The Stranger on the Train

Chapter 11: I'm famous

I let her words sink in and try to process them. It's not news to me that paparazzi can be a pain in the ass and that they will just ignore the fact that celebrities also have something like privacy. I just never knew, they work this fast. I mean, it happened yesterday evening and there's already at least one article about it. It makes total sense that Scarlett does her best to disguise herself and is very aware of her behavior in public. Having paparazzi watching your every step must be hard and exhausting and from what Kelly told me, they really come up with wild stories without any kind of evidence or statement.

When I think about Scarlett's last words, I feel a little sting in my heart. She 'slipped' yesterday... I press my lips together as I feel sadness evolving in my heart and hurt flows through my body. It was a mistake, she didn't mean it and now she has a problem because of it. My eyes were focused on my hands in my laps while I was in thought but now I look up at her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." I say, my voice not as normal in tone as I hoped for.
Scarlett seems to notice that as well and looks at me confused before acknowledgement takes over and her eyes soften and she almost looks sorry.

"No, I didn't mean it like that. Not at all. I didn't mean that it was a mistake that I hugged you, not at all and it is in no way your fault. You did nothing wrong. What I meant by 'I slipped' is that I forgot that there were paparazzi and that I didn't think about that they could take pictures. Even if I would have remembered that, I probably still would have hugged you. It's just that I feel so good, safe and normal around you because you treat me like I'm a normal person. For a good amount of time I forgot that I'm famous and just lived in the moment. And that is a good thing, I didn't have that in a long time and I really like that feeling. You make me feel safe, y/n. That's what I mean by that and nothing else." She assures me and reaches out to take my hands in hers.

I look down at our hands as she gently brushes her thumbs over my knuckles, it feels good, comforting. My eyes find hers again and she gives me a reassuring smile, lightly squeezing my hands.
Her words slowly make their way into my brain. She feels safe around me, like a normal person and good. I make her feel this way. She's not mad at me for what happened, I didn't mess it up. It's okay.

I take a deep breath and focus back on her, the hurt and sadness fading and being replaced by joy. I want to make her feel safe with me, I want her to be happy and free around me. I want to make her smile and laugh and forget about her worries.

"Thank you." I almost whisper and she tilts her head in question.

"What for?" Her eyes are still soft and searching mine for an answer.

"For being honest with me and for telling me how you feel. And for feeling safe around me." I answer and smile a little. A smile also tugs on her lips and she intertwines her fingers unconsciously with mine.

"No, I have to thank you for making me feel safe. And as much as I'd like to keep this talk this nice, we have to talk about how we want to continue." She sighs and I nod, we have to talk about that, yes.

"You still want to hang out with me?" I ask, suddenly a little insecure again and chew on my lip.

"Of course, as I said, I like spending time with you. And as long as you still want to hang out with me, I don't see a problem there." She says, her voice not even doubtingly in the slightest bit.

Relief washes over me and I realize that deep down inside of me, I thought she wouldn't want to see me ever again.

"What about the rumors?" I ask, not sure if she is bothered by them.

I mean, they do indicate that Scarlett is part of the LGBTQ+ community and I'm not sure for once if she is and second if she wants to come out like this. Scarlett nods and thinks for a few seconds.