Page 13 of The Grumpy Actor

She slowly raises the cup to her lips and takes a sip.

“Come on, actually drink it.”

She glares furiously at me and takes a long gulp. She lets out a sharp cough almost immediately and pats her chest as soon as she lowers the cup. The cough only gets more intense, and I jump to my feet and snatch the cup out of her hand.

Guilt grips me as I open a bottle of water and give it to her. Sophie quickly takes a gulp, but the cough doesn’t exactly subside.

I place my hand on her back, patting it gently to ease off the pain she must definitely be feeling right now.

What was I thinking? I should have just let her attempt to get back at me go.

She slowly leans back against me as her cough dies down. The action sends a jolt through my heart as electric shivers rush down my body.

Sophie’s breathing finally evens out, and she raises misty eyes up at me. My throat closes up as I get lost in that sharp gaze of hers.

My heartbeat is like an impending drum of disaster in my ears as I lean closer to her. I slide my hand to her lower back, caressing softly.

Sophie’s lips part as her eyes close. The moment consumes me with a desire that’s even more dangerous than what I felt for her seven years ago.

I push aside my worries and close the gap between our lips.

A knock on the trailer jolts me up, and we jump apart.

“Liam, the director wants you now,” a voice calls from outside.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” I say, my voice huskier than I’ve ever heard it.

Sophie’s face is flushed red, and I can only hope mine isn’t as well. I clear my throat, wishing the tension would just disappear.

“I-I should go,” she mutters without meeting my gaze.

Before I can even process her words, she flees the trailer, leaving me in a state I can’t comprehend.

What have I gotten myself into?

This is the most confused I’ve ever been in my entire life.

Chapter 5

Sophie

Isquintatthescenein front of me, trying to adjust to the bright lights.

It’s so crazy that they use this many lights to shoot a scene even though it’s bright out today.

According to the assistant director who’s been willing to answer my questions so far, they apparently need artificial light to give the effect of direct sunlight on camera without ruining the shot.

Not that it makes any sense to me, so I’m not trying to understand it.

I’m just looking forward to this particular scene to be over so I can go home.

It’s been a bloody five days spent working for and hating Liam at the same time. What makes it worse is that he doesn’t acknowledge my obvious animosity for him.

He acts like I’m just a speck of dust that isn’t bothering him, all while being the rudest person I’ve ever encountered. Shockingly, I discover that he’s always cold toward people when he isn’t acting, so I should be grateful he isn’t just being hard on me.

However, I’m not. It makes it so much more obvious that he never cared about me. It’s the reason he can act like I’m just another random stranger who works for him.

Especially after what happened between us on that first day in his trailer. We almost kissed, but he hasn’t even acknowledged that.

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