like daylight

Starstruck | Sparren

Darren liked to consider his penthouse to be pretty central. It was close enough to anything exciting that walking was often a viable option, although it being that central also means he spent a lot of his time being driving around or having someone get his morning coffee if he couldn’t be bothered to make it himself. Being caught first thing in the morning by fans wanting photos or autographs or video recordings to send to their friends was never Darren’s idea of an ideal start. Especially if his day had to start before 10 A.M. Living in a building versus having his own house did have some disadvantages, but buying a house seemed so much more permanent, and with his schedule he was rarely home. Buying a penthouse seemed like the easier option – throw some money at it now, and then figure out what to do with the rest of his life later.

“Change of plans,” Darren leaned towards the window separating the driver from the passengers in the car. “Just take us home. Thanks, mate.”

Wyatt nodded, turning his right blinker on. Darren’s home was less than a half hour away, and Wyatt always seemed to know the quickest routes despite Darren having just moved into the place a few months ago. Before that, he’d lived in rentals. After graduation, Darren had the hardest time figuring out if he wanted to buy a place of his own and if so, where would make the most sense. Almost everyone he knew lived in either London, LA, or New York for work. It all depended on where they did most of their films. For a while, renting made the most sense. Anything important he’d left at his mom’s place anyway, and he was gone almost half the year either somewhere in Europe or shooting on location. Living out of a suitcase, or a small capsule of what he actually owned, made sense. But then Darren wanted to settle down. He wanted a place to call his own to return to after shooting, not some place new his assistant, Jenn, had found him.

“That’s a nasty habit,” he shook his head, turning to face Spencer briefly. “I just got back from filming something in the U.K. Not only did I have to put on an accent for a few months, but everyone there actually speaks like that and the slang is impossible to get rid of once it’s ingrained in you.”

At the mention of living under the same roof as Becky, Darren let out a small chuckle. “Fuck no. I haven’t lived with my mom for ages. Not since graduation at least. Do you really see my lifestyle matching well with hers?”

She was envisioning the family home, of having to walk in with Becky’s humming coming from the kitchen, her chipper tone welcoming them in. Of having to tiptoe around his mother and her questions, of having to give an explanation for why she was in their foyer months after the pair had said goodbye. Of having to answer questions for how she’d been since the last time they’d seen each other and dodging the woman’s congratulations. Spencer had already started the mental preparation when Darren laughed the idea of him still living under his mother’s watchful eye considered absurd to the man beside her. They kept different habits; Becky would have had to meet more the occasional woman he’d bring home and the house would always smell of liquor or smoke, she’d reckon. It would be the unusual set up, but having been there, it was something she could envision. Without the backdrop of the other Gantz home, the blonde was left with more questions.

If not with Becky, who did he live with now, was it alone or with a roommate of some sort, or was that too common for the fast life? Where did he live and what did it look like, did it still lack the personal touches as his Easton apartment had? A sure sign that lacked permanence. This wasn’t his home, but rather a pit stop between where he was and where he was headed next, the destination probably abroad like the last. Fleeting, but wasn’t that usually the case with Darren? She hadn’t seen him commit to anything—nothing but their short relationship and she often wondered if she hadn’t ended things, if he would have, if she had simply beat him to it. But it’d crossed her mind a few years too late.

“I can’t see her lighting your cigarette, no,” she teased. “Or having to meet the parade of women you must be bringing home. How awkward would that be for you?” The words could have cut deeper if she’d said them bitterly, but she didn’t, a smirk easily finding its way to her lips. “Those introductions where you didn’t know their names? And knowing Becky she’d offer to make them breakfast the next morning. That’d really put a damper on your mood, mate.” The term he’d just criticized now said affectionately. She turned to look out the window now, admiring the night life of the city as it passed them by, a few moments of silence passing between them before she asked curiously, “are we getting close?”

Starstruck | Sparren

Networking is a fulltime job. When your entire career is based off of who you know and your reputation, playing nice with everyone is just part of the deal. Darren went around saying goodbye to any familiar face, clapping a few people on the back and kissing the cheeks of others. Most of the people here knew what Darren was actually like, something far from who he presented at these events. It didn’t matter so much though. No one acted exactly like themselves when they mingled at these events. After he finished with networking, Darren came back to Spencer, guiding her way out of the crowd and towards his car in the lineup of black cars.

“Of course not,” Darren shook his head, pointing towards one of many black town cars with tinted windows. “Wyatt’s waiting for me right there.”

One of the attendants opened the door for the two of them, allowing Darren to slide inside without much more than a nod to the driver. He allowed Spencer to give Wyatt instructions, but then at her insistence that this must be going out of his way, Darren rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, Spenny. It’s not out of Wyatt’s way. He’s paid by the hour, I’m sure he doesn’t mind. Although, did you want to come over? I’m just twenty minutes away and it would be nice to catch up without all the noise.”

She caught herself from arguing against him, somehow surprised that his behavior towards his staff hadn’t changed in the months that had passed. It was one of their frequent arguments; the blonde focused on making sure that his employees were respected for more than their job, that they were treated kindly and fairly. She’d made an effort in getting to know each of their names, in apologizing and thanking them for doing something for her. They were more than a paycheck and while Darren claimed to clearly know this, his words sometimes said otherwise. “I still appreciate it,” she promised, hoping Wyatt had heard her.

The follow up question was what caught her by surprise, confusion fitting her features for a moment before she nodded, trying to compose her expression. “Yeah, uh—yeah, that sounds nice.” Smooth, Spencer. She couldn’t understand him wanting her to come over afterwards, even if he had given the explanation. They didn’t normally do this, didn’t extend their time together outside of what was already spent in a vain attempt to keep things pleasant. But in agreeing to go there, she could almost guarantee a fight.

But she’d also wanted to go, to see him and catch up in a place that lacked the noise of an awards show like he said, where she wouldn’t have to worry about being so prim and proper, and could, hopefully, get out of her shoes. “Are we going to Becky’s or do you two not live under the same roof..?”

Starstruck | Sparren

The crowd pulsed with movement. People zigzaged through the crowd, a constant exchange of bodies on the dance floor kept the energy high. As friends or contacts were spotted in the crowd, people stopped to yell over the music, others swerved away from awkward encounters. There was a certain energy in air that Darren thrived off of. For the most part, he knew the people in this room, either personally or just from being in the same small business. These were his friends and his coworkers. As the conversation continued, he paused to acknowledge those friends in the crowd. Many of them would be too drunk or otherwise inebriated to realize they’d seen him tonight. His plan, before running into Spencer, had been to do the same. Anyone who was anyone didn’t sleep on Oscar night, parties went until the next day and everyone stayed until they had to leave for interviews about the night before.

He followed her gaze. Spotting anyone in the crowd was difficult, especially when neither person was someone Darren particularly cared about. Finding the two of them together was near impossible for him, despite trying to follow where she looked, but arguing with her about where someone was seemed ridiculous so he believed her. As the text message rolled in, he looked over to catch a glimpse of the screen.

“Looks like you know your friend well,” he nodded towards the text message, gently sliding his hand into his pocket. Glancing at the time on her phone, he noticed it was just past midnight and he wasn’t anywhere near finished partying. But he’d lost his friend in the crowd and spent the whole night talking to Spencer. If he left her now, he’d have to make up for lost time with his friends. Being the most sober person at a party was never Darren’s favourite thing, so he’d binge drink until he caught up. That was one option. The other option was giving Spencer a ride home.

Clearly, she didn’t want to stay much longer. Spencer showing up to the after-party was already on the verge of being out of character, but her staying while everyone she didn’t know got drunk couldn’t have been fun for her. It should have taken him longer to decide. He should have said no, made her find her own way home. But instead he said, “of course. We can head out now if you’d like? I don’t have any particular reason to stay much longer. Let me just say goodbye to a few people, let them know where I’m going so if I don’t turn up tomorrow they know where to look for me body.”

The media would have had a field day if they caught word of the pair leaving together—that was the thought that drifted through the blonde’s head as she watched Darren make his rounds through the room, bidding his friends and peers goodnight before circling back to her. It was different seeing him in this light. She had felt the same watching him flirt with the other woman before, but the professional side to Darren Gantz was one she found interesting. He seemed so proper, formal in front of the people he worked with, making polite conversation and kissing appropriate cheeks. You almost wouldn’t have recognized the man she had gone to school with, the one who made crass comments and was rumored to be one of Hollywood’s hottest.

And he was leaving with her. That was always the punchline of their story. When they were spotted leaving an airport, when he’d confirmed they were dating, kisses shared in public. He was at the Oscars, capable of going home with an award winning actress, but chose to drive her home instead. She’d always found it strange, wondering how she’d managed to hold his attention long enough to get these small moments with him, more when he went out of his way, but the ice princess was without complaint. A smile fit her lips as he appeared by her side, the words “ready to go?” posed to him before they exited the building. She was careful in keeping her arms by her side, not wanting anyone to get the wrong idea though camera angles could easily paint a different picture. Darren Gantz leaves with old girlfriend would be enough to garner attention if the media was focused towards her, but they had more important attendees to shine the spotlight towards.

“I’m guessing you’re not driving?” she teased as they walked towards his car, an old joke shared between them. It was one of those things she hadn’t been able to wrap her head around, how someone wouldn’t need to know how to operate a motor vehicle, that they had people to do that for them. Darren had eventually learned, but hadn’t needed to outside of a role. Spencer, on the other hand, found it a necessity, a way for her to get to everywhere she’d needed to go, from classes to the rink and back, to seeing everyone in between. She slid into the backseat of the car, bidding the familiar driver hello, a moment spent to ask him how he was. He was someone she’d become briefly acquainted with, as she had with different members of Darren’s team, either seeing them in passing or for quite some time when the pair would spend time together. It’d been a while since she’d seen the driver, the memory of him driving the pair to a dinner vivid in the blonde’s head, but she didn’t mention the details of the outing, choosing to give directions instead. “I’m sorry for making you go out of your way tonight,” she called to the other man. “Darren was kind enough to give me a ride back to my hotel.”

Starstruck | Sparren

He knew his chances were shot the second Spencer asked who he was planning on going home with. His whole persona was built on being a playboy, on being a womanizer. That was his brand. Except he was getting tired of it – not the sex, but the different girl all the time. It was exhausting always having to put on some kind of show. Any of the girls he had a one night stand with weren’t someone he’d open up to, and so automatically the whole time they were together his only aim was to get into their pants. If he saw the girl more than once, things became more difficult. Eventually, being around whoever had let him sleep with them became a chore. He couldn’t shut himself off. He always had to be The Darren Gantz.

“You were perfect,” Darren let his smile falter for a second. There was just a moment of exhaustion hitting his face before he brought back his signature smirk, leaning against the bar.

If given the opportunity to time travel and talk to his teenage-self, he would have remembered a time when he thought this was the best thing in the world. People loved him. Sometimes, like with Rebecca, he didn’t even have to seek the girl out. Surely, this was what everyone wanted? The ideal must be to have a fans throw themselves at you. To stay anonymous, even if everyone in the room knows your name. It was fun, like an elaborate game of pretend. But when your job is playing pretend, you don’t want your life to be the same.

“No. Let her go,” Darren finished off his drink, setting it on the table. After 4 standard drinks, he was buzzed. Not drunk, but happily on the way to intoxication. “She was too eager. We could always try the guy you found. I’m sure he’s not too far lost in the crowd.”

At this time of the night, Darren felt the best. He could feel the affects of alcohol, without completely forgetting who he was. If past nights were anything to go by, he wouldn’t even have a hangover in the morning. He’d purposefully brought up Canada, something he may not have done completely sober. When he brought it up, he wanted to see Spencer’s reaction. For whatever reason it didn’t matter how many years had past, how many girls had come since, he still had feelings for her. Every time he thought of her smile, or the way she looked at him with a mix of amusement and something else whenever he complimented himself, he felt a pull on his heart. Canada had been an opportunity to see how she felt about the memories. It didn’t necessarily mean she felt anything for him still, just like his feelings weren’t more than a pull from the past, but she felt something. Something good.

She half expected some comment, something that would end the camaraderie between them in the moment, some mention of their past relationship or her always ruining things for him. But instead, she was complimented and Spencer didn’t know what to make of it, his expression less telling than his words. She wouldn’t decide if the expression that fit his features were frustration or relief, maybe a mix of both, a combination that left the blonde confused and wanting answers. “Are you sure? Because I’m sure I could get her back for you,” but he was already brushing off her apologetic words.

His commentary was what struck her, his choice of calling the woman eager as if he hadn’t just struck out, causing the ice princess to roll her eyes—though playfully, thankful in some way that he had chosen to remain beside her. She hadn’t purposely ruined his chances, but she had few issues with the outcome, of being able to continue talking to and teasing the Darren Gantz. Her head almost shook at the inquiry, but that gesture seemed as eager as the red headed woman’s, so instead, she set her sights on the crowd, searching out the man she had mentioned earlier, finding him with a familiar brunette. “Not lost, just chatting up my best friend,” she mused, pointing them out in the midst of the crowd, a small smile fitting her own lips at the sight. “I’ll bet that she’ll text me any minute saying she found someone to leave with.”

The words had barely left her lips when her phone buzzed in her bag, Spencer’s brow arching as if to prove a point as she dug out the device, smirking at the notification on her screen. “His name is Bennett and she promises she’ll be in tomorrow morning,” she relayed, showing the message to Darren, “there’s a couple dozen thank you’s missing in that, but.”

To an extent, she envied the other girl; there was something freeing about the idea of leaving here with a stranger, of no commitment and not needing to see each other afterwards. But that wasn’t Spencer; monogamy was practically her middle name, her comfort zone something she rarely strayed from. Even now, with a room full of strangers, she found herself standing beside the one person she could say anything to, who could make her smile and angry like no one else. “How much longer are you staying?” she asked, having noticed he was a few drinks in, but unsure if he wanted to make another couple of rounds to see his friends before deciding to head home for the night. She wasn’t ready to leave him, but she wasn’t sure how much more she could stomach of the Oscars before wanting to go home and crawl into bed, the differing emotions causing her to ask, “and would you mind giving me a lift back to the hotel whenever that is?”

Starstruck | Sparren

“Try anything once, right?” As the words came out, his face shifted. He was enjoying himself, smiling, but in the past Spencer was not known for being the adventurous type. She might try anything once, as long as anything only contained something considered safe, but playing wingwoman was not something he’d expect from her. The grin turned into an unbelieving smirk. He was unable to get out a retort, to question the teasing statement, before the redhead approached.

His attention was split. Part of him wanted to continue catching up to Spencer, but the other half knew if he wanted any chance of bringing someone home tonight he’d have to search elsewhere. Whether or not he even wanted to try and win someone over tonight was still up in the air. Luckily, this girl didn’t seem like she’d need much convincing. At her request, Darren chose to turn his attention from Spencer. Of course he’d buy her a drink, what was she having? After introducing himself and Spencer, he found out her name was Rebecca and she was someone’s friend’s agent’s assistant or something like that. He never remembered the specifics, just enough to make it seem like he was paying attention.

Darren’s body language changed when he hit on someone. The slouchy posture he’d adopted talking to Spencer shifted. He stood up straight, kept a flat back even when leaning his forearms against the bar counter to flag down a bartender. His gaze stayed fixed on hers, except when it wandered down to her lips where it would linger just long enough for her to notice. Occaisionally, he’d let his hands graze some of her exposed skin, touching her arms, her back, and her hands. Throughout the conversation, Darren was acutely aware of Spencer beside him and would try to bring her into the conversation. It was awkward the whole time, although it was unlikely Rebecca noticed.

“Oh, you’re from Canada? That actually reminds,” he started, turning to include Spencer into the conversation again. “Of a time, Spence and I met up in Canada. It must have been, what? 3 years ago? 4 years? I can’t remember. I was just in town for a second and she was competing. She’s an olympic athlete, incredible really.”

Rebecca might not have noticed, but the conversation was incredibly awkward. Had Darren needed the help convincing the redhead to participate in their conversation, maybe it wouldn’t have been, but in this circumstance, Spencer was clearly the odd woman out. The attempts to include her in the mix were sweet, but ill fitting, and she realized he was probably hurting his own chances of going home with the other woman if she decided to stick around.

She wasn’t sure how to duck out gracefully, having wanted more time to speak to the male on the off chance they wouldn’t get to again soon, but also couldn’t stomach staying at his side. It wasn’t jealousy—not completely, though there were brief moments of that as well. It was the way his hands brushed against Rebecca’s or the smile he gave her when she was a stranger moments before. How, while they had both agreed to this, his focus had shifted onto the other girl, though being upset over that seemed hypocritical. Spencer tried to stay out of the conversation, answering only when spoken to as Darren hadn’t needed the wingman, her attention focused across the room, trying to spot her friend in the crowd. It’d been a while since she’d seen Kalen and she wondered what she’d gotten up to, whose time she was occupying and whether or not she had already left.

These questions left her thoughts at the mention of Canada, the compliment of her skating bringing about a smile to her lips as she turned towards the pair. “He’s too kind, really,” but she was stuck on the details of the outing. Darren hadn’t happened to be in town that day, she remembered; it wasn’t a chance meeting the way he’d made it out to be. He’d flown in for an hour to see her on her birthday, shown up with her favorite flowers and kissed her in front of a Tim Hortons. She kept these details to herself, but it was there in the way she’d looked at him before turning back to Rebecca. “He went out of his way to buy me coffee. Wow, that seems like ages ago,” she recalled, though the red head had stopped listening, looking between the pair as she gathered her things to the tune of “Sorry, I hadn’t realized I was interrupting.”

Spencer furrowed her brow as the woman walked away, looking at Darren with confusion painted across her face. “I uh—did I say the wrong thing?” She hadn’t, but it was the shared look, the way Darren would bring Spencer into the conversation, the deliberate mention of their meeting that might have set the woman straight; there was history between the pair, an unfinished story, something she had walked into it without realizing. “I could go get her back?” Spencer finally asked.

Starstruck | Sparren

“Doesn’t mean I can’t dislike the guy,” he mumbled, choosing to ignore the topic of Bas as much as he could from here on out. He hoped Spencer would be unable to hear his whispered reply. It wasn’t for anyone but himself really. Saying it outloud just let the world know in some weird way that he needed. He needed to say things out loud, for them to be on the record somehow.

He enjoyed acting as if they were just two friends. They could be normal, couldn’t they? They hadn’t dated for years now. It would be insane to think the two of them were anything more than just friends. They could act like it too if they tried hard enough. Most of Darren’s friends played the role of wingman when he needed the help. Sometimes he did, other times he didn’t. Tonight, would probably be a night he needed one. If he wanted to take someone home. Truthful, the boy just wanted to go home alone tonight. Maybe spend the night with his friend, partying until the sun rose and then falling asleep while she gets ready for post-Oscar interviews about her win. That was the plan for the night, but being the womanizer that he was, he should at least keep the idea of a new girl on the table.

“You’re the only blonde whose attention I need tonight,” he smiled, resting his forearm against the bar counter behind him. “You volunteering to be my wingwoman if I be your wingman?” Darren asked, following her gaze towards the other man on the floor. His name was Bennett, Darren knew him from some auditions he’d gone to a few years back. They were in the same age bracket and doing some of the same work so they were often lumped together with every other male who looked vaguely like they could play the romantic lead. Since Darren had tried to branch out, they weren’t up for all of the same roles anymore, but they still ran in the same circle, not friends but acquaintances.

“That guy doesn’t look too familiar, but I’m sure if I got closer I’d recognize him from somewhere. We could give it a try if you’d like?”

The short distance between them made the whisper more audible than if they’d been standing a little further away. It wasn’t new information, but still she bit her lip in response; while the pair were acquaintances on occasion, their relationship was muddled because of the blonde. Maybe it wouldn’t have been if Spencer wasn’t involved, if she wasn’t one of the few things they’d had in common, if both Bas and Spencer hadn’t found themselves knocking on Darren’s door after every argument.

Maybe she was self-centered in thinking their relationship falling out had anything to do with her. But maybe it did. She remembered the night Darren had mentioned Bas wanting to ask her out, how he’d advised him to do it, and the conflicting emotions he’d felt after. She remembered questioning him about it a few months later and the disagreement that followed. In pushing Bas to pursue the relationship, she had thought things with Darren weren’t serious, that he hadn’t wanted them to go anywhere, that the nights spent just cuddling and watching tv meant more than they actually did. Maybe he’d thought the same when she’d chosen the other man, when instead of telling Bas she was seeing someone, or trying things with him, or uninterested. But she wouldn’t drudge that up now.

Her cheeks flushed at the comment, a stark contrast to the roll of her eyes—her natural reaction and then the vain attempt to save face while with him. Her focus instead remained on the women he had mentioned, noticing the brunette Darren had pointed out had now found a friend to speak to while the redhead was moving towards them. “Try anything once, right?” she mused teasingly, the comment far from how she normally lived her life. She hoped he’d find it humorous, but figured his attention was focused on the woman coming to the bar, her own turning back to the man she’d pointed out. He was stationary, though she wasn’t sure how long he’d stick around, but with her previous comment being more of a joke than anything else, she didn’t mind if he disappeared before Darren could follow through on his end of the bargain. “Your date is getting closer, we could start there,” she offered, slipping out of Darren’s hold as the woman came up beside them.

She had never seen Darren Gantz in action with anyone else, curious to know the lines he’d use, the way his behavior would change, and whether or not she’d keep from chuckling long enough to be considered a good wing man. But maybe it wasn’t needed; within seconds of approaching, it was clear that the red head had been interested in him as well, apparent in her body language, tone, and her asking if Darren would order her a drink.

#past rp #starstruck rp

Starstruck | Sparren

That wasn’t the answer Darren expected. He’d given up his fight for Bas, so that the two of them could maintain some kind of civility within their friend group. Although he can’t blame the other man for his leaving on such awkward terms with the blonde beside him, nor should be talk as if he had given Spencer to Bas, but that was what it felt like. When she was torn between the two of them, when their entire friend group was torn between the bickering of Darren and Bas, he had given up. He had offered the other man advice in their awkward friendship about dealing with loss and about dealing with Spencer. He felt cheated, but of course that was uncalled for. Rationally, the aggression he felt towards his acquaintance was unfounded. However, reason, of course, is a slave to passion.

“Oh,” was all he managed to say for a moment, crumpling the napkin that had been under his drink and gently tossing it behind him, back onto the counter, but missing. “Well, I didn’t like the guy to begin with so I can’t say I’m too disappointed.”

Now the question of who he wanted to go home with was something he could answer. He knew she was changing the subject. Of course she didn’t want to talk about Bas. The whole situation wasn’t a pleasant one. The few months he had been between Spencer and the other boy had been horribly awkward. Of course she didn’t want to talk about it. But he did.

Putting his drink down, Darren leaned towards Spencer. His hand found its way around her shoulders, while the other pointed out a few girls in the crowd. “Probably the redhead over there, or maybe the brunette. Of course, I have to make my way over and chat them up first, but we’ll see,” he finished, letting his hand linger on her shoulder for just a second too long.

She chuckled at his words, wondering if they were said for his own benefit or hers, finding the idea of Darren reassuring her after the breakup absurd, but not necessarily out of character. He was always there, waiting in the wings, picking up her broken pieces in the ways he knew how. When things had ended with Oliver, he was there; when their own relationship had gone south, he stuck around a lot longer than she deserved. They argued, they were always arguing, more so when she was heartbroken, but it let her say everything she’d needed to. Tonight, however, wasn’t about her and she would do her hardest to keep it that way, to have the focus stay on him and his friend as she remained an outsider to the entire thing. “You just talked him up, Darren,” she reminded him, but didn’t add on much more than that, knowing he’d see the hypocrisy in his own ways.

Spencer didn’t move as his arm circled her shoulders, following his line of sight instead. “The redhead’s cute,” she agreed, finding the situation peculiar. They were never in a spot to have this conversation before, to be friendly and play wingmen for one another. There were always feelings that lingered between them and while she felt them now, she could ignore them for a few moments longer, helping him find someone for the night before he left her. “None of the blondes catch your attention?” she asked curiously, turning her head to catch his reaction, realizing how close they were standing now that his arm was around her. But again she didn’t move, merely smiling teasingly in his direction before returning her gaze to the dance floor, scanning the men now. “You wouldn’t happen to know the name of the guy over there, would you?” she asked, her tone teasing as she nodded in the direction of an attractive male who looked familiar and about their age, but the name wouldn’t come to mind. “Could you introduce us?”

Starstruck | Sparren

“Are we sure?” Darren asked. He fought against sliding into their normal habits. If he hadn’t encouraged Spencer’s current relationship the way he had, giving Bas not only his blessing to pursue Spencer but then tips on how he had handled being in a relationship with her despite their schedules, he wouldn’t have cared as much. But she had been such an integral part of his last year, a reason he had been both happy and sad to leave Easton for hopefully the last time. So many if’s added up to his forcing a normal relationship. He wanted to flirt with her, to tease her more, to get into an argument and seal it with a kiss, but he couldn’t.

“Because as a good stalker, I don’t think I should have any idea that I’m being followed. And you’ve been the best stalker I’ve ever had if that’s the case. I haven’t seen you for ages. Other than on TV of course.”

Ordering his drink, Darren took the opportunity to look away from Spencer. This was going to be as casual of an encounter as he could make it. As his drink came, Spencer complimented him. The two of them were playing at the civility game.

“Oh, thank you. And I’m appalled you think I’d need an opportunity to compliment myself,” he said, taking a sip of his drink. “I’ll compliment myself without the prompt.”

He swirled his drink around once, looking down before turning on the bar stool to face the crowds of people. “So, my date’s somewhere in the sea of people, and so is the lady I’m going to bring home. But where’s your fella? How’s Bas doing? I haven’t seen him since I left town. We had a bit of a friendship going, but that was more due to that fact that he was friends with my best friend and dating my ex-and-close-friend. It was necessity. But the guy did grow on me.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to him, if she had the right to comment on his date’s whereabouts or the woman he would eventually be going home with, if it was appropriate to joke about given the circumstances. Maybe she could have been more clear earlier in the evening, mentioning why Bas hadn’t shown up tonight, why it was Kalen’s arm that she clung to and not the man Darren spoke so fondly of—which in itself was a little surprising. Sebastian DuPont had a way of surprising people, of having them like him and then hate him within moments, of keeping them on their toes. His relationship with the blonde at the bar could best be described as volatile, but it seemed that most of hers were. Steady, healthy were ones rarely used to describe the boyfriends she’d kept; she felt that always said more about her than about them. Break ups, another thing she was known for and not too proud of.

“Truthfully, I don’t know where he is,” she found herself admitting, having lost contact with the male weeks ago. She wouldn’t call or text him back, not wanting to know what him and her old friend had gotten into. It was a difficult conversation to have; she was bound to say too much which would lead to too many questions and Darren deserved the opportunity to enjoy his night than hear about her troubles. But he’d already started asking and she’d responded, one more detail and she’d change the subject. “We broke up a while ago.”

A few weeks after Darren had left, to be specific, but she didn’t clarify, choosing to sip her water instead. Her gaze drifted to the other women in the room, admiring their gowns before scanning their faces. “Who were you hoping to go home with?”

Starstruck | Sparren

The two of them walked around for a few more minutes, saying hello to friends, congratulating some and consoling others. At first his mind wasn’t completely in it. He was too focused on his chance encounter, but the more he engaged in surroundings the less it seemed to matter. Before they left he’d already forgotten the run in, had filled it away to think about later. Tonight wasn’t a night to reminisce, it was a night to celebrate and that’s exactly what Darren wanted to be doing.

After having a few drinks on the way there, they stopped to quickly swap their outfits from the main event for something more casual. Although casual might not be the right word to describe the looks they had afterwards. Darren – who’s wardrobe never changes – put on a less formal suit jacket, and his friend changed her red dress for something he thought was utterly ridiculous. It looked as if she had broken a mirror and put it on, but she insisted he just didn’t understand.

It didn’t take them long after the switch to get to the party. This was the party you wanted an invite to, you wanted to be able to network and celebrate and rub shoulders with people you admire. It always shocked his friends to find out that just because he went to events like this often enough, he had never gotten used to it. Certain celebrities he saw all the time and would even consider them his friends, others he would call himself starstruck around. It didn’t matter that he’d been working in the business for years, there was still something exciting about seeing your favourite actor. Especially if you only saw them at events.

He mingled, losing his friend once more as they knew different people and everyone wanted to congratulate her on her win. As he went to get a drink, trying to remember to stay responsible, he felt his phone buzz. He imagined it was his friend, asking where he’d gotten to, but instead it was Kalen. She sent a message to let him know that the two of them had come, Spencer wouldn’t have sent the text herself but Kalen just wanted him to know they were there and that she had left Spencer at the bar. Conveniently where he was already headed himself.

“I think the better question is are you following me,” he told her, flagging someone over to give him a drink. “This is my kind of party. Most of the people here work in my business. You on the other hand, are a figure skater who did guest vocals on a song of mine years ago. You also happen to have a friend who texted me where you were.”

Maybe she should have expected that. While their behavior differed at parties, Kalen would have normally stuck by Spencer’s side if the girls didn’t know anyone else in the room. But here, with the looming possibility of Spencer talking to her old beau, one that the brunette actually approved of, it seemed out of character for her to walk away. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes between Kalen’s departure and Darren taking the spot beside her, and while excitement bubbled within her, she almost wished he hadn’t.

The way she saw it, the chance encounter had ended on pleasant terms; they were kind and cordial, playful in their behavior and parted with smiles pressed to their lips. But here, with more time, the memory could easily become tainted. An argument could brew between the two, animosity could build, and while she wouldn’t do or say anything in public, the possibility was there. The pair were volatile; the sweetest of moments could turn sour within moments and with camera men lingering around each and every corner, this wasn’t the right venue for a lover’s quarrel.

“Subtlety was never her strong suit,” she mused, lifting the expected glass of water to her lips as Darren ordered something stronger. He had changed his attire, trading the jacket she had criticized for another, a little less formal, but upscale all the same. Spencer had swapped out her gown for a blue dress, drifting between golden girl to ice princess between the two events, and feeling uncomfortable ever since. Darren was right, she didn’t belong there, was hardly any of importance that the dress change was considered necessary, but she wanted something a bit more comfortable to sit in for the next couple of hours before they made the trek home. “But no, I’m not stalking you. I’d be doing a poor job of it if I was.”

“You look nice,” she tacked on, watching the bartender bring over Darren’s drink. “I didn’t get to mention that earlier—you still do.” There was a pause after her last words as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. “Don’t take that as an opportunity to compliment yourself.”

Starstruck | Sparren

Darren couldn’t help but laugh. His date for this evening was one of his close friends. They’d been mistaken for a couple once and both of their reactions were so violently no that, for the most part, people just accepted that they were close friends. If he’d had a second to filter himself, he would have held back. He would have let Spencer think he was dating someone new for a little bit longer. But his impulse to say no was so strong he couldn’t hold it in.

“Of course I’m proud of my friend, she worked really hard for this, but we’re not dating,” he shook his head. “She’d get a good laugh out of that. I think when last asked if we were dating her response was a look of disgust and some sort of jab at my personality.”

He nodded, trying to focus on her with the rest of the chatter happening around them. The Oscars were a loud event. Most of the talking happened with microphones or shouting at the person standing a few feet away from you. There were too many people trying to navigate to their next destination, too much commotion and excitement.

“Hey –” Darren started, holding his free hand above his heart. “I’m arm candy. I’d be able to come even if I wasn’t invited, can you say the same thing?” he paused, noticing his friend making her way towards them. “But I’m glad you were invited, – and that you invited your leading lady, but where’s the leading man? It’d be nice to catch up later. Are you going to the Vanity Fair Oscar party?”

As he finished asking, his date walked up to them and rested her elbow on his shoulder.

“I’m the one who got him the invite,” she joked. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Darren slipped out from under her arm and introduced the group.

“I’ve got to go, but if you’re going to be at the party, send me a text. My number’s the same as it’s always been.”

She must have smiled at the clarification, an inappropriate reaction to finding out your ex-boyfriend’s date was merely a friend, but quickly covered it up, lips forming into an ‘oh’. “Her and I might have that in common then. You should introduce us; I’m sure we’d be great friends.” It was easy falling back into this old pattern, finding it more difficult to compliment than it was to tease, to smile between jabs than stay on either of the two extremes. Things were best between them when they were in the middle ground, a little under each other’s skin but in a way deemed playful by the other party. It was comfortable here, but soon to turn sour; someone would say the wrong thing, ask the wrong question, changing the mood almost immediately. Tonight, it was Darren, bringing up a man she hadn’t wanted to see, someone she had fought to push out of her head and had struggled not to call at the smallest inconvenience. But now, she shook her head, replying with a simple, “Bas couldn’t make it this evening.”

It was less detail than she could have given, but it was neither the time nor place. They were at ‘Hollywood’s Biggest Night’ as Darren had put it and she didn’t want to drudge up poor memories, to sit and badmouth someone she used to be fond of. She let the conversation fall instead, smiling with his friend stopped by beside them, trying not to gush as she hugged the woman politely and said her congratulations. A brief conversation and she was bidding the pair goodbye, promising to text if they headed there afterwards, but never followed through.

‘He wants you to do it’ Kalen kept urging her as they entered the party Darren had mentioned before, following her argument with a lengthy explanation of why she should, of being bold and making the first move. ‘If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have told you to’. More wisdom, but she couldn’t find the courage to, thinking the brunette had misinterpreted the situation, that he had only said so out of courtesy, making up a dozen different excuses not to.

Her best friend stepped away eventually, finding someone to sip champagne with and accompany to the dance floor, leaving the space next to Spencer vacant at the bar. The blonde looked out among the crowd of people there, only turning her head when the spot next to her was taken once more, smiling embarrassedly. “Are you following me?” she teased.

Starstruck | Sparren

His attention turned to the blonde once she walked up. Everyone here looked fantastic, even if it was just fantastically horrible, but Darren knew he couldn’t fault them for that. A lot of people were paid to wear certain gowns, or had been dressed by a designer and was acting more like a model than a person in what they wore. But Spencer caught his eye more than the others.

Maybe it was their past. Maybe it was that she genuinely looked amazing. Whatever it was, he wanted to compliment her on her dress, but her comments came before his.

The smallest of smiles spread across his lips, gently pulling at the tips of his mouth. Reaching his eyes as their corners crinkled. Tonight, he couldn’t be anything but happy. His friend was getting her Oscar engraved at this very moment, the afterparty would be amazing, and he saw Spencer Michaels.

He knew what she’d been up to since their last parting, even if he couldn’t watch her skate he made sure someone on his team knew where she was career wise. It was the polite thing to do if you friend was involved in something so big. He gets his team to keep up with some of his other friends as well, those that he isn’t in regular contact with. The two of them were friends afterall. The strangest of friends, but friends all the same.

“You know,” he said, looking down, examining his suit. “I always thought I looked great in that sweater, so why not expand the look to other areas of my wardrobe? Besides, you have to change it up sometimes from the black suit and tie. It gets boring. Do you think I should have gone with the a suit a la Don Cherry instead? He always has been a style icon of mine.”

Darren looked up then, leaning towards both Spencer and Kalen. He placed a hand on the small of their back and gave them a brief kiss on the cheek respectively. It felt like a foreign gesture, but tonight was an odd night. He was overwhelmed with everything going on and was in his most respectable mode.

“The two of you look stunning, by the way. And congrats on the Olympics, Spencer. I couldn’t watch them, but I had Jenn tape them and message me when the results were in,” he paused then, pushing his suit out of the way and placing a hand in his pocket. “What brought you two to Hollywood’s Biggest Night?”

She’d expected his forehead to crease in confusion, eyes wide and awkward small talk, of him to ask immediately what she was doing there instead of continuing the banter, for the expression resting across his lips to be something other than a smile. Her resulting reaction was a mix of embarrassment and joy, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink just by how he’d look at her, sure she was already reading too much into a conversation that she had barely initiated. Old habits, and feelings, died hard, it seemed; the simple expression could make her knees weak and skin rosy without much effort. She fought the urge to tuck another loose strand behind her ear, avoiding the nervous habit when her flushed skin had already given her away. Kalen needed to not be so smug either; the brunette’s behavior wasn’t helping how she felt, but her focus was more fixated on the man beside her.

He looked good, an understatement and far more than she would ever compliment him aloud, but she couldn’t help but notice. Her gaze had flitted over him when walking up to the pair, but now she kept her eyes at his, not wanting to take the moment to admire how well the color suited him or how nicely the garment fit. “His pink one would have been right up your alley,” she said, though in her head, she was recalling the nights she’d teased him about the old sweater, of them curled up on his bed and her wearing it to stay warm, of watching television shows quietly with his arm casually wrapped around her. She remembered Jenn asking what it meant when Spencer came over, when they would sit for a while with no labels, the short weeks of uncharted territory before Spencer started seeing someone new.

And then she remembered the kiss pressed to the other woman’s cheek and how excited he must be, how she must have misinterpreted the smile to mean more than the heightened ecstasy from your girlfriend just winning a coveted award. “Thank you! And you must be thrilled, what with your girlfriend winning tonight. That’s so exciting for her,” she chimed genuinely, keeping her tone and expression even. “I was invited, so I thought I’d bring my main leading lady,” she replied to his inquiry, smiling widely at the brunette before turning back to Darren, teasingly adding. “Apparently, they just hand invites out to everybody.”

Starstruck | Sparren

The whole evening was taking longer than he had hoped. Typically when he watched the Oscars, things went by relatively quickly. There were always the categories filled with movies no one had even heard of which seemed to take years to finish, but tonight everything took longer. Darren sat next to his friend, trying to look as interested as he could but all he felt were nerves for his friend. Occasionally he would reach over and give her hand a squeeze and a nervous smile.

As her category got closer, she became visibly more nervous and Darren stopped letting go of her hand. Instead, he rubbed his thumb gently against the back of her hand. Anything he could do to keep her nerves at bay. The cameras for the audience at home would sweep over them occasionally and they had to look a certain way – not too nervous, not too cocky. Just at peace and confident. Interested in what is going on on stage.

“And the nominees are…” began the award giver. Darren was loosing feeling in his hand from how tight his friend was holding on as the names were called. In the camera that focused on them, waiting for their reactions to the winner, you could just barely see the two of them holding hands. But you could see Darren giving his friend an encouraging smile.

And then her name was called.

Darren was pulled up with her as she stood and immediately they engulfed each other in a quick hug. He had just enough time to whisper “I never had a doubt” and give her a quick kiss on the cheek before she went up to give her acceptance speech.

He sat alone for the next little while, still just in bliss after hearing his friend’s name called for an Oscar. No one out there, save maybe her parents, were as proud of her as Darren was.

When the ceremonies drew to a close, he knew he wouldn’t get much of a chance to talk to his friend. She would be spending most of her time interviewing until the after party so Darren hung back, doing a few interviews himself about how proud he was of his friend. Even having to do a few where he clarified that they were not dating and that it was a friendly kiss on the cheek and friendly support that he was offering her.

As more winners and losers left the building, Darren was soon forgotten and he let himself sink into the crowd. While he waited for his friend to finish, not rushing her, he wandered the carpet until literally running into an old friend. The brunette he’d seen before.

“I’m sorry – wait I know you. Kalen?”

Her foot was falling asleep, needing to change her position every so often to wake it up. It seemed rude, to be consistently fidgeting in her chair, but thankfully the camera was focused on individuals than the blonde. While the excitement levels within the room were heightened and she couldn’t help but feel the same, there was a part of her that missed her couch and the comfort of curling up on the sofa, eating whilst wearing sweats. The glamor held its own excitement—she was lucky to have simply gotten an invitation—but was finding it hard to sit still for hours on end. Her cheeks hurt from smiling, the expression permanently pressed to her lips on the off chance that the camera panned to where they were sitting, not wanting to seem anything but enthused at having been there. Palms pink from clapping, a tickle in her throat due to chuckling at the host’s jokes, she fixed the position of her legs once more, one over the other as they called out the next category.

She didn’t recognize a few of the names, attributed to her having lived under a rock when it came to popular movies, but the winner caught her attention. The woman stood, obviously thrilled at having received the award, her date rising beside her and pulling her into an embrace. The features were all too familiar on the screen, the suit a shade of navy she used to tease him over. Spencer was seated on the other end of the room watching Darren press his lips against the other woman’s cheek, her own catching between her teeth.

The last time she’d seen him, she was holding his hand in an airport parking lot, mustering the courage to say goodbye while holding back tears, not knowing when she’d see him again. She was struggling to stay faithful to a man who had also betrayed her, had gotten the same kiss to her cheek. That was December, a few months later and it seemed so distant, a long ago memory. She could feel Kalen watching her, having recognized the man on the screen, but she didn’t say anything, not at first, just barely getting out a “they look happy”.

It was something the brunette wanted to discuss, the what ifs, if the pair were dating and what would happen if they ran into him, but Spencer couldn’t think through the questions. She was dating Bas when he left, he was allowed to be with someone—anyone—else. There were no commitments made, no promises said to each other. She’d wished him well and here they were, seemingly so.

The awards eventually came to an end; the girls trickling out of the building alongside the other ceremony goers, whispering about the people they were standing beside and the parties that were held afterwards, Darren’s name slipping out of the conversation. They paused outside for a moment, reveling in the décor and dresses of attendees, hoping to get pictures without seeming too out of place. As Spencer reached for her phone, she noticed a missed call, stepping away for a moment to call back, promising Kalen she would just be a moment, only to return to the brunette talking to the one person she was hoping to avoid.

She took a breath before walking towards them, tucking a strand of wavy hair behind her ear as she approached, the same practiced smile against her lips, becoming a bit more genuine at Kalen’s clumsy compliment to how Darren looked. “Could’ve gone with a different color, maybe,” she teased, stopping beside them. “This is like the upscale version of that old sweater you’d always wear.”