An Unexpected Encounter

It was the opening night of his feature debut. Screaming fans swarmed the floor as the cast appeared one by one down the red carpet. The crowd roared louder as he began to approach them. Walking slowly, he stops and poses for his photo. He turns left and right, locking eyes with the paparazzi. He undeniably knew how to work a crowd. His hair was slicked back into a bun and he had a tiny bit of scruff on his jaw line, mimicking a five o’clock shadow. You could tell he was still partially in character by his appearance, which to me, was extremely attractive. Wearing a navy blue Armani suite with a bow tie, no one could make this look better.

Casually making his way towards the reporters and journalists, his eyes somehow met mine. I shyly glanced away while tripping over my dress in the process, as he continued by. I can not believe that just happened! Searching for the nearest bar to forget my humiliation, I figured a dirty martini would do the trick. Nearly finished with my second cocktail, while enjoying some people watching, I felt a sudden tapping on my left shoulder. I turn around, almost forgetting what just happened and low and behold, it’s him. Evan Peters, standing right before me in the flesh! My eyes widened in disbelief as my jaw fell to the ground. I quickly realized I must have looked insane and began to blush uncontrollably.

“Hi.” Smiling from ear to ear, he extends his hand and says, “I’m Evan.” Standing there in complete shock, I nervously took his hand into mine. “I’m Kat, uh, Kathryn.” I stammered, with utter excitement. “You should definitely buy me whatever you’re having. I need to be on your kind of level!” He says, smirking while holding my empty glass. I felt a sudden rush of heat that caused my face to turn bright red. “Ah, no one ever offers the famous guy drinks, huh?” I asked casually, trying to get my face back to its normal shade. He waved at the bartender and ordered an old fashioned, with extra cherries.

“I noticed you, out there, earlier on the red carpet.” He said while biting one of the cherries off its stem. Oh boy, here it comes. He’s going to mention my mishap with my dress. As I prepared myself for more embarrassment, I took a sip of my freshly made drink. Trying to hold in my composure, I reached for the last olive in my glass and said, “Yeah? I may have noticed you too.” I was speechless, needless to say. Evan Peters and I, enjoying cocktails together, who would have thought? If he had any idea how much of a ‘fan’ I was, he probably wouldn’t be here speaking to me right now. “Was that before or after you tripped over your dress?” He laughed while briefly putting his head down. “And here I thought you didn’t notice!” I replied sarcastically. “How’s the people watching going tonight?” He asked politely, to change the subject. “Quite fascinating I have to admit. Not sure why I don’t do it more often. I highly recommend it.” I replied. He let out a nice chuckle, downed his drink and said, “Let’s get out of here! Just, try not to fall on the way out. You wouldn’t want the paparazzi getting a shot of that!” As my face filled with redness, yet again, I accepted the offer. As if I would say no to Evan Peters!

As we were escorted off the grounds, flashing lights and shouting from a swarm of paparazzi enclosed us. There were three huge security guards guiding the way. Evan grabbed my hand as we walked towards his private car. “Who’s the girl, Evan? Tell us who the girl is!” The paparazzi were extremely persistent in general but since Evan hasn’t been seen with a woman since his split with, you know who, they were much more eager this time around. I’m sure I’ll be waking up with my picture on the front of TMZ tomorrow with some misleading title attached to it. “EVAN PETERS MOVES ON FROM ROBERTS, SEEN WITH POSSIBLE NEW LOVE INTEREST!”

“I’m glad to see you made it out alive.” He says, grinning, while opening a bottle of champagne. Handing me a glass, I quickly take a sip. “A warning would have been nice.” I said, with a coy half smile. “So, Kat-Kathryn, what brought you out to the premiere tonight?” He asked enthusiastically. This was a question I was hesitant to answer. With him being an actor, I presume he might get the wrong impression of me. “Well, I just so happen to be a journalist. I was out looking for some inspiration for my next article.” I respond, praying for a positive reaction. “An article about being attacked by the paparazzi?” He asked jokingly. I let out a sigh of relief, followed by a brief head shake. He picks up the bottle of champagne refilling our flutes and decides to sit next to me. His thigh was slightly brushing against mine when he asked, “How long have you been a writer for?” Pretending like I wasn’t totally distracted, I replied, “My whole life. I remember the first story I wrote when I was eight years old. I knew then, I’d never stop. And here I am today.” He turned towards me, leaning in a bit closer and said, “That’s how I was with acting, I knew when I was really young exactly what I wanted to do. And my parents just went for it. Best thing that could have happened. We’re almost there by the way.”

We pulled up to a gated entrance and the driver typed in a code. As the gate opened, we continued down a long driveway paved with stone. Followed alongside a path of beautiful colored flowers. “We’re here. Come on!” He shouts helping me out of the car. I step out, getting a decent view of the place. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, only in movies. “Wow, your place is really nice.” I was honestly surprised he would even bring me here. To his actual home. Jesus, this is surreal. “Hope you aren’t planning on murdering me.” I say, as he opens the front door. Standing there staring at me, he slams the door shut. “Now, prepare to DIE!” He screamed. “I’m just messin, I’m not gonna murder you, I swear.” He said while trying to hold in his laughter. I roll my eyes, “I mean, you could at least try to be convincing.” I said, playfully punching him in the arm.

“Well, this is my place. I don’t stay here too often. I fly out in between filming back home. Most of my family is still there.” He said, walking towards the kitchen. “Ah, I see. So, do you usually bring strangers back to your home? Or am I one of the lucky ones?” I ask, while taking a seat in front of the kitchen island. “You’re definitely one of the luckies. I feel like you’re trustworthy, even with being a writer.” He said, throwing me a wink. I wondered if he could hear my heart pounding out of my chest. Each time he smiled at me, I could feel a beam of electricity light up inside of me. Slowly, he started walking towards me and said, “Come with me. I wanna show you something. But first.” He paused, while walking over to the living room. “Before we go, we’ll need this.” He picks up a throw blanket that was folded on top of the ottoman. His place was tidy but extremely quiet. No pets, not even a fish tank. Guess he wasn’t kidding about not being here very much.

He offered me his arm and escorted me outside. Yes, he was indeed a true gentleman. The backyard was just as glorious as you might imagine. There were tall green plants boarding the enormous swimming pool. Not one, but two waterfalls, including a grotto style hot tub. Off to the side of the pool area was a fancy looking bar with pool tables and big screen televisions. There was even a greenhouse. “Check this out.” He said, as he opened the door to the greenhouse and brought me inside. The place was full of all sorts of different flowers and plants. Long vines with purple leaves outlined the window sills. There were so many colors. It was a bit surreal, kinda like this entire experience so far. “You keep up with all of this? By yourself?” I asked curiously while walking around. He let out a deep sigh and replied, “Yeaah, it looks better when I actually put time into it. I’ve been so preoccupied with work lately. It’s been hard to focus on stuff that isn’t ‘work related,’ ya know?” He gazed off, while lightly tracing his fingers along a bed of petunias. It was almost as if he was lost in thought. I couldn’t help but stare in wonderment. Could Evan Peters be lonely out here in LA?

Still browsing around, I came across a familiar looking plant. “Is this… what I think it is?” I asked, a bit taken by surprise. He came walking over, “Ah, you found my stash. You must be a user too.” He said, mysteriously. He plucked off a few buds from the marijuana plant and put them into his jacket pocket. “This will be of good use to us later, what do ya say?” With his piercing dark brown eyes looking back into mine I respond, “Well, I couldn’t agree more!”

We left the greenhouse and started to walk through what appeared to be a courtyard. This wasn’t the typical courtyard you’d see in your apartment complex. It was similar to what you would find at the Stanley Hotel. As we continued, we entered through a small hedge maze. Yep, you guessed it, just like the Stanley Hotel, only a tad less creepy. “This is giving me some Steven King vibes.” I mentioned. “That’s what I got too when I first saw this house. Always thought I’d spend a lot more time out here, well, at least that’s what I intended anyway.” He responded drifting off a bit again. “It must be hard to live in such a big place by yourself.” I said, rubbing my arms from the chill of the cool wind. He walked closer to me while putting his arm around my shoulders and said, “It’s the loneliness that makes it difficult for sure. I mean, I have friends out here, but I tend to get pretty self consumed with my characters. That sometimes makes me exclude myself from normal things.” There I was, wrapped up in his arms. I could definitely get used to this. We shared a brief moment of silence before getting to our final destination.

“We have arrived!” He announced with excitement. “Now, this is where I try to spend most of my time when I’m home. Just be careful on the way up.” He jumped up onto a tall platform and extended out his hand to help me. After we both climbed up, I looked around and there it was. Propped up by itself and guarded by a safety railing with nothing else surrounding it. “Oh my stars! You have a telescope?” I asked, full of excitement. “It’s a catadioptric telescope. AKA, a compound telescope. My dad and I built one once when I was a kid. Ever since, I’ve always made sure I had access to one. Come here and check this out.” He made some minor adjustments and within a few short seconds, he said, “There, got it.” Gently taking my arm, he pulled me in to take a look. Closing my left eye, I leaned in to discover Saturn. I could see all seven rings surrounding the planet. They almost resembled a pale paper cutout with hints of marble shading. Now, I have to be honest, I haven’t looked through a telescope since I was in grade school. This was pretty cool. I could understand why he would choose to spend most of his time here. It was so peaceful and quiet.

As I was staring through the lense, I could hear some shuffling happening behind me. “This is the perfect place for a doobie.” He says, pulling out rolling papers from his pocket. I continued to peer through the lens while attempting to locate the North Star, since it was the only thing I was familiar with. “I bet I can find it!” I said to him, with full determination. “It doesn’t count if you can see it without a telescope.” He chimed back while laughing at my sneerful facial expression. “I give up! I’m no star expert like you!” I said as I walked over to join him. He laid the throw blanket on to the floor of the platform and we sat down. He pulled out a green lighter, sparked the joint, and began to puff. Coughing lightly, he said, “For you, M’adam.” “Oh, why thank you, sir.” I replied, with an attempted British accent. With my pinky in the air, I begin to inhale as elegantly as possible. After a few short hits, I was already starting to feel the effects. “Before we get too comfortable, there is one more thing I want you to see.” He said as he stood up, walking back towards the telescope. “This sounds promising.” I replied, with my lungs full of smoke. He steps aside and lets me scoop in to take another look. Then suddenly, I was at a loss for words. “That is the Andromeda Galaxy. It’s over 2 million light years away from us. Pretty sick, right?” He asked, waiting for my reaction. This was unreal. A majestic spot in the middle of outer space and Evan Peters is showing it to me! “It’s mesmerizing.” I replied. Stepping away, I started to pinch my arms. Confused, he asks, “Are you alright?” “I just had to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.” I replied, as we laughed in unison.

Taking a seat on the blanket, we cozied up next to each other to keep warm. I was starting to get comfortable with him by my side. He has a gentle and humbling presence about him. It was unquestionable that I was becoming more curious about who he really is. In between hits, we laid on our backs and looked up at the sky. It was almost as if it was radiating with an abundance of beauty. Or, maybe I was just high. “Tonight has been the most unexpected night I’ve ever had, without a doubt. And I mean that in the best way possible.” I said to him, still admiring the stars above. I could see his head turned towards me in my peripheral vision. I waited a second before meeting his gaze and added, “Thank you. Really, thank you for a wonderful time.” “You’re just stoned!” He said with a drawn out tone. He was right, I could feel my eyes shrinking by the second. I’m sure I resembled Cheech Marin at this point. “Wait, so am I.” He continued, as we both cackled. “It’s my pleasure, Kat. You’re good company, hopefully this won’t be the last time.” He responded casually, while turning away from me. I quickly sat up and asked abruptly, “Are you subtly asking me out?!” He continued to look away and replied, “Uh, what? No? No way, not at all.” He sat up and continued, “Yes, yes I am.” His smile was oozing with nervousness. “I could only be so lucky!” I said, with a cheesy grin. With our eyes locked, we sat there fixated for a few moments. He raised his hand up to my cheek and brushed back some loose hair behind my ear. His fingertips softly grazed my skin. “Good, then it’s set. This won’t be the last time.” He responded in a soft tone. I sat there smiling, while also trying to remember to breathe. Just before I started hyperventilating from what just happened, he stood up and offered me his arm to help me up and said, “Let’s head back.”

With each step we took, I was replaying the entire night in my mind. I can not believe this was really happening. I actually met Evan Peters and had an incredible time with him! Needless to say, I had no words, again. I started pinching my arms one more time, just to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Thankfully, he didn’t notice this time around. What could possibly be going on inside his mind right now? Was he thinking the same as me? Did he really mean he wants to see me again? Me? I could feel my throat starting to close up.

Upon noticing the silence, he loudly cleared his throat. Just as we were approaching the swimming pool he turned to me and grabbed my hands firmly. He asked in a serious voice, “Do you trust me?” Confused, I wasn’t quite sure what the correct answer should be to that question. I hesitated for a moment, and replied shakily, “Yes...?” He removed his jacket, socks and shoes and with full speed, started running towards me. Suddenly, he lifts me up over his shoulder and dunks us right into the water. After coming up for air, in complete shock, I spit out some water and said to him, “Well, I’m really glad you have a heated swimming pool!” With make-up running down my face, he began laughing, and said, “You look like a raccoon!” I splashed him with water and shouted, “That is entirely your fault!” After removing my soaking wet shoes, I tossed them next to one of the chairs nearby. This was my chance to check out his grotto style hot tub that was semi hidden between the two waterfalls. You have to swim under a little passageway in order to get in. Once you’re inside, it looks just as you would have pictured. All that was missing were hundreds of Playboy models. “This is pretty sick. You must be the go to spot for house parties, huh?” I asked, already knowing the answer. “Well, maybe if I actually had them. When I first bought the place, there were a fair share of get-togethers. But working with Ryan has made my social life pretty nonexistent.” He said, while swimming over to me.

I tried wiping away the makeup from under my eyes before asking, “How long has it been since you’ve been back home?” Glancing at me, he attempted to help remove my raccoon eyes and replied, “It’s been a year. Which is way too long for me. Since filming has wrapped, I was planning on going next week. Just in time for the holidays. I love being home during this time of the year.” There was a brief pause, “What about you? Is your family here too?” He asked, genuinely. “No, I moved away from mine. They are pretty much scattered all over. We keep in touch here and there but we aren’t necessarily close by any means. I guess you could say my childhood was.. different from most.” I could tell I had his attention from the way he looked at me. “How so?” He asked, raising an eyebrow. I looked the other away for a moment trying to figure out what to say. “We’ll save that for another time.” I said, to quickly change the subject. “Looks like you owe me some dry clothes!” I added, before swimming under the passageway. Heading towards the pool steps, he jumped out before I could and said, “Allow me.” He insisted, and went to grab some towels. I picked up my drenched heels and he wrapped the towel around my shoulders. I could feel the softness from the Egyptian cotton pressed tightly against my skin.

We proceeded inside, where it was warm and cozy. “Come up stairs, I’ll give you something to put on. Unless you prefer that, ‘Death becomes her’ look.” He said, teasing. Snickering, I ask jokingly, “You sure you’re not a murderer?” He shot me an eerie glare and continued up the stairs to his bedroom. The second half of his house was immaculate. He had dozens of paintings and artwork all over the walls. From canvases to sculptures, it was sort of like being inside of an art museum. I stopped and stared for a moment as he called out for me, “Hey, over here!” Every step you took echoed throughout the entire house.

Upon entering his bedroom, I was yet again, at a loss for words. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, it did. I felt like I was looking at a Better Homes magazine but with much more pizazz. He shuffled through some drawers and handed me a t-shirt and sweats. Little does he know, that's what my attire consists of on a normal basis. “Here ya go, the bathroom is there.” He said while pointing. I quickly changed out of my wet dress and gave myself a little pep talk before exiting. Is this really happening? I glanced at myself in the mirror one last time and tried to look somewhat presentable. Just breathe, don’t forget to breathe. Opening the door, I realized he was gone. “Evan..?” I whispered softly. I left the bedroom and walked down the hall to the next room. Suddenly, I started to hear music.

Evan was in dry clothes, sitting behind a lavish piano. He played a beautiful melody that quickly put me into a trance. I sat down and admired the sounds that escaped from his fingertips. At this point in the evening, this was really setting the mood. Watching him, you could see the ease of emotion slip throughout him. I felt as if I was truly seeing him, the real him. In complete awe, I was hoping this moment would never end. He continued to play, and then looked up at me. There was something about this look that was different from the rest. The structure of his face had changed into a more serious stare. It was at this moment where I’ve never seen him look more handsome. He continued to play while his gaze held mine. I felt as if time stood still and nothing in the world mattered at all. This guy really is something, I thought to myself. His fingers slowly stroked the last few keys before stopping.

Walking over to where I was, he kneeled down in front of me. His eyes were illuminating a seriousness to them that captivated my being. I felt paralyzed by the beauty of this moment. Realizing there are so many sides to him that I want to know, need to know. He squeezed my hands and said, “I don’t want you to be alone for the holidays.” He paused. I sat there unable to speak. He resumed, “I want you to come to St. Louis with me for Christmas.”

To be continued.