A skinny boy, with flaming red hair and a wide smile, speed walked in my direction while tapping away on an iPad. “Mr. Hart, this is your five-minute warning. The director and the rest of the cast will be ready to start working on blocking for the first scene. Bathroom. Flossing. Whatever. Take care of it now!” He rushed off again, probably to find someone else, and I let out a long shaky breath.
“Maybe I should’ve refused the lead role. What if I do so bad I never get another job?” I felt desperate as I grasped Ruslan’s hand.
He grinned and squeezed back. “Never gonna happen.” He leaned forward to kiss my cheek, then stopped and smacked his lips in the air above my skin.
“Thanks. Thanks for being here for my first day.” I felt overwhelmingly grateful, in fact. I might’ve shaken apart if I were standing here alone waiting for people who’d been acting for years to wander onto the set.
He nodded, and everything felt far too serious as he lifted my hand and kissed it—but not in a bad way. “I’ll make myself scarce and get some work done in your trailer. I’ll be here if you need me, though.”
I forced a smile as Jake Bronner, my costar, came bounding into the kitchen with the energy of a big puppy, which was good because he was supposed to be the “werewolf” who bit my character and made his life hell. Tall, blond, and with a smile that had people around the globe swooning, I could see why someone would let him bite them.
Repeatedly.
Ruslan narrowed his eyes on Jake.
I hid a snicker behind the script, but he definitely heard me judging by the huff that escaped him. “Bye,” he murmured in my ear.
I nodded before starting off toward Jake.
“I have all my lines memorized, don’t worry!” I blurted.
He barked out a laugh and slapped the kitchen counter. “You’re a step ahead of me, then. I usually improvise.”
I stopped and gaped at him. “Are you serious?”
He shrugged. “They haven’t fired me yet.”
“Uh. . . .”
“Don’t take me as a good example of what to do,” he said with a wink. Then the director arrived and so did the rest of the cast, and everything got very serious as the redheaded assistant snatched my dog-eared and highlighted script from my hands. I wanted it like a three-year-old wants the training wheels on a bicycle, but everyone was going to force me to do this on my own. I tried not to panic.
The day was long, and at least half of it was the director bellowing at us to change positions while he wrote stuff down, then doing it again, and again. And one more time for the pain of it. We only filmed five scenes. It was a shock how much work went into each second when the camera was rolling, but then again, it was like packing a month’s worth of stage production practice into one afternoon. Everything was set on high speed.
Jake made it all bearable by being easygoing and not letting any of my stumbles affect him. After we were done with our last scene for the day, we walked outside together into the chaos of all the junk that came with the filming crew. There was a stack of pool noodles to the right of the front door, and I had no idea what they would be used for. I laughed as I almost tripped over one, and Jake grabbed my shoulder to steady me.
“You’re doing a fantastic job,” he said with that killer smile of his.
My face flushed. “Uh, thanks.”
He stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels, puffing out a long breath. “So, there are usually a lot of attractive people on a movie set.”
I eyed him up but nodded. “I used to be a model, so I know what you mean. There are always sexy people around.” I had an idea of where this was going, and I couldn’t say I wasn’t flattered. How to gracefully get out of this, though? He didn’t seem like a bad guy.
“I’m going out for drinks with some of the crew tonight. I’ve worked with most of the people here before and they’re all really welcoming. Would you join us? I would be happy to drive you and get you home again.” He widened his eyes in my direction.
As far as ways to be asked out went, this was very subtle and nice. I tried to make my mind work and not act like an idiot. “Sorry, I’m really exhausted, and I’m seeing someone.”
He winced. “You have a boyfriend?” Thankfully he didn’t sound too upset, which was good since we had to work together. “I had to ask. You’re so cute.”
Nervous laughter tumbled out of me as I nodded. I caught sight of Ruslan leaving my trailer. He had the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, which always had my mouth watering, and the intent gleam in his eyes as he watched me stole my breath the way nothing else could. “Here he is now, actually. His name is Ruslan. You might know his name because he started a clothing line this year, Kozlova Menswear.”
Ruslan stopped at my side and put his arm around my waist. He dragged me close in a not so subtle move that had Jake chuckling. I elbowed Ruslan lightly.
Jake offered his hand to Ruslan, which seemed to surprise him, but he reached out to share a firm handshake.
“I’m Jake.”
“Everyone knows,” Ruslan said, and I wanted to smack him for being snide, but Jake only snorted in amusement.
