Sliding Doors - 2 (English Version)

Chapter 5

Hero

"Another one, the last one, I promise!!!" laughs Melissa excitedly as she takes a shot of tequila shot and prepares to down it all in one go.

I've already had two or three and my throat feels dry, like I haven't had water in months.Luckily, the pub we're in has a big outside room and we can actually be without masks!Melissa has dared me to drink 5 shots in a row, but I have a feeling that I will bitterly regret it tomorrow morning! I'm not so used to these alcoholic nights anymore!

"The last one?" I ask her, as I've lost count.

"Don't be a smart ass, you're two short!" she bursts out laughing as she tries to support herself at the bar counter.
She has definitely had too much to drink!

"This tequila is terrible, really..." I wrinkle my nose as I try to down yet another glass.
I'm not going to lose this challenge!

I try to chase back the thought that these challenge-games remind me so much of the time I spent with the cast of After during our Tacos nights.
I have to move on somehow!

"Oh my God I think I'm going to stop for a moment..." laughs Melissa "My head is spinning..." she leans back in a chair and somehow tries to settle herself, in the throes of mindless laughter.

The music is loud but we still manage to talk almost normally and the air is thick with cigarette smoke, so much so that the idea of trying to smoke again like I used to comes to my mind.

"Annie!!! Come here!!!" Melissa waves her arms towards a group of people and I turn to follow her gaze, wondering who she's motioning to join us.

A girl with long blonde hair and an amused look reaches us a few minutes later, a glass in her hand."Look who's here?" says Melissa to her, looking at me "Can you believe it?"

"Oh. My. God!!!" Annie stands motionless staring at me and for a moment I feel uncomfortable.

I nod to her "Hi...nice to meet you I'm He-"

"Hero Fiennes Tiffin!!! Who doesn't know you?" She interrupts me.

She is practically open-mouthed looking at me "Rather, how do you two know each other?"

The situation is almost comical as Melissa is awkwardly leaning against the counter as she tries to settle herself as best she can.

"We have mutual friends..." I answer for her.

"Want a shot of tequila?" I hand her my last shot hoping she'll accept so I can avoid drinking it.

"What? Oh, yes... Thank you!" She immediately takes it from my hand and is visibly excited.Is it possible that girls should react this way to my presence? It's really weird and I don't know how to behave.With Josephine it's not like that...OK, enough! I'll stop, really!

'Would you like to come over to my friends? They would certainly love to meet you..." Annie proposes hopefully.

I don't really want to be the centre of attention, but I can't find my friends anywhere, they seem to have vanished into thin air.
I look around, nothing... They're not there!

"Okay..." I get up from my chair and follow the two girls as they reach a large group of people.

"Guys this is my friend Melissa and this is Hero!" Allie smiles as she introduces us.

For a moment I hope no one will recognise me so I can have a normal evening amongst other boys and girls my age.

"Hi Hero!" a boy nods at me before taking a sip of his drink.

"How about we play a game of - never I ever?- ?" proposes a girl not far from me "Let's shake this night up a bit..." she smiles at her friend sitting next to her.

"OK, let's get started..." responds Melissa enthusiastically, bringing me closer to the group of her friends.

"The rules are simple, one of us says something we have done in the past, those who have had the same experience drink a shoot.... Okay?" one boy explains briefly.

"I'll go get the glasses!" jumps up a girl next to Melissa and returns shortly after with a tray full of shoots of I don't know what.

"It's vodka..." she explains without anyone having asked her anything.

"Then let's get started...I'll start!" a boy stands up "I've never ...given a kiss on a first date"

Almost everyone grabs a glass and drinks, including me.
It happened a lot, especially if I liked the girl I went out with a lot, so I throw down the first shoot.

"I've never..." a blonde girl with bright red lipstick on her lips takes the floor. I'm almost spellbound looking at her, not because I like it but because it's so bright that it clashes with everything else on her face.

"...done a striptease" she bursts out laughing and looks at us expectantly.

I've definitely never done it, but some girls including Melissa take a shoot and throw it down in one go. I smile at the thought of them stripping to the music, while Melissa looks at me with a mischievous grin.

"My turn!" she shouts, visibly perked up "I've never... wanted to have sex with a famous person!" she continues to look at me, smiling.

Does Jo count? Technically she's famous now.I pick up my glass and down the fiery liquid all at once, trying to clear my throat soon after. They almost all drink at the end, but I can't help but notice the glare fixed on me from the girl next to me.

"Hero it's your turn!" they spur me on and I think of something to say.

"I've never...Spent the night awake until I see the sunrise."

I know, it's nothing sexy or special but.... Yeah, okay it makes me think of Jo!

The other guys look at me, some drinking and some not.

A memory suddenly pervades my mind, making me smile.

*********************************************************************************August 2018

"I'm telling you it's soon..." she snorts.

"Jo, it's early... it'll be an hour before dawn!" I laugh looking around "They'll think we're crazy if they find us sitting up here..."

"Who cares..." she moves closer to me, putting her legs over mine "Let them think what they want..."

I look at her and can't keep the smile off my face: the moonlight illuminates her face and she looks even more beautiful.

"Look, it's getting lighter over there..." she points to a spot on the horizon.

"It's 5 o'clock..." I pass an arm around her shoulders and pull her closer to me.

We are not together, we are just friends but with her I feel good, so good!

"The problem will be getting down from up here!" I joke looking down.

She convinces me to climb on top of my trailer inside the set, we're on the roof and it's all completely deserted, everyone has gone to sleep... except me and her!

We shot late and she insisted on staying to watch the sunrise. Could I ever say no to her?

Our friends all went to the hotel, exhausted from the busy day.
We were also very tired but we couldn't miss the chance to watch the sunrise. She told me that in Perth she often stayed with her sister awake in the backyard and her gaze is full of nostalgia.She doesn't speak but I can tell she misses home and her family.We stay like this for a while, silently looking ahead, enjoying the silence and peace given by the fact that it is just the two of us within I don't know how many kilometres.In a few hours the set will be packed again and we will probably go to bed, luckily we don't have any scenes to shoot soon this time!

"Next time, I want to see the sunrise on the beach..." she sighs turning to me.

"Okay..." I smile at her "That's a promise..." I breathe in the scent of her hair and pull her closer to me.

"You know..." she sighs "I'm fine here with you..."

She says it almost as if in a whisper and for a moment I think I was just imagining it.

"Me too..." I smile closing my eyes, savouring the moment.

Soon the filming of the movie, our first starring film, will be over and we will each go back to our own lives.
Who knows if it will remain like that, our friendship I mean, or will we lose contact once we return to our usual routine?

"Look..." she sighs, pointing at the horizon again.

The landscape is turning shades of red and orange, it is truly spectacular and slowly everything around us seems to come to life again.The birds begin to sing again, signalling the arrival of the new day.I would like to stay like this for more than a few minutes.I feel her heart beating against my chest, as I continue to hold her close to me, almost as if I feared she might run away who knows where.Jo shifts and for a moment I think she really wants to pull away, instead she settles closer.

"May I?" she turns to look at me.

"Sure..." I spread my legs and sit her down in front of me, as she rests her back completely against my chest.
I encircle her waist with my arms and hold her gently.She sighs closing her eyes and I get lost in her scent.

I seriously want to stop time and stay like this, forever.

*********************************************************************************"Hero, are you there?" Melissa passes a hand in front of my eyes "You're enchanted!!!" she bursts out laughing.

I wake up from my thoughts and mostly from my memories.

"Do you still want to play?"

I look around and the other guys are laughing and joking around, visibly buzzing with all the alcohol in our bodies right now.
Apparently I was so distracted that I didn't notice that we were finally joined by my friends, who disappeared who knows where until just now.

"Hey FT, you alright?" Alex passed an arm over my shoulders and I nodded "You were smiling with a lost look on your face... how much did you drink?"

"I have no idea..."

Actually I don't, especially since we started drinking these vodka shoots.

"You guys want to play? Truth or dare!" a girl in front of us informs us.

Apparently we even changed the game.... How long have I been lost in memories?

"Felix it's your turn!" cheers him Melissa sipping something from a glass "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare!" he laughs amused.

"You have to kiss the first girl you meet!"

"Uhhh" snaps an enthusiastic chorus from everyone, including me.

Stupid games but they seem fun when you're a bit on a roll.Felix turns around and stops the first girl that passes in front of him.
I see him approach her to say something and then he smiles, waiting for her reply.
She points to her cheek and he snaps a friendly kiss at her, bursting out laughing soon after!

"Hey that doesn't count!!!" immediately Alex blurts out, mocking him.

"She's engaged..." shrugs Felix resuming drinking from his glass "I'm a gentleman!"

"Okay then now it's Hero's turn..." he grins "Truth or dare?"

But yes, let's play... "Dare!" I hope he doesn't make me do something weird.

"I dare you to call the first name you have in your last calls on your mobile phone..." exclaims Melissa.

"...and you have to tell her that you miss her!" giggles Felix.

Did they come to an agreement by any chance?

"Easy... the first name will definitely be you, dummy!" I tease him as I turn on the phone screen and open the address book.

"Wait..." Felix grabs the phone out of my hand and quickly types something, only to return it to me soon after.

"Are you crazy?" I look at him crookedly.

He just laughed as he looked at me.

Josephine.

The last call I made was to her!?
How is that possible?

"Felix..." I sigh "How dumb are you, it doesn't count as that..."She clicked over Jo's name and then returned my phone, so now the last name that appears is hers.

"Funny..." I shake my head.

"Go ahead... call her!" he urges me.

"Who do you need to call?" asks Melissa's friend Annie.

"Apparently I have to call... a friend of mine!" I sigh as my heart starts beating faster.

"Come on then! Put it on speaker, we want to hear!" laughs Felix "I still have to say goodbye to her!"

"No way! Forget it!"

"Hero rules are rules..." he laughs.

I snort and without thinking too much I press the call button. My heart leaps in my chest and for a moment I hope she doesn't answer. I don't even know what time it is right now in Los Angeles.

"Hey Hero!"

Her ringing voice leaps into my chest making every fibre in my body vibrate.
It's like being awakened from a beautiful dream.

"Hey..." I say almost breathlessly.

Felix urges me to speak while I can't find the words. The others look at me expectantly, an awkward situation has arisen to say the least.

"Sorry, I'll put you on speakerphone..." I sigh.

"Don't tell her about the obligation though!" whispers Melissa "Otherwise it doesn't count!"

"Where are you? It's so confusing, I can barely hear you..."

"Come on..." Felix reminds me what I have to say to her and I search for words, even though it's only two and I don't have to make it up.

"We're in a club and..."

"Come on!!!" whispers Melissa.

"And... I MISS YOU!" I throw everything out, like a weight off my stomach and for a moment everything seems to stop.
As if the world is waiting with me for Josephine's answer. In the end it's not even a question, she doesn't have to answer, does she?

"Hero..." she whispers "I..."

"No, nothing... just play it cool, really!"

I'm ready to take it all back! Now, now...this instant!Damn me and when I can get caught up in this momentous bullshit!

"Hi Jo!!!" interjects Felix "How are you?"

"Felix? Hey..."

"Are you alright?" he asks trying to ease the tension that has built up.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm... I'm fine, thanks! You?"

I can hear it in the tone of her voice that she's speechless too! I fucked up!!!

"We went out for a bit, otherwise Hero becomes a desperate housewife!!!" he teases patting me on the back.I would either just want to run away or a chasm would just open up so that it would swallow me and end up in the centre of the Earth!

"I guess..." I hear her laugh "I'm going out tonight too... two miracles in one day I'd say!"

"Oh really?" Felix looks at me, probably expecting me to take the reins now.
Instead I'm here looking at a point in the void, not knowing what to say.

"Hero would you like another drink?" Melissa touches my arm and I look at her like I've just received an electric shock.

"What?" I ask.

"A drink... would you like one?"

"Yes... thank you..." I smile at her and take a deep breath.

"Where are you going out tonight?" Felix tries to continue the conversation with Jo, as I'm standing here like a speechless fool.

"We're going for dinner and then I think to a club to dance or so I've been told..." she laughsHow nice it is to hear her laugh again.

"What are you guys doing?" she asks.

The tension seems to have vanished and I suddenly regain control of my thoughts, taking off the speakerphone.

I bring the phone to my ear "We are in a club here in London..."

Finally I can speak, well done Hero! Keep it up...

"I've taken the speakerphone off..." I pull away from the group a little "I'm sorry for calling you at this hour..."

"It's only 6pm" she laughs "Don't worry... I was just getting dressed, Mia's coming to call me soon!"

"Are you late, innit?" I smile.

"As always..." I hear her laugh cheerfully and I can't be happier.

"Hero I... I mean before..."

"Ah..." she refers to what I told her "It was a game... I mean I had to call you and..." I'm making it worse, why don't I just shut up? "They asked me to tell you that... I mean... that I miss you..."

"Ah..." she remains silent and I know I fucked up, I didn't connect my brain to my mouth!!!

"But it's true anyway..." I whisper closing my eyes and slapping my forehead! How stupid am I???

"Okay...So I..." she sighs "I'll leave you to your evening...I have to get ready and..."

"Yeah, sorry...you have to go..." I hasten to say.

The strangest conversation I've ever had in my life I think is this, it goes straight into the top ten!

"Have a good night..." she tells me as I sigh and try to save the day.

"You have a good night too... say hi to Mia..."

"Okay..." she sighs "Bye Hero..."

"Bye Jo..."

She hangs up and I stand like a fool staring into space.
I put my phone back in my trousers pocket and go back to Felix and the others.

"So?" he looks at me smiling waiting for news.

"Nothing then..." I sigh "Let's not talk about it please..."

"Ah..." the smile disappears from his face "Nothing good, huh?"

I shake my head and down another shot of vodka left over from the game we were playing earlier.

"Nothing good..." I repeat, closing my eyes.

Nothing good.