Devotion

Chapter 3

LEOMI

"Good morning, Ryan." I sigh, pulling down my crop top. It's our second week on set, and knowing I'll have to change as soon as I get there, I decided to go with something simple: a crop top and short leggings, with absolutely no makeup. After all, it is six in the morning, and I can't muster the energy to care.

I'm barely awake right now. By the time we get to the set, however, I'm sure I'll be more alert.

"Morning, Ms. Louis. How was your night?" Ryan asks as he turns the wheel slightly, maneuvering around the corner of a store.

"It was great, thank you for asking." I fix my bun, catching a glimpse of its messiness in the rearview mirror.

"How was yours?" I ask, checking my purse for a lip balm. I'm only now realizing I left my apartment while looking a mess. Ryan arrived earlier than expected, and I didn't want to keep him waiting, so I had to rush my morning routine.

"It was fine," he responds. I nod, and we make small talk on our way. I'm glad he's becoming a bit less tense, which makes me feel much better. If I'm going to see him every day for the next couple of months, we should at least be able to stand each other.

"This is it," he tells me, waking me from a nap I didn't realize I had fallen into.

I quickly sit up and look outside. "Thank you, Ryan!" I say as I exit the car.

Arriving on set, I see many people, each busy with their own tasks, some working in groups. I keep walking until I find the production assistant, Tanya, so I can check in.

She gives me a smile and welcomes me. I return the smile, feeling grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

Then I head to wardrobe to find my outfit for the day. Scarlette is the kind of girl who wears black almost every single day, so I was being dressed in exactly that.

She is a girl who was trained by the people who took her in after her parents were murdered. They dressed like warriors.

The outfit is a black crop top with a cropped leather jacket with long sleeves, and tight leather pants that fit perfectly, showing off my abs with a black leather belt.

After wardrobe, I head to hair and makeup. A man and a woman, whom I've come to know as Sandra and Alex, start to work on my face and hair as I rehearse silently.

Alex styles my natural curls to perfection while Sandra does my makeup. The scar they put on my left cheek every day looks horrifyingly realistic, and I'm always tempted to touch it, but I don't want to risk ruining it.

"You're done," they say before moving on to someone else. I walk to one of the rooms where a scene is being filmed and notice Ares giving Zamira a peck on the lips-or rather, Roman kissing Amara.

As I look closer, I realize their lips aren't actually touching. This reminds me of Ares's rule about kissing while acting. He doesn't believe it's necessary and prefers they edit the scenes to make it seem like they're actually kissing.

In the scene, Ares looks around the room in frustration and then picks up a bag from under a small bed.

"Please, Roman, I just got you back. You can't go," Zamira tells him, reaching her hand out to touch his arm, her face showing hurt.

"I have to. This has been going on for too long. Someone has to do something," he says, pushing her hand away.

"But what if?" She starts to ask, but he interrupts her, throwing the bag over his shoulder.

"It doesn't matter. I'm still going."

"Roman, for God's sakes! It's Dream City! No one goes there unless they have a death wish," she tries to explain to him.

"I'll come back. I promise," he tells her, giving her another fake kiss. But as soon as the director yells cut, Ares steps back, his facial expression changing from longing to neutral in a matter of seconds.

He walks away to take a sip of water. "That was great!" Emma says to everyone.

"Hey!" Zamira calls out, running over to me when she notices me.

"Hey, girl! That was amazing," I tell her as we hug.

"You think so? I thought I could've shown a bit more emotion," she tells me, pulling back and placing a hand dramatically over her head, like a widow from those vintage movies, which makes me giggle.

"It was perfect," I respond genuinely.

"Speaking of, this outfit looks amazing on you," she tells me.

"Thank you. I'm going to be wearing different versions of it every day from now on, so I'd hope so," I sigh, wishing Scarlette had better taste in clothing.

"At least they didn't dress you like a homeless person. I mean, look at mine," she says, and I glance at her slightly torn shirt and the fake dirt on her pants.

In the movie, those with power have hidden in secret for centuries, but when people discovered them and their abilities, a war broke out. However, Roman and Amara are a human couple.

"You make it look cute," I tell her.

"I'll see you soon," she replies, and I nod.

I make my way to film my scene, knowing it's a solo act, which is bound to be a bit awkward.

"Hey, Rose," I hear as I walk, puzzled by the name. I turn to see who they're addressing.

I notice it's Ares walking towards me, so I smile at him.

"Did you just call me Rose?" I ask, my accent coming out slightly.

"Yes, I did. It's my nickname for you. You like it?" he asks, his voice low and slightly hoarse.

"It's cute," I admit, making him chuckle.

He looks me up and down, his eyes lingering. "Break a leg, beautiful," he tells me, leaving me speechless as he walks away.