Soulmate

Chapter 26

A few more weeks passed. During this period of time, it seemed that Kevin and Catherine's relationship had cooled. The truth is that they avoided each other because they were aware of what was going on between them. They had both noticed it that night: it seemed that the ashes of love were rekindling. Therefore, they began to relate to each other in a cordial way, but somewhat more distant than usual.

Catherine was on the set. She wore her hair done in a semi-updo. An expensive looking barrette held one part of her hair while the other fell down her back and shoulders in ringlets. She was wearing a long-sleeved dress, cinched at the waist, lilac and long down to her feet. A lilac shawl with lace was draped over her shoulders. She stood silently, chewing a piece of mint gum, while Valeria did her make-up. After trying to put it off as long as possible, Catherine was about to film the kiss scene with Mike. She could think of no other activity that would thrill her less than having to kiss him. But it was what she had to do.

A few minutes later, Catherine spit out the gum onto a tissue that Greta held out to her. She saw in the distance Mike doing the same with the gum he must have been chewing. She grimaced in disgust. "I'd rather have to kiss all the frogs in the world than have to even go near him." This comment elicited giggles from Valeria and Greta.

"Don't get overwhelmed. You know these things don't matter in the least. You get there, say whatever it says in the script, kiss him and that's it. Then you can go to the dressing room to disinfect your mouth... with bleach, for example." said Greta with a mocking smile.

"Sure! But look, I have a trick to make it less unpleasant," murmured Valeria, applying more blusher on Catherine's cheeks "When you kiss him, and close your eyes, imagine someone else... Brad Pitt, for example. Or Leonardo DiCaprio. Maybe Johnny Depp. Well, or someone like that."

Catherine and Greta laughed heartily. The director gave instructions for everyone to get into position. Catherine advanced toward the set, which had been decorated to look like a room in a palace. She positioned herself at the mark on the floor. Mike did the same. The director approached them to give them brief directions. In barely ten seconds the cameras began filming. Catherine and Mike began to play the scene. A couple of minutes later, when the script indicated, Mike approached Catherine and joined his lips with hers.

Despite Mike's fresh breath, for Catherine the kiss was taking forever and was very unpleasant. Therefore, she decided to put into practice what Valeria had told her. She poured all her efforts into imagining anyone else. And it worked. She imagined kissing those soft lips again and again, until her lungs couldn't stand the lack of air. She imagined feeling surrounded by his strong arms, which always made her feel protected and safe. She imagined resting one hand on his broad chest and stroking his hair with the other. And finally, she imagined separating from him, and having those deep, beautiful green eyes looking at her with intensity.

Oh, my goodness.

She heard the director yell "Cut!" and that brought her back to reality. She opened her eyes and found Mike in front of her face. Without even looking at him, she turned around and walked off the set, feeling her cheeks burn. After watching the scene a couple of times, the director said it was good. Catherine went back to her dressing room. She had to change her hair, makeup and clothes for the next scene. She opened the dressing room door to find Greta and Valeria chatting, as usual.