Monroe walked toward Liverpool Studios as she lit her cigarette, exhaling cool smoke through her nose. She was tired, though at least she had woken up early today.  She was happy to head to work for once, knowing she would get to see Darcy again. Plus, I'd rather be at work than at home with my thoughts.  

She continued walking as she got lost in her reverie. I had a great time with him yesterday…I haven’t felt that way in years. Although I do wish we met under different circumstances. How embarrassing, crying in front of him like that. Still, I didn’t feel like he judged me. It was refreshing. I’d like to get to know him better. She took another drag off her menthol cigarette.

***

Monroe stood behind the cameras, watching the scene unfold. “But I love you!” one actress said to another.

“You're confused! You know I don’t feel that way.” The other actress explained

“You didn’t say that when you kissed me under the old oak tree.” She replied.

Monroe rolled her eyes. Letting out a quiet sound as she questioned the scene to herself. “Who wrote this scene?”

“I did.” Darcy replied as he stood behind her quietly. Monroe turned to him, embarrassment evident on her face.  Darcy continued “You should have seen it before I made the edits.”

Monroe grasped her clipboard tightly as she whispered. “I'm sorry.”

 Darcy waved his hands dismissively.  “Don’t worry, they’re not my best edits I'll admit.”

Monroe looked up at him and smiled, tucking her pixie cut behind her ear. “I have no basis for comparison.”

Darcy grinned. “That’s right you haven’t watch my stuff.”

He let out a quiet laugh “Well then, this doesn’t bode well for me or my writing abilities.”

Monroe beamed at him, delighted to hear his laughter. “I'm sure you're adequate.”

“The highest of compliments.” He answered.

They both struggled to suppress their chortling trying not to interrupt the scene that played out before them.

From afar, Maria’s eyes fell on Darcy and Monroe, noting the energy between them as they failed to suppress their giggling.

Her eyes lit up with delight as she saw Monroe's smile. It had been a long time since her friend had smiled like that, if ever. “Good for her.” She said quietly to no one.

***

Monroe woke up on her couch covered in beer bottles. She had gotten drunk last night, since it was her day off again, she figured it would be okay. Her head throbbed as she pushed a graveyard of bottles aside. The air was thick with the smell of rancid alcohol.  She would have to clean her apartment soon; it was covered with evidence of her alcoholism.

Alcoholism.

No, no, I'm only drinking to relax. She lied to herself.

She lifted her body off the couch but immediately fell to her knees, the room still spinning.

She turned to look at her fridge, maybe she should eat something. Though her body did not agree, she felt bile rise to the back of her throat as she bolted to the bathroom.

She emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet and rested her head on the seat.  “Ugh, I need to drink less.”

As she returned to her couch, she took her dirty ash tray and brought it close to her, spilling its contents as she did. She sat there silently “I’m so bored already.” She said aloud. I don’t want to be home. It’s too quiet. She thought, anxiety rising in her stomach.

“Maybe I should watch some of Darcy's movies…” She wondered aloud.

She grabbed her remote and turned on her TV, setting up Netflix, hoping they would have his movies on the site. She typed in Darcy’s name and hit search.

She was surprised to find they had a ton of his shows and movies. Mike was right, Darcy was famous. How had she never heard of him before?

She supposed she was too wrapped up in her own misery to keep up with pop culture.

Her eyes fell on a title, Melancholy by Darcy Hart. She started it and ended up in tears by the end of the movie, it had been a real experience. She hadn’t expected it to be quite so romantic.

She sat there for hours, watching every single movie she could. By the time she had stopped it was the next day, the sun slipped through her blinds, illuminating her face as her dried-out eyes landed on her alarm clock, it was already time for work.

She hadn’t slept at all that night. She got up and turned on the shower, she was forced to stand naked as she waited for the water to heat up, she preferred steaming hot showers. She felt the water dripping down her skin as she brushed her teeth thoroughly.

She took a quarter-sized amount of shampoo and gently lathered her hair, the scent of honey erasing the smell of alcohol and sweat as she pondered what she had watched all night long. A lot of romance. She sighed. I suppose all of those movies were inspired by his marriage. He must have really loved his wife. She mused, feeling a pang of jealousy hit her deeply as she felt a sharp feeling nestle in her chest.

She rinsed her hair and conditioned it immediately, letting the conditioner sit as she washed her body. Well, he's single now, more or less. She had a realization “and so am I.” She said aloud, her blush blending into the redness the warm shower was evoking on her skin.

She felt a sense of determination. Was she really going to attempt to pursue Darcy? He was such a kind man, nothing like Dave, who had a cruel streak in him.

Monroe banished Dave from her thoughts. Fuck him. She was single now and she really liked Darcy. She rinsed the conditioner off her head and turned off the water. She looked in the mirror as she stepped out of the shower.

Did she really have what it takes to attract Darcy to her? She inspected her body, she had the perfect hourglass figure, however in her opinion her thighs, hips, and butt were simply too big.

She lamented being bottom heavy, it’s not what was popular in the year of 2011. Her whole life she grew up feeling like she was overweight. She supposed she had an attractive enough face and hoped Darcy would overlook her weight.

She dried herself quickly as she haphazardly threw on a short purple miniskirt and a tank top with a pentagram made of lace that draped over her chest, making her cleavage more prominent.

Monroe did her makeup carefully, trying to get the perfect cat eye. She looked through her lipsticks and chose the blackest one she could find.  

After she was done, she stepped into her combat boots and headed out the door. This was the first time in a very long time that she had put so much effort into her outfit. If she didn’t know any better, she would have thought she was happy as she walked to work.

***

A knock came upon Darcy's door. He didn’t look up from the papers on his desk as he answered. “Come in."

Monroe stepped through, coming to a stop at the edge of his desk. Darcy was still concentrated on his papers as he wrote something she couldn’t make out. Before she had the chance to speak, he asked abruptly. “How can I help you?”

Monroe lifted a brow; he was so lost in his work. She found it endearing. Finally, she spoke “Brady asked me to bring you a few papers.”

At the sound of her musical voice, Darcy’s head shot up, his work abandoned. His eyes widened at the sight of her as he shot her a wide smile. “Monroe! Hello, how are you doing today?” He asked, his voice dripping with delight.

Monroe set the papers down as she leaned against his desk, her back arching sensually. Darcy swallowed at the sight. She felt peach spread across her face under Darcy’s gaze. “I'm a little tired, I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Darcy’s brows shot up. She hasn’t slept? How is she even standing before me right now. Looking like a million bucks. “Oh, why is that?”

Monroe’s blush deepened as she considered how to answer. “Well…I kind of stayed up watching your movies.”

Darcy propped his elbows on his desk, his face resting against his hands. “Did you now? What brought you to watch my adequate movies?”

Monroe looked away as she answered. “Oh well, I was curious about your writing and wanted to check it out.”

“And what’s the verdict?” Darcy asked genuinely curious. He leaned in with interest, as he playfully eyed Monroe.

She leaned in a little more, lifting a leg behind her, and answered honestly.  “You’re very good.” She said through a smile. “I got to say, I wasn’t expecting so much romance, you're very good at writing it.” She mused, bringing a hand to her face, sweeping her hair back behind her ear.

Darcy sat back for a moment. Did he make a lot of romance movies? He thought back to his catalogue. He supposed he did. Ironic. A man who had never been in love writing romance movies. He chuckled as he spoke. “Thank you, I suppose I never noticed that I had an inclination towards writing romance. Though I promise I write and direct other genres too!”

Monroe stood up straight, shifting her weight around as she spoke. “M—maybe we can watch them sometime.” She managed to say casually despite how eager she felt.

Darcy blinked at her. He wasn’t thrilled about watching his own movies, knowing how he felt about his creations. But he would do anything to spend more time with Monroe, so he jumped at the opportunity.

“I'd love to! The dollar theater plays them on occasion. I mean if you want to wait until one shows up.” He internally cursed himself. He should have offered to rent them instead. That way they could spend time together more immediately.

Monroe gave him a soft smile, “Good films are worth the wait.” Darcy gazed upon her, a grin spreading across his face. What was he feeling? He couldn’t recognize it. He pushed it down and continued admiring her. He was in trouble now.