Chapter 31
"Well who would have thought that? Oh yeah, that's right, I had thought it and even said it out loud." He began to laugh.
"Despite countless denials on her part, I ended up being right. Would it be too harsh to call Lexa Woods a liar? That's up to all of them. But who would want to work with someone like that?" Charles smiled wickedly, his intentions clear.
The actress' phone rang after Pike's attack; the two women had been expecting this call for days.
"Lexa Woods." The latter put on a serious face. "Mmm, I understand that."
Clarke listened, spellbound.
"Are you sure?" Lexa looked tense and slightly sad.
Then came the goodbyes.
"What's wrong?" The blonde wanted to know.
"It was really the corporate executives from the planned movie, the huge blockbuster. They cancelled because of the bad press. I can understand them, and actually I didn't want to leave..."
"But it would have been a great opportunity," Clarke finished the sentence she had started.
The actress slumped her shoulders and nodded. Immediately the blonde went to her and took her tightly in her arms.
"I'm so sorry for you." Lexa instantly let herself fall and visibly relaxed.
"Do you regret making it public?" the blonde wanted to know.
Immediately green looked into blue eyes.
"No! What makes you think that?"
"You looked so sad and you hurt your career."
"It's not the rejection that makes me sad, it's the reason why. I knew something like this could happen, but I'm glad I can finally stand up for myself. We've been hiding long enough."
They held each other tightly.
"Could it help if we did an interview together?"
"That's not your thing at all, is it?"
"I know, but I want to help you."
"I don't know if it would actually help, but it might ease the situation, but first I have to talk to Titus about it. He'll probably send us to Charles because he's the loudest and our biggest critic."
"You'll just have to brief me a bit before that, as you know this would be my first interview."
"Of course I would help you, but, are you sure? He's kind of an asshole. I just don't want you to feel coerced on my account."
"Lexa, it's part of your life and if I want to be part of it, I have to learn to deal with it. Now that doesn't mean I'm going to go everywhere," she added with a laugh.
Shortly after the two women had this conversation, Lexa called her manager to ask his opinion. They discussed all the details for over half an hour before Titus made an appointment and they began preparing Clarke for the upcoming interview a day later.
"It gives me great pleasure to welcome these special guests, something I had not expected. This is Clarke Griffin and Lexa Woods."
The two waved and smiled both at the audience and at the cameras. They sat down in their chairs, both looking relaxed and friendly.
"So Clarke, you don't mind if I call you that?"
The addressed smiled sweetly and nodded.
"So Charlie, surely I may call you that?"
The crowd laughed and as usual Charles, or Charlie, was not amused.
"I didn't think you'd ever give an interview, after all, you've turned down every request so far."
"Well, it's different now."
"What's changed?"
The blonde took Lexa's hand and squeezed it, while smiling affectionately and tenderly at the actress
"Now I'm with the most incredible woman I can imagine and she's in the public eye now, so that's part of it, even if I'm still not a particular fan of it."
"I can't really relate to that," he laughed and the audience with him. The two women just thought inside, what a blowhard.
"There are so many questions I want to ask you, once I get a hold of you. First of all, how are you facing all the hate that is now coming your way from the disappointed fans? You got rid of one of the most desirable singles out there right now and some are accusing you of making her a lesbian."
Clarke laughed.
"No offense, but you can't make someone a lesbian. It's part of the genes, what someone is into. Of course, it's also an environmental factor, how open you can and may be with it, but you're not made. And I understand all the fans, if I wasn't sitting in that spot, I'd be angry too, and I probably wouldn't like the person who was lucky enough to be with that woman either."
"Charlie," Lexa, for her part, now couldn't resist calling the presenter that, "Clarke is absolutely right in her statement that you can't be made a lesbian. She has been incredibly helpful to me in finally being able to stand up for myself. Especially in this industry, it can be a devastating judgment for your career, but I have no regrets, even if I lose some offers, I've never been happier than I am now."
"While we're on the subject of your career... Is it true that you lost some fans as well as your employer, with whom you were going to do a big blockbuster, because of your outing?"
Lexa nodded. "Yes that's true." Clarke interjected "probably mostly male fans," which got her a lot of laughs as well as sympathy points.
Lexa looked at her with a grin. "The big deal with them fell through, but I've already gotten other offers that are very promising and I'm considering them now."
Of course, she lost some followers, but mostly new ones came, as well as some film projects. The film industry knew how to use a scandal in its favor and fill its coffers.
Charles continued to look for points of attack, but neither Clarke nor the actress offered any, and so the end of the show approached.
Somewhat exhausted, the two drove home, remaining silent and hoping that their performance would not have more far-reaching repercussions. They emptied the mailbox, stepped through the door and looked through the mail and were amazed to see a beautiful envelope. They opened it. It was a wedding invitation.