TO HAVE & HAVE NOT

24

Johnny

Olivia and I had shared a few scenes together on set, and from the moment we first worked together, I found myself in awe of her professionalism.

For someone her age, she carried an air of maturity that seemed almost seasoned, especially in an environment that could easily overwhelm less experienced actors. It was a refreshing contrast to my own occasional lapses as I struggled to keep the lines straight in my head and the pacing steady.

Olivia always arrived ready to dive into the characters we were portraying, her lines memorized with the ease of someone who had been doing this for years rather than just a few months. She exuded patience and kindness when I stumbled over my words or arrived late, often apologizing profusely for my lack of punctuality.

"I'm so sorry, I'm late," I gasped one day, catching my breath as I nervously paced behind the camera while we awaited Collin to call "Action!" I felt embarrassed, chastising myself for my lack of discipline at this stage in my career.

With a warm, reassuring smile, Olivia merely laughed sweetly as she lightly caressed my arm, diffusing the moment's tension. "Here's what I've learned," she said while playfully rolling her eyes, "there's real-time, which we're in right now, and there's Johnny time, which was right before this." Her humor brought a lightheartedness to my anxiety, reminding me that we were all just trying to find our footing in this unpredictable world of performance.

It was in those moments, amidst the bustling energy of the set and the looming excitement of our next scene, that I realized how fortunate I was to share this experience with someone like her—someone who not only understood the pressures of our craft but also transformed those pressures into laughter, making our collaboration so much more enjoyable and vibrant than I could have imagined.

When I forgot my lines, my hand hit my forehead in pure embarrassment, a physical manifestation of the internal turmoil that ensues when the words that usually flow effortlessly from my lips vanish into thin air. It's a cringe-worthy experience that I can only liken to standing on stage in front of a thousand eyes, unprepared and at a loss.

Yet, in that moment of vulnerability, Olivia, with her impeccable sense of humor, found it utterly hilarious, her laughter ringing like music against the backdrop of the bustling set. "What? Johnny, what did you say?" she teases, her head tilting back exaggeratedly, eyes gleaming with mischief.

It's hard to be embarrassed when her joy is so infectious, and suddenly, I find myself laughing along with her, the initial embarrassment dissipating into camaraderie as everyone on set joins in the chaotic merriment that my blunder has sparked. "I'm glad you all have found this enjoyable!" I express, my cheeks heating up, but a smile breaks through my faux-serious demeanor.

Just then, in her playful enthusiasm, Olivia called out to Collin with a wide grin and a mischievous elbow to my side, "Collin, can we keep that in the final production of the film?" Her suggestion hangs in the air, a testament to my forgetfulness and the delightful spirit of collaboration that defined our work.

But the time was coming, and now it had come—the day our characters would kiss on camera, a moment that for weeks had loomed over me like a storm cloud, both thrilling and anxiety-inducing. I could hardly pinpoint the source of my nervousness, but it pulsed through me like electricity, mingling with the excitement that bubbled beneath the surface.

"Action!" Collin shouted from behind the camera, and the world around me faded as I turned to Olivia, who stood in front of the dressing room mirror, the soft glow of the lights illuminating her beauty.

We were a perfect duo; our rehearsed lines floated between us like breath as the banter we'd crafted over countless takes eased the tension in my mind.

My eyes became fixated on her bright smile, the way it lit up her soft features and radiated warmth; instantly, she transformed from merely the character she was meant to portray into something much more profound—Olivia, the girl who had effortlessly stolen my heart.

As I reached out, my hand gently tugged her chin up toward me, our gazes locking in a moment that stretched out like an eternity, and I felt an unspoken connection surge between us. I couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she wasn't seeing me as Bogart at all but as Johnny, the person behind the role, the person that she had come to know.

With a sudden surge of courage, I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers, sweetness and surprise colliding in that heart-stopping instant; to my astonishment,  she leaned into the kiss, deepening it in a way that ignited every nerve ending in my body.

I was so utterly lost in the kiss that the world around us faded into a blur, the only sounds being the soft rustle of our clothes and the whisper of our breaths. It wasn't until Collin's voice cut through the haze—"Cut!"—that I finally became aware of my surroundings, my lips parting slightly, still tingling from our shared connection. My hand instinctively flew to my mouth, feeling the lingering vibration from our kiss, a siren song that echoed in my veins, while her eyes, wide and shimmering, never broke from mine.

My mind struggled to piece together the reality of what had just unfolded between us, a whirlwind of emotions capturing the essence of something that felt undeniably real, leaving both my heart racing and my thoughts in joyful disarray.