What If

                                                                          Chapter 3

It was late by the time Oded got home that night. God, what a hellacious day! Nothing went right. They had had to reshoot several scenes and his body was aching from having to reshoot a scene where he had to do a dive roll to catch a crossbow over and over. As badly as he wanted to go and get right on the computer, he decided to do his laps in the pool first, then take a quick hot shower.

It was almost an hour later by the time Oded finally sat before his computer and watched as the Oded’s Dream message board appeared on his monitor. He was dressed comfortably in a pair of loose dark green shorts, no shirt. His dark hair was slicked back, still wet from the shower, his chest still slightly damp. He glanced at the small digital clock that sat on the roll top desk and saw that it was just after 10:00 p.m. Scrolling down, he saw there were quite a few responses to his post from this morning. Methodically, he made his way through each one. All of them gave “Odie” a warm welcome. Then, as was their custom, they went off on some tangent about Oded, which solicited a string of responses from the other girls. This particular tangent made Oded laugh though. One girl named Tonya asked, “Do you think Oded wears boxers, briefs, or nothing at all?” Each girl had her own opinion, most suggesting that he wore nothing at all.

Raegan, however, posted, “He’s a boxer man! Nice loose, silky boxers. Can’t be squishing up all that . . .**Ahem** Sorry, imagination working overtime.”

Oded nearly choked on the bottled water he’d just taken a drink of. God damn! If it weren’t for the fact that he already wore boxers, he’d be tempted to go buy them just for her. Maybe he still would; he didn’t have any silky ones. Oded smacked himself in the forehead with the palm of his hand. What in God’s name was he thinking? Buy silky boxers for someone he’d most likely never meet? He shook his head as he quickly glanced over the other messages that had been posted through out the day and evening and finally reached the last one. It was from Raegan.

“Reminder about the chat Wednesday night in OD’s chat room. For anyone who has never joined us in a chat, you can access the chat room through the main page. The chat will begin at 9:00 p.m. EST. J

Hey Odie, I hope you will join us! The chats are lots of fun and Wednesday nights are usually pretty tame, so we will try not to scare the pants off you! J”

Oded sat back in his chair and reread the message so many times, he quickly had it memorized. Raegan had invited him to a chat. Actually, she had invited Odie to a chat. Oded was sorely tempted to just end this whole charade now. He really felt uncomfortable posting under an alias. But SHE had invited him to chat. She specifically asked him to come. Oded clicked on the reply button and began typing out his response.

“Hi Raegan. Thank you for the invitation to chat on Wednesday night. My job sometimes causes me to work late, but if I can make it, I will be there. And thanks to all you ladies for the warm welcome.”

Oded clicked on the post button, then went through the process of shutting down his computer. He stood and stretched, letting loose a big yawn. He turned out the light, left the office, and headed for his bedroom. Before he crawled into bed, he set his alarm. He wasn’t going to oversleep this time. Oded stretched out on his back in bed and stared up at the ceiling. He really wished he could put a face to her. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what she could possible look like. Was she a blonde or brunette, redhead or black? Did she have short or long hair? Did she have blue, brown or green eyes?

Most likely she has purple hair that is cut into one of them spiked hair cuts with the spot right above the ears shaved and she wears red contacts and long claw-like nails that she paints black!

Oded laughed at the image that popped into his mind. “Yeah, and maybe she’s an alien from the planet Zod!” Oded rolled over and punched his pillow until he had it how he wanted it. “God, you think too much, Ded!” he mumbled and drifted off to sleep.

Wednesday did not come nearly quick enough for Oded. Tuesday had been a bit better at the studio; he was getting close to being finished with his scenes. The director had informed him that if everything went according to schedule that they should have all of Oded’s scenes finished by the end of next week. He’d also been informed that he was not scheduled to be at the studio on Thursday, so to enjoy the day off, but to be back early Friday morning. That meant he could stay up late chatting and not die the next morning from lack of sleep.

So now, here he sat in his blue convertible Beemer, stuck in traffic on the 101 freeway. It was quarter past six and he drummed his fingers impatiently on the top of the steering wheel as he waited for his turn to scoot past the accident that was about a ½ mile ahead of him. He had the top of his convertible down and the sun beat down on his head, causing him to perspire a bit. He shouldered his way out of the lightweight black jacket he had on. Underneath he was wearing a cream-colored white tee shirt and a pair of black 501 Levi jeans. The closer he got to the accident, the quicker the cars started to move. He had reached the spot where the cars all merged into two lanes, the other two lanes being blocked off by flares the California Highway Patrol had put out. Oded leaned his head out the window to get a view up the side of all the vehicles and he spotted a police officer standing out waving his arm in a wide circle directing the “looky loos” to keep moving. Good, he thought, maybe I won’t be here all night after all.

Oded was about five cars from the point of the accident when he heard several females giggling to his right. He glanced over and found three sets of eyes staring at him. “Hi!” the girl behind the wheel greeted with a smile.

“Hi!” Oded answered, returning her smile with one of his own. He reached up and pushed his sunglasses on top of his head. “How are you girls today?”

The one in the back seat giggled and the one in the front passenger seat smiled, reaching out and hitting the girl in the driver seat in the arm. “Ask him, Donna.”

It was obvious they recognized him. Oded smiled. That was beginning to happen more and more, though still not very often. He still had some anonymity when he was out; he wondered how much longer that would last once Deuce was released. “Um, are you that guy from The Mummy? The one who played the desert leader?” the girl in the driver seat asked a bit nervously as their cars inched forward a bit more. “Uh, Oded Fer something or other.”

Oded raised an eyebrow as he listened to her mangle his last name. The girl in the back seat reached forward and lightly smacked the girl in the head. “Oh way to go, Donna, insult the guy.”

Oded laughed. “It’s alright ladies. It’s pronounced Fair. And yes, I am Oded Fehr from The Mummy.”

“Oh god, I knew it, I told you guys that was him!” the girl in the front passenger seat squealed.

“Oh, can we get your autograph, Mr. Fehr?” the girl in the back seat asked enthusiastically, unlocking her door.

They were quickly approaching the scene of the accident, and in another few seconds they would be forced to move. Oded nearly panicked when he thought the girl in the back seat was going to get out of the car. “Yes, if you promise to do two things for me.”

“What?” all three chimed simultaneously.

“Call me Oded and please don’t get out on the freeway. Just follow me to the next exit, okay?”

“Okay,” the girls chimed together again with big grins on their faces.

Moments later, Oded sped up ahead of them and he exited the freeway with them following close behind. He found a 7-11 and pulled into the parking lot. Pulling into an empty space, the girls followed suit, pulling in next to him. Oded sighed softly as he put the transmission in park and shut the car off. He was going to be even later now to the chat, but it couldn’t be helped. His fans were important to him; they were the ones that mattered. If he alienated them, it wouldn’t matter how good an actor he was, his career would be short indeed.

Getting out of the car, he rounded the back end of his Beemer as the girls hurriedly climbed out of their own vehicle. Oded smiled as they approached him. “Wow, your even better looking in person,” the girl from the front passenger seat said as she approached. “It’s difficult to see what you look like under all those black robes you wore in the movie. Very nice indeed.” She looked him up and down.

Oded felt a blush rising up his neck as his smile turned a bit bashful. “Thank you, you’re very kind.”

“My name is Sally,” she introduced herself. Oded took the hand she offered and squeezed gently.

“Nice to meet you, Sally,” he answered. The other girls introduced themselves. Donna had been the driver and Jo Anne was the one from the back seat. Each girl produced a piece of paper and Oded, using the trunk of his car for a place to write, gave each girl an autograph, personalizing it with their name and a greeting.

“Oh my god, you know, I think I might have my camera in the trunk of my car,” Donna suddenly remembered. “Could I take your picture?”

Oded nodded his head as he finished up the last autograph. “Sure, no problem.” He handed the autographed papers back to Sally as Donna rushed back to her car to open the trunk and rummage through it. Sure enough, she found a camera and after checking it to make sure there was film in it, she came back over with it.

After 20 minutes of posing by himself, then with each girl and finally asking a passerby to take a group shot, Oded informed the girls that he really needed to go and thanked them for their support. He gave each girl a kiss on the cheek, amongst their sighs and giggles, then after seeing them safely back in their car and he in his, he made his way back to the freeway and headed home.

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                                                                      Chapter 4

It was almost 8 o’clock by the time he finally made it in his front door. Not even bothering to check his messages, Oded bounded up the stairs to his office and booted up his computer. He left the office only long enough to change into a pair of cut-offs and a light blue sleeveless tee shirt that showed off his muscled biceps, then he was back in front of the computer.

Oded signed in under “Odie” and was about to click on the chat button when he froze. “What the hell are you doing, Ded?” he asked himself out loud. “This is insane!” He sat back in his chair and rubbed his hands roughly across his face. “This is no way to meet women, Ded.”

He moved his hand to log off the internet, but he hesitated. Raegan invited you to chat. The words came unbidden to his mind. Oded sighed as he dropped his forehead against his outstretched arm. Alright, I’ll do this tonight and see how it goes. Then before he could change his mind again, he clicked on chat. A large box popped up on his monitor and he saw several names listed off to the right: Sarah, Tonya, Sue, Nancy, and Raegan. The whole gang was there, he noticed.

Tonya: I don’t know. Men that gorgeous usually have heads the size of Texas.

Sarah: True.

Raegan: Oh, I don’t know. I think he’s probably a pretty nice guy. His eyes are too kind.

Nancy: Hey Odie is here.

Raegan: ODIE!!! So glad you could make it!

Odie: Hi there

Sue: Hi Odie

Sarah: Hi Odie, welcome

Tonya: Hey there Odie, welcome to the crazy house.

Oded smiled.

Odie: Thanks for the warm welcome. What’s the topic of discussion? Who has a head the size of Texas?

Raegan: Oh we were just talking about whether Oded is a nice guy or not. Our experience has shown that most guys who are as good looking as he is are usually pretty conceited. What are your thoughts?

Oded blinked. How the hell was he supposed to respond to that? He glanced up at how the others answered and noticed that Raegan was the only one who actually had a formed opinion on the subject. There was no answer from Nancy or Sue, unless they had answered before he had signed in and Tonya and Sarah’s answers could be taken as speculation on the original question and not their actual opinion.

Odie: Well, I guess I would have to give him the benefit of the doubt, until he proved otherwise.

There, that was a noncommittal answer. God, this was ridiculous! He couldn’t believe he was sitting here chatting about his ego with five women.

Sue: My sentiments exactly.

Nancy: Yeah, I think I’d have to go with that answer too, Odie. My guess is that he’s a nice guy unless he proves otherwise.

Tonya: yup, me too.

Sally: Unless of course, your Rae. She has this thing about his eyes, you see. lol

Nancy: LMAO!

Raegan: Oh bite me, Sally! lol. It’s true though. He has the most expressive eyes. In all the pictures of him from the premiere, even when he isn’t smiling his eyes are, and they have a kindness to them that you just don’t see in a person who is stuck on themselves.

Oded sighed as he reread Raegan’s answer. She was proving to be a nice person that he would want to get to know better. Not to mention she did a good job of stroking his ego.

Tonya: Hey Odie, where are you?

Odie: Santa Monica, California

Sarah: Woo-hoo, Oded land!! Damn girl, have you seen him?

Oded laughed at her enthusiasm.

Odie: I thought I saw him once or twice, but couldn’t be sure. Where are you guys at?

Tonya: Oregon

Sarah: New York

Sue: Arkansas

Raegan: Rancho Cucamonga, California

Nancy: Same as Rae. We are roommates.

Oded nearly fell out of his chair. Holy shit! She was practically in his back yard!

Odie: Wow, you guys are really spread out. I’ve heard of Rancho Cucamonga, though I’ve never been there. How far is that from S.M.?

Raegan: Well, from R.C. to downtown L.A. it’s roughly about 65 – 70 miles. So tack on what ever it is from there to S.M.

Odie: And you and Nancy are roommates?

Raegan: Yeah, the bonehead and I are childhood friends. lol

Nancy: Speak for yourself, dweeb.

Raegan: probate

Nancy: transient

Tonya: Oh here we go again.

Sarah: Rae and Nance have this name-calling contest they get into that they feel they must share with us even though they are in the same house and could just yell at each other. lol

Oded was laughing. It seemed his Raegan had quite a sense of humor too. His Raegan? When had she become his Raegan? Oded shook his head.

Odie: You girls sound like a crazy bunch.

Sue: Oh yeah we are. Nance and Rae are guaranteed entertainment.

Nancy: You should join us for a Saturday night chat, Odie if you want REAL entertainment.

Tonya: There ya go! LMAO!

Odie: Saturday night? What’s different about the Saturday night chat?

Tonya: OH MY GOD!! What’s the difference??? LMAO!

Raegan: The difference is that Wednesday night chats we keep at a pg-13 level. We usually invite newcomers to this chat so we don’t offend them in case they don’t go for the more R rated level that we talk on Saturday nights.

Odie: Oh I see. Sounds interesting.

Oded was almost afraid to ask what R rated meant.

Raegan: So it’s up to you, Odie. Whatever level you are most comfortable in, join us anytime.

Odie: What exactly does rated R entail?

Nancy: Rated R is the graphic telling of any and all things we would like to do to Oded and his body.

Sarah: ROTFLMFAO!

Sue: LMAO, Nance!

Tonya: lmao!

Oded’s eyes widened at the thought of sitting in on a chat where they described, in detail, things of that nature. He could feel heat suddenly warming his face. Son of a bitch! Oded thought to himself. He wasn’t sure if he could handle that.

Raegan: Ignore them Odie. Don’t let them intimidate you. lol If it’s a bit much for you, just stick with the Wednesday night chats for now. You could always join us on Saturday nights once you are more comfortable with us.

Oded sighed. Leave it to his champion to give him a way out. Maybe she was a mind reader.

Odie: Thanks Rae. I may do that for now.

Sarah: Well listen girls, it’s past midnight here on the east coast and I’ve got to go to work tomorrow, so I’m gonna say goodnight.

Sue: Yeah, it’s after 11 here in AR too. I’m beat. See you lusty chicks on Saturday.

Tonya: Night night, girls.

Nancy: bye girls, see ya at Saturday’s chat.

Raegan: Night girls, sweet Oded dreams.

Odie: goodnight, Sue and Sarah. Nice meeting you.

Sue: Nice meeting you too, Odie. Good night.

Sarah: Nice meeting you too, Odie. Night.

Oded leaned back in his chair and waited to see what would happen next. He was starting to relax a little, though he was still a bit nervous and unsure that he was doing the right thing.

Tonya: So Rae, do you really think Oded is a boxer man?

Oded choked on his laughter and began coughing. He cleared his throat several times, balling his hand up into a fist and pounding his chest a couple of times.

Raegan: yes

Nancy: Nah, he don’t wear no stinking underwear! LMAO! Rae is just a romantic. Laughing, kind eyes and silky boxers, she’s gonna have the poor chap turned into a yuppy.

Raegan: Bite me, twit!

Nancy: witch!

Raegan: cockroach!

Odie: I would have to agree with Raegan. I think he wears boxers, too.

Raegan: THANK YOU, ODIE! (hugs)

Oded had a sudden vision of her throwing her arms around him and he nearly fell off his chair. God, he wanted to know what she looked like. Would it be appropriate to ask? He wondered.

Odie: Not to change the subject, but would it be ok if I asked what everyone looked like?

Nancy: What, you want me to draw you a picture? LMAO!

Raegan: Behave, Nance. lol. Sure Odie, you can ask.

Tonya: Red hair, brown eyes, 5’2” and full of attitude. lol

Nancy: Blonde, blue, and cute.

Raegan: 5’5”, long light brown hair and blue/green eyes. And you?

Oded smiled. Long light brown hair and blue/green eyes. Well that certainly helped in the visual department.

Odie: Black curly hair, brown eyes.

He could at least be honest about that.

Nancy: Are you sure you’re not Oded? LMAO!

Oded froze. Had he just given himself away? His fingers shook as he tried to type a reply.

Raegan: Oh right, twit. Like Oded is going to come in here under a fake name and chat with us.

Oded’s heart slammed in his chest. OH GOD! That was exactly what he was doing.

Raegan: Odie? You still there?

Oded forced his fingers to work. They felt like they were moving through thick molasses. It took him several tries to get his response typed. He kept making mistakes and having to go back and correct them.

Odie: Yes, I’m sorry. Had to step a way for a moment. But to answer Nance’s question, I’m pretty sure I’m not Oded. For one thing I lack the proper plumbing.

Oded winced at his answer. God, what was he thinking?

Nancy: LMAO!

Tonya: LMAO!

Raegan: lol, that is pretty cute, Odie.

Nancy: Hey speaking of proper plumbing. . .

Raegan: **AHEM**

Nancy: Wha? I was just gonna say, we need to get the pipes checked under the kitchen sink.

Raegan: Yeah, right.

Tonya: LMAO! You go, Nance!

Oded smacked the palm of his hand to his forehead. These girls WERE crazy. He was sure of it now.

Odie: lol

Raegan: Hey Odie, how old are you, btw?

Odie: 30

Raegan: Oh good, then you are our age. Both Nance and I are 30 too.

Tonya: I’m 25

Oded’s heart skipped a beat. Okay, she was his age; she had light brown hair and blue/green eyes. She was funny, sweet and conscientious of those around her. Oded sighed. He wanted to meet her. Badly! His fascination with her had just tripled during this chat. But it was too soon. First impressions usually held true, but he needed to chat with her one on one before he made a move to meet with her.

Odie: Well listen guys. It was great meeting you, but I need to go.

He figured he’d better get out before he dug his hole deeper than it already was and made a mistake.

Raegan: Okay, Odie. So glad you joined us tonight. Like I said, you are welcome to come to Saturday night’s chat, but if you don’t feel comfortable with that yet, join us again next Wednesday night.

Nancy: Nice to meet you, Odie. Good night.

Tonya: Glad you made it, Odie. Come back again. Good night.

Odie: Thanks again for the warm welcome and I’ll think about it, Raegan. Saturday nights can be tough for me anyways, but we will see what happens. If anything I will be back next Wednesday. Good night and sweet dreams.

Raegan: Good night, Odie.

Oded logged off and shut his computer down. It was 10:45 p.m. now. He would do his laps, shower and go to bed. His stomach growled loudly. Okay, he’d eat first. He’d been so intent on getting here and getting on the computer, he’d forgotten he hadn’t eaten dinner yet. Turning off the light to the office, he headed down the stairs. He would think about what he was going to do with Raegan and his feelings for her later.

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                                                       What If - Chapters 5 - 6