The next day, Cassius groggily opened his eyes to meet a pair of captivating gray-green eyes.
Kristen had woken up at some point.
She was lying on her side, head propped up on her hand, watching him motionless.
"Morning~"
Her voice was a little husky, carrying the languor of just waking up.
"Morning!"
Cassius instinctively tried to raise his hand to rub his eyes, only to find his arm numb from Kristen using it as a pillow.
"How long have you been watching?"
"Not long!"
Kristen smiled. "Just noticed that when you're asleep, you look a bit more well-behaved than usual."
Cassius: "..."
What kind of review was that?
He tried to retract his arm to get the blood flowing again.
"Don't move!"
Kristen pinned him down, leaning in even closer until the tip of her nose almost touched his. Her eyes held a glint of curiosity.
"Seriously, Cassius. The way you handled the media and the armed robbery... you were so calm, unlike a guy in his early twenties!"
Cassius's heart skipped a beat.
I can't exactly tell you I have a system buffing me and can see favorability scores floating above your heads.
He could only be vague. "Maybe I have an old soul?"
Kristen pouted, clearly not buying it, but didn't press further.
She lowered her head and bit his collarbone, not too hard nor too light, leaving a shallow teeth mark.
"Hiss... are you a puppy?"
"Marking my territory!"
Kristen declared righteously. "Just in case someone sleeps and runs!"
Cassius laughed despite himself. "Where could I run to?"
The two lingered in bed for a while longer.
Mostly Kristen unilaterally "harassing" Cassius until his stomach grumbled in protest.
"Hungry?"
Kristen finally let him go, sitting up. "Should I order room service or should we go out to eat?"
Cassius had reservations about going out.
With their current level of fame, stepping out the door would guarantee being swarmed by paparazzi.
"Order in!"
He made the wise choice.
Kristen picked up the bedside phone, dialed proficiently, and ordered a mountain of food:
Eggs Benedict, waffles, fruit platter, yogurt...
Enough for three or four people.
"You ordered all that?"
Cassius was a bit taken aback.
"Celebrating your account breaking six figures!"
Kristen hung up, jumped off the bed, and padded barefoot across the carpet toward the bathroom.
"Besides, big calorie burn from exercise!"
Cassius looked at her slender back, thinking about how he did all the work, and was left speechless.
After Kristen finished washing up and came out, Cassius took a quick shower.
When he emerged, breakfast had been delivered and set up on the small balcony outside the bedroom.
The sunlight was perfect, a gentle breeze blew, and sitting on a balcony in Beverly Hills eating breakfast while overlooking the gardens and pool below...
A few months ago, Cassius wouldn't have dared to dream of this scene.
He cut a piece of Eggs Benedict. The taste was indeed good, but his mind was calculating how much this meal cost.
The poverty mindset was hard to shake off quickly.
Kristen scrolled through her phone while pushing the strawberries on the fruit platter toward him.
"Here, eat this. Vitamin supplement."
"What are you looking at?" Cassius asked.
"Nothing much. Emma sent over a few interview requests and brand event invites, asking if we want to take them."
Kristen didn't look up.
"And something funny. TMZ posted photos of us going home together after the wrap party last night. The headline is [Kristen and Heroic Boyfriend Return Home Lovingly, Stable Relationship Breaks Rumors]."
She laughed after reading it. "They sure know how to talk now!"
Cassius leaned over to take a look. The photo was a bit blurry, but clearly them. He had his arm around Kristen's waist as they walked.
"These paparazzi are slacking. They didn't even get a shot of us hugging as we went through the door."
Cassius roasted them with a straight face.
Kristen was amused and kicked him lightly. "Get out of here!"
She put down her phone and looked at Cassius, her expression slightly more serious.
"Seriously, what are your plans? You can't just sit idle before the Thor audition. Does Rob have any decent scripts?"
Cassius swallowed his food and nodded.
"A few. I'll take a look this afternoon. There's a second male lead in an indie crime film, and a main villain in a horror sequel. They both sound okay!"
He now had a bit of capital to be picky, unlike before when he had to lunge at any role available.
"Horror sequel?"
Kristen raised an eyebrow.
"You want to stick with the thriller route? You can't ride the Insidious wave forever."
"I know!"
Cassius understood perfectly.
"It's just that the villain setup is interesting. Not a simple slasher, but someone with a twisted psychological background. I want to try different types of roles."
He paused and looked at Kristen.
"And didn't you say actors need to experiment to find their true niche?"
Kristen paused, then smiled.
"True enough!"
She picked up a napkin to wipe her mouth, leaned back, and adopted a bit of a senior mentor posture.
"But you're right! While you have the heat, take on a few different types of roles to get your face out there and consolidate your reputation."
"Just watch the quality. Don't take too many bad movies; it burns through goodwill fast."
Cassius nodded, accepting the advice.
Isn't this exactly what he was thinking?
"Oh, right!"
Kristen suddenly remembered something.
"There's a party in a couple of days hosted by a producer. A lot of industry people will be there. Want to come? Might find some opportunities."
Cassius recalled the attribute-harvesting bonanza at the wrap party yesterday and felt a stir of interest.
Before Cassius could speak, Kristen leaned in and kissed him.
"You're my boyfriend, and you're not a nobody anymore. Rupert and Branagh both singled you out as promising. Stand up straight, will you?"
Cassius looked at her "my man is just that awesome" expression and couldn't help laughing.
"Alright, whatever you say!"
It's Hollywood; connections and exposure are equally important.
After breakfast, Kristen was summoned away by a call from Emma, seemingly for some urgent business negotiation.
Before leaving, Kristen tossed the keys to that Ford Mustang to Cassius.
"Transportation. You drive it for now."
Her tone was casual, as if she wasn't handing over a classic muscle car with collectible value, but a QR code for a shared bike.
Cassius caught the keys, still warm from her fingers, and weighed them in his hand.
The car looked old, but it was impeccably maintained, with hard lines that exuded old-school American ruggedness.
It was in a completely different dimension from the beat-up second-hand cars he had driven before.
"Thanks!"
He didn't stand on ceremony. With their current relationship, being too polite would just create distance.
"Drive carefully. This old guy has a bit of a temper!"
Kristen put on her sunglasses. Before opening her car door, she turned back to add a teasing remark.
"Don't crash it. Repairs are a pain."
"Relax, I'm a seasoned driver!"
Cassius flashed an OK sign.
Watching Kristen's car drive away, Cassius circled the dark blue Mustang twice before opening the door and getting in.
The interior showed signs of age, but the leather seats were well-kept, carrying a unique vintage scent.