Aftermath

Chapter 17-The Haunting of Saint-Lou

Chapter 17

Lou would be home in less than 8 hours, and that brought him some comfort as he watched her board private jet. His mother had strong-armed herself into the situation and cancelled Lou's flights and sent for her plane.

"This is for the best, Alexander," Sophia said standing next to Voss waving the small jet away.

"Really, then why does it feel so wrong?" Voss said dryly, turning from her and returned to their waiting car.

"Voss, are you in love with her?" His mother would not let up.

"Mother, do we have to do this now," he mumbled, his mother hated mumbling so he'd mumbled frequently in her presence.

"Yes, Alexander, we do need to do this now." Sofia tugged on his arm, spinning him around to face her. She was intense like this sometimes. He was getting ready for her to list off all the reasons why Lou was not good enough for him. That she was without money or family connections, and what would his precious family of royal Swedish snobby aunts and uncles think.

"She is remarkable, I completely understand why she tears at you so deeply," she said, not at all what he was expecting to hear. "She simply is not ready," his mother said with love and compassion. 'Who was this woman and where was his real mother?'

"Excuse me?"

"She is a diamond in the rough. She has suffered, persevered and survived a lifetime of pressure and it only improved her. She is of a unique quality, and I agree with you wanting to acquire her. I only need to stress to you that she is not to be trifled with. If you want her, give her time, and then go get her and treasure her like the jewel she is. But think carefully and act accordingly. I plan on having a long developed friendship with that girl and if you ruin it for me, I will be very put out." His mother finished her speech, and walked back to the car, leaving him standing on the tarmac with his mouth hanging open.

***

Voss tugged off his pirate style-peasant shirt, having soaked it with sweat and needing a fresh shirt for the retake. He had time to kill as the crew reset the scene so he pulled out his phone and scrolled through a few pictures Paul had sent him of the summer.

Gus had called a few days after Lou had left Sweden. The script had been reworked to center around Bastien, his character; his rise and fall in the early days of the French revolution. They could save and use much of the existing shot film, but Voss was asked to come back straight away to France for an intense two week shooting schedule that would leave the film only a week behind production and only a few million shy of the original budget.

Sam and Voss saw Gus as a visionary that held art to a high standard. Even all the cheesy shirtless scenes, Voss trusted Gus could pull off and help actually make sense of it in the context of the film and not let Voss come off looking like a Chippendale's dancer. Gus and his production partner Ed both sounded excited about the new script. The film was going to be darker, cutting the romantic elements out. Gus told him over the phone that this had been one of his primary visions for the film originally and it was the studio that had pushed the Lorna love story angle.

This might not suck as bad as he once thought.

On the tarmac at the airport, Lou had agreed to keep in touch. She was sweet and considerate up until the very moment he said goodbye. Her eyes were swollen and puffy from crying so hard the night before. She wore sunglasses and was quiet and clearly drained.

"Can I get you anything to drink, Voss," an intern asked as she jogged by Voss's camping chair.

"No, thanks," Voss said without looking up from the screen, a silhouette shot of Lou taken on the dock, the sun setting behind her. His mind drifted back, to the boat ride back to the island that last night, she had let him hold her under his arm the entire way, leaning all of her weight into him—needing him in that moment—allowing herself to need him, a thought, a feeling that he carried and treasured, Lou needing him, letting him in.