Glimpse

Chapter 23: Courtney

"And cut!" their director's voice echoed through Ian's living room, and a collective sigh responded. Chatter replaced the thick silence that went along with filming, crew members neglecting their duties in favor of fraternizing.

With the next few takes focused on Ian, Courtney exhaled, the stress asphyxiating her form rejoicing. Arms sprawling across the top of Ian's L-shaped sections, she slumped back and allowed herself to relax. An hour in the same position had tangled her achy muscles, her joints stiff with tension. She heard them crack as she wiggled her back muscles loose.

Filming with a single camera and half of their usual crew meant a one-hour shoot now took at least two hours to film if they limited breaks and made faster-than-fast scene changes. No dilly-dallying between takes. No goofing off. And no outtakes. Not unless they wanted to be filming well into the night. An outcome Courtney dreaded, already paining to retire to her bed despite just starting.

"C'mon people, we still have five more scenes to shoot. Camera and sound on marker two, and hurry!"

Tripods and tables screeched across the wooden floorboards as bodies scurried back and forth, rearranging the equipment for the next framing. Their movement haunted Courtney's peripheral vision, her eyes now trained to the ceiling as she stretched her neck.

Layers of dried concealer chafed her skin, threatening to expose the raw bruises coating her flesh. A souvenir of last night's make-out session. Her lips tingled and not because of the new citrus chapstick glazing them. Closing her eyes, heat flushed Courtney's skin as the taste of his lips permeated her mouth.

A shiver crawled up her sides. Though she enjoyed their little dance around second base, Shayne's new appetite disquieted the screaming cascade of cravings when their bodies met. His sudden change in confidence irked her, his timid approach transformed into one of pure, unfiltered desire. I don't want you to feel forced.

"So, Courtney," Ian said, disrupting her train of thought. His peculiar tone propelled her fingertips to check that the caked-on foundation still retained its place on her neck. Panicked eyes softening, she rolled her shoulders back and smiled. "What's new? Any good gossip this old man's been missing out on? I heard some whispers flying around, sounded juicy."

"Not that I can think of. Why? What are people saying?" Her simper twitched, the possibilities of rumors injecting her with anxiety. Fidgety hands. Restless legs. Uneasy eyes. Courtney plucked at a loose thread tarnishing her blue jeans, hoping to empty her nerves. Her eyes drifted behind Ian's head. The strand coiled around her pointer snapped upon spotting Shayne. Propped against the wall, nails mangling his knees, muscles stiff, and lines sharp.

Fuck.

Darkness burned the edges of Shayne's irises, black scorch marks marring their once crystal blue reflections. Contracted pupils drilled into Ian's back.

Letting Shayne act on Alternate Shayne's instincts was a mistake. Her impulsive decision fueled by sheer want, an undying hunger yearning to be satisfied. A desire that still hollowed her with an unsettling strength. One she wished she had stomached as Shayne's paranoid concern no longer seemed paranoid, what with this latest development.

The small evolution in the bedroom department, though appreciated, wasn't worth Alternate Shayne's sporadic and minute takeovers that had plagued the last few days. Never lasting longer than a few minutes, their effect lingered, each possession whittling away at Shayne's identity. It grew more evident by the day that Alternate Shayne's instincts would soon overpower Shayne's, and to be honest, it unnerved her.

Losing him scared her, and the fact that her horniness expedited the process... What have I done? Lips leveled into a horizontal line, Courtney choked down the lump building in her throat. Dwelling on regrets with no viable solutions only worsened things. Understanding this, she funneled her anxieties on the positive outcomes. Any negativity rerouted to how his lips tasted. How his teeth sank into her neck. How his muscle trembled under her touch. Don't go there. Not now.