Page 43 of You. Me. Us.

Hillary ducked her head, and he knew the flush came as he had hours ago in the hall. “Thanks to you,” she murmured back. “I couldn’t have done it without your support.”

Julius shook his head, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. “That was all you, Hillary. All you.”

He held her gaze, trying to convey the depth of his pride and admiration. For a moment, the rest of the room faded away, leaving only the two of them, connected by a bond that seemed to shake both of their worlds.

“All right everyone! That’s a wrap on the table read!” Vera’s voice boomed and was followed by an eruption of cheers and clapping, the spell between Julius and Hillary broken. “Now, this is a bit unconventional, but seeing as how we are more than a few new-to-the-business names on this roster, we’re going to be unconventional.” She turned her gaze to Hillary. “Hillary, your hardest challenge is not filming, but rehearsing. I’d like you, Dan and Greer to run through the opening scene. Two of you are new to the world of acting, and I think there’s great benefit in starting early. Meet downstairs in ten minutes.”

Hillary turned to him, her eyes round like a deer in the headlight. “She’s already worried I’ll make a mistake.” She whispered.

Her fear was damn near palpable and he reached out to take her hand. “No, she’s trying to give you more time to get used to things. It’s not abnormal. I promise. We don’t usually film in order, but Greer is new as well, it will be fine.”

She jabbed her finger into his arm. “I’m trusting you.”

“You’ve been doing that the whole time. This is just what comes next.”

Julius watched from the sidelines as Hillary took her position on the set, the script clutched tightly in her hands. Even from a distance, he could see the tension in her shoulders, the way her fingers fidgeted with the pages. It was her first blocking rehearsal, and despite the successful table prior, her nerves were clearly getting the best of her.

Vera gave instructions and Hillary nodded, her brow furrowed in concentration. She moved through the motions, but her steps were hesitant, her delivery stilted on the same line she’d delivered flawlessly four hours ago. Julius’s heart ached to see her struggling, the confidence she’d shown during the read-through now buried beneath a layer of self-doubt.

“Hillary, that’s not the wall where the door will be,” Vera called out, pointing behind Hillary. “And Greer is still beside you, look at her before you run off to open the chamber and save your planet.”

“Sorry,” Hillary squeaked and repeated the motion of the silent scene.

So much had to telegraph in the moment when a mother was going to take her last breath. Hillary gave that in the table read, being up and moving shouldn’t stop her.

“Now, when you look at your mother, you need to look up at the camera, I need emotion dripping off every inch of your face because they’ll do a tight close up.”

“A what?” Hillary asked.

Julius flinched as Vera pinched the bridge of her nose. He respected vera more than most directors, but she was not the best when she worked with greener actors.

He zoned out as Vera began to explain, not wanting to see or feel Hillary’s upset anymore or he’d rush out there and try to save her.

She hadn’t asked for that.

When Vera finally called for a break, Julius made his way over to her. “Hey,” he said softly, placing a gentle hand on her arm. “You okay?”

Hillary looked up at him, her green eyes clouded with uncertainty. “I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. “I thought I had it, but now I feel like I’m getting everything wrong.”

Julius shook his head, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on her skin. “You’re not getting anything wrong, Hillary. It’s just nerves. Everyone goes through it.”

She sighed, leaning into his touch. “I know. I just don’t want to let anyone down. Especially not you.”

The vulnerability in her words tugged at Julius’s heartstrings. He caught her gaze, holding it with quiet intensity. “You could never let me down, Hillary. Never. You took a leap of faith because some knucklehead tricked you into auditioning because he sees the star behind those glasses.”

A flicker of hope danced in Hillary’s eyes, a small smile curving her lips.

He squeezed her arm, his own smile warm and reassuring. “Anytime. Now, take a deep breath, and remember—you’ve got this. Just like at the table read. Just like always.”

Hillary nodded, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “Okay. I’ve got this.”

“Places,” Vera called, and Julius stepped away, watching as Hillary squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. The determination was back in her eyes, the fire that had drawn him to her from the very beginning.

Pride swelled in Julius’s chest as he watched her move through the scene with renewed confidence. She might stumble, she might falter, but he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would find her way.

Julius watched with his breath held as Hillary stepped into the scene, near perfection in the gaze that she turned outward a moment later.

Keep going.

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