Shine A Light, chapter 1

"That waiter is as bent as a horseshoe."

"How do you know?"

"I can tell Ver, he wiggles his hips when he walks."

I chuckled into my salad, "What if he's just a part time dancer or enjoys the music?"

Marcus rolled his eyes at me, "Ver, trust me he's fuckin' gay, I would know."

I chuckled at him, my old friend from college, Marcus, as camp as Christmas and gets more men then Jessica Rabbit, not like the men he gets are into Jessica Rabbit...well, maybe her dress sense.

"So..." he began slicing his chicken breast and looking eagerly at me from under his brown hair. "What's it like here?"

I shrugged, "It's okay I suppose, quite, posh..."

"I told you you'd like this hotel though." He grinned stuffing his mouth with vegetables enveloped into chicken.

"I didn't say I liked it, I said that it was okay."

"Oh stop being picky," he snapped after swallowing his food. I sighed; Marcus had invited me over to California to visit him. He was a journalist, and a very good one, he'd always had a gift of retrieving the dishiest dirt from people, it made him always have something to tell about someone.

"What's wrong?" he asked wrinkling his nose.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," I shrugged at him.

"About what?"

"Nothing... never mind, your so called 'gay' waiter is coming over again..." I raised my eyebrow at him as the tall Latino figure hovered over us.

"Everything alright?" he asked, a thick Spanish accent vibrating his words.

"Yes, thank you," I answered as Marcus eyed him suspiciously.

"Defiantly gay," he muttered as the waiter nodded and retreated to another table.

"Oh everyone is bloody gay," I muttered sipping from my wine.

"They are though, you remember Thomas Pritchard?"

"Yeah, he was in my English lit class." I frowned at him.

"Well he came out last year... can you believe it?" Marcus gasped eyes wide with excitement, left cheek full of chicken.

"Yeah I can actually; he always had a thing for Jane Austin and I don't mean her looks," I smiled.

"Just goes to show," Marcus muttered nasally, "You never know... he was quite nice too."

I shook my head in desperation.

After finishing our meal we headed for the hotel bar for a talk. It was my first night here and being tired Marcus suggested we just lounge around the hotel. Sitting down by the window with our drinks I settled into the comfy chair underneath me. I looked around, there was a few people sitting near the bar, they looked like business men relaxing after a meeting, other than that it was empty.

"Anyway..." Marcus smiled again, "What about you princess?" he mocked being overly camp.

"What about me?" I raised my eyebrow sipping from my drink.

"Are you seeing anyone?"

"Am I ever?" I smiled at him as he shook his head.

"You're impossible Ver, you're hot, clever as hell, witty, I just don't understand."

I chuckled, "Stop bumming me, you do it enough." I cackled as he huffed grinning back at me.

"Well... everyone's gay," I laughed sarcastically as he shrugged at me.

"True."

"What about you?"

"Nah," he sipped at his glass, "I did have this thing with my photocopier, but it didn't work out."

"I hear that machines and humans never do."

"Smart arse," he muttered, "He was hot though... speaking of which Hell-lo... Mr. Drop dead...who the fuck is that?"

Marcus' eyes went wide and a small smile crept upon his lips as he took sight of the guy behind me. I shrugged, this was normal, he liked someone and I totally disagreed with him. He sat there bouncing his crossed leg and sipping calmly from his drink.

I looked at him and frowned.

"BE-HIND Y-OU," he mouthed pointing at me.

I rolled my eyes and nodded, not really interested, refusing to turn around.

"Can I smoke?" I asked him as he shook his head at me.

"There's your downfall Ver, smoking. I thought you'd quit anyway?"

"I did." I sighed pulling out a Marlboro light and igniting the tobacco. "But I started again because I was getting writer's block."

Marcus shook his head.

"Any new stuff?"

I exhaled, the warm feeling of the smoke lighting my senses and sending and oozing calm shooting through my body.

"The majority of it has only been seen by the waste paper bin."

Marcus clicked his teeth, "I bet it's good."

"It really isn't, my publisher is going to kill me I'm so behind schedule."

Marcus leaned in towards me prior to his eyes darting behind me at this so- called hottie of a man, "God, his friend's a bit nice too, proper rough looking... oh he'd look like he'd give you a good seeing too."

I laughed and inhaled imaging Mr. Drop Dead's friend joining him at the table behind us.

"Marcus the only person that we have ever agreed on liking is our old English teacher Mr. Johnson, and that is because he was Mr. Darcy reincarnated with very beautiful brown eyes."

Marcus chuckled, "I remember, he was gorgeous, he was from Bristol, spoke so sexily."

I cackled at him as he sat in his chair pouting at the memory.

I glanced down at the empty glasses on the table as I put out my cigarette, "I'll get us another," I grinned getting up and leaving Marcus to get a better view of the men behind me.

On carrying the wine back to the table I glanced at them sitting opposite each other laughing, both dressed in suits.

I could only see the blonde one, the guy's 'friend', his face was very chiselled and he wasn't bad looking, I had to agree with Marcus at that. He definitely wasn't ugly. He was laughing at the guy behind me in the chair, whom wasn't visible to me. I rolled my eyes as Marcus licked his lips and received his glass.

"Cheers."

"Oh Ver, they are so fuckin' sexy."

"You can only see the back of his head," I chuckled also sipping from my wine and settling myself in my chair.

"They were looking at you when you got up, they are probably straight," he puffed looking a bit disappointed.

"In this day and age? Straight people? How unusual," I chuckled sarcastically as he clicked his teeth at me.

"How do you explain the looks then?" he asked cockily.

"They probably just liked my shoes," I laughed as he threw his head back and let out a fabulous popping chuckle.

Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder and I turned around to come face to face with the most beautiful creature I have ever seen. Time stopped for a few seconds and a feeling I hadn't felt in years crashed into me like a giant wave.

I swallowed as I took in his facade. His angular bone structure, his small attractive nose, soft lips framed with growing stubble and eyes, the most amazing green eyes. They were framed with dark kohl making them detonate sex at every ray of light.

I swallowed as he took in my face; he blinked at me as his lips formed a small smile.

"Err, Hi... think I could borrow your light?"

"Sure," I stammered, totally knocked for six at this guy with the shiny messy black hair and emerald eyes. I reached for my lighter and passed it to him where he took it with a grin and set a cigarette between his lips. I watched as his eyelids half shut in lighting the stick as his tattooed figures shielded the flame form extinguishing.

"Thanks," he huskily grinned, cigarette still pursed between his lips.

"No problem," I grinned back retrieving my lighter from his black painted finger nails. I mentally smiled, posh hotel, tattoos, eyeliner, this guy was a rock star for sure.

I made to rotate back around and face Marcus, my voice still choked in my throat when he prodded me softly again in my arm.

"What was your name?" he asked pulling the cigarette from his lips and exhaling a small puff of smoke.

"Vera," I grinned, blushing slightly at the ridiculous name my mother had chosen for me.

"Nice to meet you Vera, I'm Billie," he grinned shaking my hand.

"Likewise Billie," I grinned back at him, traumatised that his flesh was touching my own so firmly.

I turned back around to Marcus, a huge smile fixated on my face, his eyes were popping from his skull as he clutched his wine glass tight and mouthed 'OH MY GOD' like he would be yelling it if he had the use of speech.

I smiled at him, very ware that Billie was sat behind me and composure had to be kept.

Marcus suddenly clamped his mouth shut and downed the glass of wine quickly,
"Talk to him," he whispered as I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up."

"Go on Ver, I know you like him, your reaction would have been visible to a blind guy."

I looked up at him frowning slightly, "That was a strange metaphor to use."

"Yeah well," Marcus shrugged, "You get the jist, now stop being such a prude and flirt."

I frowned again. "Shut up."

Marcus clicked his teeth disapprovingly at me again.

"You are the shittest person ever when it comes to stuff like this."

I ignored his comment taking a few gulps of my wine as his nattering lips uttered the bare truth at me.

I sighed loudly and listened to him half heartedly talking about his affair with the photocopier guy in his office while all the while my mind was thudding at the man sat behind me who possessed the most startling green eyes and fantastic features I had ever seen.

I suddenly came to life as Marcus coughed loudly.

"Vera Brown, you weren't listening to a single thing I was saying, were you?"

I smiled at him as his lips pursed like an angry school teacher.

"Sorry..." I tilted my head, giving him puppy dog eyes.

Marcus chuckled and took a sip of his drink before looking up, eyes bulging.
"Hey... If you want to make your move you better had to now Mr. Sexy a.k.a. Billie is leaving with his friend."

I turned around to sure enough see Billie and his friend walking away from the bar, I sighed, my shoulders relaxing at the prospect of never seeing him again. Even if I had had a chance in hell with him I positively had missed that minuscule possibility.

Upon reaching the door, he turned around and grinned catching me looking back at him. I felt a rush of blood to my cheeks and I smiled back as he turned around and exited the bar of the hotel through the heavy glass doors.

I turned back to Marcus and sighed again, "Holiday romance hey?" he teased raising his eyebrow.

"Are you kidding? The size of this hotel? I don't think I'll see him again," I puffed taking a huge gulp of wine from my glass once again.

"Something tells me you will," Marcus giggled patting my leg.