Ten

The only thing that was weighing on her mind about her newfound friendship was ... she hadn't told him about her son. Their conversations never went there. It's not so much that she was worried he didn't want young children to be on the premises, it was more of the follow-up questions that she's reluctant to answer.

It was the first day of shooting, John had invited her to come with Andrea. She agreed to it, she thought it would be a good time to introduce her new friend to Kevin.

The sun was pretty high that day, a lot of people were on the set. Some locals gathered around to watch, police officers can be seen securing the location. Not many people knew about it, they kept it pretty secret so the public wouldn't swarm the place. It was the first time she ever set foot on a movie set. There wasn't much prop used because the main scene was a fighting scene.

It was also the first time she ever saw John in another light. He was big and tall, he stood out among others who were there. He was in a suit, his expression looked like he was already in his character. Serious, rough, and angry. A make-up artist was fixing his hair and facial hair and put on some fake blood on his face. She took a quick look around in the surrounding area, then she fixed her attention solely on him.

"Who is that man, mom?" Kevin asked, clinging to her neck. "He looks like a superhero."

Andrea was too excited to be there, she couldn't stop taking pictures, took videos, and posted them on Instagram. But when the shooting started, everyone was asked to turn off their phones and not to make any sound.

He did all the fighting scenes himself, he memorized the choreography and learned to use weapons as a real badass assassin. Sandy was watching from the sidelines like a fangirl. She couldn't believe how different he was from his real persona, it was like looking at a whole different person.

"Hey ... the first transfer just came through, I'll wire you the money later," Andrea said.

"That's great news! Thanks, hun," she was relieved she could meet her deadline for the next installment.

"I have another project in Manta so I'll be island hopping for the next two weeks ... but if you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

Andrea had been busy with her work because of the development that's taking place on a nearby island of Manta. She had been generating a lot of clients from other countries, her career was skyrocketing in the past year.

On the shooting break, John finally noticed them on the sidelines and made time to chat. He quickly switched to his daily persona, it was astounding.

"This is Kevin ... my son," she didn't expect how fast her heart was racing when she said that.

His jaw dropped, "You have a son?"

"Yeah, he's staying with my mom for a while."

John stuck out his hand and offered Kevin a handshake, "Hey little guy, I'm John ... it's really nice to meet you," he was smiling widely.

Kevin was a little shy, but he shook his hand.

"Firm handshake! I like that, just like your mom."

Kevin smiled and hid his face on Sandy's shoulder. "You're the superhero," he said.

It made John laugh, "I am ... but you shouldn't be watching the fighting scene, though, you should come to the cottage."

"Can I mom?" Kevin looked at Sandy. Sandy awkwardly looked at John, and he gave her the sweetest look.

"Yes, can he mom?" John asked.

"Sure ... maybe tomorrow, okay? 'Cause I have to work with aunty Andrea today."

John frowned at Kevin, "We'll be seeing each other more often then, I have to get back to my trailer now ... I'll see you tonight?"

"Yeah ... see you tonight."

"Will you be coming too, Andrea?" John asked.

"Oh ... no ... I'll be leaving for Manta later today, you guys have fun, okay?"

That was the moment Andrea noticed something different in her best friend's eyes. They were fixed on John.

**********

Sandy walked up the stairs to the main cottage with two bags of take-outs in her hands. She decided to visit him in the main cottage, knowing that he must've been very tired from shooting that day. She knocked on the door, no answer. The door wasn't locked, so she poked her head in and called out, "John!!"

"Sandy?" his voice was distant. "Come on in, I'm upstairs, I'll be right down."

She stepped in and put the take-outs on the dining table. The place was messy, it turned into a typical bachelor pad. The floor was dirty, things were lying around everywhere. She would offer him a cleaner later.

He came down, still dripping wet from the shower. His shirt was halfway in as he descended the stairs. She can't even remember how long it's been since she had seen a man like that in that cottage.

"Hey! Take-outs! I love take-outs!" he exclaimed, took a wing from one of the bags, and munched on it.

"Do you need a cleaner, John?" she went straight to the point.

He looked around the room and realized it was a mess. "Okay, but it's not a regular thing, right?"

"No, just whenever is convenient for you, I can call a cleaner once or twice a week."

He agreed to it like it wasn't a big deal.

After they settled down to eat, that was when John finally asked her, "Why did you never mention Kevin?"

Sandy told him about the contract she signed with his management, and it blew his mind.

"That's ridiculous? I would never ..." he was appalled that his management would include such a clause in the agreement because he had nothing against children. Knowing him for the past week, Sandy believed him.

"My management is great professional people, I'm sure they mean well ... but for you to keep your own son away, no way! That's not acceptable," he said. His expression turned dark, "I had a son ... and he had a heart defect from birth," he was struggling to say it. "He died when he was 14 months old, and ... there were times when it's hard for me to be around children." A surge of sadness reflected on his face.

"It must be ... I'm so sorry to hear that," Sandy touched his forearm.

John nodded, he didn't say anything else about it. "Please, don't keep your son away on my account ... that would be terrible."

She mended his bandages before she left. She was glad the swelling was reduced. She rubbed the ointment carefully and thoroughly, she knew he needed to heal fast, and she wanted that for him.

"Is Kevin's dad still in the picture?" he surprised her with that question.

She looked up and found his eyes were gazing at her. She had a faint smile on her face, "No." Her answer was short but she can see he was expecting more than that. "My fiancé left us when I was still pregnant with Kevin ... didn't say a single word, no notes, no nothing, and we had only just made our down payment on this cottage," she scoffed in irony.

He took a deep breath, her story hit a nerve in him. "My father left me when I was three ... some men are just not up for the challenge ... what an asshole," he said.

It made Sandy laugh. She adhered the bandage and put down his hand.

She looked at John and felt something different in his stare.

"Thank you," he said.

She smiled, "You're welcome, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, please, I still need your help ... as it turned out, I'm pretty useless," he laughed lightly.

"I think it'll heal completely by next week, maybe you should check it again to the hospital .... just to be sure," she gazed at him before leaving the doorstep.

"I will."

She swore she felt something different in the way they looked at each other, or maybe it was just her.