20. Aspen
Chapter 20
Aspen
A fter I leave Grey’s trailer, I immediately head to the costume trailer. They put me in a blue and white string bikini that I vaguely remember from fittings. In the back of my head I knew that beach week also meant bikini week, but now it’s really hitting me that I have to be half-naked with Grey all week after walking in on him fully naked minutes earlier. And what was that thigh tattoo he had? Why haven’t I noticed that before?
I inwardly sigh and put on the bikini behind the privacy screen. The costume designer has me run through a series of poses to ensure that the bikini doesn’t budge on my body. As expected, since it was custom-tweaked after my initial fitting, it’s like a glove.
“How do you feel?” the designer asks.
“Great. Really, it fits perfectly.” I admire myself in the tri-fold mirror. As much as I dreaded putting this on, it actually looks amazing on me. It hugs all the right places and is revealing without leaving my entire ass hanging out, which is one of my biggest pet-peeves with modern bathing suits. Personally, I prefer a mid-coverage, cheeky suit, but it seems they’re either like diapers or thongs these days. I guess I should get all of mine custom-made like this. Of course, Willow gives me some of her custom-fit suits from photo shoots, which also fit me since we have the same body-type and basic proportions. But Willow is comfortable with more revealing stuff than I am, so I usually only wear her suits around my house.
“That’s what I’m here for.”
“Am I allowed to keep this once we’re done filming?”
The costume designer tilts her head and thinks for a moment. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t see why not. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, though. You can keep that one after today if you want—we have five duplicates of the one you’re wearing, four are for each day this week and there’s a spare in case something spills or rips.”
“Well, if you don’t see this at the end of the day…”
The designer winks. “Then there was never a spare to begin with.”
I thank her and make my way to my next stop, my hair and makeup trailer. I wonder why the door to the trailer is open until I step into the doorway and am met with a blast of heat.
“Oh,” I gasp.
“I know, sorry,” the head makeup artist says. “The portable A/C unit on this thing doesn’t seem to be working so we’re making do with fans and an open door today.”
“Who knew a metal trailer on the beach in late summer would heat up like a toaster oven without A/C?” says one of the assistants.
“It’s fine,” I say, hiding my discomfort. I’m wearing a bathing suit…I can’t imagine how hot the artists are in here.
“Don’t worry, we’ll work on double speed,” the main makeup artist replies, reading my mind.
I sit in the chair, which helps a little because there’s a giant box fan aimed right at me now. As they start their work, my mind drifts back to how I just saw Grey Aldridge’s dick. And it was huge, like the rest of him. The more I try to not think about him naked, the more I do think about him naked. And although I know logically that walking in on him was unintentional, my anxiety is spiraling and ruminating on it. It’s already eating away at my conscience, like a dirty little secret, and I have a burning need to confess it to someone. I just want to get the incident off my chest and get some reassurance that I’m not some sort of sexual predator. Anxiety is a weird thing.
I consider waiting until I get home tonight and telling Phaedra, but I can’t bear telling someone face-to-face. I know Phaedra won’t judge me, but I also know that my brain will make me think she’s judging me every time I see her for at least the next month. But who do I not have to tell face-to-face nor see for a while? Willow and Heena, who are in Europe for fashion week.
Me: Are you guys busy rn
Me: I have an embarrassing confession
Willow: i was just about to text you, earlier today someone thought i was you. literally while i, willow the model, not aspen the actress, was in london for fashion week.
Me: Haha it happened to me in LA a few weeks ago too, i forgot to tell you. We’re really not even that hard to tell apart, it’s not like we’re twins.
Heena: Tbf, you guys look pretty alike. But anyway, we just finished for the day so you caught us at a good time. What’s the confession???
Me: You were in the same show?
Willow: yes! burberry, it was fun.
Willow: wait yes, confession?
Me: It’s embarrassing don’t laugh
Willow: i won’t, tell us
Me: It’s not you I’m worried about, it’s Heena
Heena: I won’t laugh. What is it???
Me: I accidentally walked in on Grey naked.
Heena: BAHAHAHAHHA
Me: HEENA
Willow:
Me: Guys it’s not funny, it was humiliating
Willow: where did you walk in on him? set the scene, give details
Me: It was dumb, I just wanted to show him something about us in a magazine before work started for the day and I knew he was in his trailer so I knocked but no answer. So I opened the door. It turns out he couldn’t hear me bc he was in the SHOWER and I walked in RIGHT AS HE WAS COMING OUT
Heena: HAHAHA I’m so sorry for laughing but that is objectively hilarious
Willow: what happened next?? did he see you come in??
Me: Yeah he saw me right as I walked in, but I had covered my eyes with my hands like a millisecond after I realized what was happening
Heena: Did he get mad?
Me: No, he thought it was funny.
Willow: then just brush it off, it seems like no biggie
Willow: i get how thats so awkward though, i would also feel embarrassed if i were you
Willow: not that you SHOULD, but you know what i mean
Heena: Yeah, I think you’re fine Aspen. No harm no foul, right?
Me: I guess so. I just can't stop thinking about it.
Heena: He looked that good?? Jk I’m just teasing
Heena: (but did he?)
Me: Lol yeah he looked pretty good…
Me: Speaking of which, Mom is OBSESSED with Grey, I had dinner with her and Dad and Maple a few nights ago and she thinks we’re sneaky dating
Willow: i don’t blame you for not telling her, she’d accidentally let it slip somewhere. also selfishly i like that she thinks you have a boyfriend because it’s taken some of her attention off of me and riley lol
Me: Ughhh it's just making me guilty faking it to her
Heena: To be honest, the entertainment is probably good for her. I know she doesn’t have much going on at the moment since she has to focus on her health
Me: True. I can’t believe I just saw Grey naked. Omgggg and i forgot to tell you guys but this week we’re shooting on the beach so we’re in bathing suits. Which will only make things more awkward
Heena: That might actually make it better because now you’re BOTH half-naked. Sort of evens the playing ground
Willow: ooo good point
Willow: aspen can we come visit you when fashion week is over? i miss you and also i want to meet this guy
Heena: He sounds funny
Me: He’s half-funny and half-annoying. But yes please come!!!
Willow: yay, okay, i can send you some possible dates later where Heena and i will both be free
Me: Sounds good. Thanks for talking me down guys, lol
Heena: No prob. Can’t wait to see you next month!!! Do you think it’ll still be warm enough in LA to swim in the pool?
I grimace, being brought back to the oven-like heat I’m currently stewing in, already feeling sweat pooling on my legs and lower back.
Me: Definitely.
Willow: YAY! okay, talk later Aspen, we love you
Me: I love you guys too!!
Heena:
I put down my phone and look at myself in the mirror. The makeup artists are adding the finishing touches on my makeup and the hair artists are hairspraying. I love the way the team has done my makeup today; it’s a natural, glowy sun-kissed look. I sat for a makeup trial before we started filming a few weeks ago, and I remember this was one of my favorite looks out of the handful they tried on me.
Even though they’ve applied every product from primer to setting spray on me, it looks like I’m barefaced, just naturally dewy from sunscreen. The deep blush they added to the peak of my nose and cheeks perfects the look by making it seem like I’ve spent a few hours in the sun. To round everything out, my hair is styled straight, but teased up to add extra volume and bounce.
“Do you like it?” the lead makeup artist asks as he adds some lip blush.
“Oh, I love it! It’s perfect, I look exactly like I do after a day by the pool. Except a little better. Really, I don’t know how you do it.”
He smiles like a cat in the sun. “Years of practice.”
“And the hair is gorgeous too,” I add for the hairstylists’ benefit. “It’s hard to give a bob this volume—believe me, I’ve tried.”
“All it takes is teasing and volumizing spray,” the lead hairstylist responds.
“And maybe a few years of cosmetology school and experience, right?” I prod.
“Maybe. Hey, if not for that, we’d be out of a job,” the hairstylist responds.
“And worse, the rest of us would have shitty hair,” I joke.
“As much as I love shooting the breeze with you, Aspen, can we call it for today? I think I’ve lost half my body weight in sweat,” one of the assistant makeup artists says.
I immediately hop out of the chair. “Oh my god, yes! I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to keep you guys.”
The first step outside the trailer makes the beach’s heat feel like a brisk fall day, and the group of us collectively breathe a sigh in relief. Then, a handful of catcalls interrupt my fleeting peace. I turn my head in the direction of the noise and am greeted by a group of teenage boys right up against the security barrier, waving in my direction. I give them a perfunctory wave in return, which only makes them shout louder. I want to walk away, but don’t want to turn my body and let them ogle my ass too.
I know it’s dumb, because these guys will undoubtedly watch the movie and screenshot the frames where my ass is on display anyway, but this seems more personal. I know people say that famous people sign up for this sort of attention, but that’s not true. I would much prefer to live a quiet life where people don’t know who I am, but that just wasn’t in the cards for me, given my famous parents. Maple makes it work, but there’s a price for her too. She has to keep undercover, super-private social media accounts so fans won’t know it’s the Maple Jordan. Additionally, she’s hindered from doing a lot of family events with us, because they’ll be in public and she tries to avoid being caught on camera whenever possible.
No matter how hard Maple tries to maintain her privacy, Jordan superfans still try their damndest to catch her at every turn. There are even a few fan pages dedicated to Maple, and the girl hasn’t had a public photo with the rest of us in ten years. They go to extremes to sleuth her out, even finding and hacking into her old, private Instagram account, @pandaluvr1093. A photo she posted to that account of her with Willow and I was leaked online, caused a huge media frenzy a couple of years ago when it was leaked. After all, there’s nothing people like more than a challenge. And the ongoings of Maple Jordan surely presents the public with a challenge.
But all that is beside the point, because Maple's passion has never been in the entertainment industry like mine and Willow’s are. In my case, I’d have to choose between a flimsy sense of privacy and no acting, or fully pursuing my passion in acting and leaning into my fame.
As though the man has a damn bat signal for my discomfort, Grey sidles up beside me, placing a hand lightly on the small of my back and breaking me out of my mental gymnastics.
“Damn, look at you,” he says in his normal tenor so the boys can hear, before he lowers his mouth to my ear and whispers, “Jackasses. Let’s go deeper into the set so they can’t see you.”
“They probably have binoculars, the freaks,” I whisper back.
Grey grins. “True. They’re probably going to be looking at me anyway, though.”
I poke him in the side and he scowls disapprovingly. “This is what I get for trying to help you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll help you anyway because I’m a gentleman.”
That makes me laugh. “Grey Aldridge, a gentleman?”
He gives a tiny shrug, still bending over to talk into my ear. “I can be when I want to be. Now turn and walk away from them, with your back to me. I’ll walk a step or two behind you to block their view.”
“In other words, you’ll be the one staring at my ass instead of them.”
“You saw my dick. It’s only fair.”
“Grey!”
“You did. Now get going, Jordan, or we’re going to be late.”