Charlize looked at Uma Thurman standing in the backlight. Today, Uma was also dressed up for the Halloween party. A red vest paired with navy blue star-studded hot pants, red knee-high soft boots, and her long jet-black hair flowing freely. Topped with a golden-yellow headband, it was the complete Wonder Woman look.
Uma's outfit wasn't cheap either. It hugged her figure perfectly as if tailored just for her. It not only showed off Uma's beautiful body but also matched Wonder Woman's heroic flair so perfectly that it made heads turn. Even Charlize, as a woman, couldn't help but be impressed.
The bright orange lights behind lit up the entire dark night like it was daytime. All the brilliance was hidden behind Uma, turning the school gate into a massive stage, making Uma shine like a goddess—as if a comic book scene had come to life.
Looking down at her own pitch-black outfit, Charlize sighed. Dressed as Sister Dolores, this costume was perfect for hiding all a woman's advantages. Even her orange-red high heels had lost their sparkle, and Charlize instinctively pulled her feet back to hide them under her robe.
Hearing Charlize blurt out, Hugo had no choice but to shift his gaze away from her face. Looking back, he quickly spotted Uma not far away. "Hey! What are you doing here?" Hugo politely greeted her.
"Party. What else?" Uma pointed at her costume, smiling. "I was just about to leave. I didn't know many people and wasn't having much fun didn't expect to see you."
"This is Leonardo. And this is Charlize, my friends." Hugo quickly introduced the two beside him. Uma shook hands and greeted them both, then Leonardo shot Hugo a knowing look and said, "Hugo, Charlize and I are going in to look for… Jeremy and the others. Catch you later." That suggestive glance from Leonardo made Hugo smile helplessly.
Charlize didn't hesitate either. She nodded politely to Uma and left quickly with Leonardo, without looking back. Still, Uma's voice floated over from behind, "Your costume is really something." Charlize quickened her pace, and the voice gradually faded into the wind. Leonardo kept turning back, chuckling under his breath, clearly satisfied with the "progress" made.
"Masquerade ball, you know. The look is what matters. Everything else can take a backseat," Hugo said, glancing at Charlize and Leonardo's retreating backs over Uma's shoulder. But he quickly refocused, as it would be rude to be distracted while talking to Uma. "Don't you think my costume looks like it was lifted straight from a comic book?" Hugo was clearly proud of his outfit.
"Seriously? That's what the Flash's outfit looks like? Why doesn't it match my memory?" Uma clearly read comics too, and her expression was very serious.
"You really need to see my friend dressed as Spider-Man," Hugo widened his eyes. "Compared to him, I'm already way better off." His exaggerated expression made Uma burst into laughter.
Looking at Uma's smiling face, her emerald eyes sparkled in the night, a gaze both open and a little shy falling into Hugo's own eyes. His smile froze for a moment, and he glanced toward the noisy crowd. People on the field seemed to be doing a beer relay basically installing a tap on a huge beer barrel and drinking from a hose to see who could last the longest. It was quite a spectacle.
"So, want to grab a drink together?" Hugo turned his gaze back to Uma, smiling as he made the offer.
Uma's smile bloomed like an epiphyllum in the night, releasing a charming scent at the corners of her lips. "I thought you'd never ask."
That made Hugo a bit embarrassed. Seemed like Uma had been waiting for him to take the initiative for a while. Hugo bit his lip and nodded slightly. "My bad. Keeping a lady waiting is not what a gentleman should do." Uma had clearly said she was about to leave, but now wasn't mentioning it at all. Such a clear signal how could Hugo miss it?
Hugo and Uma walked side by side across the field. Leonardo, still raucous in the crowd, seemed to notice Hugo passing by. He looked up and their eyes met, and then Hugo saw that meaningful smirk at the corner of Leonardo's lips. Hugo couldn't help but feel a bit helpless.
In a deafening party like this, finding a quiet place to chat wasn't easy. But finding somewhere to share a couple of beers wasn't that hard. Still, surrounded by all kinds of bizarre outfits, the whole scene felt surreal. For example, the woman sitting on Hugo's right was dressed in a sexy Catwoman outfit, holding a whip. Unfortunately, she weighed about 180 pounds (82 kilograms), and Hugo had to admire the endurance of that costume. Diagonally across from Uma sat a Don Quixote, whose giant sword couldn't be told if it was real or fake in the dark.
"How have you been lately?" Hugo raised his voice to ask.
"What?" Uma frowned, clearly not hearing him. The pounding music made it impossible to speak normally—everyone had to shout.
So Hugo leaned in, and Uma did too. Hugo asked again, "I said, are you still filming lately?"
"No, been resting." Uma yelled into Hugo's ear, "You know I'm not exactly the most in-demand actress." Uma said self-deprecatingly. From the corner of his eye, Hugo could see her left profile, her eyebrows slightly raised, sarcasm extending from her eyes. "What about you?"
"Promoting!" Hugo shouted back. He could feel the veins on his nose throbbing.
Uma didn't reply. She just shrugged, lightly tapping her head with her beer bottle, as if saying, "Sorry, I forgot." Lately, the publicity for Scent of a Woman hadn't exactly been intense, but in the slow autumn season, it was still getting some attention.
"I didn't expect you to know anyone from the crew," Hugo yelled into her ear. Uma was strictly a film actress and didn't have much connection to TV, so seeing her at a Growing Pains party was a real surprise.
"Time!" Uma answered simply meaning that after being in the industry for a few years, she knew plenty of actors. These parties connect people from everywhere, and before long, it felt like a third of Hollywood got pulled in. Maybe she had no direct ties to Growing Pains, but a few connections down the line? Anything's possible. "What about you?"
"Roommate," Hugo answered just as simply. After shouting that, he took a big gulp of beer. The cold drink instantly soothed his burning lungs. Shouting for singing was fine for Hugo he used his diaphragm. But for conversations like this, yelling from the lungs was truly exhausting.
"Didn't you notice something's off about our current position?" Uma looked at Hugo, her eyes flickering with a mischievous gleam, and shouted loudly.
Hugo looked down and finally realized that, to carry on their conversation, the two of them had practically pressed up against each other, their heads intertwined and barely a hand's width apart. They could clearly see every pore on each other's face though the lighting was so dim they couldn't actually make out much detail. Still, the scent of a woman's body gently lingered beneath Hugo's nose, fermenting slowly in the ambiguous lighting. His already tired mind, now invaded by alcohol, grew slightly heavy. At this moment, it felt as if it were veiled in a thin mist, dreamy and hazy, making it impossible to form a clear train of thought.
Hugo tugged at the corner of his mouth and pointed to his ear, signaling: otherwise we wouldn't even be able to hear each other. After making the gesture, Hugo intended to lean back a bit and stretch his aching back. But then he heard Uma say, "Has anyone ever told you your eyes are very charming?"
Hugo tilted his head toward Uma. Their eyes met, their noses nearly touching, the distance between them almost vanished. Then he saw Hugo curl his lips into a smile and, without deliberately raising his voice just speaking a bit louder than usual he said, "Yeah, you're not the first." His voice carried a teasing note.
To Uma, that line was crystal clear. Her lips curled into an even broader smile. "Then I guess someone as charming as you must be used to hearing things like that, huh?"
With Uma's low chuckle, Hugo felt his ear itch a little. He couldn't tell if it was because of her laughter or the warm breath brushing against his skin. "Should I take that as a compliment on my masculine charm?"
"You can." Uma let out a soft laugh, her eyes discreetly scanning Hugo's costume from top to bottom. "The Flash isn't exactly a universal heartthrob, though not quite up there with Superman."
That jab made Hugo pause for a moment, then he tilted his head slightly and smiled, saying, "Looks like Wonder Woman has some opinions about me."
"Of course, Wonder Woman prefers Superman or Batman. But tonight, The Flash seems unusually irresistible." Uma's red lips shimmered slightly in the shifting lights, radiating a deadly allure.
Hugo's gaze involuntarily drifted to those soft lips. His mouth slowly curled into a smile, still warm and gentlemanly, but tinged with a hint of indulgence brought on by the alcohol like sunlight that suddenly blazes stronger, turning so sexy it almost takes your breath away.
Uma couldn't help but lean in a little closer to Hugo. The distance that was already razor-thin was now separated only by a sheet of paper. She could even feel Hugo's warm breath spilling over her lips. In that instant, the alcohol and blood surged to her head. Her vision blurred; she couldn't even see Hugo's face clearly anymore. All she could make out was that pair of lake-like, clear eyes etching themselves deeply into her soul.
Hugo stared into that breathtaking shade of green like twin emeralds rippling in crystal-clear water. The soft charm between her brows now tinged with a faint blush, his body instinctively leaned forward, and then he found a patch of softness. He kissed her, irresistibly.
Was it the alcohol, or the atmosphere that intoxicated them? Hard to tell and there was no need to.
.....
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