Lights, Camera, Orc-tion!

8: Oath Lock

After a long, and agonizingly silent, cab ride back to Kahdreg's apartment, Avicia found herself standing in the living room. As soon as she had entered, she'd kicked off her shoes and removed her gloves, turning to face them with her hands on her hips. Once Kahdreg turned around, after locking the door, they wilted under her gaze. Kahdreg's apprehension didn't stop them from taking time to shrug off the jacket, placing it on the coat rack, before shuffling into the living room.

Tapping her foot on the floor, Avicia issued her boss an order: "Alright, let's hear it."

Kahdreg braced themselves, shoulders growing stiff and fists clenching at their sides. They couldn't bring their eyes to Avicia's stern gaze. After a deep and steadying breath, the answer came out fast, words jumbling together. "Kalli's company is a big investor in this movie, but she's been pursuing me for awhile. I've played dumb with her and I've outright told her no, but she thinks I'm playing hard to get."

At this point, Kahdreg paused to inhale, running a hand over their hair. They glanced over at Avicia, as if expecting her to say something, to interrupt. When it was clear she wasn't going to pipe up, they continued, "She's been getting more insistent and I just... I'm sorry I involved you. I saw an opportunity and took it, but it wasn't ok to put you on the spot like that."

Silence hung between them. Avicia stared at them, eyebrows furrowed as she disentangled her thoughts and Kahdreg's story. Again, she was reminded of the people being harassed on the street or at work, the people she'd treat like old-time friends or classmates to draw them away from unwanted attention. In a way, it was the same. Except this was Kahdreg's career and Kallinaera had sway in it. That thought alone made Avicia's stomach roil sourly.

When the silence became too much for Kahdreg to bear, they held up their hands and said, "I don't expec-"

But Avicia cut them off. "How long do we have to do this for?"

"Wha-what?" Kahdreg blinked, but Avicia thought she could see a relieved glimmer of hope in their eyes. As if she was answering their prayers. Which made sympathy ping in her heart, but she wasn't about to show that. Even if they were the victim of unwanted pursuit, they were still her smarmy boss that was insufferable to work with.

"If we break up, you'll be pursued by unwanted attention," she explained slowly and precisely. Taking a step closer to them, she motioned to both herself and Kahdreg. "So, how long do we do this for?"

Kahdreg opened their mouth, closed it, swallowed. Their eyes flickered to the floor, calculations running in their head. "Until the movie premieres."

"And how long is that going to take?"

"We have about a hundred days left of filming, then post-production."

"So, roughly how long?" Avicia's pressed her lips tightly together, shooting Kahdreg a look that said 'do not try to bullshit me.'

"At least a year," they muttered, shoulders hunched higher to their ears. "Probably more."

Shit. That was a lot longer than she was considering. A few months? Sure. But a whole year or more? Her teeth dug into her lower lip. It wasn't as if she was on the dating scene. Even if she met someone she actually wanted to date, there were workarounds. People in Follywood had open relationships, right? Though, Kahdreg might not want the scandal, if it got out. And that would put them back in the crosshairs of the pushy siren, if she even scented a chance.

"If I'm going to act like your girlfriend," she finally said, emphasizing she wasn't agreeing just yet, "how much is it worth to you?"

Kahdreg pressed their lips together, staring at her. Their gaze flickered away, brow furrowing as they seemed to consider her words. The heaviness in the air weighed heavier, paired up with an edge of 'wrongness' that came with plots to lie and deceive. Even if they were for a good reason.