“... Let me know if Raelynn talked again,” Ian told Murphy as he walked inside the set, looking right and left for people who were already there.

As Ian was heading inside, Raelynn was also working on the Dark Knight, Batman sequel which was given to her by Ian—the entire responsibility.

“Okay, sir,” Murphy said and followed Ian inside the hall.

-

“Cutting to the scene, all you’ve got to do is to stop the alarm. And we already did twice, but it just isn’t it… I want to see the beat, a little sigh, and uh, something that could show that your sleep is absolutely disturbed-”

While Ian was talking, Keanu said nothing but kept nodding at his words.

‘It is easy and simple, you wake up, groan and act tired… Turn the alarm off. It should be easy, I got this’ he muttered to himself and looked around.

Although it shouldn’t scare him, all the huge cameras and huge lighting gave a stubborn feeling in his gut.

‘I did all of this once, this is nothing more and I got this’ as he consoled himself, the other end of his brain started yelling again, ‘you were not the main lead. This entire movie runs on you. You mess it up, you mess it whole’

“I’m ready,” his words spoke louder than his mind.

‘I got this!’ with the sudden change in his heart, he stood up straight and looked into the eyes of Ian.

He had been training for the same moment for a very long time. Self-doubting has no space in what he has to do now. It was his trust in Ian, and if there was one thing he thought he had to do—give his best.

-

A few feet away from Keanu and the rest of the acting crew, and behind all the cameramen and the people who were working to get the perfect scene—Ian sat in the chair named after ‘director’ and was patiently waiting for everyone to be ready for the shoot.

“And…. ACTION!” he shouted from the microphone whilst Keanu got into the role.

The hour hand of an old, electric clock shifted slightly, marking six a.m. A soft alarm sounds. Beneath the blankets, a body shifts, a weathered hand reaching out to silence the antique.

A beat... a sigh... a groan... and JOHN WICK -the early sixties, salt-and-pepper hair, a three-day beard, a former boxer, former military, tired, beaten down, and at wit's end sits up, staring unblinkingly out at the day.

A beat... and he stands, donning a weathered robe and a pair of slippers. John stuffs his hands into his pockets...

“CUT!” Ian said with his hand clasped to his chin. “Give me ten minutes, God!” He talked to himself and watched the clip again and again.

“Yes! Yes, guys! This is it! I can’t believe the third time's the charm!” Ian mumbled to himself and he stood up. “I think we got a perfect shot!” He said for everyone to hear.

-

[Outside the set]

Outside the mansion, Ian had rented for the shooting, in the yard and outside the gate, there were many people, including reporters and media people who were waiting for Ian or some celebrity to come out of it.

As soon as Ian had booked the spot, the word was spread to the media and as a result, there were people outside, already waiting for his attention—or simply, the attention of any celebrity that they could get.

“....We might have to wait a little longer as we already know they’re there. To make sure we don’t miss anything, move three cameras up and around the corner of the building. And get as close as we can get. There’s MMA, and USD here, so we don’t need as poor pictures as them, you got me?” The person in charge said it loud enough for everyone to hear.

In no time, they spread among the other reporters who waited until Ian came out.

-

[Inside set]

“Okay, and then the next scene is in the kitchen. So as we’re preparing for it, I’ll explain how it is going to go. You’ve to just be like, I’m this regular guy who does this as a daily habits-thing. I just want it to be natural, and avoid looking at the cameras. Are we clear?” Ian asked in a rather hushed tone.

A loud noise brought all of their attention.

It was the plate set that was supposed to be on the props of the set.

"Fuc- I'm sorry, my hand slipped!" The old man who looked at the ground in horror said.

People were still shocked by what happened suddenly. As they were processing what was happening, Ian stepped in.

“It’s alright. Don’t worry, send the other plate set, I’m sure the spare ones we asked for are ready, right?” he asked, stepping in, carefully not to get any of the pieces that were almost everywhere on the floor.

“Yes, sir. I-I’ll send them in.”

“Alright. Manila, take Keanu as far away as possible from this mess. Clean this spotless!” Ian yelled, seeing no one move an inch.

-

After around half an hour, things were ready and normal to go. Things that go wrong in sets are normal to the point where the props getting harmed and being wanted more has become regular.

It was as if that’s a given that always keeps things extra.

Nevertheless, after all the cleaning, Ian got back to work, and so did the actors.

He started watching the fifth take of the scene from the small monitor screen, while Keanu got into the role and acted flawlessly.

/.

John unceremoniously tosses the newspaper onto the table, opens a cupboard, and measures out a couple of tablespoons of Folgers Coffee into an old percolator.

As it begins to bubble, John opens the fridge, studies its contents for a moment or two, and then closes it, abandoning the thought of breakfast.

He pours himself a cup of coffee and sits at the table. The newspaper is ignored. He drinks in silence for a long, dark, brooding moment, the loneliness almost unsettling.

Suddenly, the phone on the wall RINGS.

John lowers his cup, staring at the device, his eyes tired. A pause was there.. and then he stands, walking slowly to answer it.

/.

Ian kept watching the entire scene play in front of his eyes, through the screen.

“CUT!” Ian shouted and the next sound erupted across the hall where everyone clapped to the joy of getting a perfect scene.

“That was a good one! Perfect!” Ian praised Keanu who nodded with a simple thanks. “And that’s a wrap. We’d do the next scene tomorrow, Keanu, can we talk?” Ian asked the latter slowly as he was getting closer to the actor.

“Sure,” Keanu replied with a returning hushed tone and walked towards him.

“As you’re just getting to the character, take these days one at a time,” Ian took a deep breath in as he said, “Remember, John Wick is a man who is committed, focused, and sheer willed. What you portray is what they say,” he said with a smile.

Keanu looked back in shock at Ian.

‘How- How… How?!’ his thoughts started swirling.

“What is that look?” Ian asked back, noticing the confused look on his face.

“How did you even know that I was having trouble with the character? I mean-” He paused, and his eyes roamed around the room just to stop back at Ian. “We already had this discussion about the characteristics and I’m trying to get into the character so hard. I was truly suffering with it, and here you are… Wait, was it my acting?”

“Not really, let’s just say that I know you really well. And it’s going to be fine, take it easy. Also, don’t try too hard to get into the character. Try understanding who he is to the core, and he’ll get to you with time. That is why we’d be taking the initial shooting sessions as slowly as possible. This movie…. It’s going to be the greatest hit of all time, so wish you luck!” Ian said with a smile, patted his back, and walked away.

-

It was nine at night.

Ian and Raelynn slept beside each other after an exhausting session of love-making—exhausting, yet wonderful.

Raelynn had her arm in front of her eyes to avoid the light.

“Should I just stay the night here? I’ve more than half of my closet here,” she mumbled and stirred to see what Ian was doing.

Weirdly, Ian had his laptop on his lap—and his eyes were focused on what he was typing.

“Maybe you should move in,” he said, making Rae’s eyes widen in surprise.

A blush crept to her face as she looked at him clearly.

“What?”

“What?” Ian asked with equal surprise in his voice.

“What?” she asked again.

“I’m sure this game goes well with you and Niko. But what I’m saying is that this house is too big for me. You can move in if you want, and we can see where things are headed from there. I mean, only if you want to-”

“I’ll think about it,” she said and shrugged while turning to the opposite side.

Ian knew her too well after all the dates, time spent, and chats that he had with her. He knew that she’d surely consider it. And when she did, he was ready to explore more.