For Fake and For Real

5. I Said Cut

Since meeting Kojo, they had spent the last week making excuses to see each other before or after wrapping for the day. Today, they were heading to "our spot" as Tim put it when referring to the little dive they both loved eating at. She pulled her hair out of the braid that was part of her costume for today's scene and saw the loose waves hang around her face. For a split second, she wondered if Tim would like her hair like this, but tried to shake that idea away. Something was slipped under the door of her trailer, and she saw an updated filming schedule.

Unwilling to believe her eyes, she flipped through her script to confirm that a scene had moved up to TOMORROW. The scene she'd been dreading to act out.

"Lucy," Tim said standing outside her door.

She blinked hard once, steeling herself for what she knew he was going to say, then opened the door to a look of concern on his face.

"We need to talk," his eyes shifted around and stepped inside her trailer. "You saw the new schedule, right?"

She nodded.

"I know we had other plans, but we need to prep for tomorrow."

"Agreed."

"I'll meet you at your house," he said curtly and left.

With shaky hands, she got home and waited for him to arrive.

"Brought the burgers to us." He lifted a greasy bag up. He knew Lucy wouldn't mind cooking, or they could have ordered something when he got to her place, but he couldn't help that he was NERVOUS, and the feeling was only growing by the minute.

"Great, but we should just dive in," she responded uncomfortably. In truth, she couldn't imagine eating right now.

"Right," he agreed.

They sat down on her couch, and Lucy flipped through her script to find the page. She started reading her part, and Tim recited his. After saying their lines twice, he sighed. "You've gotta be off book by now."

She nodded her head, because he was right. She knew her lines. She knew this scene. She LOVED this scene in the book. She loved that it was perfectly taken from the original novel straight to the script. A few weeks ago, she would have felt uncomfortable about acting this out with COLD Tim, but the person she was starting to get to know...this whole new version of Tim Bradford, he was stirring up feelings in her she had never felt before. And acting this with him TERRIFIED her.

"Can we just address the elephant in the room?" Tim asked, noting the way the gears were turning in her head.

She tried to give him a clueless expression.

"Tomorrow, we're going to film one of the biggest scenes in the movie. We're gonna be on location with lots of eyes on us, and we have to sell that we're a couple on and off screen."

"Pretty much."

"We've gotta practice...you know," he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"Practice what?"

He gestured with his hands that he expected her to understand what he was saying without having to speak the words aloud.

After letting him flounder for a few seconds, she said, "You mean we're gonna have to kiss for the scene, and even though it's our characters' first kiss, it can't look like it's ours, since we're supposed to be dating."

He nodded in agreement.

"Okay, so how about we stand," she suggested.

Tim stood up to his full height looking down at her. "Let's get this over with."