How the fuck that little Korean monk is working his way into my brain right now, I have no idea.
Suddenly, Lunar stands, stumbles on the spot, and turns to race out of the viewing area, trying her hardest to catch her frantic breath. I watch as Lunar speeds off, and I take off after her as she stumbles through the halls and bursts through the exit doors. The rush of cool air assaults my face while I watch Lunar lean over, placing her hands on her knees and gasping for some much-needed air. She’s too busy panting to hear me come out, but I rush to her side and rub her back.
“Just breathe… slowly, in and out,” I say to her, trying to calm her down.
She takes in a long breath through her nose and lets it out slowly through her mouth, then repeats that action twice more. She’s calming down, her movements slowing, and after taking another deep breath, she slowly stands up straight. When she turns to look at me, I look at her with concerned eyes.
“Hey, you with me?”
“Yeah, sorry. You shouldn’t have had to see that.”
“Don’t worry, I was pretty much at breaking point. But seeing you lose it stopped me from panicking and put me into protector mode. You saved me from falling apart.”
She smirks, then lets out a small chuckle. “Glad I could help.”
I pull her into a hug. “I hate this as much as you do, trust me. I don’t even know how I kept a level head in there… higher powers or something at work here,” I say.
She raises her brow with a slight smirk. “Going in blind was dumb, Nate. You should have read the script. This wasn’t pleasant for us both. At least I think they’re going to get everything shot and finalized today, so we won’t have to witness anything else.”
I chuckle. “There’s nothing else I have to brace myself for?”
“No, that was the last thing in the script I read. They wanted to keep the most intimate scene for last, so Danger and Zaria felt more comfortable with each other.”
Nodding, I exhale. “Well, I don’t want to go back in there. I’m not sure I can watch that shit another five times.” I chuckle.
She smiles and nods. “Me either. Wanna go back to my place for a bit?”
Sighing, I give a curt nod, and she wraps her arm in mine as we walk to my car and head to Lunar’s house. Well, technically, it’s Ryan’s house, but he’s living with Tillie now, and Danger and Lunar rent the house from him. It seems to work well for everyone. I feel guilty about leaving Ria at the studio, especially because I can’t text her to explain why. It bugs me more thanever that I still can’t write properly in times like these. I’m a grown man, I should be able to text my girlfriend, for fuck’s sake. It just makes me more determined than ever to get this shit under control and get my life on track.
“You okay? You seem even tenser since we left?” Lunar asks as we walk through the front door of her house.
“Yeah… but I feel bad for leaving without saying anything.”
“Just send her a text. I’m sure she’ll understand.”
Letting out a slight groan in frustration, I say, “I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Um… no minutes,” I lie.
Lunar shakes her head. “You’re a mega rock star with a bankroll to match, and your cell is still on a prepaid, not a plan? Geez, you boys will never grow up. I’ll text Danger to let her know where you are.”
Nodding, I send her a weak smile. “Thanks.”
“Coffee?”
“Got anything, um… stronger?”
She winks. “Bourbon it is.”
Lunar strolls over to the kitchen cupboard and pulls down a bottle of William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon and two tumblers.
I let out a shocked gasp. “Um… Lunar, that’s nearly a grand’s worth of bourbon right there.”
She looks at the bottle and shrugs, opening it, pouring a hefty amount into each glass, and handing me one. “Danger owes us. Bottoms up.”
She clinks her glass to mine and I take a long taste of the incredibly smooth liquid.
