Page 6 of The Fake Script

“Mari, hey,” I say as I pull her into a side-hug. I know her name is Marissa, but I’ve been calling her Mari from day one. I was in a bad mood that day and, well, I’m lazy and it’s a three-syllab word.

“Where’s Beth?” Alice asks,peering over Mari’s shoulder.

“At her boyfriend’s,” she says, twirling a lock of her strawberry-blonde hair. “I told her I could manage whipping up coffee and pastries for one day. So, what’s happened so far?”

“It’s the meet cute, I think,” Hayley says. “You know, when she’s doing the display.”

“Oh! Yes.” She nods vigorously. Like us, Mari is a huge romance reader and regularly buys out a large portion of our stock. “So, Auston isn’t here yet, then.”

“No,” we all say at once, and a woman with a black bob spins around to shush us.

“Oops. We have to be careful,” Alice whispers, “or they’ll kick us out.”

We watch the rest of the scene unfold in silence, and my pulse quickens with every second that passes. Any moment now, Auston is going to make his entrance.

Finally, he’s here, walking toward Madison in a black suit that molds to his strong body perfectly. Tailor made, for sure. My heart skips a beat or two, and I hold my breath until he utters his first line.

I can hardly believe my eyes. It’s really him. After all this time, Auston and I are once again in the same place. He hasn’t changed at all. His short, dark-brown hair is styled nearly the same way it was ten yearsago. The optimistic gleam in his eyes is still there too, but heavy stubble now frames his sharp jaw. I wonder if he always shaves this way or if it’s to embody Diego.

The chemistry is palpable as he and Madison exchange their first lines, and I suddenly feel warm. Very warm. Without thinking twice, I spin on my heel to leave.

“Wait, where are you going?” Alice asks behind me.

I ruffle my fringe. “I just need some coffee. Caffeine headache.”

Mari nods and steps in beside me. “Let’s go to the shop. You can’t go back to your apartment now.”

She’s right. The actors are standing right in front of the store, so I’d definitely be in the shot.

We enter her shop, and the toasty aroma of fresh coffee immediately soothes me. I can never thank them enough for opening this store across from ours. Even if all that coffee punctures my budget, I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Besides, being a bookstore owner has its advantages. I don’t spend as much on books as I used to.

The shop is decorated in white and beige, but a few Raptors banners hang on one wall, and they have a small Raptors merchandise display.

“How’s your dad?” I ask Mari as she pours me a cup of coffee. Lars Martin is the Raptors’ head coach.

“He’s fine,” she says witha smile. “Three players on the team won awards this year, so even if they did lose the cup, he’s proud of the team, and he’s already busy planning for next season.”

“Good. I hope they make it next time.”

“Me too,” she says with a sigh.

To be honest, hockey isn’t really my thing. But since the team helped put our bookstore together, we all became friends. Our street is very much a Raptors street now, with the coach’s daughter owning a business here, Hayley dating a player, and Deacon running a hockey bar next door. I don’t mind it, though. Even if hockey romance isn’t my kind of read, it’s a fun sport to watch. Especially when the players get smashed against the plexiglass. I’m always half-expecting the glass to shatter, but alas, it hasn’t happened yet.

What? Come on! It would be fun.

We’re about to head back out when a few crew members stride into the shop for a snack. I offer Mari my help, but she tells me she has it under control. The shop is pretty cramped and only holds a couple of tables, so it’s not long before it’s packed inside. Refreshed from my coffee fix, I walk back to the set.

“You missed the best part,” Alice gushes. “The scene where Diego helps Sarah pick up her books? Swoon!”

Hayley nods vigorously. “It wasterrific. Even if he wasn’t broody enough for my taste.”

“Well, since they’re not shooting right now, I’m going back inside,” I say, jumping on the opportunity. Better to be stuck inside with my Kindle than out here in the wild.

“Oh, really? But it just started,” Alice says.

I scoff, glancing at my watch. “We’ve already been here for two hours.”

“Yes, but barely anything has happened yet,” she insists.

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