Noah's breath hovered over mine. In the dimly lit room, our hands tangled together. My heart sped up, and I could feel his eyes weighing on me.
"It's okay," Noah reassured me, dipping his head down to mine.
"I know," I replied, lifting my face up into the light. Our knees knocked gently as we drew closer, and then Noah's lips fell onto mine. We kissed.
Noah maneuvered us back until my shoulders touched the lockers behind me, and a shallow breath escaped me.
"Jasmine," a deep voice said to me as Noah and I continued to kiss unperturbed, "Move your hands higher on Noah's back."
I did as he directed, running my hands up higher on Noah's back and imagined that I was kissing him instead.
"Good," Eric voiced, another moment passed, then, "we've got the cut."
Noah and I pulled apart. He smiled at me and flicked me on the nose. "Those mints are good," he said, "I could taste them in your mouth, on the tip of your tongue."
I laughed. "You can have some if you want."
"Do you want to see it?" Eric asked, his piercing blue eyes lifting to look at us.
My gaze immediately met his and I could feel warmth suffusing my cheeks. Jeez, I had it bad.
I blushed, for no apparent reason, as I nodded. Noah rumbled his agreement and we walked over to see what Eric had directed Gerard to film.
I looked at the screen - Noah and I talking quietly in the shadows - and I was jolted into awareness of how others must see me, dark brown hair, olive skin, Asian features.
Noah and I kissed on screen and I felt hot, flushed; getting embarrassed watching Eric analysing our technique.
"This is good guys," Eric commented. "Jasmine, you look a lot less awkward in this shot, have you been practising?"
"Yes..." I had to resist the inclination to call him sir. He was only a couple of years older than me. But he emanated authority, and weirdly, kindness. You couldn't imagine Eric saying a bad word about anyone. Maybe that was why he commanded such respect.
"I think we're done for today," Eric said, dismissing us.
But I couldn't leave, at least, not yet.
I said goodbyes to Noah and Gerard as they collected their stuff and left, then I worried the bottom of my t-shirt.
"Are you okay Jasmine?" Eric asked.
"Yeah, I'm good," I said, before gathering the courage to tell him what was bothering me. "I'm worried about my next scene."
Eric ran a hand through his light brown hair and frowned in thought. "The scene where you cry to camera?"
I nodded. "I don't think I can cry on demand, is there another way to do that?"
Eric hummed, and I could see that he was thinking seriously about what I asked.
"Do you want to sit?" Eric finally asked me. I went to sit in the seat that Gerard had vacated but Eric shook his head, he nodded to where Noah and I had been standing before. In the purview of the camera.
"I'll run the take. I know you can do this."
My heart swelled with pride and I rushed forward to sit in the space Eric had indicated.
"Take off your jacket," Eric instructed, his throaty voice sending shivers down my spine. I pulled my arms out of the jacket.
"Get comfortable."
