True Love Never Dies Chapter 2-3/?
General information and disclaimer: Here
Summary: The story is about Camilla/Sofie. She has an opportunity to visit London after several years. She is there on an assignment and also to meet some new friends. However, destiny wants something more when she meets an old friend that causes her to have to confront the memory loss resulting from a surgery done a few years back. Not possessing any memory of the old friend or what sort of relationship they might have had, she only knows that she has seen him lately in films.
Previous Chapter; Intro-1
* Chapter 2 *
"Oh, you remember me?" Orlando asked, anxiously.
I had recognized him from all those pictures I had seen of him lately on the Internet and from advertisements and trailers for the film Troy that recently opened in the cinemas. It was kind of hard to miss his eyes.
"Sorry Mr. Bloom," I said politely, trying hard to hide my nervousness. "I don't think so. You must have mistaken me for someone else."
"Isn't your name Camilla, and aren't you from Gothenburg in Sweden?" he asked.
"Yes… ," I replied slowly, mesmerized by those dark pools staring down at me.
"Then we have met… and we do know each other," he said with a widening smile.
"No, I don't think so. Camilla isn't my name anymore… when would we have met… Sir?"
"Please don't call me Sir or Mr. Bloom. Don't you remember anything about it? It was almost ten years ago, the first time."
I found myself standing there totally blank. I thought I would have remembered if I had met such a handsome guy before. Thinking back to ten years ago, I had been in London that year. But did I spend any time with a guy?
The truth was, some things had happened since that time which had messed up my head, making it hard for me to get things right in my memory. Some of my memories had disappeared altogether, and some, I soon realised, could just be something I had read in books or seen in films.
Like many other teenage girls or young women, I had dreamed about meeting Orlando after I'd seen him in Lords of the Rings and Pirates of the Caribbean. When watching the films I never had the feeling that I had known him personally. He was like any other film star I had seen and had a crush on for a while. Right now, however, he was my number one fancy.
I didn't think I knew anything about him apart from what I'd learned through the Internet over the past few months. I always managed to collect information about those I had a crush on, so there would be no exception with him. Orlando's private life was hard to learn about, though. He was very careful not to say anything too personal to the press, so there were no clues to jog my memory. If I had known him ten years ago as he said it would have been before he became famous.
Orlando nudged me to bring me back into the present time.
"Truly… no… I don't remember," I said quickly, shaking off my trance. "But… it could be true. If you are certain we know each other and you have the time to spare… maybe you could try to convince me that you are right and help me to remember."
Orlando looked at his watch and a little wrinkle showed on his forehead.
"I know a nice café just down the street… and I would love to re-establish our relationship. I've spent so many hours wondering why you disappeared." I could hear the honesty in his voice.
I just nodded trying not to melt at the thought of standing there in Soho with one of the world's most handsome men. I couldn't believe that he had approached me instead of it being me asking him for an autograph. I somehow felt that my head must be playing tricks on me and that this must all be a dream.
* Chapter 3 *
Orlando took my hand and led me to the café. I had no choice but to concede and follow. The whole time I was trying to access some memory of him that wasn't related to anything I'd learned from magazine articles.
It was a good thing he had a firm hold of my arm or I may have lost him in the throng of people. It took all my concentration sifting through my shattered memories. I was so frustrated about not finding anything that I pulled my hand away from his. When he felt me pull away he stopped walking and turned toward me.
"What is it Camilla? Have you changed your mind? Don't you want to come?" he asked worriedly.
"Yes… no … what did you ask?" I replied.
"Don't you want to come? Have you changed your mind?"
"No, I haven't changed my mind. I want to come. You have awoken my curiosity."
"Why did you snatch your hand from me?"
"I did it out of frustration because I still can't remember us meeting before. Or the fact that you say we know each other."
Orlando stretched out the hand, that only moments before had held mine, to stroke my hair. He gently pulled back a strand hanging over my face.
"I'm sure it will all come back to you once I start filling in the gaps. How could you have forgotten our time together?" he asked.
I gazed into his mahogany eyes and saw he was telling me the truth. I also saw regret and pity. I really wasn't so sure I would remember anything and I was scared it would always be hidden in the dark depths of my past. Without any memory of our time together, how could I truly believe it was true?
I was curious about what type of relationship we had and what had happened between us. At the same time I felt like running away and never wanting to find out. I was scared of being used. Maybe it sounded exciting to some people to learn everything all over again, but it wasn't what I wanted.
"Come Sweetie, we're almost there." he said softly, taking my hand once again to lead me to the café.
The way he talked and touched me was, at first, unnerving. It felt very intimate in character. You only act that way with very close friends. My current friends all knew to keep their distance because they knew that being touched sometimes made me feel uneasy. With him it felt different. It somehow felt right so I let him continue.
When we reached the café we were lucky to find an empty table. As I looked around myself I realized that Orlando was right about it being a nice place.
"Do you want something? Tea… sandwich… food?" he asked as we took our seats.
"Tea and a small sandwich would be nice please," I replied.
"Do you still drink the tea with milk and sugar?"
"No sugar. Just milk. A lot of milk. Thanks."
"I'll be right back." He said quickly, standing.
I watched him head off to the counter to place the order. He moved gracefully and he definitely looked better in the flesh than in the magazines, pictures, and films. I could certainly understand why I had fallen for him. If only I could remember having done so. Although none of my present friends were dark haired and dark eyed, I found myself weak for that kind of guy. He was truly my dream guy.
Orlando's smile faded a little when he came back. I had seen that look before on faces of my friends when they were thinking of my lapsed memories. It was a look of sadness and pity. It was a look I didn't want to see and with it followed emotions I didn't want to bring out in people.
He placed the food down on the table and went back to the counter with the empty tray. When he returned he sat for a while just looking at me, watching me eat and drink.
"The years have been kind to you. You are even prettier now than the last time I saw you." He said softly.
I could feel myself blushing but I knew what he meant. I saw the difference when I would look on old photographs. I had lost some weight and let my hair grow long. It wasn't easy keeping my new figure, though, and I had to work hard at maintaining my new look.
"Sorry I can't say the same about you," I replied shyly, glancing down at the table. "I still can't remember you from my past."
"Do you feel like telling me what happened?" he asked.
"Hmm, are you sure we know each other?" I asked timidly. "I mean, it wasn't just luck… you getting my name right?"
"Yes, Camilla. I'm sure. I've never forgotten you. You were still living at home with your parents then. You were just about to move further north in Sweden because of your job."
I remembered that part of my life. At the end of that year in question I had started working at a ski resort - Sälen - in middle of Sweden. The next thing that flashed through my mind was a familiar face of another actor. I had recently read and seen 'Interview With A Vampire'.
"I'm right aren't I? There is something that you remember?" he asked anxiously.
"You were right about my job. I did work in the mountains. And I did live with my parents before that. I also remember another guy that I saw in a movie two weeks ago. He was in Troy with you."
His voice was more of a whisper as he said, "Brad Pitt".
"I saw the vampire film he played in that year." I said.
"I remember you talking about it. You were so disappointed it hadn't started showing here in London. You loved the book and were curious if Brad and Tom Cruise were right for the roles. Do you think so… now that you've seen it?"
"I think I was… surprised by them," I replied hesitantly.
I fell silent. Another image of a young guy sinking his teeth into the neck of another guy flashed through my head. I remember thinking that didn't fit with the ending of the film; a blond Tom Cruise as Lestat driving a car and pulling his ruffled shirt cuffs out of his jacket sleeves. The guy in the car with him was the guy that had interviewed Louis. I shook the image from my head. That wasn't what I needed to remember.
Chapter 4-5