1.
February 07th, 2020 (PRESENT)
“Lights… Camera… ACTION!”
I pushed my glasses up my nose and flinched a little when our director, and the world-renowned asshole, Ross Jonas, yelled the word ‘action’ with every ounce of energy in his body.
“Ugh, someone please get me a gallon or two of liquid Tylenol,” my friend Kenzie murmured from my left.
I chuckled as I adjusted the mouthpiece on my headset. “Go marry a pharmacist. I’m not drugging you anymore.”
She scoffed. “You’ve been doing it for the last seven years, and you’ll continue to do it for the rest of your life.” When I rolled my eyes at her, she winked and placed an elbow on my shoulder. “Also, pharmacists are bald and overaged perverts. I am so not marrying one.”
I looked exaggeratedly at her. “Have I told you that you’re an occasional harasser?”
Her brown eyes gleamed as she smirked at me. “Yes, but only a million-and-twenty-three times. That’s hardly enough, don’t you think?”
“Ugh.” I stepped away from her. “We have work to do. Focus.”
She shrugged, and then pulled her long black hair in a bun before waking the tablet in her hand.
Work.
Was bringing water and coffee for actors a job?
Was it a job to make sure no one stomped or tripped over the tangled mess of electrical wires surrounding the studio floors?
Well, my mum says no profession is small, and for an Indian Muslim girl like myself, being a part of L.A.’s commercial life is a huge thing. So, getting to work as a crew person for a big budget romance movie was a great opportunity for me…I guess.
I was five when I moved to L.A. with my parents. They’re both teachers, and their love for anything and everything book-related inspired me to graduate as an English major.
After working at publishing houses for years, whilst also balancing my degree studies, I felt things starting to get bland for me. So, as soon as I graduated, I decided to start working at movie and television studios for a change. The hustle and adrenaline in those places were crazy, and it was only when I began spending entire days there, did I realize how much I needed that kinda potent thrill in my life.
Kenzie and I became inseparable years ago when I got my first job as an assistant editor at an up-and-coming publishing house. She’d been working there a bit longer than me, and when she saw me almost awestruck by the work environment, and also completely clueless, she showed me the ropes and lifted me up in ways no one ever has.
“Here he comes!” she whispered a little too excitedly in my left ear. “Are you okay? Do you need glucose to manage your BP? Are you breathing? Do you need mouth-to-mouth?”
I whipped my head in her direction and glared at her, but the expression on her face demanded no bullshit, so I just cleared my throat and looked ahead reluctantly.
Life has a bizarre way of working things for you. It’s a cunning-minded bitch who cares about nothing but its own entertainment. So, when I got a call about having been accepted to work as a crew member for the movieWaves That Hold Us, I wasn’t expecting to also be working for the one man I loved and looked up to: Gallan Underwood.
Thirty-three years old. A model. Hollywood’s heartthrob. An outstanding and materialistic actor. Entrepreneur.
Yes,thatGallan Underwood.
The first time I’d come to know of him was ten years ago. He was one of the leads in this super popular action movie about seven grad students having found out that they possessed supernatural powers which they could use against powerful men and women who were otherwise untouchable by even the law. The movie soon became a fan-favorite franchise, and ever since then, I’ve been hooked and sailing for Gallan.
“Are you going to give him the book today?” Kenzie asked.
I swallowed and fidgeted with the rim of my glasses, and then opened my mouth to answer her, but my breath caught in my throat when Gallan smiled at his costar and ran a hand over his wavy chocolate-brown hair. His slim-fitted white t-shirt stretched with the movement of his arm, and looked perfectly in sync with his effortlessly faded blue jeans. His ‘Ready-to-slice-your-heart-open’ jaw, which was peppered with dark stubble, somehow looked sharper than usual in that moment, and his smooth lips glistened when he ran the tip of his tongue over them. His obsidian eyes sparkled against the afternoon light, and when he delivered his line without a single hitch in that husky, flat, and slightly scratchy voice, I almost fell on the ground as a strong wave of internal fangirl seizure took over.
Jesus on a mechanical bull, Gallan was a God-sent miracle on this polluted and overpopulated planet.
We were filming outdoors, so the whole block was closed for the day. The bridge we were set up near, and the welcomingly sunny weather we were graced with – both played as the perfect backdrop for Gallan to shoot a heartfelt scene with his reel-life love interest.
I released a breath – the one I was holding – and relaxed a little when Ross yelled ‘CUT’, and the actors and stylists scattered around like insects on a tree trunk.
“That’s a wrap for today. Rest up, and I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” he announced.
