Fated (A Chris Evans Series)

Pure Gold

By the time Chris and Denise returned home from their skydiving trip, her film had been seen by the first group of film critics, press members, and regular audiences. Their reviews and reactions had been released into the World Wide Web, either on the site of the journals they were working for, or on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. All of Denise's platforms were blowing up with notifications, everyone was buzzing about her Hollywood debut. And thanks to the dedication of Chris' fans who felt obligated to mention him in all relating posts, he was drowning in Twitter notifications. It took a little deliberation before they dove into reading. It was still her birthday after all and he didn't want harsh critics or internet trolls to ruin it for her with their bad reviews and hateful comments.

"What was the first thing you said to me after you watched my movie?"

Chris had been the first person to watch the finished product, upon the director's request. Her production team made her a copy which she then passed onto her husband to watch; a yellow legal pad as his only company. Denise's only request before she left Chris to watch her film was "don't watch it as my husband, watch it as an actor and a fellow director." As good as it would've felt to hear what he thought as her husband, she wanted his honest and unbiased review. It was the only way she was going to know if she had a shot in the industry. Because if the one person she trusted and admired the most couldn't even offer her that, she knew she had no chance at succeeding, let alone surviving in the Hollywood industry.

"'I have chosen the movie for our next movie night,'" he promptly answered and she laughed. He knew she was talking about what he'd said after that first sentence, but he liked how she laughed every time he repeated that. "'If that is your debut into Hollywood, I was right when I said you're going to go on to do amazing things.'" He recited what he'd said, word for word; she smiled. "And you're going to be okay because of that?"

"I'm going to be okay because of you," she corrected.

And she was.

Majority of what they found on social media platforms were positive reactions. They all showed a great appreciation for the movie she'd made, as well as a deeper understanding of why Chris Evans fell in-love and married her. Chris easily agreed with everything they were reading, including "it seems like he's the lucky one in their relationship." Then, of course, they stumbled upon the section of negative comments and hateful claims. The most common ones included: "She obviously got the job because of her husband," "definitely wouldn't pay to see it again," and "stop rubbing your perfect fucking life in our faces." The first one they felt had been played out, the second wasn't unheard of with most films, and the last one was really more funny than hurtful.

The professional reviews had a mixture of positive and negative reactions, much like what they'd found on social media. But still, Denise was okay. There was no point in getting mad about, or crying over what they had to say. They were professionals, their job was to review movies. Even if they were occasionally meaner than they had to be, they knew what they were talking about. The best, and really only thing she should do was to take everything on as constructive criticism to better her next attempt at filmmaking. She was already so incredibly happy with the amount of good reviews and positive reactions she'd received that the bad reviews and negative reactions couldn't shake her even if they tried.

Other than social media notifications and online reviews, Chris and Denise's phones were also blowing up with congratulatory phone calls and texts from family and friends that had also read the reviews. Everyone displayed their excitement for the private viewing party they were planning to host soon, as well as their pride for what Denise had done. Chris' old cast mates from Marvel, and all the other friends he had in Hollywood that she'd befriended too- all took to their social media, congratulating her, while helping her promote her movie; a great act of faith as many of them were yet to see it. Denise noted all of them down so she could call them and personally thank them for their support.