Page 68 of Steamy on Set

“Come on, tell me,” Michael prompts, poking me with his finger.

“You going to tell me what is going on with you and Priyanka?” I turn in my seat and stare him down, the challenge clear in myeyes. That’s enough to shut him up as he looks back towards the mirror.

Mira comes into the room just then, garment bags in her hand. We are on location again, and the expectation is that we get changed in this room. She doesn’t make eye contact with me, opting to look solely at Michael.

The last few times we have been alone together has resulted in this same icy quiet. Michael seems to sense something between us, because his eyes dart back and forth between our faces. Putting the bags on the hooks, Mira turns and leaves without a word.

The sigh that escapes me is full of all the unsaid things I’ve been pushing to the back of my mind.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asks.

Even though I’ve told him about our friendship over the many times we’ve gotten drinks, I still can’t bring myself to explain everything that has happened.

“Nothing to talk about.” My voice quakes as I speak, making it very clear that there is something, but he respects my boundaries. I don’t want to ruin Laurie’s efforts, so I don’t let myself dwell on it. I choose instead to head back to the set, ready to channel all this emotion into this next scene.

It seems to work, because this is the least amount of takes we have ever had to do. When it is said and done, I get changed, prepared to put all this behind me. Just as I finish, I hear a knock.

“Yeah?”

Errol walks in, a huge grin on his face. He locks the door, secluding us in the makeup trailer.

“Well, hello there,” I say, wrapping my arms around his neck.

“What are you doing tonight?” Rocking on his toes like he can’t contain his words.

“Nothing. Why?”

“I want to take you on a date.”

When we decided to be a secret, dates didn’t seem like a possibility to me. I must look skeptical, because he laughs before stepping out of my grip.

“Don’t worry, just be ready for ten.” He gives me a wink before walking back out. Despite the fact that I think this is a bad idea, I can’t help my giddy excitement.

When we pull up outside a bunch of warehouses, my first thought is that he’s going to murder me. These last few months have all been a ploy to get me to trust him, so that he can finally get me back for pissing him off. It’s irrational and based on nothing, but the sketch location and the wide smile he has sets me on edge.

“I think I forgot to turn my stove off.” I clutch my seat-belt, refusing to get out. “Best we turn back.”

This only makes him smile more. Unbuckling for me, he hops out to come around and open my door. When I step outside, I see he has a black cloth in his hand.

“Turn around.” He holds it up.

“Why?” Skepticism paints the lines of my face that make up my frown. It isn’t enough to deter him as he continues on, like this is a great idea.

“Do you trust me?”

“No,” I say instantly.

He laughs out loud and crosses his arms, one eyebrow lifting. The pure humor he is finding in this is enough to shake me out of my stupid fear.

I exhale my worried thoughts and inhale some common sense. “Yes, I trust you.” I try to push my lips into a smile.

He gestures for me to turn around.

“But I would just like it noted that this is the start of a horror movie, and we are the characters who get killed before anyone even realizes there is a psycho on the loose.”

“Black people don’t get killed first in scary movies anymore.”

“No, but stupid people do.”

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