A dude certainly would not have gotten him all stirred up inside.
He wolfed the sandwich, and every bite convinced him to go talk to her. At least thank her and apologize for being such an oaf. He glanced at the blank screen. Wasn’t like he was getting anything done, anyway.
He sat the plate aside, and stood, making his way downstairs in a few seconds.
He found her on the terrace, petting Fluffers on his belly. The dog stretched out his legs, giving her more access, the lucky bastard. For a dog that had all kinds of issues, well, he knew how to appreciate a good thing when he had it.
“Hey,” he said, and only then did she face him.
“Hi,” she said softly, then averted her gaze back to the dog.
He popped his knuckles, and leaned against the wall. He felt a rush of embarrassment. She didn’t say anything, but he sensed she was a bit hurt. Poor girl wanted to be nice, and he’d been an idiot. “Listen, thanks for the sandwich. You didn’t have to.”
She shrugged. “No problem.”
He stepped toward her, and in spite of himself, he kneeled next to where she sat with Fluffers. The dog turned his face to her, stretching his limbs, a silent way to imply that he hoped his massage hadn’t come to an end just because of the intrusive human next to them. “I meant to say… you didn’t interrupt me, because I wasn’t working like I should.”
She eyed him. “I hope it’s not because of me, I didn’t want to—”
He sat back on the ground. “I have been struggling with this story for a while,” he cut her off, and somehow he lifted an invisible weight off his shoulders. “I need progress but my characters aren’t talking to me.”
“Must be hard to write under pressure, huh?” she said, then flashed him a sweet smile. He didn’t detect any trace of resentment in her expression.
“Yeah,” he said.
“What part are you struggling about?” she asked, her hazel eyes searching for his.
Right now, thinking straight was the part he was struggling about. He blinked, willing himself not to let her striking eyes distract him. She showed genuine interest, after all. “My last movie finished with Hunter walking into the sunset after dismantling a European drug ring. His agency thinks he’s dead, but he still wants to revenge the drug lord who killed his brother.”
“That sounds like a great way to start a new one.”
“Yes. Just… words aren’t coming as easily as they usually do.”
“So he wants revenge, but then what?”
The movie ends. “This revenge plot is akin to a suicidal mission. The audience knows the bond Hunter shared with his brother,” he said. He himself had never had a sibling, but always wondered how different his life would have turned out if he had one.
“Yes, but wouldn’t it be nice if he had something else to look forward to? Something different than just the feeling of justice?”
He scratched his chin, thinking. “Hmm….”
She brought her hands together in a silent clap. Fluffers immediately whined, but she didn’t give in and halted the massage. “Maybe a love interest?”
Something else… her words resonated inside him. “This isn’t that kind of movie… but maybe someone he cared for more, to show you what he’d leave behind if he completed his mission and died,” he said, enunciating every word carefully as the thoughts darted in his brain. If Hunter Ford had a personal conflict, an emotional one, to juxtapose his need for revenge, the stakes would get higher. This twist would add a punch to the storyline, and hopefully make for a stronger movie.
“Yes!”
He smiled. “You gave me a lot to think about. Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
“You’re very perceptive. Fast thinker.”
“I had to be… let’s say I had my share of home hopping for a while.”
“Oh.” He realized he didn’t know much about her. His daughter didn’t share personal details of her friends’ lives with him. Through Alyssa’s expressions, sometimes he could see wisdom behind her eyes. Though he assumed that wisdom hadn’t come at no price, and even if she was mature for her age—they were still on two completely different wavelengths. There was no catching up. “I don’t know much about you,” he said.
“Probably better this way. What if I tell you my sob life story and you use it in one of your box office hits?” she said, her voice light.
