Behind the Time - Herophine

10

JOSEPHINE

It was the end of December, it seemed crazy to accept starting to shooting a movie at that time, because it was winter and mainly because end of year parties were close... But I had nothing to lose, my family is far away, my friends are at home every day... I was standing there, just waiting for an opportunity to arrive, to grab it and not let it go.

The Other Zoey started at the perfect time, and I was so happy! Everything went well, I passed the test, studied the script and I'm embarking on another experience, and nothing will shake me! Neither does he.

The fact that the last conversation with Hero was disastrous could have been my fault... I shouldn't have talked about guys or whatever the idea of ​​a new romance, without him... But... Friends? After all we've been through! It would be crazy in our heads to try to be friends after all we've said to each other... After all we've done with each other... We'd make out in the dressing room!

But yes! We're crazy! We agreed to be friends... So friends is what we will be! But now, I'm going to put friendships aside and focus on my new livelihood! My new movie. North Carolina here I come!

I met the entire cast in the first few weeks of rehearsal for the movie, Drew Starkey will be my love interest in this story. He's smart, handsome, and very funny, he has almost the same time for jokes as I do... But... I'm still a little funnier.

We tested some make-up, clothes, rehearsed, the directors came to talk to us... Like every beginning of a movie... I was anxious! I jumped around for a few minutes in my hotel room, still not believing I was living it all over again.

"WHAT? ARE WE GOING TO SKI?!!!!"

"Yes! It's the next scene Jô! Are you ready to fall face down in the snow and burn your nose?"

"Very ready!"

Drew takes my hand and pulls me to join the team that is storing all the equipment inside the van... We were heading to the shooting location, I couldn't wait!

Drew and I were... Close... Let's just say that, today, our new friendship compares to a friendship of six years... Yes, we spent a lot of time together, we finished each other's sentences, ate together, laughed of the same bad jokes we told, and we made everyone around us almost died laughing at the things we said. Our chemistry in front of the cameras was really good and I was very happy to have Drew there with me, living it all.

I almost didn't think about him... That last conversation, when Hero was still in Africa, was very necessary... And... Even though I know he's already in London, thanks to my FBI informants, the fans... I was happy for him... And for me.

One night, when I was ready to go to sleep, after a full day of shooting, I got a message from the director of Evolution, another movie  that I made.

"Evolution is over! Get ready for the news and everything to come!"

Thanks to After, I had incredible opportunities... In addition to advertising campaigns, branding photos and other wonderful projects, I had the privilege of shooting Moxie, Evolution and now The Other Zoey. Hero like me, had many wonderful opportunities, in addition to campaigns and modeling, he shooted The Silencing, First Love, The Loneliest Boy in the World and now The Woman King... Yeah... After was a watershed in our lives... And... Put us together in this life... Because when I could imagine, me, a girl from Australia, meeting a guy from London, falling in love with him, my coworker... Yeah... Only in this life! And it's over...
Puts... One more night I find myself thinking about Hero... Gotta stop it... He's my friend now! Ah... What nonsense!

Days before Christmas, the cast said goodbye and we wish a happy holidays. Drew and I, with some of the cast, went to a park. It was very funny! We played a virtual reality video game and someone recorded us, we looked crazy! But it was really funny!

As I said, Drew and I were very close, and in another moment we went for ice cream, away from everyone who was with us.

"I'm loving being here with you!"

"Really good, right?"

"A lot!" And then... "Jo, I..."

I feel Drew get closer, I feel heat on my face, and in seconds his lips are on mine. I can't think of anything, I just felt a little despair inside me, and if I stopped, there would be a weird mood between us... What if...

I continued the kiss, tried to let the moment take us, but I couldn't feel anything but our tongues touching, our breathing quickening and my eyes threatening to open... Drew must have noticed too... Because we had let go at the same time:

"It's... Weird, isn't it..."

"Yeah..."

I give up on the ice cream, it was already at the end, and all melted.

"I... I needed to know this, Jô... To try something... Sorry!"

"No! What's this... We're... Very close... This is normal... This mess... I don't know."

"I think about you a lot, you know? Like... I needed to know if... Yeah, if the chemistry we had was..."

"For the movie..."

"Yes... And now I'm sure..." He laughs. And even though that moment was awkward... I couldn't hold back the loudest laugh I'd had in months.

Drew grimaced and then hugged me, and I hugged him back. It's great to have someone like him right now... Even more so after this situation... We kissed! For real now... In the movie, our lips were touching, but with so many angles and cameras everything looks so, fake... And that kiss was real, I know it was real, but I felt absolutely nothing! No tickle...

We went back to the game room with all the guys, no one had missed us, and we were fine! We went back to the video game and loud laughter echoed throughout the park.

It was Christmas Eve and...

THE LAST AFTER MOVIE TEASER IS OUT!

The group went crazy, fans were desperate on social media! I wanted to scream, but I had gone back to the girls' house and I couldn't scream like I wanted to... What a lie! We scream a lot!As soon as I showed them the video, we all screamed and jumped all over the house!

"This deserves a glass of the best drink we have!"

"But Hadley, we don't have any drinks here, the last one, we drank!"

"You did not count on my cleverness, my friends!" Mia held up a bottle of champagne. She had moved into the same house as me and now we share a room, I couldn't be happier! Having my friend from Australia here with me! A part of home was here.

"Let's drink!"

"Merry Christmas!"



HERO

"Yeahh! Another Christmas, M-Boys!"

"Uuuu... I wish... toooo sayyyyy this... IIIII... Lov Yoooou Boyyyss!"

"Out! The old Hero is back! Now he is drunk and sending lots of love!"

"Just like old times! All he needs to do now is sing a song!"

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOO I'M SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO HAPPY!"

"So, let's toast our famous friend's happiness!"

"I'm noooot famous!"

"Alright! Merry Christmas!"

Everything was spinning when I entered the room, it was an unfamiliar house, but it was still in the neighborhood. I sit on the bed and take my cell phone out of my back pocket, check the time... What day is it today?

I open the conversations and scroll a lot, until I reach a person very well known to me, and that I really miss. Everything was still spinning, but I can push the button and record an audio:

"Heeeeyyy! Friiiiiiend! Merry Christmas!!!! IIII... missss... Youuu..."

I lie in bed and close my eyes for a few seconds, I don't know how long I slept, but I wake up and send another audio, almost whispering:

"Hey Jô... I still love you!"

I put my cell phone on the bed, next to my face, close my eyes again... Wow! The M-Boys took me down today!

The light on my cell phone wakes me up again, now definitely, I have no idea what day, time or place I am, I open my eyes with that discomfort and I can only read the words:

"I still love you Herooo!"

On the screen. I sleep again, but now, with a smile at the corner of my mouth.



JOSEPHINE

"WHAT IS THIS?!"

"Owww what happened Jô! Stop yelling!"

We were all sleeping on the living room floor, when I wake up with the sun on my face and take out my cell phone to read the barbarities I had recorded the night before. We were crazy, dancing and singing, happy that it was Christmas, that we were all together and that the teaser was out.

I recorded videos of me singing and screaming for Drew, sent them to Shane too, a good friend I made in the first  After movies, and exchanged messages with Chance... Another friend from the last After movies.

But the message that made me yell at the girls as soon as I woke up went straight to the person it shouldn't!

"Didn't you see me texting Hero yesterday?"

"I saw!"

"And you let your poor drunk friend text..."

"For who? Isn't he just your friend?"

"And he sent cute audios to you! We all listened!"

I was shocked, I was disheveled and my makeup from the day before was all smudged.

"WOOW! Josephine Langford is mute!"

"She can't even defend herself!"

A smile appears at the corner of my mouth, but I decide to head straight to the kitchen, think of something we can eat on this special day... And nothing else!

------------------------------------

 "Happy New Year!"

We were at a party with several famous artists. Mia and the girls heard about it from some friends, asked for invitations and... We're in! Amazingly, there were a lot of familiar people at this party, even Drew was there.

"I can't believe we're going to end the year together!"

I take Drew's arm and lean my head.

"Jô, there's no one in this world I'd like to be with right now, other than you!"

As excited and happy as I was there, at that moment... But... There was a person in this world that I would like to be living this moment with...

"Yeah... Neither do I, Drew..."

And the countdown has begun. 10, 9...



HERO

"8, 7, 6, 5,..."

"I'm so happy to be here with you guys!"

"4, 3,..."

"Let's have a great time tonight!"

"2, 1!!!!!"

"Happy New Year, M-Boys!!!!!!!"

The party was endless, as I always say, the M-Boys don't miss a party and this one was awesome! Full of beautiful and lively people, but I just wanted to be with my friends and enjoy... As if it were the last!