On her way back home, Anna started to question the business she got herself into. She didn’t know if she was ready for another ‘one day’ experience.The last time, she felt her heart beat faster than normally but she realized it was nothing but an affair. On the other side, she couldn’t resist the temptation of the offered chance. She may as well enjoy the time with a man, since she hadn’t been around an unknown acquaintance for so long. It was somewhat exciting and she couldn’t keep her lips from curving slightly into a grin.

“In the end, how bad can it get?” She wondered.

Next morning, the bright sunlight got through the curtains inside the silent apartment and woke the small brunette up from her slumber. She opened one eye, blinded by the brightness of the sun rays. It was uncommon for her to wake in such environment since London’s sky was usually occupied with big, fluffy and dark clouds.

After groggily getting out of bed and doing her morning routine, Anna walked into the kitchen, one hand rubbing her tummy while one hand was going through her already messy hair. She was ready to open the fridge when she heard her phone ringing loudly from the living room.  She didn’t feel like walking a few steps towards the coffee table so she ignored the continuously ringing and opened the fridge. When she closed the door, she had the cartoon of milk held into the right hand; the left one was hardly stretching its fingers enough for the pack of cheese, bacon and eggs while between her teeth was hardly held the pack of cookies.

The ringing did stop at one point but it started to beep crazily signalling a few new voice mails. All of them were from Mizuki, telling her friend to dress normally but at the same time to be formal because they were going to meet people with high standards. She rolled her eyes at each detail Mizuki started to talk about and each voice mail had something added to the last. At some point, after finishing her breakfast, her phone rang again. Anna was annoyed by how her nice morning turned into announcements over announcements. She was sick of hearing how to dress and how to act, what to say and when to shut up. She was a grown up 25 years old woman. She knew what she had to do. She grabbed the phone and without looking at the caller ID, she responded.

“I don’t want to hear any more about how you want me to behave. Can’t you just worry about yourself?” The tone she used was calm but sounded very strict and cold. The person on the other side frowned.

“Did I say something yesterday?” The caller wasn’t Mizuki. She didn’t speak for a few seconds, taking the time to actually realize who she was talking with. It was her manager.

“I’m sorry. I thought it’s someone else. I’m really sorry I snapped at you, Sato san” The man didn’t seem very affected by her apology but then, he didn’t really get mad.

“Whatever” His response didn’t scare or worry the woman. She seemed to calm down and breathe in deeply so she could focus on the conversation at hand. “Today it would be really nice if you could come and meet the staff. They are working on a plan to start working on the movie and I’m sure you will want to be there”

“Is it optional? Do I really need to come?”

"You need to come" The answer was short and objective and that was how the conversation continued. He gave her instructions where to go and hung up in a hurry. She groaned, already feeling tired.

The day progressed weird, in her point of view. She dressed and even read a few passages from her book. She highlightened a few of them, as well. Those were details that had to be included into the movie no matter what.

When she arrived at the studio, there was so much going on. Many people were running from one side to the other in a hurry. She could swear she was back in London at the publishing company. She slipped through the numerous busy humans and hardly reached a door when someone pulled her behind a curtain. From the moment she had been crushed into a tight hug, she knew who kidnapped her.

“Takeshi, we’ve seen each other a few days ago. I know you miss me but I can’t breathe” The man sighed. He let her go and messed her hair.

Looking around, she realized he probably pulled her into one of the changing rooms. It had clothes scattered everywhere as well as make up kits and four big tables where the makeup artists and hairstylists were doing their jobs.    

“So I guess you aren’t a hotshot designer yet” Takeshi smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. He had a purpose in life but he enjoyed meeting and talking to famous people too, even though he was just a mere designer for television shows. “Does that mean you are part of the staff I have to meet today?” He raised an eyebrow, a little uncertain. He was indeed working on the set but he was more surprised that she actually took the time to visit.

“I am. You will meet a lot of people, you know. The hairstylists, the camera men, the light men, the director, the producer, etcetera, etcetera” She wasn’t interested to meet the workers but she was curious to meet the actors and the director personally.

For the few hours she spent walking around with Takeshi, she indeed met a lot of people he knew but she also met, quite coincidentally, the director.

“You have to be Anna! I’m so happy to meet you!” He bowed, politely but somehow she couldn’t do the same. She had the upper hand because she wrote the plot of his movie and that made her feel superior. “I’m sorry but our principle actors have been held by their early schedules and couldn’t make it” The curiosity she had disappeared in that moment. She didn’t care about anything but the actors. She wanted to know more about their personalities and chemistry. It was a must to have the right chemistry between them, like she had with that man.

"Then, how will I be able to see how they interact?" The older man rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He knew how important her word was for his movie since she could retreat her approval anytime. That would make everything troublesome. He also saw how she didn't hold any spark into her eyes, which made him directly think how unimpressed she was. It was just too bad that the principle actors couldn't make it and she didn't know what her role was anymore.

"Firstly, there are a few things we have to discuss regarding the script. Watanabe-san has a few questions for you and I'm sure they will degenerate into a whole process. I wanted you to get familiar with everything but we'll just have to start with the hard things" He smiled, with more confidence and formality. He was going to be a hard man to handle, she was sure of that.

 For about three hours, the director and scriptwriter looked over Anna’s notes and came to the conclusion that she should participate to every meeting held. Her ideas were more realistic than the original script so the director chose to let her make changes when they were needed. It was already six o’clock when she finished her schedule and panicked when she realized she was expected to meet Mizuki in an hour. She pushed the corrected script into the small bag and rushed out the door.

 

Fate is quite surprising because when she stepped outside the studio, a pair of  red converses walked out of the same place. They passed each other but nothing happened. They were so engrossed into their own thoughts that the world around them dissapeared. They had just one purpose: to meet their friends for a double blind date. 

 

“I guess you look acceptable” Mizuki eyed Anna from head to toe from the second she came into view. She wore a black sleeveless dress, complimenting her long legs and her collarbone. Over it she had a thin shawl. She had a light touch of grey and dark blue makeup which highlighted her eyes. Also, since she wasn’t a fan of high heels, she chose a pair of long black boots. She didn’t look as fancy as Mizuki wanted but she was pretty.

“I wasn’t going to dress for a wedding. From your voice mails I realized you will do that but here you are, wearing pants, high heels and a sleeveless shirt” The older woman scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Anna smirked and playfully pushed her friend.

“I got a call from Chris before you came. He said your partner had a few problems to take care of so they may be a little late” Anna rolled her eyes and scoffed. The motion didn’t go unnoticed by Mizuki who slapped her friend’s arm.

“Anyway, Takeshi called me yesterday. He wants us to hang out like old days”

“I know. I also know that won’t happen soon because of our schedules” Mizuki nodded sadly. It was mostly her fault because she was the busy surgeon. It was hard enough to have that night off and she didn’t know when she will have another chance at freedom.

“Oh, I heard your book gets adapted into a movie. I also heard some hot actors will play in it” She moved her eyebrows up and down, having what Anna would have called ‘starry eyes’.  “Call me if you scratch your knee on the set” She nudged the younger woman. Anna started to laugh. Why would she scratch her knee on the set? She was practically just watching everything roll and give adjustments when needed.

 

While starting to get caught into her own world, Mizuki caught sight of the two awaited men. She inspected them from afar. There was a guy who looked to be around her age with light brown hair, styled in a certain way, dressed quite fashionably. And there was his friend who wasn’t dressed to impress but didn’t look bad either. He was taller than the first one and he seemed to be 100% Japanese. She figured that probably the fashionable one was her date while the one who didn’t seem to have put much effort into his looks was his friend.

“Anna” She whispered when she saw how close they were. Since the brunette didn’t respond Mizuki pinched her. When she turned, the Japanese woman pointed with her head towards the two males. For a moment Anna didn’t seem very interested. When the boys got closed enough, she could finallt see them well. Her eyes widened a little and for a second she stared intently at him. Faster than she imagined, she turned her eyes away and tried to avoid looking at him.

On the other side, the taller man got equally surprised. His eyes didn’t widen but he gasped, even though it was unnoticeable. He couldn’t take his eyes off her. She looked different, grown up actually. She had the same wandering green eyes, the same petite figure and the same superior demeanor around her.

“Sorry we were late. This guy here had to run off somewhere just a few hours before the date. He returned right on time, though” Mizuki was already swiped off by her date.

That man seemed perfect from every angle and he had a boyish smile planted on his face.

“By the way,” His eyes traveled to Anna who was trying really hard to keep her eyes on the younger male. “I’m Chris, 25 years old bachelor” He bowed cutely and smiled towards the unknown person. “This is my friend, Osamu” He nudged his friend, even though the reaction was very small. “He’s a great photographer; even got awards for his projects!” The sentence was obviously addressed to Anna because he was going to be her date and he had to look impressive.

“I’m Mizuki, awesome surgeon” She also bowed towards both guys, politely. “This is Anna. She’s also a great writer” Anna smiled nervously to Chris. As as fast as it came, it disappeared.   

The way to the restaurant was horrible and awkward for both subjects. When he wasn’t stealing glances at her, she would. When Mizuki or Chris would try getting them to talk about random subjects, they would respond fast and with limited words. Chris was mostly talking with Mizuki and was walking besides her, so Anna and Osamu were the ones left behind, walking in synch. They didn’t utter a word the whole time. Even after arriving at the restaurant, they kept silent. Even though she tried to look unaffected, Nao’s stares were very strong. He would watch her do anything, even ignoring him.  For him, seeing her again meant more than she could imagine.

“So, Anna”

Chris saw how awkward his friend was acting. He was surprised that he didn’t take the initiative yet, like he would have had on other dates. He was silent and was watching the petite woman intently. He had never seen Osamu like that and he wanted to know what was so special about that mere writer.

“I heard from Mizuki that you actually finished business and management. How come you ended up as a writer?” Anna’s eyes didn’t move nor sparkle. She didn’t care at that moment about Mizuki or Mizuki’s date. The only important thought she had was how cruel life was.

“I made a deal with my parents when I was young. As long as I will give a shot they will support me through a business career. However,” Her eyes slowly traveled to Osamu, who surprisingly had his eyes set on his empty plate. “Throughout the years I realized that I lost my will to inherit the family business so I gave up” Chris nodded, analyzing in his head the new acquired information.

“And what about your relationship now? I mean, with your parents”  Anna chuckled and started to play with the fork, making circles on the napkin.

“I gave up on the life of young and rich. I took it from the bottom, like everyone else. The only income was working part time, back then. Now, I am a full time writer and my life is stabilized” She didn’t take her eyes from the napkin.

It wasn’t a sad story; it wasn’t like she didn’t know what she was getting into. She didn’t want that rich bachelor’s pity. She was a grown up adult who had every right to do anything she wanted as long as it was for her own good.  

However, even if in her point of view she was pretty accomplished with the path she chose, Osamu wasn’t. He lived that kind of life before, where he would walk aimlessly, looking for a job or for a reason to keep going. He knew she was rich from her attitude but it seemed as if she kept that superiority even after 4 years. Truthfully, he blamed himself. They met when she wasn’t sure what she should do in life and he just gave her a push towards a choice that practically ruined her.

“But it’s fine. The first year was difficult, I won’t lie,” She chuckled while remembering how many silly mistakes she used to make. However, that wasn’t the of her feelings. “I was all alone” She mumbled, trying to sound as soft as possible so no one would be able to hear.

“What about Osamu-kun?” Mizuki was trying her best to keep the conversation going or at least make the two talk to each other. It wasn’t going very well. Osamu was either shy or not interested whatsoever in Anna. She came to the assumption that maybe they were completely different and didn’t like each other at all. With all those thoughts running through her head, when Osamu started to talk Mizuki could swear she wanted to slap both of them really hard.

“I started as a freelancer but now I have stabile connections. As a photographer I’m always on the run” He smiled cutely at Mizuki and continued. “I met a lot of different people and I can’t say I am able to stay somewhere for more than a few weeks”

“I’ve seen that” Anna’s mumble didn’t go unnoticed by Osamu. His attention was on her the whole time. He didn’t care what Mizuki thought about him as long as afterwards, he could talk to Anna.

“Osamu is-how can I explain it- very difficult” Chris continued, using his hands to describe his friend. He was very suggestive. “He tried to have relationships before, or at least I tried to get him to, but he’s always completely parallel” The defendant chuckled softly, trying to make it all go away by shaking his head. It didn’t work. Chris started to establish Osamu’s past relationships which were a nightmare for him but Anna found it quite funny. She would laugh and would actually show more than one facial expression.

“At least one of us is smiling” He mumbled while shifting in his seat. He didn’t seem to care if she heard, moreover, the complaint was towards her and it didn’t go unnoticed. She laughed it off as if nothing happened but for the first time that night, her eyes sparkled.