[7:42 AM] [Alex's Penthouse – Kitchen]
Angelina stood barefoot in front of the marble counter, sipping her espresso with her hair tied in a lazy bun and sunglasses already perched on her head. She wore a white top and jeans, a jacket slung over one shoulder.
Alex entered, still drying his hair with a towel, a sleepy look on his face. "You look ready to rumble," he said.
She smirked, "I'm going out with the girls. Shopping, spa, mojitos, you know the usual."
"Should I be worried?" he asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.
"Only if we run out of champagne. Or men to gossip about." She took another sip, then set the mug down. "I won't be back till late. But I'll have dinner with you."
"I'll be waiting," He stepped over, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Have fun."
...
[12:14 PM PST – West Hollywood] [Alex took out his Porsche for a spin]
The city looked smaller than usual from behind the wheel. Alex hadn't taken a solo drive in months, maybe longer. He passed coffee shops, vape stores, overpriced brunch spots, and the usual collage of actors trying to look like regular people. The radio was off. He liked the silence.
He turned down Melrose, then made a slow approach through an active scene. Police tape flapped lazily near the edge of the sidewalk. A few officers were posted up around a corner shop.
That's when he saw her.
Detective Chloe Decker, in a dark blazer and ponytail, was speaking to a local vendor, notepad in hand. Her brows were furrowed, and her tone was firm but calm. The vendor gestured toward an alley. She nodded and closed her notebook.
Alex parked across the street and leaned his arm on the steering wheel, waiting until she turned.
When she spotted him, her eyes narrowed with something between surprise and suspicion. She walked up to his car window without hesitation.
"Don't tell me you're stalking me now," she said.
"Just happened to be in the neighborhood," Alex replied, one corner of his mouth lifting. "But if I were stalking, I'd have brought coffee."
She crossed her arms and glanced around theatrically, "You're interfering with an active investigation, Wilson. I could arrest you right now."
"Would that be before or after you finally fulfill your promise from that restaurant shootout?"
She blushed a bit. "You're seriously still hanging onto the 'boob promise'? That was a joke. I thought we were going to die."
"You promised," he said with a sigh. "Alright, forget it. By the way, Trixie liked the movie?"
[Little info which I obviously didn't show in the past chapters. Sorry about that: They talked over the phone a few times during the time skip. And he also sent Spider-Man movie tickets to her and free comics for Trixie.]
"She said it was the best day of her life. She's already making me take her again. You just bought yourself temporary immunity."
"Temporary?"
She leaned down a bit toward the window. "Yeah. Next time I catch you nosing around a crime scene, you're getting cuffed..." She smiled and lowered her voice a little. "...Not in a fun way."
"Oh, never knew you had a certain fetish for handcuffs," Alex said, meeting her gaze. "Now, I'm looking forward to it. Maybe we can take turns."
Chloe chuckled a bit before standing straight. "You are impossible. Gotta go. Duty calls." She turned back and began to walk toward the crime scene. 'He's still the same. Haha. Maybe I'll mail him a couple of pics tonight.'
"Hey, what if I want to buy you dinner?" He called out, leaning out of the window.
"Text me tomorrow after sunset. If I'm not chasing a psycho, I'll think about it."
...
[12:58 PM] [Mulholland Highway]
Suddenly, the sky became cloudy as Alex entered the highway with a half-empty pizza box. He had bought it 10 minutes ago and eaten three slices straight from the box, seated in the driver's seat like a teenager on lunch break. A bottle of Coke sweated in the cupholder.
Soon, it started raining. Wind gusts swept across the road, followed by the occasional rumble of thunder.
Alex slowed the car as he came around a bend. That's when he spotted it—hazard lights blinking through the downpour. A black BMW coupe stood still on the roadside, hood open, smoke and steam rising in waves from the engine bay.
A figure stood beside it, soaked to the bone.
As Alex pulled closer, he saw her clearly.
Halle Berry.
She had her hands on her hips and a scowl etched deep into her expression, not out of anger but pure frustration. Her hair was matted down by the rain. She wore a thin black tank top under a soaked olive-green jacket, and jeans that were now clinging to her legs like a second skin.
Alex pulled the car over and rolled down his window just enough to be heard.
"You look like you just survived a movie audition for The Perfect Storm."
Halle turned toward the voice, blinking through the rain. "Are you serious?"
"Completely." He tapped the passenger door. "Get in before you catch a cold."
"I'm wet. You sure?"
"Just get it."
She hesitated for a second, then sighed, slammed her hood down, and jogged over to the car. He popped the door, and she slipped inside, water dripping from her clothes.
"God, this weather is psychotic," she muttered, brushing rain from her face. "And I left my phone on the kitchen counter like an idiot."
Alex handed her his. "Call your garage. There's reception here for now, but I wouldn't bet on it holding."
"Thanks," she said, quickly dialing.
While she spoke to the garage, Alex turned up the heat slightly and watched the steam fog the windows. She finished the call, pressing the phone back into his hand with a sigh.
"They're sending someone, but they're about forty-five minutes out. Maybe an hour. Apparently this stretch is dead zone central."
He nodded. "Well, lucky you ran into me then. I come prepared for disasters."
She gave him a skeptical glance. "Like what, a tow rope and jumper cables?"
He turned back and popped the hidden compartment under the back seat, and took out a towel. He gave it to her, "Wipe your head." Then he pulled out a bag of spare clothes. "Since we are going to wait for an hour or more, you'd better get changed."
She looked at him while wiping her head. And her gaze said too many things.
Alex sighed as he took out a large umbrella from that hidden compartment. "I'll wait outside."
He stepped out of the car, umbrella unfolding with a soft pop. The wind tugged at his sleeves and tossed droplets against his cheeks. He adjusted the umbrella, pulled up his hood, and closed the door behind him with a soft thud.
Inside the car, Halle stared at the bag of spare clothes resting on her lap.
She reached in slowly, pulling out a black hoodie and a pair of soft sweatpants. They were folded neatly, and the faint scent of cologne clung to them—clean, simple, unmistakably his. She smiled a little despite herself.
She took off her jacket. The tank top underneath clung to her skin, see-through in spots. She took it off and her bra. She then took off her jeans and panties and wiped her body with the towel. She wiped the seat after that. Then she slipped into the dry clothes as quickly as possible inside that small space.
By the time Alex returned, rain beading off the umbrella and soaking the cuffs of his jeans, she was curled into the passenger seat wearing the borrowed outfit, without bra and panties. Her wet clothes were in the bag.
Halle instantly apologized. "Sorry about that look and thank you for the rescue and clothes."
"No worries. You can't be too careful, and I respect that," Alex said with a little smile. "So, coffee?"
"You have coffee? Here?" She asked, surprised.
Alex reached behind her seat and popped open another hidden latch beneath the second back seat. He pulled out a stainless steel thermos, the metal warm from the built-in heating coil he'd wired into the system months ago. With it came two small steel cups that clinked softly as he set them down on the center console.
"No way," Halle said, watching with raised eyebrows. "You're telling me you carry emergency coffee?"
"Technically," Alex replied, pouring the dark liquid into each cup, "it's Cuban roast with cinnamon and a pinch of cardamom. So yes, emergency coffee. For very refined emergencies."
He handed her a cup. The steam rose instantly, filling the car with rich, spiced warmth.
Halle took a sip and closed her eyes for a moment. "Jesus. This is better than anything I've had in the last two weeks."
Alex grinned and leaned back in his seat. "That's the bar I aim for. Mild weather apocalypse? Still get a five-star coffee experience."
She turned toward him, legs curled up in the seat, hoodie sleeves pulled over her hands. Her hair was still damp, but it framed her face softly now, strands sticking to her cheek. She looked calmer, even cozy.
"I didn't know you were the kind of guy who thought this far ahead," she said.
"I make movies," Alex replied, sipping from his own cup. "Planning for chaos is part of the job."
"Fair," she said, and there was something thoughtful behind her smile. "Still, this is oddly domestic for a chaos guy. Coffee, towels, spare clothes? It's kind of sweet."
Alex chuckled. "Or incredibly suspicious. What if I do this for all the stranded women on Mulholland?"
Halle's laugh echoed inside the car. "God help us if that's your pickup strategy. 'Hey stranger, here's a dry hoodie and artisanal coffee. Wanna fall in love before the tow truck gets here?'"
He sipped again, meeting her eyes. "That line's better than you think."
She smiled into her cup. A quiet moment passed. The kind that didn't ask to be filled.
Outside, the rain softened, turning to mist. The fog had crept up the edges of the highway. The world beyond the windshield was quiet, blurred, distant.
"So, I went to meet you at the Studio, and your assistant said you are in LA, shooting a movie. What are you working on?" She asked.
"An action comedy with a romantic twist. That's all I can say for now," He replied before taking a sip of coffee. "Wait! Don't tell me you came here just to meet me?"
"Maybe?" Halle said and then took a sip.
Alex turned slightly toward her, the half-smile still playing on his face, though something softened behind his eyes. "You came all this way to find me, and fate decided to dump a storm on your head?" he said. "That's bold. Or cosmic punishment for bad planning."
Halle shrugged, her cup cradled in both hands. "Or maybe the universe just wanted to put us in a car together for a while. With coffee. And no reception."
He studied her face for a second. She didn't blink.
"So," she said, brushing a damp strand of hair behind her ear. "When am I going to get my script and that audition?"
"I'll send you the script this week. And I see you really want that audition, huh?" He said.
"I want the audition because I want to earn it," Halle said, her voice calm, but grounded. "Not because you feel like doing me a favor. It just doesn't sit well with me, even in my situation."
Alex gave a small nod, acknowledging the weight of her words. "Fair enough. I'll put you through the same fire I'd put anyone else through."
"I'd expect nothing less," she replied, finishing her coffee with a quiet sip.
"You know," he said, his voice lower now, "you didn't have to come all this way for a meeting. You could've just called."
"I didn't come for a meeting," she replied, meeting his eyes again.
There was a moment of pause.
Alex glanced down, then back up. "So what did you come for?"
Halle took a deep breath and looked at him. "Ok. Here's the truth. I know it's sudden and might sound absurd, but I think I have a crush on you. Like ever since I met you and then I saw you in the magazine and ads... You were so hot. I just couldn't help but think about you. I wanted to tell you way back, but couldn't gather courage since you know... You are young, and I'm old and past my prime... I might not be up to your liking. It's just... I just wanted to tell you straight, without beating around the bush. You know, just to get it out of the system."
...
AN: Just to inform you beforehand, I won't be adding any new girls for another 100 chs or so. Chloe and Halle will be the last ones. The harem got bigger than I expected. Rookies will be added to Brooklyn 99, which I plan to release next month.
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