Inspiration

Our life is a line of meetings. Every person you have a chance to communicate with imprints in your soul and in your life. Cities and even countries are also people themselves. People who create the atmosphere of the city with their own existence.

Location: The airport of one of the major cities of India.
Characters: a movie star and his fan.
In the episodes: movie star guards, a few fans, random people on the streets.

— Sir! Sir! Please! — fans surrounded him right after he was leaving the terminal and waited for his autographs. How did they know that he is coming today?

After assessing the size of the group of fans, he decided to make them happy with his attention. After all, it’s nice to know that your work is appreciated. He signed his photos and sheets in notebooks, thanked fans in return for their love and appreciation. And nothing would have happened if he had signed the photo as usual, without looking at anyone. He was never interested in his fans, there were so many of them.

But suddenly he saw his photo in girl`s hands. These hands stood out from the others: fair skin, thin fingers, elegant bracelet. Against his will, he looked at the owner of those hands. And he was drown in her incredibly beautiful eyes. Those eyes captivated him at first glance, though he was famous actor accustomed to the feminine beauty of movie stars.

— Your eyes are so beautiful, — he said suddenly, and was surprised at it himself. Communicating with fans can lead to different consequences, he knew this from experience, so he always limited himself to an autograph or a selfie if he was in the mood. But now he couldn’t take his eyes off this unusual girl, clearly from another country, and clearly unlike all the other fans who usually surrounded him.

— Thank you, sir.

Her voice sounded so softly and gentle that he continued to stand and look at her, instead of signing the photo and getting into the car that was waiting for him.

— Where are you from? — And he was surprised again that he had asked that question.

— From Russia, sir. Thank you for your films, I really like what you do, it’s just incredible!

Their eyes met, and neither of them could look away…

***

Does he really want to continue talking to her? The bodyguards have been waiting for a long time, even the rest of the fans have left, but he`s  still standing and cannot make himself to step away from her.

— Sir, we have to go, — his bodyguard Ajay`s voice brought him out of his stupor.

Right, it’s time to go! He reached out to set the autogragh on the photo and accidentally touched her hand. What’s it? It was kind of mystical, now he was just paralyzed: those eyes, those hands, that delicate skin, and that spark that he felt right now. It was all so unreal and magical that he was just frozen.

He took a deep breath. Okay, he has to go. He signed the photo, returned it to the girl and headed to the car.

— Thank you, sir! Her voice was like a tsunami, covering him with a forgotten feeling of tenderness and something else similar to… love? Come on! He is a grown man, what kind of love can it be? Love at first sight? Nonsense!

He got into the car. But for some reason his heart yearned to stay.

— Ajay, find out who she is and where she’s staying, — he suddenly told his bodyguard.

Ajay was not used to arguing, he got out of the car and approached the girl, who was still standing nearby. A few minutes later, he returned and handed over a piece of paper:

— Here’s her name, phone number… She’s staying at the Hotel-Inn.

— Thank you, Ajay.

— Sir, please, be careful.

Yes, he remembers that it is important to be careful, just in case.

All the way from the airport he thought about what had happened. But the longer he thought, the less he felt able to reason calmly. His head was spinning with thoughts, and his heart ached with feelings. It had been a long time since he had felt anything like this, all the feelings on the screen last exactly as long as it takes to shoot the next episode, and in life there are only worries and problems. The current filming was also not going well, something was missing for him to look convincing on the screen. The fight scenes were great, but when it came to the lyrics, it felt like he was out of place…

— Sir, you’re filming that song today.

— Yes, I remember, thank you, — he replied, and his thoughts raced on. And it wasn’t about filming at all.

Who was this girl who had so suddenly taken over his thoughts? There was warmth in his chest from the thought that he had met her, his heart seemed to be wrapped in clouds and flooded with soft light. But the most amazing thing was that he really liked the feeling that suddenly settled in his heart. He absolutely did not want to lose this feeling, let it last as long as possible.

The car reached his house. Shower, light breakfast, and it’s time to go to the studio. He was ready to get to the car, but… No, he can’t work right now. And on a sudden impulse, he headed to the bike.

— Ajay, cancel the shooting and all meetings for today.

— But sir?

— Find out where this girl is now, and take a bike, you’ll go with me.

Trying not to pay attention to the surprise reflected on Ajay’s face, he put on a helmet that covers his face.

— She’s at the hotel now, — Ajay hesitated. — I warned her to stay there, but I didn’t say why.

— OK.

— Sir, the shooting…

— We can do it tomorrow, Ajay, the work on this film is not moving in any way, something is missing there. And I think I even know what it is,- he paused for a few seconds, thinking about  something, and continued. — Now you will go with me to the hotel, ask her to come out, then you are free until morning. You can schedule the shooting tomorrow at 10.00 a.m., I’ll be ready to work.

— Very well, sir.

Motorcycles raced through the streets, and he still felt a strong desire to plunge into these feelings with his whole being, just to dissolve into this unexpected tenderness.

He stopped near the hotel, and waited without removing his helmet. A few minutes later, Ajay came out with the girl.

— Sir…

— Thank you, Ajay.

— What does it all mean? — this voice again made his chest ache.

He took off his helmet and said:

— I want to spend this day with you, please. I’ll explain everything in another place.

Of course, she recognized him, but believing and trusting is not an easy task. She is alone in another country, where she is warned of danger at every step. And to go somewhere on a bike with a man, even if it’s someone you like… extremely dangerous. They looked into each other’s eyes, and meanwhile the surrounding people began to recognize him without a helmet. Of course, he was known to everyone in this state.

Ajay saved the situation.

— Please sit down, —  he said to the girl, -otherwise here will be a big crowd right now.

It made an impression.

— Please, — he asked her again, — I won’t hurt you.

She got into the back seat of the bike, he put on his helmet, and after making their way through the crowd they drove out onto the highway that led out of the city.

The bike raced along the road, the wind ruffled her hair. After they left the city, he stopped the bike to take off his helmet. There was no danger of being recognized now.

Taking advantage of the stop, she asked:

— Sir, where are we going?

— Don’t worry, it’s not far, — he said. — I won’t hurt you, — he repeated again, and they drove on again.

It was about a 20-minute drive to the house by the sea, and they made the rest of the way in silence. He enjoyed her closeness, the way she wrapped her arms around his waist to keep from falling off the bike. He couldn’t believe that this was actually happening. Has he gone mad? That’s how he ran away from everyone, taking with him an unknown girl from Russia. Madness! But how sweet it is!

She was sitting behind him, and she couldn’t believe what was happening. She hadn’t even hoped for an autograph this morning, and now she was going somewhere with him.

Happiness and fear were entwined in a huge bundle of feelings, and each of these feelings was fighting for the first place. The fear of getting into trouble is replaced by joy at the prospect of spending a few hours with someone her heart has longed for from faraway Russia for many months. And despite her fears, she clung tenderly to his broad and reliable back, hugging him around the waist. Come what may, but right now she was more inclined to give herself completely to this feeling.

The bike drove up to the gate, which opened automatically, and closed in the same way after they entered the private territory. Somewhere in the depths there was a small pretty house, and a little further behind it the sea glittered. That’s the place! Where is she?

Jumping off the bike, she looked around. There was a small beautiful park around the house, and on the other side, apparently, there was a private beach.

After looking at the slender rows of magnolias and many other flowers, she turned to the house, and suddenly saw him very close to her. It was so unexpected that she lost her balance, and immediately found herself in his arms.

— Are you okay? — His deep, velvety voice was maddening. — This is my house. No one will bother us here.

There was fright in her eyes, but at the same time there was something magical in the way she looked into his eyes. And again, he was overwhelmed by a wave of tenderness, as in the morning, at the airport. Those eyes were like bottomless wells with cool water, into which one is tempted to plunge on a hot day.

Pulling herself together, she straightened up, regretfully freeing herself from those strong arms, and looked into his eyes again, trying to read what was waiting for her in the near future.

— When you look at me like that, — he whispered, — I get completely lost, — and not wanting to scare her, he hurriedly spoke again. — I’ll explain everything, but let’s go inside, it’s cooler there and we can have something to drink. What do you prefer? Juice, water, wine, beer? It seems there should be a supply of drinks, and something to eat.

He motioned her to follow him.

It was light and cozy inside. Large glass doors led from the living room to the beach.

— Please sit down, I’ll bring something now, — he said hastily, as if he was afraid that she would disappear from the room.

There was a huge sofa in the living room, which she carefully sat down on, still trying to figure out what she was feeling right now.

Very soon he returned with a tray containing glasses of water and a bottle of orange juice.

— I think it’s better this way, — he said, lowering the tray onto the small table next to the sofa. — Don’t be afraid of me, I’m no less surprised myself, I usually don’t do this. I mean, it’s not my policy to interact with fans or bring beautiful girls to a remote house to… No! I mean… When I saw you, a feeling was born in me, a wonderful feeling that has not let me go from that very moment. For some reason I think this is very, very important. I canceled all my schedule, and I hope that I did not greatly disrupt your plans for the sake of my selfish desire to spend this day with you…

He handed the glass of water to her and froze. He felt so embarrassed under her gaze that he was speechless.

— Say something, — he said, being surprised with his own voice.

She took the glass, touching his hand with her fingers, and it made him even more embarrassed.

— I still don’t believe this is happening now, — her voice sounded excited and gentle. — This morning I didn’t even hope for an autograph, but now I’m sitting next to you and don’t know what to say.

-Aren’t you angry?

— Oh no! — She looked straight into his eyes and immediately became embarrassed. — Sir, once I`ve watched one of your movies  and my world has changed… It’s difficult for me to explain this… I felt so happy that you exist in this world, and I can see your films, and I can mentally hug you… just hug you, without expecting anything in return.

She looked at him. What does he think about her now?

— Sir, are you angry?

Unable to utter a word, he shook his head. Then he stood up abruptly, took several long steps and stood in the glass door.

— How can I be angry with you? — his voice sounded excited and dull. — No, I was simply stunned by the feelings I experienced when I met you. I haven’t felt anything like this for a long time. I mean in real life, not on screen. Maybe that’s why I was not ready, I couldn’t restrain myself, and so… — he turned to face her and grinned, — kidnaped you… — Will you give me a few hours of your attention? I want to enjoy this feeling, to plunge into this incredible tenderness and joy that your eyes rewarded me with.

She smiled.

— What are we going to do, sir?

A wide smile lit up his face.

— We’ve already ridden a bike. So now we can have lunch and walk along the beach… — He stopped himself and hastily spoke again, — no, no, my greatest desire is to talk to you. I want you to tell me about yourself, about your country, about why you are here in India. You didn’t come here for me alone, right?…

— Well, — she drawled, — probably not only for your sake, because through your movies I fell in love with India itself so much that I wanted to see your country with my own eyes, to check how well my ideas coincided with reality.

— And? — He sat down next to her.

— I like everything here.

— Everything? — there was suspicion in his voice. — And the dirt on the streets, and the people…

— Sir, there is no ideal country, there are no ideal people, but every country has something unique. And if you love the country, then the whole country, just as it is. Do you think that everything is better in Russia? No, it’s just different there, but it also has its own dirt, and people for whom I can be ashamed…

— What do you like about India? — He couldn’t believe what he just heard.

— I like her soul.

— What?

— Sir, don’t you understand? — she laughed. — It was a time I didn’t watch Indian movies at all. I thought they were boring and there were too many songs. Until one day one movie happened to me.

— Happened?

— Yes, there’s no other way to say it, — her melodic laughter rang out again. — This film was not like any of those I had watched before. There was something in it that is not found in Hollywood or modern Russian films. This film went straight to my soul, bypassing my brain, you know? I just felt… the emotions of the characters, the music… I watched it without stopping, and… It was like a miracle. And that was just the beginning. Then I watched film after film, some I liked more, some less…

— Yes, not all Indian films are worth to watch, — he nodded.

— Thanks to Indian films, I myself have changed. My attitude towards myself, towards the people around me, towards work — everything has changed. But most importantly, — she continued with enthusiasm, — through these films I felt India, it seemed to me that I understood it, accepted it with all my soul, and then I really wanted to come here to see this country and these people as they are , not from the screen, but in real life. India is harmony. Harmony of an imperfect life.

Understanding and amazement showed on his face.

— Sir, we all strive to live in an ideal world, even if this world is our closest environment. But the world is not ideal, no matter how hard we try to make it so. Basic cleanness in an apartment is always not ideal, and sometimes very far from ideal. And one of the wisdoms that India taught me is to accept this imperfection, love it, rejoice and live life to the fullest without waiting for the world to become perfect. India is the brightest symbol of dialectics, a combination of wealth and poverty, beauty and chaos. A combination of opposites. Harmony of opposites. Harmony of an imperfect world.

— It’s so weird to hear about how someone loves my country entirely, while I myself don’t accept so many things about it. We have so much corruption, crime, ignorance…

 — Do you think this is not the case in other countries?

He looked at her intently.

— It seems to me that God sent you to me specifically so that I would look at the world differently, through your eyes.

They looked into each other’s eyes, seemingly endlessly. He reached out his hand to her cheek, but never touched it. The world around them froze.

He didn’t know how long it lasted, a second, a minute, an eternity… His phone rang.

Regrettably waking up from his dream, he began to look for a device to answer the call.

— Yes?… No, not today. … It’s necessary. … Yes Yes. … But this doesn’t concern you. Tomorrow at 10.00 I will be in the studio. … Yes, there will be filming. … Yes, I’m sure everything will work out. Till tomorrow.

He turned off the phone completely so that no one else would bother him. This time should belong only to them.

She sat there, looked at him, and it seemed to him that time had stopped completely.

He smiled and extended his hand to her.

— Let’s go, I’ll show you the beach, it’s not so hot now.

They walked along the seashore side by side, walking in silence for some time. She took off her sandals and walked through the water, right along the edge, leaving footprints behind her.

— Is it possible to swim here? — she asked.

— No, swimming here is dangerous, the waves are very strong. Indians are not very good at swimming at all, — he smiled.

She took a few quick steps and stood opposite him, blocking his path.

— Sir, tell me please how do you feel when you act in films? I mean… your characters are so different, even in one film there can be many images at once… It seems incredible to me, to play like that… no, not to play, to live a character…

He smiled.

— Everyone asks about this. I’m just trying to understand the character. His motives, feelings, how it responds in the body, in movements, in speech… I like this process. The director also helps to find the best option. I’m not the only one making a film.

— And if you need to play love?

What is it? Once again he looked intently into the smiling eyes and laughed.

— What’s so funny, sir? Don’t journalists ask about this?

Continuing to laugh, he sat down on the sand.

She sat down next to him so that she could see his face.

— Hey, what’s so funny?

He wiped away his tears that came out of laughter and looked at her with a wide smile.

— The point is that today the shooting of a romantic song with the heroine was supposed to take place. Love song. For the viewer to believe in this love on the screen, I must feel it, feel tenderness or passion. But this time it somehow didn’t work out, they shot it once or twice, but what they needed didn’t come out. I had to leave the city for a couple of days, and today we were supposed to film again. And then I met you. And this is the same feeling that I missed during filming. Now I know what it should be. It is like the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, fragile, tender, fabulous. This is very easy to destroy, and very scary to destroy.

He smiled:

— It turns out that our meeting was not accidental.

— Sir, can I say something?

— Yes.

— What if I’m the heroine from your film? — and he saw laughter in her eyes. Is she flirting with him? He laughed again, but the laugh came out gentle and soft.

— Maybe so, — he said softly, — maybe it’s your image that’s missing in this film. At least for me. Now I will imagine you in the place of the actress.

— It’s a pity that I can’t be included in the credits for this, — she said with a theatrical sigh. And she laughed again.

—  You are so innocent, gentle and beautiful, — he said smiling.

She smiled and turned to the sea.

— Not so innocent, if I went with a man on a bike to an unknown destination,- it sounded serious and a little sad.

— I didn’t expect that one girl could combine so many things: beauty, intelligence, sense of humor…

— What, Indian girls aren’t like that?

— I don’t know, maybe I just didn’t notice it.

She turned her face to him, their eyes met and…

Let a song sounds! What for an Indian movie, even such a short one, without a song?

They sit on the sand, the wind blows her hair. He sings about how beautiful the world is when a feeling of tenderness and love settles in the heart, how beautiful the world around becomes when she is nearby.

A flock of colorful butterflies flies past them.

He gets up from the sand, extends his hand to her, lifts her to her feet and holds her close to him.

He sings about how gentle the wind is, how splashes of water refresh the skin, and this can be compared with the feelings that he experiences.

He sings about how fragile this feeling can be, and how important it is for him now to preserve it, so that it remains in his heart forever.

They look into each other’s eyes…

— Sir, autograph please! — the voice brought him back from a dream. He stood at the airport among fans, opposite a girl with fair skin and beautiful eyes that fascinated him.

— Sir, it’s time to go, — Ajay reminded. — Filming in an hour.

He smiled. What was it? And, it doesn’t matter, much more important is the feeling that settled in him, tender, fragile, similar to the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, a fabulous feeling of love.

He signed a photo and returned it to her.

— Thank you, — he said with a feeling of gratitude.

— For what, sir?

He smiled again.

— For inspiration. May I hug you?

— Yes, of course, — she said with surprise and joy in her voice.

The hug was as if they had known each other forever. Strong, tender, long lasting.

He got into the car. Whatever it was, this feeling turned out to be real, and maybe that’s what the new film was missing. And it’s a pity that she cannot be included in the credits, at least as a sign of gratitude for these happy moments.