26. Chapter Twenty-Six
And the text that Jean-Claude sends to Graham’s agent says, “I don’t know what the hell is going on with those two, but they better not fuck up this stupid movie.”
* * *
Jean-Claude narrows his eyes at us as we walk toward him. He motions for everyone else to leave us.
We haven’t started filming yet, and the director seems to already have a problem.
As he stands, he looks at our joined hands.
“This is still a thing?” he asks, motioning between us.
I raise a brow. “Yes. Is this a problem?”
He puckers his lips. “I’m just trying to figure out what the hell is really going on. But aside from that, this better not affect our production.”
No matter what this relationship really is between us, I don’t like that Jean-Claude is using it as if it’s going to be the demise of this movie. We film for three weeks. This isn’t an enormous commitment to any of us.
“There’s no problem here,” I say curtly, and I feel Christina’s hand tighten in mine.
He nods, turns and picks up his script, and eyes each of us coolly. “Get ready. We start in an hour,” he says before turning and walking away.
I let out a long breath to steady myself.
“Why does he keep assuming that we’re going to ruin this?” Christina asks. “Is our screaming and yelling at one another more conducive to production? Especially a romance?”
I chuckle at that. “I wonder that too.” I turn to Christina and watch as she lifts her head to look up at me. She’s in flats, which makes our height difference quite a bit more noticeable than when she’s in heels. “I’m not going to do anything to sabotage this movie or the others we’re contracted for.”
“Me either,” she confirms.
“We’re a team.”
She nods. “We are.”
“You’re all in, right? I mean, we’ve decided to be friends. We can make this work for both of us.”
Christina blinks hard as if maybe we’re not on the same page as I thought we were.
“Right,” she finally says. “We can make this work for both of us.”
She takes a step back and reaches for her bag, which is still on my shoulder. “I’ll see you on set,” she says through a forced smile.
I watch her walk out of the building and toward her trailer. Something just transpired there, and I’m not exactly sure what it was.
The rewrites are minimal for the scene we’re about to film. The scene is in William’s executive office, and it’s when he finally moves in to kiss Yvette.
I pull on my suit jacket and my makeup is retouched before I step out of the trailer and head toward the set.
I notice Christina and Penny walking out of her trailer. She’s in a dress with a blazer. Her hair is pulled back into a sleek bun at the base of her delicate neck. We look like two business professionals—uptight and goal-oriented.
A few months ago, I would see her walking toward set and not even take a second look. But knowing the woman now, I can’t help but take in the sight.
There’s an elegance to her that is natural. She glides when she walks. She glows when she smiles. She seeks approval from everyone she meets.
This movie is an office romance, and though it has a lot more intimacy in it than the other movies we’ve done, it’s also a romantic comedy. It should give her a chance to prove herself to Penelope Mondragon. In this moment, I realize I want that for her. Christina Malloy deserves something of her own—something she’s worked for. Something she’s recognized for that has nothing to do with her parents.
I grin as I head toward the studio door, thinking about what scene we’re shooting this morning. There should be lots of kissing, and I don’t have one bag of Doritos in my possession. I don’t even have the desire to sabotage this for her—or me.
In fact, I’ve become fond of kissing Christina, sans any obstacle that I might use to annoy her.
My entire day is all about me kissing Christina. I can feel my grin grow wider. This should be the easy part. It’s when we film the scenes that pull emotion of the other kind that might become tricky.
This will be a complete change from how we normally function. Usually, our fight scenes are spot on. It doesn’t take much for Christina and me to go at each other with words, or even coffee mugs flying at one another.
The love scenes, or kissing scenes in the cases of these watered down, made-for-TV movies, are harder for us to wrap our heads around. We act when we “fall in love” for the camera. But I don’t think I’ll have to act this time.
This time, there is something between us that I didn’t expect. There are feelings I didn’t even know I harbored inside of me.
Though we’ve become friends, and we’ve spent some time together, I feel as if I’m leading the narrative between us, and Christina is only following. I’ve been the one to kiss her and invite her over to my place, and me to her place. We text and call each night, but I’m feeling things I don’t know what to do with. I’m just not sure she’s feeling the same things.
This is a game. The danger comes in how we play it. We’ve already heard that those who were happy to report the rumor that we were together now wonder why they haven’t seen us. They’re already saying that our relationship is in trouble.
As if there is a relationship.
But suddenly, I want more than just tasty pictures online or on a TV entertainment show. I want another night at my house with pizza and my dog—and Christina. I want to sit on the couch and hold her until she falls asleep against me. I want to carry her to my bed and wake with her the next morning.
I want it all.
“Graham, they’re looking for you,” Penny calls to me from the studio door.
I give her a nod, realizing I’ve just been standing there thinking about Christina, who ducked into the building a few minutes ago.
Head in the game, Crowley,I say to myself as I smooth out my tie and button my suit jacket.
It’s time to give all my charisma to William, the CEO of a huge company, and charm the daughter of my competition, Yvette, Christina’s character. But feelings are stirring now. Can I keep William and Graham separate? Is this what Jean-Claude is worried about? Is this why it’s better when Christina and I don’t get along? We do our work, and we go our separate ways? I’m not usually consumed with knowing how her mouth softens under mine, and what her tongue feels like when it sweeps against mine.
Shit! How am I supposed to do this now? I told her no stage kiss would be the same, but now I can’t kiss her like I really want to.
This is uncharted territory for me.
For the first time ever, I think I’m going to have to act. It won’t just be something I do. I’m going to have to work at it.
There is a bead of sweat rolling down the back of my neck.
I have to loosen my tie a bit as I walk toward the studio door.
Jean-Claude looks up from his conversation with Christina and narrows his gaze on me as I walk on set. He can see it. He knows I’m sweating this. God, this should be the good part. This should be the sellable we love one another part for our characters, and because I’m suddenly feeling things I’ve never felt before, I’m going to screw this whole thing up.
Christina looks my direction and begins to walk toward me.
“Are you okay?” Her voice is full of concern, and she searches my face.
I take her hand and pull her to the side, down a shadowed hallway.
“You’re freaking me out,” she says, and I turn and cup her face.
“I am freaked out. I don’t know how to act like I have feelings for you.”
Her eyes go wide and sad all at the same time, and I realize that came out completely wrong.
“What I mean is, I’ve never acted with you and cared this deeply for you.”
Her gaze softens, but her lips are curled in as if she’s having to hold back an emotion. And I can’t tell if she’s going to cry or laugh.
I lean in and press a kiss to her mouth.
“Listen, I need to tell you something,” I say and notice that she begins to worry her bottom lip, but then must have realized her lipstick would need to be fixed.
“What do you have to tell me?” she asks.
I take in a breath. Who would have thought I’d ever be having this conversation with Christina Malloy?
“I have feelings for you that I can’t explain.” I lay it out there. It either makes or breaks this. “I have to reel this all in just to act as if Yvette and William are just now falling in love.”
She blinks hard and eases back from me. “You have feelings for me? Real feelings?”
Does she look disappointed, or surprised? I can’t decide.
“I do. And not just feelings that I’m pretending to have in public.”
“Because we’re friends now?”
This time I pull her to me and kiss her deeper—screw the lipstick. She has to know what I’m talking about, right?
When I ease back, her cheeks have pinked brightly enough that I can see their change in the dimly lit hallway.
She takes a moment to open her eyes, and when she does, I study them. Christina looks intoxicated by my kiss, and I wonder if I look the same to her, because it’s how I feel.
“More than just because we’re friends,” I say.
Christina presses her fingers to her lips. “Oh.”
I don’t know if she feels the same way, but shit, now I’ve put myself out there.
“You don’t have to feel the same way,” I begin to explain. “In fact, I don’t think you should say anything at all. We can discuss this later. Just know, William isn’t me. Yvette isn’t you.” I’m explaining it as if she’s a child and needs to understand the balance between real life and fiction. “But I’d like to bring my dog over tonight and really sit down and discuss this with you when we’re done.”
She nods slowly, and I can hear Jean-Claude yelling for our presence. This isn’t a good way to start our production. But if Christina and I can figure out what’s really happening between us, then maybe it’s something bigger than a rumor.