The Blackwood estate was unusually quiet for a Saturday afternoon.
Which, for the Blackwood family, was already suspicious.
Because quiet usually meant one of two things.
Either Oliver had broken something expensive and was hiding.
Or Donovan was planning something.
And today, Oliver was downstairs teaching Buster how to wear a fake dinosaur tail.
So that only left one option.
---
Inside his bedroom, Donovan stood in front of the massive mirror near his closet.
Apollo watched him lazily from the bed, his giant Saint Bernard head resting on the pillows like an oversized living carpet.
Donovan adjusted the sleeves of a dark charcoal jacket.
Not too formal.
Too formal looked weird for where he was going.
But too casual also felt wrong.
He stared at himself silently for a few seconds.
Then changed the jacket.
Apollo lifted one eye slowly.
The dog looked deeply judgmental.
"Don't start," Donovan muttered.
Apollo huffed.
---
Ten minutes later, Donovan was somehow on his fourth outfit.
Not because he cared that much.
But because apparently choosing clothes for secret dates was significantly harder than negotiating billion-dollar acquisitions.
Who knew.
He finally settled on something simple.
Black jeans.
Clean white sneakers.
Dark gray fitted shirt.
A lightweight black jacket.
Effortlessly attractive without looking like he tried too hard.
Unfortunately, that exact balance required twenty minutes of effort.
---
The door suddenly opened.
Jake Gyllenhaal walked into the room holding a bag of chips.
He froze instantly.
Donovan froze too.
Jake slowly lowered the chips.
"…Why are you dressed like that?"
Donovan calmly grabbed his car keys.
"Like what?"
Jake narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"You look… normal."
"That is deeply offensive."
"No, seriously," Jake said, walking into the room. "You usually dress like a mysterious billionaire vampire."
Jake pointed dramatically at the fitted shirt.
"This is 'guy trying to look accidentally attractive' clothing."
Donovan looked offended.
"I always look accidentally attractive."
Jake stared at him for a second.
"…Okay, fair enough."
Then realization slowly appeared on Jake's face.
His eyes widened.
"No way."
Donovan immediately walked toward the door.
Jake pointed at him like he had discovered government secrets.
"NO WAY."
Before Donovan could escape, another voice echoed from downstairs.
"JAKE, DID YOU STEAL MY CHIPS—"
Heavy footsteps thundered upward.
Chris Evans appeared in the hallway.
He stopped dead the moment he saw Donovan.
The room went silent.
Chris blinked once.
Then twice.
"…Bro."
Jake grabbed Chris by the shoulders dramatically.
"He's going on a date."
Chris gasped so loudly Apollo physically lifted his head again.
"DONOVAN BLACKWOOD HAS GAME?!"
"I literally hate both of you."
Jake looked horrified.
"With WHO?"
"Where?"
"Since when?"
"Why are you acting mysterious?"
"Wait—" Chris narrowed his eyes suddenly. "Is it Scarlett?"
"No."
Jake tilted his head.
"…Amanda?"
"No."
Chris gasped again.
"Oh my God. It's Natalie Portman."
Donovan paused for exactly half a second.
Jake and Chris screamed simultaneously.
"IT'S NATALIE PORTMAN?!"
Donovan immediately pointed at them.
"Lower your voices before Lily hears you and tells the entire staff."
That only made them laugh harder.
Chris nearly collapsed onto the bed.
"BROOOO. THE STAR WARS ROMANCE BECAME REAL."
Jake clutched his chest dramatically.
"The fanfiction writers are going to ascend."
"It's not like that."
Jake stared at him flatly.
"You spent six months filming intense romantic scenes with one of the most beautiful women on Earth."
Chris nodded seriously.
"And now you're secretly dressing hot and leaving the mansion alone."
Jake slowly pointed both hands at him.
"That's exactly like that."
---
Unfortunately for Donovan, escaping his friends only led him directly into his family.
The moment he walked downstairs, Evelyn looked up from the kitchen counter.
Then she blinked slowly.
Her director instincts activated immediately.
"…Why are you dressed nicely?"
Donovan grabbed an apple casually.
"I always dress nicely."
Richard walked into the kitchen carrying paperwork.
He stopped too.
"Oh, this is unbelievable," Richard laughed. "He's actually nervous."
"I'm not nervous."
Arthur Blackwood looked up from the newspaper near the dining table.
The old titan stared at Donovan for a few seconds.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
"My grandson is going on a date."
"It's not a date."
Oliver sprinted into the room wearing the fake dinosaur tail himself now.
"WHO IS IT?!"
Lily appeared right behind him holding Bella's leash.
"Ooooh," she whispered excitedly. "Donnie likes someone."
"I regret coming downstairs."
Chris and Jake walked in immediately after him like traitors joining the enemy side.
"It's Natalie Portman," Chris announced proudly.
The kitchen exploded.
Oliver screamed.
Lily gasped.
Evelyn covered her smile with one hand.
Richard looked genuinely impressed.
Arthur slapped the table once, laughing loudly.
"SKYWALKER PULLED THE QUEEN OF NABOO!"
Donovan physically closed his eyes for one second.
"This family is exhausting."
---
Twenty minutes later, Donovan escaped the mansion under heavy teasing and approximately fourteen separate "don't embarrass yourself" comments.
His blue Skyline GT-R purred softly as he drove through Los Angeles beneath the fading evening sun.
For once, there were no bodyguards.
No assistants.
No studio meetings.
Just him driving quietly through the city.
The roads slowly shifted from downtown traffic into the calmer atmosphere near Harvard-Westlake connections and university areas.
Natalie had started focusing more seriously on academics after Episode II wrapped.
Which honestly fascinated Donovan.
Most young stars in Hollywood were obsessed with parties, status, and attention.
Natalie genuinely liked learning.
She liked books.
Discussions.
History.
Languages.
Their conversations during filming had slowly stopped being "co-star conversations."
They had become real conversations.
The kind Donovan actually enjoyed.
---
The university campus glowed softly beneath the orange evening light.
Students crossed the walkways carrying books and backpacks while talking loudly with friends.
Nobody really paid attention to the blue Skyline pulling quietly near the curb.
At least not initially.
Then the driver door opened.
And suddenly several students froze.
Because Donovan Blackwood stepping out of a Skyline GT-R looked unfairly cinematic.
A few people immediately recognized him.
Whispers spread almost instantly.
"Wait—is that Donovan Blackwood?"
"No way."
"Oh my God it is."
Meanwhile, Donovan leaned casually against the car.
Completely calm.
Then the library doors opened.
And Natalie Portman stepped outside holding several books against her chest.
The reaction around them somehow became even worse.
She wore simple jeans, sneakers, and a dark sweater.
No red carpet makeup.
No glamorous dress.
Just Natalie.
And honestly?
Donovan thought she somehow looked prettier like this.
Natalie spotted him instantly.
A smile appeared on her face before she could stop it.
"You actually came."
Donovan smirked slightly.
"You sounded surprised on the phone."
"You're one of the busiest people on Earth."
"And yet here I am."
Natalie rolled her eyes playfully while walking toward him.
Around them, several students were openly staring now.
One guy whispered:
"Bro that's literally Padmé and Anakin."
Natalie heard it.
So did Donovan.
They both ignored it with the practiced survival instincts of famous people.
Mostly.
Natalie stopped beside him.
"You know," she said lightly, "if paparazzi catch us, the internet might actually explode."
"The internet already exploded yesterday."
"Fair point."
Donovan opened the passenger door for her.
Natalie looked at him for a second.
"…You're annoyingly charming sometimes."
"I've heard that before."
She smiled softly before getting into the car.
And for the first time all day, Donovan looked genuinely relaxed.
---
The Skyline pulled away from campus smoothly.
Inside the car, things felt quiet.
Comfortable.
No screaming fans.
No cameras.
Just music playing softly through the speakers while Los Angeles lights passed outside the windows.
Natalie rested her elbow against the window slightly.
"You know what the weirdest part of Episode II reactions has been?"
Donovan glanced at her briefly.
"What?"
She laughed quietly.
"Half the internet thinks Anakin is terrifying."
"And the other half wants him to ruin their lives."
Donovan nearly choked laughing.
"That is disturbingly accurate."
Natalie grinned triumphantly.
"I'm serious. One girl literally yelled at me outside an interview saying, 'I can fix him.'"
"That poor woman."
"She sounded very confident actually."
Donovan shook his head slowly.
"The galaxy is doomed."
Natalie laughed harder this time.
And Donovan realized something dangerous.
He genuinely liked hearing that sound.
Not because she was Natalie Portman.
Not because she was famous.
Not because of Star Wars.
He just liked being around her.
That realization sat quietly in the back of his mind while the city lights reflected softly across the windshield.
For someone who had seen civilizations rise and fall…
That feeling was strangely terrifying.