Falling for a Star (Complete)

Chapter 24 - The Letter

***** Dylan's Point of View *****

"Okay let's try to get through this scene on the next take so we can move on to the bedroom scene," the director told us, putting his headphones back on and sitting down in his chair. "Quiet on set!" he yelled.

I tried to focus and get my mind into the scene and character I was playing, but thoughts of Brenley and our conversation during the break kept playing over and over in my mind, distracting me.

I took a deep breath in and let it out, going over the role I was playing in my head to get myself in the right frame of mind.

'I'm a CIA operative and I have to protect the president and prevent his assassination. I have to talk to my wife about it and explain that I might die,' I said in my head.

"Scene two, take three," a set assistant called out, clicking the clapperboard down and the director yelled, "Action!"

I walked through the door of our movie set house and into the kitchen, finding my wife sitting at the table peeling potatoes. I kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder, before dropping my briefcase onto the table and slinking down into the chair beside her.

"Another long day sweetheart?" she asked, giving me a weak, sympathetic smile.

I nodded, taking a deep breath in before letting out a sigh. "The longest" I groaned, leaning forward and rubbing my hands over my face. Then I looked over at her, thinking.

"We uh, we need to have a talk Helen," I said quietly.

Worry was now etched across her face. "What about?" she asked hesitantly, searching my eyes.

"There are a lot of bad things going on right now," I said, looking down at my hands.

"What kind of bad things?" she asked, dropping the potato peeler and grabbing my hands up into hers. I lifted my eyes and looked at her as she said softly, "Please tell me. I need to know."

I shook my head slowly. "You know I'm not allowed to give you details."

I saw her eyes getting red and watery as she blinked the tears away. "I don't need details, but just tell me how worried I should be. Are you in danger?"

I hesitated, before saying, "All I can tell you is, there's a good chance that one day soon, I won't be making it home for dinner. My seat at this table will be sitting empty and you'll have to figure out how to raise our kids without me. I want you to be prepared for that."

"No," She said, scrunching her eyebrows and shaking her head, with tears filling up her eyes. "Don't talk like that," she said, gripping my hands tightly. "You can't leave me. I love you more than life itself and if I lost you, our kids would become orphans because I'd die from heartbreak," she cried, with tears streaming down her face, hugging me tightly and sobbing against my shoulder. "I can't live without you."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, burying my face into the crook of her neck and rubbing her back to comfort her.

I pulled back and looked into her eyes as a tear ran down my cheek. I had learned a long time ago how to make myself cry on demand for movie roles.

"Helen, I don't have a choice. We both knew what I was signing up for when I took this job. It's my duty to protect my president, and I'll take a bullet to save his life when that time comes."

"No," she sobbed, clinging onto me, crying against my chest. "

"You and the kids will be okay," I said, holding her in my arms. "The government will give you a check big enough to live off of for the rest of your life and a plaque and a medal to hang on the wall. Our kids will have stories to tell their kids and grandkids about how their Daddy was a hero that sacrificed himself to save the President of the United States. Children will read about me in history books."