“Oh, yeah? Isn’t it a bit early to promote a movie that’sstillshooting?” I ask through another sip, and he shakes his head before pulling his phone out of his pocket.
“You’re the new kid on the block, Cole. Everyone wants to know who you are. So while you’re out there to promote the movie, you’re out there to promote yourself, too. You can’t be Hollywood’s new heartthrob if you lead a private life,” he tells me, tapping away at his screen. “I’ve booked our flights, and Mara’s agent has booked theirs. We leave first thing Saturday.” He walks away, snatching my cupcake off the table.
“Hey!” I protest, but he waves me off.
“You have the shirtless scene at the creek coming up. You need to be in top shape,” he says without another thought, and somehow, in the midst of my brother’s dismissal of my want for the baked goods, my eyes find hers. But this time she’s smiling at me, tilting her coffee cup in my direction, and I do the same while mouthing my thanks.
Her cheeks are rosy, her blonde hair in a loose braid over her shoulder, wispy bits falling in front of her face while she sports an oversize t-shirt and black bike shorts with sneakers.
I walk closer to her, and she meets me halfway, batting her thick eyelashes at me, and my stomach flutters.
This is just sex,I remind myself, because apparently even after last night and this morning, the reminder is necessary.
“Hi,” she says breathlessly, and I cup her cheek in my hand like the time I did after she’d received my flowers. Only this time she isn’t upset with red, puffy eyes. She seems…happy.
“Hey, Snow.” I lean down and kiss the corner of her lips. “Thanks for the cupcake and the coffee.” I tilt my cup toward hers, unable to pull my eyes away from her ice blue ones.
“There are more cupcakes in my trailer. I saw Tate take yours,” she tells me, and I love that she unknowingly came prepared. “Your place or mine tonight?”
“Are you sure you’re able to go again?” I sip my coffee, and her cheeks turn from a soft pink to an outright red.
“You said every night, right? I’m holding you to it.” There are no visible signs that she barely slept once she got home from my place, and yet, somehow she found the time to bake somewhere in between, and still wants to go again?
Don’t question it,I remind myself.
“Every. Fucking. Night, Snow. And I mean it.” She’s breathtaking, and all I want to do right now is throw her over my shoulder and claim her as mine until the sun rises and we go back to being two working professionals who have jobs to do.
Everyone already thinks we’re together, anyway, so it wouldn’t be the strangest thing if I scooped her up and… “Places, people!” Laurel shouts and the loud chatter dies down, everyone heading in all directions and away from the lens of the camera.
“You’re needed, Mr. Green.” She ushers me away, and I quickly kiss Jenna goodbye, hand her my cup of coffee, and head toward my mark.
Mara and I are going toe to toe in this scene. I’m shouting while she’s throwing things that shatter on the wall behind me. Her character found a text message on my character’s phone that looks incriminating, and I can feel the eyes of fifty workers boring into the back and sides of my head.
So far, it’s only been one take, and the moment Jude shouts ‘cut’,the entire cast and crew applaud our performance as though it’s the best thing they’ve ever witnessed. It’s probably the first time in the last two weeks that I feel like I actually can pull this job off and not be half bad at it.
Like I can be a serious actor, and make it somewhere far in this crazy, fucked up industry.
A little late, but better than never.
My phone vibrates in my pocket when I finally make my way off set and into my trailer. I take it out to read it, a smirk appearing on my face the moment I see her name.
Snow:I know we just discussed going two nights back to back, but do you feel like going to a gig tonight?
Me:So long as I can have my way with you after, I don’t care what we do.
Snow:It starts at 7.
Me:What do I get in return?
Snow:Whatever you want.
Snow:Apart from anal. That’s a no go.
I laugh out loud and run a hand down the front of my face. Something inside of her has switched, and it’s clear even the way she texts me now.
She went from ignoring me or constantly saying ‘goodbye,’to actually starting a conversation.
Me:Not even once?
