10 An unexpected invitation

There was a muffled "Is that you Mandy? Come in." and she pushed open the door to reveal Feanor sitting on a stool in the process of scrubbing his face clean of makeup. He glanced up and saw the two girl standing behind her and gestured them to come inside. They entered and Mandy closed the door behind them and left.

Feanor gestured towards a sofa which were tucked at a corner.

"Please, sit down. I will be just a second."

Idril's heart was beating and from the way Imogen's eyes were alight, she knew she was as excited as she. They hadn't expected this at all. They sat down and waited patiently for him to finish.

After making sure that his face was completely bare of any make up, he sat down on the stool in front of the mirror and faced them. Idril noticed that he looked considerably younger now and way more… attractive. He opened his mouth to speak and his voice made her quiver inside.

"Sorry about that. But I absolutely dislike to keep any cosmetic on my face when I am not performing. Would you like some refreshment? Anything to eat or drink, maybe?" His Scot accent was very slight, barely noticeable except for that rolling 'r's.

There was a silence after which Imogen croaked, "No, no. We are fine. Actually, we were hoping to get an autograph of you. And maybe a selfie as well." Her voice grew bolder as she spoke and with encouragement from Idril she ploughed on, "You know, something we can post on Facebook or maybe Instagram. And we are so glad that you invited us here."

He moved a hand, "Ah, don't worry about that now. You are going to get all that. I must confess that I requested your presence here because I was curious." He looked directly at Idril for the first time, "You don't seem to be from around here. Am I right?"

Her "yes" was so breathy that she had repeat it a second time for him to catch. She cleared her throat and said, "Yes. I'm from Asia."

"I surmised as much. So, here as a tourist? Or visiting family?" He smiled, "Your accent kinda makes it obvious that you didn't grow up here."

"No actually, we are a part of a film crew. Not a film exactly, more like a documentary. We came over three weeks ago from London and have been camping near Glasgow. Imogen here, "she glanced at her friend, "is our local support who helped us with learning the ropes." She added as an afterthought, "I am Idril, by the way."

He looked as if he had never seen anyone like before. She felt that odd surge of electricity crackling between them as it had half an hour ago out during the shoot. He rolled her name between his tongue a couple of times, "Idril", making the 'r' roll, making it sound almost like "Idrrrril." An amused smile lit up his face. "Parents?"

With an answering smile she replied, "No, my aunt. Her heart belongs to Aragorn. Was it your parents?"

"Yes. We have something in common." Frowning, he asked, "Was that you in twitter last week? Asking me about my children?"

"Yes. " She blushed. She had intended it as a joke and had had a good laugh over it. But sitting in front of him, talking about his children made all her blood rush to her cheeks and filled her mind with many indecent images and she didn't dare look at him, lest he imagined what she was feeling.

There was a silence during which nobody seemed to know what to say. He took the initiative, "When are you guys going back?"

"In four days."

He looked at Imogen, "And you? Are you staying in Glasgow?"

"No. I was hired from London and will return on the same day."

"But Asia is a long way. I didn't know people there are aware of our shows. Maybe the movies, but TV shows? How did you come to know about this?"

"Oh, you have no idea. There is a huge fan base there. But I first saw you in your second movie. The one where you played a prince?" she gushed, quite forgetting her earlier shyness, "And I thought, OMG, he is so very handsome. Like a real prince. And I had your photo as my laptop wallpaper for a very long time. And then I saw this announcement that you have been cast for this series and that the shoot will be in Scotland and well… I thought as how this is my chance to meet you and, well, here I am." Her voice trailed away. She was blushing like mad, having gone through the whole explanation breathlessly. And it didn't help that Feanor was looking her as with a stunned expression.

There was again a small silence. But this time it was Imogen who broke it with a small cough.

"Umm, speaking of which, will you please sign these?" she fumbled in her pocket and took out the two battered notebooks and a pen, "And maybe a picture together?"

He obliged and signed. If he was surpirsed he didn't say anything, people barely asked for autographs now- a-days.e then it was time to take the picture, Idril found herself wedged between Imogen and his lean, hard body. Standing beside him, she realized how very tall he was. She looked up at him and saw that he was looking at her too. He smiled in her eyes and said softly, "Look at front."

When it was over, they said there thanks and started leaving the room. As Idril followed Imogen out of the room, suddenly she found her arm being grabbed by Feanor.

"Hey, I know this sounds very forward, but will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"

His face was a foot from her and she could hear his breath and smell the cologne he wore. She seemed to be losing herself under a sensual haze where nothing existed except his blue eyes, which were very dark right now and his soft pink lips. She wasn't even aware that her lips formed the words "yes" in a very breathy voice before she reached forward and lightly brushed lips against hers.

Suddenly she came to her senses and almost died in mortification. With her other arm she touched the place where his fingers were moments earlier. The skin was warm and the imprint of his fingers was still visible on her fair skin. Of their own volition her fingers traced the imprints. She blushed fiercely as she looked up to him, barely an inch away from her. What must he be thinking? But he didn't seem to have minded. In fact he seemed to have lost himself as much as she. The corners of his lips lifted in a slight smile and he took her mobile from her nerveless hands and punched in some numbers.

"This is my number; give me a missed call so I can save yours." Dumbly she nodded.

"See you tomorrow." He said softly as she left the room.