The alarm screeches at 3.30am and even though it is a God awful hour, I don't need to hit the snooze because I'm wide awake. Rather than butterflies in my stomach, I feel as though there is an army of elephants charging round. I have no idea where we are going or what we are doing; so I decide on my skinny jeans, flowery blouse and flat sandals. After a quick shower, I tie my hair up in a messy bun. I make an effort with my make-up to ensure it looks natural, but in reality I need it to cover the bags under my eyes.
My case is ready by the front door and I sit on the settee controlling my breathing to calm me down. It's only been just under two weeks since I last saw him, but the sheer apprehension of seeing him makes me feel like I might have a panic attack. My buzzer rings right on time which brings me out of my haze. I hit the button to open the door without speaking to him; I mean who else could it be at this hour?
I open the door and there he is. I take a second to commit how he looks to memory. He is in a light blue casual shirt folded to the elbow and fitted jeans, his hair is still slightly damp from the shower and I smile at the sight of him. His familiar scent immediately invades my senses making me feel a little dizzy.
"Morning." I beam as I grab my small suitcase and walk towards him.
"Morning Lizzie, you look stunning." He comments as if it's a matter of fact, but my heart stops for a second at the compliment. "Ready?" He asks when he takes my case.
"Not sure what I need to be ready for?" I mutter pretending to be frustrated and he chuckles. Once we are outside he takes my hand and the same electricity sparks between us and the now familiar heat flares up inside of me.
Outside my building I notice a black car waiting for us, with an older man standing at the back of the car with the boot open. Daniel hands my bag to him, thanks him and then opens a rear door for me. I greet the man and decide instantly that I like him, his features are friendly and the way Daniel speaks to him I can tell there is a bond there. I move over and Daniel slides in next to me. I can't wipe the smile off my face as the driver pulls away.
"Is there any point in me asking where we're going?" I enquire as casually I can. Daniel takes my hand and kisses my knuckles. My body quivers at the touch of his lips. Daniel's eyes darken when he makes eye contact with me as if he can feel the effect he has on me.
"Nope." He smirks and I pretend to be angry with him. I steal a sideways glance at him and his profile looks like an oil painting in the early morning glow. I see the lopsided grin on his face and know that he is enjoying keeping the secret from me.
When we approach Heathrow airport Daniel's mood darkens.
"Lizzie, I've thought about this and I don't want the press all over you. I will get out first and they can take whatever pictures they want of me. I've spoken to my agent, Chris and if I'm asked I will say I'm travelling for work. By the time I've walked through, you should be able to follow, hopefully without being bothered. That OK?" I know I must look relieved because I hadn't even thought about what would happen once we got to the airport. I remember all of the pictures I saw of Daniel when he went to New York and I feel uneasy at how public his life is. I nod in agreement.
"That's fine. Good thinking. Where do I need to meet you?" I can see by his reaction that he has thought a lot about this.
"Inside Heathrow VIP. They will know to expect you." I look a little confused because this is all so strange. "I'll wait for you." With that he kisses my knuckles again which sets my skin alight and opens the door.
The driver passes Daniel his bag and even though apparently no one knew he was meant to be here, there are still a few photographers. Some people seem to circle when they realise who has arrived. I watch through the darkened window as the driver gets back in and he looks every inch the movie star. He graciously poses for each selfie and some alone photographs. As we pull away he watches the car and I can see how sad he looks. I want to tell the driver to stop so that I can get out now and show him that none of this bothers me. But in reality it does; it overwhelms me how the public own a piece of him when my life is so private, so I do as he asks and stay in the car.
We circle the area and I discover that the driver's name is Lawrence and he reassures me that I will be able to go through without any fuss. I thank him for his help while he hands me my bag and I walk through the designated entrance. I pass through without anyone batting an eyelid and I wonder how much Daniel would enjoy this unanimity.
I give my details to the attendant and I'm escorted through. I can see him waiting for me and my heart flutters. He hasn't seen me yet and his repeatedly eyes scan the area. I watch him look at his watch and start to bite his thumbnail. When our eyes meet, he visibly relaxes and my heart skips a beat. The world seems as though it has stopped turning and we are the only two people here. Although I walk towards him, I'm scared to make a sound because this should all be a dream and any sudden noise could send me hurtling back to reality. I can't believe that this beautiful man is actually waiting for me.
When I am level with him I look up into his eyes and he puts his arm around me and kisses the side of my temple. The intimate gesture turns my insides to jelly. He looks so at ease when he takes my hand. "I'm sorry about all that. I just want to protect you and keep you to myself. This is my line of work, not yours and I don't want them hassling you."
"I understand, please don't worry." I smile at his protectiveness while he leads me through to the departure lounge. I look at the board and there are several flights that leave in the next hour.
We stand side by side looking at the departure board and I look at him and raise my eyebrows quizzically. "I was going to drag it out." He smirks like a child "But I can't hold it in any longer." He pauses and I poke him playfully in the stomach.
"Come on." I laugh while I look at the board again, scrolling through all the potential locations.
"Paris." He whispers into my ear and I jump at the feel of his breath on my skin. I clap my hands and turn back to face him, both of us grinning at each other. "That OK?" He turns serious and I try to look as though I'm a little disappointed. "Have you been before?" He asks as his cheeks flush.
I burst out laughing. "No Daniel. I haven't. This is perfect, thank you." Without warning he kisses me on the lips... gently and sweetly full on the lips. When he pulls away I'm trembling, but he seems oblivious to my reaction as he laughs and looks rather pleased with himself.
The flight lasts under an hour, but there is not a minute of silence between us. We drink champagne despite the early hour and Daniel tells me about his early career and all of the rejection he experienced. I'm shocked at how much hard work actually went into his career and I love to watch the passion on his face when he talks about his job. I'm completely in awe of how much he has achieved compared to me. I tell Daniel as much as I dare about my past and it is pale in comparison to Daniel's high flying life. But he still listens intently as I speak.
"I met Ed when I was fifteen, he was a cocky sixth former and all the girls fancied him. He asked me out when I was in my last year of school and we were inseparable. I met my best friends Caroline and Sarah on the first day of university and I adored them both straight away. They both always wanted to move to London as soon as we graduated and I got swept up in it all. While Ed stayed with us he heard us talking about moving to London and shortly after he proposed." I take a second to gather my thoughts because this is all still very raw for me to talk about. "I accepted and we were married straight out of university. Rather than move to London with the girls, I went to work for his father's business as Head of Marketing." I stop again wondering how much to confess and have another sip of champagne. He seems to sense my reluctance to carry on and jumps in.
"I played the field in my younger days, especially when I started to do well for myself. I met Lucy when I was twenty-five and she grounded me. She had just come out of a serious relationship and made it clear that she was looking for something serious again. We got engaged twelve months later and got married a few months after that. I told her I wanted kids, but she said she wasn't ready because of her career and that never changed. We were married for four years and then she went back to her ex." Daniel shakes his head. "When Lucy left I struggled with things, I wasn't very professional. I couldn't face the social side of my job at all. Then I lost a role I really wanted because of my behaviour and it gave me the kick up the arse I needed."
I listen without interrupting because he seems lost in his past. "My agent set me up on various fake dates with actresses and models, so that the press would see us. It helped both of our careers and they were always aware it was a publicity stunt. It worked! Offers started to come in again because I was back in the limelight. There was nothing to any of these dates. But I do want to be completely honest with you Lizzie; I feel that it is so important that we're honest. I'm not proud of it, but once I ended up having sex with an actress after one of those arranged dates. I regretted it straight away and the next day I told her that I was sorry but it couldn't go anywhere. I told my agent after that night that I wasn't willing to be put out there like some commodity to market. I filed for divorce and have enjoyed a quieter life, concentrating on my work since then." Daniel looks at me, clearly worried about my reaction. There is a knot in my stomach, but I don't let on that I feel jealous.
I use the opportunity to finish my edited history. I clear my throat and take another sip of champagne. "I thought we would be happy. I carried on working for Ed once his father had retired. I wanted children, but Ed would always say that we weren't ready and that he wanted to live a bit first. That hurt me because it was always about him. Anyway, you already know he cheated on me and that I left him the same day. I boarded a train with just a suitcase to my name and two years later ... here I am." I blink away the pain and Daniel takes my hand. We smile at each other as if we understand each other's pain.
"Let's make a pact not to mention Ed or Lucy again on this break and that we will leave our pasts on the plane ready to pick them back up on our way home. I think that Paris should be a baggage-free zone." We clink glasses.
"Sounds perfect to me."
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