Page 7 of Merry Me
She’d tasted like mint and mischief, like strawberry lip balm and too many memories. Kissing her had never been rehearsed. It had never needed staging. It was messy and real and electric in a way that couldn’t be manufactured under studio lights. With her, I never had to fake it. Never had to pretend I was in love.
Because I was.
“Cut!” Paul bellowed, his voice ricocheting across the set. “What the fuck is going on? Easton, you’re supposed to look like youwantto kiss her, not like you’re being forced to at gunpoint. What the fuck is going on with your face?”
The crew chuckled, but I didn’t crack a smile as I pulled back from Vanessa, who was blinking up at me like she’d actually felt something. Which was awkward. She was a rising star whose name was plastered all over the tabloids…and she happened to be annoying as fuck.
“I’m acting,” I said dryly.
“Well, stop,” Paul snapped. “Try pretending you like her, not that she’s your dental hygienist. Reset for take twenty-nine.”
I stepped back, swallowing down a sigh as the makeup artist swarmed me again with powder and blotting papers, dabbing the sweat from my temples like it was a crime scene.
This was the part that I hated most about this job—and what I was the worst at.
Paul rubbed his temples. “We need this scene done today, Easton. It’s one little scene. And then you’re done. And we’re all off for Christmas. Please, get your fucking head in the game.”
I was pretty sure thatpleasecame out more like a threat, thank you very little…but I couldn’t really blame him. This had to be torturous to watch.
“You know what, let’s take a break for fucking lunch,” Paul announced, muttering to himself as he walked away.
Vanessa gave me a sly little smile and leaned in close. “Maybe we could practice,” she murmured, low enough that the boom mic wouldn’t pick it up, “in my trailer.” Her voice was dripping with suggestion as her hand brushed against my chest.
I forced a polite smile, the kind that saidnot in a million years.“No thanks,” I said quickly as I stepped out of her reach.
Fuck, that came out aggressive. That was going to make the rest of the day a real treat.
Her face froze in a mixture of irritation and disbelief. I imagined she wasn’t rejected very often, but there had to be a first time for everything, right? Judging by the way she was suddenly snarling and baring her teeth like a rabid wolf—she didn’t agree with that assessment.
“I’ve gotta make a few calls,” I said soothingly, trying to sound charming since I did have to get through at least the rest of the day with her.
“Sure,” she snipped, spinning on her heels and walking off set to her trailer, her hair whipping behind her like she was auditioning for a shampoo commercial directed by Satan.
I rubbed a hand down my face and let out a slow exhale…before immediately realizing I now had a sticky layer of makeup smeared on my palm.Great. Now I look like a sweaty raccoon. Could this film be over already?
Reaching my trailer, I shut the door behind me and flopped back onto the small couch.
Kissing scenes. Sex scenes. Anything romantic was the bane of my existence. The only way I’d managed to get through any of them was by thinking abouther.
Which was the exact opposite of what I wanted to be doing.
Natalie.
Natalie Fucking Bennett. The girl who’d been living rent-free in my head since the moment I’d seen her face in middle school.
Her honey-blonde hair. The soft way her lips used to part against mine. The little gasp she made when I tucked a hand under her chin and kissed her like the world had gone quiet around us.
Her laugh that had always felt like summer.
What the fuck did that even mean? Was I writing poetry now?
I groaned and leaned back, letting my head thump against the wall. Almost two fucking years without a word, and she was still the first thing I thought of when someone said,love sceneorlove, or anything remotely resembling soulmates and the person you were obsessed with.
Fortunately, that silence—our exile—felt like it was finally coming to an end. The distance. The wondering. The ache of not knowing if she ever thought of me, too. I was finally going to have the chance to look her in the eye and say all the things I hadn’t been allowed to say.
Maybe then, I could finally get my sanity back.
Grabbing my phone off the tiny foldout table, I unlocked it to check for the text I was waiting for. I’d been sneaking glances at my phone all day like a maniac. And there it was.
