21. Aspen
Chapter 21
Aspen
“ I can’t believe you’ve never been to the beach before,” Grey—acting as Declan—says to me, as we walk down the beach toward the water.
I smile up at him walking next to me. “Never.”
We’re shooting a scene that takes place around a third of the way into the film right now, when Rosie asks Declan if they can spend the afternoon at the beach. Although, technically Declan knows Rosie as Skylar. It’s her middle name and the one she panic-gave him after she woke up in his apartment, when he asked. Of course, Declan has already figured out that “Skylar” is Rosie Parker, the famous missing actress, but he can’t let her know that he’s caught on, since he’s still trying to spend as much time with her as possible and document it all to sell to the press. But that’s not the only reason he’s spending time with her at this point—he’s starting to be taken in by her charm.
Clearly, Rosie—a born and raised Angeleno—has been to the beach before. But she wanted to experience it without people and cameras pointing at her the whole time. Naturally, Declan knows that Rosie/Skylar has been to the beach hundreds of times, but he’s playing into her act.
“Can you swim?” he asks me.
“Of course. I said I’ve never been to the beach , not that I’ve never been in any body of water .”
Our feet begin sinking into the darker, water-logged sand left by the outgoing tide. He smirks. “Good.”
I narrow my eyes. “Why is that good?”
Water laps at our bare feet. “No reason.”
“Declan,” I say, inwardly bracing myself for what I know is coming.
We're ankle-deep and Grey picks me up bridal style, with an ease that makes me question if I’m even his warm-up weight. His chest is warm and hard against me, and I wrap one hand around his shoulder and place the other on his chest for stability. And dammit if I don’t feel a surge of lust flood my system at the contact.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
“Nothing,” he answers wryly.
The camera men are wading into the water with us. Once we’re in about four feet of water, Grey tosses me a few feet forward into the ocean. Under the surface, everything is dark and quiet, and the water is cool and refreshing. I soak in an extra second beneath the waves before I plant my feet and surface. Rosie-AKA-Skylar is supposed to be pissed, so that’s what I channel as I swipe my wet hair from my face.
“You asshole!” I scream playfully, splashing water at Grey/Declan as best I can, trying to soak him too.
“That’s all you’ve got, Skylar?”
I pounce on him, fighting to push him under the water, truly feeling the full weight of my character’s irritation. “You’re going to regret that,” I say as I struggle with all my might against him.
He laughs, gently wrestling me back. “I don’t think so. I could do this all day.”
“So. Could. I,” I say through gritted teeth as I try to pull him under by his arm, like I was instructed during rehearsals.
Grey—Declan—takes my hands and gently pries them off of him. Instead of dropping them back at my sides, he pulls them behind my back. His arms are wrapped around my torso to keep my hands in place and our chests are flush against each other, mine rising and falling rapidly as I catch my breath, worn out from fighting him.
I look up into his eyes, just inches from mine, and I don’t even have to fake Rosie’s sudden urge to kiss him—I feel it too. I angle my chin up and our lips connect tentatively, Grey still holding my hands behind my back. He tightens his arms around me to close any remaining distance between us as our lips move in sync. I feel warm and safe in Grey’s embrace, despite the chilly water and looming cameras. It’s still acting, of course, but kissing him like this doesn’t require much effort at all—I could do this all day.
“Cut!” I hear Jack yell. Grey releases me and I jump back from him, adding some distance between us. His eyebrows furrow slightly before returning to normal. “That was great,” Jack continues. “Let’s take twenty so you two can fully dry off—hair and costumes included—so we can start again from the top. Once we’ve run through that a couple more times we can just get a few extra shots of the kiss, since you’re already wet by then.”
I think I’ll probably stay wet all day, Jack, but thanks anyway.
The following two days of filming follow pretty much like the first, with Grey and I filming a few other sexually-tense scenes on the beach. Tuesday, for example, Rosie and Declan share a romantic conversation while sunbathing. Rosie tells Declan about her feelings of depression and burnout—without revealing her true identity—and Declan tells Rosie (Skylar, to him) about how his sister died when he was a kid, leaving him solitary and untrusting.
And I know I’m delusional to think this, but it really felt like Grey and I were having that conversation—not Rosie and Declan. They were definitely scripted lines, but I share Rosie’s struggles and it doesn’t take a therapist to see that Grey definitely has some attachment issues. Acting scenes like that are always hard, though, since you literally have to climb into your character’s strong emotions to portray them correctly. It can be very emotionally taxing.
On Tuesday, I truly felt like I was bearing my soul to Grey, or Declan, or whoever he was at the time. And on Wednesday, I felt Rosie’s lust while Grey and I rolled around in the sand all day, making out like teenagers. When the fake police officer came up to us and told us he’d have to write us a ticket for public indecency since there were families around, I felt my character’s giddiness as Grey and I stood up casually, then started sprinting away, eventually finding a covered, hidden spot up the beach to hide in.
And after Jack yells cut for the day, those feelings don’t just immediately go away. So when Grey comes up to me at the water station, I still feel Rosie’s fondness and desire for Declan, even though we’re not in character. I can’t help but stare at his lips, replaying the way he kissed me/Rosie earlier. It seems Grey also can’t quite shake the residual feelings, because he’s staring a bit lower than my lips. Without a word, he puts his hand on my waist and I let him, leaning into his touch.
Taking it one step further, I hold his hand and gently pull it, before letting go as I walk away, hinting at him to follow me. I weave past cast and crew members, hairstylists, and the prop master, tents, and security guards, picking up the pace as I get closer and closer to my trailer. By the time I get there, I’m practically jogging. I turn back to see if Grey is still on my tail, and see him taking long, easy strides behind me, somehow still matching my pace. Somehow, that makes me even hornier, goddammit. To be honest, he could probably kick sand in my eyes, and I’d still want him right now.