Chapter 66
Chapter Sixty-Six
CLOVER
Ablack leather bodycon dress screams, “I don’t give a fuck,” right? At least, I hope that’s what the outfit says, because the girl underneath it is a shaky mess.
Playing with my hair and deciding between having it up or down eats up the last twenty minutes before it’s time for me to leave the hotel and head to the event with the rest of the cast.
A knock sounds at the door, and my nerves are so fried that it almost makes me burst into tears.
“Pull your shit together, Daly,” I whisper to myself before answering.
Arnold is there. He gives me a sad smile. He’s been an absolute doll since news of the casting shakeup broke, calling me and reassuring me he’s doing everything on his end to reverse it.
“None of that,” I shake my head. “We’re going to have a great time today.
” That’s been my mantra for the last few days.
That today is going to be fun, that today is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I’m not going to squander it by being sad.
I won’t let anyone take this from me. After so much has been ripped from me, I’m going to dig in on this and not let it go.
Even though I won’t be in future films for the franchise, I’m here today, and I’m going to let that be enough. This is already beyond my wildest dreams.
I toss my hair into a ponytail as we walk, tightening it and fidgeting with my stack of silver earrings.
“Have you seen Roman yet?” I ask cautiously. I haven’t really heard from him since that horrible day of the photoshoot. Each day I’ve woken up to a fresh bouquet at the door to Jill’s condo, but flowers aren’t an apology. Changed behavior is, and there’s nothing he can do to undo this mess.
“No one has yet,” Arnold says.
I can’t see Roman not showing up to this, and the prospect of being face to face with him again has my stomach tying itself into impossibly tight knots.
Waiting in the holding room backstage feels like torture.
Roman still hasn’t shown up, and we’re slated to hit the stage in two minutes.
What makes it worse is that Deacon is in the room.
I don’t know why he bothers to be here when it seems like he enjoys it about as much as chewing glass.
His presence sets me on edge, even more than I already am.
“Darkness Rising team, are you ready?” One of the event organizers pops her head into the room.
Arnold looks around the room and shrugs. “I guess so.” The rest of the cast nod their heads in agreement, and we follow the organizer to the area behind the stage where the panel will take place.
“Alright folks! The moment you’ve been waiting for... let’s bring out the cast and director for the upcoming film adaptation of Darkness Rising!” shouts the panel moderator.
The audience roars so loudly I can feel the sound vibrating through my chest. It drowns out the nerves, and a sense of calm washes over me.
I’m an incredible actress, and I know I fucking knocked it out of the park with this movie. If they don’t want to cast me in future films, that’s their loss.
Head held high, I step out onto the stage behind Arnold and turn to wave at the massive crowd as they cheer us on.
The sea of fans claps and shouts, waving at us as we trickle onto the stage and find our seats behind the table.
Roman’s seat with his nametag remains empty as our last cast member arrives onstage. There are a couple of seconds, and then the crowd loses their minds.
Whipping my head to the stage entrance, it’s easy to see why.
Roman jogs up the steps, turning to give the audience a mischievous smile before running over to his seat.
“Sorry I’m late,” he says as he leans into the mic on the table.
Every nerve in my body turns into a live wire with him beside me.
His eyes meet mine, and he shoots me a small smile. I bite my lip to stop it from giving him one back automatically. He doesn’t deserve it.
“Alright, San Diego! What do you say? Is it time for Darkness to rise?” Arnold says into his mic.
The audience loses their shit even more.
“This is an exclusive world premiere of the Darkness Rising teaser trailer. Let’s go!” The host shouts. The lights go down, and a preternatural silence takes hold in the audience.
Deep bass sounds, and action springs onto the screen.
Explosions, clips from the rooftop stunt, and the moment before we kiss the first time are some shots that make it into the montage.
The last note of the trailer plays, deep and ominous as the title card for the movie floats onto the screen, a silver that lightens over the last few seconds before it all winks out.
It’s silent for a fraction of a second before the crowd erupts into applause and cheers.
When I look over at Arnold, he finally takes a deep breath for the first time since we got on stage. His expression softens. He might actually enjoy himself now that he sees how the audience has reacted to their first glimpse at what he’s been working so hard on.
Noticing my gaze, he shoots me a small, subdued smile, no doubt wanting not to seem too excited when this is my last film for the franchise. First and last. It’s so fucking unfair.
My nose gets that all too familiar burning sensation, and I wiggle it around, desperately willing myself not to cry. I won’t do that today. Not here, not like this. I am going to soak in this moment and enjoy it, because who knows if I’ll ever get to experience something like this again.
Flashing Arnold a little smile to let him know that I’ll be okay, I clap along with the audience, acknowledging the work of my fellow cast members and the crew that brought this project together.
As the applause dies out, the panel discussion begins.
Thankfully, the tables are draped in white tablecloths, otherwise, the attendees would see my legs bouncing up and down at a rapid rate.
Roman clocks it, looking down at them and tightening his jaw. His hand flexes as if he’s tempted to offer it to me in support, but thinks better of it. Good. I’d slap it away anyway.
So far, the interviewer has lobbed safe questions at us.
Questions about the stunts, what the process was like for costume design, etc.
I know tougher ones are coming, it’s only a matter of time.
I’m being wound tighter and tighter with each question that’s asked that isn’t about the elephant in the room.
“How was casting for this movie?” the host asks Arnold.
“Well, casting Eclipse was easy. As soon as I got my hands on the script, I knew we needed Roman on the project. I was lucky enough that he agreed without asking a single question.”
“A film adaptation of Darkness Rising?” Roman says, riling up the crowd. “No questions needed.”
They cheer, completely captivated by his charisma.
“And how about casting the role of Moonbeam?” the host presses.
“Arnold, can I take this one?” Roman asks.
My eyes narrow on him.
“Absolutely, take it away, Roman.”
“Before Clover came in for her chemistry read, I was pissed off. I thought there was no way we could’ve done better than our original choice.
I’m happy to report I was fucking wrong.
Not only has Clover absolutely smashed it with her stunt work, she’s brought a real vulnerability and strength to her performance that I’m excited for everyone to see.
It’s rare to have such raw talent, and Clover has it in spades. ”
I work to school my expression. Of course, his words feel like warm honey. Soft and sweet and I want to eat them up. But I refuse to be that naive. Telling me I’m great after what he did means nothing.
“What about plans for future films in the series? What’s next?”
“Whatever they are, I won’t be in them,” Roman answers matter-of-factly.
Every head at the table whips over to Roman, mine included.