Old ends new beginnings

Chapter 4

Early, too early that morning, someone knocked at the door.

"Holly?" That someone happened to be Josh.

Sean slowly opened his eyes, groaning, and scratched his head. "Shall I hide in the closet? he chuckled sleepily, turning to look at her.

"Holly? Are you in there?"

“Yeah, I'm here. Wait just a minute.” she yelled at him, placing a short kiss on Sean's lips.

“Ehm…maybe you should just put blanket over you…I don't think that Josh would be too impressed to see you naked…” she whispered at him, putting on her large t-shirt and a pair of shorts, before moving to reach the door.

“Good morning.” she murmured to Josh, yawning.

"The others are downstairs, waiting for you." he replied, shooting a quick glance inside the room. When he saw Sean lying in her bed, he merely cleared his throat, acting as if he had not seen him at all, and turned his attentions back to Holly. "Breakfast is ready. You'd better hurry."

Holly looked at him and smiled sleepily, nodding.

“Josh? I'm sorry for yesterday…” she murmured, looking into his eyes.

"Hush, it's okay." Josh smiled, as he put a finger upon Holly's lips to silence her. "I deserved that, I've been too harsh with him. Don't be sorry."

Smiling, she caressed his cheek and nodded.

“Gimme just one minute, I'll be dressed. You can wait downstairs.”

With that, she pressed a tender kiss on his forehead and closed the door, after watching him enter into the elevator. Then Holly finally turned her attention to Sean.

“You should go back to your room, so you can put on your clothing.” she stated, sitting on the bed at his side, and brushing away a lock of hair from his face.

Sean nodded, watching intently into her eyes, and he said nothing for a while. Then he sighed, and caressed her cheek.

"Should we keep this secret, Holly?"

Sighing, she closed her eyes for a moment, collecting her thoughts, and when she opened them again, she smiled at him.

“No. I'm happy with you.” she whispered, leaning to kiss him slowly and gently.

"Glad to hear that," Sean whispered, "For it's the same for me."

After another kiss, he stood, stretching lazily, and quickly put on his t-shirt and jeans. "I'll be right back. Get dressed.” he said, smiling, as he reached for the door.

Holly washed her face and teeth, and put on a pair of black jeans and a green top, putting all of her things into a backpack.

Once outside her room, she knocked at Sean's door, leaning casually near the doorframe, waiting for him.

When Sean opened the door a few moments later, he was rubbing his hair with a towel, smiling brightly.

"That's called a very, very quick shower." he chuckled, throwing the towel on a nearby armchair and reaching for the keys. He was wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, and seemed indeed quite young looking in that outfit, despite his 44 years. After a quick kiss on her lips, he took Holly's hand, to lead her down the wide corridor.

Vin was sitting on a chair, he hadn't spoke to no one from the day before, and he didn't have dinner, because he had stayed in his room all the evening.

When he saw them, his heart lurched.

The pain was too great and he could distinctly feel Josh's eyes on him, even if he didn't care.

He had lost her forever. She was with that actor now, that old dog that had taken her away from him.

Eileen looked at Vin for a while, frowning, and then smiled at the couple. "Good morning." she greeted them. "Set for the interview, Sean?"

He smiled back, waiting for Holly to sit down and then setting her chair in place. "Hope I'll survive that. I can still remember with terror your last interview." he chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"Last and only one." she corrected him, sniggering. "I swear I'll be good. I won't ask again about your marriages."

"That's good for a start." he replied with a smirk as he sat down next to his Holly, serving her tea.

“Thank you.” she smiled at him, biting a piece of apple cake.

Vin was moving as if in a dream.

It couldn't be true, it just couldn't be.

Holly looked at him just for a second, noticing that his face was dangerously pale.

When their eyes met, she saw hurt in them, but then returned her attention to her breakfast, looking, without interest, at the food in her plate.

Sean, too, noticed that. He quickly glanced at Vin before turning his attentions back to the breakfast, but said nothing about it. The last thing he wanted was to be seen as a rival by Vin. Nothing personal between them, he was just living his life. When Sean finished eating, he looked at Holly's plate, and frowned. She had barely eaten.

"Are you okay?" he murmured, taking her hand to squeeze it gently into his larger one.

She just nodded, her stomach was twitching and, even if it was empty, she was feeling nauseous.

Then she took her camera, forcing herself to smile, and looked at Eileen.

“Where do you want to start?”

"They arranged a small hall just for us." the other girl replied, taking her handbag. "It would be nice if you could take some pictures of him along the way. Bye, love." she smiled, kissing Josh on the lips and smiling at him.

"I'll see you later." he smiled back, then looked at Holly. "Have a nice day."

“Have a nice day.” she replied, before walking away with Sean.

The hall was quite nice, and Holly took some photos of him while he was looking outside a window, and when he was sitting down.

Sean and Eileen were sitting on two opposite chairs, and between them there was a small wooden table, as if it was a barrier.

Holly didn't take a seat, but was observing the scene through her camera, searching for the right angle.

"What holidays did you have as a kid?" Eileen was asking Sean, looking at him and then at the small recorder laid on the table.

"We used to take the coach to Spain every year..."

Eileen instantly looked at him, bewildered. "The coach? From Sheffield?"

"Yeah, because my dad hated flying. He was terrified of it. It took about three days to drive, and we did it year after year. All you ever saw out of the windows was service stations and foreign motorways. I remember driving past Paris at five in the morning, and the driver woke us up on the tannoy to say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, the Eiffel Tower is on your left.' I looked out all bleary-eyed and there was this tiny shape about eight miles away."

The girl shook her head, smiling, and glanced down at her notebook. "Did you ever victimize anyone?" she asked after a while, lifting the head to look at the man who was sitting in front of her. Sean pursed his lips, thinking about the answer, and then chuckled quietly. He seemed to be very much at ease. "I used to go boxing at a place called Croft House, and I took it quite seriously. But I can only really remember hurting myself, especially on the punchball. I kept hitting the metal ring that holds the bag in place. It was agony."

Eileen smiled again at those words. "Any other comical injuries?"

"I used to have a Chopper, and I guess I fell off that a few times. And I had a Chipper too. You know, the smaller model."

"Yeah, it was the girl's version..." Eileen chuckled, flashing an amused glance at Holly.

The girl just stood there, taking picture after picture of Sean, a content smile playing at the corner of her lips.

It was nice for her to know these things about her man.

"What's the strongest liquor you've drunk?"

"We filmed Sharpe in the Crimea, and some of the local vodka was very poor quality. If you drank it, you'd just black out. One minute you'd be normally pissed, having a nice time, and then suddenly you'd find yourself waking up in the street the next afternoon. Bang, like that."

"Okay... I've got a touchy question now..." Eileen warned him after a few moments, grinning wickedly and causing Sean to cringe playfully in his chair, despite the fact that he was still smiling. "All right, I think I can take it. Go ahead and ask away."

"As an actor, you must spend a lot of time in hotel bedrooms. Ever been tempted to turn on the adult channel?" she demanded, raising an eyebrow and looking at him challengingly. He laughed at the question, and looked at Holly for a moment before replying. "No, not since I saw that Alan Partridge episode, anyway. The worst thing is when you think you've put the porn channel on accidentally. I mean you can't ring down and say I pressed the button by mistake, because they'll just laugh at you. And if you only have it on for a few seconds, they'll think you're a premature ejaculator. It's a dilemma, that." Sean said, grinning, and Eileen couldn't help laughing out loud at his answer. He was way smarter than she could remember from their first interview, and the discovery pleased her no end. It was quite a fun working with him.

Once she'd recovered from her fit of laughter, Eileen tried to regain a professional pose, browsing through the pages of her notebook, and then looked at him again. "Apparently, your party trick is stubbing a fag out on your tongue. What's the secret?"

"There's an area on your tongue that's quite numb, near the back-middle, and you swill a pool of saliva onto it before stubbing." he explained, then leaned forward, arching an eyebrow, and whispered in a confidential tone: "It hurts like a bugger if you miss, mind."

The interview lasted about one hour, and they had more than a few good laughs. When they finally stood, Sean gave a kiss on Eileen's cheek, and then looked at Holly.

"I have to be on the set in one hour." he announced. "Will you come with me?"

“Sure.” she smiled, looking directly into his eyes, taking another photo of him with a mischievous grin on her face. “Good job, Eileen.”

"I was about to say that to you." she replied, chuckling, while picking up her belongings to put them in the handbag. "I need a couple of hours to write this down on my laptop. I will catch up with you then."

“See ya!” Holly told to her co-worker, before turning her attention to the man that was now staring at her.

“The set is at about ten minutes from our hotel. What do you want to do until you have to go there?”

"I want to spend this time with you, that's sure." he promptly replied, smiling brightly. "I want to know everything about you. What about a drink in my room?"

“Just a drink?” she grinned, and without giving him time to answer, took his hand in hers and walked towards the elevator.

Once inside the room, she noticed the clothes spread over every available surface, the books and papers and scripts lying here, there, and everywhere.

It was what she had always called "a disaster area", but maybe Sean, as many others like him, preferred to refer to it as "organized chaos".

“So, what do you have to drink, honey?”

"Whatever you want, sweetie." he grinned, opening the fridge. "Let's see...here we have vodka, Martini, ale, orange juice, cold coffee and other stuff. There should be some whiskey, too, and maybe gin. What would you like?"

“I think I'll have some orange juice, thank you.” she smiled walking toward him to embrace him from behind, revealing in the heat of his body.

Then she remembered some things about the interview and smiled wickedly.

“You know, I was very interested in that thing of the adult channel. And I think you should have a skilful tongue, too…”

"Mmmm, possibly." he replied, smirking, and turned around to face her. "You should give it a try one of these days. Just...to rate my skills, you know." he whispered against her lips, while his hands travelled down her back, reaching for her buttocks and squeezing them lightly.

“I'll be very happy to do it...” she whispered back, before nibbling his lower lip, and then licking it with her tongue, to soothe the pain. “I can't get enough of you…”

Murmuring his approval, Sean looked at her through heavy-lidded eyes, and drew her closer to grind their hips together, sighing. Then he ducked his head to lasciviously caress her tongue with his, sucking it between his lips once in a while.

Holly closed her eyes, amazed by how events were turning out.

Just the morning before, she was picking him at the airport, and now they were together.

Her head was suddenly reeling with euphoric dizziness that no amount of alcohol could possibly replicate. As she parted her lips to allow his tongue access, winding her arms around his neck, she could taste the ale he drank, and was caught up in the wonderful musky odour of his natural scent, sharpening with his building arousal.

A moment later, Sean had released her buttocks, and was fumbling with her belt in an attempt to unfasten it. After a while said belt was hitting the ground with a thud, and said man was hurriedly unzipping her jeans.

"Take them off." he whispered huskily, his piercing grey eyes staring at her. "And sit on the edge of the bed."

Holly kicked away her boots and jeans, and looking intently at Sean, she did as he had asked.

He walked towards the bed and then knelt in front of her, their gazes locked. Sean's lips slowly curved into a sly smile as he put his hands at her waist, sliding all the way down to her calves and taking her panties with them, abandoning the garment on the floor only a few heartbeats later. He lowered his gaze to look at her, widening her legs for a better view, and, without any warning, he sank to slowly lick her inner tight.

At the sudden move, Holly couldn't help but shudder and gasp, looking intently at him.

His tongue danced over her heated, over-sensitised flesh, diving inside of her to lick at her inner walls, then licking up the slit to flutter over her clitoris again in a way that had her twisting madly on the bed, her breath coming in short pants and gasps, and sharp moans of pleasure bursting from her throat.

He firmly grasped Holly's thighs with both hands in an attempt to keep her still and stopped to look at her, licking his lips. Then he lowered his head again to flicker his tongue over her clitoris, again and again, delighting in the beautiful sounds that his ministrations were extorting from her. A few moments later, he licked his way down to lap hungrily at the slick fluid oozing from her entrance, shuddering when he felt his own pelvic muscles clench helplessly. He was painfully hard, and, for a split second, he thought that he was going to come in his jeans in that exact moment. It didn't happen, though. He stopped just to take a deep breath and then ducked his head down again, slowly sliding his tongue inside her to probe and swirl, and he couldn't help but let out a deep, throaty groan when he felt her contract around him.

She suddenly arched her back and cried out as her orgasm suddenly slammed down over her at full force.

Trembling and spent, she collapsed on the bed, her eyes closed, panting hard.

Sean was still kneeling before her, his arms still wrapped around her legs and his breath laboured. He rested his head on her thigh, closing his eyes, and tried to relax.

“Come here.” she whispered to him, looking at him as he came at her side.

Holly kissed him deeply and with passion, running her fingers lightly over his crotch, causing his entire body to stiffen in reaction. She merely smiled, letting her hand move toward the fastenings of his jeans, slipping the button free and pulling down the zipper in a couple of fluid motions.

Slowly, she leaned towards him, and enveloped his entire length in the hot, constricting wetness of her throat.

A startled gasp escaped Sean's lips and he instinctively brought both hands to her head, twining his fingers in her hair, as shivers shook him from head to toe. He lowered his gaze to look at her, eyes half closed, and his breath caught in his throat when he met her eyes. It was almost all he could bear. His eyes closed again with a shuddering moan, and, a moment later, he was thrusting his hips upwards, imposing on her a fast, relentless rhythm.

Suddenly all she wanted in the world was to hear him make more sounds like that. So she started attacking his shaft with renewed vigour, combining stimulations from her lips, tongue, and throat.

At the unexpected attack, his entire body tensed, and he abruptly tightened the grip on her hair in between heated moans and helpless shudders. So close.

"Holly," he whispered breathlessly, his tone husky and urgent, while trying to hold her head still. "Stop...I can't..."

She just gave him a quick glance before returning her attention to her ministrations, increasing the pace, brushing away his hands.

"Oh, God." Sean growled, his head falling backwards. And then he was writhing on the bed, moaning her name over and over in the throes of orgasm. Afterwards he remained still, eyes closed, the only movements being the fast rising and falling of his chest and quick, shallow breaths the only sounds coming from him.

Drinking some orange juice, Holly looked at him with a half smile, trying to send away the image of Vin from her mind.

Why was there hurt in his eyes?

And why she wasn't able to forget him?

Sighing deeply, she put on her panties and her jeans, sitting on the bed at Sean's side.

“We have to go in ten minutes, it's not fair to arrive late.” she said softly.

He looked at her and nodded, reaching to stroke her cheek, but said nothing. After a while, he stood to zip his jeans and then stretched, flashing her a smile.

"I'm ready."

“Let's go.” she whispered, smiling back and taking his hand, walking towards his car.

"Good to see you, Sean." Josh greeted him as they entered the set. "The director's waiting for you, you'd better tell him that you're here."

"Thank you." Sean nodded, then kissed Holly on the lips before stalking away.

Josh looked at the girl thoughtfully, and sighed. "How are you?"

“I don't really know, Josh.” she confessed, sighing and sitting on a chair at his side. “Have you ever felt as if you don't even know what you're doing? If you're doing good, or bad things, if you're so stupid that you aren't able to enjoy the little happiness that life gives to you? I don't know… where I'm going … ”

"Listen, Holly," he murmured, leaning closer to her. "Just go with the flow, and do what you feel like doing...you don't have to be sorry for him , if you're truly happy with Sean. If you're not, then it's different. In that case, you should ask yourself why you are doing that."

“Inside of me it's like there are two souls fighting each other. One likes Sean, is happy with every minute we spend together. But the other loves deeply Vin, and is screaming to get rid of Sean.” she explained, glad that he wasn't condemning her.

“I don't know if it's right for me to love Vin but stay with Sean.”

Josh sighed deeply, furrowing his brow. "Does he know that you love him?" he asked after a while. "Sean, I mean. Does he know?"

“Yes. He knows that. And I even think that he's not planning anything serious with me…He is too hurt from his three divorces, and I think he cannot bear any other heartbreaks…”

"A tricky situation, to say the least. But this makes things a little easier for you." Josh said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure that you'll make the right decision, honey. And if you'll need me I'll always be there for you. Will you remember that?"

“Yes. Thank you, Josh…” she whispered, giving him a weak smile.

He replied with a bright smile and a loud kiss on her cheek, before standing. "I think I need a coffee. Fancy one?"

“Stay here, I'll go get one for you.” she smiled, and before he could reply, she was walking away.

The set was full of people that day, it was to be expected as the bad guy , played by Sean, was finally on the set. She couldn't help but smile, thinking that the real Sean was so different from the characters he usually portrayed.

She took two mugs of coffee and was walking back to Josh when she saw Sean, who was talking to the director.

Their eyes met for a split of a second and she gave him a warm smile, in which she expressed her desire to trust him, to be happy with him.

He smiled sweetly in return, tilting his head on the side, but the man who was discussing the role with him quickly pulled him back to reality. In the meantime, Eileen had finally arrived, and was putting her backpack down on a chair while talking with Josh. When she saw Holly approaching, she greeted her with a smile.

“Here's the coffee.” she smiled, tending a mug to Josh.

“Do you want me to get some coffee for you, Eileen?”

"Thank you." said Josh taking the mug, while the girl shook her head. "I'll leave some for her,” he added with a smile. "Don't worry, Holly."

When they both finished drinking the coffee, he kissed Eileen, and sighed. "Gotta go. Vin is gonna kill me, I'm late already."

"Piss off then." Eileen chuckled, playfully pushing him away.

"Behave, little girl . I'm warning you."

"Yeah. You'd better hurry, big bad man , or he'll spank you to death. I'm warning you."

Holly looked at them and felt happiness for her friends.

When they were alone, she sat near Eileen and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

“So you're just playing the happy couple or are you planning something serious?”

"Just playing happy couple..." she replied, smiling faintly. "We had a drink in his room yesterday, and...well, he kissed me. Nothing else happened, and we didn't talk about it afterwards, so I don't know about his feelings...and I don't know what he's planning to do. I'm almost afraid to ask him."

“You're lucky 'cause I know that you like him a lot. And he likes you, too. It's clear and simple, not like my situation.” she stated, sighing.

“But let's not talk about me, okay? I just think that Josh is a little scared, from what I read about him; he's not so lucky in matters of love. That could explain the fact that he just…kissed you.”

Eileen merely nodded, sighing, and remained silent. When Josh and Vin walked across the room to enter the other set she followed them with her gaze, then looked at Holly again. "Do you think it possible...to fall in love in only three days?"

“I fell in love with Vin in ten minutes…” was her answer, but she suddenly changed subject and started to talk about their work, a neutral subject.

About two hours later, they were debating some of Holly's photos, when Sean entered the room.

“Hey.” Holly smiled at him. “They don't need the bad boy anymore?”

"Nope, ma'am." he smiled, leaning in to kiss her on the lips. "Not before tomorrow, anyway, thus I am yours to command until then."

"Oh, that sounds interesting indeed..." smirked Eileen. "I want a man to command, too!"

"Josh would be more than happy to offer himself, I bet."

At Sean's reply, Eileen inquisitively raised both eyebrows, staring at him. "Did he say something to you?"

"I'm not talking about that."

"Beanie..."

"Sweetie..." grinned Sean, matching her tone perfectly. Damn . He was too good at that, the little devious pommy .
Nonetheless, she chuckled, shaking her head with amusement. "You're a right bastard. And you know that, don't you?"

"Of course I do. And I'm proud of it."

“Hey! He’s not a bastard.” Holly defended him immediately, smiling.

“He’s my little bad boy, so let’s have some respect for him!”

“And you’d better give me another kiss for that.” she whispered at his ear, sweetly kissing the lobe.

Sean smiled and immediately claimed her lips for a heated kiss, holding her tight. At the sight, Eileen smiled, and picked up her backpack to silently leave the room, allowing the couple a little privacy.

When they finally ended the kiss, Holly continued to caress his hair, looking into his eyes.

“I’m so happy with you…and I’m sorry if sometimes I can seem to be miles away, but…it won’t happen anymore. I want to stay with you, close everything but us outside a door, and enjoy every single minute with you…”

"I'd do anything to make you happy," Sean whispered, looking intently into her eyes. "You only have to ask. I still can't believe that you want to stay with me...it's just too good to be true, Holly...my Holly." He smiled while saying those last words, and gently framed her face with both hands to kiss her again.

“What would you like to do tonight, my Sean?” she chuckled, playfully nibbling at his neck.

His words had touched her heart, it seemed so strange to her to be cherished like that, and she still couldn’t believe it.

“Just tell me where do you want to go, if you want to go out, or we could watch some television if you’re tired, or maybe we could have an hot, long bath together with perfumed oils.”

A flash of interest flickered through Sean's eyes at the proposal, and he nodded enthusiastically. "That's a great idea, honey." he smiled. "I second the bath thing, and, if you don't have any objections after that, I'd be more than happy to cuddle you all night long...or we could even watch some TV...like, say..." he stopped, grinning, and raised an eyebrow. "The adult channel?"

“Then you’ll have to turn it on all night long, or they could think that you’re a premature ejaculator.” she grinned back, giving him a quick kiss on his lips.

"We'll leave it on, then." he chuckled, taking her hand as they walked out of the studios, and when they reached the car, Sean was evidently still thinking about their plans for the night. "We could have our dinner in my room. What do you think, my sweetie?"

“Yes, it would be a wonderful!” she answered, stepping inside the car.

Vin was watching them from a while, his face dark, but incredibly sad.

They were doing it seriously. Holly seemed really happy with him, and he would have never denied her that possibility.

He should just avoid her; it would not be difficult if they were planning romantic evenings in their rooms.

Sighing deeply, he walked to his car only when Holly and Sean were far away.

"Here we are."

Sean smiled, closing the door behind him. "We'll have dinner in about one hour, so we have all the time for a nice bubble bath. Can I wash your back?" he grinned mischievously while removing his t-shirt.

“Only if you’ll be a good boy...” she smiled wickedly, walking towards the bathroom.

She had taken some perfumed oil into her room, and she put a little amount into the Jacuzzi, letting the hot water fill it completely.

Once finished, she took off her clothes, leaving on just her panties and bra.

A few moments later, Sean entered the room, embracing her straightaway from behind.

"Why don't you take them off?" he whispered into her ear, smiling.

“Are you in hurry?” she smiled, almost purring at that contact, turning her head to look at him.

"Mmm, no...but I must admit that I’m craving to wash your back..." he chuckled, slowly caressing her arms, and moved her hair aside to brush his lips on her neck. Delighting in the lush scent of her skin, he closed his eyes, showering her neck and shoulders with many sweet little kisses.

"You are a dream come true," he whispered, "...my Holly."

“Sean…” she whispered in a tone full of longing and care, her eyes closed and a content smile on her lips.

“You are a dream come true. I believed that no man would ever…” at that particular word she suddenly stopped, understanding that she was crossing a mined path, so she tried to continue as if everything was normal. “…cherish me as you do. I think you’re special...”

"Not as much as you anyway..." Sean murmured, circling her waist with both arms to hold her tight. He kissed his way from her neck down to her shoulder and then nuzzled his face against her skin, a contented smile curving his lips.

"You're making this old bore a happy man, you know that?"

“You’re far from old, Sean. And I’m happy, too. This didn’t happen to me for a long time…” she told him, turning to face him and taking off her underwear, entering the Jacuzzi.

“The water is fabulous…”

He smiled as he slipped off his boxers and entered the tub, to settle behind Holly.

"Am I allowed to tenderly and carefully wash your lovely back now?"

“You’re allowed to do everything you want, honey.” she smiled lovingly at him, caressing one of his large hands.

“I really love your hands, you know? You’ve got long fingers, you could play piano…”

"I really love anything about you, you know? You could be the perfect match for the old bore." Sean mimicked, smirking. Before she could have any chance to reply, he poured some scented soap onto her back and then spread it softly with the other hand, massaging her shoulders and neck occasionally.

She had thought about that. The perfect match…

Yeah, it was wonderful together. They were so happy…they had fun together.

But there was Vin. And also, Sean had told her that before marriage everything seemed perfect and fabulous.

So maybe this was what he always told his girls.

Sighing deeply, she closed her eyes, and tried to relax, helped by Sean’s soothing caresses on her back.

Though he had noticed all too well her sudden tension, Sean said nothing, and just kept on massaging and stroking the strained muscles on her back. Every now and then he leaned forward to kiss her cheek and whisper endearments in her ear, playfully nibbling at the lobe, hoping that she'd relax a little under his ministrations.

“Sean?” she asked then.

“Would you like to…embrace me tight for a while? I-I really need it…”

"I'd love to," he whispered. "More than anything." With that, he drew her closer, until her back was nestling against his chest, and enclosed her tightly within the reassuring warmth of his strong arms. No further words were needed. He let the tenderness of the moment speak for him while he closed his eyes, resting his chin on her shoulder.

They stayed there for a while, until the water was becoming cold and Holly was starting to shake a little.

“Honey, we should get out of here. We should dress, have dinner, and then, if you allow me to, I’ll cuddle and cherish you all night long…”

"Just don't move. I don't want you to get a cold." Sean smiled, getting out of the tub. He reached for a towel and wrapped it around his waist, then held another one and looked at his beloved. "Okay, you can get out now."

“Thank you, my Lord.” she giggled, wrapping the towel around her body.

“I’ve always thought that Boromir was one of you best performances. He was so…gentleman. Like you.”

"Playing Boromir was a very rewarding for me...and I'm not merely talking about money." Sean said thoughtfully, grimacing over the last sentence, as he carefully wiped up her arms and neck with a towel. "He's such a complex character, so...emotionally tortured. It wasn’t easy, at all."

“But you’re a great actor, Mr. Bean,” she told him, kissing him on the lips.

“And I really appreciate all of your works…You’re just…great. That’s all.”

"Thank you, but I appreciate your works as well, Miss Harris." he replied as they reached the bedroom. "I have all of your photo books at home. Can you believe I was a photographer wannabe?"

In that moment, someone knocked, and a voice from behind the door told them that their dinner was there. Sean opened and pushed the trolley inside, all the while smiling at Holly. "Get dressed, love. I'll take care of this."

She smiled sweetly at him, taking some moments to register the fact that he had just called her love.

And she liked it. A lot.

“Okay, love.“ she answered, putting on her underwear and a black, short dress.

Barefooted, Holly walked to Sean, embracing him from behind.

“You should get dressed, too.” she whispered, kissing his right shoulder.

Sean put his hands over hers, forcing himself to swallow a lump in his throat when he suddenly realized that never, never in his whole life someone had really cherished him this much. Never, before that moment, he'd felt that…cared for. He unhurriedly turned around to look at her, taking her hands into his. She'd probably consider him a spineless fool for he was on the brink of tears, and he knew, but it just didn't matter.

"Holly, I..." he whispered, faltering a little. "It's...so beautiful to stay with you. You have so much to give, so much love, and I...I don't deserve this much happiness, I feel like...I feel like I'm not giving you enough in return."

“Sean…” she whispered back, gently caressing his cheek. “You’re making me happy and you’re giving me all of yourself…”

With that, the girl gently caressed his lips with hers for a while, her hands roaming on his back, and then she opened her lips, allowing contact to their tongues, in a long and slow kiss that expressed how important he was to her.

They eventually parted, though Sean would have kissed her like that forever. "My love," he whispered against her lips with a sweet little smile. "That's what you are." Embracing her tightly, he closed his eyes for a while, before drawing back to look into her eyes.

“And you’re mine. But now, Mr. Bean, come with me and get dressed, or you’ll get a bad cold.” she smiled, taking his hand and guiding him towards the bed.

Then she took one of his black shirts and helped him to put it on, all the while looking into his eyes.

“Now put on those boxers while I get you a pair of jeans.” she told him, and when he got dressed, she smiled again.

“That’s it…you’re a good guy…my love.”

"Only with you. Otherwise I'm a bad, bad boy." he smirked, taking her hand and guiding her to the small table. As usual, he set Holly's chair in place before sitting down in front of her, and served her dinner.

"Enjoy your meal, love."

“Thank you. Enjoy!”

They ate in silence, looking into each other’s eyes, smiling now and then, as if no words were needed between them.

As they had finished, Holly put everything on the trolley and led it outside the door.

“Now what do you want to do, love?”

"I absolutely want to cuddle you." he smiled, dragging her towards the wide bed. "May I?"

When they both fell on the bed, Holly couldn’t help but laugh, suddenly followed by Sean.

“You can do everything you want to me. I’m completely at your mercy.”

One of Sean's eyebrows rose with interest at such revelation. "Are you? I could decide to tickle you to death, then." he grinned. "Or kiss and cuddle you all night long...or...you know, I could even decide upon a more earthly pastime and shag you senseless. Since today I'm feeling kind of fair, you're allowed to choose your fate."

“Am I? Okay. So today I’m feeling…eh...“ she assumed a pensive expression, looking at him.

“Say…Kiss and cuddle? Please…”

"I'm in a kiss and cuddle mood, too." he smiled, standing to take off his shirt and jeans. Once they were both beneath the covers, he snuggled closer and began to stroke her hair, sighing contentedly, looking straight into her eyes.

Those piercing grey eyes were almost too much to bear, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“Why each time I look at you I can’t avoid smiling?”

"Same for me..." he whispered without averting his gaze. "I'm becoming dangerously addicted to you, Holly. Everything about you is addictive...you are addictive..."

They stayed like that for what seemed to be an eternity.

Cuddled and cherished, happy beyond measure, Holly closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

On his part, Sean was feeling too shaken up inside to be able to get some rest. He kept on slowly stroking her hair and face, looking intently at her, for quite a while.

The whole thing's definitely getting out of hand. And you're a total asshole, Bean, you should be proud of yourself. What the hell's the matter with you? You know all too well that she loves him. Him, and not you. Him. The young hunk, not the old bore. It'll be over, sooner or later, and there is no use in deluding yourself. The sooner you'll deal with it, the better. For the both of you.

He shook his head, and sighed deeply as he snuggled closer, shifting to rest his head upon her belly.

"You know, Holly..." he mumbled after a while, glad that she was asleep and thus not listening to such foolishness. "I think I love you." Then he paused, sighing again as if deep in thought. "Who am I trying to fool...as a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure I am in love with you, but...I swear, I swear to you that I won't act upon it. You'll never know, and you'll never feel guilty about me...I only want you to be happy, for no one deserves a little happiness more than you do...I love you, Holly. God, I love you so much..."