I blinked. After the First Night Party, when I’d fed him the words that would allow him to keep Lily Fireball, he’d steadfastly refused one.
‘I’m worried I won’t say the right thing,’ he said. ‘I don’t – I can’t – I know how important it is to get the ending right.’
‘Of course you can have an earpiece, mate. I’ve got you covered.’
We had Juliet-Dylan waiting around the corner, out of sight. I went to check on her. ‘How are you feeling? Are you ready?’
She had the same white lips as when she’d found out Amanda was gone, but she nodded. ‘I’m fine. Can we just get this over with?’
How romantic.
‘All right,’ I said to her. ‘Let’s do this.’
We shot her walking up to Romeo-Dylan four times so we could capture different angles, resetting the rose petals and touching up her makeup between each shot. ‘Go slower,’ I instructed her. ‘You’re marching at him right now. We want this to come across a little more bridal.’
Juliet-Dylan nodded, jaw set.
After the fourth try, we had what we needed. ‘All right, mate,’ I said, flicking my radio to the channel Romeo-Dylan’s earpiece was on. ‘Take her hands.’
He did. ‘Hi, Dyl,’ he said softly.
That drew the slightest smile from her, a minute unclenching of her jaw. ‘Hi yourself.’
They were holding onto each other so tight it was practically a death-grip. ‘Loosen up a little,’ I said into my headset. ‘You look like you’re about to arm-wrestle her.’
‘How are you feeling?’ he asked her.
‘Nervous. You?’
‘Nervous too.’
He’d taken my note, but they were both still holding so tight their knuckles were white.
Oh well. We’d probably have to shoot this a couple of times. They’d relax into it after they’d done it once.
‘All right,’ I said. ‘Here goes.’
‘Dylan Gilchrist, I have loved every single second of getting to know you,’ Romeo-Dylan obediently repeated. ‘You are one of the most remarkable women I’ve ever met. You’re brave. You’re strong. You stand up for people. You care about people. I’m completely in awe of you.’
‘Now pause,’ I whispered.
This was the moment where everything teetered on the precipice. In a breakup speech, like the one we’d shot with Kumiko this afternoon, the next word would bebut.
Romeo-Dylan took a breath. ‘Dyl—’
‘Not yet,’ I said. ‘Longer.’
He closed his eyes and took another breath. Juliet-Dylan swallowed.
‘Open your eyes,’ I told him.
He did.
‘Now take one more breath,’ I instructed, ‘then say,Everything changed the first day I met you.’
His nostrils flared as he breathed in. Juliet-Dylan’s chest rose. They looked each other in the eye.
Then—
