Raline was sound asleep, her breath steady and calm, and I couldn’t help but stop for a moment to admire her. Her eyelashes cast soft shadows on her cheeks as she slept facing the city lights. The soft snores she made, her cheeks pushed to the pillows — she must have been really tired. Sleeping for almost twenty hours straight without waking up, and despite my comings and goings for work, her sleeping position hasn’t changed, not even an inch.
I slowly reached for my phone, which was lying on the bedside table — to take her picture. The camera perfectly captured the beauty of her peaceful sleep.
Then, I walked to the dining area, where I initially planned to grab a drink, but something else caught my attention — the scattered Polaroid pictures we had just taken were on the table.
I couldn’t resist taking a closer look at them, and as soon as I did, time seemed to freeze. A massive grin spread across my face, and seeing these snapshots filled me with warmth. It dawned on me how these moments of joy wouldn’t have been captured without the kindness of strangers who had offered to take our picture together. We had assumed they wanted a photo of us, but we were pleasantly surprised when they offered to take pictures of us.
It was not once or twice that some people stopped us when we were together, but Raline always finds it hard to say no to the fans — it’s not like they meet us every day — that’s what she said. So, most of the time, she would make time for them — no matter how tired she was.
The icy blast from the hotel room’s air conditioner couldn’t cool me down; my body warmed with each glance at the photos clutched in my hand from Kema Sakuranomiya Park. In the dead of night, the camera flawlessly captured the instant she beamed at its lens while I gazed at her as if she were my entire universe — because she was.
Yet amidst these tender moments, sometimes I miss the time when we weren’t as busy as now, when we could make time to meet, or at least it wouldn’t take months for us to meet.
The past few years were our busiest year, so the only time we could meet could be counted on our fingers alone. But the worst part was when both of us were busy with work. None of us would be able to visit each other when that happened. Raline was busy with the shooting, the promotions, the fashion week, the photo shoot, and everything, and it all happened in just a year — more than a year, actually, if we count it with the pre-shoot. But last year was the start of her golden year. It was when every dream she had got ticked off.
As I was still looking at the smile we were making on the Polaroid, Raline greeted me with her raspy voice, “What are you looking at?”
“Nothing. Just this.” I showed her the pictures we took.
As she slowly approached me, I whispered, “Did I wake you up?” It had been almost twenty hours since we arrived at her place from our date, and she had been sleeping soundly ever since, so I didn’t wake her up.
She shook her head, “what time is it?”
I looked briefly at the watch on my wrist, “eight at night,” I said.
“Did I really sleep the whole day?” She asked, her eyes widening in disbelief. I gave her a confirming nod and a look of surprise and confusion crossed her face.
“We totally missed out on so much! I can’t believe you didn’t wake me up.” She said, accompanied by a slight pout — the one I hadn’t seen for a while and my heart fluttered at the sight of it.
“We still have a few more days, La,” I said softly, my fingers tracing a gentle path as I brushed the strands of her hair away from her face.
“Is everything okay? Have you been able to get enough rest recently?” Concern laced my words as I looked into her eyes, which, despite her fully being asleep, still looked tired.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that she had pushed herself too hard, as she often did, but this time, it felt different. Maybe it was because the script she had taken on was unlike anything she had done before. This movie delved into a darker genre that required its people to be mentally and physically prepared, while Raline was easily getting exhausted. So when she got the offer, I couldn’t help but tell her to reconsider.
She shook her head firmly.
“You can certainly take a few months’ break,” I said, my voice gentle yet persistent. I knew this might spark disagreement, but I had to say it.
Raline has been working non-stop, and for the past year, she has been at her peak — she got invited to Oscar and was nominated for multiple awards for her roles. Overseas directors and writers wanted her to be the lead, and she was offered to be the brand ambassador for luxury brands.
I empathize completely with her drive to seize every opportunity, especially in the ever-evolving entertainment industry, where success can be fleeting. Someone new, fresher, and seemingly more talented is always waiting to take the spotlight. Yet, amidst the hustle, I couldn’t help but want her to take a breather every now and then. Not permanently, of course. I recognize how much being on screen means to her — it’s her lifelong dream.
But I want what’s best for her.
“Let’s not go there, shall we? We talked about this before.” No matter how many times I tried to talk to her to take it easy, she always shut out any further discussion on the topic.
“Sorry,” I said softly, not wanting to dampen the mood of our time together. My hands reached out to cup her face gently. “You just seem exhausted. I’m worried, La,” I admitted, my voice tinged with concern as I gazed into her eyes, hoping she could see the worries I had for her than a mere plea for her to stop working.
“Sorry.” She said while looking at my eyes.
“It’s okay,” I reassured her, meeting her eyes with a gentle smile. “Let’s go grab dinner. I bet you’re starving.”
“Very much.” She grinned as she pulled me closer into her arms.
“Let’s put work aside for now. It’s been months since we’ve been able to spend time together,” she said as I stroked her hair gently.
“Anything you want to eat?” I asked.
“What about the ramen you had with Hugo?”
As soon as she told me her pick, a huge grin spread across my face. “That sounds absolutely perfect! Let’s go!” I couldn’t resist showering her cheeks with multiple kisses — each one for the excitement of another date with her and the rest for the overflowing affection I held for her.
“Stop it!” she giggled, trying to evade my affectionate onslaught. Her laughter filled the air as she attempted to escape my playful gestures.
