“I want to be honest about something,” I said.
He brushed a thumb over my cheek, and I was struck again by how handsome he was. Those sparkling blue eyes looked at me with a warmth I couldn’t remember Brad ever having.
Before he could respond, I pressed on; I needed him to know … “I just … I have to tell you that I don’t want something serious. I’m not interested in a relationship right now. Maybe I’m totally getting ahead of myself here, but I can’t … I’m just not ready for that right now. It’s got nothing to do with you—God, that sounds so cliché—I just—”
“Hey, it’s ok.” His hands were warm against my cheeks, and I took a deep breath, feeling myself loosen up on the exhale. “Audrey, I like you. I can’t say I wouldn’t be interested in more, but honestly, right now, I’m not looking for a relationship either. That doesn’t mean I want to stop seeing you, but I can’t promise anything.”
“I don’t need promises,” I said firmly. Promises came with expectations.
“Ok, no promises. We just take it slow.”
“Slow is good. How will it work?”
“How do you want it to work?”
“Exclusive, but casual. No commitments, no expectations. We just see each other when we can. Although I have to warn you, I don’t get that much time to have a life outside of work. And I don’t really want to give that up just for some …” I let myself trail off, suddenly aware I might be about to insult him.
“Some incredible sex?” he offered, teasing.
I playfully rolled my eyes but felt heat spreading over my face, strangely shy even though we were lying naked together.
His smirk softened. “And just for the record, I’m not seeing anyone right now, casual or otherwise.”
Just me, my giddy mind reminded me. “I’m not either.”
“So that just leaves one last question.”
“Oh? And what’s that?”
“Are you sure you’re ready for round two?”
14
Jackson
Iwas a walking cliché, but I couldn’t really bring myself to care. My night with Audrey this weekend, and the knowledge that I’d see her again, had me grinning like an idiot as I walk onto the lot.
Unlike Wes, morning shoots had never been an issue for me. There was a routine to our schedule that I appreciated, even if the days were occasionally long and there were long periods of nothing in-between takes.
Anyone who’d ever worked on a set like this would tell you it was a lot of waiting. And sitting. We mixed it up by training as much as possible, even though they didn’t really let us do the hard stunts, but we learned the fight choreography, and there were enough gratuitous ab shots that they liked us being in the gym for a few hours a day. It was better than sitting on my ass; I’d tell you that much.
Based on today’s schedule, I had a few hours before I was needed in hair and makeup, so I teed up some time to see Felix, our props master, to get the low down on the new weapons for this season.
Despite the absurdity, I really liked being playing Ryder. I got to wear some amazing suits and wield a number of intricately crafted weapons that made me feel like a total badass.
Last year, I’d let slip to Felix that I had a thing for archery, just to see if I could get a chance to play with them this time around. Standing with Felix as he unloaded a series of large protective cases onto a long table, I had a good feeling when he slapped me on the shoulder and said, “Buddy, if you like these, you're going tolovewhat we have in store.”
Next to the array of rather nasty-looking guns, Felix opened a box and carefully removed its contents from the soft foam encasing, handing it to me, with expectant joy on his face. He was especially proud of this one.
“Oh, man, you were not lying,” I said gleefully, holding what was by far the coolest, most badass weapon I’d been given on this show in the last three years.
The bow was light in my hand, and it looked like a mix of dark wood and metal but was no doubt some form of whatever plastic or rubber they used for these things. It was only as long as my forearm, and I couldn’t see the limbs or string, but something told me they were hidden in there. Or maybe they’d be CGI’d in during post. I didn’t know what kind of magic they weaved, but I was officially in awe of the prop masters.
“Glad to know you like it. It’s one of my favorite things we’ve made.” He took it out of my hands and pushed a small button that was hidden amongst the engravings. Limbs immediately extended from the center and locked into place, pulling a string taut between them. “I mean, there’s no way it would hold up in the real world, but it looks frickin’ cool if I do say so myself.” He held it up and pulled back the string. “It locks tight enough that you’ll be able to draw and release for camera, but try not to strain it too much.” He handed it to me, and I tried it out. He was right; it was holding far steadier than I was expecting.
“Wow, J, I think you might be compensating for something.” As curious as I was about the new toys, Wes had made his way over. Of course, he’d naturally gravitated toward the largest gun on the table. He held it up and mimed stroking the barrel suggestively while leering at me.
Felix admonished him while taking the bow off me and laying it gently back in its casing. “Stop messing around, Wesley. Besides, that one is yours.”
