Lee Pace / Reader (3) - Part 2
- What are you doing here? you asked with a deeply puzzled tone, now even suspecting that you had not really woken up after all. Sure you had thought that you were entirely awake but now you were not that certain anymore because it was such an absurd situation; you and Lee Pace standing at your doorway, just staring at each other for a ridiculously long time and this was enough to make you doubt your own sanity. Maybe you were hallucinating, or perhaps... sleepwalking. Yes, perhaps it was just a dream and this... the entire situation was a product of your vivid imagination.
This truly was one of those “what-the-fuck” –moments that you had encountered very rarely during your life… yeah, until yesterday that was, but now this was the third within a day; first had been when you had recognized that “Grinner”, the seller of the sword, was actually Lee Pace himself, the second wft-moment had lasted the entire night when you had laid awake in the bed of your favorite actor holding him while contemplating your life… asking yourself over and over again “How the hell did I end up here?” Yes, you had stared at the ceiling, listened to Mr. Pace’s somewhat heavy breathing and tried to figure out whether you should just sneak out during the dark hours of the night or not. You however had decided not to, because you had been almost completely sure that there were no busses during the night and you were too far away from your own apartment to walk. Anyway… And now you were having yet another wtf-moment
- May I come in? Lee Pace asked curiously. He had noticed that you had just woken up and therefore he had reasoned that maybe you were not entirely woken up yet. However as the seconds had slipped away and turned into a full minute, the moment had turned from amusing to awkward. He cleared his throat and this sharp "Ahem" finally woke you up from your thoughts, now for good. No, this was not a dream, you were fully awake and this was really happening.
- Yeah-yeah, sure. you said and stepped away from the door so Mr. Pace would be able to come in.
- Thank you. he said and closed the door behind him after you had turned away and given him some space. He was a large man and the entrance hall of your apartment was rather small and therefore you decided that the smartest thing to do was to get out of the way, besides you suddenly realized that you had no idea what you looked like! You asked him to take off his shoes and gestured him to come further in as you walked into your bathroom to check that you looked fairly alright. You washed your face very quickly, put on some mascara and applied a little bit eyebrow pencil to give your eyes depth and to make yourself feel more awake as well as confident while you listened to the odd sounds coming from the entrance hall... a sound of a cardboard box being opened.
- Why are you here, Mr. Pace? you asked when you finally came out from the bathroom. You noticed pieces of cardboard on the floor and then focused your attention to the tall actor who was now standing in your living room, hiding something behind his back.
- Please, just Lee. he said and after you had mumbled "Alright, Lee" he continued by saying "I have to apologize" with a shy smile on his face.
- You could have just sent me a text message. you stated and rubbed your forehead because you could feel a headache lurking behind the corner due to the lack of proper sleep. You rubbed your temple until you realized that you had some makeup on so you instantly stopped, checked your hand for makeup stains and then just hoped that you had not managed to smudge your eyebrows too badly.
- And to thank you... Lee continued with a sincere tone, paused and then added "...In person."
- Oh. Well... Okay... you mumbled with a deeply baffled tone as you tried to form your opinion about the situation; on the other hand you were flattered and positively surprised but then again you did not understand how the hell he had found out where you lived. Besides to just appear on someone's door like that... it was almost creepy. "I appreciate it" you commented after you had decided that this was a good thing and you should take it as a compliment... even if it was a little bit stalkerish. Lee shifted his eye from you to the top surface of a sort of drawer on which there was a beautiful wooden sword-display-stand and pretty much nothing else, just a lamp and a vase for flowers. He chuckled a little and then revealed what he was hiding; the sword of Thranduil.
- I think this belongs here. he said with a deep, majestic voice and presented the sword to you as he bowed deep gracefully, holding the weapon horizontally in front of you with his both hands. The gesture was something that you could have imagined Thranduil to do and the sight made your heart skip a beat or two. You stared in awe for two seconds and then snapped back to reality.
- I am not taking your sword. you stated firmly and shook your head. Sure you were tempted and the situation resembled a little the scene in the first The Lord Of The Rings -movie where Frodo offers the ring to Lady Galadriel. However your reaction was fairly different; you handled the situation with an instant rejection.
- No-no... This is not it. Lee said and broke out from the character. He stepped a bit closer and turned the angle of the blade. "You see?" he asked with his normal voice.
- The Hobbit -stamp. you said as you felt the blade with your fingertips and traced the markings softly. "An official replica" you added with a chuckle.
- Yes. Lee said and then continued "Don't worry, my sword is still on the wall."
- Where it belongs. you stated.
- Yes. Where it belongs. Lee repeated and put the sword on the stand. However the balancing of the replica was a bit off and therefore the sword tilted and almost fell off from the display stand. You stared at Lee curiously as he corrected the position of the sword, focusing entirely on the task at hand.
- How did you find me? you asked while Lee kept searching for the right balance for the blade.
- I did an extensive Google-research. he replied with a thoughtful voice, never lifting his eyes from the decorative weapon.
- You did? you chuckled and mumbled "Oh-wow" with a barely audible tone. "And then you got me a sword" you stated although your tone made your statement sound more like a question than a statement. You were still trying to wrap your head around what was going on because it did not really make any sense to you.
- Of course. I owed you a sword of Thranduil, didn't I? Lee asked, still trying to find the optimal position for the sword in the display stand.
- I suppose you did. you mumbled and then continued with a sincere tone "But you did not have to-"
- Are you kidding me? Lee chuckled with an amused tone. "After what you did for me..." he spoke and shifted the blade a little. "Yes, I had to" he added and then smiled victoriously when he removed his hands from the sword and did not tip over anymore. "See, it fits perfectly" he said proudly.
- Yeah, it does. you admitted with an admiring voice. You had imagined a thousand times what the sword would look like but it was one thing to imagine it and to actually own it and to be able to have it right there in front of your eyes... not in a picture... but right... there! The reality was so much better than any imagination... although you had to admit that the real movie prop was finer and more detailed than the replica and for a fraction of a second you scolded yourself for not just buying the real thing when Lee had offered it to you... but then you instantly returned to sanity and pushed all those thoughts away from your mind; the real thing was a precious memento and it belonged to the Elf King, no one else.
- Besides, I think I might have fallen in love with you a little. Lee said with a somewhat flirty voice that made you feel both flattered and awkward at the same time. The thing was that you had a picture of a successful Hollywood-actor in your mind and you knew that they were professional performers who were masters of flirt and said the right things at the right times. You knew that the traditional A-list actor most likely talked with women very easily because they were automatically being swept off their feet, all it took was just a charming smile and a bit of flattery. However you had somehow, for some reason that you couldn't even point out, assumed that Lee Pace was a private and rather shy person but now that he was very openly declaring his attraction towards you, you had to question your own beliefs; maybe he was a player like so many famous guys and it meant that whatever he said or did, kind gestures and flattering words, you couldn’t let yourself to be fooled by them, in other words, you couldn’t take them seriously. Therefore you decided to just go with it, flirt back, take it as a bit of harmless fun… just words with no real meaning.
- Oh come on, you did not just say that! you exclaimed and laughed nervously. Yes, you were nervous because the fact was that you were attracted to Lee and he happened to be your favorite actor… somewhere at the top of your list anyway… and despite your valiant efforts to take nothing what he said too seriously, you couldn’t help the fan-girl-side of you to react by making your nervousness come out as laughter.
- I did, and I mean it. Lee replied, aware of his statement sounding absurd... mostly because it was completely absurd and he knew it even himself. He had not expected to meet someone like you and he definitely had not expected to get emotionally attached, especially this suddenly and quickly... with a complete stranger. You however assumed that he would have said it to anyone and you also assumed that Lee most likely knew exactly what to say to get into the pants of a young woman who was a fan, just common folk.
- I’m a complete stranger! you laughed and rolled your eyes. However you realized all of a sudden that your eye-roll combined with the laughter, which was a sincere reaction to an absurd situation, nothing vicious or mocking about it, could have been taken as an insult, so you stopped laughing and apologized for such ridiculous response. Besides you were silently annoyed and frustrated at your own behavior; that even despite knowing that Lee most likely flirted with all women he encountered, you still had an urge to believe that you were special somehow… that you were different and therefore this time he actually meant what he said. “No! Just harmless, meaningless flirt!” you told yourself and scolded yourself for being such a fan-girl.
- Perhaps... but I know enough. he stated, winked his eye and continued by explaining because your expression was decorated with deep disbelief. "You cleaned my house, got me food-“ he spoke softly until you interrupted him.
- So you could get a maid. you commented casually, smirked at the tall man and sat down on your sofa.
- ...And most importantly, you stayed with me. Lee continued, walked to the sofa and sat down next to you. He placed his large hand on your knee and massaged it with his fingertips. This felt very intimate but also made him sound sincere and it, his gentle, most unexpected touch combined with the soft, warm tone of his voice was making your head spin. However, even though you were flattered and excited because of this warm and personal approach, there were big questions in your head; why was he doing this? What made him so confident that you wanted him to get so close and personal with you? Was he trying to seduce you and to get you into bed with him? Did he assume that you were just a star-struck, easy hangover-shag? At least his flirty body language combined with the tone of his voice and what he said was strongly indicating that it was exactly why he had come to see you. The realization made you feel a bit uncomfortable as well as embarrassed. However you did not know for sure and therefore you wanted to play it cool.
- Anyone would have done the same thing. you commented and involuntarily shifted yourself to sit a bit further away from the tall, handsome man. It was just a slight shift but fortunately it was enough to indicate that you needed some space and Lee removed his hand from your knee immediately. “That’s better” you thought and wondered, if he actually assumed that it was alright for him to invade your personal space just because he was famous. Or perhaps he thought so because you had spent the previous night in his bed. It however meant nothing. It, the not-sleeping in his bed had been just one of those things that had happened for some strange reason and that was it… you were not going to let yourself fall under the charm of Lee Pace… even if you allowed yourself to flirt with him… “I mean, it is not like he would mean anything what he is saying” you thought and smiled a little as you dared to shift your gaze from the collar of his shirt to his eyes. Oh… those eyes…
- No. You are a rare gem. Lee said and turned to sit slightly sideways so he was able to look at you while sitting next to you. He put his arm on the back of the sofa and played with a lock of your hair while you tried to adjust yourself to the situation. After a moment Lee abandoned your hair and moved his hand on your neck and brushed your cheek very softly with his thumb. You however chuckled nervously and turned your head away because you were unable to decide whether you wanted to allow him to get so close and personal so fast or not. Lee pulled his hand away as he noticed your hesitation and flashed a boyishly charming smile at you, which you were able to see only in the corner of your eye, just on the edge of your field of vision.
- You could have taken pictures and sold them to the press. Lee commented with a thoughtful voice after a long silence. You turned your head to look at Lee again and stared at him with a confused expression on your face.
- Why would I have done that? you asked immediately. "They-" Lee began but was instantly interrupted when you asked "Who?" with a puzzled tone. Lee cleared his throat and continued by correcting himself. "E! Entertainment for example" he said, to which you replied with a soft "Oh."
- Entertainment news and the yellow press in general would have paid you a lot of money for scandalous pictures. Lee explained and then added with an amused tone "You could have bought ten swords!”.
- Oh... wow... Ten swords? you asked with a chuckle. Of course you knew that the yellow press paid ridiculous sums of money for unflattering pictures but the fact was that you had not even considered using the embarrassing situation of someone else, the famous actor in this case, for your own personal gain and therefore the idea had not even crossed your mind. Yes, when you had seen Lee in such sad state, you had felt sorry for him and you had wanted to help him somehow… not to cause him more trouble by selling him and his struggles out shamelessly.
- Hundred maybe. Lee joked and winked his eye at you.
- All the things that I could have done with hundred swords. you wondered aloud and sighed "Damn!" However you gave it your best effort to make sure that Lee understood that you were only joking. You did this by exaggerating your expression as well as the tone of your voice intentionally to appear more theatrical and sarcastic. Lee started to laugh out loud and his laughter filled up your small apartment effortlessly, which made you laugh as well. It was strange that you felt comfortable around Lee even though you did not know him and despite the fact that, due to the apparent evidence and your own reasoning, he was trying to score with you… because some guys… many guys got horny when they were having a hangover…
However you had firmly decided not to give into temptation because you did not want to be the most clichéd girl who got charmed with a simple snap of one’s fingers and therefore you wouldn’t let the situation escalate. You reminded yourself about the fact that Lee was like this with every woman who caught his eye for a reason or another, and this was what he did all day long; flirted with media… flirted with the audience… he after all was a professional performer… and therefore you couldn’t take anything he said or did seriously. If you did… if you let yourself believe that he was being in fact sincere, you would get bitterly disappointed.
- Well, if it makes you feel any better, there is one sword that money cannot buy... Lee stated after you both had managed to stop laughing and to catch your breaths. "...But it is yours if you want it" he added with deep, soft voice when you turned to look at him with a puzzled look on your face.
- What? you asked with a baffled tone.
- You know... Lee said and winked his eye at you awkwardly. You stared at him and shook your head a little because you did not know. Did he still mean that Hobbit-movie-sword or…? Lee smirked at you playfully and finally you got it. Your face turned red at that very moment and you were able to just comment “Oh.” Seeing you blush so much made Lee laugh again but this time you couldn't laugh, say anything... or even breathe. It was just too much information at the same time and if you had been a computer, you would have tilted already.
It was very conflicting because on the other hand you were deeply flattered for the attention that you were getting from such unlikely source, considering that before yesterday evening you would have never, not even in million years, thought that you would run into Lee-fucking-Pace, but here you were, flirting with him rather openly and joking about having sex! But then again you also felt that it was going too far too fast; Lee was talking about falling in love… calling you a rare gem and now this! Oh why couldn’t he be that shy, privacy-enjoying guy from next door that you had imagined him to be? Why he had to be a player… a ladies’ man… who had assumed that you could be charmed… or bribed… yes exactly! That you could be bribed with a sword to… to what? To have sex with him? Although… you knew that most likely it could be… fun… to just go with it… One of those once-in-a-lifetime –things… to have sex with a famous person… with your favorite actor.
“Fuck no!” you told yourself in your head and scolded yourself for even toying with the idea because even though as tempting as the idea was, you did not want to be just a hangover-shag and despite flirting being fun and everything… you did not want to let Lee succeed in whatever he was doing. If he indeed was trying to sweep you off your feet to get into your pants… you would show him that you were not that easily charmed and that also you knew how to play that game… to flirt and to say things that did not mean anything… and most importantly take nothing what he said or did, no matter how kind or flattering, too seriously… because apparently Lee was not a serious guy after all.
- I'm just teasing you. Lee said with an amused tone and then added "I want to get to know you first." Finally you managed to gasp some air and after a quick recovery, unlike anyone would have guessed, you managed to get your wits together and come up with a sharp comeback, despite his intense gaze that was focused on you at all times and made your knees turn into boiled spaghetti… those eyes that seemed to reach deep down to your soul… to the furthest corner of your mind.
- Oh you want to know me before you start poking me with that sword of yours? you asked with a smirk and commented “Fancy that!” with a wink. Yes, you knew how to play this game as well. Lee Pace had no power over you, you were in control of the situation and you wouldn’t let anything escalate.
- Poking. Lee chuckled and then got a hefty blush on his cheeks as well. "Yes! Checkmate!" you thought and patted yourself on your back mentally.
It was so strange that Lee’s confidence made you feel confident as well. His full attention was on you and it made your stomach almost turn upside down due to the massive amount of butterflies that it was trying to contain. Oh boy, he was charming; his voice, his body language and expressions… the way he sometimes stared at your lips when you spoke… the flirtatious comments, the mysterious glances and the long looks. The fact that he kept asking you questions about your life, your likes and even dislikes, was not helping… it was not helping at all! That was because it made him seem genuinely interested in you, sincerely attracted even… but you couldn’t let yourself be fooled by that. You couldn’t let him to reach into your heart and to mess up the role that you were playing. Yes, the role of flirtatious and easygoing woman who was smooth with the guys and wrapped them around her finger… which was something that Lee was clearly trying to do to you… to make you fall under his charms.
You shared a lively conversation with Lee on the sofa, laughed a lot and enjoyed the captivating chemistry but every time he got a little bit closer, you shifted yourself slightly or changed your sitting position completely to keep some physical distance to him. Sometimes, during the silent moments, you tried to figure out what Lee was trying to gain from all this… spending time with you when he could have been spending time with his friends, or hitting on supermodels. If only you could have seen into his mind and read his thoughts… if only you could have gotten some kind of confirmation that this, the smooth ladies’ man was… or was not… who he really was… or wasn’t… Well, you certainly hoped that it wasn’t but as the minutes turned into an hour and the hour turned into three hours, you had no other choice than to admit to yourself that what you saw now was indeed what you got; a shallow player in an extremely handsome package. In a way it was a bitter disappointment because you had hoped that Lee Pace was a sensitive and down-to-earth –kind of guy… someone who enjoyed the simpler things in life… but as you listened to him talking about his fancy adventures in the magical land of Hollywood that was filled with glamour and fame, you were forced to admit that you had been wrong. Sadly so.
- Would you like to go out for a walk? Lee asked suddenly after a rather long silence during which the smile you had kept holding onto had faded away leaving you look puzzled and also quite tired. “It is a beautiful day” he added and took a quick glance out from the window. Indeed, the weather was sunny and there were no clouds covering the blue sky. “Huh? you asked when you recoiled from your thoughts and Lee repeated his question. “Yeah. Sure” you replied and smiled politely.
- Or... perhaps a nap. Lee suggested with a concerned tone because you seemed like you were slowing down, which of course was understandable since you had not slept during the previous night. You made a silent “Hm” –comment and suddenly yawned. You instantly covered your mouth with your hand, hoping that you did not look terribly ridiculous as you were twisting your face like that. You were indeed running on bare fumes whether you wanted to admit it or not.
- You're very easy to get into bed, aren't you? you commented playfully after recovering from the sudden yawn and smirked at the handsome man next to you. However the smirk faded away from your face almost instantly because you were exhausted.
- Only when the woman is as beautiful as you are. Lee smirked and yawned as well. You shook yourself fully awake and said “Very well, a walk it is.”