* Part 5 * 

After we got in Orlando's car, he started it and drove to one of the stores on Oxford Street. He was lucky to find somewhere to park nearby. On the short walk H Samuel, I noticed many heads turning in his direction. Although he had put on his sunglasses, they couldn't hide who he was.

Through the storefront window I noticed that they had a few new Pocket Dragons that I didn't have along with some Lord of the Rings jewellery. After seeing the jewellery I had to smile and look over at Orlando as he walked beside me down the sidewalk. There was so much merchandise associated with the films that I wondered how he felt seeing it wherever he turned. The fan interest wasn't over yet either. Many people were waiting for the extended version of Return of the King to come out since the theatrical version had just been released on DVD and VHS.

We entered the store and I began looking at the Pocket Dragons. Orlando was very patient with me when I had difficulty choosing which ones I wanted. After some time I finally chose one Pocket Dragon and a wizard in the Myth and Magic series.

I told the young clerk behind the counter which ones I wanted but before I was able to pay for them Orlando had his wallet out ready to do so for me. While she gathered the merchandise, I noticed that she glanced a lot at Orlando. She was obviously a fan. When she got his attention she blushed. And he didn't make it any easier for her by flirting. I felt sorry for her so I didn't stay and wait for her to wrap the goods.

The store was a rather large one and there were several costumers about so I was able to wander around undisturbed. While Orlando was preoccupied with my purchase, I began looking for their Lord of the Rings jewellery. I thought it would be a bit uncomfortable doing it with him at my side since he was in the films. I wanted buy Arwen's Evenstar if it was a reasonable price. I spotted the necklace was there among the display items.

"It is very nice jewellery," I heard a female voice say from behind the counter. "Have you seen that we have it as earrings too?"

"Yes, it is a beautiful charm." I replied. "I think I saw that there were earrings as well, but I'm not interested in them. How much does the Evenstar cost with a matching chain?"

She told me the price and I tried to convert the money back to my own currency in my head. If I had done it right I made it more than I would have paid I bought it over the Internet. Although I wanted it so much, at that price it was way out of my league.

"As much as I would like to get it I'm not able to buy it today," I told her.

"Is there anything else that might interest you?" she asked.

"No thanks. I'm finished. I'm just waiting until my friend picks up our purchases."

The clerk walked away and I went back to the desk where Orlando was still standing. The young girl came back to give him the bag.

"Hi. There you are. I didn't see where you went," Orlando said as I walked up to him.

"I was just over there," I replied, pointing to the other end of the store. "I was looking at some other things they have to offer."

"Did you see anything you like?"

"Yes. I might go back and buy it another day. I need to think about it." I replied quickly, adding the last bit to stop him from asking any more questions or offering to buy that too.

When we passed the door I noticed that the young clerk was still looking at us. She would probably have a nice story to tell her friends later. Not only that Orlando had been shopping there, but that he left with his arm around my shoulders.

After we had walked a little way down the street I quickened my pace so his arm would leave my shoulders. I regretted it immediately. I slowed my pace to walk back beside him again. We walked the rest of the way to the car in silence. We got in and he pulled out into traffic.

I turned to look at him. I couldn't get enough of it. I thought I might want more from him than he might be able to give or that I even wanted to receive. I couldn't deny how happy I felt meeting him. It was a dream. A dream I thought would never come true. It's not everyday that you meet a big star who notices you and wants to be your friend. I had to keep pinching myself. To keep it all in perspective I had to try telling myself that there would never be anything between us. Not in the way I dreamed it could be.

I wasn't sure if I was in love with the dream of being with him or if I had managed to fall in love with the real man in the short time I had been with him. I quickly dismissed that idea as not being a wise thing. Not before I could retrieve any memory of the years we had spent together in the past. I had to see this as a new friendship and start from scratch.

I also knew I had to gather up enough courage to tell him why I had acted the way I did moments before. It was a way I had about me. Although I couldn't understand my reactions, I had mixed feelings. I liked the way he seemed to want to touch me, but there was the problem I had with close contact and touching.

Before I know it we were pulling up outside The Black Friar.

"Orlando, there is something I think I need to explain to you." I began. "I'm sorry that I walked away from you before and haven't spoken since."

"Don't worry. It's okay," he replied, "You already said that you need time. I understand."

"It's not just that. I think there is one more thing I need to say to you."

"You have a boyfriend, a family?" he asked, anxiously.

"Please listen. It's not that," I began, agitatedly. "I'm just not comfortable when people touch me. It has something to do with what happened to me. It's left me feeling unsure of what people expect from me. Not that I didn't like you touching me. It felt good when you did. I just wanted you to know that."

I felt near to tears. I was afraid that it might scare him off because he seemed to need close contact with those he close to. I looked down at my hands resting in my lap. I began to grow uncomfortable with the silence between us. As I went to open the car door I felt his hand stop me.

"Cami… Sofie, don't run." he said, worriedly. "Don't be afraid to tell me what you feel, or if I cross the line in any way. If you don't say anything I won't know if I do anything wrong. I want you to feel at ease with me."

"I feel more secure with you than I have felt with anyone in a long time," I replied honestly. "I feel much less tense than I usually am around people. It feels good."

He dared to stroke away the lonely tear that had escaped to roll slowly down my cheek. If I didn't have the cast iron control I used on myself I would have thrown my arms around his neck and kissed him. He put his hand under my chin to raise my eyes to his. His deep chocolate eyes mirrored my feelings. I could tell he was trying to keep himself under control as well. He stroked his fingers over my lips instead. I let him do it without turning my head away. I closed my eyes for a moment to calm my nerves.

"I'll see you on Sunday then," I said suddenly, unable to find another way out of this situation. "Bye."

I grabbed my bag and opened the door. I quickly stood and exited the car before anything else could happen. Just as I was about to close the door he spoke.

"Wait! Let me give you my address and phone number… just in case you need me."

He searched in his glove compartment for a pen and paper. I remembered the small notebook I always carry in my bag and handed it to him. He had already found a pen and scribbled down the address and number for me.

As he handed it back to me he said, "Bye Sofie, I'll see you on Sunday at one o'clock."

 

* Part 6 * 

I was glad that I had a bit of time before the meeting. I really needed to collect my thoughts and my feelings. So far this trip had been full of surprises for me and I was wondering what else would happen before I headed home.

I felt I needed something to calm me down, so I headed for the bar. I ordered a bottle of Hobgoblin. When I turned around I saw that someone else was sitting at my table, so I looked for another unoccupied one.

The ale taste good. The malt liquid with a hint of chocolate filled my mouth. I closed my eyes and let the flavour envelope me. For a moment I was lost in pleasure of the taste. Then I saw something in my minds eye that also reminded me of chocolate, which also seemed to warm a part inside me. Startled, I tried to pull myself away from the vision of those brown eyes. What had made me to see them again?

I concentrate on watching the door so didn't miss Berlinda's arrival. I didn't have too wait too long before she walked in. She was wearing boots, and similar clothes to my own. My heart started to beat faster and I felt more nervous about meeting her than I had been about meeting Orlando earlier.

She seemed to spot me at the same time I waved to her.

"Hi Sofie. Nice to finally meet you eye to eye." Berlinda said as she walked toward me.

"Hi Berlinda. The same to you. It's not a day to early." I replied honestly.

"You hadn't any problems getting here?"

"No. I got here right away... by pure luck, I guess." I thought to myself that she didn't need to know exactly how I get here, just that I had arrived. Deep down, I hoped that my face hadn't shown exactly what I felt in that moment, either.
We found it easy to talk to each other and my heart soon began beating normally again. The fact that we were always chatting on the Internet must have helped to break the ice. I felt nothing but good vibes. I knew that we would have a good time in the couple of days we would spend in each others company.

I was hoping that having a good time being with Berlinda would help me keep the feelings about my meeting with Orlando Bloom at bay. Since I didn't have any prior memory of him, all I wanted to do was to push those thoughts away. Though I knew deep down inside that I would have to cope with it eventually. I also knew it was no good trying to force myself to remember. I would still need some time. I quickly pushed the thoughts away.

When the waiter came we ordered the evenings 'special', pie, mash and mushy peas. "Traditional old London fare" as it was listed on the special board. It didn't taste too bad and the price was reasonable.

I tried to concentrate fully on Berlinda and our ideas for what we would do with our time. I enjoyed making plans and was pleased that we had jointly decided on a few 'must do' ideas. Two of which were our trip to The Globe Theatre to see Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and our Friday night trip to the Borderline for some live music.

Through out our conversation we talked about all kinds of subjects. When the topic came to close to a certain person, I tried to change it because I couldn't trust myself not to say anything. Since I still wasn't sure what I was thinking or feeling about it, I sure didn't want to talk about it.

"Did you buy anything on you shopping trip?" Berlinda asked.

"Yeah. A few tiny things. Some presents and two new ornaments to the series I'm collecting. Do you want to see them?" I replied.

"Yes, please." Berlinda replied interested.

I picked up my backpack and took out the H. Samuel bag. When I'd arrived at the pub I had just put everything down without looking. I opened the bag and looking out a tiny grasp.

"Is something wrong Sofie?" Berlinda wondered.

"No. Not at all," I replied quickly.

I wasn't sure if Berlinda believed me or not. The bag didn't just contain the two ornaments I had bought. There was a third package in there too. Had Orlando bought something for himself and forgotten to tell me it was in the bag? I would have to ask him on Sunday.

I pulled out the boxes containing the dragon and the wizard. Berlinda picked them up carefully, turning them around to inspect them from all angles. She told me that she was also a collector of the Myth and Magic dragons and wizards and was always amazed at the intricate work on each model. She said that she loved my purchases and carefully put them back in the boxes to keep them safe.

"What's that?" Berlinda asked, spotting the other package when she took the bag from me to replace the boxes.

"Oh. Nothing special. Just a present," I replied.

"Would you let me see it please?"

I was just as interested as Berlinda in seeing what it contained so I let her open it. It wasn't wrapped, so it wouldn't hurt to take a quick look. Lying in the box was a charm in the shape of a dragon on a chain. It had been lying near the Myth and Magic items in the store and I had been looking at it. Somehow Orlando must have realised that it was something I would like to have in the future. Maybe he had bought it for me. Or did he have someone else in mind who liked dragons too?

Meanwhile, Berlinda had picked it up to look at it closely. I shut my eyes, feeling another headache coming on, but I also felt a brief sensation of familiarity. I tried to grab hold of the feeling, hoping that it would stir a forgotten memory. It felt like things had happened that way before. As if Orlando liked to surprised me with little gifts.

"It's beautiful. Is it from the Myth and Magic series?" Berlinda asked.

"I think so. It was standing near the other things."

"I want to see it on you," Berlinda said suddenly, holding out the necklace toward me.

I shook my head. If it wasn't meant for me then I didn't want to wear it.

"C'mon," Berlinda insisted. "You bought it so it can't be destroyed and don't you like dragons?"

"Yes. I like dragons. But it is a gift."

I didn't want to say why I didn't want to put it on, so I did it before she could say anything more.

"Sofie, it's beautiful," Berlinda said. "It's so delicate and sits so well around your neck. It could have been designed with you in mind."

I let her admirer it a little longer and then took it off and replaced it in the box. I wouldn't do anything more with it until I'd spoken with Orlando on Sunday.

I saw that Berlinda was surprised when I took the dragon off.

"Why wouldn't you wear it?" she asked confused.

"I told you it's a present," I replied.

"Who have you bought it for? Or isn't it a gift for yourself?"

I wanted to snap her out of thinking that it was I who had bought it, but then I would probably have to tell the whole story. I started to fiddle with one of the napkins and tap one of my feet. I thought about how I would be able to get away from talking about it without being rude. She must have noticed my awkwardness because she quickly turned the conversation onto Lord of the Rings.

"Why haven't you mentioned one word about the films, yet?" she asked.

In our endless Internet chats I somehow always get into talk about the films. I somehow always seemed to find a common link to the films. I was very well aware of how when I loved something I seemed to find a segway to that subject sooner or later.

"I thought I should try to spare you from it," I laughed.

She laughingly asked me if I may be suffering from a Lord of the Rings overdoes. I laughed quietly with her, hoping that would make her drop that subject also.

She looked at me and asked, "Maybe you're over your "Elf crush". Or are you hot for another Prince? Or maybe the love for Orlando was subsided?"

I suddenly felt the colour disappeared totally from my face. I put my hands over my face to try to hide it.

"What is it? What has happened?" Berlinda asked concerned.

"J… just a slight headache," I stammered. "The start of an old memory."

I waved my hand to tell her to be silent for some time and hoped she understood that I didn't want to talk about it right then.

I looked at my watch and was very happy to see that we had to go so we would not be too late for the theatre.

We had tickets to stand in the area right in front of the stage. Although there were a lot of people there, I wasn't disturbed too much because this was something I really wanted to see. I know I would be able to focus on the performance and not on the crowd around me. There was still some time before the curtain was to rise, so we looked around to see what sort of people were in the audience. We soon realised that there were all kinds around us.

As I looked around I thought I spotted a familiar face and my heart was suddenly in my mouth. I moved to stand behind Berlinda since she was a bit taller than me. I silently chanted 'please don't see me, please don't see me' to myself. When I dared to look in the same direction again he wasn't there anymore. I let out the breath I had been holding. Maybe it was an illusion. Maybe my mind was playing tricks on me. Making me see him everywhere I looked.

Berlinda hadn't noticed anything I had done and I was glad for it. I was happy to see the play finally starting. I was so familiar with it I even found myself reciting the lines along with the actors a couple of times. I started to giggle when I realised that they were using young boys to play the female roles.

So far I was enjoying the play. The actors played their parts really well and I loved seeing a live performance. The evening seemed to be a success and the audience was alert and intent on the story.

When the intermission arrived we decided to go to the bar for something to drink. We each ordered a half pint of ale. A lot of people seemed to have the same idea and it wasn't easy to push through the crowd. As soon as I thought I had managed to clear the thong without spilling too much, I knocked into someone and half of the drink ended up dripping down his front.

"Jävla, skit… I'm sorry, hur gick det?" I said suddenly in my native tongue, forgetting where I was.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked with a small laugh.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to soak you. I hope I didn't ruin your shirt?"

"It isn't too bad. Nothing a wash won't fix. I'm to blame as much as you. Can I get you a refill?"

"No. It's okay. I should really buy you one. After all, I spilt it all over you."

I looked for the first time into the face of the person I had soaked in beer. My mouth went dry and could feel my eyes popping wide open. I tried to swallow several times. This couldn't be true!!

 

* Part 7 *  

Each surprise today was outdoing the previous one. Just what were the chances of meeting several celebrities in the same day? They actually would be very small, unless you attended a film premier or a special event. Nevertheless, there I stood at the Globe theatre in front of another one in the span of a few hours.

 

“Oh, come on, let me buy a new one.” he insisted.

 

He clearly tried to flirt with me and I felt flattered. “Please, it’s not necessary,” I replied politely. “I really have to find my friend again before the play restarts.”

 

“Can I at least ask if you and she would join me and some friends in the pub after the play?” he asked.

 

“I don’t know,” I replied with a shy grin. “We don’t even know each other… and my mother always warned me not to go out with strangers.”

 

“Then we shall have to change that,” he began. “I’m Dominic Monaghan… at your service, my lady.”

 

I shook the hand he offered. “Sofie Johansson… my Lord.” I replied playfully.

 

“Nice to meet you, Sofie. Now that we’re no longer strangers, how about accepting my invitation?”

 

“You don’t give up until you get an answer do you?” I asked teasingly.

 

“No. Never. Absolutely not when I meet a woman as beautiful as you.”

 

I could feel myself starting to blush. I wasn’t used to getting compliments on my appearance. On other occasion I didn’t think guys gave me a second look. Maybe that was because I hadn’t been out very much for the last few years. After getting “burned” by a few bad relationships, I hadn’t dated another man for a while. I decided that maybe now it was time for a change. Besides, it was fun to be asked by someone like him.

 

“Hmmmm,” I began thoughtfully. “Flattery might allow me to make an exception this time and come along. Still, I have to ask my friend first. And if she doesn’t want to come I shall have to say no.”

 

We heard a bell ring, announcing that the play would resume soon.

 

“Tell you what,” Dominic began quickly. “We’ll wait outside the left entrance after the play and you can tell us your decision then.”

 

My eyes grew large with a sudden sense of dread. What if ‘you-know-who’ is among the ‘friends’ who are with him? I thought. “Okay,” I replied as courteously as I could before turning away. I wanted to get away from him so quickly that I didn’t even say ‘goodbye’. Now I had to cross my fingers for Berlinda to say she didn’t want to go. Maybe we could sneak away through one of the different exists. If we did that I would probably hear about it one day in the future. And, besides, that wouldn’t be polite.

 

I knew that I had changed my mind on things a little hastily. On one hand, I kind of regretted that I almost said “yes”. But on the other, I wanted to be a little wild for once, to grab the opportunity when it arrived.

 

I soon spotted Berlinda not too far away. She was standing at the side of the gallery. I grabbed her hand and pushed through the audience to get us further in, toward the stage, away from where Dominic and his friends might be standing. We got a few annoyed stares, but I didn’t care.

 

“What now?” Berlinda asked irritated. “That wasn’t a good place?”

 

“Well… yes… but… I wanted to get away from...,” my voice trailed off as I scanned the crowd, unable to see a familiar face. “What do you say about going out with some guys to a pub when the play is finished here?”

 

“That sounds fun,” she replied with obvious interest. “What made you to decide that you want to go out? Did you meet someone?”

 

I nodded. “A hobbit.”

 

“There’s no such thing as hobbits,” Berlinda replied teasingly.

 

“Yes there is!” I protested. “Well… at least he played one in Lord of the Rings.”

 

Although it was amusing to see the expression on Berlinda’s face, she looked a little more than interested than I in going along. Every moment that passed made me feel more and more certain that I didn’t want to go. Not only was Dominic a good friend of Orlando’s, he was also the guy I liked the least of all the characters in the films. Even though he seemed like a nice guy, I wasn’t quite sure why I didn’t like ‘Merry’. I suddenly began to feel very nervous.

 

“Which one?” Berlinda asked with growing enthusiasm. “Is it Elijah?”

 

“Sadly, no,” I replied honestly. “If it had been you wouldn’t have seen me for the dust! And I wouldn’t have asked you, I would’ve just said ‘YES!’” I paused as we shared a laugh. “It’s Dominic. Monaghan. I managed to bump into him in the crowd and he ended up wearing most of my drink. He started flirting with me and asked me out. I promised we would meet him after the play and tell him if we were going or not.”

 

Just as I finished the play began again.

 

By the end of the performance we were both a little tired from standing the whole time. Nevertheless we were spellbound by the atmosphere and marveled at the rebuilt theatre. It felt as though we knew just how the audience must have felt when they saw the play in the original building all those years ago.

 

I proclaimed, “I will definitely come back and see some of the other plays here.”

 

* Part 8 *

As Berlinda and I exited the theatre, we spotted a small group of guys and Dominic was one of them. There was no sign of a head with dark curls, so I was in no danger of a confrontation with Orlando. I let out the breath didn’t realize I was holding and felt a bit better. As we got nearer to the group I recognized another face in the crowd. I dug my elbow into Berlinda’s side and turned to whisper in her ear.

 

“I see that this night can be very interesting indeed,” I said with a grin.

 

I saw in her eyes she also seen the guy and from a previous chat we’d had I knew that she would want to meet him.

 

She let me go first since it was me who had made first contact with Dominic. We couldn’t help but noticed how they watched us as we approached. Although we might’ve looked like an odd pair, it didn’t reduce our friendship.

 

The biggest difference between us was our hair, mine was long, hers was a short “skinhead” haircut. Another thing was that she had a lot more tattoos than I had. Since she was wearing a vest, a few of the ones on her arms were visible. I only knew that she had more because she told me. Despite our differences, we seemed to have comparable tastes in clothes because we had chosen a similar outfit to wear that day.

 

“Hi Sofie, I almost thought you would stand me up,” Dominic said as we stepped closer.

 

“No Dominic,” I replied. “I heard where you wanted to meet and I wouldn’t think of breaking a promise. We would love to come with you to a pub.”

 

“Great! Let me introduce my friends Colin, Martin, and Billy.”

 

“Nice to meet you,” I said, greeting each of them in turn. “This is my friend Berlinda.”

 

When the introductions had been fulfilled, the guys took the lead and headed off to ‘The Grapes’, a little pub on the banks of the Thames. There wasn’t much talk on the way. Inside the pub it was warm and smoky, the kind of atmosphere that always reminded me of a typical English pub. Somehow the guys managed to find us a place to sit at the back.

 

I sat down at the table and immediately Dominic commandeered the seat next to me. Berlinda sat opposite us as Billy took a seat to her left. It wasn’t long before our drinks were in front of us.

 

The guys seemed interested in finding out all about us. They soon started firing questions in our direction.

 

“What are two beautiful ladies like you doing here in London?” Billy asked.

 

“Vacation and business.” I replied.

 

“So how long have you known each other?” Dominic chimed in.

 

“A little over a year,” Berlinda answered.

 

“What kind of work do you do?” Billy asked.

 

“I do a lot of designs, mostly for websites. Berlinda is a career.” I replied.

 

“Any sites we might know about?” Dominic asked.

 

 “I don’t think so,” I replied shaking my head. “Billy I’ve seen yours, though. You have some nice pictures on there. Especially the ones you have taken in and by the sea.”

 

“Thank you,” Billy replied modestly. “Have you seen how many fan sites there are about the fellowship and us as actors?”  

 

For a swift moment I looked down at the table and shifted slightly in my seat before I answered. “I always try to surf around the net and the myriad of sites to see the designs and how the sites are constructed.”

 

“Don’t be shy, Sofie,” Berlinda teased. “Admit it! You end up on some of ‘the ring’ pages eventually.”

 

“That really wasn’t what they needed to know about,” I playfully scolded Berlinda for exposing my weakness. “But it’s true. It’s more because I like films and want to know what my favorite actors are doing and several of ring sites have shown to be a very good source to learn that sort of information.”

 

“SO, who are your favorite actors?” Dominic asked with a grin.

 

“I have a lot,” I replied quickly. “It depends on which mood I’m in.”

 

“Come on!” Dominic teased, playfully nudging my side. “Can’t you say anyone?”

 

Bloody Hell! I thought. I didn’t want to tell them exactly who I liked best because neither of them was at the top of my list! I was beginning to regret that the conversation had taken this turn. Why had Berlinda teased me? Was she still pissed that I avoided the subject earlier?

I shook my head and looked down at the table hoping that they would understand that I didn’t want to answer the question.

“It’s probably that ‘prissy’ elf, Orlando Bloom,” Billy said suddenly. “He always seems to beat us.”

I was happy that the light wasn’t bright where we sat because I was sure my face was some shade of red. Again I shifted in my seat to find a more comfortable position. To divert their attention from me I threw the question over to Berlinda. 

“I like Russell Crowe, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent D'Onofrio, and many more,” Berlinda proclaimed proudly..

 

In an effort to get further away from the ‘heated’ subject I said; “Guys. We have answered a ton of question from you so I think it is our turn to ask you some. Don’t you think, Berlinda?”

 

“Absolutely,” she replied, not skipping a beat. “Billy, do you find it difficult to disguise your Scottish accent, or do other accents come easily for you?”

 

“I wish I could disguise my accent better!” Billy replied with a laugh. “It’s easier with the English than American. It’s something I need to work on a lot so it could be possibly bar me from a numbers of roles in the future.”

 

Through our questions we obtained a lot of new information and grew to know them a great deal. The hours flew by and there never seemed to be a moment that our glasses were empty.

 

Colin and Martin, who had been sitting on our other sides with their backs to the dance floor, had been quiet most of the time, preoccupied with watching a lot of the other customers in the pub. There were mostly men in the pub but there where a few more girls than us, which they seemed to keep their eyes on. They seemed to be nice guys. The fact that they were quiet perhaps was because they were used to Dominic and Billy being the main attraction for the girls.

 

Most of our time there I was happy that I didn’t have time to think about what happened earlier in the day, even if a few conversations we had reminded me of him. Every time something was mention about him I felt my headache increase. The tablets I had been taking didn’t seem to help. It distressed me very much. It only made me wish that I had more of a distraction.

 

It had been a long time since I was out with any guys and had a pleasant time. Little additional were that they were movie stars and seemed so interested in us. Who would have thought that? I hadn’t counted on meeting any well-known person at all when I went to London in the first place. So my weekend was already complete!

 

* Part 9 *

I was on my way back from a trip to the ladies room when I saw Dominic and Billy standing near the end of the bar talking. I stopped and started to eavesdrop. Luckily for me it wasn’t too loud with music and people talking that I wasn’t able to hear them.

 

“It’s too bad luck that Orli couldn’t come with us. He doesn’t know what he’s missing,” I heard Billy say. “Didn’t you think he seemed to be a little distracted earlier? Wonder what has happened? Or it is because he has been working so much lately? The girls are so natural and not at all star struck. It is a refreshing change. They’re very entertaining, too. I think he would have liked them after all he’s been through lately.”

 

“Yes, something must have happened,” Dominic agreed. “I’ve never known him to be so quiet and not up for joking or any thing. It isn’t like him. Hope he’s in a better mood tomorrow. Do you know if he will bring Kate?”

 

“Is she here?” Billy asked. “I don’t know, I didn’t have too much time to talk with him since he got back after filming in Morocco.”

 

“Wasn’t she finished with her film and met up with him in Cannes?” Dominic asked.

 

“He might’ve said something about it, but I don’t remember,” Billy replied.

 

“Billy, what do you think about Sofie?” I heard Dominic ask suddenly.

 

“She seems nice… fun… a little shy… and wild at the same time. Good looking. But I think she is hiding something.”

 

“You noticed that too?” Dominic asked.

 

“It’s weird that she doesn’t seem to like to talk about “Lord of the Rings” when she looks like an elf with her hair. The few times we have mentioned Orlando she acts like that really disturbs her. She looked really uncomfortable.”

 

“There might be something,” Dominic agreed. “She gives the impression she wants to change the subject quick, don’t you think?”

 

“She does and I don’t think she only tries to stay away from talking about our friend. She seems to avoid talking about guys in general.”

 

“Do you think I might have a chance with her?” Dominic asked suddenly.

 

“Why not,” Billy replied. “Try to find out if she is single. What have you to loose?”  

 

It was clear that I wasn’t meant to overhear the conversation. I wasn’t sure how I should react to what I had just heard. If I understood it right I hadn’t seen a ghost at the Globe. It had been Orlando’s head I had seen. The rumors that he was together with Kate must be true. I wouldn’t need to worry about him expecting something more than a friendship from me. Somehow the understanding hurt, even if I should have expected it.

 

The mix of beer and tablets for my headache had made me less tense and I also a long way from being sober. Maybe I should play along and let Dominic hit on me. What was it I had thought earlier? ‘Take the chance when it comes’.

 

Before they could spot me, I walked back to the table where we were sitting. I drank some more beer and sat back, letting Berlinda continue to talk with the other guys. I looked over to where Billy and Dominic were standing to see if they were on their way back.

 

It wasn’t too long time before they got back. Once again Dominic sat beside me and continued to flirt with me. I let down my defenses and he soon had me leaning against him. His arm came around me and from time to time he leaned towards me, whispering comments or silly jokes to me, letting his lips brush my ear and cheek.

 

After a while, I let my lips brush over him too as I whispering in his ear. The more I learned about him, the more I realized I liked him. I was glad that he was so much fun to talk to and be with, much more than I thought he would be. The weird feelings I had about him from seeing him in the “Lord of the Rings” films soon disappeared.

 

The last call for the night came too quickly and the guys didn’t have any difficulty persuading us into following them to a nightclub. So just before they closed we headed outside and into a taxi. We all didn’t fit in one so on the way we lost Colin and Martin. I can’t say that we missed them.

 

If I hadn’t drunk as much as I did, I probably would have said No to the club, but I was determined to have fun and for once throw all worries away. I think the nightclub we ended up in was called Limelight. What I could say about it is that it looked like it was in an old church. There was a maze of wood-paneled passages and stairs that lead up to several levels. The music they played was a mix of rock, reggae and dance.

 

When we weren’t talking and drinking, we went out to the dance floor for a few dances.

 

At some point during the night things started to get some blurry for me. What I remembered most was that Berlinda and I went to the ladies room together and had a “girl talk”.

 

“Sofie, all evening you seemed to be edgy. Somehow it seems like you are hiding something. Has anything happened?” Berlinda asked.

 

“Oh, it’s nothing really,” I reassured her. “Remember I told you I have a problem being around a crowd of people? Well, it’s been a hectic day. Gothenburg isn’t as big as London. I think I may have pushed myself a bit too much.”

 

“Don’t try to fool me or talk your way out of it. I’m sure there is something in particular that makes you nervous. It can’t just be the guys. I’ve watched how you lean into Dominic more and more. But your eyes have said several times that there is something more. It has been there since we first met today. A few times it’s like you had seen a ghost or something.”

 

Feeling defeted I finally decided to tell her about Orlando. “Okay, you are right. There is something more. I met someone I didn’t expect to meet.”

 

“Not Treebeard?!” she asked with wide eyes.

 

At first I was confused about her response then I realised that the sentence I said was from “The Two Towers”. I shook my head to it to tell her that wasn’t the truth, but it was close.

 

When I didn’t say anything Berlinda continued asking questions. “Who? Anyone nice? Another guy maybe?”

 

“Let’s just say it’s a guy and he seemed nice. Actually he should have been a boyfriend of mine.”

 

“Should have been? Either you had been together or not.”

 

“Do you remember that I mentioned that I have some problems with my memory sometimes?”

 

“Yes, you have mentioned it, so is that what it has to do with?”

 

“Yeah. You know that I was in Soho earlier for shopping and looking in the stores. When I was walking down the street there this guy caught me and called me by my old name, Camilla. If he hadn’t caught me I’d have continued walking but when I looked at him I sort of recognized him. Not as an old acquaintance, but from other things. I asked him how he had known me, and he said a few things that only a close friend would have know. So we spent a few hours together.”

 

“That sounds interesting. Did you go anywhere with him?”

 

“I became curious so first we went to a café. I think I’m more scared about it than anything because he seems erased.”

 

“Didn’t it wake any memory of him?”

 

“Not yet. The things he could tell me sort of got me to … I have mixed feelings about it.”

 

“You don’t remember a single thing about him?”

 

“No, not in the way that I should if I had spent a lot of time with him. We met ten years ago when I visited London for the first time and everything is blank about him between those years and ‘98. Then I had that surgery and everything got into a mess. When I sort of started to get things back on the right place he wasn’t there. From what he told me we had a relationship and he has been searching for me. It seems that there were several things that made it difficult to find me, not only my change of name.”

 

“How come?”

 

“You know how life can get away from you sometimes.” Berlinda nodded and I could continued. “You know the present that I said was for someone else? The dragon necklace I tried on before? It was he who bought it and probably forgot it in the bag. Then he drove me to the pub. He seems to be nice and caring, but I don’t think or know if I have any deeper feelings for him. Not more than a sort of admiration of his work. No, that’s not really true… everything’s so confusing… me I don’t know how I should feel.”

 

“It must be spooky. He lives here in London? Do you think you will meet him again?”

 

“It is hard to describe it when I don’t know myself. Yes, he lives somewhere around Ladbroke Road, I think it is in Notting Hill, for now. We decided to meet again on Sunday.”

 

“Notting Hill? Where does he work?”

 

“He is in the movie business. Which is why he seemed so familar.”

 

“Anyone I would know about?”

 

“Please, can’t we just say that I have stumbled over him for now? When I know where my feelings are and where this might end up I promise to tell you who it is.”

 

“You have to tell me now, while you have my curiosity up. And what about Dominic?”

 

“That is another problem. I like him and he is nicer than I thought he would be.”

 

“Do you think there could be any chance between you two?”

 

I stared off into space for a few moments before I answered.

 

“Which one? The feelings are so mixed up. The other guy is like a stranger, even if I felt good about him. Then I also miss someone to love and Dominic might fill that, so maybe him. But then again I don’t know if I would want a relationship where we would be scrutinized more or less all the time. I need some time to know what it influence me to. I want the memory back about what happened ten years ago, to know what my feelings were then.”

 

“For your sake I will let you off the hook. But you can expect I want a full report later or when we chat next time.”

 

Both Dominic and Billy were standing outside the ladies room eagerly waiting for us. I felt that I was too tense to be able to stay at the club any longer, having talked about Orlando, so I said that I wanted to go to my hotel room. When they learned that we didn’t stay at the same hotel they decided to follow us.

 

“Have you planned to do anything special tomorrow evening?”

 

Berlinda answered Billy’s question. “Yes, we had thought about going to Borderline.”

 

“That’s great! I guess we’ll see you there.” 

 

“So you were planning to go there too then?” I asked.

 

“Billy will be playing there so we definitely will be.”

 

With that we said good night and went to our respective hotels.

 

 

   

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