Reality And Romance

“Much better,” he responded smiling. “I’ve finally got a theme, and it’s all thanks to you.”

“Thanks to me?” She asked, her face flushing with pleasure.

“Yea…the show tends to be pretty over the top, people doing national costumes and real life ball gown versions of the Disney princess dresses. I thought, well I thought about you in your costume, how good you look, and how much character it has and decided to make that my theme.”
“You’re going to make Superhero costumes?”

“Yes. Comic books are big at the moment, both McKenzie and my mom think it would be a big hit.”

Libby smiled, “I think that’s a great idea.”

Andrew shuffled his feet a little, before swallowing and pulling Libby to face him. “I was going to ask, if you would like to go and -”

“Of course I’ll come. Well, if I can somehow get a ticket. Completely anonymously of course,” she added with a wink.

Andrew shook his head, “Libby listen to me. What I’m asking, well…what I’m hoping. Desperately hoping, is that you would be one of my models.”

Libby stared at him. His unblinking dark eyes seared into hers and the grip of his hand on hers tightened. Libby realized he was serious.

“That’s very flattering but…I couldn’t.”

He blinked, clearly surprised by this answer. “Why not?”

“Well for one thing the media would….”

“We can cover it up. I’ll get my mother on the team.”
Libby raised a questioning eyebrow.

“She wants you on the show, and she won’t stop till you go on. But my mother is an honest woman. Her plan isn’t to force you to go on, she wants to seduce you into doing it. To do what she says and to be happy about.” Andrew explained.

“Okay,” Libby began tentatively, before she raised her second objection. “I’m too short and I’m certainly not thin enough.”

“For one, I love your curves.” As if to punctuate this point, he slowly reached a hand down and squeezed her thighs. “For another, while these things might usually be an issue, the entire point of superheroes is for them not to fit the mold. They are supposed to be different…because they’re special.”

Libby sighed. He looked hopeful, so fu*king hopeful, she couldn’t bear to let him down, but she had to. Libby’s self-esteem was good. Or at least good enough for a regular person, who worked a regular job. But to stand on the stage next to models, to be judged next to them, to have to walk down the stage in this tight outfit and know that everyone in the audience was going to judge how she looked? That was too much.

“What’s wrong?” he asked noticing her silence. “I don’t mind if you don’t want to do it. But please tell me why. Your reaction doesn’t seem like run of the mill stage fright.”

Libby took a deep breath. She hadn’t wanted to voice these worries. Andrew was a good man, she knew that and she knew he liked her. But there was still a small digging part of her mind that reminded her who he was. Andrew Thompson was one of the biggest heartthrobs on television, sought after by millions of women around the world, some of those women famous for their beauty. And she….she was just plain old Libby.

“I’m not a model. I don’t want to be standing next to women who are famous for being beautiful, who are paid to be beautiful. I don’t want you to see that because you might, well…” Libby trailed off, she couldn’t bear to finish the sentence.

Andrew just shook his head, before pulling her into his arms, and hugging her tightly.

“Libby, listen to me. You’re right, I am surrounded by beautiful woman, but if I wanted to be with one of them, I would be. You are more beautiful to me than anyone else, but if that was the only reason I liked you then we wouldn’t be here. Libby, I don’t just find you beautiful because of your face or your body, although – “He added with a grin,” I am a big fan of both of these things. You are beautiful to me because of who you are. The crazy girl who attacked me with a light saber , and wanted to dress up as a Superhero, and was prepared to go on dates still dressed like that. Who makes me laugh with ridiculous conversations about whether or not you could domesticate a crocodile. Who tried to beat me to death with her shoe? You are beautiful to me because of who you are. Libby, please, never ever put yourself down like this, never sell yourself short, never think you are any less than completely and utterly wonderful and never think that I feel anything other than lucky and fu*king privileged to spend even a moment in your company. “

Libby couldn’t respond to that with words. To try to respond to something…something like that. There was no way to describe how he made her feel, how much she cared about him, what he meant to her, to try and explain made her stomach feel light, and her heart thump, and her words stutter. So instead, she did the only thing she could think of and raise a gentle hand to his cheek and pull his face towards hers, engulfing Andrew in a deep kiss.

“What, on my shoulder? It’s a scar I got it when I was thirteen…” Andrew pulled away from her neck, “It doesn’t bother you, does it?”

Libby shook her head frantically, “No, Andrew I’m not worried about your shoulder, over there!”

Reluctantly he pulled away, and Libby ran to the edge of the building. Below was a boy, no older than sixteen, crying and struggling as a larger man in a balaclava pushed him up against the wall, kicking him and attempting to drag away his bag.

“They’re mugging him.” Libby pushed down the need that still flushed through her body, removed her heels and began to run.
“Libby, where are you going?” Andrew asked, as he followed her. “We need to call the police!”

“Call them on the way,” She yelled as she climbed down the fire exit. “Look for anything we could possibly hit him with!”

As she reached the steps, she ran frantically towards the scene. Noticing her, the mugger let go of the boy and began to take chase. She looked around for some way to stop him, when she didn’t see anything useful on the ground, she instead removed her shoe, and hurled it at his head.

She knew that the hit had been on target when she heard the man yelp hard and freeze.