Ghost Light

Chapter 4 - The Afterglow

"Right, the one that got away." Charlie said the line as the tips of their toes touched, their proximity no longer an issue for her, despite it being off script, and for the first time since he entered the room, he felt like he saw a flicker of genuinity in her eyes. Despite the rehearsed, scripted words. Craning her neck up once again to be able to look him in the eye, there was a sense of comfort and realness neither one of them was willing to break.

Looking down into her eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce straight to her soul, causing sparks to fly at the source deep down in her gut, and a strange creeping sensation to crawl up the back of her neck, making the hairs stand on end, he gently cupped her left cheek in the palm of his right hand, keeping their stare down from flinching, but really, neither was putting up much of a fight in the first place.

"Yeah," his voice was soft, distant, as if he were replying to something else entirely. Somehow they had come nose to nose between breaths, and his hot breath fanned across her face as he spoke with a small grin, making her eyes finally give in and flutter shut in concession to the butterflies fluttering their way up and out of her on a sigh. "But I think we get more than one of those."

No one spoke. The scene was over, not even a camera pan or fade out was left on the page, yet still it hung in the room, seeming to saturate the very air they were all trying to breathe, a presence of it's own, and it seemed to smile. It made everything feel brighter, the air feel lighter, and his left arm that had worked it's way around her waist somewhere in the space between feel tighter.

Laying his forehead against her own, he let his eyes flutter shut just as she had, only to have her look up at him through her lashes seconds later, taking in a deep breath, her first in forever, so it would seem, as he let out a heavy sigh, carrying everything left unsaid.

The sound of the camera stopping it's recording with a little 'ding' sounded, breaking the silence, but only putting a dent in the mood. No one said a word for what felt like an eternity, while they stood there, seemingly frozen in time, an anomaly of the cosmos, until hushed murmurs began behind the tables, and they drew slowly apart, hands falling away from one another to rest at their sides, scripts clutched tightly in their palms, as if they could wring words from them to use in this moment now.

But words eluded them, so small smiles seemed to suffice, a small nod in recognition of the moment and shared feelings all that remained, until their names were called from behind the table, and they looked up to see several scripts being used as makeshift fans, waving their holders back to something resembling normalcy, trying to dim the smiles on their faces just a bit, if only to keep the moment suspended a little longer.

***

Waiting around after the scene had long come to an end, and his taping one for the books, James hung around the holding room, waiting to talk to Bruce. They had been friends for years, and worked on many a project together, so the chance to really say hi face to face and not over text message for the first time in a long time was too alluring to turn away.

Flipping through the book to the page marked with his bookmark, he spread the book wide, smoothing down the crease in the middle, making the binding of the hardback copy crack and crinkle. In just the short time he had been waiting after the reading, he had made it a decent way in, and he could honestly say, if the production was anything like the series, fail or flop, he would be proud to be a part of it.

He turned the page and happened upon the scene he had just used for the reading, and couldn't help his chuckle as it replayed on rapid fire in his mind.

It was every bit as dramatic as he remembered, and this made him laugh with a gentle shake of his head.

Suddenly the door down the hall opened, and out walked Charlie, looking exhausted, especially as she slumped back against the wall at the end of the hall, letting out a heavy sigh, puffing up her bangs in the process.