In Love with a Superstar Ch. 02

He was fighting desperately to organise his thoughts, "Look Sarah, I don't know what Martin has been telling you but it's..."

She affected a voice, "'It wasn't me Sarah, I'm not selling pictures Sarah, I'm just the poor little film star that nobody understands Sarah', 'I don't trash hotel rooms Sarah' and to think I believed you!" the tears ran down her face.

"What pictures?! Look, Sarah I don't know how this happened or how it looks but please..."

"I believed you Bruce, for a while there I thought, just for a little while, that you loved me."

"I do love you!"

"Like you loved all those other women I suppose, did you burn their houses down to? Just so they'd move in with you? And all those crappy things you said about Elisabeth."

"What other women! I haven't..."

"You climb into bed with my best friend... and worse..." she paused to catch her breath, "you're pathetic, and you want to know what hurts the most, I really loved you Bruce," she broke down, "I really did love you, I thought that for once in my life..." Bruce moved towards her his arms extended, "Stay away from me!" she wailed, "Don't touch me, I never want to see you again, you bastard!"

"Sarah, please." He was desperately trying to keep with her and dial on his mobile.

"You used me... just to further your bloody career, and I actually loved you." She clutched her shoulder at where the burn had been, she stepped closer to him in shocked realisation, "I could have died... you unfeeling bastard! I hate you!" she screamed, "and I never want to see you again!"" she snapped at him and snatched her bag and ran. He had called after her and the voice died as she slammed the door, into the street she'd grown up in.

Parked at the front of the house was a large police van, the type with a cage in the back, with about half a dozen anxious looking policemen climbing out. Martin had been using his phone too it seemed.

They had come for him, and she walked past them and ran, as hard and as fast as she could. A second man was climbing out of another car, with a long-lensed camera. He struggled to get out of the car, remove the lens cap and catch a picture of her, but she ran on, disappearing down the alley into the recreation ground. She sat on the bench by the pond and cried, actually feeling sick that he could have been sleeping with her and then climbing into bed with someone else, one of her best friends. She thought of Colleen, how could she do it?

Although nothing had ever been said, Colleen had dropped enough hints to indicate she knew what was going on. So much for a best mate, she reached in her bag for her mobile. Damn, she had forgotten, it was a small heap of melted plastic and metal, tucked in with all of the other rubbish from her flat. She wiped her eyes on a tissue, stood and headed out of the park and walked along to the main road and flagged down a taxi. She gave Bruce's address and sat in the long back seat, barely in control, she would pack her clothes, not the ones he had bought her, just hers.

The taxi driver was let through the gates and after paying him, she let herself in with her key and with a long suppressed sob unhooked it from her bunch and placed it quietly on the table by the front door.

Next she would first have to get rid of the flat. She would stay with her mum and dad and start looking the next morning. She picked up the phone from the hall table and rang Colleen's number. It went straight through to the answer phone and she left a message, outlining what she thought about people that do the dirty on their mates, and how when she had so many other guys falling over her did she have to pick the one she wanted, no, the one she had fallen in love with.

She sniffed loudly and blew her nose, there was a sound from the living room and Claire, the young girl that babysat Cathy, was out in the hall,

"Sarah, thank God it's you, look you simply have to sit Cathy for me, something weird has happened to Bruce and he won't say what, just left her here before disappearing with the Old Bill. Mum's just phoned and our Rachel has been knocked off of her skateboard by a car and broken her arm, and Dad ain't back from the other site he's working on."

"Oh I don't..."

"It'll only be for twenty minutes, I've got to go and get our Christopher while mum goes to hospital, I'll come straight back I promise."

"Look, I'd love to but..."

"Sarah, pleeease," the girl pleaded in real desperation.

"OK," Sarah said, "But I really need to be away in half an hour, no longer,"

"Sarah, you're a life saver," With that the girl snatched up a jacket hung over the stair rail and pulled a mobile from it, "Cathy has just gone to bed, she never wakes up once she's down, if she does the milk and biscuits normally do it."

The girl tapped a number into the mobile and trotted quickly down the corridor. Sarah heard her talking to what must have been her mother, advising her of her departure. The girl followed this by slamming the heavy oak front door shut with a bang.

Sarah flinched. As she suspected, a quiet voice called from the top of the stairs

"Claire?" it said in a tired voice, "Claire, I'm thirsty," Sarah's shoulders slumped as she headed up the stairs, "Sarah!" cried Cathy in delight and ran to greet her.

"Hello Darling," said Sarah quietly.

"You're not going back to your Mummy's house are you?" Cathy asked, her face wreathed in smiles, "I love it when you stay, you're lovely and you make my Daddy all lovely too," she put her arms out to Sarah who lifted her up.

"No, I'm just staying for a little while, then Claire will be back, then I have to go."

"Ooh, please don't." she complained in the way of all disappointed children, "I thought you were going to stay forever."

"I don't think your Daddy will want me to stay."

"Oh he will, I know he will, he's going to ask you to, he talks about you all the time."

"Does he?"

"Yes, he said that you were coming to live with us all the time and that he'd given you great nanny's ring but it's too small; I can't remember great nanny because she died when I was still a baby."

"Did she?" said Sarah, her confusion worsening. Sarah picked up on her distress.

"I don't want you to go Sarah," the little girl's eye's started to brim with tears, "I'm scared Sarah," she hugged Sarah as hard as she could, "My Daddy had to go with the Policemen and I think they are cross with him," Sarah really began to feel for the little girl whose darling Daddy had done such monstrous things - apparently.

"Will you read me a story please, Daddy does when I'm scared."

There was absolutely no way that Sarah could resist this darling little thing, her blonde locks and blue eyes playing on Sarah's delicate emotions. It was strange, Cathy was completely taken in by Bruce's story too.

"And the Handsome Prince..."

"What was his name?"

"I don't know Darling, What do you think it is?"

"Bruce," said Cathy,

"And the Handsome Prince Bruce," Sarah said with emphasis, "Climbed to the top of the tower were the Princess lay asleep..."

"What was the Princess's name,"

"Why Sleeping Beauty, wasn't it?"

"No," said Cathy, as if it was obvious.

"Don' tell me, Princess Catherine!"

"No silly!" laughed Cathy, "It's Princess Sarah of course!"

"Oh," said Sarah slightly taken aback,

"And we all live happily ever after!" said Cathy giving Sarah a warm hug.

That was about all that Sarah could stand and she hugged the little girl she had dreamed one day would be hers, and bit her lip in an effort to hold back the tears and the sobs that threatened to rack her body.

Cathy mumbled that she loved Sarah and could she read her stories and put her to bed every night. In a few moments Sarah realised that the little girl was breathing steadily and had fallen asleep. Sarah kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry Darling," she whispered, "I really, really wanted to be your mummy but..."

The tears flowed gently down her cheeks and she was just able to blot them with a tissue.

When Sarah awoke the summer evening had given way to dusk and the hard orange light of the street lamps blazed through the curtain. Cathy slept soundly, her head resting on Sarah's shoulder.

As Sarah's eyes became adjusted to the fading light she could see the shape of someone sitting on the sofa opposite her. The clock on the television said eight thirty; still no Bruce, perhaps he had been 'breached' like Tom had said and had gone back to prison. She would need to leave now before he got back. At least Claire was back now.

"Sorry Claire," Sarah said trying to blink the sleep from her eyes, "We must have fallen asleep."

"I met that half-wit Claire in the street along with that village idiot brother of hers and I sent them home," said a cold voice that chilled Sarah to the bone, "I said that I didn't want just anyone looking after MY little girl..."