Fate

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 and the last time she felt her heart beating faster than normally, 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 grimace.

“In the end, how bad can it get?” She whispered into the wind.

The bright light of the next morning 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 an environment since London’s sky was usually occupied with big, fluffy and dark clouds.

After groggily getting out of the 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, the distance seemed too long in that moment, 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 speak 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 which meant Anna just embarrassed herself. 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?”

“Yes.” The answer of the manager 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 and fell on the couch.

The day progressed weird, in her point of view. She dressed and even read a few passages in the book that she pointed with red. Those were details which had to be included into the movie no matter what.

When she arrived at the studios, there was so much going on, so many people running from one side to the other that 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, discovered. 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 make-up 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.” At his last words, he made a sign with his hand. 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 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 held until then disappeared fast. 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 any time. That would have made 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 any more.

"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, that time 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 where 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 masculine 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 wasn’t important. They had just one purpose: to meet their friends for a double blind date.