Fame (Except Not) [GxG Fanfic]

Eighteen

We arrive at Anna's hotel, and it turns out she has a special way to get inside, using an underground carpark around the corner from the hotel's main door, but not, apparently, the same underground carpark as other guests use. This one is unmarked, and has its own closed roller door, which opens as we drive up. We drive inside, past the skips and a loading dock, and the limo stops beside a lift door.

"We're here," Anna says, and gets out. She says, "Thank you," to the driver, who has opened the door for her.

I slide over and get out the same side as Anna, to save the driver having to go around to get my door.

"Thank you," I say to the driver, too. "Um, seriously, for..." Not being weird, is what I mean. Or not making me feel weird. Or inadequate. Or whatever. But I can't say that in front of Anna. So I just hesitate, and then say, "Thank you."

"All part of the job," the driver says, and smiles quite kindly, and then she gets back into the car.

She doesn't drive off, though. She just sits there and waits. She's going to wait until Anna is ready to go out again, I suppose. Kind of like a personal taxi.

I glance around. Anna has gone over to the lift door. It seems to be guarded by a doorman, who is obviously expecting Anna. He doesn't ask who she is, or to see a key, he just swipes a security card and pushes a button to call the lift down. Then he puts his hand over the door when it opens, so it doesn't close on us.

Anna says thank you to him as well, as she gets in.

I like that. I actually like that she thanks people whose job it is to do things for her. I mean, I read gossip mags, I get how she doesn't have to do that. But she does, which makes her seem nice, which I like. That's all.

Anyway, the doorman holds the door for me, too, as I get in, and then he gets into the lift with us, and lets the doors close. He pushes a button for one of the higher-up floors, and the lift starts moving. Then he stands there, staring at the closed doors. Staring very firmly.

Weirdly firmly.

So yes, I suppose just staring at the doors exactly how people in lifts always look straight ahead of themselves at the doors, but this guy is doing it more determinedly, or more grimly, or more something. It's like a professional inside-lifts stare, is what I mean, rather than just idly looking ahead of himself like I'd do. I assume it's to very firmly show he isn't listening to anything we say. Maybe. Something like that, anyway.

He stares, anyway, and while he stares, we start going up.

"It's all so no-one can see me coming and going," Anna says, after a moment.

"Yep," I say. "I got that."

"It's a goods lift," Anna says. "For deliveries."

"Oh," I say.

"It's pretty normal. Lots of places do this."

"Hide famous people in the delivery lift?"

Anna grins. "Yep."