Neverstar

Hello hello. I should let you know I wrote this book many years ago. Some of it may or may not be cringe. Enjoy.

The elevator moving up and down Joleb’s stomach was a much expected feeling. It had been happening more often since he arrived in California. He blamed the state at first, but deep down he knew Alden Douglas was the source of his anxiety. This was a good thing. Or was it bad? He was still debating with himself. He fixed the lapel on his black tuxedo, hoping Rita Laguna, his costar, who sat in front of him, hadn’t noticed.

There were only three paparazzi taking pictures outside the limousine, clearing the view for Alden’s smooth skin through the side opening of her blue dress. She looked gorgeous running out of the hotel in her usual Ancient Egypt fashion style. She didn’t pose for pictures, instead dashing toward the limousine and flinging open the car door.

“Hey, girl, you ready for this?” Rita scooted left of her seat, addressing Alden excitedly.

Alden made a quick half-smile. Her expression switched to terrified and she gasped at Joleb. In one step, Ali hopped on Joleb’s lap, and clung onto his neck like a lost child. Her brother, Hagen, shoved his body into the vehicle and shut the door.

“What the hell? Ali, get off of him.” Hagen pulled on his sister’s waist, but she juddered away, tightening her arms around Joleb. “You’ll ruin his lapel with your make-up,” Hagen kept insistings. The way his eyelids hid under his eyebrows gave away his embarrassment.

Joleb had kept his hands to his sides in fear a simple touch of Alden’s skin would give away his desire for her. He swallowed, then glanced at a disconcerted Rita, who sat in front of him.

Alden, or Ali, as most called her, wasn’t one to act emotional; not in front of her co-workers, at least. Yes, they were dressed in black tie, and there was a champagne compartment under the seat, but all was paid for by Daliclock Studios, their employer. Then Joleb realized if Ali was sitting on his lap, it meant she was seeking his affection, and that there was a chance she liked him too.

“Should I go, Sir?” asked a voice from behind the black, leathered wall that divided the driver’s and passenger’s seats.

“Uh…” Hagen’s eyes panned from the leather to his sister’s bare back.

“Go ahead.” Joleb knocked on the leather wall, then addressed Hagen. “It’s fine.” He nodded, wrapping his long arms around Ali’s torso.

“I’m so sorry,” said Hagen, sitting beside Rita.

“Is she all right?” whispered Rita, pulling a paper tissue from a tiny black purse and handing it to Joleb. “We’re lucky our make-up is waterproof.”

“Just take a deep breath,” said Joleb, dabbing the napkin against Ali’s tears. She was shaking, and the strength of her grip remained constant. She curled up even more against him.

“She’s extremely anxious about the red carpet,” said Hagen. “It’s been a while since the last one.”

Rita made all kinds of faces until she settled on astonishment. “Wait. You’re telling us Ali…” She pointed at the girl in Joleb’s arms. “This Ali, Oscar-winner actress, Alden Douglas, is afraid of the red carpet?”

The dumbfounded woman leaned forward and rubbed Ali’s forearm. “Honey, you’re a household name. Everybody loves you.”

Rita’s glowing skin was one shade of dark-brown. Her features were soft like that of a princess’s, her hand gestures were gentle, and her voice comforting.

“Crap, we’re here,” Hagen huffed at the cameras, and the fanatics by the entrance of the Microsoft Theatre.

“I can’t do this.” Ali shook her head.

The limousine stopped in front of the red carpet. A reporter was already by the door. A male celebrity in a bright yellow suit was answering her questions.

“You can get through this,” Hagen addressed Ali. “We’ll rush through the crowd. No pictures.”

“But we’re supposed to promote our show,” said Rita.

Joleb frowned at the flashing lenses and extravagant dresses. A man in black was approaching the vehicle.

“You two, go first,” he told Hagen and Rita.

“I don’t know, man,” said Hagen.

“Trust me. I need y’all to stall them for a minute,” said Joleb.

The door opened.

“Time’s up. We need to go.” Rita pushed Hagen toward the exit. They immediately put up fake grins, and waved at the fans.

“Hey, look at me.” Joleb cupped Ali’s jaw. He paused for a second, realizing she smelled delicious, like bubblegum. The limo’s dim light and her luscious legs made him want to savor her being. “You’re gonna do great tonight.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Ali sniffled. “They’ll hurt me. They’ve done it many times.”

“No, no, it won’t be like that.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because…” Joleb watched the man in black reach for the door handle. Hagen and Rita were talking to a reporter.

Joleb licked his lips. “Because I’ll make sure you’re by my side the entire time.”

“My brother used to do that. Then the rumors started…” Ali disapproved of his idea.

“Let them gossip.” In that case, he didn’t mind if everyone thought they were together. Unless she opposed it because she was already seeing someone. “We’ll explain to your boyfriend later.”

“I’m not dating anybody.” She pulled on the sparkling fabric of her dress, composing herself.

The door began to open again, and Joleb acted swiftly. “Smile, baby.” He interlaced his fingers with Ali’s hand, and pulled her outside with him.

Raving crowds squeezed on both sides of the red carpet. Young girls pointed at Joleb. A shirtless man hopped in place while yelling at Ali. He had painted his torso with the phrase “Get this, Ali. D.” It was a reference to the song from the television show that made her famous as a kid.

A woman wearing a headset came to get Ali. “The fans want some autographs.”

Ali closed her fist around Joleb’s hand as the producer dragged her toward the fans. She was dying inside, but she smiled—always a smile as she had practiced for years.

“We should take some pictures first.” Joleb slithered his arm around Ali’s waist.

The producer formed an O with her lips and smirked. Then a circle of cameras formed around them. A wave of screams and applause followed them as they began to walk down the red carpet.

“Ali. D!” A reporter bent his torso over the ropes. Ali waved, of course, although neither her nor Joleb attempted to talk to him.

They stopped in front of a large white board filled with company logos. Opposite of them, another swarm of flashes almost blinded them.

Not far from them Rita was posing for the cameras like a top model: leg out, neck straight, chin up, drooping eyes. Ali simply looked at the cameras and smiled.

“They want individual pictures now,” an event manager told them.

Joleb didn’t have a choice in the matter, so he found it harmless to step away for a moment.

“It won’t be long,” he whispered into Ali’s ear. As his heel moved backward, Ali grabbed his wrist.

“Don’t leave me,” she said.

Joleb eyed the photographers. He then smirked and shrugged his shoulders at everyone playfully. “She’s the boss,” he said toward the cameras. The spectators turned wilder, wanting the exclusive. Nobody seemed to mind that they couldn’t be separated.

“Kiss!” yelled a paparazzo. “Move closer.”

Joleb grinned, wondering if Ali would mind kissing him. It was like acting, after all. He yanked her lower back, removing the space between them. They were now facing each other. Their lips were close to each other. He was glad she was a tall girl, so that he wouldn’t have to bend too much. She kept the same fake smile, making it difficult for him to know what she was thinking. As a risky move, his face came lower, but she turned her head for another picture. Unfortunately, his lips landed on her cheek.

---

Sally and Priya, Queens of Gossip.

“Good morning, curious people. Sally speaking to you from LA,” it’s how Sally and Priya started their podcast every day. Much was known of these two women, who couldn’t keep anything private, including their lives. So when they had no more interesting things to say about themselves, they turned to celebrities.

“We do the prying so you don’t have to,” said Priya. “If you didn’t watch The Emmys last night, how boring must be your life.”

“Yeah, Rita Laguna took home three Emmys and the award for Best Dressed. Celebrity twins, Hagen Douglas and Alden Douglas returned to the red carpet, but guess what?” said Sally.

“What?” said Priya.

“They didn’t walk together as they always did in the past, and Hagen didn’t seem to like that at all.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Did you see his face? He looked like he needed to go to the bathroom the whole time. Probably caused by the fact that his loving sister has a new Adonis, her co-star, Joleb. It was the highlight of the night. Ali. D is not necessarily known for showcasing her boyfriends in public. Now everybody’s searching Joleb’s name on the internet.”

Priya began to cough loudly, desperate to spill some juice. “Well, I have to tell you, Sally. There’s a red card.”

“Oh no!” Sally’s surprised tone always sounded fake, though no one could blame her. She was no actress.

“A little birdy told me the twins didn’t go to the Emmys afterparty, but Joleb was there. And Joleb seemed to have been talking to another girl all night.”

“You must be messing with me.”

“Girl, I am not messing with you. There are pictures from multiple sources. But that’s not the worst thing. After the afterparty, he took her back to his hotel,” Priya shouted the last word.

“To do what? Study?”

Priya cackled at Sally’s joke, starting a chain of laughter from the rest of the podcast team.

“Priya, that’s a spicy red card,” said Sally as she finished laughing. “Joleb cheated on Ali. D the same day they went public with their relationship.”

“Orrrr, it was a publicity stunt to promote their show, Kingdom of Death,” said Priya.

“It’s possible, since it got renewed for a second season,” replied Sally. “At the same time, the characters they play are supposed to hate each other. I don’t see how their union makes sense.”

“So Joleb cheated,” said Priya.

“Not necessarily. He and Ali could be in an open relationship,” said Sally. “If you remember, the Douglas twins are said to be open to anything.”

“Girllll, I need some ice to cool me down.”

Rap music played and explosion sound effects took over. The women’s favorite part of hosting a podcast wasn’t the gossip, but planting seeds in their listener’s minds.

---

The stereotype went that most men hate cuddling, but Joleb found it most relaxing to wake up with a girl in his arms. Last night, he didn’t actively pursue a sexual encounter. It was Natasha who insisted on leaving the party with him. And he couldn’t say no to a hot Romanian model.

Well, in all honesty, he heard her broken English, and he figured she spoke Russian. Since he also spoke Russian and he had modeling experience, he quickly became a friendly face. He didn’t ask for payment for his translation services, however. Their attraction built into the evening.

Natasha said something in Russian, and pressed her butt against his groin.

Joleb caressed the side of her rib, then slowly moved to her left breast. The back of her head smelled like some nice shampoo. He fixed his position on the pillow, hoping to smell something else. He rathered bubblegum.

To understand what threw him head-over-heels for Ali wasn’t hard. First, she had incredible curves, which was a given, since social media, including his six other brothers, didn’t stop talking about them. There was even an “Ali. D Booty Workout” online from a stranger with no endorsement from her. But what striked Joleb the most was the way Ali acted toward those things.

With an insanely beautiful body, and her status as sex icon, she could have capitalized on those features. Instead, she had limited social media presence, and landing an interview with her was rare. The gossiping platforms sometimes portrayed her and her brother as weird, but Joleb thought she was mysterious.

She also favored him quite a lot. Before and after shooting scenes together, she talked to him way more than her other co-stars. They went out for lunch a couple of times, and she enjoyed watching him play guitar during the breaks.

Damn! Now he wanted Natasha to leave, but he had already promised breakfast in bed, and asked hotel service to place a rose by her plate with a note that read, “Thank you for a great night” in Russian. He was going to autograph the card and send her on her way.

The one thing his older brother, Ian, advised him not to do: “Never think about a woman after having sex with a different woman. It makes you an automatic pile of trash.”

The current girl was Natasha. Natasha. Natasha. Natasha. She was hot. She had long-straight black hair, thin-femenine fingers, and perky breasts. And her privates were pink and tight.

His focus turned to the lovely woman beside him, when he heard knocking.

“Breakfast,” Natasha rolled the ‘r’ with a smile. She sat up on the bed and pulled her thong over her knees.

Joleb jumped on his sweatpants and sautered toward the door. “Like I promised.” He pushed the door handle to reveal the hallway.

“Did I wake you?” Ali stood in front of him.

“Ali,” Joleb spoke out of breath. He couldn’t help but feel as if she caught him cheating.