15. Sofia
15
SOFIA
W e stand on opposite sides of the elevator, staring at each other as we fly up and up and up to the tenth floor. Usually, elevator rides make me dizzy, but that’s not the reason I’m clinging to the handrail behind me.
It’s the heat in Knight’s eyes, how he is staring at my mouth like he was on the bus.
God, the tension is palpable after that long bus ride, the teasing play of his fingers against the back of mine with his desire as clear as day. He wanted to hold my hand.
Okay, let’s be honest, he probably wants much, much more than that, but he’s more than aware of how that can turn out badly for both of us.
I can’t imagine how far gone we might be if not for Leann. She sucks to be around, and might be a sucky person from my perspective, but she does keep us semi-grounded in reality.
By the time the doors open on the tenth floor, my heart is pumping so hard.
Thankfully, the hallway is clear so no one has to see or can make a comment on the fact that Professor Knight and I will be sharing a room.
Together.
Alone.
Unsupervised.
I suppose it’s better than having another guy and gal on this trip double up. We are the ones in charge here. We can keep this professional.
Even if he’s been slowly chipping away at my first opinion of him, showing how respectful and intense he can be. It only amplifies how attractive he is.
My heart is pumping so hard that it’s difficult to breathe.
No, maybe this isn’t such a good idea.
What other choice do we have?
We both hesitate. Orion jams his hand between the doors when they start to close and he’s out in the hallway, holding it open for me and searching my eyes for something.
“What room?” I ask.
“1049.” Knight points to the right. “That way.”
I nod and start down the hall, conscious of every footstep and how it thuds or echoes in this hall. Fear over being caught—as ridiculous as that is—heightens every noise. I can scarcely breathe when we stop in front of the door and Knight reaches around me to slide the keycard into the slot.
He opens the door and gives it a push, but I walk in first.
Immediately, my anxiety is lessened by the sight of two beds. Thank God. At least we won’t have to share or fight over who gets the floor. I sigh once the door is closed behind us.
Knight drops his bag on his bed and smiles at me. “I have a meeting in thirty. You don’t mind if I clean up first? Then, I’ll be out of your hair for a while.”
That drops the rest of my tension from my shoulders, and I roll my bag over to my bed. “Yeah. Go ahead.”
Once he disappears inside, I immediately text Jordan.
OMG. I just got to the city, and I’m sharing a room with the Golden Boy. WTF. I’m trying not to freak.
She pings me back almost immediately.
Holy shit. What happened?
Only room left. He’s got a meeting, but God, I have to spend two nights with him.
Are you sharing a bed, too? I’d be down for that.
I rub my eyes, knowing she would go there. She always says just what’s on her mind. I do like that about her, but gah…
No! No, no, no. Not happening! He’s a professor.
Oh, who cares about that?
Me. I do. Have your daydreams, but don’t go trying to talk me into doing anything stupid. I have one more year to graduate.
Hey, if no one knows, there’s no trouble to get in. I say let loose and have fun.
You are absolutely no help. None!
And Jordan just sends back a string of emojis that reflects what I’m thinking. She’s absolutely bonkers. I love having her as my friend.
By the time I’ve got her switched to other topics, like the guy in her sociology class she’s crushing on, Knight is out of the bathroom, hair freshly washed, clothes changed. He looks fresh and well… hot.
Meeting his gaze when I should be avoiding his eyes only makes him smile at me.
“All yours.”
“Thanks. I’m going to order in. You’ll be eating while you’re out, right?”
“I will be. Yes.” And the way his gaze lingers on me for a beat longer has my skin heating up.
I grab my pajamas and slip past him to the bathroom for some real privacy. “Have fun at your meeting. And don’t worry. I won’t wait up.”
Winking before I close the door behind me doesn’t block his laughter.
The shower relaxes me, and I love the feeling of being clean before going to bed. But my stomach rumbles before I get there. Room service has outrageous prices, but still, I get a burger and onion rings.
They’re juicy and delicious, and I’m in the perfect food coma by the time I crawl into bed. The TV is on low—the American Movie Classics channel—and I nestle in to doze. Unfortunately, I don’t fall asleep right away.
And an hour later, I’m still mostly aware when Knight returns. He tries to stay quiet and doesn’t even turn on the light when he comes in. I pretend to be asleep because I simply don’t want the awkward exchange.
A little shuffling later, and I hear him get into bed, the TV left on without question.
Okay. Points for being considerate.
Funnily enough, once he’s settled in bed, I seem to fall straight to sleep. I don’t have time to unpack that knowledge, but my dreams center around Knight—all strange and tense with an abnormal amount of hand holding.
In the morning, a brand-new tension is mounting. I packed for a shared room, but one with a girl who wouldn’t care about my short shorts or lack of bra. Because your girl refuses to sleep in one of those contraptions, as lovely and helpful as they can be during the day. Just no.
But when I sit up in bed, I can feel the cool air on every inch of my exposed legs. My nipples tighten under my loose T-shirt from the thought of Knight’s attention on them. I stretch and try to ignore the lingering insecurities from putting this on last night.
Until Knight clears his throat.
I finally look over at him, and he’s trying really hard to look anywhere but at me. And when he does, he tries to keep his gaze on my legs.
Then, I watch him fail and dart his eyes away again.
Sighing, I get up fully and dig out fresh clothes. The whole time, I can’t escape the feeling of him watching me until I’m closed behind the bathroom door.
I shudder out a breath and lean against the door to catch my breath before I change and brush my teeth.
Knight is on his feet when I come out, looking me over with a flash of disappointed relief.
I smile at him. “Did a peek behind the curtain scare you into silence?”
His pajama pants hang loose on his hips, his own T-shirt lifting when he runs a hand through his hair to reveal a peek of his golden skin below his navel. God, even that glimpse strikes lust through me.
Dangerous. Extremely dangerous territory.
“Not scare me.”
Rolling my eyes, I shake my head and grab my purse. “Get dressed. I’ll meet you downstairs to wrangle the group over breakfast.”
“Are you scared of walking down with me?” He’s turned in the bathroom entrance to watch me edge toward the exit.
“Of being caught in the same room with you? Maybe a little. I don’t need rumors starting about us because of this arrangement.”
His expression sobers. Knight nods, and I escape, closing the door firmly behind me as I scan the hallway for others in my party. No one is out here. Good.
If Leann catches a whiff of this, all hell will break loose. I can just feel it. That girl is a fucking menace. And I just cannot deal with her or the attitude and accusations she’ll start flinging like it fuels her life.
When Knight meets me down at the continental breakfast, most of our people are already here. He sits across from me. “You ran off real fast.”
I raise my brow at him. “Were we supposed to come down hand in hand like some newly wed couple?”
He laughs. It’s full and beautiful and earns us Leann’s squinty glare.
“Careful or you’ll make your girlfriend jealous.”
Stiffening, he focuses intently on his plate. “Don’t even joke about that.”
“How can I not? It’s so obvious.”
The rest of breakfast is smooth, even gathering them back on the bus for the short ride over to the studio, and we’re let in without a fuss.
Thank you, thank you, thank you , I pray to whatever God is listening.
Once we disembark, we’re met by the First Assistant Director, and she gives us a rundown of the rules, which boil down to staying quiet while on set, not to move unless she tells us to, to stay out of Dickie Hernandez’s way, and the most important…
“When we call for quiet on set, it means absolute silence. Not a peep. Not a cough. Not a sneeze. Not a fart. If you make noise, you will be removed. Got it?” The First AD props her slender hand on her equally slender hip and looks every one of us in the face with those piercing eyes.
“My name is Lucy. If you have any questions during this experience, you ask me. Okay?” A perfectly shaped brow lifts at all of us before she waves for us to follow.
We’re let into one of the many standard-looking buildings along the black top, and it’s much darker inside than I expected. We move as a group without much need for herding until we’re stretched out behind all of the craziness.
A full scene is set up on the far wall, dark browns and oranges highlighting the brick facade of a fake building—window included. God, the mastery of the elements is astounding. It’s hard not to be in awe of every little detail they’ve thought of to make the set appear realistic.
Staying in the formation they’ve put us in, we watch as the scene is reset. Tables and chairs are set upright, glasses replaced, and a plethora of other details accounted for before the actors return.
Suddenly, the director is heading our way. Dickie Hernandez has a confident stride. He’s tall with a dark complexion, but he’s also a goofy kind of handsome. Especially when he smiles and slaps Knight’s hand before pulling him into a hug.
“Glad your group made it.” His smile grows when he looks past Knight to me, where he pauses before looking over everyone else. “Welcome to my set. I like to help students learn, but remember to stay out of the way and to stay quiet. There will be time later for questions, so write them down and wait until you’re told you can talk. I know it sounds tyrannical, but it’s an important lesson that you need to learn early if you want a career in the biz.”
He gives Knight another clap on the shoulder, shaking him jovially, and goes on about his business.
I lift a brow at Knight. What the fuck? But I only get a cocky grin in return.
Yeah, the friend he knows is the director! I’m not sure what to do with the flutter that accompanies that thought. Because he could have told me, and I would have been duly impressed. And he didn’t.
How come?
Luckily, I’m torn from that train of thought by Lucy calling, “Final touches.”
Someone else responds, “Finals are done.”
Lucy nods. “Camera ready?”
“Ready.”
“Quiet on set.”
We plunge into silence. It’s almost unnerving, but it accentuates the surreal nature of being on set for my first time. I practically hold my breath.
“Roll sound.”
“Sound is speeding.”
“Five bravo, take one. Mark.” The clapperboard snaps shut to mark the scene.
“Set.”
A short pause follows with, “Action!”
And the actors move, and I’m in awe at how efficient the process is. Nothing like the filming of our club film last year, When Pigs Fly . Although we had a ton of fun. This feels more serious, but no less fun in the creative sense.
Everyone is brilliant. And the scene is done in four takes before they make small changes for a new scene in the same space. Lucy calls, “Lunch.”
We’re ushered to craft services where we each grab a plate and hover by the wall, out of the way, to eat. Leann, now free to talk, is loud and obnoxious, asking the actors what else they’ve been in like they want to explain themselves to her.
Lucy hushes her before I have to step in to do it. Thank God. I would bite that bullet for Knight. He already has enough problems with navigating her behavior.
Of course, Leann’s response is not a positive one, nor is it a passive one, which anyone here would have taken without issue, but what does she do? She rolls her eyes and goes to pout next to one of her friends, complaining about all the money she spent to be here and how boring it is. No one seems to care.
I suck in a slow breath and turn to Lucy, mouthing an I’m sorry to her, which she takes with a sharp nod.
It’s only the precursor, though, because between takes, she’s playing videos on her phone and whispering to her friends. In a normal setting, it wouldn’t be so disruptive, but we’ve been told multiple times to keep quiet.
Leann just doesn’t seem capable.
Trepidation shoves my stomach into my lungs as I watch the director talk quietly with his assistant. Lucy straightens and marches over to our group, speaking softly with Knight on the other end of our group—nearly as far from Leann as he can manage.
His sigh is big enough that I can see it from here. And he’s rubbing his chin and jaw as he talks with her.
When Lucy breaks off, Knight walks to me, and I know exactly what’s going down when Leann’s grating giggle pierces the quiet space.
“They’re kicking her off set,” Knight says softly the moment he’s close enough.
Of course they are. I would have a long time ago.
“Are you serious? You can’t do that. I paid to be here.” Leann’s voice echoes, and I see everyone cringe away. Her face turns crimson, even in the low light, as she stomps her foot.
“You didn’t pay to be on set. You paid your way here. You have no authority and no rights on this set. You signed the paperwork. And since you can’t follow the rules, you can’t stay.” Lucy is so no-nonsense that I might be developing a small girl crush. “Security will escort you back to your bus to wait, or a ride can be called for you on your own dime. Either way, you’re not staying and disrupting this set any longer.”
Leann’s enraged screech has the crew clapping as she’s forced out.
Dickie Hernadez is beside Knight when I turn back. “That the one you warned me about?”
“Yeah.” For once, he actually looks embarrassed and more than uneasy.
“Good riddance.”
I step forward and catch his eye. “Hey. Hi. I hate to be this person , but will she be able to come back tomorrow? If she’s learned her lesson?”
The director makes a face. “Do you think she has? Or will by then?”
“No. Probably not, but it’s my job to advocate for her.” And I really hate that it’s my job because this is the first real impression Dickie Hernandez is going to have of me.
When he smiles and drapes an arm around my shoulder, my knees nearly buckle. “You must be Sofia. I heard a lot about you last night over dinner.”
My brow shoots up as I turn to Knight. He only shrugs. All of that golden boy shine is still bright in the dim room. Or maybe the set lighting behind him is enhancing it.
“I am. So you were Professor Knight’s meeting that he ran off to the moment we arrived.” I return Dickie’s smile.
“Oh, he’s kept me a secret, has he? Don’t worry, love, he’s told me more than enough about you to tip the scales. And because you sound and appear like a mature, capable woman, I will let you make that decision after you’ve talked with the girl. If she’s capable of keeping her mouth shut and hands off her phone while on set, she can return.”
“Thank you.”
He gives my shoulders a squeeze. “Make sure you bring her with you next time we have dinner. I have a feeling the conversation will be all the more lively with her there.”
Knight practically glows. “Oh, it certainly will be.”
After he goes back to his director’s chair, order is returned on set, and the rest of our time goes by in a blur.
When we return to the hotel, we both have to endure Leann bemoaning her situation and making herself out to be the victim, complaining about the other things she could have spent this money on and this time doing.
“Well, we’ve convinced them to let you back tomorrow for the morning shoot if you can follow the rules and keep quiet.”
It barely soothes her, but eventually, after far too much effort, she agrees and goes to her room to sulk.
Finally, we return to our hotel room, and once the door closes, tension drenches the air as I meet Knight’s eyes. We’re alone here for the rest of the night.