Crossing a Line | Ben Hardy

1

She will always remember the first time she saw him. He was standing a few feet away, hunched on the side of his car, a cigarette in one hand, and a coffee mug in the other. It was quite a warm day in June, and the summer sun shone on his blonde hair, making quite a beautiful halo on his baby face. He was wearing a short-sleeved denim polo, the exposed muscles on his arms slightly flexing with every movement.

She had only ever seen him on screen before that - most recently in Bohemian Rhapsody - and even though the cameras do not do his handsome features justice, she thought that he looked as unapproachable in person. There was a slight crease on his forehead, and he seemed to be in deep thought. Nevertheless, she was downright attracted.

Carwyn tried not to linger her gaze for too long and adjusted her sunglasses as she locked the doors of her jeep. The beep caught Ben's attention and he looked at her, assessing her from head to toe. Recognition dawned on his face before he threw the cigarette butt on the concrete ground and walked over.

"Hello," Carwyn heard his deep voice from behind her. "I'm Ben. Ben Hardy. I believe we'll be working together."

"Carwyn Ian," she said as she shook his hand. "But please call me Car."

Ben raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on his lips. He looked at her black jeep before he said, "Nice car, Car."

She was never good at small talk, never really good at socializing. In fact, Carwyn had been extremely anxious as she made her way to this place, but she was glad that at least Ben had been kind enough to introduce himself. At least she would not be a complete stranger at the meeting. She chuckled as Ben motioned for them to go inside the restaurant.

The maître d' recognized Ben and immediately led them to one of the private rooms upstairs. The long, rectangular table was full save for a few seats. A tall man she recognized as Gwilym Lee stood up and gave Ben a hug.

"I missed you, mate," he said with a huge grin. "Long time no see."

"Good to see you again, mate," replied Ben, returning the brief hug.

Gwilym then turned to her. "Gwil," he extended a hand.

"Carwyn. Call me Car."

"Nice to finally meet you, Car."

A few more introductions were made as the three of them made their way to their seats. Carwyn was seated in between Ben and Gwilym. Around them were the movie director, producers, managers, and the author of Bridges of Dreams, the novel they would be adapting to the big screen.

Clemence, a jolly old woman who was one of the producers, finally called everyone's attention just as they were waiting for the main course to be served. "Everyone, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you all for coming here tonight. Gwil, I know you came straight from another function. Ben, you just finished wrapping the shooting for your series, and I'd like to congratulate you on its success."

Ben gave a shy smile and nodded. Carwyn was starting to feel out of place – it seemed as if everbody knows everybody else in this small group. She had only managed to chitchat with a few people during dinner, aside from Ben and Gwil who tried their best to make her feel welcome.

"Dominique, thank you for agreeing to direct this wonderful project."

"My pleasure," Dominique, the young director, replied.

"My fellow producers, James and William, thank you for your interest as well," said Clemence. "Stefani," she addressed the woman seated beside her. Aside from Ben and Gwil, Stefani had been the most pleasant so far. "our dear author, without whom we would never have this movie in the first place."

Stefani gave a pleasant embarrassed chuckle. By this time, Carwyn was starting to feel horrible. Had Clemence forgotten about her? She was seated right in front of the producer, but she had never once talked to her.

"And lastly, our lovely – and shy – Carwyn," a wave of relief rushed through Car. She mentally scolded herself for being too anxious in front of strangers. "Welcome to England, dear. I hope you enjoy working with us, and I'm sure everyone here would agree with me that you are going to be our breakout star."

Clemence raised her glass of wine in a toast. "To Gwilym – our dear John; to Ben – his bestfriend Peter who, might I add, is not an Eastender (this earned a few chuckles); and to Carwyn – the fierce Kristen, wife of John."

The room was filled with the twinkling of glass and murmurs of agreement as everyone began to eat. The awkward atmosphere that Carwyn felt from earlier has now turned into an accepting one. She hoped this would be worth everything.