'Cut!' Ms. August yells and the crew starts moving around.
Keeye and Locke hurry over to the monitor to watch the take along with the director. It had been a hectic day on set. They shot scenes from 3 different episodes on the same day. The last one, the one which they were reviewing, was the scene from episode 3 and 4 where Locke's character Dawn, returns to the dorm from their semester break only to find Keeye's character Hunter, with bruise marks on his face and neck.
Locke is anxious looking at himself on the screen yelling at Keeye, demanding to know what had happened. This was the second take, personally requested by Locke because he believed he could do better.
'I love it!' Ms. August exclaimed after reviewing. 'Great job Locke, I'm not even going to ask to do a pickup, this is good enough,'
Locke smiled, thanking the director for her kind words. The Assistant Director, Mr. Ribbon, took one last look at the shot list and announced, 'Aaaand, we're done for the day! That's a wrap everyone!'
There were tired cheers from the set with everyone thanking each other. Locke was thanking the lighting and photography staff when Keeye stepped in front of him. Locke paused. Keeye had a small smile on his face and he said, 'Good job today Locke, that was some great acting,'
Locke was already content with the director praising him but this simple compliment from Keeye, filled him with a warmth he couldn't explain. Ever since their shooting had begun, he had wanted to do his best in front of Keeye, the person he looked up to the most. And he finally received praise from his idol.
'Tha...Thank you!' He responded, the excitement in his voice evident. Keeye nodded and excused himself to leave.
'Ms. August!' one of the crew members called out, slowly raising her palm. 'It's a Friday today...' she suggested shyly.
'Ah yes, how could I forget? Time for a team dinner!' Ms. August announced. She had promised to treat the crew to dinner if they wrapped up the week's schedule by Friday and they had.
Everyone cheered enthusiastically, suggesting and looking up restaurants and bars close by. Some of the crew politely passed on the offer due to prior engagements so Ms. August asked one of the crew to take a headcount and make a reservation.
'Mr. Keeye, ah, would you be joining us today?' The crew member asked.
August was aware that Keeye generally passed on such gatherings on shoot days owing to his reserved nature. But the reason the director wanted to have the dinner was to make sure the two co-stars bonded off-screen as well. She knew very well that the genre of the series was new and challenging to both the actors. Which was precisely why she had planned the shoot sequence in a way that allowed them more time to work on the smaller interactions before their characters actually get close and fall for each other.
She sighed, almost sure Keeye would reject the dinner offer.
'Yes, of course,' Keeye replied, earning him surprised looks from half the people on the set.
*************************
Keeye was thankful that the restaurant they picked was a quiet, private one close to the shooting set. He still wasn't sure how he ended up agreeing to join them but now that he was here, he might as well get along.
He stood in front of the buffet counter, unable to decide the seasoning for his noodles. He preferred spicy, tangy flavors but at the same time, he was skeptical about the taste as he was a picky eater.
Locke hopped in right next to him, picking up the red pepper flake shaker and generously coating his noodles in red. He realized that Keeye was staring at his plate and felt slightly embarrassed.
YOU ARE READING
Red Carpet
Romance'You did it! You got the role Locke!' Locke had almost given up when he finally found his break into the industry he had dreamed of ever since he was a child. And the most nerve-wrecking part? He would be starring next to his idol, Keeye! It's a who...
