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.