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Our lips part, and we share a slow, mingled exhale.

I rest my forehead against hers and close my eyes for our final moment together. “It’s going to be a long two months.”

Epilogue

Two Years Later

“Ladies and gentlemen, and others,” actress Audrey Wilaza begins in her low, husky voice. She leans close to the microphone, halfway through hosting the Spark Awards downtown in Santa Monica, California. The cameraman zooms in to capture her stunning features, highlighted with makeup over her cheekbones and darkened shading above her wide brown eyes. She radiates grace and confidence as she begins her speech, eyes scanning a crowd she cannot see with the intense light shining upon her.

“Thank you all so much for being here and cheering for all the amazing talent in this room. Our next award is for Best First Feature Film. We have an incredible lineup of films that I’ve had the absolute pleasure of watching over this past year. From Jeremy Leta’sThe Book of Winter, with its dramatic performance of love and loss in a dystopian thriller, to Annabel Grace’s heartwarming and gut-wrenching story about a mother and daughter falling in love with the same man inWhere I Was with Him, to the haunting and disturbing apocalyptic alien horror film by Richard Wachowski,FarFromthe Sun.There is an incredible amount of talent, hard work, and perseverance in this room, and every single one of these films is a work of art. But there can be only one winner. I now present to you, the winner of Best First Feature Film...”

Audrey pauses dramatically as she opens the thick envelope before her, the crowd waiting with bated breath. The envelope falls open and her mouth forms an O before she smiles widely, looking into the camera. “Far From the Sun!”

Cheering roars through the crowd as a small group of peoplein the centre rise to their feet, hugging, clapping, and crying. They make their way to the aisle and walk to the stage. The first to climb the steps is a young man with a balding head, thick-rimmed glasses, and an impressive black beard, director and producer Richard Wachowski. He shakes Audrey’s hand, then turns to clap as the rest of the group joins him. The next person is lead actress Veronica Zhao, her black hair cut short to her chin, everything about her long, elegant, and sleek in her shimmering silver dress. Next is a thin woman with blond hair tied in an elegant updo, her bright red dress paling in comparison to her radiant smile, the lead co-star, Ellie Vedder. She joins Veronica and Richard on stage, tugging along the final member of their crew, holding her hand tightly. Brought along seemingly against her will and looking uncomfortable on stage despite her incredible, groundbreaking work as lead makeup effects artist on set is rising star of the makeup world Mariah Fraser. Her black pantsuit accentuates her curves, boasting style and sophistication, only to be juxtaposed by her half-shaven head with bright red curls coiling on one side of her face, which match Ellie’s dress perfectly. Behind them, scenes from the film play with dramatic music rising and falling in climactic crescendos as the highlights light the stage.

The award is brought out, with Richard Wachowski holding it for the team. They all hold hands, raise them above their heads, and take a bow. Then Mariah releases Ellie’s hand. She wipes her palms on her pants before reaching into her pocket and removing a small box. The entire crowd gasps as she descends onto one knee, lifts the box, and opens it to reveal a blue sapphire ring with an elegant white gold band. Ellie picks up on the shift in ambiance, twists to see Mariah, and gasps to find her partner down on one knee. Ellie’s hands fly to her face in surprise. Then she nods, her mouth forming a single word:Yes!

Mariah returns to her feet, wraps Ellie in a tight embrace, and kisses her in front of everyone as the crowd goes absolutely wild.

The cameraman captures every single moment, including Mariah’s shaking hands as she slides the beautiful ring over Ellie’s finger, their matching bracelets catching the light, finalizing their engagement and professing their love in front of the entire world.

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