Chapter 7

Apollo Castiello - Chapter 7

And now look at me. I accept the consequences.

- Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

I was struggling the entire time to keep my eyes on Jamie as he talked about NewScene to Mia. His words echoed through the room, describing the vision, the values, and the grandeur of the production company, but my mind was elsewhere, completely captivated by another presence. I genuinely wanted to hear everything Jamie had to say, I wanted to pay attention, but it was impossible. My mind was shouting louder than Jamie, and my eyes were quicker to stray towards Mia than to follow the movement of his hands.

As Jamie spoke enthusiastically, I found myself trying to disguise my attention. I kept my face forward, but my eyes stubbornly sought Mia from the corner of my eye, capturing every detail of her profile. I pretended to be interested in the wall on the other side of the room, but the truth was that all that mattered to me at that moment was her. Her eyes were serious, focused on what Jamie was saying, and there was a vibrant energy in her expression. She seemed genuinely excited about all the nonsense Jamie was spouting about the company, and I couldn’t decide if I found it amusing or charming.

Mia had a surprising beauty, and it was even more evident in profile. The smooth line of her chin, the way her lips were slightly curved in an expression of interest, everything about her seemed carefully sculpted. But what caught my attention the most was the fact that she never changed the position of her face, not even for a second. At no point did she turn to look at me. There was a determination in her eyes, a concentration that I couldn’t help but admire. She was incredibly indifferent, and that only increased my fascination.

And I loved that. There was something captivating about her indifference, in the way she was completely ignoring my presence. It was as if I didn’t matter, as if nothing could distract her from her focus. That challenged me, intrigued me. Every second she spent without noticing me made me want her attention even more. It was a silent game that only I seemed to be playing, but it held me in an inexplicable way.

As Jamie continued talking, I realized I was in a silent battle, trying not to let on how much Mia was affecting me. But the truth was that she had managed, without even trying, to capture all of my attention. And the more she ignored my presence, the more I wanted her to notice me. It was as if the whole room had disappeared, and all that was left was this strange and irresistible magnetism pulling me towards her, even though she had no idea.

"And do you agree, Apollo?" Jamie’s voice pulled me out of my reverie.

What did he just ask? What was he talking about? Regardless, I simply nodded, and since there was no stir in the room, I realized I hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Well, now let’s talk about you two.” He picked up an agenda and scanned it.

I noticed when Mia glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, and I saw a flicker of fear in her eyes. It was like a quick flash, but unmistakable, that made my chest tighten. Damn it! She was uncomfortable and insecure, and that wasn’t what I wanted her to feel. I wanted her to be confident, to feel at ease, but something about the situation was clearly bothering her. When she realized I was watching her, she quickly looked away, as if trying to hide her emotions. An involuntary smile appeared on my lips, a mix of understanding and an attempt to comfort her.

Without thinking much, I moved closer to her, close enough for her to feel my presence without it being intrusive. I leaned in towards her ear and whispered in the calmest, most reassuring voice I could muster:

“You don’t need to worry. Everything here is perfectly normal.”

I saw her bite her lip, a reaction that made me realize how much she was trying to keep herself together. Even so, she pretended not to hear me, turning her head to the other side, as if she could distance herself from both the situation and my comfort. But I didn’t give up. There was something about her resistance that made me want to break through the barrier of discomfort she was putting up.

“If you want, I can hold your hand.” I continued whispering, knowing I was toeing the line between being comforting and provoking.

Then she quickly turned her head, surprised by my persistence. In the sudden movement, her lips lightly brushed against my beard, creating a spark of electricity that coursed through my skin. I felt the impact of that touch, but I kept my composure, acting as if nothing had happened. My mind fought to maintain composure, even as my body was on high alert to every little detail of that casual encounter.

Mia, for her part, seemed equally affected, but she wouldn’t let it show. Instead, she whispered back, her words tinged with a feigned irritation:

“If you would stop being so annoying, that would help a lot.”

Her tone was a clear attempt to regain control of the situation, but the glint in her eyes, even if momentary, told me there was more than irritation there. I smiled, enjoying the game we were playing, a subtle dance of provocations and responses.

She was different when she was annoyed. Every time she spoke with irritation, her jaw would tense up only on the left side, her lips would become thinner, and a small dimple would form above her eyebrow, and that was something amusing to watch. I promised myself that during this entire work process, I would annoy her at every possible moment.

“You two have a strong connection! This is going to be fun,” Jamie said with an entrepreneurial smile on his lips after watching our brief exchange.

I stifled a smile as Mia let out a long breath, one of those that seemed to carry the weight of the world and release it in a single sigh. There was something charming about that simple gesture, almost as if she were releasing a wave of emotions she couldn’t contain. She was happy, and it was too obvious, radiating from every movement she made, from every expression she tried to hide. The sparkle in her eyes, the lightness in the way her body relaxed, everything indicated that this happiness was genuine and intense.

But the most interesting part was the way she was already starting to act, trying to conceal all her excitement. I could see the effort she was making to maintain her composure, not to let on how much that moment was affecting her. She lightly bit her lip, avoided smiling too much, and her eyes would shift as if she wanted to control every emotion that emerged. It was a silent battle between what she felt and what she wanted to show.

Ah, she would be a great actress, I thought, observing every detail. There was a naturalness in how she held back, as if she already instinctively knew how to balance emotions to maintain a perfect façade. This ability, this capacity to hide euphoria under a layer of apparent calm, was a quality many spend years trying to develop, but in Mia, it seemed innate.

As I watched her, I could hardly wait to see her in action, to watch as she turned this natural ability into a powerful performance on screen. If she could already hide so much happiness in a simple sigh, I imagined what she could do in a role that demanded true emotional depth and complexity.

“Well, we’ve made some changes to the entire script,” Jamie began. “You’ll be portraying a new version of what your parents once were, and we decided to innovate. Besides a full-on action movie and all the rest, we thought of something lighter. Something more… enjoyable to watch.” He was choosing his words brilliantly, and I was somewhat curious, and Mia wasn’t far behind. “So; especially considering your physical appeal and your audience, we chose a romance.” He announced with joy.

Mia quickly opened her mouth, as if she was about to say something, but her expression was overtaken by an ecstasy she couldn’t hide. It was as if in that instant, she was living a dream she had nurtured for a long time. Her eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and fulfillment, and I could see how much that meant to her. However, while she seemed to float in her happiness, a weight settled in my chest.

I, on the other hand, was worried. I couldn’t ignore the shadows of the past that emerged in my mind. The last time I acted in a romance, things didn’t end completely well. There was a fine line between reality and fiction, a line I had crossed before, and the consequences still haunted me. The thought of repeating those mistakes, of mixing real emotions with those on screen, made me uneasy.

I looked away from Mia, trying to push those thoughts aside, but when I did, I realized she was watching me. This time, there wasn’t the same joy on her face; her expression was serious, focused, as if she was trying to read what was going on inside me. Her eyes locked onto mine, and in that instant, the world around us seemed to stop. There was something intense in the way she looked at me, a silent connection that didn’t need words.

She took a deep breath, and I instinctively did the same. It was a moment charged with tension and expectation, as if we were on the brink of something significant. And then, she smiled. It wasn’t a big or exaggerated smile, but something soft, almost shy, that slowly appeared on her lips. And in that smile, all my worries and the weight of the past seemed to dissolve. I was completely lost.