Epilogue
CLOVER
“Hey, I don’t mean to bother you, but…” the woman looks me up and down, excitement dancing in her eyes. “Are you Clover Daly?”
A small grin spreads across my face. It feels so surreal to get recognized. Turning to the stranger at the bar, I give a little wave. “That’s me.”
“Holy shit, babe!” She squeals, whacking the shoulder of the man beside her. “We just saw Darkness Rising on Friday, and it was incredible. All those stunts! I can’t believe you did them yourself!”
“Yeah, those weren’t casual,” I laugh.
“You were so good.” She smiles, then admits, “My boyfriend and I are huge fans of the comics.”
The boyfriend nods in confirmation, looking a little too shy to speak for himself.
“You guys nailed it,” she adds.
Her words give me a warm and floaty feeling. This is exactly why we worked so hard. Because we knew it would mean something to the fans. Knowing they like the movie will never get old.
“You have no idea what it means to hear that,” I admit.
Somehow, it’s like she gets it. She gives me a knowing smile. “I’m glad you’re going to be in the sequels.”
“Me too,” I laugh. Thank God I can laugh now.
Roman’s lawyer, Lucia, has had her hands full.
After months of posturing—and most importantly, losing precious time and money—Starlight Studios finally relented.
My role has been restored to the original plan for the franchise.
I’ll still be the lead for all three films, alongside Roman, of course.
We begin filming for the sequel, Darkness Reigns, next month in New Mexico.
“What are you doing out in Napa?” The woman asks.
“Watching a friend perform. If you don’t mind, I’m actually going to see if I can get a good spot.” I grab my beer and gesture towards the stage.
“Of course, we’re looking forward to seeing you in the sequel.”
“Thank you! Enjoy the rest of your night,” I smile at the duo.
Winding my way through the packed crowd, I finally settle on a spot to the left of the stage. The smell of smoke curls around me as I wait, anticipation swelling in my chest. The first few acts tonight have been amazing, and the crowd is so responsive—cheering and swaying through the music.
I tap on the neck of my beer bottle as I glance around, waiting nervously. I know he’ll do well—the same way I simply know the sun will rise again tomorrow. But I also know how big of a deal this is. How hard Roman has worked for this.
He’s put in countless hours, meeting and working with other musicians. A few of them have agreed to help him out tonight with playing drums and bass. I know he’s as prepared as he can be, but my heart is still racing, because I know how much this means to him.
I scan the packed room, taking in the deteriorating band posters plastered across the walls. With a smile, I think back to the last time Roman and I were here in this bar, on that fateful trip where everything changed. I smile and take a pull from my beer.
“Give it up for Catalyst!” The MC shouts into the mic. The band exits the stage, and the butterflies in my stomach threaten to come out of my mouth. “Up next we have… Anonymous!” A bit on the nose for my taste, but I understand why they chose that name for tonight.
The crowd cheers with encouragement as the bassist and drummer enter the stage, followed by Roman. It doesn’t take long for the murmurs to start.
“Is that Roman Everett?”
“Hey, it’s that movie star!”
“What’s he doing here?”
Before they get too loud, Roman gives a nod to the others onstage, and they begin to play. No introductions, just launching straight into what matters most—the music.
The crowd quiets as they watch and listen. Roman looks fucking dreamy up there in his black t-shirt and jeans, playing the guitar with a level of skill even I didn’t know he possessed. The piano is what he plays at home for the most part, so this is a pleasant surprise for me.
When he sings, the crowd cheers. And by the time they launch into the final chorus, half the audience is singing along.
After their set is complete, I head backstage to see him.
It takes everything in me not to sprint and hop into his arms when I see him.
He looks so fucking cute right now, eyes bright as he talks animatedly with the other musicians.
It’s nothing compared to how they light up the second he notices me.
“Excuse me,” he mutters quickly to his friends before jogging over to me and pulling me into a bear hug so tight it squeezes the air right out of my lungs.
“You were incredible,” I squeak out despite the compression.
He holds me for another minute before letting my feet back on the ground. “Really?”
“Roman Everett, if there’s one thing you should know by now, it’s that I’ll tell it to you straight.” With my hands framing his face, I pull him down for a kiss.
He smiles against my lips. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Don’t you want to celebrate with the guys?” I ask.
“No, I want to celebrate with you.”
When we get back to the hotel, Roman is still vibrating with excitement.
“Are you okay? You seem like you’ve got some energy you need to burn off,” I laugh as we head into the suite.
“Now that you suggest it, I really could use something to let loose.” Without another word, he scoops me up, taking me straight to the bedroom.
Roman spends a good majority of the night between my legs in some capacity, making me come so hard I see stars. When we’re both finally spent, I collapse into what is probably the deepest sleep I’ve had in months.
There’s a slight clatter beside me. My eyes flash open, and I see Roman wince as he sets down the steaming mug. “Sorry, I tried to be as quiet as I could. Got you a London Fog.”
My heart squeezes as I look up at him. Hair slightly messed up after everything we got up to last night, and a smile so devastatingly handsome I could melt. “Don’t worry about it, I should probably get up anyway. Thank you,” I say before giving him a quick peck.
“I’ll go bring in your breakfast. By the way, your phone keeps ringing. Do you want me to bring it to you?”
I rack my brain for a minute, trying to figure out who’d be calling me so early on a Saturday. I nod, and within a minute Roman is back with the phone.
Looking down, I see that my new agent—from Central Artists United—has called me a few times. Wasting no time, I call her back.
“Hi Camila.”
“Clover! Sorry to call so early, but I had to let you know right away that you booked the Winslow movie.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely you did, your audition was incredible. Julian and his team are so excited to work with you, and I know you’ll be incredible. We can chat about contract stuff in a few days, but I just wanted to pass on that good news.”
“Holy shit… that’s amazing,” my voice is barely above a whisper. This movie is going to be a Cold War spy drama, and it’s going to be good. The last movie Julian Winslow directed won a multitude of awards.
“Enjoy the rest of your Napa trip. We’ll chat soon,” Camila says brightly before hanging up.
“What was it?” Roman asks. He’s leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, a grin on his face that tells me he overheard and knows exactly what it was. He just wants to hear it from me.
“I got the Winslow movie.”
Pushing off the doorframe, Roman walks over to me and cradles my face in his hands.
“Of course you did. You’re fucking amazing,” he says before kissing me deeply.
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