Page 74 of Keep It

She kisses my forehead. “It’s okay.”

Chapter 31

ANYA

I don’t know what the fight was about, but I have a sinking feeling it was about me, if the sinister smile Callum shot me before he was swarmed by well-meaning first aiders tells me anything. I know that the opinion on set is that Danny’s a loose cannon and this episode has just proven every rumor true.

I had watched Danny leave the set and stamped down on the urge to run after him. I needed to put out some fires so I headed into the thick of it.

“What the hell, Anya?” Rachel had whirled on me as soon as I reached her.

Michael and Gwendoline crowded around me. I felt like I had been pulled into the headteachers office to snitch on my friend.

“That was unacceptable,” Michael spat, his venom making me flinch. “I knew he was a mistake.”

I swallowed my tongue, my heart pounded in my chest but I refused to leave Danny undefended.

I raised my hands helplessly. “Putting them together was a bad idea, it was only a matter of time.”

Michael ignored me, “I’m calling his agent.”

“Get to his trailer and keep him there until we know what’s happening.” Rachel said.

Now, I sit on my knees next to Danny as his leg shakes. His phone buzzes in my pocket. I hand it to him and he takes a breath before answering and putting it on speaker. An American voice booms.

“Danny, it’s Travis. Listen, I’ve just had Michael on the phone. I hear there’s been a disagreement with McBride. I want you to not worry about it, you’ve only got five scenes left to shoot, two of those with McBride, so there’s no way they’ll get rid of you now. Even without your father’s influence.”

Danny winces and gets to his feet.

“Have you spoken to him?”

“Charles? Listen, don’t worry about him. All you need to know is they’re looking at rewriting your last two scenes with McBride, including today. You’re wrapped for now and will have to take a mandatory pay cut for loss of filming time but apart from that, it’s all fine. I’ll let you know if I hear anything else.”

Travis cuts the call without letting another word in. Danny rubs his face and takes a shaky breath.

“This is good, yeah?” I ask quietly.

He says nothing.

“Look,” I approach slowly, like he’s a stray cat I want to follow me home. “Forget what Callum said, forget Travis and your dad and all of them. Do you want to see this through? You can leave right now. End it here.”

He finally lifts his head, those blue eyes shining. His eyes rove my face like he’s memorizing it.

“I want to stay.”

Chapter 32

DANNY

The ride back to the hotel is silent. Anya hustles me into the waiting car with little fuss. Thankfully, most of the crew have yet to return from set, so there’s no one to gawk at the crazy guy who started a brawl in the middle of a scene. I lean my head against the back of the headrest and close my eyes.

I keep my head down when we leave the car and don’t look up again until Anya unlocks the hotel door and gently tugs me inside.

“Come on, Rocky.” I huff a laugh as Anya guides me to lie back on the bed. She burrows into my side and rests her head on my chest. She takes my right hand in hers and gently traces the angry red marks on my knuckles.

“At least you didn’t break skin.”

“Hmm.”

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