#babe is going to the movies tonight with 3 of his (female) coworkers

[elenadoeslife]

🌸

[filmisastory]

The Heel-less Shoe

CHAPTER II

“Courtney”, you exclaimed. She took a step forward with her wide-open arms, engaging you for a hug. Her aroma consumed your nostrils as her arms wrapped around yours.

“You look beautiful!”, she says, “I thought you weren’t coming?”, She questions. She took a step back standing next to him. You did not dare to look his way nor cared. And that was the fourth lie tonight your subconscious thought. 

“I had an opening in my schedule”, you expressed, “And of course, I had to support James hosting”, your gaze looked at him. His smile showed his dimples, with his eyes dancing at yours. “Well, thank you, babe”, he says with a slight chuckle.

The conversation continued without an utterance from him, though he did not withdraw his stare. You couldn’t tell if he was studying the way you were expressing your words and behaviour. But his gaze was making you nervous. Anxiety spiked in your veins as you unwillingly stood there. James continued to lead the conversation amongst them, while you were pretending to not lose your head.

Unbeknownst to you, Bill’s gaze kept steering in your direction longingly. Analyzing your features, the way your red lips puckered in thought. His fingers itched to touch your red flaming hair. The recognizable feeling of heat is being risen within his lower region.  

“Did you and Bill finish the film? I can’t wait to see what it’s about. Apparently, the director put the whole film on locked down.” Courtney says, snapping Bill’s carnal desires for a moment.

You hear Bill’s voice echoing in your ears, as you couldn’t find the words to speak, “Yeah, the film is finished. It was a great time working on set, a great time, right Stells?”, he insinuated.

And at that moment your eyes snapped to his blue ones looking into yours. Or more so staring down with that pesky secretive look in his eyes that you recognized. You found yourself swallowing your own nerves. You rose your left brow and pursed your lips as if you were trying to intimidate him. As a result, he found it rather amusing, he reacted with a slight smirk with his brow right brow raised.  

“Stells?”, Courtney questioned the nickname that Bill placed for you. “Aw”, her voice soothed, “I didn’t realize you guys were good friends”, she quickly and jokingly smacked your arm and his upper arm at the same time.

Motherfucker, you thought angrily. Just with one sentence, he was able to piss you off. “Yeah” you forcibly smiled, “Great friends”, your voice laced with sarcasm, whether if your peers were able to sense it. You did not care.

“The director, Smith, was a pleasure to work with, a visionary really. Definitely has a level of standards so always memorize your lines, and be ahead of the script itself”, you added expressing your advice to Courtney, while the other two unknown young women beside her nodded along. Probably her friends or coworkers, you thought. She nodded with amusement, as she was about to voice another comment, an intercom voice interrupted. An automated voice declared for guests to find their seats as the show is about to start.

Your inner thoughts gleamed happily, and for a moment you can feel your inner breathing stabilizing. For the rest of the show, you can sit down, keep to yourself, and just maybe it will be smooth sailing from here, you thought.

The crowd slowly but surely moved down the hallway to the main entrance. James kissed your cheek before leaving, heading to the backstage route. “Good luck”, your last words were said to him. 

If someone told you that you were one day to run to your seats as if you were being chased, you would have said ‘yeah if they paid me’. To say you were usually one of the last people to find their seats, considering you did not necessarily enjoy the awards show. Yet, it was part of your contract to show, put a smile, and accept the award if you win. Nonetheless, you sped walk down the steps, and your thoughts danced around the idea if you stay put in your seat, and close to your co-stars he would not dare approach you.  

“Stella!”, a recognizable female voice shouted. You snapped your head from looking down at your shuffling feet, to finding your usual director, Kathy. Pointing to the row of seats that were assigned for you and your co-stars. The seating was mid-center of the theatre and at least 5 rows in front of the stage. 

Approaching the cast was like approaching a family that you have not seen in quite a while. Kathy gave you a warm welcome, as you see your co-stars already seated from the right aisle seat and inwards. You said hello to each of them as you slowly walked down into the row, with your director right behind you. Out of manners and generosity, you sat one seat next to the empty one, so Kathy did not have to walk further down the aisle. “Thank you”, she says, as she took the empty seat, leaving you to sit next to her. While the rest of the row you were in was not yet entirely filled in. Especially the three seats next to you.

Kathy shuffled her dress while placing her right leg over her left. “So, is the film finally done, so you can come back to the show?” She joked you chuckled in return, “Yes, good riddance to that movie”, you silently cursed.

Kathy held a confusion, “What? Why? Is the film not good, the people?”, she curiously questioned. “My co-star”, you paused. “Bill Hader?’, She whispered. You slightly nod while glancing at the stage, admiring the decor placed on the walls. She continued to gossip and protrude for more answers. “I always heard he was a nice-”, her voice stops, and you glanced to her features - questioning why she stopped talking. Just then you noticed her sight looking down towards the aisle.

As if it was slow motion and came out of a fucking movie. Bill fucking Hader is walking down the aisle and more so, his eyes are set on the empty seat next to you.

“Switch seats with me”, you harshly whispered, almost spitting. But out of Kathy’s shock, she could not move quickly enough. Giving Hader enough time to sit directly next to you, purposely not glancing or giving you the time of day.

You look straight ahead behind a few heads onto the stage. Your hands stayed at your side, as Kathy gave you an apologetic look. 

It’s okay, you thought but did not reply. Perhaps you were in a state of shock, or perhaps for the first time, you debated to walk out of the theatre. 3 hours, you thought, and it repeated endlessly. As if your thoughts were echoing in amongst the theatre walls.

3 hours, 3 hours, 3 hours with Bill Hader sitting next to you. Next to you, next to you.

You can slightly hear him chatting to the person next to him before an automated voice interrupted starting the show; introducing the host and the year of the Emmy show. But everything was a haze, you could not hear nor see James walking the stage and starting his speech. All because you were sitting next to him, and just as if he put a spell on you. You unknowingly and slightly glanced in his direction while your face was placed straight ahead, so he wouldn’t notice.  

You were able to see his palms placed on his upper thigh, his fingers would voluntarily flinch, or slightly grazed over his pants. Nothing out of the ordinary, that until you feel a foot placed right next to your right heel. You can feel his shoe, slightly tapping against the side of your heel.

You quick and absentmindedly took your right leg over your left, so it was far away from his shoe tapping or whatever game he is trying to play with or against you. 

The show was almost halfway through, it was filled with a handful of awards, speeches, unnecessary jokes, all the usual. Though, nothing, not even a comment from Bill. The usual chuckle or whisper to his peers, but nothing was directed towards you. Whether he glanced, you weren’t able to notice.

After another Fleabag win, there was a commercial break. To you that meant bathroom break, though you did not need to go, the thought of fresh air from the hallway or just seeing your usual peers would do wonders in comparison to sitting next to him.

As you quickly put your right heel onto the ground and placed yourself up from your seat. You feel a snap. Your right foot that was once at five inches up from the ground was now placed on the carpeted ground itself. You almost lost your balance, that is until you feel a hand on your backside, helping you not fall. You expected to say thank you to Kathy, but it was a matter of seconds before you realized it wasn’t her hands.

You stood still and tall, turning to his direction, but looking straight down at your feet. You grasp at the sides of your jewelled gown to look and inspect your shoe. That is until you heard his voice, “Are you okay?”, you ignored him. While glancing down to your clean-shaven legs inspecting your feet, twisting your shoe, you immediately saw that your right heel was snapped, and it was hanging loose.

Shit, you thought.

You can see Bill’s legs moved slightly forward, and from the corner of your eye, you can see his left hand intending to grab your right calf while looking up to meet your eyes. His touch sent goosebumps to your skin, his hands were cold but soft to the touch.

You can feel your eyes growing in size in surprise, we are in public, your thoughts provoked.

“Are you bleeding?”, He says, almost whispering. Confusion was immediately written on your face, “bleeding?”, you questioned, almost annoyed. “Do you need a tampon?”, He clarified. A red flame of embarrassment was sent to your neck and cheeks. You recomposed yourself, and narrowed your eyes, almost throwing daggers at his. “No”, you muttered, “My heel broke”, you stated, with a sigh. 

Before your mind was even able to process the situation at hand, you can feel his hand grasp at your calf and pulling it up and set right on his knee.

“Bill!”, You reacted, harshly snapping at his actions. He quickly looked at the shoe, and immediately noticed the hanging heel that was holding on by a thread. To make matters even worse, before you can quickly place your foot back on the ground. His right hand held onto the top of your foot down to his knee. While, his left-hand grasp at the heel, snapping it off. 

No, you thought. The horror was now evident on your face, and you can feel the wind being knocked out of your chest cavity. “Fixed it”, he says with a sly smile, you can see his eyes dancing. Expecting either a thank you or a fuck you. 

His left hand contained the heel, and now your shoe was heel-less.

What the fuck? You thought, in complete shock. At this point, you can feel the stares of people turning their heads and noticing your foot still on his knee.

Out of embarrassment, shock, and anger seeping out of your pores. You placed your foot back on the ground, grabbed the heel from his hands, and placed it near his neck as if you were about to stab his trachea. It was the latter, “Fuck you”, you whispered, pulling away. His lips are pressed as if he was trying to suppress his laughter or any other comments that you noticed he was trying to hold in.

You immediately walked straight ahead down the aisle, limping for christ sake. Giving an apologetic look towards the people sitting, you tried your best to gracefully moved forward and out of the aisle, turning to the empty walkway that leads to the wooden doors.

You did not know what to do, hell where are you even going? your inner thought said to you. But once you left the main theatre, and into one of the minor hallways that are at a distance away from the people. You placed yourself against the wall, sighing and trying to capture your breath.

As you were about to take your right heel off. You didn’t notice that you were on borrowed time - it was the sudden tap sound of shoes echoing through the hallway that snapped you out of your thoughts. And it sounded as if it was getting closer each second as if it was a clock ticking. 

Out of curiosity, you peered from the side to only seeing him pacing quickly to where you are standing. You can feel the air shift, and the hair on your forearm standing.

Without realizing what you were doing, you quickly paced down the hall, literally limping. His pace was getting heavier and heavier, and you can feel yourself starting to run whether it would be a marathon or a sprint to the nearest bathroom, you didn’t care.

The panic was raised due to the realization in a psychologic effect that you felt as if you were being hunted, and in a way you were.

The echoes of his shoes echoed fiercely, to the point that a shriek raised out of you because the grasp of his right hand grabbed your left arm from behind slamming you into a door. His left hand quickly turned the handle and forcefully pushed you inside the darkened room. 

It was black, pitch black. And the only thing heard was the click of the door being closed.

Alone. Inside a room with him.