Page 62 of The Cuffing Game
“I do, but a show is a show. And I’ve planned out many others before. Plus, I grew up watching random clips, thanks to my sisters. And I did my research.”
Mia paused when they entered the cabin. Despite how awful and scary the small house had looked on the outside, inside, it was actually very nice. Antique, priceless-looking furniture with plush upholstery decorated the living room, while the quaint kitchen had beautiful white fixtures and porcelain faucets. A lush white rug covered the hardwood floor, and around the lit fireplace were... turquoise lounge chairs.
“Apparently Ms. Merritt’s favorite color is turquoise,” Noah said as he placed the bag of food on the kitchen counter. “Thus, the lounge chairs.”
Mia gave him a questioning look. “Did you get her entire life story over the doorbell?”
Noah shook his head and motioned at an antique turquoise telephone by the couch.
“She told me her number so I could call her after she let me into the house. We chatted briefly after that. I think she wanted to make sure I didn’t need immediate medical attention before we hung up.”
“Ms. Merritt is gettingallthe good reviews,” Mia remarked. “And I’m going to ask Damien to suggest her to anyone else at Marlon who needs a lodge for shoots. So she gets more bookings.”
“That’s a great idea,” Noah replied.
As he started rummaging through the bag, a random thought occurred to Mia.
“Wait,” she said. “You memorized my number? Is that how you called me using the landline?”
Noah didn’t look up from the bag. “Yup. You know, just in case. Pro tip: always memorize the numbers of production heads before every shoot in case something goes wrong. Just one of the many things you’ll learn later in film school.”
“Right.”
Suddenly Noah beamed. Before Mia even knew what was happening, he’d opened three separate Uncrustables and stacked them together into one big sandwich.
“I packed actual food, too!” Mia protested.
Peanut butter and jelly oozed together as Noah chomped down on his monstrosity of a sandwich. Mia looked away with disgust and saw Noah’s coat and shirt hanging by the fire.
“If you’re okay now, we should get back to the lodge as soon as your clothes are dry,” she said. “There’s still a lot we have to do for today’s episode.”
Noah nodded, thankfully opening his mouth again only when he’d swallowed his last bite. “Definitely. And don’t worry about production delays. Since it’s my fault, I’ll cover for any extra costs.”
He got out a water bottle from the bag and started guzzling it.
“Slow down!” Mia exclaimed. “You’re going to choke.”
Noah lowered the now half-empty bottle. Already, he looked more like himself, color back in his cheeks and light back in his eyes. Solemnly, he said, “I thought I was never going to be able to drink bottled water or eat an Uncrustable ever again.”
A laugh escaped from Mia’s lips. “Really? You like Uncrustables that much?”
Noah nodded. “One of mankind’s best inventions. In my opinion, anyway.” He ambled over to the fireplace and checked his clothes. “Hey, they’re dry already. We can probably start heading out...”
He trailed off, cocking his head to the side as he listened.
“Mia,” he said, his face suddenly serious. “The wind’s picked up. I can hear it through the chimney.”
Panic speeding up her heartbeat, Mia opened the door and got a face full of snow. Howling wind buffeted her, shrieking in her ears. She cried out as she fought to close the door.
Something solid and warm pressed against her as, suddenly, the door slammed shut.
She looked up to see Noah standing over her. His bare chest was just inches away from her face.
They were trapped.Shewas trapped in this small cabin with a half-naked Noah.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noah
