accidental | levi miller

III

Kilig
(n.)
• the rush or the inexplicable joy one feels after seeing or experiencing something romantic.
———
Leaves and branches crunch under my feet as I follow the cameraman, holding the boom mic tightly above me. I step away from him and start following Aaron, who plays Jasper Jones, as he, Levi, and Angourie walk over to the small lake. Levi walks away from both of them and stops a few feet away from me, his eyes trailing from the floor up to the sky. He looks back down and gives me a small smile, which I return.

"Charlie! Look!" Angourie's voice rings in my headphones as Levi turns and walks over to the synthetic tree made by the props department, where she was.

His fingers lightly graze the word "sorry"  carved on the tree as she places her hand on top of his. I frown slightly and look away, letting out a small sigh of relief when Rachel calls cut. I slowly move the boom mic above Levi and lower it until it brushes against his hair as Angourie walks away, tapping his head briefly. I giggle when he turns to me, a grin across his face.

"Can you show me how to use that?" He asks curiously, walking over. I nod and place the microphone on the floor as I cut off the sound.

"Yeah, here—put these on first." I take my headphones off and hand them to him as he puts them around his head. He bobs his head slightly as if he's listening to music, laughing when he earns a playful eyeroll from me. "This is called an audio bag. It has a field recorder inside which basically records the sound I pick up." I take it off and place it over his shoulder as I flick a switch inside that cuts the sound back on. I pick up the microphone again and lean against it, watching Levi's reaction.

"This is amazing! I can hear everything but, like, ten times clearer!" He cries in awe. I smile and hand him the boom mic as he starts to lift it with one hand.

"Oh, careful! You have to hold it with both hands 'cause it's quite fragile—like this." I step closer and place his other hand on the boom pole, lifting his arms so that they're slightly by his head. "That way you can get a wider range of sound." He looks over at me and smiles warmly, mouthing a small "thank you."

I watch as he walks around, pretending to film a scene. I pull out my phone and take a picture as he poses with a wide grin.

"Isabella, we're going to film the running scene we need you and Levi outside the forest." Rachel says through the walkie-talkie as Levi walks back to me.

"We need to go, they're about to film." I say, walking as he hands me the equipment back.

- - -

"No, no, Angourie you're not expressing your emotions correctly. In this scene Jasper Jones and Charlie are taking you somewhere you're not so sure of. You're scared and you have to show it in your face, but you also want to find your sister so you have to have to show bravery in this scene. I casted you because I know you're capable of doing it, let's try it one more time." Rachel says strenuously. I watch as Angourie huffs in frustration and walks back to her place. "Ready... and action!"

I lift up the mic and run after the actors as the cameraman near me films them. A drone with a camera is lifted into the sky to get the panoramic shots, and it suddenly stops when Angourie starts to run the wrong way.

"Cut! Cut!" Rachel groans and runs her hands through her hair impatiently. I stop running and catch my breath, walking across the field once more until I reach her. "Ang, this is the fifteenth time we've had to shoot this. Is everything alright? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm fine, I'll get it in the next take I promise." She says curtly. Rachel, ignoring her tone, stands up and looks around at the crew, pacing.

"If only we had a demonstration of some sort," aunt Rachel's eyes land on me as she points her finger at me and beckons me to come over. "Bella come here, I want you to show us how this scene is supposed to look like." I point to myself questioningly and start to take the equipment off when she calls me over again. I hand the boom mic to another operator by me and walk over to her.

"We're going to shoot this scene with you as Eliza so Ang can see how we want this bit to go." She says, walking back to her chair. I open my mouth to protest but close it quickly, walking over to Levi and Aaron as the crew members prepare the cameras again.

He nudges my arm softly and grins. "Ready?"

I nod and step back to give him a head start as aunt Rachel places her headphones over her ears.  "I think so."

"Let's take it from the top. And action!"

As if suddenly we had become different people, we get into character and start running across the large field towards the woods. I look back in horror and concern occasionally as I run after them, trying to catch up.

"We have to hurry, c'mon!" Levi yells, looking back at me. I look behind me hesitantly and pick up the pace as a sudden wave of adrenaline hits me.

I notice Rachel staring at the monitor excitedly as she gives me a thumbs up. My eyes trail to Angourie and truly start running in horror because if looks could kill: I'd sure as hell be dead right now.

Everything starts to become a haze as I try to slow down, realizing I was running too fast and way too close to Aaron and Levi. I feel my foot get caught on a thick branch as I trip, crashing into someone as they catch me.

I look to the side when I feel the person wrap their arms around me, and notice they've caught me similar to the way someone is dipped when they're dancing. I gaze up and notice Levi looking down at me, his face inches apart from mine.

"It's okay, I've got you. Are you alright?" He asks, falling silent as he scans my face.

"I'm okay." I breathe out in relief, my adrenaline returning back to normal. His eyes flicker from mine to my lips, making my face turn bright red when I remember there's people watching us.

"Cut! That was brilliant, Isabella. Those were the exact emotions I'm looking for in that scene. Was that improv at the end when she falls and you catch her, Levi? It was outstanding." Aunt Rachel says cheerfully, speaking through her megaphone so we can hear her. I stand and step away from Levi, looking down to hide my red face. I look over at him as I start walking back and realize he's doing the exact same thing. A small smile forms on my face as an inexplicable rush of happiness runs through me, making me feel slightly lightheaded.

"Did you see it, Ang? Let's try this one more time." She says, resting the megaphone on the floor as Angourie gets up and walks to her place once more. I sit down next to Rachel and sink into my seat, watching as they continue to film.

For the rest of the night Levi felt the same exact feeling. And he couldn't explain why.

- - -

Just a little disclaimer (?) this chapter is in no way hating/throwing shade at Angourie !! She is literally the loveliest and one of the most talented actresses ever !

-v