Banner by Noaluvjames
Banner by Noaluvjames
Chapter 15
William drove into Newquay and quickly found the airport.
It was with some luck that he’d been able to charter a
flight so fast – having stepped into the pub to ask Jake for some airport
details. The older man had seemed
distant at first until William had let slip that he’d only be going to London
for the afternoon and would be back sometime that evening.
Suddenly, Jake was gushing about his friend who happened to own a small
Cessna that he kept in Newquay. A
phone call later and William was assured his friend would meet him there in
about a half hour. Thanking the barkeep profusely, he left the pub and drove
into the city.
Robert, Jake’s pilot friend, was already waiting for him
when he arrived. Going over his
aircraft with the necessary checklist, he called out that he’d be ready to get
underway in about fifteen minutes.
“Is there anything you need me to do?” William asked.
“Nah…been flying so much, I practically know this list
like the back of my hand. Just grab
your gear and put it in the back.”
“It’s just me, I’m not planning on staying but the
afternoon.”
“Ahhh… ok. Well, I’ll be finished up shortly.
You can park your car over there next to mine.
It should be fine there.”
“Ok…thanks.”
~*~*~*~*~
With Robert’s cell phone number tucked away in a safe
spot, William left the airport and caught a taxi to the Royal Lancaster Hotel.
He alternated between excitement and nervousness as he stepped into the
hotel’s foyer. He’d been wanting to get this project going ever since he
first started acting, but he’d waited…trying to make a name for himself so
that he’d have people lining up to back him.
Putting on a bored appearance, he stepped up to the
receptionist’s desk and asked for his agent’s room.
The blonde woman was busily typing away at the keyboard and
hadn’t looked up yet.
“Oh, I’m sorry…we can’t give out that…” her
voice trailed off once she got a good look at who she was talking to. “Oh…um…uh…right.
Mr. Johnson. He’s…uh…”
She looked away and typed furiously into her keyboard.
In her nervousness, she mistyped the information several times and it was
a few minutes before William finally had the suite number.
He gave the woman a wink and watched as her face flushed
even more.
“Thanks, luv.”
She gulped, giving him a slight wave as he left the desk and
headed towards the elevators.
~*~*~*~*~
“Spike! So
glad you could make it!” his agent, Michael hollered for the benefit of the
three suits lounging inside.
William barely managed to conceal his distaste.
His agent was a barracuda in the business and his pretentious manner
tended to grate on William’s nerves. He
affected a professional smile not letting a hint of his feelings show – hey, he
was an actor – and stepped inside the suite as his agent pounded him heartily on the
back in greeting.
“Come in, come in…Spike, I’d like you to meet Mr.
Osborne, Ms. Chase, and Mr. Giles.”
William eyed the motley group of backers carefully.
They appeared bored and disinterested, as if they really didn’t want to
be there. He stepped forward and
stretched out his hand to the shorter man who appeared ready to yank off the tie
dangling around his neck. He glanced at his own casual clothes of jeans and a sweater
and struggled not to smirk.
“It’s William…nice to meet you.”
“Oz. Likewise.
This is Cordy,” he added, gesturing to the tall brunette.
“Hi…William…nice to meet you.”
When he didn’t ogle her figure, but instead looked her in
the eyes, some of the woman’s icy demeanor seemed to melt and she gifted him
with a slight smile.
“Hi, William, it’s nice to meet you too,” she
responded warmly.
“And, that’s Giles,” Oz finished, gesturing with his
thumb towards the other man in their small group.
“Giles,” William greeted, shaking the other’s hand.
“William…nice to meet you.
Been following your career for a while now. What made you want to do a project like Alexander’s Last
Stand? Not exactly the type of
stuff you’ve been doing lately. Although,
Staying Power – if the gossip is to be believed – looks like it might
be a step in that direction,” Giles commented, gesturing for them to sit
on the couch.
“That’s exactly why I want to do it.
I’ve been sitting on this screenplay for five years now.
I’m an actor. The movies
I’ve made over the last few years, while box office blockbusters, aren’t
what I want to do. Alexander’s
Last Stand is the type of movie I want to be a part of.
Staying Power was a step in that direction.
If all goes well, Hollywood will finally see I’m not just an action
star…I do have a bit of substance behind these cheekbones,” he told them
bluntly.
William watched his agent almost have a nervous breakdown as he
stood behind the others. The man was waving his hands frantically in an attempt
to get him to stop talking. Too
late – he’d grown to the point where he could speak his mind and not care
what others thought.
From the chair across the way, Oz let out a laugh.
“I told you, Giles,” he told the other man.
Giles just nodded, pleased to have the younger man’s opinions
confirmed. “Does this mean I can
get out of this damn jacket and tie now?”
“You don’t have to dress on my account,” William
smirked. He sensed the guy had the
same twisted sense of humor he had.
“Thank God!” he replied, standing to divest himself of
the offending garments.
~*~*~*~*~
Sensing the stilted conversation between the small group and
his agent, William excused himself to have a word with Michael.
He told his agent it would probably be better if he went by himself to
dinner.
His agent readily agreed, not used to people failing to
kowtow to his power with Hollywood. Didn’t
they know he was the best agent in the business?
Only represented the best actors – one’s that produced hits time and
time again? Rolling his eyes at the
motley group seated around his suite, Michael waved him off.
Breathing a sigh of relieve to be away from the ostentatious
company of his agent, William led the others out of the suite.
“You guys wanna change before dinner?”
“Oh God, yes!” Cordy moaned. “These heels are killing me!”
“Well, come on, pet. Let’s
get you all taken care of. Can’t
have you dying on me. Are you guys
staying here?”
“We’ve got rooms on the next floor.”
“Ok. How do
you feel about Chinese? I know a
good restaurant a few blocks from here. Not
big on the décor, but the food is great.”
“Sounds fine,” Giles replied.
~*~*~*~*~
William was so deep in discussion with Oz, Giles, and Cordy
regarding plans for his screenplay that he completely forgot the time.
It was only when Cordy got up to use the ladies room that he took a
moment to glance at his watch.
‘Oh my God, is that the time? I’ve got to call Robert
and tell him that I’m going to be late.’
“Excuse me, guys. I’ve
got to make a phone call.”
Standing, he exited the restaurant to get better reception
with his cell phone. The sky had
darkened perceptibly in the last hour they had been inside and he shivered
slightly as a cool breeze tore its way through his sweater.
Dialing the number he pulled from his wallet, he listened as
it rang twice before someone picked up.
“Robert…hi…it’s William.
I’m sorry, but I completely lost track of time.”
“Hi, William. Don’t
worry about it. While I was going
over my flight checklist, I noticed a bad part.
Nothing major, but I’ll feel better waiting for the replacement before
we take off for Newquay.”
“How long’s that going to be…I don’t want to hold
you up.”
“Actually, it’s not going to be in until tomorrow
morning. I’m going to get a room
in town for the night.”
“Well, let me pick that up for you.
I’ll call the Royal Lancaster Hotel now, since I’m going to have to
get one for myself. If you go check
with the front desk, they’ll have a key waiting for you.”
“Oh, no…I…”
“I insist. The
least I could do for getting you to fly me up on such short notice.
Remember, check with the front desk.
I’ll also leave my room number so that we can catch a taxi back
together in the morning.”
“All right. And,
thanks.”
“My pleasure.”
William hung up with the pilot and quickly called the hotel
and secured two rooms. They
happened to have two available on the same floor, and he gave the reservations
clerk his information to pay for the rooms.
He’d no sooner hung up with the hotel that a thought ran
through his head.
Buffy.
He had no means of contacting her to let her know that
he’d been delayed.
Bloody hell.
~*~*~*~*~
He wasn’t sure what time Buffy had to leave to catch her
flight, and he prayed that the cops weren’t out and about as he pushed his
Land Rover to the limits getting back to Crackington Haven.
Parking the car in a rush, he tore out of the car and raced
to her front door. He banged a few
times and nearly breathed a sigh of relief when he heard footsteps moving
towards the door.
Then it opened…revealing a woman that was definitely not
Buffy.
“Oh…uh. I’m
sorry. I was looking for the woman
that was staying here.”
“She’s gone. Check
out was by 11 a.m. I’m
sorry…but, I’ve got to get things ready for the next tenants.
If you’ll excuse me?”
“Oh…sure.”
Dejected, he walked off towards his own cottage.
A sudden thought occurred to him, causing him to turn and trot off
towards the pub.
~*~*~*~*~
“Jake,” he called out as he entered the dimly lit pub.
He quirked a brow when the normally jovial man barely
greeted him. Was that displeasure
in his glance?
“Hey, Jake…have you seen Buffy?”
“As a matter of fact, I have. Came through yesterday afternoon and stopped by on her way
out of town…”
Yesterday? She
left yesterday?
The rest of the barkeeps words of the poor girl being
heartbroken and crying and wanting to tell William bye went unheard as he
concentrated on Jake’s initial words of Buffy leaving yesterday after he went
to London.
Couldn’t wait until I disappeared so she could take off.
Apparently, it was just a meaningless fling for her.
He curled his lip in disgust at his own gullibility.
Turning away, he strode quickly from the pub, ignoring Jake as the older
man called out to him.
William walked up the hill to his rented cottage.
Grabbing his cases, he threw shirts, pants and other items haphazardly
inside as he cleaned out the cottage. No
sense in him staying there any longer. May
as well get back to work. He’d
make the director happy by showing up early for the shoot…as it was, they’d
started production already – working on scenes that he didn’t need to be
present for.
He couldn’t believe she’d just left like that, without
saying goodbye. Left a note, spoken
to Jake…something. A crumb.
Was that too much to ask?
Allowing his anger to mask the hurt he was feeling, William
descended the staircase, his bulging suitcases held firmly in each hand.
He passed through the open front door and dropped his luggage by the Land
Rover.
He swept through his rented cottage one last time to make
sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. When
he was assured that all of his personal belongings were accounted for, he
stormed out of the cottage, slamming the front door behind him. He wanted to put
as much distance between himself and Crackington Haven as possible.
If he never saw the place again he’d be too happy.
~*~*~*~*~
William growled in frustration at yet another delay in
shooting. He was tired, hot, and
just wanted the day to be over. His
female costar seemed to have the right idea, waiting out the latest snafu in her
trailer to ease the burgeoning heat that had settled over the city they were
currently filming in.
As much as he wanted to say to hell with the shoot for the
day, William had vowed never to let his anger and frustration get the best of
him. He’d swore when he was just
a nobody that no one would ever be able to say that he was a troublesome actor,
prone to tantrums. Instead, with
his easygoing manner, directors were eager to cast him in their pictures – citing
his unfailing professionalism as one of the main reasons.
Still…just once he’d like to give in to his inner
two-year-old and throw a bloody tantrum.
And today would have been the perfect day.
Finally, the director took pity on him and called the shoot
for the day. Too many technical
issues prevented them getting back to work anytime in the near future.
Heaving a sigh of relief, William left the set and made his
way to his trailer.
He needed a drink…and bad.
Today was the two-month anniversary of the day he’d rushed
back to Crackington Haven, only to find out that Buffy had left the day prior.
Just the thought of that was enough to get his temper flaring.
William stepped inside his trailer, his arms breaking out in
goose bumps as the cool air rushed over his overheated body.
He quickly stripped out of his shirt and made his way to the small
refrigerator. He grabbed a beer,
opened it, draining half the contents before pulling the opening away from his
parched lips.
He plopped on the couch, propping his arm behind his head as
he worked on finishing off the bottle in his hand.
Unconsciously, his mind wandered back to that rainy day in
the cave. The feel of her body when
she’d given herself to him; her nervousness when she’d awakened; afterwards,
when they’d gone back to her place, eating before the fire; making love again
and again throughout the remainder of the night.
He fast-forwarded to that morning, the last time he’d seen
her…she’d seemed desperate for him, just as he was for her.
Scared that if the other were to leave it would be over.
But, he’d had to go, and she’d disappeared from his life, leaving him
feeling bereft.
‘I’m not bereft,
dammit.
I’d have to care to be bereft,’ he told himself.
‘You do
care, William. That’s the
problem.’
‘Sod off. I
don’t need you bloody telling me what I feel.
It’s over. Finished.
She’s gone.’
The ringing of his cell phone abruptly cut off the argument
he was having with himself.
“Hello?”
“William.”
“Hello, mum.”
“How’s your project going?”
“It’s fine. We
let out early while they deal with some technical issues, but we’ll be back at
it first thing.”
“That’s wonderful, dear.
I was just calling to check on you…I haven’t spoken with you in a
while,” her soft, lilting voice sounded slightly hurt.
“’M sorry, mum. Just
been busy with this shoot, is all.”
“I know, dear. But,
it’s a mother’s prerogative to nag their children into calling more
often,” she joked.
“Yes, it is at that.”
He grinned into the phone. This
was just what he needed to get his mind off of Buffy.
Damn.
So much for that.
“Well, I haven’t talked to you since you left
Crackington Haven. Did you have a
nice time there?”
“It was alright.”
“Hmmm…Jake told me you left a week early.
Did something happen?”
“Jake told you…wait.
You know Jake? The barkeep,
Jake?”
“Yes, dear. He’s
an old childhood friend. Jake, me,
and your father were very close. Jake
was even your dad’s best man at our wedding.
But, we’d lost contact not long afterwards, and it wasn’t until
recently that he managed to find me again.”
Dead silence greeted her pronouncement.
“Anyway…Jake mentioned this Buffy.
Strange name, that. Anyway…what
was I saying? Oh yes, apparently
you two had formed an attachment of sorts…”
“Mum…” he tried in vain to interrupt.
“…but, you had to go out of town…and she was just
devastated when you left…”
“Mum…wait…devastated?”
He sat up from his reclined position on the couch, gripping
the phone tightly in his hand.
“Jake said she was devastated?”
“Yes, dear…apparently, he’d gone on and on about how
she was crying when she came into the pub… poor dear…just breaks my
heart…and how she wanted Jake to make sure that he told you goodbye.
He’d tried to call after her, but she’d burst into tears and rushed
from the pub.”
At that, William blanched.
She had cared.
And she’d spent the past two months probably
thinking…hell, he didn’t know what she was thinking.
But, damned if he was going to sit around and wait any longer to find
out.
He knew she lived in Sunnydale, and that she was a nursing
student at Sunnydale University.
How hard could it be to find her?
“Mum…mum…” William tried desperately to interrupt
his mother’s monologue. She was
on a roll and it took her a minute to wind down.
Guilt was eating at him, and he needed to get off the phone
so he could set his plans in motion.
“Hmmmm?”
“I…uh…I gotta go.
They’re calling for me. I’ll
call you later this evening, ok?”
“That’s ok, dear. You
go on back to work. Call me in a
few days when you have time.”
“Yes. I will.
Goodbye, mum.”
“Bye, William.”
~*~*~*~*~
Anne set the phone back in the cradle and leaned back in her
chair. Her blue eyes twinkled as
she eyed her visitor.
“You are devilishly evil, Anne Thornton.
And, if I wasn’t married to my own sweet Maggie, I’d sweep you off
your feet and steal you away.”
“Oh, Jake…stop. You’ll
have me blushing.”
Jake continued to eye his best friend while she burst into
giggles as he wiggled his eyebrows at her in a leering manner.
“Well, it’s about time someone kicked my son in the arse
and got him moving. Two months is
too long to brood over the girl. Really!
I’ll never get any grandchildren if I leave everything to the men to
handle,” she told her friend, abruptly sobering from her laugh.
She leaned over and picked up the teacup resting on the
coffee table in front of her. She
brought it to her lips, sipping daintily at the steaming liquid.
She was going to get some grandbabies from her son, damned if she wasn’t.