The Wind Beneath Our Wings

Chapter 4

"Is everything all right?", Reese asked me, in a whisper, while I was applying a slight touch of blush on her face, with a small brush.

She and Joaquin were getting ready to shoot again in only a couple of minutes now.

He was standing only a small distance from me, engaged in what seemed to be a last-minute conversation with James about the impending scene.

Feeling his presence so close to me was making me nervous. My heart was thumping in my chest. I was scared that my eyes would betray me and wander towards him, despite myself.

I gave Reese a soft smile.

"Yes... I'm fine"

"Are you sure, honey?", Reese frowned at me."Did Joaquin say something to upset you?"

"No... Of course not", I said, a little too quickly. I tried to chuckle Reese's question away, pretending that it didn't hurt me to hear his name- and I failed

I am the one who hurt him

Reese still didn't look convinced by my lie. She stood silent.

An unsettling feeling made its way inside me, as I felt her inquisitive stare on my face.

"Done, beautiful", I somehow managed to give Reese a smile that seemed confident, as soon as I finished the last touchups of her makeup.

"Thanks honey"

Reese gave me a kind smile. But her face remained serious, as if she was lost in her thoughts. I knew she was still studying the features of my face.

I started placing the brushes and the makeup products I had used for Reese in her makeup case.

This trivial task had the advantage of making me look away from her.

"Di...", Reese whispered, making me raise my eyes to look back at her.

"He loves you"

She had said these words as if she had stated an indisputable truth.

For a few seconds, I stood silent, unable to speak. Wondering if I had heard Reese's words right.

How did she know?

"Do you remember the day when he found the gift you had secretly placed on his desk?"

I nodded in silence.

I did remember that day.

About a month into the shooting, he had accidentally spilled coffee on his original copy of The Prophet while I had been the silent witness of this unfortunate accident.

"God knows why you felt the urge to become his Secret Santa", Reese let out a chuckle.

"I don't know", I couldn't suppress a soft smile. "For some reason, I couldn't bear to see him in so much pain"

The minute he had realized that he had damaged his book, his features had darkened while he had retreated in his usual silence. However, I had noticed the pain in his eyes.

Mad at himself, he had punched the wall nearby, hurting his hand in the process.

His anger, his pain had left me startled.

I had found out why this incident, that had seemed quite trivial to me, had shaken him so much.

The worn-out copy of The Prophet he had spoiled had belonged to his elder brother. It had been River's favorite book.

For a reason I hadn't been able to pinpoint, I had felt the urgency to present Joaquin with a new copy of the book that was so special to him.

I had managed to find a limited edition of Gibran Khalil's masterpiece in a small bookshop within the next ten days.