Stories Based On Taylor Swift Songs

1989: 93. Wildest Dreams

93. Wildest Dreams (10/10/20)

A thin makeup artist equipped with varying sizes of makeup brushes touched up my makeup before dusting off my shoulders and returning to her station. Without a word, she had marked me complete and ready for the scene.

I rose from the makeup chair and made my way towards the set. My lips were painted a dark red, and I was wearing a white button-up shirt that billowed in the wind, tight khaki pants, and black racing boots. The black wig I was wearing itched just a bit, but I didn't mind. It wasn't until the director called everyone to set that the situation dawned on me.

Many famous people don't realize how famous they really are until they encounter a certain moment. For some, it's the first time they're recognized by a fan. For others, it's when they win a prestigious award for a role they trained for months. But for me, it was walking on set and meeting eyes with my costar, Alexander, and realizing that my actions had consequences.

He was an up-and-coming actor. This movie was supposed to win him the Oscar, unless my performance overshadowed his. The director was adamant about my supportive role, where I played a young woman who falls in love with the hero. She didn't have much of a personality except for her relationship with the man at the center of the film.

It was tough to hate Alexander. No matter how hard you try to dislike a handsome person who has everything in life, their charming good looks and way with words always win you over. We had to run our introduction scene four times before I remembered my lines. I was so captivated by him I could hardly focus.

"Evelyn, can we focus, please?" The director asked before sighing and signaling for a five minute break. I waited at my spot for the makeup girls to touch up my lipstick, while Alexander stood a few feet away, pacing and mumbling his lines under his breath.

"I'm sorry," I told him, with as little honesty as I could muster. "It's difficult working with an actor I've just met."

"Well, we'll have to get to know each other," he said with as much charm as you would expect from a rich, handsome, actor barely going on thirty.

Still, my heart fluttered in my chest as one girl reapplied my lipstick and touched up my rouge. Every so often, Alexander glanced up at me and smiled. It was a dangerous game we were playing, considering the rumors that he had a wife at home that the gossip columns didn't know about. Besides, relationships between co-workers were off-limits.

After shooting the scene, the sun set on the horizon, and I picked at the refreshments at craft services. It was a vegetarian platter, due to the fact that many carnivorous animals roamed the African savannah around us. I could see Alexander walking towards his trailer as I stuffed a strawberry into my mouth.

He didn't have to say anything; I could tell by the way he was looking at me that he wanted to talk. I followed him into his trailer, a part of me expecting to run lines late into the night. Instead, much to my surprise, he pinned me against the door and kissed me on the mouth. Maybe it was the strawberries or the utter surprise, but he tasted good.

When he pulled away, I let out a light moan and realized I wanted more. He was removing his belt, and I helped him while letting my hair out of its up-do. Alexander ran his fingers through my golden curls, which were not often shown in my films.

He grazed his fingers over my naked body until we were entangled under his covers. This was certainly one way of getting to know your co-star, and even though I knew it was wrong, I couldn't stop myself.

"I've been waiting to do this all day," he whispered in my ear. My clothes covered the floor of his trailer, and we didn't stop until the early hours of the morning.

One would assume this closeness helped our chemistry, but Alexander ignored me the next day, making him a difficult scene partner to work with. He was cruel and bitter, insisting we run the kiss scene over and over again. He knew it was messing with my head, and instead of speaking out, I let him break my heart over and over again.

We hardly saw each other during the rest of the shoot, unless we were working on a scene together. That night was tattooed in my brain, and it came creeping in at night when I slept alone in my bed, wondering what Alexander was up to and if was thinking of me as well.

As the film went through the editing process, I began to forget about my short-lived fling with Alexander. Then, a release date was announced, and the premiere was scheduled for the end of October. The suspenseful romantic adventure flick was sure to catch the Academy's attention, but at that point, I couldn't care less about the final product. I had seen a few versions of the film and knew my character wasn't important; this was Alexander's film.

When I arrived at the premiere, a small part of me expected Alexander to welcome me with open arms. Instead, he shot me a glance and wrapped his wife in a tight embrace. He had wed a supermodel instead of settling down with me. I liked to convince myself that it was all a ruse. He was a method actor, and part of adjusting to the role was sleeping with his love interest. But maybe, hiding in the shadows, he really did have feelings for me.

The theater was silent as the beginning credits rolled. My name was third on the list, and my heart swelled just a bit. Despite my happiness, I couldn't sit still during the film. Watching Alexander on the big screen, especially any scenes we shared, made me sick. By the time our kiss scene rolled around, I was running out of the theater in my ball gown and obnoxious fur shawl.

It had started to rain, which masked my tears. In the distance, I saw Alexander's limousine pulling away. I saw him watching me from the rearview mirror. With a slight smile on my face, I waved to him. He had left early as well. I knew a part of him would always remember me standing in the street in my dress, waving to him.