Chapter Sixteen - Truths, Revelations and an Elf in love

Orli watched as Megan made her way to the bathroom, gathering clothes on her way there while he only half-heartedly listened to the teary voice of Jemma.

"Jemma, what do you want?" he asked while his whole body and mind screamed to just replace the receiver and follow Megan.

"Oh Orli, I have been so foolish, I miss you," the voice of his ex-girl friend wavered through the line to him and he realized how unaffected he was by all of this.

"Well, Jemma, I'm sorry, but you left me," Orlando replied and sighed while he sat up and lighted a cigarette.

"It is this girl, right? Megan what's-her-name, she was on the phone earlier ..."

"Megan has nothing to do with it, Jemma. Look, we both know it would have never worked out with us, you are better off with someone who can appreciate what you have to offer, and that is plenty. I'm just not the right guy," Orli said and looked up when the door to the bathroom opened and Megan stepped out, fully clothed.

Megan heard him sigh as she walked out onto the balcony. Leaning against the railing, the young woman closed her eyes.

"Stupid," she whispered to herself. 'Why did I have to pick up the damn phone?' She tried to ignore the softly spoken answers that wavered to her from the bedroom and wiping her eyes awkwardly, she counted to ten softly but try as she might she could not ignore the softly spoken conversation between Orlando and his ex-girlfriend.

"Jem ... I ... listen ... I'm sorry, Jems, I really am, but ..." there was a short silence, then Orli spoke again. "Yes, I know. Please, don't cry, honey ... yes ... I do. ... ummm ... Friday ... yes I'll see you then ..."

'He is going back to her I know it,' Meg told herself silently and she couldn't ignore the tiny voice in the back of her mind which taunted: 'And that is what you always wanted, isn't it? You were prepared to leave him anyway, so what's the catch?' But what riled her up even more was the fact that he had brought her to the same hotel he had been living with Jemma, probably had made love to her in the same bed too, how could Jemma otherwise known which room to phone? Suppressing the tears of anger that threatened to spill, she tried to get a steely grip on her emotions while all along a nagging voice was singsonging 'Rebound Girl - Rebound Girl!' inside her head.

After several minutes of Orlando listening to Jemma's tears and her accusations mixed with words of love, he felt sick to his stomach. He knew Jemma wanted to put the blame on him but she had walked out of him, and anything he had to say on this matter had become inconsequential in the meantime. He didn't love her anymore, and he doubted he ever really had.

"Jemma, I got to go. I'm sorry," he replied. "I will see you on Friday then and we can talk this over. Good bye." He firmly replaced the receiver before he stood up and walked over to the balcony to where Megan had retreated. Not caring that he was naked he padded outside and hugged her from behind. Inhaling deeply, he nuzzled his face at her ear.

Megan stiffened beneath his touch and when she felt his hot breath on her ear she involuntarily shuddered. Slowly prying his arms off her, she moved towards the railing and turned to face him.

"You better put something on, Orlando," she commented, fixing her gaze on his face.

"Hmm... last time I checked it was Orli and we were doing something you can get arrested for in this country," Orli said, his voice raspy and full of promise as he crossed the small distance between them and firmly entrapped Megan with his arms resting on the railing on either side of her while he leant in closer.

"Orlando ... Orli," Megan started and held him back by resting her hands against his chest. Biting her lips, she gathered all her strength for what she was about to do. "It was a mistake. We should have never spent the night again, this is not right."

"What? What the fuck are you talking about, Meg?" Orli frowned and his brown eyes grew darker.

"Orli, can't you see? You and Jemma belong to each other. You two live in LA, you are both in the business ..." Megan's voice trailed away when she saw Orli's angered face. Looking down to avoid the anger in his normally soft brown eyes, her head whipped up again when her gaze traveled down his still naked body. "Just let me go," she whispered.

Orlando frowned. It seemed as if she had it all figured out ... again without asking him first. Pushing himself away from her he walked back into the bed room and grabbed a pair of jeans while he kept an eye on her as she stood there against the railing, her face turned away from him. But the way she awkwardly kept brushing at her eyes told him she was just barely holding back tears.

Stepping slowly onto the balcony again, he tentatively laid his hands on her hips and drew her close. "What is wrong, Meg?" he whispered softly. "What are you afraid of? Talk to me, my love, I don't want to see you so sad when you have to go in a few hours."

Megan tried to keep her tears at bay, trying desperately not to make a fool out of herself in front of him. "When will you return to LA?" she asked instead, bracing herself for the answer.

"I fly out on Thursday, I need to get a few things straightened out," Orli replied as he started to rub his thumbs over her hips in a circular motion.

"Well, I better go then," Megan said, forcing a light tone into her voice. She made moves to leave his arms but his firm grip dug into her shoulders all of a sudden.

"Megan, tell me what is wrong?" he asked again.

She looked at him with huge brown eyes. "Nothing ... nothing is wrong, Orlando, I just realized we are living in a real world, that is all." She shrugged. "I need to go anyway, my flight leaves at twelve and it is already half past nine. I need to check in and all."

"Megan ..." Orli started but Megan shook her head.

"Thank you for this wonderful weekend, Orlando but I don't want to overstay my welcome."

"Megan, would you just shut up for a moment?" Orli cut in and cupped her cheeks with his fingers. "You have it all figured out, right? You think you are generous by saying thank you and this is it?"

"What do you mean, Orli?" Megan asked confused. "I thought ... you and .. Jemma ..."

"What do you think, Megan?" Orli pried gently. "You always seem to think but you never let me be part of the process, I'm always faced with the consequences and frankly, Megan Schofield, it sucks big time. You and I have to realize that we are in this together now and I do not intend to be on the outside while you think you have to do all the decision making," His lips curved into a goofy smile when he saw Megan staring at him open mouthed. "Now, my love, I want you to tell me what your lovely but decidedly stubborn head has come up with to issue such mental drivel as to go off and not seeing each other ever again."

"Mental .. mental drivel?" Megan blinked and opened her mouth a few times. "I only do what's best ..."

Orli snorted and shook his head. "Wrong answer, Meggie-Love. Try again, we can always change the tickets to a later flight."

"Orlando," Megan's voice was but a mere whisper. Her heart cried out to tell him why she thought it was best for her to leave. She didn't want to crash and burn with him, he was too important as to endanger it all with some heated kisses and the best sex she had in a long time. But most of all she was afraid that she was not enough for him. She wasn't a gorgeous long-legged model that was living the high life of Hollywood. She couldn't compete with all the innumerous beautiful women he was encountering due to his work. And she didn't want to wake up in his arms one morning with him whispering the name of another woman ever again.

Later, when she lay cradled in Orli's arms on the lounger, sniffling and sobbing softly, she realized she must have told him because he was hugging her close, also near to tears.

"I'm sorry, Megan, I'm such a jerk. I didn't know I had hurt you so much then and was doing it all over again," Orlando whispered and showered her face with little kisses. "But you have to admit you have been acting silly, love, why didn't you tell me? Normally you are not that shy ..."

Megan wiped her eyes awkwardly and tried to smile. "I don't know ... I thought that having you as a friend was worth it ... I mean if we were friends I still had you in my life and it wouldn't hurt as much ..." Megan sniffled and tried to wipe her nose. "When Jemma phoned ... I thought ... you ... this room. It was probably the one you stayed with Jemma, right?"

Orlando watched her then shook his head. "Jesus, Megan, what do you take me for?" he asked, but then shook his head and kissed her temple softly. "Okay, with my track record of stupid things I deserve that," he sighed and rubbed his neck in a tired way before his gaze and his hand returned to Megan's face, "I gave Josh Hartnett Jemma's phone number on Sunday and he probably gave her the name of this hotel. I'm sorry."

Orlando looked down on her for a long time, his eyes drinking in her tear-wet eyes, the red nose, the soft rosy lips that were still swollen from their kisses during the night. He grinned to himself, he loved her, teary eyed and all.

"I love you, Megan," he said quietly and with a serious tone in his voice. "I know it sounds cheesy, but I probably have ever since you woke up in my arms and we kissed on that plane."

Megan's breath caught in her throat and for long moments they almost drowned in each other's eyes.

"Meg?" Orli asked breathlessly, forcing air into his lung as he had waited with baited breath. IN this instant, Megan Schofield had to reach a decision. She knew it was the turning point in her life, int heir relatioship, in their friendship. She could lie ... or she could tell the truth, either way their lives as they had been, would change irrevocably. Drawing in a steadying breath, Megan looked at him, then whispered:

"I love you too, Orlando, with all my heart."

The next couple of days were a whirlwind of speculation, wishful thinking and total enjoyment. Megan felt as if a whole load of depression and worry had been lifted off her shoulders since her confession. 'She loved Orlando and he loved her right back' - She still couldn't fathom it, even though she wore the evidence of it on her finger. Back in Morrocco, before she had boarded her plane back to London, Orli had slipped his ring on her thumb, promising her that in less than a week he would join her.

That had been two days ago, and Megan had returned back to university where it was still quiet after the long weekend, both the board of teachers and the body of students had a hard time to return to the serious business of studying and Megan was still floating on a huge, pink wave of love.

Megan was looking at some notes she had made for her classes when the door to her office was thrown open. Looking up she saw an enraged Peter stalking at her and beyond the open door to her office behind him several curious faces.

"Thanks for telling me that you and I are history!" Peter growled.

"Peter, what can I do for you?" Megan asked, standing up and hurrying to close the door.

"I thought he is only a friend?" Peter spat out. "You really do shag all of them, do you?"

"What are you talking about, Peter?" Megan asked and Peter threw a magazine onto her table.

Picking it up gingerly she looked at the open page and frowned, there on two pages was an article about Orlando with pictures of him and her. She sighed inwardly when she read the headline and the adjoining article.

'Bloom returning to old flame'. Despite recent reports of engagement of Orlando Bloom and model Jemma Kidd it seems that the LOTR actor has returned to his old flame, Megan Schofield, niece of actor Sir Ian McKellen. Already during the shooting of the trilogy the two lovers had been seen repeatedly together, even flying out to New Zealand (we reported this). Miss Schofield was supposed to visit her uncle and then stayed on longer, residing on the same premise with Orlando Bloom. Now one of our reporters met the couple who seemed to enjoy a break of shooting Black Hawk Down in Morocco and it seems that Orlando Bloom is taking this relationship quite seriously as he was found speaking to some of his fans with Miss Schofield right by his side. Our reporter believes that the love between the young aspiring actor and Ms Schofield never cooled off - in fact that it was kept secret because of Miss Schofield's prestigious kinship with one of England's finest actors, considering the history of McKellen's niece with actors in the past...

"Fuck!" Megan muttered under her breath, not bothering to read the rest of the article, but Peter had heard her nevertheless.

"Well you obviously did fuck him quite well, Megan, the photos speak for themselves!"

Megan perused the photos, there was an old one from the plane to New Zealand, the one she already knew about but there were two new ones, her wearing a Sarong and a tank top and Orli in shorts with an open shirt and both of them in a liplock that left little to anyone's imagination as to what was on their minds while kissing. It seemed as if they wanted to devour each other.

"Peter, I ..." Megan started and laid the magazine down on her desk. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to find out like this. But after our last encounter I thought it was quite clear that we aren't together anymore. Just believe me that Orli and I never cheated on you, not like the article is implying anyway. While I was with you there was only you and Orli and I were friends."

"Yeah right, as if I would believe you. So you and Bloom were together in New Zealand? You were all over him on the trip there ..."

"I..." Megan shook her head and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry, Peter."

Orlando heaved a sigh. For two days he had been back in LA and the article running a feature on him and Megan hadn't helped withthe situation at hand, though he had to admit he couldn't stop grinning at the photos and the speculation about him and Megan. His agent Fiona was angry with him, even though she had grudgingly admitted, that at least he was showing taste in choosing Megan over Jemma. Thinking about his ex-girlfriend, he almost winced. She had not been amused, not one bit.

Watching the movers hauling the boxes full of books, CDs and some of this art work, both made by himself and others, into a storage container, his mind was transported back to his former apartment. When he had arrived in LA yesterday he had called his agent who in turn, upon his request, had called the movers. He then had proceeded to go to the apartment his agent had rented for him and that he had vacated together with Jemma since he had moved here. It never had been his he noticed, too white, too trendy, too cold with its white washed walls and modern steel and glass furniture and decor.

Jemma had seemed genuinely surprised to see him squatting in front of his stereo system making piles of CDs, sifting through them and making piles of his own and hers. There had been no quarrel, well not on his part anyway. The news and photos of him and Megan had already reached her and she had been livid, accusing him on cheating on her and he had listened to her rant quietly, almost detached.

In a way, he had to admit, that she was right. He had cheated on her from day one ... not physically or consciously but deep down he had known Jemma wasn't the woman he actually wanted and craved for. When Jemma had finally ran out of accusations, the tears came and with them the soft pleas of him returning to her. She even had the audacity to try to make him believe he had to repent and be sorry, conveniently forgetting that she had been the one who had walked out on him. She might think he had ignored or not known her constant missteps, but he knew better. He had caught on her cheating almost from day one, but she had been convenient. He knew about all the men she had either taken home while he was on shootings or on press junkets and also all the men she had visited in their apartments, houses and hotels. Antoine and Josh Hartnett weren't the first and weren't surely the last.

Orlando had accepted that he had used Jemma the way she had used him, she had dulled the ache he felt over pining away for Megan and stupid male that he was he had found himself entrapped in a snare where it was difficult to get out again. But no more, he knew what he wanted and it was definitely not a shallow relationship.

"We are finished, Mr. Bloom," the voice of the man brought him out of his reverie, and after tipping him and the others generously, he thanked them and watched them drive off. This was it, this part of his life that had been LA was over and he did not regret it one bit. Most of the furniture he had left for Jemma to use, even the huge king-size bed he had bought. He didn't want that, and he still had the bed back in his old flat in London. Orlando now just had to wait for his stuff to be sent overseas again, though that would take a while. But he didn't feel too worried, after all it would take a while for him to find an appropriate little house, preferably a two up two down in a unsuspecting neighbourhood in the North of London. As soon soon as he was back, he would move in with Megan, he would not take chances of her ever getting away from him.