Flash, camera, smile.

Once again, flash, camera, smile.

People hurdling around just to get a quick shot. That's all Xavier Harrington had known since he was thirteen. A simplistic boy from the Bronx who had a dream and it came true within the blink of an eye. He was forever grateful. He was forever surrounded.

Flash, camera, and a smile. He squinted his eyes to see through the blur, trying to ignore the way they made his eyes sore. He slipped on his sunglasses, grinning as he found a small group of girls fan and squeal his name.

All Xavier was planning to do was to go buy a decent meal from his favorite cafe a few blocks from where he was staying. Why so many paparazzi were following behind him when nothing big was happening - he couldn't comprehend but he had learned to get used to it. Not much could bother him anymore. He couldn't be bothered by this after a few years of it going on, since it was a major part of becoming a celebrity. It was like a part of who he was now. Everybody wanted to know what he was doing, even when he wasn't doing anything even remotely interesting. He found himself boring more than half of the time.

Flash, camera, smile. And then the girl appeared behind the flash of her camera.

The girl. That girl.

Flash.

The girl.

Camera. Smile.

That paparazzi girl.

She was everywhere, everywhere he went - she just followed, never skipping a beat. How she knew so much about his schedule and where he would be, he wondered all the time. She had begun following him about two months ago after one of his charity cases in Washington. Since then, every time he left a city, she went along with him. From Paris to Washington to his recent set in California.

When he had first seen her, he didn't really think twice about her. A girl with a camera and a dorky smile. He'd seen enough pretty girls throughout his career to know that maybe she wasn't the most attractive. But over time, he'd noticed how she was actually prettier than he'd thought at first. She was intriguing, kind of interesting. Interesting enough that he couldn't stop staring at her right now. That camera dangling from her neck always gave her a certain look he liked. Dedication - dedication to him?

And since his realization, he would always notice the way her blonde hair flowed in heat styled waves, barely scraping against her shoulders. And the way her left eye lowered to her camera so she could get the perfect picture. And the way she walked clumsily, probably from the blur of the flashes also. She wasn't too different from him. At least the image he made of her in his head - she wasn't too different from him. That image he had made of her in his head kept him up at night frequently.

He never really talked to her except for when she asked him questions any other paparazzi would ask him, which wasn't quite that often unfortunately. She was more a camera person than a talker. He didn't know anything about her, but she practically knew everything about him. Who didn't, really? And right now, there she was, a part of the crowd. So why was she all he could see? Even through the blur of the flashes. Even when there were prettier girls screaming his name.

She was wearing a pair of navy blue skinny jeans, which fit perfectly on her frame. Her blouse was white and loose and it made certain things appear bigger than usual. Her shoes were always white, he had noticed not a while ago. Heels, tennis shoes, flip-flops.

Why didn't he think she was pretty before?

He wasn't sure about her eye color, but he knew they were light. He knew for a fact that they weren't brown. Blue, maybe green?

The sound of his sneakers smacking the cement was hardly audible because of how many people were talking and asking him questions all at once. He looked at the cloudy sky above him, suddenly realizing he felt suffocated. Personal space didn't exist. He barely felt this was humane. The skyscrapers were huge around him and they were leaving a strong glare. The reporter's utters became more clear as he came back to reality.

"Where are we going today, Xavier?" One asked, shoving a microphone into his face. His displeasure must've been clear because they backed away.

"Any new girls we should know about?" He didn't like it when they asked him questions like that. He liked keeping that personal. Enough of his relationships had ended because of the public. How many more did they want to end?

He kept on walking, trying his best to ignore the interrogations. But the second he heard the girl speak, he slowed down. Or maybe he completely stopped, he couldn't remember. He could never forget how she spoke. It was so soft. The first time he had heard her speak, he was left in awe. It had been a few months ago while he was at an award show. He wasn't expecting it and it shocked him enough for him to actually stop and take the time to answer her questions.

"Hey Xavier," He turned around just in time to see her lips move, "so tell us, what are your expectations for tonight?"

He grinned and turned to look at her directly. Her eyes grew wide. "I'm expecting to win, of course." She smiled and looked at her notes.

"Should we expect you to go home with anyone tonight?" It was obvious how taken aback Xavier was.

He contemplated his response. Don't say that, don't say that.

"Did you want that to be you?" The paparazzi girl blushed and her mouth hung slightly open. He was impressed with himself but his heart was pounding, waiting for her to respond. His mind was racing with images.

"Um - uh, okay, good luck tonight, Mr. Harrington." And she dived into the crowd of other interviewers and was out of sight in less than a minute.

Not a day went by that he didn't regret asking her that because now he didn't know how to speak to her or what to say or what not to say.

Her voice was sweet, yet it was firm. So professional yet he hardly took her too seriously. "Any new films coming out? Are you enjoying the fame so far? What's new?"

"I love doing what I do. It's something that I choose to do and I wouldn't do anything to change that. I'm doing new projects all the time so expect anything." He turned to face her, hardly even being able to hold eye contact, as she held a voice recorder towards him. "That's all I have to comment on today."

Xavier's body guard, Tyler, was behind him, following him as he began to walk away from the girl, realizing he had been looking at her for too long.

He never really needed Tyler unless things got out of hand, which luckily wasn't often at all. Girls would go crazy for the smallest things. He was far from being perfect. He just wished people realized that as well.

The cold breeze snuck up to him, making him frown a bit because Tyler was right about it being a little chilly. They had fought for what seemed like ages about him putting on his stupid leather jacket until he finally caved in and put it on. He usually didn't like to wear jackets or sweaters. He became warm too easily.

He caught a glimpse of the cafe he was looking for, making him quicken his pace. He walked up the couple of stairs after he had reached it and opened the door, holding it for Tyler.

Thank God the paparazzi weren't allowed into many public places behind him or else it would be a disaster. Being followed was enough. Being questioned was enough. Being watched every moment of your life was too much.

He walked up to the register and looked at the options he had to eat. He always ordered the same sandwich that reminded him of home since the same cafe also existed not too far from his childhood house, but he liked to glimpse at the other options in case something else caught his eye.

This was the one thing that always reminded him of home no matter how far he actually was.

Whether he was there everyday after school with his friends or every Sunday morning with his family after church, it was something he could hold onto. The memories were something he could cling to and nobody could take it away.

Plus the food was actually pretty delicious.

He watched Tyler as he sat down, "Do you want anything?"

He shook his head and looked out the clear window beside him. He was around forty now. His brown hair had a couple of few grey strands, although he did dye his hair every once in a while. His skin wasn't quite as pale as Xavier's, but it was still very light. He worked out regular, usually taking Xavier with him. They had a very strong bond between them two. Although he was forty, he sure was fit. Xavier would reach up to him one day.

Xavier didn't dress like him at all. His black skinny jeans were hung just a little lower than they were designed to be, matched pretty good with his black jacket. He was wearing grey Jordans that popped out. The shirt under the jacket was a dark grey that he just took out of the drawer without a care in the world.

Xavier turned to face the lady in front of him, over the counter. Blazing red hair. She was pretty, but Xavier always found himself comparing other girls he saw with the blonde paparazzi girl that he would bet all the money in the world was still outside waiting for him.

He had to take her out of his head.

He ordered and took out his wallet.

She shouted out his order to the other workers in the kitchen, quickly tapping in his order. He paid her the money and grabbed the cup she had given to him. After filling it with soda, he took a seat beside Tyler.

"So, are you ready for the award show on Wednesday?" It was Monday, just two days away for the movie awards there in Los Angeles.

"Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to see the results."

The lady called out his order and slammed her palm against a bell, ringing it. He got up and picked up the tray, giving her another one of his smiles before turning around but pausing as he heard her gasp loudly. He turned around to see her gaping expression. Oh, no.

Please, no.

"Oh, my God!" She squealed over the counter as she jumped a bit.

"Is there a problem?" Xavier asked, although he had a clue as to why she was freaking out. She had recognized him. He watched her literally jump over the counter and wrap her arms around him neck tightly, making it hard for him to breathe. He slipped his hand between her arms and his neck. That was a bit better -

When she screamed right beside his ear, he was beyond sure that she had damaged his ear-drum. He would definitely need that checked out later. "You're - you, you - you're Xavier Harrington!"

"Yes, yes I am," He chuckled as he pushed her away gently, still holding onto her arm.

He could tell she was trying to calm down. But when she tried to exhale it turned into another one of her squeals. A long, breathy, high squeal that was screeching against his ears. God.

"Can I have your autograph, please?" It took Xavier a moment to register what she had said. Her scream was still ringing in his head.

He nodded his head and watched as she eagerly grabbed an old receipt and a pen before holding it up to his face. He grabbed it with a laugh, watching her get excited. He signed it quickly, handing it to her cautiously, afraid she would take his arm with her as well. Maybe just for a souvenir.

She grabbed it quickly and hopped back over the counter and screamed her lungs out. One that he would never forget. He chuckled once more and looked at her one last time before grabbing his tray and walking towards Tyler again, who was smirking.

"Fan, huh?" The amusement in his voice was completely recognizable.

"I love your movies," she yelled from behind him. "I wasn't sure when I saw you at first but as soon as you smiled I knew it was you."

"Always happy to meet a fan," he answered.

Xavier ignored Tyler's stifled laugh as he chugged down his sandwich, stuffing some fries in his mouth. He felt his mind start to dream as he imagined running his hair through blonde hair. Blonde hair that he had never touched. Or maybe even just her skin. Her skin seemed soft. He just wanted to touch some part of her  -

Tyler's voice shattered his thoughts, "Are you thinking about the girl?"

Without thinking about it, he said, "What do you think about her?"

He shrugged his shoulder, unsure. It frustrated Xavier that he was the only one who practically knew and found interest in her.

"How should I know? You haven't even gathered the guts to talk to her outside of a lame interview. You'd think with all the fame around you, you'd be cocky. But I guess things aren't always what they seem."

Xavier rolled his eyes, sipping his soda. Tyler was the only one who knew about the girl. He trusted him. He was Xavier's best friend ever since this whole fame thing had started and he knew that he would never bail on him.

"But you think she's pretty, right?"

"She's pretty cute, yeah."

Xavier hesitated, "Should I do something about it?"

Xavier finished eating and threw away his trash.

"Your call, bro. But I think it would be worth a try."

But how would that even work? How could he be in a relationship with someone when most of the time he didn't even have time to himself? What kind of relationship could he offer her?

"Ready to go?" Tyler asked.

Xavier sighed, "Not really. I was enjoying the peace and quiet."

It wasn't that Xavier didn't like his fans because he did. He loved them to death and without them, he wouldn't be where he was today. But sometimes, he would really like to have a simple relationship without the angry, jealous fans. Just someone who actually cared for who he was, and not who he seemed to be.

They trotted out of the place, just to be met by the paparazzi once more, probably more now. Xavier searched through the crowd, trying to find the girl. It was more than a wanting now. It was sort of like a need. He didn't see her anywhere. He frowned at not catching sight of her. She was always there. Where did she go?

"Stop looking like such an idiot and let's run back to the hotel," Tyler whispered to Xavier.

He nodded his head disappointedly as they dashed through the crowd, laughing at the way the paparazzi followed them. Xavier heard footsteps trying to even their pace with them. They ran faster, making their heartbeats heavier in their chests.

All of a sudden, a girl's scream echoed through the city. Literally echoed.

No, no, no. Not again.

Then, not even a minute later, they found over a hundred girls following them, trying to catch up to them. Especially Xavier.

"Run faster!" Xavier faintly heard Tyler scream.

After just a couple of minutes, they saw the Luxorire Hotel sign high in the air. Home far away from home. The sign sent a shiver of relief down Xavier's spine. Finally. This was enough exercise to last a week.

Xavier looked over his shoulder to see the people behind him. A grin appeared on his face as he caught a glimpse of the paparazzi girl. She was running as fast as she could, he could tell.

They reached the doors and darted in, closing the door tightly before any fan or pap could get in. Xavier stood there, bending slightly, his hand on his knees as he tried to catch his breath, as well as Tyler.

"I have no idea how you do that. You know, all these fans chasing you," Tyler said, breathing heavily.

"To tell you the truth, I have no idea either."

But deep down inside, he knew exactly why. Lately, he's done it for that girl. He did it because of that girl.

The paparazzi girl.

The flash, her camera, and then her smile.