Liv stood in line at the half-price theater ticket booth at Leicester Square, soaked and miserable. She hadn’t realized that the ticket office didn’t open until eleven, and she’d been waiting to buy tickets for almost two hours.
Stupidly, she hadn’t brought an umbrella. And shortly after she had settled into her place near the front of the line, the sky had opened up and poured for twenty minutes straight. She had nonchalantly tried to duck under her neighbor’s umbrella, but when the man in front of her saw her inching closer and closer, he had freaked out and vacated the line. The bad news was that she had lost her only hope of staying dry. The good news was that she had moved up in line.
The rain had eventually slowed to a drizzle, but the damage was done. Liv was cranky, dripping wet, and completely void of any remaining patience. Finally, a few minutes after eleven, the booth opened and she approached the window.
“Two tickets to As You Like It, please.” Liv smiled at the booth attendant and waited.
“I have two tickets in the first row of the second balcony. Okay?”
Liv wasn’t sure. The truth was, she didn’t know why she had agreed to do this in the first place. Why, when Josh Cameron had called and asked her out again, had she insisted on planning the date? He was a multimillionaire, and she was… well, not a multimillionaire. In fact, these tickets were going to cost her an entire week’s salary. She could only hope that he would pay for the rest of the date.
But, she thought, this way I can show him what I like to do. She was confident Josh Cameron would love Shakespeare just as much as she did, and she couldn’t wait to see one of her favorite plays live onstage.
“That’s fine. The first row of the balcony is fine.” Liv paid, and wandered away from the half-price booth, tickets in hand. She was worried that he would be disappointed with their seats. He probably only ever sat in the first row. Or some sort of luxury box. Whatever, she thought, shrugging off her paranoia. I’m sure he’s not that shallow. And he said he liked me because I’m “normal.”
Nine hours later, dry and umbrella-ed, Liv stood outside the theatre, waiting for Josh Cameron’s limo to arrive. She had gotten there a few minutes before their planned meeting time, and had been waiting for twenty minutes. The play was supposed to start in less than five minutes, and Liv was starting to get nervous… and wet again.
Only moments before the theater doors closed, a limo came zipping around the corner. Josh Cameron hopped out of the backseat and embraced Liv in a quick hug. Several passing tourists stopped to stare and point, and a small herd of paparazzi materialized out of nowhere. Liv was taken aback, but Josh Cameron deftly stepped away and smiled for the cameras. He waved, then took Liv’s arm and moved quickly into the theater.
“As usual, you look incredible,” Josh Cameron said as Liv silently led him up the stairs toward their seats. She was still stunned by the scene outside—she had never been near paparazzi before, and she was freaked that she might be in the pictures. “I apologize for my lateness,” Josh Cameron continued.
Liv waited for a further explanation, but none was forthcoming. “It’s okay,” she said simply. “But we should hurry. The show’s about to start.”
As they settled into their seats in the second balcony, Josh Cameron looked around. People were staring, and he shifted nervously in his seat. Smiling uncomfortably, he whispered to Liv, “We’re an awfully long way from the stage, aren’t we?”
Liv’s stomach dropped. She couldn’t believe she had been so stupid as to try to arrange this. He was probably horrified that he was stuck in the back of the theater with normal people. They could barely see over the balcony edge, and they were sitting a million miles above the stage. “I’m sorry. It’s all they had,” she explained quietly, studying her program to avoid his eyes.
“Not to worry, Olivia,” he murmured in her ear. “I just appreciate you making the effort. Like I told you before, it’s nice to be normal every once and a while. And it’s refreshing to go on a date that my assistant didn’t plan.” Then he slouched down in his seat to hide from curious onlookers. As the curtain rose, Josh Cameron slid his hand into Liv’s and left it there through the rest of the play.
Liv could barely focus on As You Like It. Fortunately, she had read the play at least five times and easily followed the plot. But she was antsy and distracted, worrying about whether Josh Cameron was having a good time. He kept shifting anxiously in his seat, and hadn’t laughed at any of the obviously funny parts.
When the final curtain dropped, Liv clapped and cheered with the rest of the crowd. Josh Cameron took his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly tapped out a text message. Liv glanced at him, and he stuffed his phone back into his pocket. When the cast took their places on the stage for the curtain call, Josh Cameron stood and led Liv out of the theater. He hurried them down the stairs and into the lobby, just as the crowds started to fill the main level of the theater.
“Let’s get out of here,” he said, weaving through the crowd as Liv struggled to catch up. She didn’t know why they were in such a rush, but just assumed this meant that he had not liked the play. He held Liv’s hand tightly as they moved through the crowded lobby and toward the front doors. Just as they were about to exit the theater, Liv’s stomach lurched when she spotted a familiar face near one of the side doors.
“Colin!” she shouted, eager to be heard above the noisy crowd. Liv waved as Colin looked up and spotted her. Squeezing Josh Cameron’s hand to get his attention, she leaned toward him and said, “Hang on one second—a friend of mine is here. I just want to say hi.”
Liv crossed the lobby toward Colin with her date in tow. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw that Colin also wasn’t alone—rather, he was with a gorgeous girl. Who is she, and where is Rebecca? Liv wondered.
Liv forced herself to shove aside the instant jealousy by focusing on Josh Cameron’s hand in hers. You are on a DATE, she reminded herself. With Josh Cameron. So stop being stupid. Now.
“Liv,” Colin stated simply. Liv thought he looked a little pale and uncomfortable, but couldn’t be sure. “Did you enjoy the show?”
“Yeah!” Liv shouted, a little too loudly and awkwardly for her taste. “Oh, umm, have you guys met? Josh Cameron, this is Colin Johnstone.”
“Colin, is it?” Josh Cameron said. Liv thought she caught him sizing up Colin’s date, but chose to pretend she hadn’t. “You don’t actually like this stuff, do you, mate?” He motioned in the direction of the stage and laughed. Liv’s hunch had been correct. Josh Cameron did not like Shakespeare. Marvelous.
“Yes, it’s Colin,” Colin responded coldly, glancing at Liv. “And yes, I love ‘this stuff.’” Liv shifted uncomfortably. Colin continued, “Liv, this is Lucy. Lucy, Liv.” Liv shook hands with Lucy, curious about who the mystery date was.
A few seconds of awkward silence passed, then Josh Cameron broke in. “Well, this has been fun. Olivia, are you ready?” Liv nodded, and he turned to address Colin and Lucy. “We’re off to the 400 Bar—I’m thinking of doing a little impromptu performance tonight. We’ll see, people may get lucky.” He winked and flashed his dimples. “If you would like to join us, I guess I can try to…”
Colin broke in, “We have other plans. Thanks for the generous offer.” Liv groaned quietly. This meeting was not going well. Why, she wondered, were both guys acting so rude?
“It was nice to meet you, Liv,” Lucy said kindly. She nodded at Josh Cameron, then linked her hand around Colin’s arm and led him out of the theater.
As Liv followed Josh Cameron out of the theater’s front doors, she briefly debated asking him why he had been so rude to her friend. She also considered asking him if it would have been so difficult to try to enjoy the date she had planned. But she didn’t ask. She just followed him silently through the after-theater crowd and into his waiting limo. She sat quietly in one corner of the car while Josh Cameron made several calls, figuring out which club was hot that night.
“The 400 Bar it is,” he exclaimed eventually, flipping his phone closed. “The club owner is totally into me trying out my new single tonight.” His face was flushed, and he suddenly looked much more like a little kid than an international pop star.
“That’s great,” she said hollowly, sinking into her seat across from him. “What’s the new single called?”
“It’s a remix of ‘You’re So Vain,’ the Carly Simon song. You know the one?” He hummed a few bars of the song. Liv certainly did know the one, and smiled at the irony of the song’s title. It somehow seemed just perfect for Josh Cameron. “I’m trying to work it out before my Music Mix concert. It’s nice to try it out for my peeps, you know?” He paused, tapping out another text message. “All right! We’re here!” Josh Cameron pushed open his door and hopped out of the limo. He turned, checking to see that Liv was following him.
Inside the 400 Bar, the lights were low and the floors were grimy. It was the opposite of Meat by appearance standards, but the people were equally intimidating. Liv had still not gotten used to the VIP scene. She could feel everyone staring at her, and she felt like a complete clod. She had worn a thin sweater and chinos to the theater, and realized now how ridiculous she must look wearing Gap at a trendy bar.
Liv followed Josh through the crowd to a small bar across the room. Josh Cameron rested his arm on the jukebox against the wall and waved to a half-dressed bartender pouring a beer. She sauntered over, planting a kiss firmly on Josh Cameron’s mouth. He chuckled; Liv gawked.
“What’s up, El?” he asked the bartender, flashing a quick smile at Liv, who was still dwelling on the strange and unexpected kiss.
“Hey, Joshie,” she responded with a thick Irish accent. “We’ve been waiting for you. Tracy!” She called to a large, bald man on the other end of the bar. The man—Liv could only assume this was Tracy—moved toward them. Wordlessly, he slid the jukebox away from its place on the wall, revealing a door that had been hidden behind it. Liv stared as Tracy pulled a large ring of keys off his belt and slid one into the old-fashioned lock on the wooden door. With a whine, the door slid open.
Looking through the hidden door, Liv could only see feet and legs. The bottom half of the door opening was sealed up with concrete, and the top half opened onto the floor level of another room. It appeared that the room behind the door was about three feet higher than the room they were currently in, and they would need to shimmy through a tiny little opening if they were going to enter it. As Liv stared in confusion, Josh hoisted himself up and slid into the secret room.
Suddenly Liv’s feet left the ground. Tracy had lifted and spun her toward the door’s opening. Before she had a chance to react, she was sitting on the floor of the other room, and the secret door was closed behind her. Liv could hear the jukebox sliding back into its place against the wall. She was trapped.
Standing up, Liv scanned the hidden bar they had just entered. Gone were the grimy, soiled floors and dark, depressing lighting. This bar was snazzy and clean, complete with smooth tiled floors and shimmery lighting. A low bench ran around the perimeter of the room, but it was empty. Most of the people in the room were dancing or mingling around the bar, clustered in small groups. Each group had at least one person whom Liv recognized as some sort of celebrity—including Bethany Jameson and Christy Trimble, the starlets she had first met at Meat. Luckily, Cherie Jacobson was nowhere in sight.
Josh Cameron had disappeared, leaving Liv to fend for herself. It suddenly felt like she had turned up at her high school prom with her dress tucked into her underwear and no date.
Luckily, most people in the bar hadn’t really noticed her, so she took a moment to wander around the room and check it out. She noticed that one wall was a panel of murky glass that looked over the bar they had originally entered. Liv assumed that they were, once again, in some sort of VIP section, and the lower-level bar on the other side of the jukebox was the “regular” area of the club.
“Hello, you.” Josh Cameron had sauntered up behind Liv while she was looking through the window at the crowds of people on the other side of the hidden door. “Pretty incredible, isn’t it?” Liv turned around, and he planted a soft kiss on her lips. Nuzzling into her neck, he continued, “This club is great for trying out new songs because we can see how the crowd responds on the dance floor.” He gestured to the windows.
Liv decided not to tell him how creepy she thought that sounded. This is like Pop Star Big Brother or something. Her discomfort seemed to melt away as she relaxed into his arms. Liv wasn’t really into the VIP club scene, but she liked having Josh Cameron’s attention shining upon her. Maybe she could get used to the scene—if it meant more people noticing Josh Cameron noticing her. He kissed her again and a stray curl brushed against Liv’s cheek.
“Well, baby,” he said, breaking the moment with a quick kiss on the cheek. “You have fun. I’ve got some people I need to talk to….” With that, he worked his way back into the crowd and left Liv alone again.
For the next three hours Liv sat patiently in the corner of the room while Josh Cameron worked the club, meeting, greeting, and schmoozing. She had—awkwardly—tried to join him a few times, but he had mostly ignored her. So each time, after a few minutes of standing or dancing on the outside of a circle of celebrities, she retreated back to her spot on one of the benches overlooking the lower bar.
She had never felt more like a boring, out-of-place loser than she did that night. She self-consciously adjusted her sweater periodically, attempting to lower the neckline to give herself a slightly more stylish look, but it was useless. No matter what she did to physically fit in, she would just never click in this world.
Just as Liv began to drift off to sleep (her cushioned bench had been too tempting, and she was Bored Bored Bored), Liv spotted her “date” coming her way. She smiled weakly as he slid up next to her. Finally.
“You,” Josh Cameron said, poking Liv’s nose softly, “are such a sweetheart for understanding that I have people to talk to and things to take care of.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You know, it’s so much easier dating a regular girl than a celebrity. I mean, it’s amazing that you don’t really have your own stuff to take care of—that way, it’s cool for you to just sit here and chill.”
Liv stared at him. Did I just hear that right? I “don’t have my own stuff” to do? I can just “sit here and chill”?! Am I a lapdog or something?
“And,” Josh Cameron continued, his dimples deepening, “dating you will do wonders for my image after Cherie. I’ve really come out of this breakup looking like the normal one, haven’t I?” He leaned over to kiss Liv, but she quickly stood up before he could get within six inches. She had—officially—had it.
“Josh,” she began, “yes, I am just a ‘regular girl,’ and yes, I have been patient while you’ve ignored me all night. But normal people do have lives. And I do, contrary to your opinion, have plenty of things I would be much happier doing. So while you may think that dating me will be good for your image, I don’t think that dating you will be good for me.” She paused to take a breath. “I thank you for gracing me with your presence over the past few weeks, but now I have very important things I need to attend to. And this is just not worth my time. So good night.”
And with that, she pushed through the crowd, knocked on the secret door, and slid through the hole and out of her VIP existence.