Starla rushed down the hallway, hoping her mother wasn't too worried about her. Unlike most people her age Starla rarely left her house and, when she did, she was never gone long. This was the latest she'd ever stayed out at night.
"Maman, I'm home," Starla called, unlocking the door and then flinging it open. "Sorry I'm so late."
"It's okay, dear," her mother replied from the living room. "We never set a time for you to be back home so you couldn't possibly be late. I was starting to get a little worried, though. You're normally home earlier then this."
"I know. I'm really sorry. I lost track of time and -"
"Star, darling, you don't have to apologize," her mother interrupted softly in an amused voice. "As long as you had fun, I'm happy."
"Oh, I had the most wonderful time!" Starla exclaimed, her eyes bright, as she sat down beside her mother. She was so happy she felt like she was going to burst. She just had to share her night with someone! "It was boring at first since I don't really have much in common with the rest of the guests but then I ran into the sweetest girl. She was so nice and we talked for the longest time about anything and everything. Oh, and you wouldn't believe it! She knew the band that was performing at the party. One of the guys was her boyfriend. So after they performed she introduced me to everyone. And there was this one guy, Lance, who I had met before. It was really weird, actually. We had ran into each other two times prior to tonight. He was really sweet too....." Starla, who was talking in an excited rush, suddenly trailed off, feeling self-conscious. She wasn't sure if she was ready to share what she felt for Lance with her mother just yet. And if she kept talking about him it was sure to become obvious.
"Well, it sounds like you had a great time," her mother said, smiling. She had noticed how Starla's face lit up when she talked about that guy, Lance, but she wasn't going to mention it right now. She'd wait until her daughter was ready to come to her about it. She remembered, all to well, that feeling of infatuation, which sometimes even turned into love. It's what kept her with her husband even when things got rough. She shook her head slightly, clearing the thoughts of her personal life and returning back to Starla. "I'm glad you made some new friends."
"Yeah, so am I," Starla replied softly. She hadn't missed that forlorn expression that had flashed across mother's face briefly and she was pretty sure she knew what had caused it. Glancing at her mother's tired, haggard face again Starla felt a pang of sadness wash over her. Her mother was once so beautiful and full of life. Starla could remember, when she was barely four years old, how her mother would come home after a lunch date, or some other social calling, and rush into the nursery, immediately wrapping her darling baby girl in a loving embrace. Starla would savor the sweet smell of her mother's perfume and look up at her beautiful face, somewhat in awe of her. That was only shorty before the beatings began, though. As her father moved up in the business world his job, naturally, put more and more stress on him. He began with alcohol but pretty soon that wasn't enough. He began to get violent too. That's when Starla's mother stopped going out in public and lost touch with all of her friends. That's also when her beauty started to fade and her once lively eyes became lifeless.
As Starla sat there with her mother, her mind still in the past, she suddenly yawned. She looked up with a sheepish grin. "I guess I better go to bed, it's getting pretty late." She gave her mother a quick kiss, noticing again how tired she looked. "Are you going to go to bed soon?" Starla asked her, concerned.
"Yes, just as soon as I finish these thank you notes for your father," her mother replied. "I still can't believe how many people showed up at our party last month!" she continued, refering to the birthday party that had been held for Starla's father last month.
"Umm.....speaking of father," Starla said slowly, "when will he be back?" She held her breath, almost afraid of the answer.
"He should be home in a couple of weeks - a month at the very latest."
"Okay," Starla replied, hoping for the latter. Two weeks was too short of a time. Actually anything was too short of a time when it came to her father. She promptly pushed herself off of the couch and headed to her room, telling her mother goodnight.
When she was safe in her room, Starla finally allowed herself reminiscence of the wonderful night she'd just had. She walked over to her dresser and undressed slowly, thinking of Lance the whole time. As she slipped on her silk nightgown she pictured his handsome face, smiling sweetly at her. She remembered how good it felt to be in his arms, and how beautiful his voice was as he softly sang along to the music. She pulled back the covers and crawled into bed, remembering the feel of his hand in hers as he led her outside to the garden. And then, as she drifted off to sleep, she imagined the feel of his lips against hers as he kissed her tenderly.
Lance stared blindly up at the ceiling, unable to sleep. When he had gotten back to the hotel he had taken a long shower, hoping to clear all thoughts of Starla from his head. At least for a little while, anyways. He needed to plan his second step of action, which he couldn't do with a muddled brain. Unfortunately it seemed like it was going to stay in that state.
When he had first seen Starla he knew, instantly, that there was something special about her. And, even as she ran off, he was almost certain that they'd meet again. It was this gut feeling he had deep inside. And then, only a day later, they literally ran right into each other at that cafe. It seemed as though fate was working to bring them together. Especially when you consider that, only a few hours after their collision in the cafe, they were once again reunited; this time at a party.
It seemed that the more Lance talked to Starla, the harder he fell. She was so sweet and gentle. And not only was she beautiful on the outside, she was beautiful on the inside too. She seemed as close to perfection as they came. The only problem was her shyness. It'd be the biggest, not to mention hardest, obstacle to overcome. Lance was pretty sure he could succeede, though. Starla was worth any trouble he might encounter.
With these thoughts in his head, a plan began to form. Lance grinned. He knew exactly what to do next. With the subject finally resolved, Lance began to drift off to sleep. He could see Starla up ahead, her raven hair blowing in the breeze, as she called to him. She was standing in a field of daisys, smiling brightly at him. He covered the distance between them in two seconds flat, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He brought his lips down to hers and kissed her gently, and then with more fervor.................
"Prance, stop it!" Chasity scolded the silver and gray tabby cat, trying not to laugh. The cat seemed to have taken a liking to Justin's curly hair and was playfully batting at it with its paws.
"It's times like these I regret ever getting you a cat," Justin complained, futiley trying to shove the cat away.
"Well, he wouldn't be able to reach your hair if you were sitting up instead of being lazy and lying down," Chasity teased, scooping the cat into her arms.
"It's been a long day. I'm tired. Besides, I was hoping you'd get the hint and join me," he replied with a suggestive wink.
"And just what kind of girl do you think I am?!" she asked primly.
Justin looked up at her, the desire evident in his eyes, and lightly ran his hand across her thigh. "A very, very naughty girl." He hadn't just missed her emotionally these past few months; he had missed her physically too. He missed the satiny feel of her skin and the way her soft body felt so perfect against his.
"Uh-uh, Justin. Wrong answer," Chasity said with a chuckle. She could tell that he wanted her - badly - and, although she wanted him also, she was going to make him wait a little longer. It was so much funner that way. As she looked down at Justin a thought suddenly came to her and she became serious. "Besides, could you imagine what would happen if all those teenyboppers found out you weren't as pure and innocent as they though? All hell would break lose."
"So? It's none of their business!"
"Yeah, but when you're always in the public eye, like you are, everything you do is always everyone elses business," she stated sadly. It was something that had been bothering her quite a bit lately but she hadn't meant to bring it up right now. The words just seemed to fly out of her mouth.
Justin stared up at Chasity, realization dawning in. "Baby, is it too hard for you - always being in the public eye. I mean, I'm used to it by now but you're still new to this whole thing. Do you ever regret that we're together, or that I'm famous?"
"Oh, no! Of course not," she reassured him, instantly feeling bad. "I could never regret what we have together. It is hard sometimes but, well, that's life."
Justin stared at Chasity thoughtfully and realized that it was bothering her more than she'd ever let on. He could also tell that she didn't want to talk about....at least not right now. He decided to respect her silent wish and close the subject. "Well, just remember that if you ever need to talk about it, about anything, I'm here. I would never be too busy for you. All of this - the fame, the money - it means nothing without you."
"Thanks, Justin," Chasity replied, tears glistening in her eyes. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you."
"No, babe, it's the other way around," Justin said huskily, reaching up to brush her tears away. "I don't know what I did to deserve you."
