Chapter Twenty-Five
CLOVER
The shooting schedule has been brutal. With days starting in the hair and makeup trailer at four a.m. and shooting extending until eleven p.m., I’m beyond exhausted. It’s apparent on my face as I carefully add more concealer underneath my eyes, trying to erase the impact losing countless hours of sleep has had. It’s been weeks, and it’s adding up.
On top of it all I’ve been trying to cram in extra workouts, needing to ensure I’m at my best for the stunts. Needing to ensure I’m the perfect fit for the character. I can’t control some of what the commenters have been saying, but Icancontrol my body, so that’s where my focus has been going. To help, I’ve started taking caffeine pills to see if they can give me a little boost.
But I worry that nothing is working. My skin is dull, and I feel self-conscious. Not exactly a great way to feel going into a date—fake, or not.
I look so out of place wearing such a beautiful dress in my tiny bedroom. Turning to the side, I look at my body’s profile in the mirror. The deep green satin dress hugs mycurves closely, and I fight the urge to rip it off and put something baggy on.
When I can’t stomach my reflection any longer, I head out to meet my date.
When he arrives, Roman pulls up in a car that probably costs more than my parents’ house. It almost feels like I shouldn’t even touch something so expensive, so I stand looking at the vehicle for a few seconds too long before the window rolls down.
“You coming or what?” Roman growls.
Ah, we’re off to a strong start… wonderful.God grant me the patience required to deal with him today.
“Well, aren’t you just a ball of sunshine today?” My voice is chipper and dripping with honey. It’s an added bonus knowing that it’ll piss him off.
“Get in,” he mutters.
“Not unless you ask nicely, sweetheart.”
“Please get in, lovebug,” he replies sarcastically. Not my favorite nickname, but you know what, I’ll take it over ‘shithead’ or something equally offensive.
I hop into the car, and buckle up while Roman stews in silence next to me. This bodes well for dinner. My stomach is in knots at the prospect of being stuck at a small table with him and eating in front of him. The last thing I need is his making a shitty comment about what I order or how I chew funny or something like that.
The rest of the drive is quiet until we park and Roman clenches and flexes his hands, like he’s disgusted at the prospect of having to touch me. Dick. Without a word, he exits the car and goes around to my side. Opening the door forme, he extends a hand and helps pull me up and out of the car with ease.
Cameras flash as I hop out. Somewhere in the distance I hear our names being called, but I focus on the physical contact between us, letting it be my anchor.
I keep my hand wrapped around his arm as he leads us inside the restaurant, telling myself to ignore what his scent does to me. It should be illegal for someone who’s such a jerk to smell so addictive.
The flashes fade as we step into the dimly lit restaurant. For such a nice place, there’s a strange chill in the air here. Goosebumps dot my skin, and I try to scrub them away and infuse some warmth into my skin. Looking down, Roman notices me rubbing my arms. I shiver slightly under the intensity of his gaze.
“It’ll be a moment for your table,” the hostess smiles at Roman, not once sparing me a glance. I roll my eyes. I know he’s not really my boyfriend, but it still pisses me off when other women so obviously check him out in front of me.
“Here,” Roman takes off his dark suit jacket, handing it to me. I hesitate to grab it, and he places it around my shoulders. His scent wraps around me, and the warmth coming off the jacket seeps into my skin, both are equally addictive.
As we wait in silence, Roman pulls me toward him, wrapping his arm around me in a move that is so simple and casually possessive. It shows anyone who is looking that I’m his. That sends a pulse of heat between my legs, and I swallow. I wonder in what other ways he could be possessive, how he’d claim what’s his in the bedroom…
Giving my head a shake, I blow out a quick breath.
“Excuse me,” a quiet voice comes from beside us. There’s a man a bit older than us, and he’s wearing a nervous grin. “I’m so sorry to bother you both, but my kid is a hugeDarknessRisingfan, and I was wondering if I could get your autographs?”
Roman’s arm leaves my body, and he gives the man a big grin. “Of course, want to take a video for him too?”
“A video?” the man asks, trying not to sound too excited.
“Absolutely, what’s their name?”
“Jesse,” the father beams, pulling out his cellphone. Roman takes it in his hands and flips the camera to face him and the dad.
“Hey Jesse, this is Roman and Clover!” With his free hand, he pulls me into the frame. I give a little wave. “We’re here with your dad, and we heard you’re a bigDarkness Risingfan.” What he says next takes me completely off guard. “That’s why we wanted to offer you a chance to come visit the set and be in the movie as a background actor one day.” His smile is so genuine, it takes my breath away.
The dad breaks into a laugh of disbelief.
