Damon was always clean shaven, so he rarely had an opportunity to grow out his beard while filming, but he was a sucker when she insisted. She remembers the early days when they were so in love it was physically painful, when one glance in his direction set her heart racing.
They covered it up for the longest time, even from their closest friends. Of course, everyone knew, but they denied it vehemently just because they could. Because in a life lived almost entirely in front of the public eye, it was their own little secret.
She misses falling into his dressing room after a particularly long day at work, shooting glances at each other across set, only to be tackled to the sofa and peppered with open mouth kisses from head to toe as he swore he couldn't contain himself around her sultry Katherine look. She misses sending him naughty text messages and whispering in his ear just to catch him off guard in a room full of people. She misses his blatant flirtation, nonchalant attempts at wooing her that weren't lost on a single soul. Most of all, she misses being his one and only—she knows it's selfish, but she misses captivating him mind, body, and soul.
She does a double take when she sees an advertisement for his bourbon as she flips through a magazine one particularly underwhelming day as she sits in the hot seat for hair and makeup, preparing for yet another photoshoot. He looks rugged, she thinks to herself, as sexy as ever, and she tries not to stare, but she can't help herself really, feeling the sudden urge to reach out and run her fingers across his cheeks just to hear him draw in a breath. It's impossible, but it feels like he's staring directly at her.
"You and him were something else," her hairdresser wonders aloud, as she jerks her hand back from absentmindedly running her fingers over the page. "Together you had that spark, that edge. It was rare."
She won't confirm or deny his musings, only snaps the magazine closed and draws her gaze to the mirror, setting her jaw and calculating a countermove in this nonexistent game they seem to play with one another.
When the makeup artist arrives to ask her what look she's going for, she doesn't hesitate. "Sultry, provocative, erotic."
They rave about her performance for weeks, begging for her secret, which, of course she can't tell. She poses for the camera like she's staring directly at him.
YOU ARE READING
Smoke Signals
Roman d'amourWhen Nina turned down forever with Ian, their worlds went up in flames. Even now, all these years later, embers still smolder, and while neither would like to admit it, it's those little fires that keep them going-sending off subconscious smoke sign...
