It was a bit of a shock to my system, suddenly becoming semi-famous. All my life I'd been able to walk around with no make-up on, or my hair in a ponytail. Overnight, I was thrust into a world where I was constantly judged. Henry was used to it and his extraordinary good looks were entirely natural. He woke up looking like a movie star. I woke up with mad hair and a face that resembled a ghost. It astonished me just how quickly his fans were able to find out my personal details. I cringed as they gleefully posted snippets online, broadcasting where I lived, worked and who some of my ex's were. Someone even discovered an old school photo and put it on instagram. I wasn't amused.
Everywhere we went together, paparazzi followed. I wondered aloud whether they'd get bored trailing around after the pair of us as we shopped for souvenirs before leaving Rome and moving on to the next location in Florence. "I doubt it," laughed Henry, "they're all set on getting pictures of you."
"God knows why," I muttered as we walked along the main shopping street. We stopped outside a jewellers, as Henry needed a new strap for his watch. They sold Omegas, so after perusing the new models in the window for a while, we went inside.
The interior was beautifully cool after the blazing sun outside. Henry's grasp of Italian was far better than mine, so he was able to ask for a new watch strap with only a minimum of sign language. They showed us into a private room and brought out a selection for him to look at. He chose a plain black leather one and slipped off his watch for them to change the strap over. It took a little while, but pleased to be in the cool, we sat and waited.
"Is there anything else you'd like to look at while you're waiting?" enquired the assistant, a small, wiry man who spoke pretty reasonable English.
I shook my head, but Henry had other ideas. "We need a souvenir for you," he said, "would you prefer a necklace or a watch?"
"I don't need anything," I protested. It was clearly an expensive place. To me, a suitable souvenir was a tea-towel. Henry wasn't having any of it.
"Could I see a selection of necklaces please? I think the lady prefers gold."
"I didn't expect anything," I spluttered.
"I know, its why I want to treat you,"he said, before leaning over to kiss the tip of my nose. "You deserve nice things, especially after going public for me. I know how much your privacy meant to you."
Before I could object, the assistant arrived carrying three trays containing various necklaces. I watched as Henry looked through them. "Which one do you like?" he asked. He followed my eyes to a cute little stylised heart pendant. "This one?" he asked, before pulling it gently from it's mount.
"It's beautiful," I murmured. He placed it around my neck and did up the little catch. The assistant brought over a mirror for me to look. The necklace caught the light, glimmering against my bare skin. It was subtle, yet incredibly stylish, which epitomised Henry.
"You look beautiful," he told me, unembarrassed by the presence of the assistant. "We'll take it please."
"Thank you. I love it," I said softly. It was the nicest gift I'd ever been given. I had no idea how much it cost and neither did Henry. I just hoped he wouldn't get a shock at the till and change his mind. The assistant unclipped my new pendant and took it to be boxed up. Henry trotted over to pay for it and pick up his watch. I nosed around the rest of the store, gazing in awe at the massive diamonds on display in a glass case.
"One day," said Henry, making me jump. I hadn't heard him approach.
"Not sure about that," I quipped, "I think they're too big. That bracelet would weigh a ton," I laughed, pointing at a heavily encrusted bangle. It had crossed the line from bling to gaudy.
