[LYNN'S POV]

The end of our extended holiday in Portland due to Orlando’s meeting for his new movie project here, came to an end sooner than expected. We had barely arrived from London a few hours ago and already I was in this messy situation.

For God’s sake, messy didn’t do it any justice.

This was a catastrophe!

Momentarily blinding lights flashed on my face, topped with at least almost a dozen demanding voices and nudges from people around me. Guided by my instinct, I retreated back into the hotel and ran while they tried to follow me, yelling my name.

The hell how did they get my name?!

How the heck did they know I’m here?! It’s Portland for God’s sake, how did they find us? What’s happening?!

As I ran to the opposite direction, still trying to process everything, I looked back and saw about four or five persistent paparazzi passed through the hotel’s security and chased after me. In disbelief, I took a sharp breath, picked up my pace proceed to run anywhere. I ended up at the hotel kitchen, drawing attention of some busy cook who eyed me warily.

“Ma’am, this is a kitchen. Unless you’re a kitchen staff you can’t be here,” said a plump lady with her eyes scrutinizing me with the face that just told me that she didn’t give a shit about me.

“P-Please,” I pleaded breathlessly. “I’m just trying to hide from my ex husband,” I lied, putting up my fake desperate, broken look as best as I could muster.

At the same moment I heard the door burst open rather noisily and instinctively I ducked, hiding between nearby buckets by the counter. One of my paparazzi had seen me coming this way.

The lady squinted her eyes at my chaser and then at me. “Who? That baldy?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

The look on the lady’s face softened then turned sympathetic in a fleeting second.

“Honey, stay here as long as you want,” she said sympathetically.

I mouthed thank you to her and she moved to face my chaser, shielding me from my chaser’s eyes.

“You want something?” demanded her coldly.

Seeing that ‘baldy’ was still looking around for me, the lady asked him again more sternly. “Do you want something? Unless you’re a staff, you don’t belong here.”

“Shut up,” replied baldy coldly with an English accent before exiting the kitchen.

The kind lady looked at me and mumbled, “I see why you left him.”

***

“We are completely busted, luv. We go to any hotel here, sooner or later someone will tip off the paparazzi that we are there. If only CJ is not out of the country right now... We would’ve a place to go,” sighed Orlando.

“Look, Orlando, what about you just find any hotel you can then stay there—I’ll figure things out. I’ll buy a ticket back to LA--”

“Not an option, luv. I brought you here and I’m going to take care of you, alright? I’m not gonna ditch you.”

“You’re not ditching me. Us together makes things more complicated—“

“It already is complicated. They had seen us together. Now there’s no going back. I’m sorry. I know you don’t want my life but I can’t just roam around the city then pretended that I don’t know you. I can’t do that to you. What will they think of you, then? Just a fling that I had on a vacation then ditch once vacation’s over?”

I was silent for a moment and blinked as my mind processed his train of thoughts.

“Wow, I didn’t think of that.”

“I just want to keep your good name, okay luv? No matter what, we’re not separating. If you decide to fly home then I’ll go with you no matter what.”

“What?? And blatantly throwing away the chance of starring this potential career-boosting movie by getting out of town before the meeting with the director and producer’s over? You said yourself that Kingdom Of Heaven will be big,” I protested.

“Kingdom of Heaven. Hmm. Maybe I don’t care anymore--”

“—oh come on! Would you abandon reason for this?”

“I got heaven right in front of my eyes already,” teased Orlando with a wink, ignoring my serious attempt on a sound conversation.

I was speechless. How could he joked around in moments like this? Despite of how impressive the way he distracted me, I maintain my (failing) serious face, because despite how much I wanted to be mad, the smug eyebrow move that he gave me was just priceless.

“You’re way too tense, luv,” he whispered with a smirk in his voice from across the small circular table on the small cafe. “You look like you need a massage.”

“No, I don’t want to be massaged by a random man with a ski mask in a cafe!” I huffed, blushing madly. Orlando chuckled at me but shrugged anyway.

“Hmph. Fair enough. I know I don’t look too desirable in this mask,” mumbled Orlando like a sulking kid.

A giggle escaped me and I failed to stay serious with the conversation.

“You distracted me again.”

“Just sayin, luv. Nevertheless, I refuse leaving you alone. I guess if we have no option I can just make some call to see if we can hire someone to be with us while we’re here.”

“A body guard?” I asked in disapproval.

“Bodyguards,” Orlando corrected. “One is not enough to control the crowd.”

I sighed. Having bodyguards around meant we’ll attract more attention. I despised that more than anything.

Orlando took my hand on the table and looked down at me.

“I’m sorry you have to go through this. I’m sorry that you get dragged into the life that you didn’t choose. I know I promised to protect you but I failed. Now they know you,” said Orlando sincerely. “I’m really sorry, Lynn.”

“Don’t feel that way, monkey. I know you promised but this is out of your control. There’s nothing you can do. I knew that this thing is going to happen anyway so don’t think that way,” I assured him with a smile.

Orlando smiled through his mask and reached for his phone.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Calling Ruth. Explain to her of our situation and tell her to send someone for us. We know nobody else here except CJ, nowhere to go. That leave us with the only option,” said Orlando as he began to unlock his phone.

“No, wait,” I stopped him. Orlando tilted his head a little, waiting for me to continue.

“I’m totally against this idea but this is still better than staying in a hotel with guards and paparazzi at our tail.”

***

We stood by the door of a fairly large, lovely house on a housing complex in the city, in the middle of the night, looking rather conspicuous with me walking around in wet clothes, just as drenched as Orlando, who thankfully, already took off his mask and changed into a hat and hoodie instead.

Not that his look right now is any less conspicuous.

“You didn’t tell me that Portland is actually just a few kilometers from Oregon City!” protested Orlando in a hushed voice.

“Didn’t think it’s of any importance,” I whispered with a shrug. “Just hit the bell.”

Orlando reached for the bell and soon enough a familiar gruff voice yelled and peeked through his window before opening the door for us.

The tall, buff man, still in his sleeping robe looked at both of us with distaste and was obviously upset, though I could almost hear the machine working in his head, trying to form any kind of smart greeting as I saw another familiar man, much younger, standing behind him with a brow arched and a hint of surprise and amusement in his sleepy face.

“Is she pregnant?” the man demanded Orlando, seemingly ready to hulk out the moment Orlando open his mouth.

I held myself from rolling my eyes, coughed, shielding Orlando (a poor attempt, since I was and still much shorter than him, but I did it anyway) and stare up the tall and buff man that resembled more to Arnold Schwarzenegger from Terminator.

“Well, if it’s true, would you let your daughter carrying your grandchild stand outside in the cold?” I asked sarcastically, raising my brow, letting him know that his assumption was absurd.

The man visibly relaxed. Though he didn’t give poor Orlando that murderous face anymore, still he looked at him in suspicion. But then a smile slowly crept up his face as he looked at me— and the next thing I knew my dad was embarrassing me in front of everyone by lifting me off the ground and giving me the familiar bear hug that didn’t seem to change since... well, forever.

***

[Author’s Note: I’m a comment beggar. Leave any kind of comment really, even critics—I will always appreciate those! Tell me what you think! Thanks x]