Ephemeral (somethingelseyt x OC)

13

6 weeks later

"Helen! Helen, please wait!"

"Why should I wait for you? All you've brought me was heartache! I waited for you patiently for weeks, David, and what did that bring me?"

Mason—while in character—exhaled heavily as he stopped in his tracks in front of a crying Evie. "Helen, I promise you, I never wanted that to happen. Your brother, he—"

"Don't even try blaming this on Eric, Dave!" Evie shouted desperately. "He warned me, everyone did! I should've listened to them..."

Laurie tried not to pay too much attention to the heartbreaking scene in front of her. Even though it was just an act, it often brought forth Laurie's emotional side. It was a testament to just how skilled Evie and Mason were at their job.

The production had spent a month in the south of France, and Laurie's schedule had only intensified, sending her into a frenzy of work ever since. The vineyard at Chateau Routas was magnificent, with vivacious colours to imprint in any person's memory with ease. The whole reason for moving the departure date closer was because of the early bloom of the crops, and Laurie decided that it was definitely worth it once she saw the breathtaking fields with her own eyes. The beautiful scenery was perfect for the movie, and she would've never forgiven herself if she missed the opportunity to work on the vineyard.

Suddenly, she felt a shoulder bump against her own. A blonde head of hair appeared on her right. Julie has been coming to the set on and off, juggling her work with the other movie productions. If Laurie's workload seemed substantial, it was nothing compared to Julie's, so Laurie was thankful for all the times they had a chance to talk. It was always nice to speak with and learn from someone she considered both a mentor and a friend. Even with spending every day on set, Laurie hadn't had a real opportunity to connect with anyone the same way she had with Julie.

As soon as Trevor's "cut" was yelled, the crew erupted in a lively chatter, giving the girls a chance to do the same.

"You look good," Laurie said sarcastically. "When did you fly in today?"

"4 AM, baby," Julie smiled, her exhaustion clear. "I barely snagged an hour of sleep before catching a taxi here. This view is worth it, though."

"I agree. We've been lucky with the weather, too."

"Do you fancy a glass of wine after the shoot? The vineyard owners offered to put out a bouffe since we're moving to northern France tomorrow."

Laurie checked the time on her phone. She had promised Adam that they would meet up on a Discord call once she finished with work. The time difference made it difficult to set a meeting time as it was, and trying to find a gap in their overlapping schedules made it just that more complicated.

But despite the fact that the last time they got to talk was four days ago, the filming was continuing ahead of schedule, so a small glass of wine beforehand wouldn't hurt, right?

"Sure. Only one, though," she said.

The actors eventually finished all the takes for the "vineyard chase" scene and retired to the bouffe in the wine cellar, where the owners greeted them with appealing platters of prosciutto and cheese. Famished, Laurie and Julie immediately dug into the delicious appetizers, downing them with a glass of rosé.

"How's the whole long-distance relationship going?" Julie asked, her mouth full of crispy home-baked bread. "Gotta say, I'm surprised you decided to even give it a try. I thought you'd try to break it off altogether, but I guess if you're going back there soon, it's not that hard, huh?"