Several months earlier, around June, Jennifer had received the news of her selection for a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fa by the Hollywood Chamber of Comrce.
While the honor was prestigious, the $55,000 installation fee remained pending. What made the timing interesting was that Lucas had also been selected the previous year, but hadn’t acted on his nomination yet.
With the two-year installation deadline approaching, his window of opportunity was steadily closing.
Lucas scheduled a eting with Ana Martinez, the Vice President of dia Relations for the Hollywood Chamber of Comrce.
During their discussion, he surprised the committee by not only covering both installation fees but also requesting their stars be placed side by side.
"We’d like our stars to be adjacent to each other," Lucas explained, his tone professional yet warm. "Given that we’re both current nominees, would that be possible?"
The committee mbers exchanged glances, slightly taken aback by the unusual request. While having two stars installed simultaneously wasn’t unheard of, deliberately placing a couple’s stars together was sowhat unprecedented.
However, after brief consideration, they agreed to the arrangent.
Following the Walk of Fa business, Lucas and Jennifer embarked on a much-needed vacation to the Amalfi Coast.
They spent their days exploring the picturesque coastal towns of Positano and Ravello, enjoying the diterranean sunshine and relative anonymity that Europe provided.
Away from Hollywood’s constant spotlight, they found themselves relaxing into the slower pace of Italian life, savoring long dinners at local restaurants and peaceful afternoons by the sea.
Throughout their Italian vacation, a pattern erged that Jennifer couldn’t help but notice. While they both enjoyed relative privacy compared to Los Angeles, Lucas still got recognized regularly by locals and tourists alike. Jennifer, on the other hand, found herself in an unusual position - being largely overlooked.
One afternoon, as they settled into a quiet corner of a rooftop restaurant in Positano, Jennifer finally voiced her frustration. "I just don’t get it," she said, stirring her spritz absently. "Why is it that people here in Italy barely notice ?"
"Maybe they recognize you but are just too intimidated by your Oscar-winning presence—" Lucas teased, but was cut short by a sharp elbow to his ribs. Seeing her genuine puzzlent, he cleared his throat and offered a more serious explanation. "Honestly? It might be because of the music videos. With billions of views on YouTube across different countries, the exposure is just different."
Jennifer considered this, her expression thoughtful. "You know what? You’re probably right. You’re actually more known as a music artist than an actor these days." She took a sip of her drink, adding with a hint of pride, "anwhile, I stay loyal to my craft, not jumping between industries like so people."
"Ouch," Lucas chuckled, placing a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Are you suggesting I’m not loyal to acting?"
Before Jennifer could retort, they were interrupted by an excited voice with a thick Italian accent. "Is that you, Lucas?" A young man approached their table, beaming. "I am a huge fan! I love your acting, especially in Gravity!"
"Hey, how are you doing?" Lucas responded warmly, leaning in for a photo with practiced ease.
The fan remained surprisingly composed, thanking Lucas quietly before leaving them to their privacy - a refreshingly civilized encounter compared to the usual Hollywood fanfare.
Lucas turned back to Jennifer with a teasing glint in his eyes. "So much for being known just as a music artist..."
Jennifer responded with an exaggerated pout, the fan encounter having thoroughly demolished her previous argunt. "Oh, shut up," she muttered, but couldn’t hide her smile as Lucas laughed.
Despite choosing less touristy spots, Lucas and Jennifer couldn’t completely escape public attention. Photos of them exploring Italy’s coastal towns began circulating online: Lucas and Jennifer sharing gelato in Positano, walking hand in hand through Ravello’s gardens, and dining at quiet cafes in Capri.
Each image racked up hundreds of thousands of likes within days, their Italian getaway becoming an inadvertent social dia sensation.
Their European adventure expanded beyond Italy’s borders. They visited the historic streets of Paris, explored Amsterdam’s quiet canals, and wandered through Barcelona’s architectural wonders.
But as their ti abroad drew to a close, Jennifer felt an unfamiliar lancholy settling in.
Now, seated in first class on their flight ho, she couldn’t shake the feeling. This trip had been different from their previous travels together - it was the first ti they’d truly explored the world as a couple, with Lucas sparing no expense to make every mont special. It was a far cry from his forrly frugal approach to spending, and she had to admit, she’d gotten used to this more indulgent side of him.
"Everything goes back to normal once we land," Jennifer sighed, staring out the airplane window at the clouds below.
Lucas turned to her, a hint of mystery in his smile. "Actually, I’ve got sothing coming up you might be interested in. I’m working on a music video production. Want to co watch?"
Jennifer gave him a puzzled look. "Wait, don’t you need a label for that? Or did you sign with soone new without telling ?"
"I’m not with any label," Lucas explained, his smile widening at her confusion. "But that doesn’t an I can’t produce music and videos independently." He paused, watching her reaction. "Ever heard of Lucid?"
"Oh!" Recognition dawned on Jennifer’s face. "That’s right - you released ’Kiss ’ under that na, didn’t you?"
Lucas nodded. "Exactly. And now I’m collaborating with this up-and-coming DJ called Marshllo. We’re shooting a video together."
Jennifer’s earlier lancholy dissolved into intrigue. "Now that sounds interesting," she said, straightening in her seat. "Count in."
The hint of sadness in her eyes had been replaced by curiosity, exactly as Lucas had hoped.
***
Back in Los Angeles, Lucas and Jennifer, both wearing masks, made their way to et Christopher at an upscale restaurant in West Hollywood. Christopher spotted them approaching and couldn’t help but study the masked woman beside Lucas. Her distinctive height, golden hair, and familiar silhouette left little doubt - it had to be Jennifer Lawrence.
Once they were safely ensconced in a private dining room, Jennifer removed her mask, confirming Christopher’s suspicions. He felt his throat go dry. Having gotten comfortable around Lucas was one thing, but being face-to-face with Jennifer Lawrence - who’d been his celebrity crush since her first Hunger Gas movie - was an entirely different matter.
"H-hi," Christopher managed, imdiately cursing himself for stamring. The confident producer persona he’d developed around Lucas vanished in an instant.
"So you’re Marshllo," Jennifer said warmly, having recently heard his track ’Joy’ climbing the charts. "I’ve been listening to your music."
Christopher nodded, his usual articulate self reduced to awkward gestures. He kept fidgeting with his water glass, hardly able to et her eyes.
Lucas watched the interaction with barely concealed amusent. "Co on, man, you look like a teenager eting his first crush," he teased. "Where’s that swagger you had in the studio?"
In his head, Christopher was screaming, ’It’s Jennifer fucking Lawrence! The Jennifer Lawrence! How am I supposed to act normal around my celebrity crush?’ Instead, he cleared his throat and steered the conversation to safer territory. "So, uh, I’ve been talking with so production companies about shooting the video. There’s this great director who’s interested, and I’ve found a perfect location for the concept we discussed..."
His voice gained confidence as he delved into the familiar territory of music production, though he still couldn’t quite look directly at Jennifer without feeling his ears burn red.
Seeing Christopher’s obvious discomfort, Lucas decided to spare him further teasing and steered the conversation toward their project. "For ’Heaven,’ I’ve been envisioning sothing that looks like paradise," he said. "Sothing ethereal and dreamlike."
Christopher visibly relaxed as they moved to familiar territory. "We found this perfect spot in Antelope Valley, just outside Lancaster, California," he said, showing them photos on his phone. "The California Poppy Reserve and the surrounding private ranches are incredible this ti of year. There’s this particular private estate we can rent that has rolling hills covered in late-blooming wildflowers and golden grass."
He scrolled through more images, continuing with growing enthusiasm, "The best part is it’s about fifteen miles from the nearest town, completely secluded. The owner only allows a few exclusive bookings each year. Perfect for maintaining your anonymity as Lucid."
Lucas nodded approvingly at the images, then turned to Jennifer with a slight smile. "Actually, Jennifer’s interested in being part of the production. She’s thinking of making a cao appearance, masked of course."
Christopher’s newfound composure imdiately crumbled. He darted a quick glance at Jennifer before fixing his eyes firmly on his water glass. "I-is that so?" he managed, his voice jumping an octave. "That would be... that’s great."
The thought of directing Jennifer Lawrence, even in a masked cao, seed to simultaneously thrill and terrify him. His hands unconsciously started fidgeting with his napkin, betraying his nervous excitent.
As Christopher continued detailing the production plans, his gaze still fixed anywhere but at Jennifer, she leaned closer to Lucas, nudging him discreetly. "Hey," she whispered, concern creeping into her voice, "is he okay? Does he have so kind of social anxiety disorder or sothing?"
Lucas had to suppress a laugh, shaking his head slightly. "No, nothing like that," he whispered back, amusent dancing in his eyes. "He’s just nervous around you. You know how it goes - so guys completely lose their cool around beautiful won they admire."
Jennifer’s concerned expression lted into a pleased smile. She stole another glance at Christopher, now seeing his behavior in a new, more endearing light.
The eting wrapped up with Christopher managing to outline the rest of the production details, still stamring slightly whenever Jennifer’s attention turned his way. They settled on starting the video shoot in a few days, giving the production team enough ti to secure the location and necessary permits.
***
A few days later, the music video shoot comnced at Antelope Valley. Christopher had grown more comfortable around Jennifer, focusing on his work as director. The secluded location proved perfect - no dia caught wind that two A-list celebrities were filming with the rising DJ Marshllo.
The production wrapped efficiently, and with Lucas’s significant investnt in post-production, the editing process moved swiftly. Within days, "Heaven ft. Marshllo" premiered on YouTube.
The video’s success was imdiate - it reached a million views in just two days. For Lucid, still considered a new artist despite several popular songs, these numbers were impressive. The track’s appeal lay in its combination of aningful lyrics and Marshllo’s catchy electronic beats, while their masked personas only added to public intrigue.
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