The driver pulls up directly outside a theatre in the West End, a crowd of people already waiting outside the building, their phones held in front of them ready to be scanned for entry. They open their bags and let men poke around inside them with a torch.
I’m on the side of the car nearest to the pavement, which isa bad move because when I look out my window and people in the queue see who is behind the tinted glass, they start screaming and waving.
Bad idea. I look at Luc.
I can’t think.
‘Excuse me? Could you do a loop?’ Luc asks the driver.
She nods her assent.
‘I’m so sorry, Sie.’ Luc’s eyes are wide, begging for forgiveness.
I shake my head. ‘Thisis why I don’t like surprises, Luc.’
‘I know.’
‘You can’t just go rogue. You don’t understand anything about the life I lead.’
If I say I can’t do the same things as a normal person can, I mean I can’t do the same things as a normal person can, I don’t add.
‘I’m so sorry, Sienna.’
At least this will remind my heart this is exactly the reason why Luc and I would never work outside of this arrangement. We should’ve left it all up to Mimi.
I want to scream. I want to shout. I want to cry.
But I do none of the above. I shake my head and look at the back of Dennis’s head.
Our driver practises her expertise in clutch control crawling through central London traffic. Red lights, tourists walking in the middle of the road without a second glance or thought. This would never have happened if Kareem was driving us. He would have pulled up at the stage door. Dennis would’ve called a member of staff to meet us there and take us to our seats just before curtains up.
‘Can you pull in just up here? Third left?’ I ask the driver. It’s a quiet road with very little foot traffic which should buy us time to formulate a plan.
When we’ve come to a stop, I take off my seatbelt andinflate my chest as far as it’ll go. I turn in my seat, pulling one leg up so I can face Luc. ‘Right,’ I begin.
‘I understand now why you don’t like surprises,’ Luc whispers.
I nod. ‘Mimi usually fixes stuff like this for me before I arrive.’
‘I did ask her whether it was a good idea, and she said it was fine.’
A press frenzy fits her plan perfectly after how little attention we got last night – a few blurred photos of us taken in secret from café goers and the ones we posted on Instagram scattered in a few articles online.
‘If you really insist on surprising me…’ I shake my head. ‘I think, in future, let’s just ask Jess.’
It’s not a bad thing that Mimi wants as much media attention on me and Luc as possible every time we go out. After all, it’s the whole reason we’re forcing ourselves together.
‘Jess did know about tonight.’
‘She thought Mimi had fixed everything though, didn’t she?’
Luc throws his head back in understanding. ‘Noted,’ he nods. ‘Now what?’
‘Could you call the theatre and let them know we’re here? Also tell them what our seats are and ask if someone can meet us at the stage door to take us through?’ I can feel my blood pressure coming back down to earth, my heart rate slowing and the sweaty sheen lining my body drying out.
Luc takes out his phone and does exactly what I asked. There’s only fifteen minutes until the curtain goes up now. I ask the driver to take us back to the theatre but pull into the side road next to it so that I can reach the stage door. There’s already a member of staff waiting at the open door when I get there. I’m able to walk straight into the building without being seen, my long maxi dress flowing with my movements in the still air of the hot evening.
Luc shows the staff our tickets and they hold us in a private room among the winding corridors in the back of the theatre. As it nears half past seven, someone else comes to lead us to our seats. Just before curtains up to avoid us causing too much of a scene.
