Page 8 of In Her Arms

Let the woman do her damn job.

When the cast and crew reset, she decided to stay until the end of the scene since she realized she hadn’t seen how it ended. With all the director's interruptions, they hadn’t actually completed it until now.

Goldie was sitting on the floor of the mock elevator next to Leon, lit by a red emergency light above them. Their chemistry was incredible. They were friends off set as well, had been for years, and it showed. All the tabloid articles about how you “can’t fake chemistry like that” that would come out in a few months' time were going to completely miss the mark.

Goldie reached over and gently, as though trying to not startle a wild animal, laid her hand on one of Leon’s knees, and Cameron found herself shivering, as if it were her skin Goldie touched. He looked from her hand to her face, and the air between them seemed to crackle with tension. Goldie looked into his eyes with an expression that Cameron recognized. Her character’s longing, desperation to be understood, was being channeled through that look she had seen on Goldie’s face before. It was the same look Goldie gave her whenever she didn’t rise to one of her jokes.

Leon leaned in, and Goldie’s eyes flicked from his eyes to lips.

I wish she was looking at me like that.

Again, the director called cut.

Goldie’s eyes had traveled past Leon’s to the corner of the room where Cameron stood, clipboard and coffee cup in hand. She was looking directly at her, and Cameron could feel the heat of her gaze.

Oh shit.

Goldie’s gaze lingered for a few seconds before sliding off her as she got a hand up from Leon, ready to do another take.

Cameron felt like she was parked at a broken traffic light.

Mixed signals.

She didn’t have time to think about what that look between them might mean, much less the nasty jokes, the prying questions.

She needed another cup of burnt, disgusting coffee, if only for the excuse to go outside. She felt like she was on fire and had no idea what was going on.

She didn’t look back as she left, but Goldie’s face was seared in her mind.

6

GOLDIE

The shoot ended at eleven that night. Goldie hadn’t expected it to go on for as long as it had, and she felt like her knees were going to lock at any second. It wasn’t like her trailer was too far from set. Still, she desperately wished for a golf cart and an Aperol Spritz so she could relax. Being ferried around on the back of a cart with a drink in hand would certainly be better than walking. Maybe she could sweep a handsome, butch stranger inside her trailer for a little well-earned stress relief.

She saw Cameron join her on the walk out of the corner of her eye. The company would be nice.

“Here. Grabbed you one of these before catering closed for the night.”

Cameron was holding a disposable cup, steam rising out of the hole in the lid. Goldie took it, taking the lid off, and realized that it was black tea with honey and lemon. This had become her usual on set. She didn’t think Cameron would have remembered, but then, it was her job after all.

“Thank you. You’re a sweetheart.” She took slow sips of the liquid gold.

Doing dozens of takes of a scene was hell on your throat, and her voice had become scratchy. Hours of repeating the same words and being micromanaged by the director meant that Goldie was fit for nowhere but bed. She felt bone-deep exhaustion overtake her and tried to fight it off with the tea. Cameron kept walking beside her.

“You gonna stay with me, eh?” she asked, swaying a little as she walked.

“My bag is in your trailer,” Cameron replied, not looking her directly in the face.

“Oh, right. You don’t mind hanging out with me for a little while? Are you afraid people will think something? I’ve seen your looks.”

“I do what I get paid to do, Goldie.”

“Everything is so professional with you. Honestly, would it kill you to loosen up a little? It might do you some good, actually.”

“Respectfully, Goldie, work isn’t a place where I would typically want to ‘loosen up.’ Besides, I’ve got a perfectly good apartment I can go home to.”

“Ahh, of course. God, I can’t wait to get back to living out of hotels. The views are so much nicer. You got anybody to come home to?”

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