CHAPTER 31
“We’ll see everyone back here after the holidays.
I know it’s a little strange, filming for a few weeks, then taking a break and coming back to finish up, but this was the only time of year we could get our locations for our budget, being that it’s the off-season, and well, we’d already waited over a year to get this thing filmed, so we were a little eager, too,” Reed said, laughing.
“Have a great break, everyone, and we’ll see you all in the new year. ”
She held up a glass of champagne.
It wasn’t a wrap party or a holiday party, but something in between.
Technically, it wasn’t a party at all. They’d been filming all day, their last shot in one of their locations, and Reed had just gathered the cast and crew that were there for a quick goodbye before people left for the holidays.
Some people were sticking around. A lot of the crew was local, and the assistant director would lead the B unit to film some establishing shots and B-roll footage around town for another week, but Samara was wrapped for the year, and so was Dana.
After their first night together, they hadn’t spent one apart until last night, and Samara hated to admit it because she was leaving and Dana was staying, but she’d missed her.
She’d fallen asleep eventually, but it hadn’t been restful, and she’d woken even earlier than usual, going to the hotel gym at four-thirty to get in a run before a long shower.
None of that managed to get Dana and their impending separation off her mind, though.
“Hey, want a ride back to your hotel?” Dana offered. “I know I don’t have a fancy SUV with temperature control, but I’m great in bed.”
Samara wanted to laugh at that, but all she could muster was a forced smile as she stood in her trailer, packing the few things she had there to bring back to her hotel and add to her bag.
“I’m okay,” she said. “I’m sure you have things to do.”
“Uh… No. It’s your last night before you fly out. I was thinking about keeping you up for hours since you can sleep on the plane and have the next couple of weeks off.”
“So, you want to have sex because we won’t be having sex for the next two weeks?”
Dana followed Samara into the bedroom and said, “No. I was thinking about spending your last night here together. We can have sex or not have sex.”
“I’m really tired,” Samara told her, and it was technically true.
“Are you going passive-aggressive on me because I said I needed to think about going to LA with you?”
“I’m not going passive-aggressive on you. I am tired.”
“You didn’t sleep well?” Dana asked and sat on Samara’s bed.
“No. How could I have slept well? The woman I’m dating turned down a trip with me and then just dropped me off at my hotel, despite the fact that we only had a couple of days together before I leave.”
“It’s only a couple of weeks, Samara.”
Samara leaned against the wall and asked, “So, you’re good with that? Being apart for a couple of weeks?”
“No, that’s not what I meant. But if we keep dating, you will be in Vancouver at some point soon, and I’ll be here, so we might as well get used to it.”
“Silly me; I was thinking that we should take advantage of the vacation we have and spend time together before I have to go to another country for work.”
“It’s not that I won’t miss you. I will,” Dana said. “I… didn’t sleep well, either.”
“So, why won’t you at least go to LA for a few days? I know it’s Christmas and you want to spend the holiday with your family, but what about New Year’s Eve?”
“What about it?”
“Dana, are you daft?” she asked. “It’s the holiday where you kiss someone at midnight. I was thinking about kissing you at midnight.”
“Did you just ask if I was daft? Are you British all of a sudden?”
“Don’t joke with me right now,” she said quietly.
“I thought you had some party to go to.”
“I do.”
“And when the ball drops, you’re just going to turn to me and let me kiss you in front of everyone?”
“Well, no. I just meant that we could disappear around midnight.” Samara looked down. “It bothers you that I’m not out, doesn’t it?”
“Honestly, no,” Dana said. “Maybe if you were anyone else, it would have, but I understand why you don’t want to just announce it. When you announce something, the whole world gets involved.”
“Does that bother you?” she asked. “That if… when I come out, if we’re still doing this, you’d be in the public eye, too?”
“No,” Dana said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen with my career, but the movie will come out, and people who see it will know who I am. If I keep acting, that will continue, if I’m lucky, and I’ll be in the public eye anyway.”
“But you’d be Samara Barber’s girlfriend.”
Dana smiled at her and replied, “There are worse things in the world to be.”
Samara laughed, and it felt good, like a little tension just released from her body.
“You really want to kiss me at midnight?” Dana asked.
Samara nodded and replied, “Well, I don’t want to kiss anyone else.”
“So, you’d only be kissing me, then?” Dana asked. “Like, I’d only be kissing you, and you’d only be kissing me?”
“Are you trying to ask me if we’re dating exclusively?”
“I guess I’m trying to see if that’s something you want, yeah. You went from going hot and cold on me and might be going straight to scalding.”
“I am not.” She laughed. “I’m just curious.”
“But is that what you want?” Dana asked.
“Dana, I didn’t sleep well last night without you there, and I’m standing here asking you to come to LA with me so that I can kiss you at midnight because there’s no one else I want to kiss. What do you think?”
“Come here,” Dana replied and held out her hands for Samara to take.
Samara walked over to her and took them.
“Lainey and Paige are going to Paige’s parents for Christmas this year. They rented a cabin somewhere.”
“Okay?” she asked more than said.
“And I called my mom today about the whole moving away thing. We talked, and I asked about Christmas. She said that they could stay, and we could do Christmas together, but they were thinking about going to my aunt’s house this year.
She has a nice place in Myrtle Beach, and they haven’t seen her in a while.
Basically, my mom was only going to cook Christmas dinner if I was there, but if I’m not, she doesn’t have to. ”
Samara smiled and asked, “Does that mean you’re free to come to LA?”
“What about Christmas with your family? Don’t you all do things together?”
“My sister and brother-in-law live in Montana now. My dad moved to Wyoming last year. I bought him some land, and he’s kind of one of those gruff, outdoorsmen now.
He took it hard when my mom died.” Samara moved her hands to Dana’s shoulders.
“He hasn’t wanted to do a family thing since, which I understand.
I don’t really want to go to Montana, and my sister doesn’t want to come to LA.
I’ve never been close with my grandparents, so that’s about it. ”
“What were you going to do, then?”
“I have options,” she replied. “I’ve gone to my agent’s house for the past two years.”
“Your agent?”
“I’ve known him for years. He’s close to family.”
“Babe, just stay here. I’ll tell my parents you’re going to be there, and we’ll have Christmas with them. I’m sure they’d love to meet you anyway.”
“Now who’s scalding?” she teased.
“Call me clingy because I don’t like the idea of you going to your agent’s house for Christmas dinner.”
“I want to go home, Dana,” she replied. “I’m sure your parents are lovely, but I’m also sure they’d rather go to Myrtle Beach than entertain me and you. I miss my own bed, and I do have a couple of events I have to go to.”
“So, if I go, what would we do on Christmas?”
“Have sex and order Chinese food to eat in bed.”
Dana laughed and wrapped her arms around Samara’s lower back.
“I don’t have a flight booked, and it’s last-minute around a holiday.”
“You’ll go?” she asked, knowing she sounded excited. “Really?”
“You promise me it won’t be too much too soon? You told me that you don’t date much, and this is more than just us dating. It’s me staying with you for a holiday, Samara.”
“Yes, I promise. You’re going?”
“I can try to get there in a few days. Maybe there will be something available–”
“Shut up,” Samara told her as she pulled her phone out and dialed.
“Hello?”
“Kyla?”
“Yes. Sorry, I was asleep. What’s up?”
“I need you to book Dana on my flight tomorrow. Next to me. If they don’t have the seat available, move my flight or–” She stopped.
“Is there anything private available?” She looked down at Dana’s surprised expression and ran a hand through Dana’s hair.
“If you can’t find commercial, book me something private for the two of us and text me all the details. ”
“I’ll need her information if I’m booking commercial.”
“I’ll text you everything you need.”
“And you want private tomorrow? That’s going to cost you.”
“I know. Don’t care,” Samara said.
“Am I booking her a hotel room or a rental car?” Kyla asked.
Samara blushed and said, “Uh… No. She’s going to… stay with me.”
“She’s staying with you?” Kyla’s voice changed. “Wait. She’s staying with you, or you just met a new friend and she’s staying with you, like in a guest room?”
“Do you really need to know the answer to that to do your job?”
“Am I going to book you a romantic dinner at a fancy restaurant or order her a Christmas gift from you?”
“Oh, shit,” she said because she had totally forgotten about needing to get Dana a gift. “Yeah,” she admitted.
“Yeah? Like, yeah?”
“Will you stop talking like that?” Samara laughed.
Dana pulled Samara against her and lifted her shirt.
“Did you sleep with her? Have you finally been with another woman?”
“Kyla, book the damn flight. No hotel or rental car. She can use mine if she needs it. And yes on the other thing, but I need to think about it before I have you order something.”
Dana looked up at her and squinted.
“Don’t worry about it,” she said to Dana.
“Don’t worry about what?” Kyla asked. “The Christmas gift?”
“Book flight. Send details. Talk later,” Samara replied and hung up the phone. “She’ll have something booked for you soon.” She went to text Kyla what she’d need to book Dana a flight and said, “I don’t know your birthday.”
“What?” Dana asked and kissed her stomach.
“To book the flight, babe.”
“Oh,” Dana said and kissed her in the same spot. “Well, that’s interesting because it’s actually December thirty-first.”
Samara moved the phone out of her line of vision and looked down at Dana.
“Your birthday is New Year’s Eve?”
“Yup,” Dana said.
“You’re going to spend your birthday with me?”
“I guess so.”
“But what about–”
“My parents will call me, and we’ll celebrate on the weekend after, like we have for the past ten years or so.
Lainey and Paige will be there. There will be a cake.
I’ll blow out candles. I’ll open gifts then.
Lainey and Paige will get me a gift card.
My mom will get me something for a future house I’ll probably never own.
My dad will get me a gas card or a new tool for the toolbox he bought me three years ago.
It’s all very, very lame, but we don’t celebrate it on the actual day anymore because my parents decided years ago that I shouldn’t have to share my birthday with a holiday unless I wanted to, so we don’t. ”
Samara lifted her shirt then and tossed it to the floor.
“I thought we were going to the hotel,” Dana said as she lifted an eyebrow and stared at her breasts.
“We will. In a minute. But we’ll just go there to grab my stuff. I’ve packed most of it already,” she said as she typed Dana’s birthday into that text message, hit send, and tossed her phone onto the bed. “Then, we’ll go to your apartment because you have some packing to do.”
“How much stuff should I pack?”
“Well, about two weeks’ worth, I’d say.” Samara pulled Dana’s shirt off. “It’s twelve days, technically.”
“You know the exact number of days?” Dana asked, unbuttoning Samara’s pants.
“Yes. I was going to be away from you.”
Dana looked up at her and tilted her head.
“Yeah, I kind of like you a little bit. Don’t get a big head about it,” Samara said. “Take off your pants.”
Dana laughed and asked, “Which one of us is the top?”
“Well, right now, it’s my turn,” Samara said, moving to straddle her. “Later, it can be your turn.”
“I can’t take off my pants if you’re straddling me,” Dana argued, taking care of Samara’s bra and letting it fall between them.
“You’ll figure it out. I have faith in your abilities.”
“Hey,” Dana said.
“Yes?” she asked, reaching behind Dana to unclasp her bra.
“Will you show me around LA a little so that I can, I don’t know, check it out?”
Samara kept her smile reserved, but only because she didn’t want to scare Dana.
“I’d love to,” she replied.