by Naomi Niles
“Hannah?” Carrie walked into the room.
“No, Carrie, just go away, all right! Just go away. It’s all over. Everything is over. My dream. Everything!”
“Hannah, you know I am not going anywhere. What happened?”
I lifted my head off the pillow and wiped my eyes. “They cut the budget for the movie, so everything is on pause right now. No more filming, nothing! This fucking movie is going down the fucking drain!”
“Whoa, whoa, Hannah. Just calm down, OK?” She sat beside me on the bed. “Listen, I don’t know how the movie industry works, but just because they cut the budget doesn’t mean that everything is over. You said it is on pause right now, right? So, that means–”
“That means they are just delaying the fucking inevitable! That’s all that means, Carrie! Watch! In a few days… in a few weeks, they will call me and tell me that the movie is trashed. I know it! I knew it was too good to be true! It always is for me, Carrie! It always is!”
I buried my head back into the pillow while Carrie rubbed my back. “Hey, come on now, Hannah. It’s not over, and you know I am a ‘glass half full’ kinda girl, so maybe you need to hear this from me. Just look at it this way, during this little break that you have, you can go on other auditions and things like that. I mean, if they know that you landed one of the leading roles in Satin Sheets, then I am sure they will look your way quicker. That is something you can put on your acting resume, and I’m sure it will catch any director’s attention.”
“No! No, no, and no! I don’t want to go through another fucking audition! I want to finish this fucking movie like I fucking planned on fucking doing!”
There was a long pause between us. I sniffled in the silence as Carrie’s eyes wandered around the room. “Soo, I’m guessing that you just wanted to say, ‘fucking’ for a record number of times in a sentence?” My eyes were slim in her direction. “OK, OK, I’m backing off. But honestly, Hannah, I think you are overreacting just a tad. I mean yeah, it’s fucked up that things have come to a halt so suddenly, but then again, there is a positive to everything, and you just have to let yourself see it. It’s not the end of the world, and it definitely is not the end of your dreams.”
I wanted to believe Carrie, but most of all, this was the first time in the past few months that I wanted to wake up from this dream because it slowly started turning into a nightmare. For the next few days, I didn’t even leave the house. I kept my phone close to me at all times, thinking that Leonard or somebody from the production team was going to call me and tell me that the movie was done. I couldn’t rest until I knew one way or the other. Carrie tried to get me go to out with her, but I stayed in the house, wrapped in a housecoat like I was in mourning. It felt like I was, though. It felt like my career was on its way to getting buried and there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening.
Ezra called to check up on me, and I kept conversation with him to a minimal. I didn’t want him to hear how depressed I was for too long because I felt like it would rub off on him. Three days later, he showed up at my home. I was in the room when Carrie opened my door and stuck her head inside with a smile on her face. “Hey, how are you today?” I sat in my bed with a bowl of ice cream in my lap while I watched television. I didn’t respond to her. “Oh, you’re good? Great! Well, I have somebody who wants to see you.”
“What? Who is it, Carrie? I look a mess, and I don’t feel like seeing anyone right now.”
She opened the door all the way, and in stepped Ezra. I quickly placed my bowl on the nightstand, then covered my body with a blanket. “Ezra! What are you doing here?! I look a mess! Get out!”
The door closed, and after that, I sat still, hoping that he did what I asked. But I knew Ezra, and I figured he had to be standing in the room, waiting for me to remove the covers from my head. A few seconds went by in complete silence, so I slowly removed the covers to find him standing right near my bed with his arms folded across his chest. “Ezra!” I yelled, “Get out! Now! You are so hardheaded!”
He laughed out loud and sat on the bed. “Baby, seriously? I’ve seen you early in the morning, and your stinky breath was all in my face. Do you think I care about how you look right now? I know you’re having a rough time, but honestly, even when you feel you are at your worst, I know you still look better than half of these fake women out here in Hollywood. So, come on,” he tugged at my covers, “let me see that pretty face of yours.”
“Awww, Ezra. Thank you. I’m still not moving the covers, but that was sweet of you to say.”
He laughed. “Come on, Hannah.”
“No!”
“Welp,” I heard his shoes drop to the ground. “That just means one thing. I’m coming under there with you.”
“Ezra, no! Stop!”
He grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it up so he could slide under it. I laughed as he made his way up to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “Since you didn’t want to be nice, I had to break and enter.” He looked around for a minute. “Um, I bet it is going to get hot under these covers because I know you haven’t brushed your teeth or your tongue this morning.”
I elbowed him in the side. “Shut up, Ezra! I’m not in the mood to laugh right now. This shit is so fucking annoying. Have they called you?”
“Who?”
“The production company.”
“Oh. No, I haven’t heard from them.”
I exhaled. “Ugh! See, it is over, Ezra! Everything we worked for is done!”
I felt tears starting to form in my eyes again, but I fought them back. I didn’t feel like getting another headache from crying so much. “No, it’s not done, Hannah. It’s not… but… since I’ve already seen you, can we get out from beneath these covers? It is really starting to get hot.”
I squinted my eyes at him. “I hate you.” Seconds later, I removed the covers from over our heads, and it was like a fresh breath of air sweeping our bodies. “Now, are you happy? You’re the one that intruded on my personal space. I should’ve kept you under there.”
“Cruel and unusual punishment? Doesn’t seem like your cup of tea.” I poked my bottom lip out, but he leaned forward and kissed it softly. I didn’t give in on the first kiss, but by the third, I couldn’t resist. I pressed my lips to his, and at that moment, I felt like all of my problems were releasing from my mind. He had the innate ability to take away my pain without even trying. “Now,” he said after we released, “how is that?”
“Better. Thank you.” I cuddled next to him on the bed as the television replayed the celebrity news. “We could have been one of the celebrities on this show, Ezra. Paparazzi following us around everywhere we go because people always want to know what we are doing. That is what I dreamed of, but now, it just seems like it will stay a dream because I can’t ever get anything to go right for me. Even when it seems like it is going to be an excellent set up for my future success, something happens, and everything is derailed. It happens every time. I was a fool to think that this would be any different.”
“Wait,” he said as if he had to get clarification about something. “So, you want paparazzi to follow you around and invade your space?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know if I would like that. I mean, I think I would end up socking some of them in the face. It seems like that can get annoying, and sometimes, I just want to be left alone. I don’t know if I would like that part of the celebrity status. I know it comes with the territory, but I think I would try my best to stay hidden for as long as I could.”
“Yeah,” I said, flipping off the television with the remote control. “Well, I guess we will both stay hidden now. I’m not going to another fucking audition. Fuck this acting shit, you know? I’m going to just go work at Macy’s or something. Get on with my life because this is nothing but one big disappointment after the next.”
“Macy’s? One of the mannequins? Because with the way you are losing weight, you might be a good fit. Can you pose real still for
a long time? Let me see.”
“Ezra! You are sitting here making jokes, and I am being serious! You know what, just forget it.”
I tried to get off the bed, but he pulled me back down. “OK, OK, I’m sorry baby, I’m sorry.” He held me close and kissed me on the neck. “And I’m going to be honest with you about something, OK? Don’t be mad.”
“Don’t be mad? Great. More fucking bad news. What? Did you get back with your ex or something? Just tell me now because I don’t feel like I can be any more depressed than I already am.”
“On the contrary. My agent called me today. Early this morning.” He paused for a while until I punched him in the arm to continue. He laughed out loud. “I’m sorry, I just wanted to build the suspense. He called me and said that the director wants us back on set next week so we can continue shooting. Everything was settled. The budget is fine, and we are back rolling again.”
My mouth slowly dropped open in disbelief. “Really?”
“Really.”
I lunged forward and wrapped my arms around him, nearly knocking him off the bed. “Ezra! Ezra!” I planted kisses all over his face has he held on to me.
“See, baby. I told you everything would work out. I told you. We are in this to win, not to fail. We are going to the top.”
“I love you, baby! I love you!”
“I love you, too.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ezra
Six long months had gone by before we got to the final scene of the movie. I watched Hannah record her last shoot, in admiration of how much she had grown as an actress and a person during the time we were filming. She told me that about a month ago, a couple of directors contacted her to the opportunity to star in a few upcoming films. She didn’t even have to audition for it because they said the part would be hers if she wanted it. I was proud of her, and I hadn’t gotten many calls, but the one I did get was about an action movie that was set to start shooting within the next year.
I didn’t mind doing the romantic movies, but I was ready for something that I could go in shooting people, kicking ass, and blowing shit up. Leonard wanted to cast me in another film, but when he said that it was another romance movie, I turned it down. Besides, I didn’t want to put myself in a position to have a romantic fling that could damage my relationship with Hannah. If I could control it, I was going to stay away from it. That was my plan, and so far, it worked. “All right, and cut! And that, ladies and gentlemen, is a wrap! We are done filming Satin Sheets!”
Everyone around us clapped and cheered once Leonard told us that we were finished. “Yes, yes, be excited, everyone! Be excited! This is a very special moment for us. Come, Ezra, Hannah, please,” he said, waving us toward him. Hannah grabbed my hand, and we approached him as he stood front and center with the loudspeaker in his hand. “Everyone, you are witnessing two stars in the making. The way they came into this shoot as rookies, but left as veterans. How they mastered their roles as if they were born to do it. This is perfection, ladies, and gentlemen, and I am sure that this will not be the last time you see them on the big screen! Everyone, clap for our stars!”
They applauded us as we stood in front of the set. “Go ahead,” Leonard urged, “say something! Tell them all something! They are waiting. Ezra.”
I smiled. I felt like I was on top of the mountain that took so long for me to climb. It felt better that I knew Hannah was still by my side in the process and through it all, she had been with me. From the crazy stalker situation to the court case with my ex when she found out that I had my boys around her. I held her hand as we stood in front of everyone. “I would just like to thank you all for your part in helping the filming of this movie. Makeup artists, camera crew, sound crew, directors, supporting actors, and actresses. I mean, the list goes on, and nothing would have been a success without you. I would like to give a special thanks to Leonard for taking a chance on a rookie like me. I know it was rough at times, but I thank you for this opportunity. It meant the world to me. Thank you.”
The audience clapped as Hannah went forward and gave thanks to everyone. “Hi. Well, um, I thank you all for not showing the internet my breasts before the movie came out.” The audience chuckled as she smiled. I remembered the times she was so nervous about shooting those scenes before the movie started, but now, she was in front of everyone making jokes about it. Her confidence had skyrocketed since we first began shooting, and now, she was blossoming into the woman I knew she always was. “I want to thank Leonard for the opportunity to do what I love. Hopefully, it will bring more movie roles my way. The director's crew. Casting agents. Cameramen, sound men… basically, everyone Ezra thanked just before me. I appreciate all of your hard work and everything you did to make us look our best on the shoot. Hopefully, we will cross paths again in another movie or two. I had fun, and I pray that this movie is as successful as I know it can be. Thank you.”
Once we finished, we headed to her trailer. Inside, there was a bottle of wine and a bouquet of flowers on her bed. I took the card off the mattress before she could read it. I wanted to see who was bold enough to send her flowers, knowing that we were an item. I smiled once I saw the name that was attached to it. “It’s from Leo,” I said, handing her the card.
She sniffed the roses, then rolled her eyes. “You are crazy, do you know that? What man would send me roses? In six months, you’ve managed to scare off any other guy who even thought about coming my way. The only person I knew would have sent these is Leonard. Hell, he probably put a pair of his underwear on your bed and attached some skimpy pictures to it.”
“Yeah, and that’ll be the day he gets punched right in the nose. I can do that now since we are done working for him, officially.”
“Yeah.” She placed the roses on her desk. “It has been a long journey, and I hate to say that it is over.”
“Over?” I sat on her bed and pulled her onto my lap. “No. It is just beginning. From what I hear, you’ve got directors knocking your door down just to get you in their movie. This is definitely the beginning for you.”
“No,” she corrected me with a kiss on the lips. “For us. You’ve got your roles coming up, too. I know it. The action movies will be your bread and butter. It should be with that sexy ass body of yours.”
“All I know is that I will be at your set every fucking day if you do one of those romantic movies. I will be watching whatever prick you have to co-star with to make sure he doesn’t touch you more than he has to.”
“I bet you will.”
She smiled and kissed me again. I would never have thought that my life would end up this way. Living out my dream with a beautiful woman by my side, doing the same thing. With all the ups and downs of my life, I could finally say that things were looking up, and it appeared to be a permanent shift. And to think that just before I got this part, I was ready to give up on everything. Who knows where my life would be if I did? I didn’t even want to imagine.
Epilogue
Hannah
3 Years Later
I woke up in a king size bed on the 32nd floor of the luxury hotel. I hardly had time to myself with the way things picked up for my acting career. Since Satin Sheets came out almost three years ago, I’d starred in two more movies and became one of the biggest new names in show business. I had to start turning down movie offers because there wasn’t enough time for me to shoot. My schedule was hectic, and because of that, I had only seen Ezra a few times in the past three months. Our careers were beginning to create a strain on our relationship, and at one point, I thought we were going to fall apart, but each time, we managed to reconnect and get back on the same page.
I felt his arms wrap around me from behind as I stood at the window, looking down at the streets in Dunedin, New Zealand. His lips pressed softly against my neck as I rested in his warm embrace. “It feels like it has been forever since we’ve been back here.”
“Forever?” I responded. “Yeah. It has only been three years, but the way we have be
en so busy, it can easily feel like 10.”
“Yeah, easily.”
I faced him as he stood in a bathrobe with nothing but his boxers on underneath. We were on vacation together, and we wanted to go to the place that we first visited together as a couple. Ezra had just wrapped up his filming of a blockbuster action movie called The Last Time. He had to cut his hair off for the role, but it wasn’t much different from how he normally wore it. He had a few tattoos on his forearms and one on his shoulder that just had the letter “H” inside of a heart. I joked with him about how simple it was.
“So, I guess that, ‘H’ will be easier to cover up if we don’t make it, huh?”
He laughed. “Cover up? No, I don’t plan on covering it up. Why would I need to? You’re going to be with me forever, and if you’re not, then I’m going to have to kill you and whoever that you leave me for. I already made that up in my mind.”
“Oh, really? Wait a minute. Can you say that again? I want to get my phone, so I can record the evidence.” I tried to get out of his arms to grab my phone, but he lifted me in the air and carried me to the mattress. He climbed on top of me, his muscles bulging as he held his body above mine, but he didn’t take it any further. “Why did you stop?”
He kissed me. “Because we have to go. I have plans for us today, and we need to get on the beach by,” he looked at his watch, “7 pm.”
He got off the bed and pulled some clothing out of his suitcase. “Baby? It is only 12! We have time! Get your ass back over here and give me some dick!”
“I will later, trust me. But right now, we have to get going. Come on. Get your dirty ass in the shower so we can go!”
I laughed out loud. “Whatever, Ezra. Ugh. I swear you better make up for this! I’m already wet! I don’t need a fucking shower!”
After we had got dressed, he took me out to eat, and we ended on the beach right at 7 pm. The grains of sand slithered through my toes as we walked along the sandy shore, hand in hand. The yellow sun shifted to a dark orange is it started to descend beyond the horizon. Seagulls flew past us, echoing their soothing chants each time they flapped their wings. “So, why did we have to come here by 7 pm? You got something planned?”