with. It never crossed my mind to put him on the shortlist of possible directors for my movie. He was picky and known to only work on one project every few years. I didn’t think I’d be able to get a meeting with him, so I was stunned when Maren told me that the legendary director had reached out to her and was interested in the project.
I was excited until the last five minutes when the man decided to change the ending of my story.
Heinrich cleared his throat and reached out to tap his fingers on the table in an agitated way. We’d gathered for brunch, but all he’d had was his fair share of bottomless mimosas. He didn’t really seem drunk, but it was bold to tell the person who wrote the script, who was finding the funding for all parts of the movie, and who was the star, that the ending sucked. From one creative to another, it was a harsh critique.
“The reason I want to direct this movie is because it runs the gamut of emotions. Everything is there: pain, hope, desperation, love, longing. Joy and sorrow go hand in hand. I think it’s missing a bit of heartbreak. Our main character hits rock bottom, pulls himself out of it, and falls in love. The happy ending doesn’t sit right. It doesn’t feel authentic. Guys like that, they shouldn’t get to live a ‘happy ever after.’ They need to suffer for their sins. I want an ending that audiences can feel all the way to their soul. I want them upset when they leave the theater. I want an ending that will go viral and keep people talking long after the credits roll. If we go with the ending, we have no hook; all the audience will be left with is butterflies in their bellies and stupid smiles on their faces. Those happy feelings will fade, but if we crush some hearts, no one will forget.”
He looked so satisfied with himself, I wondered if he had any clue that the character was essentially me. He was essentially telling me that because I’d screwed up so bad and hurt so many people, that I didn’t deserve to fall in love and live a happy life. He was pretty much insinuating I should suffer for those perceived sins.
“And the woman. She forgives so easily. She is so kind. She’s old enough to know better, yet she lets this guy back into her life and heart and sees zero consequences for making such a stupid choice.” Heinrich’s fingers tapped even more furiously on the table. Maren turned her hand over underneath mine and laced our fingers together. I knew she was just trying to keep me from losing my temper, but I appreciated the gesture.
After the night and early morning we spent together, she’d done her best to draw a very clear and defined line between us. No matter how I persisted or teased her in the weeks following our hook up, she was hell-bent on defining our night as a one-night stand. She reiterated that it was never going to happen again. But every so often, I’d catch her looking at me with something that read a lot like longing and hunger. She repeated that we were friends and colleagues when anyone asked, but the rumor that we were more was still circulating. It was hard to ignore the chemistry and innate intimacy that was visible between us whenever we ended up in a sneaky paparazzi photo together. On my end, I refused to comment on the situation either way, which only added to the speculation. It would be really easy to parrot that we were just friends, but I hadn’t given up hope we could be more. It felt like I spent more time fielding questions about my personal life than I did about the resurrection of my career and the new movie these days.
At least they’d stopped focusing on my troubled past.
However, it was absolutely my pleasure to remind Maren that I knew what she looked like when she came, and I knew what my name on her lips sounded like when I was buried deep inside of her. That made us something more than friends.
I knew she would freak out and get really upset with me if I scared the temperamental, genius director off, so I bit my tongue and dipped my chin to acknowledge I was listening to him. The bacon and eggs I ate