The pieces were vintage Chanel from the seventies, complete down to the last accessory. The knee-lengthdress—sleeveless and patterned in black and white—was layered over a tucked silk camisole. A matching jacket draped casually across her shoulders. A petite pebbled caviar leather purse hung at her side, and gleaming gold jewelry reflected the set lights as black patent slingback heels added the final touch. Caitlin felt timelessly elegant.
As Caitlin waited on set, she sipped from her water bottle, rehearsing her lines in her mind. The moment she saw Gemma slip through the side door, a ragged cough burst from her throat, drawing glances from all directions. She waved them off, eyes brimming yet locked onto the stunning woman striding across the floor.
Gemma wore navy-blue high-waisted pants with four gold buttons down the center that hugged her body perfectly, flaring out just below her calves. A white cotton button-up shirt with a large collar was left open to reveal Gemma’s bare chest, and Caitlin’s eyes followed the neckline as she approached.
A throat cleared nearby, yanking Caitlin back to reality and away from the fantasies of Gemma’s red lipstick smudged across her own. She turned to find Mrs. Ryan staring at her with her eyebrows raised.
Shit. How long had she been standing there?
Gemma reached them just as the director began to open her mouth, cutting off whatever observation she’d been about to make regarding Caitlin’s blatant staring.
“Places, everyone!” Mrs. Ryan shouted instead, taking her seat in the director’s chair behind the video monitor.
The actresses slid into the scene’s red restaurant booth, Caitlin’s pulse quickening. She was sure that Gemma could see it hammering beneath her skin, and she wondered if her ex felt as terrified as she did about reenacting their first kiss. Her previous courage had evaporated, her head now filling with static. A new, unnamed sensation lay underneath the surface.
The cameras rolled, and within a few takes, they’d nailed Mrs. Ryan’s vision. Caitlin had found herself adding a few unscripted flirty touches to the scene, her fingers grazing Gemma’s arm without thought. The director ate it up, praising her improvisation.
Everything had flowed beautifully until Caitlin and Gemma found themselves facing each other on Sarah’s doorstep.
Caitlin hadn’t known what to expect, but Gemma’s trembling hands, fumbling toward her face and nearly jabbing her in the eye, had caught her off guard. Their lips barely brushed.
Mrs. Ryan wanted desperation, and Caitlin knew exactly what she and Gemma were capable of. She’d been on the receiving end of Gemma’s kisses enough times to know that they could deliver far more heat than that.
“Cut, cut, cut!” The director yelled, and Gemma recoiled from Caitlin like she had the bubonic plague.
“I’m not feeling anything,” Mrs. Ryan approached Caitlin and Gemma as she spoke. “Lean into it, move your bodies closer, deepen the kiss, hold each other as if gravity itself might fail. This isit, ladies. This is the moment Kate and Sarah have been circling for months. All that tension, that yearning, this is where it pays off. Show it to me.” She walked back to the monitor and perched herself on the tall chair marked with her name. “Let’s go again!”
Caitlin searched Gemma’s face while they retook their places. She couldn’t tell what Gemma was thinking, but Caitlin felt as if Mrs. Ryan had just revealed her deepest, darkest secret to the entire crew. This scene was becoming way too real.
Caitlin was mentally back in her childhood bedroom, sixteen again and kissing Gemma for the very first time. The second their lips met, the world had exploded into color, a subconscious wish suddenly coming true. Every moment sincethe day that Gemma had bumped into Caitlin sophomore year finally clicked into place. All those scattered pieces had formed one perfect picture of the two of them, finally together where they belonged.
“Take two, scene sixty-four.” The producer snapped the clapperboard sticks together, and the scene began again.
Caitlin and Gemma took a deep breath in unison, looking deep into each other’s eyes. Caitlin noticed that same sparkle in Gemma’s golden-brown gaze from all those years ago, right before that first kiss. Her hands found Gemma’s hips as Gemma moved to gently cup Caitlin’s face. When Gemma tilted her head toward her, Caitlin’s eyes drifted shut in breathless anticipation. She knew the kiss was just for the cameras, but God, Cailtin ached to feel that old electricity spark between them again.
When Gemma’s lips landed on hers, shockwaves swept through Caitlin’s body. She gripped Gemma’s waist tighter, pulling their bodies closer until they were one. Gemma’s fingers threaded through Caitlin’s hair. The kiss turned desperate as Caitlin’s tongue found Gemma’s, deepening the intensity. Fire consumed the space between them, each stealing breath from the other to survive. Gemma’s grip turned possessive, and Caitlin’s body thrummed as they fell into a familiar rhythm, moving like they’d been doing this dance for years.
“And cut!” Mrs. Ryan yelled. “Excellent!”
The women slowed their movements, but their lips didn’t part. The room had dissolved around them, Caitlin hearing nothing but her own heartbeat pounding in time to Gemma’s as the kiss turned into something tender.
Voices filtered through. Equipment clanked. Reality crashed down on Caitlin as Gemma broke away, leaving her standing, frozen in place. Caitlin knew with absolute certainty that she had felt their old fire, still burning beneath the ashes of their years apart.
That kiss hadn’t been for the cameras. Gemma had kissed Caitlin like she meant it, like she’d been waiting all this time. But before she could ask Gemma if she was okay, Mrs. Ryan appeared beside them.
Gemma’s hands fell away too abruptly, leaving Caitlin’s skin feeling cold in their absence.
“That was perfect. The passion I just saw was incredible, it was like the damn Fourth of July in here.”
Two production assistants appeared at that moment, whisking Caitlin and Gemma away in opposite directions. They would finish the day by filming a few separate scenes.
That night, Caitlin stumbled into her hotel suite after twelve long hours on set, Gemma haunting her thoughts. She could still feel the ghost of Gemma’s lips pressed against hers. Had Mrs. Ryan been right about their spark?
Caitlin’s mind spun in circles, unable to decipher between fiction and reality.
She ordered dinner—a Caesar salad with steak and a glass of red wine. As an afterthought, she added a brownie and vanilla ice cream for dessert. As she ended her call to room service, she heard her phone ping from the coffee table.
Lara:Hey! I hope everything is going well! I wanted to make sure you saw the email about your upcoming appearances onGood Morning AmericaandWatch What Happens Livewith Maddie and Brad for the Ticket to Rio promo. Sandy already double checked the date and time with theForbidden Loveproducers to make sure they wouldn't interfere with your shooting schedule.
