Nathe07
patreon
SH - Chapter 19: Date
🕑 Added 2025-09-05 17:32:44 +0000 UTCOwen and Sophie made the popcorn, turned off the lights, and sat together on the couch. Owen opened Netflix and hit play on the movie.
The Name of the Wind (2021) was directed by David Lowery, a filmmaker who debuted with his first feature in 2009, and this film is without a doubt his most successful, commercially, artistically, and culturally.
Owen had never read the novel in his past life, and the former Owen hadn’t seen the movie either, despite its great popularity.
The story began in an inn, where a solitary man named Kote hides his true identity: Kvothe, one of the most brilliant, dangerous, and legendary magicians in the world. When a chronicler finds him and asks him to tell his story, Kvothe agrees, beginning a tale filled with adventure, mystery, friendship, love, magic, and resilience.
The film travels to the past, where we see a teenage Kvothe raised by a troupe of traveling performers. The character is played by Ansel Elgort.
Owen recognized Ansel. He had seen him act in Baby Driver, a very entertaining action film in his opinion. However, it didn’t exist here.
Baby Driver grossed more than $200 million and only cost around $34 million. Good for him that this movie didn’t exist here. One more opportunity for Owen, since he really liked the film and thought it would be interesting to play Baby (the main character in Baby Driver).
Owen was happy to see that Ansel’s career hadn’t stalled from missing out on Baby Driver and that he had landed the lead role in this great film.
He also remembered him in The Fault in Our Stars, that romantic dramedy about two teenagers with cancer. It had been moving without resorting to cheap sentimentality, and a huge box-office success. Fortunately for Owen, that movie didn’t exist here either.
The film was based on a novel Owen had read, since he had liked the movie so much, and that said a lot, considering he usually wasn’t into dramas, though he did appreciate well-crafted romance.
'I think its budget was at most $15 million and it grossed over $300 million…' Owen thought.
An enormous profit margin. He could produce it himself, playing the male lead that Ansel had portrayed. And as for the female role, he couldn’t help but glance sideways at Sophie.
Of course, the movie had earned so much because it came from a successful novel with an eager fanbase that was thrilled when it was announced for the big screen.
Back to Ansel, his most recent film in this reality before The Name of the Wind was West Side Story (2021), directed by Steven Spielberg.
This movie was a complete commercial failure. It cost over $100 million and barely made $70 million at the box office. Ansel starred alongside an emerging actress named Rachel Zegler, who landed her first leading role.
Her performance was acclaimed and well-received by critics and part of the audience. Unfortunately, the film underperformed in theaters, whether due to poor marketing or something else.
The movie went on, and Owen lost track of time. Denna was introduced, a mysterious young woman played by Florence Pugh, whose performance was excellent.
Owen became completely absorbed in the story, forgetting about Paranormal Activity, post-production, the festival, and everything else.
Sophie, however, had already seen it. She knew every scene, every twist, every pause. Her attention was divided between Owen and the movie. She softly moved closer to him, resting her head on his chest without saying a word.
Owen noticed immediately. Calmly, he slipped his arm behind her and placed his hand on her waist, holding her in a discreet embrace.
Time passed like that.
And when the story reached its end, when the music faded and the credits began to roll on the screen, the clock showed two hours and forty-five minutes had gone by since they hit play.
Owen smiled, satisfied, still caught in the film’s lingering effect. He already wanted to see the second part, knowing the novel was planned as a trilogy.
“What did you think?” Owen asked, looking down at Sophie’s dark hair.
No answer.
Sophie was still there, head on his chest, breathing slow and steady. Asleep.
One of her hands rested on Owen’s chest.
“Sophie…” Owen murmured with a half-smile. “Very unprofessional to fall asleep halfway through a screening when you’re an actress.”
“Eh?” Sophie muttered, slowly opening her eyes and blinking several times before focusing.
“Is it over?” she asked, disoriented.
“About a minute ago. I was ready to debate scenes, but I see sleep got the better of you,” Owen replied, shaking his head.
“I’d already seen it,” Sophie complained sleepily, rubbing one eye. “Besides, I’m more of a horror-movie person.”
“Then next time we’ll watch a horror one, something that won’t let you close your eyes, not even to blink,” said Owen.
Sophie smiled, still half-asleep, and stretched a little.
“How long do you have freedom?” Owen asked, looking at her curiously.
Sophie pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. It was ten-oh-five.
“Until one at the latest. If I take longer than that, you’ll have to face my mom, who’ll think her religious daughter’s been kidnapped by an indie filmmaker,” Sophie replied, setting her phone aside.
“All right, I’ll make sure you’re out of here before one,” Owen said with a slight smile. “Shall we order a pizza? I’m hungry.”
Sophie, as if she had just recharged her batteries with her nap, immediately sat up with renewed energy.
“Yes! Sleeping on you recharges my battery,” Sophie replied enthusiastically.
Owen looked at her with amusement. Even though she had fallen asleep right in the middle of their date, he didn’t see it as a bad thing at all. He had felt comfortable. Close. It was a different kind of date, but it was working.
“So, half pepperoni and what else?” Owen asked as he pulled up the delivery app on his phone.
“I don’t know… Anything but pineapple. If you choose that, I’m leaving,” Sophie warned with a playful smile.
“Pineapple?” Owen repeated with mock indignation. “We don’t commit heresies in this house.”
Sophie let out a soft laugh, and at that moment, Owen stood up.
He reached out his hand to her and, with a gentle gesture, took her by the wrist, slowly guiding her toward him.
Sophie didn’t resist. She let him pull her closer. When she was in front of him, Owen wrapped his arms around her waist and drew her in firmly, yet carefully.
Sophie looked into his eyes, surprised by the gesture—but not displeased.
And then, without saying a word, Owen kissed her.
“You’re bold, you know that?” Sophie said with a slight smile as she pulled away from his lips, still very close to his face.
“After more than two hours of a date, I had to,” Owen replied.
A few minutes later, the pizzas arrived. They settled at the table, sharing slices and chatting, the conversation flowing into their days.
“How did that audition you mentioned go?” Owen asked.
“It’s a short film called Blink and… I got the part!” Sophie finally said after a few seconds of suspense.
“That’s amazing!” Owen said happily. “Let’s toast with Coca-Cola. I can’t offer you the cheap wine Matt bought the other day,” he added.
“I’ll take the Coca-Cola, as long as it’s not the other coke,” Sophie teased with a sly smile as Owen poured the soda into her glass.
“It’s not funny to joke about that. Cocaine addiction is a serious matter, it took me a lot to quit…” Owen said, looking at her intently and in a very serious tone.
Sophie froze for a second. Her shoulders dropped slightly, and her smile faded. She lowered her gaze, clearly embarrassed.
“I’m sorry… I didn’t think you…” she murmured, stumbling over her words.
She knew Owen enjoyed acid humor, they had shared it plenty of times, laughing at rather biting jokes, so she hadn’t imagined this one would cross a line.
But thinking about it, if he had truly been addicted in the past, as he had told her, then that joke must hit on another, much deeper level.
She felt awful. As if she had kicked a wound without meaning to.
Just as she was about to apologize again, Owen lifted his glass of Coke and broke into a smile.
“Gotcha,” Owen said with a grin, chuckling softly. “That was my revenge for earlier.”
Sophie stared at him, dumbfounded, then shoved his arm.
“You’re such a jerk,” she muttered through her teeth, though a smile was already returning.
“But a charming one,” he countered, raising his glass, and she didn’t deny it.
“So, when do you start the short film? Are you the lead?” Owen asked, eager for more details.
“Yes, I’m the lead. The shoot is scheduled for two days, and I’ll be paid $3,500 per day,” Sophie replied with a smile.
“That’s great. I got ripped off with that fitness app commercial,” Owen said, feigning indignation.
Sophie already knew about the commercial Owen had booked, since they’d talked on the phone earlier. “You should sue them,” she joked.
“I’ll think about it. What’s the story about?” Owen asked.
“It’s a horror short. I play Mary, a girl who’s violently pushed out of a window and wakes up in the hospital almost paralyzed. As the plot unfolds, Mary tries to warn her nurse about a supernatural entity that attacked her and is now haunting her in the hospital,” Sophie explained.
“That makes two supernatural beings chasing you now,” Owen said with a slight smile.
“Let’s hope a third one doesn’t join in,” Sophie said, taking a sip from her glass.
“They sure pay well for a short film,” Owen remarked thoughtfully.
“Not everyone can make $20,000 feature films like you. What you accomplished with Paranormal Activity is incredible. You wrote it, directed it, acted in it, and even financed it. That’s not normal, Owen,” Sophie said, praising him.
“You flatter me,” Owen replied.
“And do you think the acting will be challenging?” Owen asked, circling back to the short film.
“Yes, though not as much as Katie, I have to play a character with limited mobility and convey the terror only through facial expressions and blinking. But I’m ready to take it on,” Sophie replied with confidence.
Owen smiled at her response; he liked the confidence she had in her abilities. She wasn’t someone who bragged without reason.
When they finished the pizza, the night wasn’t over yet. They still had a few hours before Sophie had to leave, and they made the most of them.
They talked about everything: strange auditions, movies that had marked them, the Oscars, Will Smith, and more. And between the chatter and laughter, the kisses returned.
But Owen didn’t try to go any further, and neither did Sophie.
Not because there was no desire, there was. But both wanted to move at a steady pace, not rush things.
When the clock was close to striking one, Owen, as he had before, walked Sophie back to her apartment. After saying goodbye with a kiss, he returned home, and the night came to an end.
The days passed, and soon April twentieth arrived, and with it, the first cut of Paranormal Activity was ready to be sent to the festival.
Comments
Calvin Ellis
❤️Thank you for this moment.❤️
