A Fan Fiction by Bella Halpern
I arrived at the Bowery Hotel in New York City dripping and panting from my five block sprint in
the sudden downpour that engulfed the city. As I finally stepped into the dimly lit foyer of the chic
boutique hotel, I picked up the ends of my soggy jeans to assess the damage: my perfect, new vintage Miu Miu kitten heels were filthy and squelched with each step.
“May I help you?” The stuffy hotel manager spat over me.
“Um, yes,” I shot up to fix my posture. “I have a reservation at the bar under the name Julien
Wright, party of two. Sorry-- he made the reservation, or his assistant did, so he has the reservation, but I am meeting him-- is he here yet?” I blushed, I wasn’t even on my date yet and I was already making a fool of myself.
Julien Wright was Hollywood’s new hot young movie producer, every major movie you’ve recently seen, he’s made. He also happens to be step seven of my best friend Olivia’s “Get Back Out There!!” plan. Ever since my (now) ex-boyfriend of six years Luke broke up with me over text, she has become convinced this plan will change my life “more than he ever did”. And, ever since then, I have been very doubtful.
“Ma’am, that reservation was canceled three hours ago.”
I stood there, frozen, the dampness of my clothes seeping into my bones. "Canceled?" I repeated,
feeling my heart plummet. Of course it had been. Why wouldn't it be? It was just one more step down on the nightmarish spiral of my life. The hotel manager raised an eyebrow, obviously unimpressed. "Yes, he canceled it three hours ago," he repeated, his voice dripping with arrogance, and stalked back to his guard post.
I instantly felt tears welling up behind my eyes, but no, I had no more of those left to cry. With all my might, I pulled myself together and decided as I was already here, I had to make the most of it. As I strutted past the hotel manager and made my way to the hotel’s swanky bar, I heard my phone buzz. I fished it out of my bag with trembling fingers.
It was a text from Olivia: "How’s it going!! Xx" I sighed deeply, deciding I couldn’t also ruin her
night and slipped my phone back into my bag. So much for step seven. I slumped into a seat at the bar, nodding at the bartender for a fresh dirty martini. My soggy jeans clung further to my legs, and my ruined shoes squeaked against the marble floor awkwardly.
The bartender slid the martini in front of me, giving me a sympathetic look. "Rough night?"
"You have no idea," I muttered before taking a long sip.
Just then, I heard someone call my name from behind me. "Amelia? Amelia Carter?" The voice was familiar in the deepest part of my memory. I turned to see Timothée Chalamet, looking every bit the undercover movie star in his gray hoodie, black jeans and a black baseball cap with his dark hair messy and sticking out on the sides. "Timmy?" I gasped as I stared into the face of the man I once knew as the loud theater-loving boy from high school. "Oh my god, what are you doing here?"
He grinned, taking the seat next to me. "I had a meeting here with Julien Wright about an upcoming project, but he had a family emergency and just ran out. What are you doing here? I can’t believe it’s you!"
My cheeks flushed with a mix of embarrassment and disbelief. "I should’ve known," I said under my breath, dropping my head. "I came to meet Julien for a date. My best friend Olivia set us up, but you know the rest, I guess."
Timmy's expression softened. "I'm really sorry, Amelia. Can I join you for a drink then?" I accepted, feeling a strange sense of relief wash over me. Maybe this night wasn't a total disaster after all.
As we began talking, we caught up about everything that happened since we graduated high school four years ago. Timmy, being who he had become, had countless stories of film sets, larger than life premiers, rubbing shoulders with everyone we dreamed of meeting, and more. We reminisced about our high school days and how inseparable we were when we became best friends on our first day at LaGuardia High School. It felt like no time had passed at all as we laughed our drinks down and moved onto round two.
"So, are you still dating Luke?" he asked casually, taking a sip of his drink.
I shook my head. "Oh, no. He broke up with me about six months ago. Over text."
Timmy winced and dropped his head, his curls swinging out in front of his face. I could feel his loss of words. "I- I- I’m so sorry Amelia. I always thought you deserved better." I blushed, feeling the sincerity of his words and remembering how distant we had become when we both started dating other people in high school. "Thank you, really. You know, I always have regretted not being there more for you when Lourdes broke up with you." I replied.
He shook his head. "No, that was so long ago, please don’t regret it. You were so happy with Luke at the time, I didn’t want to be the one to ruin that happiness.” He paused, choosing his next words carefully, “To be honest, Lourdes broke up with me because she found out I had a crush on you."
My face grew hotter and redder. "Really?? I had no idea." Was all I managed to admit.
To break the now awkward silence, I thanked him for the ten seconds of internet fame from the viral statistics video we made in Ms. Lauten's math class. "Do you remember that?" I asked.
He grinned. "How could I forget? I got a horrible grade on that assignment." His confession made us both laugh and we both reached for the bowl of bar nuts at the same time, our hands lightly grazing each other. We both blushed, quickly pulled away and apologized in unison.
Feeling a bit more courageous, I confessed, "I haven't seen any of your films. I know, I’m sorry. Where do I start?"
Timmy looked a bit surprised but humbly replied with a chuckle, "Please don’t apologize, but uhhh… Well, if you had to start with one, maybe Beautiful Boy? It’s sad, but Steve Carell is so good in it."
"I'll have to check it out," I said, smiling. From inside my bag I felt my phone buzz and pulled it out. "Oh my god! It’s one o’clock in the morning, I should go." I shot up and stared at the now empty bar around us.
Timmy followed and stood up next to me, "Let me walk you home. You're still drenched, I’ll ask the hotel for an umbrella." I agreed, how could I not, and I followed him to the door. We stepped out into the rain, huddling under the umbrella. Suddenly, flashes of light erupted around us, then shouting— the paparazzi. We looked at each other and were on the exact same page. I grabbed Timmy’s hand and we started running, laughing as I dragged him through the streets of New York and through the large puddles that formed at the end of each block.
When we finally reached my apartment, we were both out of breath, but still laughing. Timmy looked at me, his eyes sparkling the most enchanted shade of blue. "There's something I've always wanted to do," he said softly staring into my eyes, leaned in and kissed me.
I pulled back smiling, reeling from the feeling of his soft lips on mine. "Just like in A Rainy Day in New York, huh?"
He stared at me, the realization dawning. "Hey!” He laughed, “You have watched my movies, haven’t you?"
I bit my lip and laughed, nodding. "Okay, maybe a few."
As he pulled me in again, I couldn't help but think that Olivia's plan had worked after all. Step seven was complete all thanks to a rainy night in New York.