Chapter 37
VICTOR
I know Josie is looking at me. Of course I do.
Even as everyone rushes up to me as soon as I leave my trailer, demanding my attention over something minor to do with production or the script or the logistics of the day, but I don’t care about any of that when Josie is around. I can just sense that my fake girlfriend has got her eyes solely trained on me.
And I like it.
Fuck yeah, I like it.
And when the moment is clear – when everyone is busy preparing for the upcoming scene – I finally take my chance to walk right up to her.
“What do you think?” I ask Josie as I reach her. She still hasn’t been able to unglue her eyes away from me this entire time.
The girl snorts. She’s trying to hide how enamored she is.
“You look like you’ve just time-traveled out of the seventeenth century,” she remarks cheekily.
“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” I reply.
“Yeah, you should.”
“Do I suit being a prince?” I ask her, my hand resting on the handle of my sword. I thrust out my proud chest.
Josie rolls her eyes. “Yeah, you’re a Penmayne... you’re basically a modern prince even without all this fancy costume stuff.”
“Correct answer.”
“You don’t need lavish clothes to be the ruler of your domain,” she sneers.
“You’re damn right there,” I reply brazenly.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Andrew Anderson – the director of the movie – dart over to us. He’s heading straight for me.
Here goes...
“Let’s do this, Victor,” he says when he reaches us.
I turn from Josie to him.
“Andrew, this is my girlfriend, Josie.”
The man halts everything he’s doing and flicks his complete focus onto the girl. He’s interested in this development.
“Ah.”
“Josie, this is the director of the movie, Andrew,” I say. “Him and I go way back. We’ve filmed a couple of movies early on in my career.”
“Hello,” she says.
But Andrew isn’t interested in exchanging greetings with my girl.
“I thought she wasn’t real, Victor,” he mutters. “I thought you’d never get a girlfriend.”
I shrug. “I guess I changed my mind when I met Josie.”
“You gotta get to set,” Andrew tells me. “We’re about to roll.”
“Sure.”
“Good luck, Victor,” Josie whispers once Andrew is safely gone. I know she knows how nervous I am. No one else knows that information.
“Thanks,” I whisper back.
I’ve never had that kind of support from anyone else before. Josie is definitely going above and beyond the terms of our agreement... it’s like she actually cares for me.
I stand on the mark positioned in front of the camera and all the hundred crew members. They start rolling the cameras.
I’ve done this a million times, so then why the hell am I freaking out so much?
This is more than first-day nerves.
I can’t explain it.
Hayley takes her mark opposite me. We’re very close.
“Hey, Victor.”
“Hey, Hayley.”
“You ready?”
“Yes. Are you?”
She shakes her head.
“No. Never.”
“We’ll get through this,” I tell her. “Remember, we’re pros.”
I spot Josie in the crowd. She’s watching me.
The rituals of a shoot are undertaken. People are calling out. Things are getting heated.
Camera set!
Lighting check!
Sound ready to go!
A whole lot of scurrying around. Everyone’s taking positions.
I take in a deep breath.
The clapperboard comes out.
Sound speed!
Camera rolling!
And then, before I know it, Andrew is calling ACTION.
And it’s now my time to shine. My time to perform. My time to say the words I’ve memorized.
My time to do my job.
And I stumble completely over my first line.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
Andrew calls CUT. Everything stops. The crew gets ready to restart the scene again.
And it’s all because I screwed up my damn lines.
Everything has to be reset.
I look around at everyone and at all the extra work that now has to be done because of me.
Hayley is staring at me sympathetically.
I don’t want sympathy.
Fuck.
I’ve never done that before. Never on the first day. Never for the first line of the movie shoot.
And I have a sinking feeling in my gut...
Is it because she is looking?