Celebrity sting

April walked along the busy street, weaving in and out of the tourists and work commuters. Her ivory sheer shirt was cooling to her chest in the summer heat. Her breasts tingled as the satin glided over her lace bra. The city buzzed with chaos, but not April. She breezed through the town without purpose for the first time in years. She had nowhere to be. Nobody needed her for probably the first time in years. Kids on holiday with family and 2 weeks vacation from work, April glided down the street blissfully. Did she feel herself? Her old self? Or perhaps a new self. Not an employee, or mother. Just April. She'd worked hard this year, achieving in every area of her life. Home, work, the gym. She was proud of her new figure, her new tattoos, covering up shameful stamps of her youth, turning her body into the artwork she loved. Her waist length hair cascaded down her back shining like sea glass, emerald green and glossy.Today she was at her peak.

Unsure of where she was heading April walked past the old town buildings. In between were shops, boutiques, bars and trashy tourist shops. That was the beauty of her city.  Walking past the beautiful Royal Cadence Hotel, she looked to to her left at a street performer who had gathered a crowd. In that second she was stopped in her tracks. She didn't realize what had happened at first. All she felt was heat, over her chest, trickling down her torso to her waist. The came the sting. 

Shouts of profanity rang in her ears.It was almost slow motion. She stared down at her previously pristine shirt. It was now a dark shade of brown and clinging wet to her pale skin. The heat was wearing off leaving only her clavicle and cleavage burning and raw. She looked up, locking eyes with the source of the voice cursing in front of her. 

He stood near the bottom of the grand steps of the hotel. " I am so.. fucking... sorry"  He looked both sheepish and shocked.With a leather jacket draped over one forearm and a tall, paper coffee cup  in his other hand, he held it up, finger pointed. " I was giving the directions " he trailed off.  April quickly realized what had happened. She had walked right into it. the hot coffee had flowed like lava. " i just got it. Its so fucking hot. I'm sorry." He no longer looked sheepish, just genuinely apologetic.

April felt her eyes well up slightly. The fright, the embarrassment, the jagged nipping of her skin. " Its fine" she stammered.  " Its not fine, its bad. its bad isn't it? i've hurt you" the stranger floundered. Aprils resolve broke. "it stings" she whimpered. She had felt so powerful seconds before, now it melted away.She felt somewhat pathetic. " Please come into the hotel. Sit down, or use the bathroom. Should really have a look" He came forward, putting his hand on her shoulder and lead April up the steps. People were staring. There were other men, standing on the steps three or four gathered together. April glanced at each one. Smartly dressed she felt she had interrupted a business meeting of some sort. She was quickly ushered through the glass doors and into the foyer of the hotel. 

It was decadent. She had never been inside. It was probably the grandest hotel in the city. She felt like she'd walked into a novel. Some sort of parallel life. It was all just so bizarre. Aprils eyes darted around then fell on her accidental saboteur. Her shock easing and leaving only bewilderment, her brain screamed at her. He was so familiar. " Wait here with Alistair,just for a minute" he whispered. He walked away, to a long reception desk. A sturdy bald man stood beside her, dressed in a black shirt and trousers. He smiled vaguely. Alistair, April assumed. April thought. She had essentially, allowed and stranger, within a group of strangers, to take her into a building she had never been before. Why? Familiarity. There was something about this coffee wielding newcomer. Had they met before? She looked over the the reception desk.  A light bulb moment. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. It was unbelievable. Like a movie. Actually, exactly like a movie. Because that's where she had seen him. In a movie. More than one Movie. And a popular long running drama. You would be hard pushed, in fact, to find someone that did not recognize him. Aprils heart pounded in her chest. She could hear her pulse. She watched as he spoke to the receptionist and after a brief exchange, began to walk towards her.