47.
October 4th, 2020
Ifurrowed my brows and pushed my phone a little closer to my ear. “What did you say?”
Gallan’s words, hard to understand because of the shitty network on set, continued to sound confusing. “I – you –crack– and –crack–”
I sighed and moved to Stage 32. “Gall? Babe, I can’t hear you well.”
Click.
Clack.
Buzz.
“Can you –crack– now?”
I frowned. “Not fully, no.” I crossed Stage 32, 20, and then walked out of the studio and into the open air. “Okay, now I’ve left the haunted house. Speak away.”
Gallan chuckled. “I was saying: you should’ve let me stay with you at the studio if you were gonna work this late. I don’t like the idea of you in there by yourself.”
When Ross had yelled “And that’s a wrap forWaves That Hold Us!” a few hours ago, I’d never been more relieved. Even though I had an overall good experience working as a crew member, I also couldn’t be more thankful to have been done with the task. It’d been hard to enjoy working on set during the last few months, especially after Gallan and I had made ourselves official to the public. Being the constant topic of judgement and gossip among coworkers is never a rewarding feeling, and now that the movie had finally wrapped up, I could breathe easy knowing I wouldn’t have to walk into a room and get looked at by people like I was a fucking ball they could toss around for their amusement.
With a slight shake of my head, I smiled at Gallan’s concern towards me. “I’m not alone, Gall. A couple guys are here somewhere. We haven’t locked up yet. It was the last day of shoot, so it makes sense that us crew members have to stay back and make sure everything is packed and kept in order. I just have a couple more things to do and then I’ll be home.”
He exhaled. “You should’ve joined the cast and me for the celebratory dinner.”
I grinned. “I’m not part of that world. It wasyourhard work that needed celebration, not mine.”
“Don’t fucking say that,” he said, which made me laugh.
“You’re whining,” I mused.
“I’m upset with myself for leaving you behind.”
A door opened and closed somewhere in the studio.
“You didn’t leave me behind. I’m here doing myjob,” I told him. “Also, it’s not like it’s the first time I’ve stayed back to help out. I’ve been working here for months, and during most nights, it’s me and a few others who close things down. How else would we have gotten stuck in your trailer all those months ago if I hadn’t been here while you were trying to catch yourself a sneaky rat?”
He laughed airily. “True. But I have every right to worry. You can’t ask me not to.”
“You do have that right, yes, but I’m a grown-ass woman who is fully capable of taking care of herself.”
“I know, I know.” Pause. “But Zaira…”
I ran a hand over my messy bun. “But what, Gall?”
“It’s 2-fucking-a.m., babe.”
I clicked my tongue. “And why does it matter?”
“Because I miss you and need you in bed with me? Because I wanna feel your body against mine as I go to sleep?”
I chuckled. “I’ll be home soon, I promise. Watch a movie until then. Rest a little, Gall; you deserve it. You’ve been stressing about the upcoming promos and interviews like crazy. Use this time to do nothing but relax.”
“But I wanna relax withyou,” he all but whined, which made me laugh.
“Yo, Zaira!” came a voice from behind me.
