"So now all I need are nightstands here, a dresser for the guest room, and one sofa chair for my room, some mirrors for the guest bathrooms and then it's finally done", Chris said to Aria, who watched Chris make markings on his floor plan. Aria was Liam's 'secret lady' and new girlfriend. They had been dating secretly but since the paparazzi was hovering at his house for Chris' story, their relationship was plastered on all the tabloids. Aria was a up coming singer and was the same age as Liam. She had had 2 hit singles the last month and was being gossiped about heavily. Chris appreciated the fact that Liam went public with his relationship, partly because he was falling for Aria but mainly because the timing was perfect, it took the heat off Chris and Sophie.
Aria was holding a cup of coffee and leaning over the kitchen island, watching Chris work on his floor plan. He was quite proud of himself, he hadn't really paid much attention decorating his house with Sophie but he felt a sense of accomplishment doing this himself. It gave him encouragement knowing that he could do things without depending on Sophie. "Here you are, when did you wake up?" Liam said, as he walked into the kitchen, shirtless in his pajama pants, rubbing his eyes. "A little while ago, there is coffee in the pot" Aria said, smiling at Liam. "You know Chris, my sister's friend from college had just opened a new store, it's really great, she has a lot of really beautiful unique furniture pieces and some really amazing decor accessories, you should check that out", she said, as Liam came up behind her and kissed her head.
"Yeah Chris, do what she says, or she'll make you do it, trust me, she knows how to make a guy do things he doesn't want to", Liam said. "Oh god, yes please! I will go right now and furnish my place if it means I can finally get away from you two", Chris joked, scrunching his face at Liam, as he poured a cup of coffee and walked away. Chris was to leave soon. His house was finally ready. The changes in the house were finally done, and he knew he needed to give Liam and Aria their privacy. He had been staying with Liam for about a month now till his place was finalized and his renovations were complete. He couldn't wait to go to his new house.
He parked his car on the street in front of the store "Sanctuaire". It had a large window with a beautiful display of a black sofa and some pretty cushions and curtains around. Chris had asked Aria to go with him, since she knew the owner and he wanted a woman's opinion of his choice. He walked in, breathing in a strong smell of coffee and caramel. "Hol!" Aria screamed as she jogged over and hugged a woman he assumed was the owner. "Ari! Hi! How are you, Gosh I haven't seen you in so long" she said, still in an embrace with Aria. "I know, it's been forever but we should definitely plan something this weekend" Aria said as they let go of each other. "Oh, this is Chris, I'm sure you know who he is, and Chris, this is Holly Bennett, my sister's friend and talented decorator and owner of this fabulous store.", Aria introduced them. Holly chuckled and said, "Hi, nice to meet you". "Likewise" Chris said, smiling and staring at her. She seemed to be in her late twenties, she had long wavy brunette hair, light brown eyes, which looked golden in the light. She was about 5'6 and very slim, the salmon button down shirt and black skirt looked fantastic on her.
"Uhh, sorry" he said as he realized he was still holding her hand after their handshake. He let go and blushed a deep red resulting from the embarrassment. "So Aria, it's true then huh? Liam and you?" Holly said as she turned to Aria again. Aria laughed and replied, "Yeah well, it just happened really suddenly, he's really nice, you'd like him". "So, what brings you here? Redecorating?" Holly asked. "Oh, no, not me actually, Chris just bought a new place and he needs a few pieces of furniture and some finishing touches and I recommended you" Aria explained. "Oh well then Chris, you have come to the right place" she said, smiling at Chris. "So what are the things you're looking for?", she asked. "Umm, I need a bunch of things, so maybe I'll browse around first and then I can let you know what pieces I really like?" He said. "Sure, that sounds perfect, would you like a coffee while you browse? I make a fantastic Caramel Macchiatto", she said proudly. "Sure, we'd love some" Aria said before Chris could speak.
"Wow Holly, your stuff is really great, I'm so confused, I can't make a decision. Aria, really thank you for bringing me here" Chris said as Aria and him took a seat at Holly's desk. "Thanks" Holly said, "I'm glad you like it". "I told you, her stuff is really amazing" Aria replied. "Actually, I wanted to check the measurements of the furniture to make sure it fits in my place, so..". "We can actually have someone come to your house and see what you need, and then recommend a few things" Holly interrupted him. "Oh that will be perfect, but um, the thing is, actually, my publicist is really strict about people coming in my house, she used to make the contractors deposit their phones when they were renovating so no pictures are being clicked. The paparazzi and I aren't exactly on the best of terms right now" Chris shrugged. "That's no problem, If its alright with you, I can come by for a consultation myself." Holly said. "Thank you so much for understanding, I know I sound like a pretentious idiot but I just don't want to risk it right now." Chris tried to clarify. "No don't worry, I understand, will next Tuesday at 10am work for you?" Holly said, checking the calender on her iMac screen. "Yeah I think that's workable." Chris replied, checking his phone. "Great, Why don't you text me your address, here is my card" Holly said. She gave him her card, as they all stood up. "Thanks, I'll see you on Tuesday", he said. "Thanks for coming, Aria, I'll see you soon!" Holly said, as she hugged them both.
On Tuesday Morning at 9.30 am, Chris, Will and Aria walked into his new beach house. Aria was seeing it for the first time. She walked inside and her mouth opened as she took a look around. "Oh my god, Chris this is really amazing, I can't believe you planned this, it's really outstanding. Chris thanked her and walked inside. He observed the place again, The old furniture was gone, the walls were repainted, the wall separating the patio and the living room was torn down, the patio was extended to make a deck, the windows were replaced by french doors so every possible area could have at least a partial view of the sea. It seemed to help Chris, when he was feeling upset or had a bad day, he came to this house to just look out into the sea. The waves crashing on the beech, the sound of the sea, the smell, the breeze, it helped Chris to refocus. Chris had put in new sofa's, put in his giant TV with all his gaming consoles, beautiful lights, solid coffee table, it all was in monochrome black, white and grey with little splashes of color. Just then his phone rang and he smiled and answered quickly. "Hi Holly,....yeah we are inside......sure I'll just buzz you through the gate and you can park in the garage......k bye". He hung up as he walked to the keypad near the door to open the community gate for her to drive to his house.
"Hey", Chris said, as he gave Holly a hug, earning a quick reply back as she moved on to hug Aria. She was wearing a purple dress, she had pulled her hair into a ponytail, and was wearing almost no makeup except for a swipe of pink on her lips. She was looking formal but incredibly pretty. Chris pointed to William and said, "Holly, this is my manager William, Will, this is Holly". After a quick handshake, she took a minute to look around and said, "So Chris, did you design this layout yourself?, it's brilliant!". "Thanks, yeah I tried, I just wanted to get the ocean from all the rooms, so tried my best." Chris said, modestly. "I love the color palate, its got a bold but warm feel. It does look like a total man-pad", she said and laughed. "Well, maybe you can help me, I don't really know anything about the details of decor and I need it to look more like a nice house, not like Liam's bachelor-pad", Chris replied. "Yeah of course I can help with that", she replied as she took her eyes off the decor and quickly smiled at him.
"You can maybe put some artwork up here and add two shelves on that wall to break the flat white. Maybe put some books or photo frames, candles or something like that on it" She said as she pointed out to different places in the room. "You can add a pretty chest of drawers or a console at the end of the hallway there" she pointed outside the room. "I have a lovely candle stand coming in from Rome next week, it will look perfect there", she continued as Chris just looked on. "Uhm, ok, I am completely lost now, how about this, why don't you decide what goes where and I just enjoy the lovely home you are putting together for me?" Chris grinned and asked. Holly laughed, "Okay, I think we can work that out.", she added. "So, do you want to start tomorrow or ...", "Yeah tomorrow is good, but if you can please ask your guys to not take any photos I'd appreciate it." Chris interrupted. "Yeah no problem", Holly said. "So how about this, you come by the store tomorrow morning, Have a look at the pieces I have in mind, once you approve of them, they'll get packed and brought here. I will come in the afternoon and instruct the guys as to what goes where and they can start installing the items over the next week?". Chris laughed, "Wow, that's a really detailed plan, but sounds great, tomorrow at 9 then?". "Nine" she nodded, confirming what Chris said.
Holly left and Chris shut the door behind him, as he walked back into the house. He had a huge grin on his face as he walked into the living room where Will and Aria were sitting. "I thought you'd be sad she left, not smiling about it", Will said out loud, breaking the train of though Chris was in. "Huh? What? Why?" Chris replied, confused. "Don't do that mate, don't hide it from your manager, I know you too well for that". "Hide? What are you talking about?" Chris asked, trying to sound as innocent as possible. He knew Will could tell what he was thinking. He was thinking about Holly. She was such a powerful force, she was strong, confident, independent, and mainly, not throwing herself on a recently single Chris, which to him was a breath of fresh air. He thought she was beautiful, but more than that, she was someone he felt comfortable with. "You like her!! Don't deny it, I can see it on your face!" Will said. Aria immediately gasped, "Oh my gosh, really? Oh wow, that's amazing, she is really nice, Chris that is great! So are you going to ask her out? You guys will make such a great couple, do you want me to find out if she likes you too?". "Aria! Slow down" Chris said and laughed. "Ok yeah shes really pretty and very nice, but I'm not looking to ask anyone out or date right now. She's my decorator, I'm going to be working with her. I'm not getting into this right now". Will immediately chirped, "I knew it, I knew it the moment you took 2 extra seconds shaking her hand".
Chris and Aria went back to Liam's house, he was still staying for a few more days till he managed to unpack most of this things into his own house. Chris went straight to his room to take a change and go to the gym since he hadn't worked out that day. After his workout and shower, he came back in the kitchen to cook some food. He saw Liam and Aria sitting there. "Hey guys, I'm cooking, do you guys want to eat, or are you going out?", he asked, "We''ll eat, what are you making?", Liam responded. "Uh, don't know, maybe some pesto chicken salad?" Chris said. "Oh yum! do you need some help" Aria said and walked over to the fridge, opening it and pulling out some of the ingredients. "Yeah, thanks, can you just chop some basil, I'll bake the chicken", he said, placing a tray in the oven. "So...what's this I hear about you and the decorator?", Liam said as he walked over to the kitchen island and sat on a stool. Chris looked at Aria and back at Liam. "Uh, nothing. There is nothing going on and there will be nothing going on." He said as he looked at Aria and Liam, trying to be very clear. Liam replied, "Wrong answer mate, you need to get over Sophie, which means, you need to be with some-one else, or some-many else, whichever you prefer, and by the way, I recommend the latter". His comment earning him a punch in the arm by Aria. Chris looked at him amused, "No, I don't need to be with anyone, I just need to be alone, with myself". "Well, I respect you alone pleasing yourself, it's great and all but might I suggest a woman?", Liam said, twisting Chris' words. "Oh grow up, will you?", Chris replied, as he pulled out the cooked chicken.
"I'm not interested in dating anyone right now, besides, she's not someone to mess around with, and I don't want to complicate our work relationship, so nothing is going to happen between Holly and I, besides, I don't even know if she is single and if that's something she wants either" Chris said, as he swallowed a piece of chicken. "I could find out", Aria said. "No Aria, thanks but if I need help in my love life, I will let you both know, okay? Can we eat dinner without talking about my romantic life now?" Chris said, holding a piece of chicken in his fork. Liam and Aria nodded in agreement as they chewed on their food.