Hollywood: Lights, Ink, Entertainment!

…..

Despite not getting any answer, Gwendolyn caught it, the brief pause in his movements, the way his gaze flicked toward her out of the corner of his eye.

Regal had heard her.

"Give me a minute…" He murmured, his voice hoarse from hours of work.

Gwendolyn stepped closer, her gaze scanning him carefully. She didn't want to interrupt, but she couldn't stop herself from assessing his state.

He didn't seem exhausted, no, he was pushing through, his focus too intense for that. But the air around him was thick with the kind of concentration that made everything else feel secondary.

She lingered at his side, counting the seconds.

Fifty more, exactly.

Soon, his typing slowed down, as if approaching the finish line.

And then, with one final tap, the words 'THE END' appeared on the screen.

Regal hit 'enter,' sealing the moment in a soft click.

Gwendolyn's breath hitched, and before she knew it, she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Finaaaallly!!" She exclaimed, her voice bursting with unrestrained glee.

The pride and relief in her tone were palpable, spilling out in waves far greater than Regal's subdued satisfaction.

Her excitement overwhelmed her, and without a second thought, she threw herself onto him from behind, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders.

She didn't care about decorum or timing anymore.

She was simply overjoyed, for him, for this moment, for everything he had endured to get here.

Regal stiffened for a fraction of a second, caught off guard, but the surprise melted away almost immediately.

A soft smile curved his lips as he turned his head, pressing a gentle kiss to her cheek. "What are you so excited about? It was just a script compilation."

Gwendolyn rested her face against his shoulder, her arms still securely around him. "Of course I am excited! Do you have any idea how long I have been waiting here?"

Regal chuckled understandingly as he carefully pulled her into view.

His hands guided her to sit on his lap, and she complied, settling comfortably against him. Her arms draped around his neck as if they belonged there.

Regal reached up, his fingers brushing lightly over her cheek before tugging gently at her lower lip.

He pressed his teeth lightly against her lip, the touch fleeting, before sealing the moment with a soft, lingering kiss.

A small, almost involuntary sigh escaped her as her heart fluttered, warmth spreading through her chest.

"Och…" She breathed, her voice a whisper, tinged with affection and something deeper.

Regal's gaze held hers, his eyes shining with quiet satisfaction. "Worth the wait?"

Gwendolyn smiled, her fingers threading through his hair as she leaned her forehead against his. "Every second."

A mischievous spark lit her expression as she tilted her head, her tone taking on a playful lilt. "So, when are you going to make the [Harry Potter] movie? You are not going to neglect our first 'baby,' are you?"

Regal huffed out a soft chuckle. "Huh… maybe my third or fourth film?" He mused, as if it were a simple inevitability.

Her brows lifted, amusement dancing in her eyes. "Only your third? You are making me wait again, huh?"

He leaned back slightly, shrugging as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "I will need money, about 150 million, at least, to make a movie like that."

Her expression shifted into one of mock incredulity. "Oh, just a casual 150 million. And how exactly are you planning to pull that off?"

Regal's smirk widened as he gestured vaguely. "Simple. I will make my first film a hit, then the second one even bigger. The money I earn from those will go into the third. Or, by then, maybe a production house will back me. Who knows?"

"Mr. Junior makes it sound so easy." Gwendolyn teased, her voice dripping with playful skepticism as she leaned into him.

"Easy? Nah." Regal's eyes sparkled with determination. "Doable? Absolutely."

She shook her head, letting out a soft laugh as her fingers combed gently through his hair. "You have got some guts, I will give you that."

Gwendolyn, by now, had already made up her mind.

She was going to support Regal to the best of her ability or, at the very least, never be the voice that discouraged him.

These past few days spent watching him closely, observing his tireless passion and relentless drive, had only cemented her decision.

He didn't just tell stories.

It was the very essence of him, the way he breathed life into everything.

Storytelling wasn't just what he did - it was who he was.

As she mulled over these thoughts, she realized Regal had fallen asleep beneath her.

His head rested gently against her shoulder, his breathing steady and soft.

Her lips curved into a tender smile.

"150 million, huh?" She murmured, recalling the ambitious number he had tossed around so casually. "Looks like I need to start saving too."

She glanced at his peaceful face and sighed dramatically. "Now how am I supposed to move this giant to the bed?"

A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes.

She hopped off his lap and grabbed the armrests of the chair.

Carefully, she maneuvered it toward the bed, the wheels rolling silently across the floor.

Once they were close enough, Gwendolyn paused, bracing herself before tipping the chair just enough to slide him onto the bed like a sack of potatoes.

"Perfect landing." She said with a satisfied nod, brushing her hands together like a job well done.

She climbed onto the bed beside him, snuggling into his side.

Resting her head on his chest, she felt the steady rhythm of his heartbeat beneath her cheek.

Her eyelids grew heavy as a wave of calm washed over her.

"You are lucky I like you." She whispered sleepily before drifting off, her arm draped protectively across his torso.

….

[Next Day]

….

Regal sat up in his bed, swiveling slightly as his eyes roamed around his apartment.

It was quiet now, the kind of quiet that only came after Gwendolyn had left for the day.

Except it wasn't just his apartment anymore, or at least, it didn't feel like it.

He looked around…

His apartment, which should be giving off the vibe of a friendly neighborhood single bachelor room, is now giving off an entirely different vibe.

He spotted a long strand of golden hair glinting under the light on the armrest of the couch.

Another peeked out from the corner of his desk.

Her presence lingered in the most unexpected places.

The bathroom wasn't spared either.

Every time he went in, there was the extra toothbrush standing side-by-side with him, as if mocking his former solitude.

Then, of course, there was the matter of laundry.

A delicate bra and matching panties hung near the window to dry, completely unbothered by the presence of their supposed audience.

And as if all that wasn't enough, he opened one of the drawers at his desk to pull out a notebook and was greeted by the unmistakable sight of a makeup kit nestled inside, right next to his pens and sticky notes.

Regal leaned back, exhaling a slow breath as he surveyed the changes with an amused grin.

"Yeah." He muttered to himself. "This isn't a bachelor pad anymore."

Seeing all this, Regal also made a decision.

This place wasn't enough. Not for the two of them.

Regal leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck thoughtfully. "Guess it's time to upgrade."

Not just a few renovations or new pieces of furniture, but a real upgrade.

Something bigger.

A place that wasn't just his, but theirs.

He nodded to himself, making a mental note.

Step one: finish the movie. Step two: find a house.

Something suitable for two people. Or maybe even three, someday.

With that thought, Regal rose up, stretching his arms high above his head.

A satisfying crack of his knuckles punctuated the moment, a signal that his work, at least for now, was done.

"Copyright should be done in a few days." He muttered to himself, glancing at the desk where his bound script had once sat before he mailed it off to the Writers Guild.

But now, by the end of the fifth day and into the sixth, more precisely, just past 2 a.m., he had finally finished his script.

He recalled chatting with Gwendolyn for a while afterward, her voice a soothing backdrop as the exhaustion of relentless work finally caught up to him.

And then, sleep.

This morning, he had been roused from his slumber by the click of her heels echoing near the door, her hurried farewell as she rushed off to work.

Still, none of that mattered now.

He had nailed it.

The script was complete. Bound.

Finished, with all the dialogue just as he had imagined, including the storyboard.

Every scene, every line of dialogue, every intricate detail, it was all polished to match the vision in his mind.

He had poured every ounce of his creativity into it, stretching his [Direction] and [Scriptwriting] skills to their absolute limits.

Especially the climax.

Regal had agonized over those final moments, fighting to capture that perfect emotional high, that gut-punch resolution that would stay with the audience long after the credits rolled.

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

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