Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Kate, there’s a call for you,” A young lady said loudly as she pushed the door to a room.
“How many times have I told you, Samantha? Knock before you come in.” Kathrin, who was writing at her desk, looked up at her sister. “Who is it?”
“Do you do unpresentable things in your room?” Her sister ridiculed, then waved her hand. “It’s the director who invited you to act in his movie.”
“That director?” Kathrin was stunned. “Did you mean… Adrian Cowell?”
“Is that his name?” Samantha thought for a while. “I can’t remember, you never told me when you came back.”
She added, “Anyway, only one director invited you to act in a movie recently, right?”
Right after that, Kathrin sprung up from her seat then ran out. Samantha was startled for some time.
“Uhm… Hi!” Kathrin uttered through the phone after a moment of hesitation.
“Hi… Kate… Have you been well?” Adrian sounded weak and weary.
“I… I’ve been well. What’s the matter?” Kathrin played with the corner of her skirt subconsciously.
“Uhm—I wanted to ask if you’re free now… I’m having a little bit of trouble, and I don’t have friends of the opposite gender in London, so…” Adrian was helpless and tired.
“I think… I think… It should be fine since I’m still on a break… Where are you now?” Kathrin tried to make herself sound calm.
“I’m on Propus Street, and I must say that your address is hard to find.” Adrian sounded relieved.
“Can you see the junction at Propus and Merlin? Alright, I’ll be there in 10 minutes.” When Kathrin hung up, she was at a daze for a while before she called out, “Mom!”
“What is it?” Her mom walked out.
“I have to go out, and I might be home late.” Kathrin then ran up the stairs, so much so that she did not hear her mom.
“What is this about?” Her mom asked Samatha who was just walking down the stairs.
“She probably has a date with that director.” Samantha shrugged.
“Director?” Her mom frowned instantly.
As soon as Kathrin closed the door, she leaned against it as she stared at the ceiling, and was breathing quite heavily. She opened her wardrobe a few seconds later. After trying on a few clothes in the mirror, she finally settled with a long-sleeved beige dress, then fixed her hair, and put on some makeup.
“This is absurd, what am I doing?!” She only felt that something was off after she was done.
“He’s just a normal friend, why am I acting like…” She fell silent when she looked into the mirror.
For some reason, Kathrin hoped that Adrian would call her in the two days after she returned home, and the thought lingered in her mind like a virus. She recalled the events during the shootings from time to time, such as the embarrassing moment when he took the wrong coffee pot, the time he explained the plot to her seriously, the comfort and advice from him before she left, and when he worked out a novel outline by looking at her. Especially when she remembered him coming up with a novel idea, as well as the simple sketch of the character, her heart beat inexplicably.
However, Adrian did not call even after more than ten days, thus she slowly got rid of that thought. After all, it was a chance encounter, and there was no need for them to stay in contact after the shooting completed. With that being said, her heart throbbed again once she picked up the phone, so much so that it was going to jump out.
‘I’m just… a little sensitive.’ Kathrin comforted herself, then quickly hurried out after she noticed the time.
“Kate,” Her mom who stopped her at the door asked, “Are you going out for a date? With the director?”
Kathrin was startled for a while before she quickly shook her head. “No, mom, he’s just a friend. I told you that he’s a director for… Experimental films. He’s not much older than me. Alright, I’m going to be late, I’ll tell you when I’m back later.”
Without further ado, she scurried out of the door, then jogged to her destination. It was her only way to hide her fluctuating emotions.
Before long, she arrived at the junction of Propus Street and Merlin Street, where she noticed Adrian from a distance. He was waiting outside his car and stood out even though he was wearing a simple dark-colored casual outfit.
“I’m sorry, I”m late,” Kathrin adjusted her breathing as she said.
“It’s alright, it’s just a few minutes. Besides, women are born to make men wait, right?” Adrian waved his hand, then smiled when he looked at her. “You’re very pretty today, Kate.”
“Thank you.” Kate stuck her tongue out playfully, then asked him seriously, “Did anything happen?”
While Adrian looked like he was in good spirits, Kathrin still noticed his tiredness and his slightly bloodshot eyes.
“Get in the car first.” Adrian gestured, then opened the door for her.
“Did you rent this?” Kathrin asked after she got in.
“Yes, renting a car is more convenient.” Adrian nodded, then started the engine.
“Where are we going?” Kathrin asked again.
“Honestly… I don’t know, my mind’s a mess now.” Adrian smiled bitterly. “I basically never left the studio, and I’ve been so occupied with shots that need to be edited. On top of that, there aren’t many backup shots from the shootings since we were rushing, so I must be careful with the editing. I’ve been in a terrible mood because of all the stress, and I scolded the others multiple times. I know that’s bad, but… I think if I can pour out to a friend of the opposite gender, perhaps I’ll feel better.”
Although Kathrin calmed herself down the moment they met, there were still ripples from the bottom of her heart.
“Let’s take a walk by the River Thames, the breeze might make you feel better,” she suggested.
Being the second-longest river in Britain, the River Thames was an extremely important channel and was also England’s mother river. On both sides of the river that flowed through London were the Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, the Tower of London, Big Ben, the Tower Bridge, and so on. It gathered England’s cultural essence. Therefore, tourists in London be it local or international would tour the River Thames.
“That’s not a justification, Eddy. You actually know very well that you want to perfect this work because it’s your first, so… You have a slight obsessive-compulsive disorder.” Kathrin and Adrian sat on a bench by the River Thames at that moment. She held a bag of fish and chips and took a bite of the fish after she commented. Her casual act was the opposite of her delicate facial features but made her look adorable.
“I didn’t know that you’re a psychologist.” Adrian who had a bag of fish and chips too shrugged.
“Because I had anorexia when I started to smoke, and I wouldn’t eat no matter what. I would vomit after taking a few bites, so I’m familiar with that feeling.” Kathrin sighed.
“You won’t notice it since you’ve been immersed in your work, and you reprimanded your assistant, so you need an outsider like me to remind you.” She looked at Adrian with a smile.
Adrian pursed his lips, then asked seriously, “Should I reprimand you too then?”
“Come on, didn’t you reprimand me enough on set? I know that you reprimanded me the most! Oh lord, I only acted for a few days!” Kathrin waved her hand as she was unhappy.
“I stopped making things difficult for you after the coffee pot incident,” Adrian recalled.
“That’s right, so I’ll minus a few days from that, which means that you reprimanded me more than anyone else in just two to three days, which is terrifying!” Kathrin remarked.
“Alright, we’ve talked enough about this. The way to solve this is very simple.” She suddenly stood up and grabbed his hand. “Let’s walk around, I’m sure you haven’t been to many places although you’ve stayed in London before. If you’re not interested in the buildings, we can go to Portobello’s market, or explore the famous alleys. Come on, Eddy, you should always take a break no matter how busy you are. Let’s go!”
Adrian smiled upon seeing her youthful character, so he held her hand tightly. “Let’s go then.”
Time always passed by quickly, and soon the sun was setting. They returned to the River Thames when the streets began to light up, which appeared to be warmer than before. For the past few hours, they went everywhere they wanted to. They went to the handicraft market, fed pigeons at Trafalgar Square, jumped from one topic to another when they talked, and even had a contest on who could change topics better. All in all, they enjoyed their time together like a couple who were deeply in love.
“You want to catch me? Impossible!” When they returned to the River Thames after dinner, Kathrin suddenly challenged Adrian.
“You want me to try?” Adrian smiled as he rolled up his sleeves, then pounced on her.
Accompanied by cheerful laughter, he began chasing her. All of a sudden, he alerted her to be careful, then took the opportunity to catch her by her waist.
“You’re cheating!” Kathrin punched him softly.
“This is a strategy, you didn’t say that I can’t use a strategy,” Adrian responded.
“Let me go! Start again!” Kathrin gritted her teeth.
“Do you think that’s possible?” Adrian lowered his head to look at her playfully.
Kathrin was about to say something when she was startled as she looked up. It was their first time being so close to each other, such that they could feel each other’s breath. Love was in the air.
Looking at Adrian’s dark eyes, she was suddenly moved, and she watched as he grew closer to her…