The sentiment slips right off my tongue.

Cuddling up against me, Clara eagerly answers. "That's good to know because I've been missing you, too."

Wanting to kiss her, I affectionately do on the top of her soft head. "You're not mad, then?" I ask, smiling with my lips still pressed against her floral scented hair.

Sitting taller, Clara teasingly articulates just how much I have used who I am to get all that I wanted today. "You turn up at my work, lie to my boss and cause a womb explosion."

"A womb explosion?" I ask, not quite understanding that one.

"Yes, a womb explosion." She grins, widely.

I'm still not understanding that one. "I am still confused, what does it mean?" I ask again, smiling now as I happily squeeze her hand with mine.

"You're hot. One of my colleagues thinks you're really hot. You're so hot, you cause womb explosions." She jovially explains, still wearing that gorgeous grin of hers.

Laughing, that's a totally new one on me. "Jeez, I've heard it all, now!" I say, amused no end.

Laughing alongside me, Clara cuddles in closer but her laughter soon falls quiet as she realises that we're not driving back into London. "Aren't you at The Hyde anymore?" She inquisitively asks, her cheek resting on the top of my shoulder.

Wanting to keep hold of her surprise just that little bit longer, I'm purposely vague when I answer. "I'm still at The Hyde. Everyone is packing everything up."

"Why aren't we going there, then?" She asks, now softly smiling.

"Because we are going somewhere else."

"Where?"

I look at her, smirking. "It's a surprise."

Clara now smirks. "I don't like surprises."

My smirk lifts higher. "You'll like this one."

"Why will I?"

"Because you will."

"But why?"

Laughing at her ability to both annoy me and to make me insanely happy, I'm shaking my head as I laugh. "Do you ever stop asking questions?"

With her chin cheekily still on my shoulder, she gorgeously grins. "No, it's my job."

With that, I pull gently on her silk shirt and then she falls right into my lap. "Maybe this will shut you up?" My lips hungrily meet hers. The whole time that she's been playing with me, my eyes have been completely mesmerised by her magnificent mouth. Every single time it has sumptuously moved, I have been imagining all the ways I could kiss it. So that's what I'm doing. I'm kissing it in all of those sinful ways—cherishingly deep, possessively slow, hard and uninhibited—my kiss is taking complete ownership of her voluptuous lips. With our hedonistic mouths passionately unrestrained, our bodies want in on the sultry action. As soon as Clara's fingers immerse themselves in my hair, and her upper body strains to merge with mine, I know that if we carry on, my dick will be at the steering wheel of my mind.

"We need to stop." Running an aggravated hand through my hair, I try to slow down my aroused breaths. That's when I look down at Clara, all pouty and panty in my lap. "Sorry, I got carried away." I try to calmly explain. Not wanting to break any of our intimacy, I thread my fingers with those on her left hand. "I want to do things differently with you, Clara. I want to do things right." With my dick rapidly deflating, I think it actually hates me right now. Using my thumb, it strokes the velvety surface of her cheek. "You're making my already complicated life even more complicated, but you're a complication that I'm happy to have." Leaning in affectionately close, I kiss the tip of her nose and smile. "You're a beautiful complication, Clara Thorn."

And she is.

I know that Clara now has the capacity to rip me apart whilst holding me together.

In an angelic way, she gazes back at me. She says nothing. Wherever she is now, it needs no words. Instead, I lose myself in the beautiful abyss of her intense stare. Teal upon sage and sage upon teal, our eyes say what our hearts really want to. We stay like that until Clara herself softly intrudes. With a genteel smile, she quietly says. "I don't plan on staying a complication, Rhys Ryan." Then she brings the silent assassins—her sexy lips—sultrily against mine. "I'm so glad that you're still wanting to give us a chance." She quietly tells me.

After that assassinating kiss, does she honestly believe that I have any other choice? Of course I am giving us a chance.

I have to.

I need to.

I want to.

Grabbing her face, I frown down at my precious girl. "I don't see it as wanting to give us a chance. I see it as making a damn good decision—the only decision." Clara tries to look away, for just a moment, only I won't let her. I have more to say, so much more to share. "It's just the beginning for us, Clara. I know that one day, we will be properly together."

Clara shakes her head, unable to comprehend all that I'm saying. "Don't Rhys. Don't say things like that. Let's just see where the next few months will lead us, okay?"

Before Clara, I wouldn't have believed in my own words, either. Before her, I would have said that love was a promise that my heart wouldn't ever be able to keep. But now, I think my heart could keep every single promise it ever says to her. That's how sure I am about us. So instead of arguing with Clara about why she should believe in me, I silently believe in all that I know we will one day become. "Okay, but have you given any more thought to coming out to see me in The States? Could you get the time off?" I decide to broach the subject again. After this worldwide tour, I had always planned on taking some time out for myself. Now, I have more of a reason to take that valuable time out. "In a couple of weeks, I'm planning on going to my cabin in Echo Lake. Things will be winding down after the tour and I need some time out. I want to spend that time out with you. I can organise things for Maci before we go, I've already spoken with a new rehab, so as soon as I get back, I can sit her down and talk to her about it." Or more to the point, my mom will. After having just a little taste of happiness with Clara, I honestly don't know whether I'm ready to face Maci just yet. Right now, I'm here, with Clara. So gripping her hand a little tighter, I am almost pleading now. "Please say yes." My eyes search for her answer in amongst her bright teal spheres. "Please?" I'm now messing with her a little, not wanting to outwardly appear just as desperate as I am on the inside. My grin is boyish and stupid looking, but if it gets me my Yes, I really don't care.

"Yes!" Clara blurts out an excited Yes. The Yes that I had desperately wanted.

"Really?" I have to ask, just to make sure that my ears definitely heard right.

Nodding, over and over, Clara says. "Yes, I will."

My arms eagerly embrace her, elation pumping through my masculine limbs. "You will love it!" Then I start kissing her, everywhere and anywhere that my lips can enthusiastically get to first, I kiss her. "You'll bring the polka dot onesie, right?" My mouth is on her neck, smiling right against it.

Clara giggles, reacting to my lips and to my question. "For you, I most certainly will."

Rewarding her with more of my childish but loving kisses, I then say. "Awesome." Just as my mobile starts ringing in my pocket. As soon as I pull it from my pocket, I can see it's Cameron who is calling. "Cam, what's up?" I casually ask, threading my fingers with Clara's because I'm the lucky guy who gets to do that with her.

"I'm just calling because everyone is worried that you're not going to get on that plane tonight. Richie keeps calling me, wanting me to promise him that you'll be on that plane tonight. For one of the top guys from your record company to call, things are pretty serious, Rhys. He said that you told him you were, but he doesn't seem all that convinced, right now. You are getting on that plane, right?"

Not wanting Clara to be aware of any of the shit that has been going down on account of me not returning to LA last night, I just keep my reply light and casual. "Will has my guitar, right?" I glance at Clara, who is listening with silent interest.

"Everyone is good to go, Rhys...just please say that you are?"

Although Cam is speaking to me, his tone as he addresses me is marinaded with subtle disdain. He knows that I'm with Clara. He knows that she chose me. And he knows that he pushed me too far...and there's not one damn thing he can do about it. "Just make sure that everything is taken to the airport and I'll meet you guys there." I placidly tell him.

"When do you think that will be? Because we're heading to the airport soon." Cam states, loaded with a little agitation.

Still, it's my fingers that are entwined with Clara's, so I don't react to his developing agitation. "Uh, I should be done in a few hours, I should think." Once again, my eyes warmly move to Clara's, inwardly gutted that I only get to spend a few more hours looking into those captivating spheres of hers.

"And you'll definitely be there, Rhys?" Cam asks, sounding more and more unsure from his end.

So I answer in a convincingly light way. "Sure, okay." Then Slam gets brief eye contact with me from the rear view mirror, which quickly reminds me about whether or not he has fully packed yet. He probably has, but just to be sure, I swiftly say to Cameron. "Don't forget to ask someone to grab Slammer's stuff as well, because he's with me, remember?"

"It's all done, I think Jules sorted it out because he knew he was with you." Cam then briefly pauses before carrying on with a strain of unease to his voice. "Are you dropping off Clara before coming to the airport?"

I don't know why he wants to know that?

Maybe he himself, wonders whether he'll get to see her one more time before he leaves London?

But again, I don't react. I simply answer him with my hand wrapped tightly around Clara's. "Yeah, I'll drop Clara home before meeting you guys."

"Okay." Cameron glumly says. "I'll see you at the airport, then."

"Cool, I'll see you later." As soon as I hang up on Cam, Clara's interest in the call now seems slightly heightened. "Sorry, everyone is about to leave The Hyde." I say, kind of apologetic for Cam dragging my attention away from the very lovely her.

"Have you told the guys about us?" Clara surprisingly asks, looking edgy as she does. For now, she is wanting to keep our relationship under the radar of the press. I get that, I really do. My girl is wanting us to just be us, without being watched all the time. But for those in my inner circle, away from the press; I want them to know all about my girl. "Yeah, I did." I tell her with an assured smile. "You don't mind, do you?"

She shakes her head, still looking a little taken aback. "Of course I don't. I'm just surprised that you did, that's all."

So I explain to my girl, I explain it all. "If we're wanting to keep things discreet for a while, I'm gonna need their help to do it." My smile is warm and natural, it's all for her. "Besides, Will had kinda worked it out for himself. He thinks you're good for me." I think you're good for me, Clara Thorn. My thoughts yell from a quieter place in my mind. And Clara is good for me. To reassure her some more, I start fooling around. "I mean, I told him about the whole Walrus snoring thing as well, but he still thinks you're good for me." I ready myself for one of her playful slaps, the ones that I enjoy getting, because I love how Clara brings out the inner boy in me. With her, my life is fun.

It's warm.

It's full of smiles.

Joy.

Clara brings joy to my life.

Predictably cute, she hits the top of my arm with a girly punch. "You had better be joking!" Her teal eyes are squinting as they scold me, yet her mouth is straining with a smile.

Wanting her body back in my arms again, I enthusiastically embrace her. "I think Will is right." Both Will and my mind, are absolutely right. This beautiful woman, is so good for me. "Jules thinks it's pretty cool, too. He agrees that it's best to put a lid on things for a while, as well. Cameron, he has been pretty quiet about it all, but then he would, wouldn't he? He likes you himself." I don't know why I've just said that about Cameron, I guess I just want to see Clara's true reaction to Cam knowing about us.

"You really knew?" She asks, stiffening in my hold; looking a little nervous before she sits herself straight again. So Clara herself, did know that Cam liked her. That now makes me wonder about many things.

But I don't look at Clara with accusation and suspicion, I simply smile in her direction. "I told you, didn't I? But you didn't believe me when I did. How come you now know, has he said something?" I ask, really not wanting my question to fall out of my mouth in an accusatory way.

"No, he hasn't...a girl just kind of knows when a guy likes her." She's smiling back at me, no longer looking so unsettled or awkward.

My smile broadens, cockily broadens. "So, if you knew that Cam liked you...did you know that I liked you?"

She turns a little coy, and I must admit, I kind of get a kick out of seeing her blush because of me. "Um, a little bit. But then again, Cam hadn't just had some leggy brunette roll from out of his hotel room the first time I met him." Clara's stare burns into me, needing to make it clear that she hadn't yet fully forgotten about that leggy brunette.

This is where I need to redeem myself.

This is where I need to remind my girl, again, that nothing like that will happen all the time that I am with her.

I sit on my cockiness, I'm soon flying back to LA, and I need to know that Clara trusts me before I get on that flight. Because if she doesn't, Clara Thorn will make herself forget all about me as soon as I am airborne. Taking hold of her chin between my gentle fingers, I speak with serious sincerity and soft truth. "Listen to me, Clara. I'm not apologising for anything that has happened before I met you. I have a past, I can't change that. If we are doing this, we can only do this if we trust each other, right?" My eyes are deeply locked onto hers, wanting her to really listen. "Don't think about who I am and all that I've done, just think about why I am here. Don't think, Clara...feel." Bringing her hand to my heart, I press her palm against it; wanting her to feel how it now beats for only her. With the rhythm of my life force, softly pounding against Clara's relaxed hand, I just want her to know that my heart now belongs to her.

Clara Thorn changes everything for me.

She has changed everything for my heart.

We, are now hers.

Taking my face within her petite and kind hands, my girl starts saying all that her own heart feels. "Rhys Ryan, making the decision to be here with you, scares the hell out of me. It scares me and fills me with far too many doubts. But the decision to be here with you, also excites me. It makes me happy because I know that if this works out between us, there is so much more happiness to come. I trust you, because I am trusting myself. I am glad that you want me to be a part of your life, because you're already a part of mine. When you get on that plane later today, that isn't going to change...you will safely be kept inside of here." Then she places my hand, upon her own beating heart. "I feel you, Rhys Ryan." Her smile is lovingly soft. "I really do feel you."

Whispering so closely against her enticing mouth, I smile. "You really are my British beauty." Then I sedately kiss her sweet lips with my grateful ones—cherishing how so plumply perfect they are before I suddenly bring our featherlight kiss to an end. "We're here!" I excitedly say. Clara was so lost in the tender moment, so lost in our kiss and so deeply lost in us, she hadn't even noticed the car coming to a sudden stop. Eagerly, I want to give my girl her big surprise.

As Slammer opens the door for us, I happily thank him as I hold out my hand for Clara. As she exits the car, her fingers wrap themselves around mine. "I wanted to share this with you before I left, so you'll remember it with a smile until we see each other again." I tell her, giving her small fingers a tender little squeeze as my smile keenly widens. I have so much more that I want to say. So much more that I want to show. But for now, I'll just let my girl just have a quiet moment to immerse herself in her surprise. For now, I'll just watch her beautiful reaction from where I so happily stand.