Chapter 7: Uncensored Movie
** Harper **
She inched around the end table, planting herself cautiously next to Eli. For some reason, the loveseat seemed much smaller than it looked — what appeared like the size of a daybed now felt like a tiny bar stool, leaving no wasted room between the two of them. Her skirt brushed against his slacks, and she could already feel the heat of his body teasing her skin.
"Have you seen Bullet to His Heart?" Eli asked, dimming the light in the room. He certainly didn't seem to notice the same intimate atmosphere that his guest was experiencing. "It's a spy romance, came out a few months ago."
Harper shook her head. She had heard of it, but if she recalled correctly, that movie was known for its terrible special effects and received bad reviews all across the internet. It surprised her that Eli had picked something like this to watch, especially given that it wasn't even rated for mature audiences.
Her expression must have betrayed her thoughts, as Eli explained, "It failed at the box office because they over-censored it. They tried to go for a wider market by cutting the romance and focusing more on the crime scenes, but that killed the essence of the story." He lowered his voice as the title screen came on. "Balconies is a member-only theater, so they are free to air whatever version of the movies they can get their hands on. The unabridged one is a whole different deal."
Harper wasn't quite sure how to feel about this whole different deal. Nodding silently, she took another big sip of her drink and turned her attention to the screen.
The story was about a spy woman tasked to approach a widowed enemy general. It began with their meeting: in order to gain the general's trust, she became a tutor for his young daughter, using the connection to create opportunities for him to notice her. Her superb interpersonal skills and professional tricks helped her get close to him quickly, and it wasn't long before he accepted her into his household as a member of his resident staff.
There wasn't much chemistry between them though, Harper thought as she took another casual sip of her drink twenty minutes in. The spy was deadly loyal to her organization, and the general's feelings for his late wife were still too strong to spare any room for a new lover. No wonder the producer decided to cut the romance subplot — if these two really ended up with any sparks, it'd probably feel too forced and unrelatable.
She darted a glance at Eli from the corner of her eye. Maybe she was overthinking it. Going at this pace, this movie couldn't possibly get that wild.
Then the sparks came. As part of a scheme to further strengthen their bond, the spy saved the general from a fake assassination. But the situation went a bit off the planned track. In an attempt to lose the "enemies" chasing closely on their tail, she steered his car off a cliff.
Both of them were injured from the fall. Leaning onto each other, they stumbled through the woods where they crashed through, searching for shelter, only to find themselves caught in torrential rain soon afterward. They were drenched, cold, and in so much pain that they thought they weren't going to make it. That was when they came upon a small cabin, deserted yet safe from the weather.
The euphoria of seeing a second chance at life made them burst into hysterical laughter. They collapsed together onto the hay-covered floor inside, and when they locked eyes with each other, something between them changed.