netherdancer:

He was tired of it, having to deal with the crazed fans. Usually Seth loved the attention, but today that wasn't the case. The gray eyed man had just arrived from the airport after a nine hour flight, and before that it had been a concert in Athens. Rolling up the sleeves of his white dress shirt, with the buttons of the collar left undone, he signed another CD for an adoring fan.

Motioning for a security guards he whispered, "Get me out of here!" His words sent his entourage into action and they hustled him out of the Music Emporium. The blond man was only on the streets for a moment before plunging into a nearby bookstore to escape the public eye. A sigh of relief escaped Seth McKinley when he saw the store was empty of all customers. Quickly he went to hide in a section far away from any windows.

(Everytime my net would load this page it would keep reloading and stop meh from posting sorry...)

She was in the back, marking and taking inventory of books and filling out orders. Then she heard the shops bell ring and the shuffling of feet, faint voices. She sighed when she knew she remembered closing the shop, but then again maybe she didn't. She put down her pen and then walked out of her office. She saw a blond man dressed very nicely.

She cleared her throat, her eyes flashing flames as she saw the man in her history section. Anarith said in a soft voice, "Excuse me, are you here to purchase book perchance?" She was sure that she wasn't being too rude, but people weren't supposed to enter a bookshop and just linger without a purpose that involved books.

(It's just Seth inside, and that's fine it happens)

Seth raised an eyebrow at the woman. What an interesting way to greet a potential customer. "Maybe if I was allowed to browse a little?" He regarded her with his gray eyes, intrigued by the fact that she didn't seem to know who he was. Shrugging he turned away to look at the history books, then moved to the next section about collectibles. Grabbing one of the books, he flipped trough it slowly taking his time.

There was no way Seth was returning to his fans, not yet. Besides, he was interested to see what person manning the book store might think of him. His music was played on the radio, his acting career was just beginning to take off. The woman must have been a recluse not to know who he was! A true mystery, Seth liked mysteries.

(Sowwy!!!)

She shrugged and made her way to the front of the store. Hoping to catch up on her own reading she picked up the thick volume and sat down. Her smile was luminous as she began to become immersed in the world of her book. Normally she would never do that as there was a customer in the shop. But she couldn't help it, she needed to calm down. Male customers in her shop were rare, and normally vaguely condescending.

She giggled a little to herself as she read, making sure that she read it over just to confirm what the line had said. Her shoulder length hair fell into her face as she leaned over the counter to read at a more comfortable angle. Without bothering to brush it away, she glanced toward the man and then back at her book.

(It's fine! )

Done walking around, Seth found himself watching the store keeper and smiling along with her. Shrugging, he decided to walk over despite the fact that he would be standing in front of the window. He leaned over and casually tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear while smiling charmingly at her. "So what are you reading? Your laughter makes me wonder." He was used to being famous, to women knowing who he was. It hadn't crossed his mind that being this bold with someone who wasn't his fan might not be a good idea.

She gasped and almost stumbled as she looked up at him. Surprised and embarrassed she blinked and covered her ear where he'd touched. She stammered a little before actually formulating a response. "I-I'm reading Lilith's Brood b-by Octavia E. Butler..." she stuttered a little in her nervousness. She wasn't used to anyone touching her. Especially males, they were about as foreign to her as other countries were.

The smile Seth wore softened a little at seeing the woman so discomfited. He leaned back a little to give her more room. "I prefer fantasy myself. Though I do like Anne McAffrey's Dragon Riders of Pern series. Perhaps you've read it?" His voice became lilting, almost a song, as he spoke. It was nice, being able to speak of something other then himself. It was wonderful to be able to talk about books again.

"N-no... I do like fantasy, b-but... I haven't read that... I-I believe I h-h-ave it i-in stock..." she stammered looking at the man before her clutching the book to her chest. She bit her lip and dropped her head a little as a blush crept up her tanned caramel skin. Her dark brown hair swung forward once again. She brushed it back herself this time, and then dropped her eyes towards the floor.

She was sure that he was teasing her. But she couldn't confirm it, she didn't have much experience with the male gender.

Seth smiled winningly at her. "I recommend the series. Actually, I might need to buy another copy perhaps..." He trailed off as he heard screams erupting behind him. They knew were he was! Quickly Seth glanced around trying to find some means of escape before his crazed fans cornered him. "Tell me, would you mind showing me the back way out? My fans are going to erupt into the store any minute now, and I need to be gone by then." A slight tinge of panic was in the man's voice as he searched for a way out with his gray eyes.

Anarith smiled back as he charmed her. She was about to take him to the section that it was located in, but when she heard about the fans her eyes bulged. She was going to be in trouble if girls mobbed her store, she quickly dashed to the door locked in and took the open sign with her. She grabbed her book and then his hand and dashed into her office. She turned and slide at least five locks into place and then turned back to him.

"Alright, out the back then... Go to that thin book case and push it to the side, the door is dead bolted and locked like this one..." she said as she handed him the keys. She wasn't going to explain why she had all these locks or these doors. But one could never be too cautious, especially when one didn't have anyone else.

Surprised and perplexed by the amount of locks in the store Seth was grateful for the woman's assistance. He nodded at her instruction and accepted the keys. Without difficulty he pushed the bookcase in question aside and unlocked the door. Returning the keys Seth grinned at the woman, grey eyes sparkling. "Here, you might want these back." As he put the keys in her hand he bent forward to kiss her on the cheek, then proceeded to write his private number on a piece of paper. "Call me if you need anything, I owe you for helping me out."

The star left after that, closing the door behind him. Quickly he entered the other store the same way he had left. After that it was a matter of being shuffled away by security guards. Quickly he was settled into a private airplane after that, which was on it's way to Japan for his next concert.

Anarith was confused as she watched him after he'd kissed her cheek. She put a hand to her cheek and just stood there as she heard faint screaming around the building. She was snapped out of her daze when she heard something break. She quickly locked the door back then pushed the bookcase back. She unlocked the door and then went into the front of the shop to see a throng of girls inside.

"I'm calling the police..." she said as she pressed the number 1 speed dial on the shop phone. On loud speaker a male officer answered. She told him that her shop had been broken into and that the culprits were still there. The girls looked at her dubiously but didn't retreat. She shrugged and waited as the cops came. When they pulled up about two minutes later, obviously having come from the function where the man who'd just left her shop had been, she watched amazed as the girls were all cuffed and then taken away.

It had been a week since the incident at the book store, and still he couldn't forget that person. The one who had helped him without knowing who he was. Seth could only hope that nothing had happened to her shop while his fans had tried to reach him. Then there was the way she had acted whenever he smiled at her. That one was so very different from any other wman he had ever met.

Seth Morgan was on his way to the book store once more. He had taken his old beat up car from his home. He had so many places that he had a hard time calling any of them home, but the one in this city was the closest he had to one. The young man wore a t-shirt and sunglasses. For the occasion he had dyed his hair auburn and gotten a new haircut. It was all an effort not to be recognized by anyone. Quietly he entered the store, and tried to find the shy shop keeper.

"Welcome to Nether Land Book Shop, how may I help you?" Anarith said with a bright smile, her hair pulled back into a low and playful ponytail. She didn't really look at the customer so much as observe him. Something about him was familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Who was he? She normally didn't remember her customers.

She tilted her head slightly to the side and tried to figure it out, he was definitely someone she'd been trying to keep in mind for some reason or another. She just couldn't place him. Darn her short and erratic attention span.

Seth grinned at the young woman. "Do you know why a book store owner would have at least five locks on each door? Maybe you could help me find that one that's hidden by a book case in your office." He decided to drop clues instead of telling her right out that he was the one she had helped. The young man wanted to help her like she had done. In order to do so it was essential to find out what she needed. Somehow Seth thought offering her money might not be a good idea. He admitted to himself that he hated the fact that she hadn't called him.

Anarith's eyes widened with dismay. "W-who told y-y-you that?" she almost screeched. The back was a well kept secret, one that had helped her out on many an occasion. Especially when that tall blond man had come into the shop, chased by fan girls. "Wait? Are you? You are aren't you..." she made the last a statement and then shook her head at her silliness. Only her, the locksmith and him knew about those doors and locks. But only her and him knew about the bookcase.

She'd never managed to catch his name. "Hi..." she said shyly.

Chuckling, Seth extended a hand. "My name's Seth Morgan. It's wonderful to see you again." He whispered his name to make sure no one would hear. It reminded him that he would have to constantly dye his hair in order to keep returning to the shop. The thought caught the young man by surprise. It made him wonder why he would return. The question was banished as he looked at the young woman who owned the store, of course he knew why.

She blushed a little, and then smiled at him. "Anarith Tyler. And thank you, it's wonderful to see you also... Why did you dye your hair, it was so beautiful before..." she said with a hint of remorse. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but she knew that she couldn't. She didn't know him well, and didn't want to offend him.

"I'm sorry, that sounded like someone who was intimate with you, forgive me..." she said softly with a bit of a blush. She sighed and then reached back to pull her hair out then took off her glasses. She smiled at him gently. "It's almost 7, are you free?" she asked softly with a little smile.

Seth laughed as he took off his hat to reveal the auburn locks. Instead of reaching his back, the slightly wavy hair only went to his shoulders. With some gel and a different hair color he would be unrecognizable, especially with colored contacts. "My blond hair well, it was a trademark of mine. I wanted to make sure no one would recognize me when I dropped by to see you." He shook his head at a funny thought that had just occurred to him. "I could have worn a wig!"

His smile brightened a few notches when Anarith asked him if he was busy. "Not at all. I have the whole night free, which is really rare. What did you have in mind?" Why the shy woman had actually invited him to go somewhere! It was a pleasant surprise, and one Seth would make sure to enjoy.

"Well, seeing as how you are a bit too famous to be out in public, how about we go to my home?" she bowed her head as she felt an even deeper blush over taking her this time. She was being so bold and couldn't believe that she'd actually said it. It wasn't an invitation to anything else, but her errant mind made it even worse. She was the worse, because she was thinking all kinds of naughty and bad things.

She wondered why idly, when she'd never thought of any man like that before now. She bit her lip as she'd done the day she'd first met him, and watched for his reaction, almost but not regretting her impertinent tongue.

Seth wiggled his eyebrows and leaned forward to tease her. "Well then, you're bold all of a sudden." He chuckled and settled his hat on his head. Slightly bored, Seth began twiddling his thumbs. HE was so used to always having something to do that simply standing around talking wasn't enough to hold his attention. Seth wanted to run around, start singing, do anything to keep himself from getting bored with this freedom. The young man had turned his phone off before going to store, otherwise it would have been constantly ringing.

(my comp has a virus, and there are storms around... my net connection is very very bad... I probably won't be able to get back on until after Thursday)

Anarith blushed yet again but looked him dead in the eyes. "Well, do you not want to?" she asked in a softly teasing voice. She smiled and leaned back, picking up various books. Varying in color and size, she made sure that she didn't drop them as she signaled to him to follow her to the back. But first she made sure there was no one in the shop before she put the closed sign up and then locked the door. She had a couple of ways out of the shop. She opened her office and placed the books on her desk and waited for his reaction and his answer. She was completely nervous asking him this.

Following her into her office, the young man simply smiled. It would be nice to see how she lived, and perhaps there would be other things on the television then himself. A nice peaceful retreat from his life as a star sounded good to Seth's ears right about then. The moment the door to the office was closed he laughed, then answered the woman's earlier question. "Of course I want to! With such pleasant company, and an assured place no one will be able to find me, I wouldn't miss this evening for the world!" It would be wonderful to be finally be away from people who sought him out for what he was, and his following, rather then who he was. There was a difference between the him he represented to the world, and the true Seth that had been eclipsed by his performing self.

(sorry just got mah comp back today...)

"Good then, come on, we can use the real back door..." she laughed as she grabbed his hand, pulling him along out of the store. She took a deep breath and raised her other hand to the air. She tugged him along to her car, a slightly old but newly dark purple painted Chevy Cavailer LS '03, and got in the front, smiling at him as she took off her glasses and then gestured to him. "No one'll suspect me, so get in mister! Cuz we're gonna have fun..." she said softly with a pretty little smile.

Laughter bubbled up from Seth. This change in personality was unexpected, but certainly welcome. He never really knew what to do with shy young woman, the young man was far more used to the forward people always following him around. "O really? Are we going to play Twister?" He would have so much fun if they did! The star was actually just a big kid at heart, but it was supposed to be "bad advertisement" if people found out he still loved playing games. Sometimes, Seth felt like giving it all up because he missed being treated normally. On the other hand, there was simply so much out there that he could do now... A frown crossed his face as the dilemma which always surfaced clouded his mind.