November 11th, 2019
"So," Kate prompted, sipping on a mocha that someone from the set had gotten for her. She sipped it slowly, but loud enough for people to hear. Nith grinned, taking a sip of his water. Some habits never die. "The signing went well?"
Nith nodded. Happy purred from his lap as he scratched her on the head.
"She is so docile."
Nith scoffed, rolling his eyes. "You haven't seen her in the morning yet."
"I want to meet her." Kate placed her cup on the table. The trailer was pitch black and - according to Kate - she was too lazy to turn on the lights. So it forced Nith to make out her movements from the shadows on the darkened computer screen. And he was failing at it miserably. "Are you going to Vlomot for new years?"
"I am always home during the new year, you know ..." he trailed off.
Kate moved again. Nith could barely see her face in the darkness. His eyes hurt and he knew a headache was coming at how much he was forcing himself to focus on her. Yet he refused to wear his glasses in front of Kate. Even though she was miles away, separated by the screen, Nith knew the teasing he would get would be relentless. He didn't want that.
"How is your dad doing? Nick and little Lia? How are they?"
"Little Lia isn't little anymore. All grown up now. In college, studying filmmaking, or directing. Last time we talked she couldn’t decide." He shrugged. "She is actually in Mbona School of Fine Arts."
"Wait, seriously!"
"Yeah." Nith shook his head. "She moved out a year ago."
"Ian, he's taking it well?"
"Dad's … getting there."
She nodded, knowingly.
The voices of others drifted through the half-closed door. With just a few more days of shooting left for Cat Woman, the set was bustling with activity. Kate only had one more scene left before she was done for the day.
"I read one of your books yesterday."
Nith stopped stroking Happy. The cat nudged his hand to go on. "Ye-yeah?"
"Yeah. Mother read all of them, apparently. So I asked her, and she told me to try Murder at Grayville. But when I asked the people on the set, they told me to read MS? Apparently it’s super romantic and I just had to read it. I told them to get me that." She took a large sip of her drink before she started to talk again, "But the book was sold out." Nith lets out the breath he was holding in. "So they got me Murder at Grayville." She shifted again, coming closer to the tablet. "Read the whole thing during breaks. It was really good. Short but good."
"I am glad you liked it." Nith smiled. "It's my favorite so far."
Kate took another sip, finally finishing it with a loud slurp. "I love the mystery of it. What is the story of your other one? The famous romantic one? MS?"
"You won't like it." His eyes flicked at the blue diary in his bookcase before coming back to rest on the screen. "Trust me, you won’t like it."
"Why?"
"It's girly?"
Kate snorted. "I am a girl. And that is such a sexist-slash-lame excuse. You could do better, dodo."
Nith’s lip twitched up at the nickname, a low chuckle vibrating through him. He hadn’t heard that in years. "You just won't like it."
"Fine, don't tell me." She huffed, crossing her hands over her chest. Nith smiled.
Happy moved under his hand before getting up from his lap. The cat slowly walked inside Nith's bedroom, presumably to sleep without the chatter. It was past 1 am. Happy rarely stayed up this long.
"Did she just walk out on us?"
"You should be happy that Happy stayed awake so long for you."
This time Kate chuckled. Her fingers played with the straw in the darkness. "I'm thinking of visiting home this new year's holiday." Kate moved closer to the camera. Nith could see a few strands of her hair. "Haven't gone home in years … I kinda miss it," her voice in a whisper. " I'm tired of being Kate Aurum."
"You look tired."
She picked up the tablet from the stand, bringing it closer. "Let's meet then. In Vlomot for new years. Make sure to bring Happy an-''
Someone knocked on the trailer's door, cutting her off mid-sentence. The door creaked open as a girl poked her head inside, her ID card dangling from her neck. "Miss. Aurum, we are ready for you."
Kate cursed under her breath, making Nith laugh. "Coming," she called back. "I have to go," she said to him. "Call me again."
"I will."
November 13th, 2019
📰Weekly Spotlight's Breaking news: Actress Kate Aurum spotted reading 'Murder at Grayville' by Nithan Sage on the set of Catwoman 4.
↪️ Replying to @weeklyspotlight @Katesfan Queen has taste!
↪️ Replying to @weeklyspotlight @everythingsucks why is everyone acting like a grown woman reading a book is something to celebrate?
↪️ Replying to @everythingsucks @Katesfan shut up!
↪️ Replying to @weeklyspotlight @Paleman Is that any good?
↪️ Replying to @Paleman @Lizzylover It won the national award for best mystery book of 2018. So what do you think?
↪️ Replying to @weeklyspotlight @Ftzbutthole Read Maybe Someday queen!
↪️ Replying to @weeklyspotlight @Lizzymydarling I have been a fan of hers for years. Kate hates reading books. Seeing her read my favorite author T-T
↪️ Replying to @Lizzymydarling @Lizzylover Is she hinting us something?? About her next project? Or am I thinking too far ahead?
November 15th, 2019
1.30 pm
PHOTO SENT
PHOTO SENT
2.15 pm
Party?
2.15 pm
Close. The wedding Julie was catering for got canceled. So, she invited everyone over.
2.16 pm
Damn. Condolences to the bride.
Give me the tea.
2.17 pm
Tea?
2.17 pm
Tea as in drama.
Why did it get canceled?
2.17 pm
The bride ran off with her high school sweetheart.
2.18 pm
Wow.
Condolences to the groom then.
2.18 pm
What are you doing?
2.19 pm
Just got back to the hotel.
2.19 pm
Now?
2.20 pm
Yeah. It was an all-nighter.
2.20 pm
Done for the day then?
2.20 pm
Yup.
I have a day off tomorrow but the next shot is an action scene. So probably going to spend the whole day rehearsing.
2.21 pm
Sounds tough.
2.22 pm
Not really. I like beating the shit out of people.
2.22 pm
I know that.
I saw you beating people twice your size.
2.23 pm
Ah, memories.
2.23 pm
What will you do if people find out?
2.23 pm
What? That I bullied bullies?
Or that I bullied the bullies of famous author Nithan Sage?
2.24 pm
I wonder if Billy still has that bruise.
2.25 pm
Which one was billy?
I beat up a lot of people.
2.25 pm
Billy was the one who tried to steal our lunch money in middle school.
2.26 pm
Your money
That kid with the mustache?
2.26 pm
That's the one.
2.27 pm
Yeah why did a 13 year old have a mustache?
2.27 pm
Puberty?
2.30 pm
Kate?
Katie?
2.35 pm
Rest up.
November 27th, 2019
"I' can't sleep."
"What?" He looked at the time on his phone. "Is this why you decided to call me at 4.30 am?" Nith sat up, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand.
"Shit!" He smiled at her voice. "I totally forgot about the time difference. It's only 11 pm here. Go back to sleep."
"No, no." Nith rubbed the sleep off his eyes. "Let's talk. I am up already."
"No, go to sleep."
"Katie," - sleep be damned - "it's ok. We can talk." He slowly got away from his bed, not trying to wake up his sleeping cat. The bed cracked under him, but Happy stayed asleep. Nith stepped into the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him. "I didn't know that Kate Aurum didn't had any friends apart from me."
"Oh, it's hard being famous," she jests.
He laughed. "How was your day? Did you have dinner?"
"You're like Dad always asking me if I ate or not."
"Well did you?" He didn’t need to see her to know that she was rolling her eyes. Nith smiled.
"I did. Watched TV while I ate."
"Sounds like a great evening." Nith walked past the bookshelf, halting at the sight of the blue diary. His long fingers trailed across the cover.
"It was."
"Yeah?" A smile on his lips as he pushed the diary back into its place at the back. "Are you done with the shoot?"
"Yeah, just a bit of dubbing left. Then I can go home!"
"When are you coming?" He walked past the couch, mindful of not stepping on Joy and Happy’s toys lying on the floor. He should have cleaned them before going to sleep. "How long are you planning to stay?" Leaning against the glass wall that overlooked the garden, he switched ears.
"Maybe sometime after the 20th? I have some interviews to do and a few additional shots. I will fly straight home the day they say it's over. I miss Vlomot so much."
"Beth?" Nith spoke carefully, "She's excited?"
Kate laughed, it sounded forced. "Oh, Mother is excited alright. Almost as much as I am. She called me twice yesterday. Asking if there was anything I would want."
"So what did you ask for?"
"Ann's carrot cake." Nith froze as he listened. "I know the one at your bakery doesn't taste the same. Still, you know?" Kate spoke hurriedly, "I missed her cooking more than I missed my mother's. And her carrot cakes the most," her voice softened. "You know, I travel a lot. And every time I go somewhere new, I would find a bakery to try their carrot cake. To see if it tasted like your mom's or not."
"Did you find any place?"
She popped her tongue. "Nope. No one can make carrot cakes like her."
"Yeah. Mom was good at that."
"I miss Ann," her voice was low as she said it. "She would have called us every day to ask us to visit." Nith traced his fingers around the edges of the glass panels as he listened to her talk. Kate yawned. "And she definitely would have come to visit all the time with her cupcakes. We wouldn't have lost touch if she was here."
"Yeah," he agreed. "She wouldn't have let that happen." A silence followed as he listened to her breath over the line. "Hey, Kate?"
"Hmm?"
"If you want I can make it for you. The cake I meant. It probably won't taste the same cause I am terrible at baking but you know? Or I can ask Nick? He is better at baking than me." Nith’s hand raked through his hair. "Yeah. I clearly remember her making it once and he can make it like that. The cakes they make at the bakery … they don't do it the same way. So maybe that's why?" Nith rambled. "I don't know. But if you want, when we go back home, I can make Nick bake it for you." He let a nervous breath out, waiting for her to answer. But she didn't reply. Pushing the phone away from his ear he checked if the line had gotten disconnected or not. It wasn't. "Katie." He called, waiting. "Amare?"
"Hmm" only came from the other side.
Nith chuckled to himself. "Sweet dreams."
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