Michael's P.O.V

"Oh my god! Michael turn it off, turn the damn thing off right now!"
I finally relented and flicked off the television, trying not to laugh.

"Hell Maria, you've got a death grip" I moaned, rubbing my arm.

She was holding onto me like it was happening to her, that was one of the reasons I wanted to keep her watching the movie. It was almost like she was my girl, oh how much I wish she was.

"How do you watch these awful films, that guy was out to kill her-" She stopped mid sentence and looked at the floor. I put my arm round her shoulders and she jumped slightly, but then relaxed.

"It's not real, it's just a movie, it was really farfetched anyway, that's why I like these movies, the further from reality, the better. Sometimes I think my whole life is just one long movie scene...What's the problem? You seemed fine with it earlier"
She shifted in her seat then looked at me dead in the eye "I used to love horror films but... I suddenly don't like them anymore, especially one's like that... one's where it's the girl in danger... it's a good thing there's always a hero to save the day right?"

I wasn't sure what to say to that, so we sat in silence for a while, I rubbed my arm again.

Dang, she could really do some damage, I wish she had done the same to... no, I wasn't even going to go there.

"Did I hurt you?" She moved my hand from where I was cradling my arm, it wasn't bad, it just stang a little.

I was used to getting scratched and scraped, sometimes even the best bodyguards in the business couldn't completely protect me from the mass of clawing hands of my adoring fans. It was out of love I knew, I just wish they wouldn't be so... crazy. I wouldn't change them though, they're what kept me going, and still do.

"It's only a scratch, don't worry about it" I laughed it off but the concern on her face wasn't going away that easy.

"Well it's my turn to worry okay? Here, let me look..."
"I don't need you to, I'm fine" I pulled my arm out of her reach
"Don't be silly Michael, just let me check it's not bleeding"
"It's not, now please just leave it!" I hissed.

She sprang back and I saw hurt in her eyes. I wish she hadn't interfered, now I looked like the bad guy. I sighed and reached out to her but she turned away.

"Excuse me for a second, help yourself to some wine, it's on the coffee table" Her tone was flat. I let her go upstairs, angry at my behaviour.

I poured some wine and decided to take a look around the place. It was spacious for an apartment, especially since it had two floors. It didn't have the same feel to it like Maria's place though, almost as if it wasn't really lived in. I gathered this girl went out a lot, probably with guys, I could tell by Maria's tone when she mentioned it earlier.

I stumbled across a picture of a group of friends with Maria out at a club, every person had a cup in their hand except her. She wasn't smiling like the others either. She looked lost, just like the girl in the movie.

She was standing with a large guy who had his hand firmly on her shoulder. I immediately realised this had to be Craig and I turned the photo around so it faced the wall, I didn't want to be reminded of him again this evening or what happened back at her apartment.
I had a feeling she was hiding something, but I had no right to know what it was, even if it seriously bothered me.

A few glasses later, I decided to check on her, it was my fault she was unhappy, I had to explain myself somehow, I couldn't leave her like this, and it was getting late.

I checked the rooms and I spotted her sat on a bed in the spare bedroom with a notepad and pen, but she wasn't writing anything, she was just staring at the wall.

I went to creep in without startling her but I misjudged my step and knocked my bad arm on the door
"Damn!" Her head flicked to my direction and she had a lopsided smile on her perfect face. It was sexy as hell and I was relieved that she wasn't mad anymore.

"Mind your language Mister, there are impressionable young girls in the room" Her playful voice sent shivers down my spine, I was beginning to realise how much of an impact she had on me. "I hope you haven't drunk all of that wine Michael, or Roxanne will be accusing me of being some sort of alcoholic"
I laughed and joined her on the bed and she kicked her heels, she was too short to touch the floor, it made me smile.

"I've only had... three glasses?" I chuckled. She looked at me and her smile disappeared.

"Michael, you can't drive with all that in your system, how are you going to get home? I could drive you if you wanted" She offered reluctantly, she was anxious of the obvious problems this could cause.

"Now that's not a sensible idea is it? We could be spotted together and I don't want you harassed by the reporters, Maria, I can't let that happen"
"Why does it matter? We can just explain that we're just good friends right? Then they'll leave us alone after a while, it gets boring for them"
"Paparazzi never get bored. If they get a whiff of something, they'll chase it until they can prove it, falsely or not. And I don't think we can explain that we're just friends because we are more than that, don't you think?" I put my hand on hers and she rested her head on my shoulder.

"I guess we... I know we are" She turned to look at me but her glance shot down to a dark stain on my sleeve.

"You're bleeding now... so are you going to let me help you this time or are you just going to push me away again?" I didn't get time to answer, she had undone the buttons on my cuff and was rolling up my sleeve.

She stopped all of a sudden and looked at my arm, but it wasn't my cut she was looking at, it was the one thing I had managed to keep hidden from everybody until now.

*