Page 36 of King of Players

Hadn’t he kissed me exactly like that?

fourteen

Awakenings

Chad

“ Cut!” the director yelled and got off her chair, approaching me. “After you get changed, I want you to start really turning on the charm, yeah?”

“Sure. Gotcha.”

I walked out of the set and into the dressing room, quickly changing out of the beach vacation outfit and into the nighttime suit. I was shooting a commercial for a vodka brand that positioned itself as ‘a drink for all times’, which meant that my partner and I were about to kick up the heat during the upcoming party sequence.

The stylist helped me perfect my outfit, while the makeup artist rushed in to rework. She had to remove the ‘daytime glow’ off my skin and replace it with a mystical night air. I didn’t know how they managed to conceptualize all of that with makeup, but I knew I was in good hands.

Settled motionless in the makeup chair, I was facing the door at an angle. I thought I saw a woman resembling Kaira walk into the set and talk to the set manager. Interesting how I couldn’t get her out of my mind, even in the unlikeliest of places.

When I stepped out, the set manager was talking to someone from the lighting department. I walked into the scene, stretching my shoulders and running my hand over my short hair. Turning in a glance, I saw Kaira sitting next to the director in a chair of her own. Forcing a smile, I hesitantly raised my hand in a wave, to which she grinned and waved back.

What was she doing at my place of work? How did she know where I was? The logical questions hung in the air around my head with no chance to be answered, since my colleague—the leading lady of the commercial—stepped in next to me. An assistant handed her a glass, and the director shouted, “And, action!”

To say that my work partner was wearing a skimpy little outfit was an understatement. The brand was a party beverage, known for its racy commercials and even wilder activation campaigns. So, when the sprinklers were turned on and my scene partner’s body was drenched in water, I could barely keep my gaze on her. The temptation to turn and see the look on Kaira’s face was overpowering, and it took superhuman resistance for me to remain focused on the scene.

Now, that was new. I had had dozens of girlfriends visit sets during shoots before, but never had I felt the need to observe their reactions to anything. I once had a girlfriend attend a closed set for a steamy sex scene, and my head remained focused and my performance stellar.

Why was Kaira’s presence at this relatively mild scene so distracting to me? Was I worried that it would offend her? Did I really care that much about her feelings and what she thought?

It puzzled me, but I had to keep on working.

We had to take a break for my partner to dry herself off and get her hair and makeup done, since the following scene was one of us kissing on a balcony or something like that. I couldn’t remember. All I could muster was a confident grin as I grabbed a bottle of water and made a beeline to where Kaira was sitting.

“Hello, hello!” I twisted open the cap as I approached her. As soon as I stood there in front of her, I took a long gulp, keeping my other hand in my pocket. “To what do I owe the honor?”

Her smile was grounded, yet somewhat cold. “I was curious. I’ve never been on a set before.” And as if she could read my thoughts, she added, “Your agent’s office gave me the details. I told them it was something about the foundation.”

“But… it’s not?”

“No. I need to talk to you. That part is real.”

Before I could respond, the director’s assistant approached us. “I’m sorry, but Chad, we need to go.”

I turned to Kaira, who immediately said, “Go, go. This is fun. We’ll talk when you have the time.”

“You sure?” I asked.

“Yes, absolutely. Go.”

What business did anyone at the office have to tell Kaira where I was? Doubtlessly, they had also helped her get access onto the set. Someone was going to get a piece of my mind later.

As I situated myself back in the scene, my colleague leaned over and smiled. “Have you recently let Christ into your heart?” she mocked with a sarcastic chuckle.

“Cut it out. She’s a friend,” I whispered, plastering a smile on my face so that nobody would notice.

“Really?” She flipped her perfectly done hair, discreetly glancing in Kaira’s direction. “Never would’ve thought.”

“If you believe everything you read online, you can only blame yourself.”

“Hey, chill!” Grabbing my shoulder, she gazed into my eyes and inched closer. “As long as she won’t be bothered by this.” As she kissed me, my eyes remained open. I knew she would say that we were only practicing for the scene, but what would Kaira think now that the camera hadn’t begun rolling?

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