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Their meeting had played like a movie in her head a hundred times since that afternoon. She was almost sure that there was a spark of attraction in his eyes for her. Even when he was trying to convince her, his hand had landed on hers, caressing it gently. She could see why she would be attracted to him, but what she couldn’t fathom was why he would be attracted to her. He must have a million girls running after him. Why me?
In the end, she convinced herself that it was all a figment of her imagination and Arsen was probably being overly charming only because he wanted to lease her house. Going to and fro between these thoughts, she somehow drifted off to sleep.
A slight drizzle greeted her when she woke up in the morning. As she looked out her window, she could see a whole lot of water still splashed out on the road. A couple of trees had broken branches too. Nothing that would concern a resident of Montcove. Thoughts of Arsen and his handsome face entered her mind and she found it difficult to sweep away the smile that came upon her face. Rory realized that she had forgotten how it felt to be attracted to a man. Especially a man who could get her pulse racing fast simply by just being there.
She had forgotten about her need to feel loved. To have a man there for her, teasing her, spoiling her, caressing her. She loved the tingles Arsen sent down her spine and the non-judgmental way he looked at her. He seemed to cherish her for who she was, and the gleam in his eyes every time he looked at her told her this much. The attraction was strong. But Rory wanted a man who could be a part of her life every day, someone who wouldn’t leave like others had. Arsen wasn’t that man.
She lazed around in bed for a long time, thinking of Arsen and how he made her feel, and decided to head downstairs to open the bookstore only when the rain had stopped completely. Maybe someone will want to read a new book on a nice cloudy day like this.
After half an hour, the door to the shop opened up and a man entered. Though Rory was initially disappointed that he was not a customer, she was relieved that he was the guy Don had sent over to fix the wall. In all the excitement of the past few days, she had forgotten about the wall and Don’s promise to fix it. She was glad that he had kept his word and didn’t leave the job to her. There was no way Rory could’ve found the money for repairs.
Soon the sounds of hammer and chisel were echoing around the quiet periphery of the house, and Rory was relieved that at least something was getting fixed in her life. She was sitting at the computer watching a Pilates instructional video on YouTube when the door to the shop opened again. Rory casually looked up, thinking it was the handyman who had come to ask her for something, but instead it was a chubby man in a baseball cap with a camera around his neck.
“Can I help you?” she asked.
“As a matter of fact, you can.” The man smiled in a way that made Rory feel weird.
“Are you interested in a particular book?” She smiled politely.
“Well. Not really, but I will buy something if it means that I can ask you a few questions.” He looked around the bookstore in a disapproving way.
“Questions?” Rory crossed her arms and sat on guard. Clearly, this man was not a regular walk-in.
“About our mutual friend, Arsen Ford.” That greasy smile was back on his face.
“You are a friend of his?”
“Well, he doesn’t think so, but after having photographed him so many times, I feel as if I’ve known him forever.” He grinned sleazily.
Rory looked him up and down and then it struck her—the man was a paparazzo.
“I spotted you with him yesterday, but you guys disappeared before I could get some shots. What’s the story there? Are you guys an item?”
Instead of getting angry, Rory broke into a chuckle. It also gave her immense satisfaction to know that they had successfully managed to throw off the paparazzi by heading into Martha’s bakery yesterday.
“If you want to buy a book then it’s fine, otherwise I suggest that you leave,” she replied. The man didn’t budge.
“All right. I see you want to play hardball.” He smirked. “How much do you want for the information? I pay better if you have any personal pictures or videos.”
Out of curiosity, Rory wanted to ask how much he would pay, but there was no way she was going to rat out Arsen. She remained silent.
“There is good money in this and let’s face it, even if you are his new plaything, it won’t last long. Wouldn’t you rather get something out of it? Something more than just the achievement of having a fling with a rockstar? They’re all scumbags anyway.” His distaste for Arsen was apparent. Rory wasn’t sure if that was because of jealousy or plain hatred.
“I think you should leave,” she said flatly.
“You think he’s a good guy and that he will be the love of your life? Naive girl. Nothing like that will ever happen, so cherish it while you can before he pumps and dumps you.”
That greasy smile on his face was driving her up the wall, and his words weren’t helping either. Rory wanted to smack him.
“If you change your mind, contact me here.” He threw a busines
s card on the counter. “I am Hector, by the way. There is money to be made here, and who knows, if you give me a sex tape, we could make you famous.” Hector threw a cigarette in his mouth and started walking out.
Rory would’ve surely hit him had he not been out of reach. The guy was a scumbag through and through, and it didn’t take a special power of insight for her to see that.
Poor Arsen. This is what he has to deal with on a daily basis in LA. No wonder he hates this scene and wants to get away from it all and rent my house. Should I? There was a small part of her that wanted to help Arsen, but the trouble that would come with it would be far more than she could handle.
There was no telling what his band members would do to her house. The story of them driving the limousine into the hotel pool came back into her head. There was no way in hell she was letting them mess up her grandmother’s beloved home. Besides, it would also mean paparazzi parked outside her house all the time. She wasn’t prepared for that kind of attention. As bad as she felt for Arsen, Rory knew she couldn’t take that on.
