In the Rain

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"Henry Perfect Cavill?"  Leslie's altered voice caught the attention of all the other patrons of the small cafe where she and Alice were, making Alice's face burn with embarrassment.

"Speak a little louder. I think the hot dog vendor on the corner couldn't hear you."  Said Alice sarcastically.

"Sorry dear, but are you telling me that one of your bosses is Henry Cavill?"  Leslie asked, still incredulous at the news.

"Yes," replied Alice, taking a sip of her hot chocolate to see if that would hrlp warming up her body on that cold winter day.

Leslie seemed to think for a few seconds and then spoke again.

"Of course! Promethean! It's the production house he has with his brother. How come I didn't remember that before?"

If there was one person who knew everything about movie celebrities, it was Leslie.  And when it came to Henry Cavill then, Leslie had a PhD in the subject.

At school, Alice remembered when her friend bought magazines and newspapers with articles about the him and cut out the photos, keeping them all in a folder.  And she used to say she would only get married it was to Mr. Cavill, that's why Alice understood her friend's hysteria.

"But tell me everything! How is he? Is he nice as people say? Does he smell good? Does he have bad breath? What is this man's flaw, Alice?"  Leslie asked, leaning more and more on the table after
each question.

Alice shook her head, stunned by the flood of questions from her friend.

"Leslie, I don't know if he has bad breath or not. I didn't get that close to him. And yes, he's nice."

Leslie looked at her and asked again, "What about his smell?"

Alice swallowed hard. How could she tell her friend that Henry's scent was still in her nostrils and that it was the most intoxicating and unique thing she had ever experienced in her life?

Again she shook her head, trying to put her thoughts in place and answered.

"I don't remember. It was too fast. He must have been there for a maximum of five minutes and then he left."

Alice thought it best not to say anything about the effect Henry had on her.  She could still remember the smile and the wave he gave her when he left the production office.  If she, who was not a big fan like Leslie, had already been in awe of Henry's presence, she could hardly imagine what would happen if one day her friend met him.
________________________________

After breakfast with Leslie at lunchtime, Alice returned to the office and continued her normal work, with some help from Leah, the other director of the company, since Charles had not returned since leaving that morning with Henry.

The work did not seem to be difficult and, although the production company was small, the telephone lines did not stop and e-mails arrived all the time.

Now she understood why she was being asked for secrecy.  Large negotiations with studios and other major producers were dealt with and any leakage of information could jeopardize a major project.

At five in the afternoon, Alice turned off her computer and looked around.  Her first day oat work was coming to an end and the nervousness that took over her body was wearing off.

She said goodbye to Leah, who would be there for a while, and went down the six floors to the ground floor.  Only then did she realize that the rain, which had fallen all afternoon, had increased considerably and that she had two options and none were good.

Option one: she could get a little less wet while waiting for a taxi and getting home early, with the disadvantage of paying more for that.

Option two: she could get more wet while walking to the bus stop, getting home later, but saving a little, which was necessary.  Even more so now that she had just bought an apartment.

While deciding, a car passed very close to the gutter and splashed all the water that was accumulated in a puddle on top of Alice.  Irritated, wet and probably already beginning to hypothermia at that time, she didn't think about the money and decided she would take a taxi.

It didn't take long, a black car approached and, thanking the heavens for not having had to wait long, Alice entered.

Before she could even say her address to the driver, a familiar voice made her start.

"Hi Alice."

Startled, Alice stares at the driver.  That smile.  It was him!  She had got into Henry Cavill's car!

Not knowing what to say, Alice begins to explain herself, but the words do not come out of her mouth consistently.

"Mr. Cavill, I'm sorry. A car came ... and the water splashed ... and this car looked like a taxi ..."

The sound of a muffled laugh made her stop talking and look at him.

"Alice, relax. I saw when the car splashed water on you. Where do you need to go?"

"Ah, don't worry Mr. Cavill, I can take a taxi or even a bus ..."

When Alice started to open the door, she heard the lock click and Henry's voice repeat:

"Alice, where to?"

Alice swallowed.  Her survival instincts  were telling her to break that glass and jump out the window.  But something about Henry's gaze made her want to stay more in his presence.  Which was crazy, since she had only spent five minutes in his company that morning.

"Riverside Street."  She heard herself saying, without understanding why.

She saw a smile of satisfaction on Henry's face before he turned around and started driving towards her apartment.

As she ran her hands over her face, she noticed that her mascara was smeared.  Oh, how wonderful.  She was doing panda cosplay in front of Henry Cavill!  But since when did she care about that?

The short ride was done in silence, and when they reached the building where Alice lived, Henry got out of the driver's seat, went to the back door and opened it for Alice to get out.

"Here you are."

Alice got out of the car blandly.

"Thank you, Mr. Cavill."

"Henry. Please call me Henry.

"Henry."  The name sounded came out easily of Alice's lips.

He gave one more of those smiles that lit up everything around him and Alice was beginning to understand why Leslie was so glazed on that man.

"I need to go get my brother. This car is actually his. Take care, Alice."

"You too, Mr ... Henry."

Alice saw him get in the car and leave.  The rain had already subsided and she was able to breathe normally again.

Searching for the keys to open the building's front door, all Alice could smell was the scent of Henry who had chased her all day and had intensified for the past ten minutes, staying locked in a car with him.

She hoped that the bathtub she had been dreaming of since she bought the apartment would be enough to send the smell away.

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