Delicate - Emily Blunt x Reader

4 - my tears ricochet

"If I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?"
——————————

Emily is absolutely amazing in this scene. The dedication to the character. The fact that you feel like you're there at the fundraising event with her. The emotion, despite her panic attack in the dressing room five minutes ago.

You clench and unclench your fists at your sides. It's frustrating not knowing what triggered Emily's sudden wave of anxiety, as you wish you could help her with whatever it is that's bothering her.

But out there, with the cameras and lights and attention on her, she looks fearless. Unstoppable.

You watch Nolan lead Emily to the middle of the ballroom. His hands fall around her waist, and her arms are thrown over his broad shoulders. His grip on her tightens as the music starts. You watch as his hands slide lower down her body. You suck in a deep breath. There's no way this is in the stage directions.

Louis steps beside you. "Something happened."

"Huh?" Louis's words break your trance.

"You're looking at her differently," he says.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You usually watch Emily like she's the Aurora Borealis," Louis explains. "But now you're looking at her like she's a volcano."

"Can you not diagnose my feelings as if they're natural landmarks? It makes no sense," you whisper to him.

"Sorry," Louis clears his throat, "You usually look at Emily like she's beautiful, which she is. But now you're looking at her like you're scared of her beauty."

"I am not scared of her," you reply defensively.

"Don't tell me I'm wrong. I'm never wrong. I know what I see."

"And I know what I feel."

"Do you?"

"Yes!" You raise your voice loud enough for the director to snap his head towards you.

"Cut!" He yells. "Who is this girl?"

No one answers him, but you feel the heat rush to your face.

"You know what, it doesn't matter. I didn't like that take anyway. Nolan, I'm not convinced that you love Emily's character," the director turns his attention to his actors.

Emily stands between Nolan's arms from being in the middle of a slow dance. Nolan pulls away from her, running a hand through his hair. "That's because I don't. I mean, look at her."

You want to lunge forward and knock some sense into all 6'5" Nolan Eldridge, but you look over and see Louis shaking his head at you.

The director sighs. He takes off his glasses and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Why don't we take an early lunch?"

The staff of the movie quickly abandon their posts. The director intercepts Emily and Nolan before they can leave the set. He grabs them both by their elbows and pulls them together.

"And why don't you two take your lunch together? When you come back, I better believe your feelings for each other. You're professional actors. It's sad that it's this hard to even pretend." And with that the director leaves the set.

Emily rubs the back of her neck. She loves acting, so you can tell how much she wants her chemistry with Nolan to work out. Nolan, on the other hand, is already making his way towards the doors.

"Where are you going?" Emily yells after him.

"To get a burger," Nolan doesn't even turn around to answer.

"Wait!" Emily quickly follows her co-star out the door.

"Lunch?" Louis suggests.

You find that Louis's idea of lunch is sitting in the hallway eating Saran wrapped peanut butter sandwiches that his mother made. Yes, he's thirty years old and still lives in his childhood bedroom. You're not to judge. If you stilled lived in your hometown, you're sure you would be in the same boat.

"So, what is it that you see in Emily?" Louis asks through a mouthful of his sandwich.

"Why are you so invested in this? She seems to be all we ever talk about." You take a sip of the Cherry Coke you got out of a vending machine.

"She is the star," Louis shrugs.

"I've always found comfort in Emily. Growing up, if she was on the cast of a movie, I watched it. She's the one person who's genuinely kind and sincere both on and off the screen. It's admirable." You could go on, but you stop here.

"So it has nothing to do with her appearance?" Louis teases.

"Oh, she's gorgeous in every possible way!" You lean your head against the wall.

Louis crinkles his Saran wrap into a ball and tosses it into the air, playing catch with himself.

"I'm doomed, Louis," you sigh. "I feel like a child whose role model is Michael Jordan. Or whose crush is 2000's Leonardo DiCaprio."

"Except you're her makeup artist. You get to touch her face every day! That's more than a distant celebrity crush," Louis says confidently. "Besides, she has made it clear that she sees you as more than just a staff member on the movie. I'd say you're close to friends."

You sigh. "We should probably get back."

Louis nods and offers you his hand to help you up off the ground.

On the way back to the set, you hear giggling around a corner. You exchange a look with Louis before peeking around the corner.

None other than Nolan Eldridge stands almost a foot taller than Emily. She's pressed against the wall. Nolan has one arm on the wall over her head, and another is tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

She laughs again, an innocent laugh, and stands on her toes to give him a soft kiss on the lips.

Nolan leans down, asking for more. He kisses Emily harder this time, his hands finding their way up her shirt and hers in his hair.

You feel bad for watching but can't force yourself to look away. Louis is tugging on your shirt, failing to try and get you to move along.

Finally, the two break apart. Nolan puts his hand on the back of Emily's neck and tries to pull her in for another kiss, but she places her hand firmly on his chest which is rapidly rising and falling.

"We have to go!" Emily says through a smile.

Emily turns to make her way down the hallway, and Louis pulls you away into the set room. You wonder if she saw you. You hope not.

"She was just talking terribly about him in the dressing room this morning!" You whispered yell at Louis. "Now she's making out with him on break?"

Louis straightens himself and smiles at a light crew member passing by. "I don't know, Y/N. It looks like they're taking the director's words to heart."

"Plenty of actors fall in love on screen and not in real life," I try.

"And plenty of them fall in love on screen and in real life," Louis replies.

You run your hands through your hair and look around. Emily stands in the middle of the ballroom.

"Can we get someone to touch up Emily?" The director asks the room.

You take that as your cue. You bring your bag over to Emily. You smooth out her hair and then move to her lips. Her lipstick is practically gone except some of it is smeared outside of the outline of her lips. You find it hard to look Emily in the eyes.

"Y/N, please look at me," Emily says quietly.

You do. What you see in her eyes isn't the usual bubbly Emily. It's sadness.

"It's not what you think," she says.

——————————
"'Cause I loved you. I swear I loved you, 'til my dying day."