Can't Turn Back Now, I'm Haunted (A Ben Willbond Rom Com)

Chapter Ten | The Elephant in the Room

"I'm sorry— I'm so sorry—"

Ben's voice wavered with laughter as he held a finger tightly over his mouth, trying to keep his face from cracking and his moustache to fall off.

The rest of us fell to pieces. As usual, Simon Farnaby was taking an impossibly ordinary-seeming line and working it into the funniest sentence any of us had ever heard.

"I've got it," Ben assured, taking a deep breath. "And again."

We all reset to our places in the drawing room of Button House, every one of us biting the insides of our cheeks to keep from corpsing. A moment of silence as the crew settled, the director called "action", and Simon spoke again — only to send us immediately into hysteria once more. Ben's giggles triggered Mat, whose face scrunched up with incredulous laughter. Lolly clapped a hand over her eyes and tried to get it together.

"Oh, god," grinned Jim, shaking his head. "We're gonna need another hour for this one I think."

Simon (Not Farnaby) The Director, as I'd come to think of him, chuckled and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Let's cut," he laughed.

"I'm so sorry," said Ben in a high, soft voice, unable to keep from laughing. "I just need to fix the moustache, I'll be professional in a minute I promise!"

He walked out of frame pressing the moustache to his face and snickering. I watched him, shaking my head and giggling.

"Ben's in a better mood, isn't he?" Murmured Charlotte, casting a raised eyebrow around to Martha and I.

"Must've had a good day off!" Martha peered over to where Ben was getting a touch up by makeup. I bit my lips together and raised my eyebrows, shrugging.

So far, the day had indeed been a delight. As promised, Ben had slipped out of my flat in the wee hours to get home and change for his morning jog before heading in. When we arrived to set, we exchanged sly smiles, but other than that the day had been like any other — meaning jovial, creative, and exactly what I wanted to be doing. As much as Ben had my attention, I was so thrilled to be back on set with my new friends again — it felt like we were all in the sandbox, playing.

Ben had, indeed, been more relaxed and ready to smile than usual. His eyes shone as we worked the scene, and it was blatantly clear he was enjoying himself. It made my heart turn over to think that I had some part in that. As for me, I was approaching day one of filming the season finale with alacrity, relishing every joke I got to play.

When Ben returned, moustache freshly secured, he took a deep breath and stared at his shoes, trying to suppress a grin.

"Alright," he said, calling himself to focus. "Let's do it."

Despite the giggle fits, we actually made excellent time for the first day back. Come mid-afternoon, we wrapped up a group scene and the line producer called for a ten minute union break.

"So, what'd you get up to on your day off then?" Charlotte turned to me, putting her hands in her pockets.

"Oh, you know," I dismissed, fighting to remain casual. "Saw the sights of London, brushed up on my history. You?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben put his hands in his pockets and slowly back away from the group. He shot me a pointed look and a small smile before slipping out into the hall. I finished my conversation with Charlotte and excused myself, claiming that I wanted to run back to my trailer during the break.

He wasn't in the hallway, so I continued up the stairs and further into the house. The ancient floor creaked beneath my feet as I crept down the upstairs hallway. I was about to give up and forego the illicit meetup in favor of raiding the crafty table when a hand shot out of one of the bedrooms and grabbed my forearm. I shrieked, at first with surprise, then with giddiness as Ben yanked me inside and brought me against the wall. He leaned a lazy hand above my head and loomed over me, grinning wickedly.