[Chapter 66: The Fragrance of Flowers]
After wrapping up the scene where Al Pacino pretended to be a novice while driving a Lamborghini Diablo away from the party, the filming schedule for the day ca to a close. The crew had put in nearly eight hours of work.
As long as they could maintain this pace, Eric believed they could wrap up filming within the week. So, even though he still had plenty of energy, he didn't push the crew for overti.
In Europe and Arica, overti was a serious matter. Getting Europeans to work extra hours was practically impossible. So countries even imposed hefty taxes to discourage companies from making employees work beyond their hours. Aricans, on the other hand, would only consider it if they received generous compensation and a suitable ti-off plan, not to ntion dealing with the scrutiny and inquiries from unions that could arise.
The villa was designed as a party setting, and according to Eric's initial plan, it would transition into a proper wrap party after filming was done.
...
Amid the soothing background music, Eric turned down the advances of several bold beautiful won and positioned himself on a sofa in the corner to discuss upcoming shooting plans with Jeffrey. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Julia and Al Pacino, who were cozied up together on the dance floor, his gaze lingering montarily on them.
Julia had long quit her job as a waitress at Jeff's restaurant and had received a portion of her salary in advance. Following Eric's instructions, she had rented an apartnt in Beverly Hills and moved in.
Even though she didn't have a scene today, Julia still showed up on set, pitching in when she could and even taking ti to rehearse a few lines with Al Pacino.
Eric was quite pleased with Julia's attitude. Aside from the female assistant provided by the agency, Julia didn't receive any special treatnt on set. In fact, Al Pacino didn't get any special privileges either; he arrived in his own car and headed ho after finishing his work. To save on budget, the crew had only rented a trailer for the actors to do their makeup and change clothes. Eric believed that this kind of situation would be a rarity. He was certain that the duo's next film would not see such "slack" treatnt.
Jeffrey quickly followed Eric's gaze and found the source of his attention.
"What's the matter, Eric? You're not getting jealous, are you?" Jeffrey leaned in teasingly, fully aware of the happenings between Eric and Julia.
Eric shook his head nonchalantly, but it was impossible for him not to feel a twinge of envy seeing Julia and Al in such a flirtatious display on the dance floor, especially considering their past intimacy.
Yet, Eric had no desire to claim Julia for himself; the voluptuous beauty wasn't his type. As a long-ti mber of the looks club, Julia hadn't quite reached his standard of beauty.
"I'm just observing how Julia and Al are interacting," Eric casually made an excuse. "From what I can see, after working together, they're really getting into character. Don't you think they seem pretty compatible?"
Hearing Eric's remark, Jeffrey turned to look as well. On the dance floor, Julia and Al Pacino whispered back and forth, locking eyes occasionally, creating a mont that felt almost romantic.
"It does seem that way. Do you think after this movie wraps up, Julia might fall for Al?" "There's a strong possibility," Eric replied, recalling Julia's sentintal nature. "But Al definitely wouldn't return her feelings; his girlfriend is already pregnant."
Al Pacino was indeed a well-known womanizer, skillful in effortlessly moving among several won, so of whom bore him children. In the past, Al might have pursued a romance with Julia. However, with his girlfriend's pregnancy, such a fling seed highly unlikely now. If rumors of a relationship with Julia erged, it would greatly tarnish his image to ditch a pregnant girlfriend during a critical phase of his career.
Eric's casual observations about Julia likely went unnoticed by her, but now that both he and Jeffrey were watching intently, comnting on the scene, Julia would have to be blind not to catch on. Al Pacino also caught sight of Eric and Jeffrey's gaze, flashing them a charming smile in return.
However, being cradled by Al, Julia felt an inexplicable unease; once her tranquility was disrupted, it rarely resud. After exchanging a few quiet words with Al, she stepped away from the dance floor and walked toward Eric.
"Julia, why aren't you dancing anymore?" Eric asked with curiosity as she took a seat beside
him.
"I'm just a bit tired," Julia replied, grabbing a glass of champagne and settling comfortably on the sofa, leaning slightly toward Eric. "What were you two just chatting about?"
Jeffrey beat Eric to the punch, chuckling as he answered, "I was just betting with Eric on whether you'll fall for Al after filming wraps."
"Oh, you two... how could you?" Julia feigned annoyance, though a fleeting look of disappointnt passed through her eyes.
Eric quickly interjected to halt Jeffrey's antics. "Julia, don't listen to Jeffrey's nonsense. We're not that bored. We were rely noting how well you and Al danced; it seems like the rest of the shooting should go smoothly since it looks like you two have really embraced your roles."
Julia responded with an "oh," sipping her champagne before asking, "Eric, do you... want to dance?"
Eric glanced at his watch, lifting his cuff with a shake of his head. "No, I'm about to head out." "Why not enjoy a bit longer? You won't have the chance to relax like this for a while," Jeffrey urged.
Standing up, Eric smiled. "Today is the first day of Jenny's show airing. She called all the way from New York to remind not to miss it; it's almost ti."
Jeffrey couldn't help but tease Eric on that note, but soon he got up as well. A few observant partygoers caught wind that Eric might be leaving and approached him.
At the villa's entrance, Eric addressed Jeffrey and the others who were seeing him off. "You all head back now. Jeffrey, don't let them party too late; we've got a shoot tomorrow."
"Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on them."
...
Eric waved as he walked toward the parking lot. Julia hesitated montarily in the crowd but decided to follow.
"Julia, is there sothing you need?" Eric asked as he opened the car door and spotted her approaching.
"Eric, I haven't had a chance to buy a car yet. Could you give a ride?"
Eric smiled amiably. "Of course, no problem."
The car cruised smoothly down the street as Eric casually broached a subject. "So, Julia, what
do you think of Al?"
Julia lowered her gaze slightly, glancing at Eric, carefully choosing her words. "Mr. Pacino is quite charming and very talkative. He can't help but make a good impression. However, I don't have those kinds of feelings for him; he's over twenty years older than I am."
Eric chuckled, "Al would probably be heartbroken to hear that. You don't like older n, and
Al has a preference for young, beautiful ladies."
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
Without hesitation, Eric nodded. "You're a classic beauty."
Although Julia found his complint sowhat strange, it brought a smile to her face.
After a mont's pause, Julia gathered her courage and asked, "Eric, your girlfriend, is she
that Jennifer Aniston?"
"Yeah, we t while filming 17 Again," Eric recalled, a smile creeping onto his face as he rembered sothing. "Jenny knows you."
"That can't be! I've only ever seen her in the papers, especially after that...," Julia trailed off, feeling strangely embarrassed about that wild night.
However, Eric shrugged it off, "She t you that night too. Speaking of which..." recalling Aniston's frustrated mood during the incident, Eric smiled. "She wore that shirt too; by the way, do you still have it? Maybe you could return it to later?"
"No problem," Julia nodded reflexively.
The car rolled to a stop in front of Julia's newly rented apartnt. As she stepped out and glanced around the empty street, she hesitantly asked, "Eric, do you want to co in for a coffee? There are no paparazzi around this ti."
Eric leaned out the car window, refusing politely, "Nah, I should get going. Just wait here for
a bit." "Alright then," Julia said, pulling out her keys to unlock the door. She turned around once more to see that Eric still wasn't getting out, sighing to herself and heading inside.
In her bedroom, Julia opened the closet and pulled out the freshly laundered white shirt, instinctively slling it before folding it quietly. As she walked toward the door, she recalled Eric's earlier comnt. Her steps grew more hesitant; she couldn't suppress her little pang of jealousy anymore. She turned back, placed the shirt back in the closet, and covered it with a couple of her own clothes. Taking a deep breath, she exited the room.
"Eric, I'm sorry! I forgot where I put that shirt. Can I return it later when I find it?"
Eric stared at her for a couple of seconds before letting out a sigh. "Fine, just let it go if you
can't find it."
Just as he was about to roll up the window and leave, he reconsidered and leaned out again. "Julia, I can guarantee that once Pretty Woman is released, you'll be the talk of Hollywood, the new star everyone adores. Countless n will see you as their dream girl, and many great guys will pursue you. So..." he hesitated before softening his words, "give it your all and don't let
down."
Julia bit her lip, blinking rapidly before forcing a smile. "Don't worry, Director Williams! I'll
do my very best."
"Well then... see you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Julia waved as she watched Eric drive off, disappearing down the street.
As he glanced in the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Julia standing there, Eric let out
a soft sigh, tapping his fingers gently on the steering wheel, murmuring a line of a forgotten
tune.
Wandering the world, my elegance is hard to hide.
Not for love, but for a deep appreciation of beauty.
The fragrance of flowers draws in, as the wind stirs beneath them.
Flowers bloom and fade, a reminder of impermanence.
I leave gracefully, without leaving a trace...
He trailed off before finishing the last line, shaking his head in self-mockery with a smile,
"How could that be?"
[T/N: I created the lyrics based on the original's text.]
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
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