"Hello?"
"Vig?"
"Orli, what's wrong?" I can tell he's upset even from thousands of miles away by the way his voice is all quiet and unsure. Not to mention that it's two in the morning in England right now, which usually isn't the time for a quick 'how are you?' call. "Are you okay?"
"Yes. Well, I don't know."
"What's the matter, love?"
"It's just . . . fuck, it's silly."
"I'm sure it's not silly," I assure him. "Now what is it?"
Orli sighs. "I miss you. I really miss you."
"That's not silly at all. I miss you, too."
"You do?"
"Of course I do. You know how important you are to me, and I hate that you're not here. But you'll be back here in ten days, and then you're not going anywhere until May."
"Yeah, but you don't understand, Vig."
"What don't I understand?"
"You're everywhere! Every time I turn on the telly, there's another advert for the movie with all these images of you -- kissing Liv, fleeing Orcs, and so on. You're in the bloody paper, the magazines . . ." He sighs again. "I'll see you on the telly and I just want to start kissing the screen."
I smile sadly. "Oh, Orli."
"So that's why I'm calling you at two in the morning, on the verge of tears. Fuck, I'm *such* a girl."
"If your sister ever caught you saying that, she'd kick your ass," I tell him with a chuckle.
"Yeah, I know."
"Look, maybe you should just get some sleep. You'll feel better in the morning."
"I'd rather talk to you. Are you busy?"
"I'm never too busy for you," I say, suddenly missing him even more than usual. "What do you want to talk about?"
"Anything. Tell me about your day."
"Well, it was beautiful and sunny today, so Henry and I went for a walk on the beach before going to the seafood place he really likes for lunch. Then I took him shopping for some CDs and we ran some errands. Just a normal Saturday afternoon, really."
"God, it's freezing here. A walk on the beach sounds so wonderful."
"We'll do it when you get back," I promise.
"What are you doing now?"
"Cooking dinner. Spaghetti with homemade sauce and garlic bread."
"Yummy."
I laugh. "And what about your day?"
"Um, I woke up, I phoned my mum like every Saturday morning, I went for a quick walk with Maude, I hung around the flat and attempted to clean up, and then I went to the movies."
"What'd you see?" He mumbles something and I grin. "What was that?"
"'The Fellowship of the Ring'," he says in an annoyed voice. "I miss you, and it was better than not seeing you at all. Not to mention that every time I see certain scenes, I have all these great memories of being in New Zealand with you."
"How many times have you seen it in the theater now? Not counting the premieres."
"Seven." I know he's blushing. "Thank God most people don't recognize me without the wig and ears, because that could be somewhat embarrassing. Of course, now that you've gone and given yourself a bloody buzz cut, most people probably won't realize that you're Aragorn. I still can't believe that you got rid of all your hair."
"I thought you liked it."
"You look sexy as hell no matter what. It's just that after two years, I was used to that lovely long hair that I could grab onto during sex. Now there's only fuzz, and it'll take me a while to get used to. Also, you did it after I left and I learned about it from *Lij*, who was totally freaked out by the concept of a short-haired Viggo."
"A short-haired Viggo? That sounds like a type of dog. Besides, my hair is growing in now; there's more than fuzz."
"What I can't get over is that you did the buzz cut because Henry mentioned offhand that he thought you'd look cool with one."
"Listen, my son is getting to the age where parents are terminally uncool, so anything I can do to stay cool in his eyes is worth it."
"So if he told you that it was cool to jump off of a cliff, you'd do it?" he asks.
I roll my eyes. "I don't exactly think that someone who jumps off of bridges with a rubber band around his ankles should be asking that question."
"Bugger off."
"I can't do that if you're not here," I laugh. "And keep in mind that if Henry hadn't told me that Strider was a cool character, I never would have flown to New Zealand and met you."
"Okay, you have a point."
"Also, why am I taking advice about hair care from someone who used to have a mohawk?"
"Leave the mohawk alone!"
"Would you rather discuss the fact that you use women's shampoo and conditioner?"
"Hey, it keeps my hair shiny, soft, and smelling nice. Why shouldn't I use it?"
"Because when you get out of the shower, your hair smells like rose petals," I chuckle.
"You never complain about that when you bury your nose in my curls and kiss the top of my head," Orli points out.
"That's because I'll take every opportunity I can get to kiss you, even if your use of scented conditioner makes Legolas look like Arnold Schwarzenegger."
"Filthy human. You have no concept of grooming," he says with affected loftiness.
"You wound me, Orlando."
We both laugh. "So what time is it there?"
"About 6:15. Dinner's on the stove and Henry's playing video games."
"What are your plans for tonight?"
"Probably just leafing through some scripts my agent sent me. Apparently my stock has risen since playing Aragorn."
"Of course it has, you git."
"Yeah, well I'm not in a rush to do another movie unless something really catches my eye."
"Whereas I'm hopping all over the globe to make movies."
"But that's what you love to do," I remind him.
"Not if it keeps us apart."
"Orli, this is what we do for a living. Unfortunately, it puts physical distance between us and that's not easy, but it's how life is in this business. I don't resent the fact that you're taking on projects all over the place because I know how much acting means to you; I know that passion firsthand. As long as the distance between us is physical and not emotional, we'll find a way to deal with it."
"Yeah, I know you're right. But that doesn't change how much I miss you." He sighs. "Only ten more days to go until I'm home again."
"So L.A. is home to you now?"
"No, *you're* home to me. That may sound twee as all hell, but it's true."
"Don't worry about sounding 'twee', because I feel the same way."
"Hey, when I get back will you show me the photos from the gallery opening? I want to see the one of you and Dom."
"Ah, the infamous tongues photo," I say with a smile.
"Yes, *that* one. Why on earth did you feel compelled to go along with his demented idea? God only knows where Dom's tongue has been."
"At least you know where my tongue has been."
"Viggo, please don't get me all horny. If I start wanking, I'll wake Maude."
I chuckle. "Well, Henry's liable to come in at any moment so I'll keep the conversation clean."
"If I call you tomorrow, can we have a not-so-clean conversation? I have a great scenario planned for long-distance shagging."
"And what would that be?"
"I'm not telling. I want it to be a surprise."
"You're nothing but a tease, Orlando Bloom."
"That I am. But I'm worth it." He yawns loudly and I smile. "Sorry."
"Love, maybe you should go to sleep."
"Yeah, I should," he agrees.
"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"
"Sounds good. I miss you, Vig."
"I miss you too, Orli. I love you so much."
"I love you, too."
"Sweet dreams, baby."
"I'm going to dream about being with you. About being home."
"That's what I'll dream about tonight, too."
"Good night, Viggo."
"Good night, Orli."
