Just a Fan by Leen Elle, Emily Austen

showed me a faded scar across the side of his hand.
     
    'What's that?' I asked.
     
    Connor grinned. 'Toaster-grill shrapnel,' he told me, tracing the pale line with a finger. 'Caught me on the hand when the whole thing exploded. It was a bit of bad luck, really - it was the only bit of the grill that actually came off, but it still had to hit me .'
     
    I shook my head at him in amused awe. 'Even though you started out with a crappy job, you still had such interesting things happen to you,' I said in unabashed admiration. 'I've been stuck at that stupid checkout for two years now, but nothing like that ever happened where I work...'
     
    'Maybe because the Golden Panini I worked at was in Glasgow,' he replied. 'There were some really hardcore toaster-grills there.'
     
    I laughed again, then looked at him thoughtfully. 'It's incredible...you've come such a long way...' I told him. 'From panini-griller to world-famous actor...that's one hell of a journey. And here's me, twenty-seven and still stuck selling toasted sandwiches, while you were already on the screen by then...'
     
    'You know, I myself still have trouble believing what's happened to me,' he confessed, then put a hand over his eyes. 'Oh, here we go again...I'm so sorry, Lillian, we started out talking about you but now the subject's gone back to me again...'
     
    'That's OK,' I replied, shrugging dismissively. 'It's only natural - I mean, you are maybe just a bit more interesting than me.' My wry tone made him laugh at first, but then he looked at me with a contemplative gaze.
     
    'I don't think that's the case, Lillian,' he contradicted, gently. 'I for one find you very interesting.'
     
    My eyes widened in surprise. I battled with the blush.
     
    'It may sound weird, but - my life, which you call so interesting, just feels normal to me now,' Connor confessed. 'I find your ordinary life seems more fun and challenging...' He leaned back against the cushions again. 'Shooting a film and going to promotional parties is what I'm used to...that's why things like you warring against that old neighbour of yours seem so much more fascinating to me. It brings back memories...'
     
    These revelations astounded me, almost as much as the thought of him right here with me in my flat, talking about his Golden Panini days. Connor and I talked more, until it was well into the evening. And even though our conversation was not full of animated, light-hearted teasing and flirting, it made me feel strangely closer to him, which I found very enjoyable.
     
    All too soon, Connor had to leave, as he told me he hated driving in the dark since he easily lost his way, and it was better if he left while the sky was a less inky shade of blue. I escorted him to the front door of the apartment building, and we said our goodbyes there.
     
    'Thanks again for such a nice day, Connor,' I told him. He smiled at me, his grin still dazzling even in the dim light of the automatic lamp on the ground floor.
     
    'Thank you , Lillian,' he replied. 'I don't know what I'd do without you to talk to.'
     
    And before I knew it, he had enfolded me in his arms. Even though it was a purely friendly goodbye hug, I felt a warm, dizzy feeling spread through me at the sensation of his firm, warm body so close to mine, his jacket leathery and smooth under my fingers, his luxurious curls tickling my cheek. My, did he smell lovely...and the feeling of his arms around me was almost enough to make me faint. I knew know how his fans were feeling in those photos I had seen of them with their arms around Connor, who always rested his arm companionably around their shoulders no matter how ugly they were. I felt like I could cling to him forever, and when he let me go I wanted to run around town screaming ' I hugged Connor MacGowan! '. However, I managed to keep my calm, smiling at him instead with a look that I hoped was strictly amical. He smiled back.
     
    'Well...bye, then, Lillian!' he said to me.
     
    'Bye,' I