Page 61 of Seeking Stars
The next day, Ana retreated to get ready for the party a couple of hours before him. He didn't think much of it; he knew how long it took to do all of the things that were asked of women in the industry.
Mo arrived with Liam's suit and his hairdresser, who helped put Liam's curls into submission. They also decided to trim and shape his beard; it had grown quite wild the past few weeks. More than the convenience of it, sometimes it served as a disguise when out and about.
Tonight the purpose wasn't camouflage, though. Tonight he wanted to look good. He wanted to have the kind of night with Ana, where they would both be done up and look their best. The closest he'd likely get to going out on a date with her.
He studied himself in the full-length mirror in his room after Mo and the stylist left. Liam had chosen a sharp suit tailored to him, in a purple so dark it looked black— the perfect shade to play off the color of his eyes. A black shirt with cufflinks. An expensive watch and a couple of rings. Ana may prefer them not to take any steps further in their attraction to each other, but it didn't mean he didn't want her wanting him back. He wasn't vain enough to think that his looks alone would do the trick, but seeing her react to him patched tiny cracks in him.
He checked his watch and, upon realizing he was a couple of minutes late, he sprayed on some cologne and left his room, making his way to the living room.
He walked looking down, checking his cufflinks again, but looked up when he sensed her presence. His steps faltered when he saw her standing in the middle of the large room, waiting for him. He had to take a long, calming breath at the sight of her; it burnt him from within.
She wore a dark teal dress, almost an emerald color, with a deep v-neck. It was cinched at the waist and flowy around her thighs, with pleats that made her waist look narrow and her legs long. A simple, gold jewelry set complemented the look: a long necklace resting its pendant between her breasts, long, thin earrings, and a thin bracelet. Her clutch was a soft gold, her make up the same, and her hair fell long and straight.
He'd wanted to impress her, but he was the one at a loss.
He forced himself to complete his walk, taking the last few steps to her slowly.
"Wow," he said. "You look…"
She smiled as he struggled to find the right words. "It's the closest I could find to the color of your eyes on short notice."
His throat closed up. "That's… incredibly sweet."
She tilted her head. "You look amazing, but that's no surprise."
"People won't be looking at me tonight."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. She reached out to his arm. "The car is here. Shall we?"
***
Liam tried to stay close to Ana at the start of the party. For the first half hour, he made introductions and helped Ana acclimate to a networking event like TCA's. After that, Diana came to get Ana for what she called a spin of the room. He watched Ana walk away, her dress swinging around her hips.
"Nice score," Dan Reeves, another actor signed with TCA, said showing up at Liam's side. "Where'd you pick her up? She an aspiring actress?"
Liam took his eyes off Ana to glare at Dan. "Everything you just said missed the mark."
"So you're not hitting that? Why?"
"We're working together." He sipped his drink, forcing himself not to scowl. "She's a brilliant documentary director."
"Since when does that have anything to do with things?"
Liam shook his head and changed the subject. "So, what projects are you on?"
They continued their small talk, and Liam did his best not to steal too many glances at Ana. He mostly failed. A couple of times their eyes met across the room and, each time, her resulting smile made everyone else disappear.
He had to force himself to remember this was a professional function and had to work the room too.
Liam walked around the venue, saying hello to producers, directors, and actors. He chatted about past and future projects; he posed for pictures for the press. He sometimes talked about the documentary and the interesting process of working on an unscripted project.
"Yes, I heard we just signed with Ana Lira. Is that who's directing you on the documentary?"
"Yeah," he replied. He liked Leanne; she was an agent at TCA. There were two other people in their small group, new actresses that had signed with Leanne. "She's fantastic. Do you know her?"
"Are you talking about Ana Lira?" Margaret, Coulton's wife, said as she joined their small group.
"Yes," Leanne said to his other side. "Liam was telling us about working with her."
