This chapter has been edited due to content. If you want to see the unedited version GO HERE.
"Lucky." Emilia teased and threw a pillow at my head.
We were both in her trailer getting dressed. The day before had been my final day of shooting for the season and so we had celebrated very hard. My girlfriend and I were currently in an argument about that fact.
"You're the lucky one," I said with a grin. "You're the one with the bigger paycheck. That would intimidate most men."
"And why doesn't that affect you?" Emilia asked.
"Because most men can't make you scream as easily."
"Why don't you prove that to me now?"
"I am an old man and I need rest, that's why."
I tied my shoes and ignored her. After we had both finished dressing we went over the plans for the day. It would culminate in a pub where we would drink before making our way to my hotel room.
"You sure you can handle this?" I asked. "I don't want you to have a harder work day because of it."
"I'll be fine, Iain." Emilia reassured me.
With that our day truly began. I preferred to keep to less tourist filled areas but made exceptions. Especially when Emilia saw a shop she liked. She knew exactly how to make me do what she wanted. In the late afternoon we finally made our way to a small pub that wasn't crowded. Luckily most people didn't pay us much mind. Most likely because Emilia didn't have her wig on and I wasn't thought of much.
"We're supposed to be celebrating." Emilia said and pointed to my drink.
"Exactly." I retorted. "So I have to be able to perform."
She rolled her eyes. I had drank a lot and still been able to pleasure her before. Whatever my reason, she knew my performance was not the issue. I could have easily said I just liked the drink, but the conversation would've gone the same way. So it was better to joke then tell the truth. It was much better to see the love hidden under the fake anger. Emilia had so many sides to her and I doubted I was close to seeing them all.
"In a few weeks I'll be home to give you hell." Emilia replied. "Home."
She smiled so widely that it was like a great light shone within her. We had both stopped thinking of home as my house. It was ours. It was the place that was just for us. There was no other woman that could give me what Emilia did. No other woman that could make me as happy as my girlfriend. If I lost her then I would no longer have a chance at true love. But at least I'd have the memories of us. At least in my darkest moments I would still be able to remember her smile.
"Or maybe I'll come back." I said and drank more of my drink. "They might decide about reshooting certain scenes. Hours spent traveling to shoot the same scenes again. If only the writers understood their stories perfectly the first time. After I'm done with a show or movie, I just want to relax at home."
"Life would be so less fun if things were predictable." Emilia replied. "Sure we could plan our lives if things were predictable, but then you'd have never gotten with me."
"Or maybe I'd plan my whole life around meeting you."
"Why would you do that if you never felt love like this before meeting me? How could you know about a feeling you had never experienced?"
She had a point. If someone had told me I'd meet a woman that would stop my wandering ways I would have never believed them. How could I imagine not going from woman to woman? Before Emilia I grew bored with women as lovemaking became a monotonous affair. It wasn't until her that I realized sometimes ******* the same woman could keep my interest because my feelings went beyond the bedroom.
"I don't know." I replied. "It would take some time to convince me. What would you have done if you knew you'd fall in love with me one day?"
"I'd still **** the men I did." Emilia said with a smirk and then paused to order another drink. "I wouldn't want to be with you inexperienced."
"You don't trust me to teach you?"
"I'm supposed to trust a man to teach me sex that would actually turn me on? Keep dreaming."
"I'd like to think I'm different from others."
"Fine. You're a little bit better than other men."
An idea started to form in my mind and I couldn't understand it. All I knew was that I was growing nervous and so started drinking more than I normally would. Emilia looked concerned and I saw her drinking slower than she normally would. I wanted to reassure her that nothing was wrong but I didn't know why I was drinking more. It wasn't because I wanted to break up with her, it was something more nerve-wracking than that.
"Want to order my next drink, Emilia?" I asked her.
"Do you really trust me?" She teased.
"With my life."
"I'm going to make you regret that decision."
Once she made sure I was being serious, she ordered something. Upon it being placed in front of me I instantly regretted my decision. It was a very girly drink and looked like it would hide all taste of alcohol. Emilia's reply was merely to shrug and continue drinking her own drink. A drink, I might add, that was much less girly than whatever concoction she had ordered for me.
"Maybe I'll hold back tonight." I said and wished sunset would come faster.
I gulped down the drink. Which turned out not to be a good idea as it had more alcohol than I thought. Enough of me remained that I made sure no one was looking at us. When I knew no one was paying attention I kissed Emilia hard. She smiled and then pushed me away slightly, with a tilt of her head she indicated the other people.
"I'm watching." I reassured her. "I don't want a stray camera to pick us up. I don't want our faces to be plastered in magazines claiming something else is happening."
"Okay," Emilia said. "You've just been drinking more than normal. And you drank down that thing really quickly."
"I was kissing harder than normal?"
"And I wanted to make sure you didn't accidentally do something else in public."
She must really be worried about me. Public displays of affections were something that excited her. She also usually trusted me to be the rational one in such situations. I would have to slow down my drinking to reassure her. The next drink I ordered myself so she wouldn't mess with me again.
"You don't trust me?" She asked, pretending to be offended.
"I want to drink alcohol, not water." I replied.
"****."
So Emilia had planned to play that trick on me. Maybe she had hoped that I'd confuse water for vodka or some other clear drink. I kissed her gently this time and her eager lips answered me. Between kisses we both made sure no one was paying attention to us. Though every now and again we weren't careful enough.
"Maybe we should go now." Emilia whispered. "Go somewhere more private."
"Maybe." I replied. "Or maybe not."
"I'm not the only one that wants to **** right now."
"There's something I want to talk about now."
Finally the thought that caused me to drink heavily was becoming clearer. I couldn't allow myself much longer to delay saying it or I'd be too afraid. I wanted to say it so I'd know what I was wanting to ask.
"What?" Emilia asked, a worried tone now in her voice.
"I don't know." I answered. "I want to stay with you. That's all I know right now. I want you to be the last thing I see at night and the first thing I see in the morning. That's all I know right now."
"I want that too, more than anything. I don't care about fame or fortune as long as I have you."
Suddenly an image appeared in my head. She was in a white gown and the wedding was on a cliff that overlooked the ocean. Seagulls could be heard in the distance and I was nervous. I wanted this. I wanted to be with her so badly it hurt. I needed to declare my love for her and I couldn't drink anymore to calm my nerves. She would say yes. Why wouldn't she say yes?
"I will die before you." I said, not able to stop the words from coming out of my mouth. "You shouldn't be left alone."
"Don't you think I thought about that before?" Emilia said with a sad smile. "You're sure you're not breaking up with me."
"Very certain. I couldn't live a day without you."
I loved her so much that these words had to be easier to say. I knew what I wanted to ask but couldn't gather the courage to say anything.
If I were going to ask then I had to do so now. She would say yes. We had confirmed our deep love for each other numerous times before. There shouldn't be any fear in me now. Maybe it was the fact I didn't have a ring. Maybe if I had a ring then the words would flow from my mouth. Maybe. Maybe.
"Then what do you want to say?" Emilia asked.
I opened my mouth to repeat my thoughts but decided against it. To make up for the awkwardness I kissed her.
"I love you, Emilia." I said and rested my forehead on hers. "I don't know how I survived without you."
"I don't know why I didn't **** you the day I saw you." Emilia said with a grin.
"I was just too sexy for you."
I stopped her from coming closer. In my drunken state it would be hard for me to avoid giving anyone with a camera a good picture to sell.
"So what are you too shy to say?" Emilia said with a grin.
I put both my hands in my lap. All it would take is a few simple words. Then I'd have my answer. Was I still afraid of commitment and that's why I couldn't ask her? Hopefully if I blabbered for a few minutes a marriage proposal would just come out. Yes, I just had to talk more.
"Will...will...will...shit." I said.
"Are you proposing to me?" Emilia asked.
I glanced at the few people in the bar and knew if I said yes that the rumor mill would have a field day. Every blog person would be using this proposal to demean us. But that shouldn't matter. Emilia and I had weathered many storms together. We would weather this one.
Right as my mouth moved to reply 'Yes', a shot rang out. Due to the bar being small, the sound reverberated deep into my bones. The only thing I could think of doing was to put an arm over Emilia. While I had played fighters in my time, none of this had been planned. I didn't know my cues or the choreography of the fight. Plus, there was every chance I could die. Even worse, Emilia could die.
As my heart beat fiercely I saw the owner of the gun and he had a very familiar face. Where did I know him from? My heart stopped when the answer came to me. He was the same man that had been washing his car across the street from me. The same man that Emilia had told me to forget about. I had thought he'd cause us problems, but had no idea he'd come so far to kill us. I hadn't expect him to kill us at all. Maybe harm but not kill.
"You don't deserve to play Daenerys Targaryen!" The crazed man shouted. "Your acting is terrible! I could forgive that but then you decided to whore yourself to an old man instead!"
I detected jealousy in his voice. He wanted Emilia all to himself and thought I was standing in his way. It would never occur to him that he would never be able to **** her. With no thought to my safety I got up and drunkenly walked so I was in front of my girlfriend. Though my body would not last long against a well placed shot from a gun. If only I hadn't drank so much as I swayed while trying to stay still.
My eyes glanced at everyone in the bar. They were all standing still in shock. I wanted to shout at them for not caring about protecting Emilia as they all should have formed a wall to protect her. It could be that they were all scared and so didn't move. They couldn't all hate her, they were just scared. But what if they did hate her? How had he found us? How long had he been tracking us?
Suddenly the man threw his gun to the ground. It must have only had one shot. Maybe he had spent all his money on plane tickets. I could fight hand to hand. Hopefully. Then he pulled out his second weapon, a long knife that looked a little smaller than a dagger. He was crazy. He was willing to get personal with his victims. Had he killed people before? Had I been living across the street from a murderer?
"Stop!" I yelled out and tried to sound unafraid.
"Why?" The man growled.
"Don't hurt Emilia."
"How about I hurt Emilia and let you go unharmed? You're no better than her, but I hate her more than you."
No one had moved when the man took out his knife. No one was going to help me in protecting the only woman I had ever loved. I wanted to take the man's offer because there was no one that was willing to die for my love. But if she was to die today I couldn't stand that one of her last thoughts would be that I didn't love her. That I was more concerned for my safety than her health. I didn't want her to suffer that pain before she went to wherever we go after we die.
"I won't do that." I replied and nearly lost my balance. "You can't have her."
"Fine by me." The man said with a wave of his hand.
He rushed towards me and I struggled to think of what to do. There had been no stunt coordinator to help with this fight sequence. There had been no countless hours where I had practiced what I would do. The knife was not a prop, it was real. If it cut into me it could kill me. These could be my last few minutes and I didn't have time to plan things out.
Because there wasn't time to plan I rushed at the man. I couldn't walk straight and the world began to spin around me. The moment we made contact his knife cut just below my shoulder before I could move away. I screamed as the pain was real, there was no need to act. I attempted to punch him with the opposite arm but he was able to both dodge and cut me. I cried out as I knew what losing this fight would mean.
So I continued to fight but all I did was barely slow him down. I used the fact I was taller than him to my advantage. But with every move I was cut by the knife. Sometimes deeply and other times barely a scratch. From what I could see, he did not look as clean as when he entered. Maybe there was a way I could knock him out before he reached Emilia. I wanted to look at her one last time but that couldn't happen or else I'd lose focus on the fight.
"Leave!" I cried out and the man punched me.
That was just enough to make me fall to the ground. The most painful part was that all I could do was scream and watch the man stab Emilia. After a few seconds, minutes, or an eternity the patrons moved. Were they running away? Were they going to help Emilia?
Everything had become blurry to the point it felt like I was blind. The world was now only a tapestry of chaotic sounds and the coldness of the floor. The last thought before the world went black was wondering if Emilia was still alive.
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