The Crew | On Hold

Chapter 37

"I hope everything goes well today." I tell Andrew as we speed down the road to work. Both of our stomaches are full with apple-flavoured pancakes, and there is nothing more I'd like right now than to sleep wrapped in Andrew's arms below his soft-like-a-cloud blanket.

Without taking his stare off of the road, Andrew takes my hand in his. He raises it to his lips, plants a soft kiss it and then rubs his thumb across my knuckles for a while. I can tell that he's nervous, too, but I doubt that he's more worried than I am. My leg can't stop bouncing, and I can feel slight panic in my chest. 

"Do you think everyone would dislike me, if Anna announced that we were secretly dating?" It comes out barely as a whisper, but Andrew catches it. Since we've stopped at a traffic light, he looks me in the eyes, and I notice a flash of worry in his eyes, before it is overtaken with overprotectiveness. 

"I won't let anyone badmouth you, Emma. Don't worry about that." Andrew announces, and I wish that it helped me with my growing anxiety, but it doesn't. I force a weak smile, and then look out of the window without really seeing anything. The both of us sigh periodically, both deep in our own thoughts.

***

"You know that dating your co-worker doesn't mean you can come to work later, don't you, Emma?" Mila snaps, when Andrew and I arrive on set. 

Andrew, who goes off to the make up trailer, and Mila are supposed to film a two-on-two scene today, so there aren't that many people here, but Alex and Matilda are standing right next to Mila, and now they're both staring at me like I've grown a tail.

Not knowing what to say, I narrow my eyes at Mila, and walk past them to my shared trailer with Anna. I wish that I could avoid her today, but, of course, she's my boss and it is her trailer, so it would be impossible for me not to see her today. 

As I walk away past the production group, I say hello to Davina, and hear Alex and Matilda calling after me, but I don't turn around to look at them. I know what they're gonna say, anyway. It's a mistake, you shouldn't be doing this, you have to end you romance. Yes, I know it would be the right thing to do. However, I don't need to hear it from them. I don't want to. 

I enter the trailer, and notice Anna sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee in her hands. She seems to be in deep thought as she warms her hands with the hot beverage, and, when she hears someone come in, she looks up. Our eyes meet, and, though I expect her to scoff and be angry, she actually smiles at me, taking me by surprise.

"Hi, Emma. Do you want coffee?" 

Dumbfounded, I stand in the doorway, frozen, unable to get a word out. Why is she so calm and nice today? Though there were several scenarios in my mind of how this could escalate, the possibility of Anna being calm and friendly was none of them. 

Noticing that I am confused, Anna places her drink on the coffee table and gets up from the couch. She comes towards me, and, shocking me completely, pulls me in a hug. "Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry. I realise I can't be the one, who tells you who to love, but you have to understand me, too. I loved John. Heck, I still secretly love him. And Bethany, she knew it. She hooked up with him, completely breaking my heart. And not once, no." Anna releases me, and I notice that there are tears pooling in her eyes. She quickly turns away and wipes them. "She did that more than once, until I finally had enough one day. The same day I hired you."

I lead Anna to the couch, and we both sit down. I feel my head spinning, and I can't understand my own feelings anymore. I'm sad for Anna and that her own assistant betrayed her, but I'm also angry at Anna, that she threatened to fire me and defended Mila, trying to convince Andrew that he should give her a chance.