CHAPTER 13

It was almost time for the movie to air. Deloise spent her time window shopping until she got tired and made a head start to the theater. Time slowed at the theater hall, she picked up her phone and scrolled through a microblogging app.

She hadn't been on her phone for a while and being there only reminded her of things she wanted to forget. As she scrolled through, it became easy to convince herself that she could be a fan of the art.

A sneak peak into the entertainment world wouldn't hurt, it couldn't get her back to desiring and needing to fulfill her dreams, it couldn't pull her into the sweet abyss she created herself.

Messages flooded in and she felt nostalgic. Familiar handles and mutuals she used to engage reminded her of the life she meticulously built over the years. Now washed down the drain.

Barely glancing at the notifications, she switched into what's trending and busied herself reading about controversial topics.

Surprisingly, the movie she was about to see made the list. With little research, she found out the captivating person she saw on screen was the lead actress of the movie; who had some buzz for being young and talented.

It was Stella Davis.

There was a lot to find about previous movies, and anticipation for the first airing of the movie was off charts. She even had a group of fans who made it their duty to promote her person.

While Deloise informed herself of the new and thriving face in the entertainment industry, she couldn't help the hurt she felt. This was her dream, an unattainable one, but a dream nonetheless.

Soon, the movie began, giving her an opportunity to forget her sorry state and enjoy the craft. At the end of the movie, the audience erupted in applause, satisfied by the awesome movie that entranced them for hours.

Deloise realized she was late on getting out and meeting the dark. A glimpse at the time - that read 9 pm - and a waiting message from her mom was all it took for her to sprint down the expressway in search of a cab.

No doubt, she'd outdone herself by not informing her mother of her possible late entry. She dashed into the house upon getting home and noticed the front door open with light streaming through the kitchen.

Esther was baking when she heard her come in, she heaved in relief, confirming she was a bit too dramatic in her thoughts.

" I'm so sorry. I got caught up in the movies and didn't remember to-"

" It's alright." Esther couldn't wait for her to finish, " you're here." She said, more to herself than her daughter.

Deloise was stunned but she didn't push it. Instead, she freshened up, ate and went to bed.

*******

Royal Arts Academy, New York.

The school buzzed with new students arriving. Other than that, the premiere of Stella's movie was another hot topic in Royal Arts Academy.

With the box office sales it garnered on its first showing and the genuinely great reviews, safe to say the movie was on a path of success and Stella couldn't be happier.

As a newbie in the industry, it wasn't a small feat to pull such an amount of attention and publicity - a fact that everyone respected. Many commented on her exceptional talent and compared her to A-list actresses, and accordingly, she became the rising star of the movie world.

Stella sat in Aaron's kitchen aisle and watched him prepare a sumptuous meal of fried rice and chicken. She leisurely scrolled through the comments about her on the internet with a smile.

Her countenance flourished as she consumed the praises thrown at her, while waiting for her special dish. Aaron took it upon himself to treat her for her movie's success and she couldn't be happier.

Despite how strongly she felt for him, Aaron made clear how platonic their relationship was - so much that they got comfortable in each other's presence and almost related as siblings.

Stella remained relentless with her pursuit, deluding herself to believing it was a matter of time before Aaron realized his true feelings for her. Her restarted thoughts were sponsored by a belief there wasn't anyone capable of matching up with him.

" Out of the kitchen, Stells!" Aaron spoke from the living room, alerting her of the fact she was alone." Your food is on the table."

Stella got up, and straight to the meal prepared for her. Before she got a bite of it, Aaron dragged it out of reach.

" Did you say something?" He asked with raised eyebrows.

" But my movie did well." She whined, unhappy at his denying her food, but loving the attention.

" Yeah. So before you scarf the whole food, let me formally congratulate you on your new movie." He said, thoroughly proud of her. " Would you let me do that at least?"

Stella grew red at Aaron's words. Who wouldn't? " You know I put you to shame, Ron."

" You almost put me to shame. Don't forget. Almost. " He corrected, then patted her head like a little child. " Now eat, before I change my mind."

Stella rolled her eyes, and proceeded to eat her meal. She felt so comfortable and ate in the most hearty and unladylike manner. Aaron didn't seem to mind, so she didn't care either.

Shortly after, she remembered the project the director spoke about, and decided to inquire about what he felt about it. Stella yearned to get on a project with Aaron, and with a script like that, she was confident it could be the start of something between them.

What better way to cross the invisible lines if not their profession? The script was a dark romance and she was ready to convince him to see sense in taking it up.

" Let's do a joint reading for the script Mr. Austin gave us." She declared, testing the waters.

Aaron flared, " Not today, maybe some other time, " that was code for never.

" I'll hold on to that." Stella knew nothing would come out of dragging the talk so she decided to leave it for the time. She'd definitely take it up some other time.

****