Josephine
- How tall is he?!? -
A shower.
I urgently need a shower.
And sleep.
Even eating, now that I think about it.
And all not necessarily in this order.
The jetlag is killing me, I no longer understand what day it is, whether it is morning or afternoon. The sun is very strong, the heat suffocating but nothing that I'm not already used to after all. Perth is much worse in the summer.
Of course, if I think that I boarded the plane wearing a sweatshirt and heavy long trousers and now it's 40° here, it's a bit funny. Blessed reversed seasons! Luckily I thought in advance to bring a change of clothes, to use just before landing at the airport in Atlanta.
If I had come here in winter clothes, I would have already passed out from the heat!
The hotel's automatic sliding doors open as soon as I approach.
The structure is huge and modern, at least from the outside. People come and go like a raging river. There are certainly a lot of rooms in this hotel which is definitely impressive and smells like something expensive. Very expensive!
I hide a yawn by dragging the largest suitcase behind me. I managed to somehow fit the smaller suitcase on top of the other and I hope it will hold at least until I get to my room.
My room.
After so many hours walking around, without ever stopping, the idea of having a place where I can rest seems almost like a mirage.
I really need to stop for a second before I collapse from exhaustion.
Inside the lobby, the light marble floors seem to sparkle under the lights of the elaborate and glittering chandeliers.
Yes, it's all very expensive.
I'm not used to all this.
I, who usually go camping on holiday, am not really the luxury hotel type.
I'm definitely not complaining though. It will be a different experience and anyway it's work, I'm not on holiday.
All this reminds me that I still have to finish reading the script and I don't have much time to do so.
It feels like there's a clock on my head ticking away an inexorable countdown.
A week.
A week to study something that would have taken at least a month.
I will definitely make it but it will be tough!
I like challenges.
No, I love challenges! Period.
I also love this guy's eyes that are looking at me curiously.
I can't figure out what color they are exactly but they are really beautiful.
He has a sweet look and is smiling.
But the thing that amazes me is how tall he is!
I turn to see who's watching. There is no one behind me.
Is he looking at me?!?
Will I have something on my face?
Oh god, I definitely have something on my face!!!
I quickly clean my face by running a hand over it. I hope I have solved it.
Meanwhile he is smiling as if he knows me and I feel like I've missed some details. Should I know him?
Maybe it's tiredness, but I have no idea who he is.
"Hi, I'm Hero!" He smiles brightly holding out his hand while he is now a few steps away from me. "Pleased to meet you"
I look at him dumbfounded.
Up close he seems even taller!!!
"I'll be your Hardin for the next few weeks!" Continues.
I stare at him carefully, observing his features.
I can't take my eyes off him.
He has a magnetic smile and two dimples on the sides of his mouth that appear as soon as he smiles.
I take a deep breath.
I have to answer him and my brain feels completely blank.
And so he is, my co-star!
The mystery finally revealed!
I didn't imagine him like this, to be honest.
Sure, he's tall and has short, dark hair, but I don't see any piercings or tattoos on his body.
He is wearing a very simple black t-shirt with short sleeves and a pair of dark trousers, white sneakers, exactly like me.
If anything, we practically dress the same! Cute!
"Well, hopefully we can make other films in this saga too, so maybe we'll work together for more than a few weeks and... Oh God, I'm babbling, right?" Hero continues to speak and I have the impression that I only caught the final part of his speech, I was so busy observing him.
He continues to smile and I only now realize that I too have a huge smile on my face.
I'll look like a psychopath, standing here with him holding out his hand and waiting.
I immediately recover by offering him my hand in a firm shake.
"Oh yeah, sorry! The jetlag is killing me! I'm Josephine. Nice to meet you!" I say it all in one breath.
"Everything okay, Josephine?" He laughs and looks at me amused.
I like how he says my name.
I nod and quickly remove my hand from his.
"My pleasure."
He looks at me with bright eyes, truly a magnificent color.
Now that we are closer I can clearly see that they are a magnetic green that fades slightly to blue. It's a particular color, truly beautiful.
"Are you sure everything's okay?" He smiles.
"Sorry, again!" I burst out laughing in embarrassment "The trip was endless! I swear I'm usually much more talkative than that!" I'll rave about something quickly.
Basically whatever comes to mind, I say! Without filters.
And I can't totally blame tiredness!
"Damn, how tall are you?" I find myself staring at him, voicing my thoughts.
Here you are. Precisely.
Were we talking about brain-mouth filters?
Gone.
Not received.
He looks at me perplexed for a moment and then bursts out laughing in amusement.
“Was this what you were thinking?” He puts his hands in his pockets and can't stop giggling.
Yes, I will definitely seem like a crazy psychopath to him. Perfect.
This is a great start.
"I'm 1.88m tall." He chuckles and looks at me curiously.
I will seem like a strange little animal to him, for sure.
"I thought so! There's almost 20cm difference between us! You're a giant!" I say.
He continues to look at me amused.
I sigh and take my hat off my head.
I see him looking at me and I honestly have no idea what's going on in his head.
I struggle to understand what's going on in my head now, let alone in his!
I take a deep breath and try to change the subject.
"Anna told me we have dinner planned tonight?"
"Yes, they are waiting for us in a restaurant nearby. I offered to wait for you. If it's not a problem for you, we could go together on foot." He runs a hand through his hair and I am captivated by his gesture.
I nod but I understood three words of everything he said.
His eyes. Oh God, his eyes.
I can't stop watching it.
"You don't have any tattoos..." I come out like this, suddenly, totally out of context.
He bursts out laughing again.
I close my eyes exasperated with myself. I would have to bite my tongue to stop myself from speaking!
"Sorry, let's go again! I'm Josephine Langford and I'm so, so tired. Sorry, really! It seems like the brain/mouth filter isn't working anymore!"
He continues laughing and shaking his head.
"You're funny" He says almost to himself and in some ways he seems surprised.
We look at each other in silence for a few seconds and strangely I don't feel embarrassed. Who is this guy and above all, why does he have this strange effect on me?
"I guess you need to put your things away in your room. I can wait for you here in the hall so we can go together as soon as you're ready. What do you say?"
I nod and swallow at the same time to avoid making a further fool of myself.
All I need to do is tell him how attractive I find him and then the psychopath of the year award will go to me!
I smile at him and head towards the reception with my bags in tow.
He watches me with his hands in his pockets as I take the key to my room.
"Sorry, I only just noticed the suitcases!" Hero appears next to me again "Do you need a hand?"
I would like to tell him no, that I can do just fine on my own, as always, but I'm really, really, too tired!
I find myself nodding and muttering a 'Thank you' practically under my breath.
He smiles at me and takes both my suitcases, leading me towards the elevators.
I could use a good sleep.
I've been on the road for 24 hours and I'm exhausted, both physically and mentally.
For this reason I would seriously like to move to the United States. As much as I love Perth, it really is a lost city and if I want to be an actress in America it's not possible to live on the other side of the world and have to travel like this every time.
I sigh, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Lost in your thoughts, again?" He smiles as he leans against a wall of the elevator, after pressing the button for the fourth floor.
"Yeah..." I look down and a smile comes naturally.
We remain like this, endless seconds of silence in which I try to understand what to do, what to say, but my brain doesn't cooperate as I would like.
Damn jetlag!!!
"What is your room number?" He asks trying to peek at the key I have in my hands.
I watch it too. I didn't notice it before.
"414" I exclaim and look back into his eyes.
"Ah good, we're close! I'm in 416!" He runs a hand through his hair and nibbles on his lower lip.
Can you instantly be attracted to another person?
And will this be good for the work we have to do?
No. I would say absolutely not!!!
Something like this had never happened to me! I do not know how to behave!
I've had relationships, if you can call them that since they didn't last very long.
I've also had crushes on guys obviously and I know the excitement of being close to someone you like, but that's a whole other thing. I have no idea why, but I've never been attracted to anyone like this before!
It's work, Jo. He is your colleague and you need to remain on professional terms. Strictly professional.
Right.
I didn't literally cross the entire continent to throw away the opportunity of a lifetime!
"Sooner or later will you tell me what you're thinking?" He smiles as the elevator doors open onto the hallway on our floor.
Oh, trust me Hero, you wouldn't like it!
"Pfff...You'd like that!" I exclaim suddenly with a smile on my lips.
Hero in response, chuckles again.
We exit the elevator and stop in front of my room door.
Here you are. And now?
"Good. See you later, Josephine!" He puts his hands in his pockets and walks away.
I see him enter his room, right next to mine.
See? I didn't even have to do or say anything! Perfect!
I bite my lips, holding back a sigh.
This day seems like an endless whirlwind of emotions.
I drag the suitcases into the room, which are decidedly too heavy and full of clothes of every type and for every season. I exaggerated, I admit, but I have no idea how long I'll spend in America and I didn't want to risk it.
I sigh as I throw myself onto the bed.
A soft bed with fluffy pillows.
It seems like a dream!
I have seriously arrived in Atlanta!!!
I close my eyes enjoying the feeling of relaxation that this room gives. It's all decorated so cozy that it feels like home.
The bed is large and the mattress seems really comfortable!
I can't wait to throw myself up here and sleep all night on this cloud of sheets.
But now: shower! I have to hurry if I want to make it in time for dinner!
I have to get up from here, even though my body is begging for a few more minutes of rest.
There's no time!
I open the bathroom door and... Wow!
It is really beautiful, large and essential.
There's a huge tub that seems to be calling my name, it's so inviting! But I won't give in! At least not this time. I could seriously fall asleep in the water and, as tempted as I am to do so, it's also dangerous.
It takes me a little longer than expected, but I manage to wash myself and relax my muscles.
I keep telling myself that it's just dinner and I'll be able to relax in a few hours.
I choose a pair of trousers and a black t-shirt, light and very simple.
This time I'll leave the hat in the room, I don't think it's worth going to dinner with it on.
My hair is so free to float around me in soft blonde waves.
I take a deep breath and close the bedroom door behind me.
I find Hero in the hall, sitting on the sofas, concentrated on looking at his cell phone. He's scrolling through videos or images, I can't understand.
I hope I didn't take too long to prepare.
“Hey…” I walk up to him and he looks up immediately.
"Hey!" His eyes rest on mine, then take a quick tour of my body.
I see him trying to pretend nothing is happening, when in reality he's looking me up and down.
He gets up immediately and I also take some time to observe him carefully.
How could I not?
It's so fascinating that...
"Guys, talk to you soon!" He says, talking absentmindedly at his cell phone, and then ends a call. His eyes don't leave mine even for an instant.
"Oh God, did I bother you? Sorry!" I didn't realize he was talking to someone!"
"Don't worry." He winks at me and my heart skips a beat.
"Let's go?" He waves me towards the hotel door and I nod.
"Did you forget your hat?" He smiles when my gaze meets his again.
I smile at him and remain silent for a moment.
“I thought you were going to bring it with you,” he shows me his as he runs a hand through his hair and puts it on, adjusting the visor.
It's a dark hat with a design on it. Very simple and essential. I like.
“Are you part of the hat club too?” I ask absently without thinking, immediately regretting it.
Shit!!! What the fuck did I just say?!?
The hat club?
Seriously Jo?!?
I can not believe it!!!
It's a moment in which we look at each other in silence, both amazed.
Will I learn to shut up when I'm tired? No, probably not.
He blinks quickly and bursts out laughing.
"You're really funny, you know that?" He shakes his head “What hat club?”
"Yes, here..." I take a deep breath.
I've made a fool of myself now anyway.
"I always go around wearing a hat. I like it, it gives a sense of protection from other people's gazes. I thought that you too... Well, I saw your hat and thought that... Oh God, I don't know what I thought! "
I try to recover a moment of dignity, but without success.
I'm babbling and I'm definitely making my situation worse.
He'll think I'm crazy.
He's known me for 5 minutes and I'm already giving my best.
"I noticed you had it earlier. Didn't you bring it with you tonight?" He asks while still smiling. I don't feel like he's making fun of me. I hope. He seems genuinely amused by what I say.
“It seemed… Unprofessional!”
Even worse.
Even. Worse.
How can a hat be unprofessional?
And then this way I'm telling him that he's unprofessional because he's wearing one!
I no longer know how to recover from this situation!
He looks at me in amazement "Unprofessional?" He takes his hat and puts it on my head.
"In my opinion, you were hot instead!"
He places it well on my head, moving strands of hair that escape quickly and observes me.
"It's always so windy here in Atlanta, you'll need it!" He winks at me and heads towards the exit.
An electric shock runs through my entire body. Again.
I tip my hat to my head. It's very similar to mine, although it's a little loose on me.
"Hey!" I reach him "I... Thank you!"
I don't know what to tell him. I feel a little embarrassed, honestly. I've been delirious since I met him! Possible?
He smiles and opens the door for me to go forward to go out the door.
It's all strange, out of control, but I like it! Strangely I like it!
I have no idea what's happening to me.
It will be tiredness.
Or have you gone stupid, my conscience whispers to me.
Yes, this is also likely indeed.
"Let's go this way." He motions for me to follow him as he puts his hands in his pockets.
We remain like this for a few seconds, next to each other walking calmly.
I look around and observe the landscape, before in the taxi I didn't have the opportunity to see anything.
The trees are tall all along the road and the wind shakes their branches gently.
He was right: I needed the hat.
He turns to me curiously and observes my expression.
"No worry!" He smiles, then bites his lips.
"What?" I look at it more carefully.
Did I miss something?
“You were thinking that in this wind you really needed the hat, right?”
I blink quickly and look at him.
Did I speak out loud, by any chance?
"I can see what you think on your face!" He smiles but I really hope that not everything can be read from the expression on my face! It would be embarrassing, also because now I'm thinking about how attractive this guy is. And that's not good. This is absolutely not good!
I'll have to get over it, I can't work alongside him if I feel like this every time.
As soon as I'm rested, I'll definitely be more clear-headed.
Yes, it's just tiredness that makes me feel this way.
I never mix work with private life. Never.
I've acted with other guys before, some objectively handsome I must admit, but I've never crossed the line.
No, that wouldn't be professional.
If I fell in love with every guy I work with, it would be ridiculous as well as unserious of me.
I'll get over it!
Yes definitely.
And then, fall in love? Pfff... What a stupid thing to even think about now! Love is a serious thing, it cannot be mixed with work! Absolutely not! What stupid ideas do I have today?!?
We walk next to each other, in silence.
Hero, with his particular name, doesn't intimidate me as sometimes happened to me with other guys.
I feel calm and at ease.
In fact I'm talking nonsense and I'll say what comes to mind!!!
Unfortunately.
I lower my eyes smiling.
He continues to smile as he walks beside me.
Every now and then I catch him looking at me but I pretend nothing happens.
He seems intrigued by me but I don't blame him, seeing how I'm behaving.
"Here we are!" He points to a restaurant sign and motions for me to enter before him, opening the door for me.
Do such gallant people still exist?
And above all, guys who behave like this?
"Hey, Hero! You finally made it!" We hear someone exclaim as soon as we enter.
A lady with long, dark, wavy hair comes towards us. If I remember correctly it's...
"Jennifer, hi!" He greets her with a hug and I hold out my hand.
"And here's our Tessa!" She hugs me warmly and I am surprised by this welcome. I really didn't expect it!
It seems like they've known me for a long time while it's the first time I've seen them.
"Hey! My Tessa, you mean!" Hero walks over to me, nudging his shoulder against mine.
I look at him not knowing what to do or what to say. I always feel a little uncomfortable in these situations.
"I don't want to break your dreams, but I chose Tessa at the casting, so..." I recognize Anna's smile immediately!
I remember her perfectly during the video calls for the audition and her voice is unmistakable.
"Hi Josephine! Nice to see you again!" She comes towards me and hugs me.
I reciprocate with affection and it seems to me that I have truly returned home. Everyone is so kind that I don't feel like I've crossed halfway around the world and be so far away from everything I've always known.
It's exciting in some ways. It's like starting a new life all over again.
"Okay, Anna wins... But I'll come right after!" Hero smiles looking at me.
"Do not argue!" I joke, raising my hands "And then I should talk to Tessa properly, Hardin is a real asshole!" The others burst out laughing, all except Hero who looks at me in amazement.
"Not you, of course!" I want to clarify.
He smiles and winks at me.
Yes, he actually winked at me.
Again. Not that I'm keeping track, but...
"Come, I already know you'll be happy with us!" Anna takes my arm and makes me walk away with her towards the table where several people are already sitting.
I am introduced to everyone and wave, still a little embarrassed by the situation.
I'm not an extremely shy girl, but I like to have everything under control and right now I feel very challenged to tell the truth.
It's exciting and scary at the same time, finding yourself out of your comfort zone.
But I like challenges!
“Good, so Josephine you just arrived?” Asks Jennifer who is sitting in front of me.
I nod as I settle into the chair. I'm hungry and sleepy. Maybe more sleepy than hungry at this point.
"A few hours ago, it was quite a demanding journey but luckily now I can relax!" I smile at her and decide to choose a hamburger at random from those I read. Anything will do!
I close the menu and look around. They are all busy reading what they can order, all except a certain boy.
He's looking at me and as soon as he notices that I've caught him staring, he clears his throat and says something to the guy next to him.
We are not that far away but not that close to chat either.
The useful thing now is that I can observe him without necessarily having to talk to him. I wouldn't even know what conversation to start without making myself ridiculous for the umpteenth time.
I'm a mess when I'm tired!
I hope to recover in the next few days.
"Hey, Josephine. Do you understand?" Anna looks at me waiting for an answer to a question I don't know.
Here we go again with the shitty figures!!!
I blinked rapidly trying to understand what the conversion topic was, while Anna and other people close to me observed my reaction. Perfect.
Hero chuckles while keeping his gaze focused on the menu but at this point it's clear he's just pretending to read something.
"Sorry, I was distracted!" I admit candidly.
"We were talking about organizing the week. Did you get my email?" Question Jennifer.
I shake my head "I turned on my phone after arriving at the airport but I didn't check my email, sorry."
I quickly look for my cell phone in my bag.
"No, Josephine! Don't worry! Tomorrow, take all the time you need to rest!" Anna smiles at me understandingly.
You can tell from a mile away that I'm destroyed!
“We'll start rehearsals in two days, okay?”
I nod and take a deep breath.
I hope that one day will be enough for me to recover, although I highly doubt it. I feel particularly out of step right now.
During the evening Hero chats happily with everyone. His laughter echoes in the room and despite the confusion, his accent captivates me every time.
I can barely hold a simple conversation with Anna, getting distracted every time I hear his voice.
I often find him observing me but not speaking directly to me.
"In any case, you will have time to get to know each other!" Anna exclaims, also involving Hero in the conversation.
He looks at her attentively.
"There's a week left until the start of filming and I suggest you spend as much time together as possible to create some bonding!" Jennifer drops this news which explodes in the middle of the table.
I'll have to spend time with him.
It seems obvious to me that we should at least get to know each other before representing two guys who like each other.
It's logical.
We will have to rehearse the most difficult scenes and try to understand how to do them best.
It's my first important lead role and I feel a certain pressure on me.
"Lost in your thoughts again?"
Two green eyes look at me very closely this time.
He's sitting next to me now and I was too distracted to notice!
"Later everyone will go to a club to celebrate the start of filming. Do you want to come?" He asks.
"I'd rather go to sleep, if it's no problem!"
Anna hears my answer and agrees that a good restful sleep can only do me good.
I think so too!
"Then I'll take you to the hotel!" Hero kindly offers, but I don't want to take advantage of his availability.
"No, don't worry, I can go alone. It's nearby." I smile at him trying to make him understand that there really isn't any problem but he doesn't seem to agree.
"I do it with pleasure, I don't want you to walk these streets alone at night" he looks at me apprehensively.
These eyes will be my downfall.
He looks at me and I no longer understand anything.
I still haven't figured out what color they are exactly. Sometimes they look downright green. Other times they seem to have celestial shades.
Why is this so important?
I don't know, but I can't help but think about it.
I am taken aback by his statement for a moment.
Is there any danger in walking around alone?
It's only about two blocks from here, it's not a long way to go.
"Not that it's dangerous..." He adds, again sensing what I'm thinking! "I just feel safer if I accompany you"
I nod, lowering my gaze, flattered by all this attention.
"Okay, if you like..."
He also nods, smiling at me, and then gets up from his chair.
The evening ends and everyone heads towards the exit.
They stop taxis and gradually go up towards the place that was chosen during dinner.
Hero remains at my side with his hands in his pockets, both of us watching the others leave.
"Josephine, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" Anna gives me another hug and gets into a taxi that has just stopped.
Jennifer waves at us and gets into the car too.
Well.
We were left alone.
And now?