“You’ll be back at work. And I’ll be… freer, timewise. We can reassess what we want.” And they could also have sex again. And he could cook for her, and take her to restaurants, and hug her.
They were still holding hands. Marley was thinking hard about this. He wished she would agree to give them a try enthusiastically and without reservation, but he also liked that she wasn’t the impulsive type.
She finally smiled one of her small Marley smiles. “Okay. A screen test. Should we shake on it?”
Nikhil pushed his chair out and stood. “How about a kiss instead?” He walked over to her, leaned down, and kissed her. A little longer than their kiss last night. He wanted to put his hand around the back of her neck and pull her close, but he resisted that urge. He did dip his tongue into her mouth so she knew how much he wanted her.
It was perfect. Nikhil was happy to wait for more if they could have this now. She was still smiling when he pulled away from the kiss. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Marley smile so much.
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“We could watch TV,” he suggested. “Ever seen the special-effects makeup reality show?”
She frowned. “That’s it? You just want to watch TV?”
He nodded. “I want to watch TV withyou.”
When Nikhil got to the gym Friday morning, Caroline started working with him on the choreography for one of the early fights in the movie. It seemed easy enough. Reggie stepped inwith anything that was tricky. But even if it was pretty simple, it was exhausting to have to do the sequence so many times in a row. Nikhil collapsed onto the bench at the side of the room when Caroline said they were done for the day. She sat near him, handing Nikhil a bottle of water.
“You did better than I expected.”
Nikhil took a long sip, then wiped his mouth with his arm. He had no idea where Caroline had acquired these low expectations of him—probably from Serena. Caroline was Serena’s longtime stunt double in addition to being the stunt coordinator for this movie.
“Did you think I was a clumsy buffoon incapable of learning complex sequences?” Nikhil had sounded bitter there. And honestly, hewasbitter. He’d been working his ass off, and he still didn’t feel like anyone had any confidence in him.
Caroline shook her head. “This is your first action movie, and you move like you’ve been doing this for years. You’re a natural.”
He blinked. Well. “You might be the only one in this whole operation who thinks I’ll be able to do this film.”
Caroline laughed, a throaty, almost sensual laugh. She was wearing black leggings and a huge hoodie, which was how she normally dressed at the gym. Caroline was about the same size and coloring as Serena, which made sense. But while Serena had a wholesome, girl-next-door vibe, Caroline looked more no-nonsense and world-weary. Like she’d seen a lot, and it would take only two beers to spill the best stories about the industry.
“Serena thinks you’ll be great, too. She’s looking forward to rehearsing with you.”
Nikhil raised a brow. Serena had barely said two words tohim when they’d had that forced paparazzi bait meal together in LA.
Caroline must have seen the skepticism on his face, because her expression softened. “Maybe it’s not my place to say anything, but Serenaissorry about how things are going down for you. She’s worked her ass off to get this far, and you have to see how hard it is for her to see these negative comments for the franchise. Even if she knows it’s racist and not right.”
It seemed that Serena was closer to her stunt double than he’d realized. He wondered if Caroline knew that he’d rejected the studio’s plan for him to have a fake relationship with Serena. Probably not. That was supposed to be top secret. But Caroline probably also signed the mother of all NDAs.
It was no wonder he had so much trouble trusting anyone in this industry. So many people were contractually obligated not to tell the truth.
He stood. “Well, I need to shower. Same sequence tomorrow?” The studio was having him come in on the weekend to make up for the time he was in LA. Even though theysenthim to LA.
Caroline nodded. “Yeah. I think one more day and you’ll have it down.”
After his shower, Nikhil was alone in the small changing room in the gym when Kaelyn called to tell him that she’d set up an interview withThe Confabfor him on Wednesday.
“I thought I wasn’t going to do any more pre-production press.”
“No, we talked about this weeks ago.The Confabhas offered an at-home interview. We love the idea… It could really humanize you. I know you’re living with your parents… That’stotally fine. It will add to your charm—you could even give a tour of your childhood bedroom.”
There was no way in hell he’d let camera people into his house. “You were there in LA, Kaelyn. My agent told you I’m not doing any more press until release.”
The line was silent for several long seconds.
“Look, I need to head home,” Nikhil said. “Send any requests through my agent, please.” He disconnected. Esther said he was being too Canadian polite—well, he was happy to put his manners behind him.
When the phone immediately rang again, he assumed it was Kaelyn again, annoyed at him for hanging up on her. But it wasn’t.
