Page 20 of Thanks for Coming Along

"That sentence alone is a sign to get a real therapist," Ingrid responded with a laugh, shaking her head over his shoulder.

"Is Ingrid Dubois living and breathing in the green room right now?" Reef said, rubbing his eyes and blinking rapidly as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Your eyes do not deceive you. I am here, and surprisingly, it's not against my will. I was sick of sitting in Eden's house alone like a rich widow." Eden wanted to say that being a widow would require a long-term commitment, which Ingrid hadn't had in alongtime. But she held her tongue, not wanting to poke the glamorous but bitey bear.

"Welcome. Help yourself to our assortment of snacks," Reef said with a slight bow, gesturing towards his stash of snacks.

"Thank you, sweetness," Ingrid replied, patting his cheek softly. Everyone knew Reef offering his snacks was the ultimate sign of his affection. Finn and Reef returned to their seats on the smaller loveseat.

Beck seemed to vibrate in his seat next to Eden on the three-seat couch. There was palpable tension in the air as if he were ready to bolt at any second.

"Beck," Ingrid said, her gaze shifting to him. Her tone was dismissive as if he were inconsequential, yet her eyes traced him slowly, taking in every detail. Ingrid appeared totally unbothered, but Eden, knowing her best friend, detected the telltale sign of her anxiety—the perfectly manicured fingers tapping on the outside of her legs.

"Ingrid," Beck replied in a rough voice, his hands still fisted. His eyes drank her in thoroughly, like a man dying of thirst, as if she were an oasis in a stretch of endless desert. His gaze lingered on her tapping fingers, and his lip twitched slightly. The silence hung heavy, each beat stretching the tension a little further.

"Did the temperature just drop in the trailer? Or just me?" Finn interjected with a small, roguish smile.Shit stirrer.

Ingrid, unperturbed by Finn's comment, flipped her glossy honey-blonde hair over her shoulder and strode to the only available seat on the couch—next to Beck. Eden held her breath, observing with a mixture of interest and concern as Beck visibly tensed further. Ingrid sat gracefully, throwing one leg over the other in an elegantly composed manner. The air in the trailer grew denser.

Her skirt rode up slightly, exposing her calf. Beck's eyes fixated on the revealed skin as if it were 1890, and her ankle was the height of scandal. Meanwhile, Ingrid's gaze zeroed in on Beck's forearm, her eyes narrowing slightly. Eden couldn't help but find their interaction reminiscent of a scene from a Victorian romance novel.

"New tattoo? Did you go to Bali to find yourself?" Ingrid remarked with a dismissive sniff, her attention apparently more captivated by her perfectly manicured nails. Reef nudged Finn with his boot, prompting a light chuckle from Finn.

"It's been four years. There's a lot you need to discover about me. Maybe rediscover," Beck retorted, his posture easing as he settled into the back of the couch. His arms spread over the top, and his legs stretched out.

"I'll leave the rediscovery to some other poor soul. I saw everything I needed to see," Ingrid scoffed, her gaze meeting his with a steely determination. Beck responded with a smile as if taking her insult as a compliment. Eden had to smother her own smile at the exchange.

"Okay, Marco Polo. You had a great time discovering me the first time," Beck said with a smirk, clearly enjoying the conversation.

"No, I don't know if I did. Unfortunately, it wasn't very memorable," Ingrid replied, feigning a pout over her full lips.

"Keep telling yourself that, and maybe one day it will be true," Beck retorted with a smile. A knock interrupted the back and forth, and the trailer door opened slightly.

"Come in!" Eden shouted, eager for a distraction as Ingrid and Beck's banter felt basically like foreplay. Ronan walked through the door, a slight smile playing on his lips when his eyes met Eden's. Her heart jolted at the sight.Be still, foolish heart.

"Impeccable timing, Mr. Murphy," Eden said with a smile.

"I've been told I come at the perfect time," Ronan replied, a playful grin dancing on his lips. However, his expression shifted to a slight grimace when he realized the unintentional double entendre.

"Hopefully, not quick. No one wants premature ej—" Finn began, but Eden's phone started ringing, mercifully cutting off his words. Small blessings, she thought.

She glanced down and spotted Quentin's name on the screen. She had a few minutes before the show started and hadn't spoken to Quentin in a while.

"I have to take this quick," Eden said as she held the phone up with a small smile. Ronan's eyes fell to the screen with a tight smile and a nod as he busied himself with his equipment.

"Hey, what's up, Quentin?" Eden said as she walked to the exit of the trailer.

"Ed! Greetings from the Gold Coast of Australia," Quentin's voice sounded perky over the phone.

"What time is it for you?" Eden asked, still struggling with the time difference. Quentin had been in Australia for weeks filming the next installment of his superhero movies, and she still didn't have a clear sense of the time there. Frankly, she barely knew the time in her current time zone.

"7 AM, just doing some push-ups with a kangaroo. Then shrimp on the barbie for lunch," Quentin replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Really? I've seen some videos of some beefed-up kangaroos." Eden remarked, recalling a video she had seen of a kangaroo with massive muscles. It wasintense.

"No seas tonto," Quentin chuckled in Spanish. “Don’t be so reductive.”

“You started it, fool.” Eden said with a laugh. "How is filming going for you?" Eden asked, idly pushing a rock with her boot.

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