Crimson Cheeks

Chapter Four

The minutes that went by while Gwen was on the phone felt like centuries to the younger woman. She was impatiently waiting for confirmation that she would be spending a night out with Gwen. Jenna was certainly very much aware that she wouldn't actually spend the entire evening just with Gwen, but the mere thought of them exchanging even minor, insignificant conversation was enough for her. There was something about the older woman that kept her longing to be around her. 

"You let Christina know and I'll meet you downstairs in a few minutes.", Gwen said to the other end of the line as she hung up her call, putting her phone back into her small handbag. "Looks like we'll be joining you after all.", she said as she turned her attention back to Jenna. 

The younger woman, unable to control her facial muscles, grinned largely back at her, the corners of her lips almost reaching her ears. "Great.", she said.

Gwen returned the smile, her own self-control failing in battling the sweetness Jenna beamed in front of her. "Should we go find the others then?", she asked. 

Jenna wanted nothing more than to stay right there, in that spot, her eyes locked with Gwen's light ocean-coloured orbs. She put up an effort to push her thoughts aside and nodded, signaling for the older woman to follow her. The two women made their way to Emma's room, Jenna leading the way as Gwen followed close behind her.  

The three young actors greeted them with excitement, they seemed amped to find out about Gwen's addition to the party, alongside Christina and Luis. Jenna caught the eyes of Hunter who was not-so-delicately flashing her a suggestive smirk. She glared back at him, warning him about her murderous intentions, should he ever decide to voice any of his obviously wicked thoughts. His playful smile only grew wider at the sight as he remained silent. 

The group moved to the reception where they met Christina and Luis, both of them dressed in noticeably more formal outfits than the younger actors, matching Gwen's own elegant attire. It was quite obvious that their plans were far from what they'd turn out to be. Jenna thought that they were probably going to dine at one of the fancy restaurants Luis had been going on and on about wanting to try out since they had arrived in Bucharest. 

Moments later they were split into two taxis, steering towards the club Hunter had instructed the drivers to drive to. Jenna shared a taxi with Emma, Hunter, and Joy, all of which kept going on about how they were looking forward to the reactions of the older actors to the place. 

"Where exactly are we going?", Jenna asked skeptically, her mind trailing back to the conversation she had with Hunter just minutes before when he'd told her that he picked the place for her. 

"To a magical place!", Hunter said, turning his head towards the back of the car from the front seat where he was sitting, and winked at Jenna. She turned to look at Emma with curious eyes, but Hunter placed his index finger on his lips, signaling both her and Joy to remain silent. "You'll find out soon enough.", he said as the driver pulled out of the main road to a small dark street, barely lit by the moonlight. 

Jenna could see some flickering light in the distance as they were approaching the end of the road. The car stopped on the side of a building that looked aged and untended. It resembled an old factory of some sort or a warehouse. There was a lit sign hanging from one of the shut garage doors, a bright pink neon hashtag (#).

Once everybody was out of the cars, they gathered outside the garage door where Hunter was texting someone on his phone. Everyone looked slightly uneasy to be there. It was due to the freezing cold combined with the unsettling darkness that carried a disturbing horror film vibe. 

"Anyone else feel like they should be calling their families to say their final goodbyes...", Luis said looking around visibly agitated and bothered by the scenery.