Filming Flashbacks

Chapter 6: And That's a Wrap!

DAKOTA POV

Jamie's alarm shrills and he moans as he slowly disentangles himself from me to stretch over and turn it off. My body follows his and I roll over to cuddle him and lay a soft kiss on his jaw. "Soooo....that escalated kind of quickly, huh."

He kisses my head and strokes my back, his hand landing quite naturally on my ass for a gentle squeeze. "That it did."

I lean up to look down at him, "We can't have any more PG-13 slumber parties, Dornan. You're not a cheater and I'm not a homewrecker. We need to dial it back a bit."

His eyes meet mine and he nods, "Agreed. But I won't regret this one for a minute." He smacks my ass and gets up to head to the shower.

*****

Our connection grows stronger every day and we are often in our own little bubble. We cherish every moment together whether we're working, talking, or simply being.

Sam even commented that we seem to always be touching, innocently, when we're in the same room. It might be standing so close our shoulders rub, sitting so our legs touch, lingering touches after a "CUT" is called - we're like magnets that are irresistibly drawn to each other. Being a photographer at heart, she has been taking photos of us for a few days now, capturing, as she says, the insane connection between us. She winked at me, "You'll thank me for these one day – this is your 'once upon a time' moment." I raised a brow questioningly. "You know, when your story begins." She smiled and walked away.

Not everyone found our growing rapport endearing. I was early to set one day and overheard Dana telling Erika, "the last thing we need is a headline that reads 50 Shades star abandons wife and child for hot costar. We need to lock this shit down, Erika. That kind of publicity can sink this movie before it ever launches."

That was a sobering wakeup call to me, and also to Jamie once I told him about it. This wasn't just about us, it was about this movie as well as the ones to follow.

I'm heading to LA this weekend for some much needed 'mommy' time. I need her – her wisdom, her unconditional love, and her soothing comfort – because my heart is slowly breaking as I face the future. Jamie was also leaving town - taking his family, including his mother-in-law, who had decided to stay until they returned home, to a lake house for a weekend escape.

*****

Mama is relaxing on a lounge chair by the pool when I come outside with a glass of wine for each of us. Instead of sitting in the chair next to her, I wiggle myself in between her legs and lay back against her and she immediately wraps me in her arms and kisses my head. "Tell me what's on your heart, Coqui." How does she always know the perfect thing to do and say? I hope I'm half as good a Mom someday.

Heaving a deep sigh I unload the thoughts that have been coursing through my brain these past two weeks. "Mama, I love him. I know in the deepest depths of my soul that he is my mate in every way. I was meant for him and he was meant for me. I can't imagine my life without him. I'm scared of the day when filming ends and we walk away from each other. A huge part of me is going with him and I don't think I'll ever get it back. I don't know how to navigate this, Mama. I've never been in this place before and I don't know how I'm going to survive it."

The tears are rolling now and I wipe my snotty nose on my sleeve, "I think I could deal with it if she deserved him, but she doesn't, Mom! She doesn't even seem to care about him. She's holding him hostage! They're not happy together. He's tried hard to make things right with her and she isn't responding."