As she approached the next street sign she cried into the phone, “Tristan!”
She abruptly felt arms wrapping around her, her instincts kicked in and she starting pushing and screaming against the body.
“It’s me Stella.”
She recognised Tristan’s voice. She looked up, tears running down her face, her hair soaked and clinging to her cheeks. She felt him pull her hand hard as she saw the opening of the car door, pulling her inside quickly and shutting the door behind them.
“Go now!” Tristan called out to the driver. She was curled up next to Tristan on the seat, her body saturated, she held Tristan’s shirt tightly in her hands fearing to let go. Her body was shaking in shock and the coldness from the rain sweeping her body. She caught a glimpse of flashing lights behind her as the car screeched forward in the rain.
Tristan was silent as he pulled her tighter around him rubbing his hand up and down her as he held his phone in his other hand, his fingers tapping the screen hastily.
The journey to the hotel was quick as she watched the car approach the hotel’s underground car park. As the car stopped in front of the lift, he opened the door pulling Stella through, walking briskly towards the lift. They entered the lift in
silence,
she still had her arms wrapped around him, her head resting on his chest as she watched the doors close. Ben and the other security also stood inside the lift near the door, all eyes focused forward.
The lift doors opened moments later to Tristan’s penthouse suite. He pulled away now clasping his hand in hers as they walked through the suite to his bedroom. As they walked into his bedroom, Tristan grabbed her handbag from her shoulder and placed it on the chest of drawers. They continued towards the bathroom as one of his security personnel came out, walking past him nodding to Tristan.
Tristan grabbed Stella by her arms lightly and pulled her to face him when they reached the bathroom. He bent his head down and kissed her deeply, his mouth moving on hers with force. Before she could return his kiss he pulled away. His eyes still closed, he pressed his forehead to hers, breathing deeply. Her body was no longer shaking, a warmth inside had awakened when he kissed her.
“I couldn’t live with myself if anything had happened to you.”
She felt his hot breath on her face. She wanted to say something, anything, but her voice was frozen, still processing the recent events.
He pulled away her wet jacket, undressing her slowly. Bending down, holding her ankle he slipped off her shoes. He stood once again facing her, he held her gaze while his hand slipped down the back of her pulling the zip down on her dress.
He reached both her hands up still holding her gaze steady, pulling the dress off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground. He gently pulled her stockings down, careful to hold her steady so she didn’t fall. He rose to meet her gaze and moved forward, he was close to her now, but not close enough for their bodies to touch. He moved his hand to her back and unclasped her bra, slowly pulling it off.
His hand slid down her stomach, her body respond to his touch, as he pulled down her underwear. He lowered himself, carefully moving the tiny bit of fabric down her body as he pulled it off her legs, one by one.
Her heart beating fast now, she had almost forgotten that only a few minutes ago she was
shivering,
his touch had warmed her in every way.
He stood once more, she felt like she should have been embarrassed, standing there naked in front of him while he looked at her intensely, studying her features. He closed in on their gap and gently found her lips. No words needed to be said, he had saved her in every way possible.
With him, she felt complete. She returned his kiss feeling his tongue press into her mouth softly caressing hers. He picked her up into his arms, walking to the
bathtub,
he broke their kiss and placed her down into the water.
The water was
warm,
she let her body sink into it. She watched him as he sat on the corners of the bath, determined to watch her every move. She assumed he would come in but he just sat there. He grabbed a
loufa
from the side of the bath and started rubbing it over her arms. She watched as the muscles in his arms flexed as he went up and down. She wanted him in the bath with her, she wanted to feel his body against hers, touching her.
“Are you coming in?” she asked, finally finding her voice.
He shook his head, deep in concentration, he paused. “I should have had someone with you.” She watched as he clenched his teeth like he was trying not to let the anger take a hold of him. “It was the paparazzi following you. They must have figured out you were seeing me.”
The paparazzi?
Stella thought to herself. “How would they know?”
“That’s their job, they find these things out.” He looked at her now, his face strained. “I’m sorry Stella. This is
all my
fault.”
“It’s ok,” she softly spoke, her words trying to reassure not only him but also for
herself
. What kind of world had she stepped into? Could she no longer walk the streets without fear of being harassed?
They were silent now as he continued washing her body. She didn’t want to think about what had just happened, she couldn’t think about it, not with Tristan there. Not like this.
His hands lingered over her chest, pausing, his eyes fell to her bare breasts. He quickly pulled his hand upwards. She wanted him, she needed his touch. She placed her hand over his, moving it back down, gently stroking her breasts. His hand trembled beneath hers, her nipples hardening. Tristan looked at her now as she bit her bottom lip, not able to hide the sensations in her body.
He leaned over and placed his lips to hers, her reaction was simultaneous as she grabbed his shoulders, pushing their kiss deeper. He immediately pulled back. “I can’t
Stella,
I promised we’d take things slow.”
She held his arms tight, not wanting to let him go. “I want you Tristan. I want you now.” She pushed herself up from the bath, grabbing a firmer grip on him and pulled him forward hard, his balance giving way as he fell into the bath on top of her.
“Shit Stella!” He quickly reached into his pants pulling out his phone before it went into the water and threw it across the room. She stroked his jawline with the back of her hand, loosing herself in his beautiful blue eyes.
“Are you sure?” Tristan asked, his voice sounding hoarse.
Stella smiled, “Nothing has felt so right in my life.” She grabbed his shirt with her hands and pulled him closer, locking their lips together. His hands slid down the side of her naked body, then reaching for his shirt he pulled it off, breaking their kiss. She rubbed her hands over his bare chest, feeling the lines of his body.
“I love you Stella.”
She looked at him, her heart warming at his words. She had been trying so hard to push her feelings away to try and not rush anything, but she had fallen so deeply in love with him too. He had touched her soul in ways no other had.
“I…I….”
Somehow she couldn’t say the words he longed to hear. She wanted to tell him she loved him, wanted to scream it to the world, but she wouldn’t. Nothing she did would change her past, erase the events that changed her life, drained her of all the love she thought she had. She’d only ever said those three words once before, in a moment of pure happiness that was quickly replaced with everything she once had never thought existed, the grief and emptiness of what loving someone meant when it was all gone.
Tristan placed a finger on her lips, gently silencing the fear. “It’s ok. You don’t have to say it.”
“I want to, it’s just...”
“Stella, I said its ok.”
Stella felt herself choke back tears. “Thank you,” she said, knowing this is exactly where she needed to be, with Tristan. All questioning and reasoning was now gone. She wanted Tristan, and she was no longer going to hide from it.
Tristan traced Stella’s arm back and forth as she lay there next to him, her leg wrapped around him, cuddling into his warmth. He could feel her breath on his chest as she held him tight, he didn’t dare move, the moment was too perfect to ruin. Never had he felt the way he did with her.
The sound of the rain falling outside, it all seemed too perfect.
Tristan thought back to all those times he had thought he couldn’t have been happier, now in this moment with Stella he knew exactly where his happiness lay and with Stella he felt like he’d never known true happiness until her.
Being famous had its advantages, Tristan never had to worry about trying to pick anyone up, and he always had a line of women just waiting to be with him. Looking back now he realised how immature and ridiculous he had been. He had loved all the attention, especially the women, but at the end of the day they never stuck around. The ones that did never lasted long. Tristan had tried even dating celebrities, thinking that because they knew what it was like being famous, and everything that comes along with it, that it would work, but it never did. Regardless of whether they were famous or not, Tristan never felt like he connected to anyone, he had begun to realise how lonely being famous was. He’d never felt anything beyond lust for them. Sex had always just been sex and at the end of the day they were gone and he would be alone again.
Stella was different though, he felt a connection with her, being with her was anything but just sex. It was like an outer body experience, nothing like he’d ever felt before. The feelings for Stella didn’t just stop at the never ending need to touch her, to feel her against his skin, igniting his inner flame. He felt a protection over her, to never want anyone or anything to hurt her. He wanted her to be content with her life, be everything she wanted to be. He’d found himself thinking thoughts he’d never dreamt of having, thoughts about a life with her, marriage, children. He wanted it all with
her,
she made him want to be a better person.
He felt Stella move against him. “You’re not watching me sleep again are you Tristan?” she grumbled, sounding half asleep.
Tristan smiled. “I can’t help it.” He continued to stroke her arms as he hummed the words to a song.
Stella looked up at Tristan and burst into fits of laughter. “Are you humming the words to Aerosmith’s ‘
I Don’t Want To Miss A
Thing’?” she laughed, clearly amused by Tristan’s attempt to be romantic.
He shrugged, “It seemed fitting.” He laughed with her, pulling her tighter so she rested back on his chest. “Anyway I never thought much of those words, until I met you. Now I know exactly what they’re talking about.”
He felt Stella’s face smile against his skin. “You’ve written love songs before though Tristan.”
“Not really. I mean I wrote about love and all that, not really knowing what it truly was though. That was of course until I wrote
Forever Yours
, the song about you.”
Tristan had never written something that meant so much to him. He’d felt inspired by Stella, drawn to her, but she had never called him back. He wanted her to know how much she meant to him, little did he know when he debuted the song that Stella would be at the concert. He hoped when it was released Stella would hear it and know how he felt, never in his wildest dreams did he imagine she would hear it at his concert and the events that followed after.
“Sing it to me.”
“What, now?” Tristan replied stunned.
Stella pulled herself up, carefully tugging the sheet over her exposed body. “Yes now.”
Tristan shook his head. It was one thing to sing in front of a stadium full of screaming fans who didn’t know you, but another to sing to the only person whose opinion mattered. “No I don’t think so.
Stella leaned her body forward, delicately brushing his lips with hers. “Please,” she breathed.
Tristan’s body tensed, she knew he wouldn’t be able to say no to her, not when she asked him like that. He took a deep breath and replied, “Ok, but only if you don’t laugh.”
Stella smiled. “My lips are sealed,” she said as she pretended to pull a zipper across her lips.
Tristan pulled himself off the bed, turning to Stella he spoke. “You stay there. It’s going to be hard enough to sing to you, let alone with you lying naked next to me.”
Stella raised her eyebrow and grinned at him playfully while he walked across the room, knowing Stella had a perfect view of his backside.
Tristan grabbed the guitar resting on the chest of drawers and pulled it against him as he sat on the chair across the room. “Here goes,” he whispered so only he could hear, hoping his words were enough of an encouragement for him to sing.
He cleared his throat and started strumming his guitar keeping his eyes on Stella as she leaned on his pillow, watching him closely.
“I knew the moment I met you, you were something special.
Your eyes spoke of mystery and intrigue,
And all I wanted was to get to know you.
Little did I know you would steal my heart
away,
And I’d be left here, yearning for more.
Wasn’t it you who once said,
Everything happens for a reason, accept it and move on.
If you’re not happy, then do something about it.
Well my beautiful girl,
I’m doing something about it, I’m taking a chance.
I’d do anything to hold you again,
To love you.
I’ll be your forever,
Forever yours, if you’ll have me.
Stella I’m yours.”
Tristan continued to sing the rest of the song, watching the way Stella looked at him. He knew he shouldn’t have been worried what she
thought,
she’d heard the song before, only this time she wasn’t looking at him in fear or uncertainty, she looked at him with love, the love that binds two souls together forever. The love he knew he felt for her, and he would do anything to hold onto it forever.