Illicit Affair ||Pedro Pascal||

Whiplash

Two days later, after non-stop contemplating, I finally decided to quit moping and move on. By 'move on' I meant giving Pedro the cold shoulder. Not that he even noticed, he was always too busy to see that I was ignoring him. Day after day I made sure to avoid his line of sight even though he was like a magnet to my eyes, but it was to no avail. How was it so easy for him to not care when it was bothering me so much? I started thinking about what Chloe had mentioned to me about his reputation. Honestly, I didn't care wether or not he was a bit of a player in the past, I was thrown off by the fact that he says all these nice things when I'm at my worst and then treats me like a stranger.

Eventually it became tedious to keep trying my damnedest to ignore him, what with being co-stars and all. The day finally came when Pedro and I would have to kiss, or should I say; our characters had to kiss. The scene was supposed to be really passionate and the kiss was supposed to be eager. Matthew learned that Dahlia and her fiancé called off their engagement and he shows up to her house to make sure she was okay. She had gotten over the break up fairly quick, she knew deep down she didn't really love her ex-fiancé, but she agreed to marry him because she felt like it was the right thing to do.

The scene began with Dahlia in her house, putting a bunch of items in a box. Items that belonged to Seth, her fiancé. She heard a knock at the front door and cautiously walked over to it- she hadn't been expecting anyone.

Once she opened it; there he was. A ghost of her past. This was one of the times when I really felt like an actress. Because even though I was still upset with Pedro on the inside, I had to pretend like I wasn't. "What are you doing here?" Dahlia asked.

He shifted his eyes around before looking into mine. "I heard about...what happened."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Yeah, I bet you did."

"Im sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize." I said before he could finish his line. "According to Seth...this was all my fault."

"I thought he was the one who called it off." He questioned.

"He was." I answered. "He said it was because he could tell that you weren't completely out of the picture."

He took a step through the door. This was the part where Pedro's character grabs my characters' face and passionately kisses her. The love and emotion so apparent in the kiss that all the mess-ups and her ex fiancé didn't even matter anymore because this was the moment where everything fell into place.

Instead it was the most awkward experience trying to create that passion. I flinched the first time he went to grab my face, and the second time our teeth bumped. Four takes later, the director shouted "Cut!" and waved me over to her. Nervously, I made my way to where she was sat. She stood up when she saw me approaching. "Pardon my language but what the hell was that?"

"I'm sorry, this is my first role and I've never had to kiss someone on camera before." I blurted out.

"It was to my understanding that Lucy Richards was the one who gave you the role."

"Yes."

"And she told me that when you and Pedro did a chemistry read that it went really well." She continued. I nodded my head and she removed the glasses that she had worn. "Where is that chemistry now?"

********

As I lay down on the couch in my trailer later that day, I wondered if Pedro got the same talk from the director as I did. I grew angry thinking about the possibility that he didn't. Maybe I was still angry at him in general. How could he get out of having a stern talking to from the director, how could he act in that scene just as awkwardly as I did and get away with it like murder. And how could he make me feel so special and then like a stranger a minute later?

Edith Flax, the director, told me that we were going to re-shoot the same scene tomorrow and that she expected me to do a better job. I wasn't the type of kid in school who got in trouble for talking during class, that's what it felt like being chewed out by the boss.

I opened the door to my trailer and poked my head out to see if he was in his. The lights were on, which was uncommon, I knew he was in there. It was late in the day, almost everyone on set and from the crew had gone home already. I knew why I was still there-- I was overthinking and lost track of time-- but I wondered why he hasn't left yet. I don't know what possessed me to stomp my way over to his trailer and knock on the door after looking around to make sure no one saw me. But when he swung the door open and his eyebrows pulled themselves together in confusion, all I wanted to do was turn the other way and run. He opened the door wider as a signal for me to enter, and I did. He closed the door and waited silently for me to say something. I remembered the anger and frustration I felt ten minutes prior, and the words came flooding out. "What is wrong with you?" I started.

Pedro had the same puzzled look on his face, but he looked even more lost, if that was even possible. I quickly realized how sudden this all must've seemed to him. "What?"

"You flirt with me, and you watch me when I'm with other guys, and somehow whenever they screw me over, you're there to pick up the pieces." By the time I realized how insane he probably thought I was, it was too late. "And you say all the right things and then the next time I see you its like you don't even know me, you won't even look in my direction." He was still mute, I figured I might as well get it all out now. "I can't be the only one who feels this sort of...tension between the two of us, right? I'm getting whiplash from all this back and forth you're doing and I just want you to be straight with me... am I the only one who feels it?" I finally finished.

The golden light coming from the lamp in his own trailer, which was somehow bigger than mine-- or so it felt. I kept my eyes on him, trying to read his expression but I couldn't figure him out. That was the problem. His lips parted as he was about to finally speak. He hesitated, I could tell he was still thinking carefully about his next move. "I would be lying...if I said you were." The air was thick, and so was the silence that fell as soon as he said that. After what felt like forever, I took a step towards him, and he held a hand up as if to tell me not to come any closer. "Look, this isn't going to happen."

"Why not?" I asked.

Pedro sighed, and put one hand on his hip and the other ran through his hair. "You're 28.." he said. "I'm 47."

I shook my head. "So? That doesn't matter to me."

"I've been in this industry a lot longer than you, I know the types of things people will say."

"We're playing love interests in a movie." I argued.

"That's different" he retorted. "We're only playing characters. I have to think about my reputation here."

"Do you feel anything for me?" I asked. "Because if not, then I'll leave you alone for good. You won't have to worry about my anymore." I took another step, and this time Pedro didn't try to stop me. I got closer until we were a foot away from one another. I looked up at him slightly. "Just look at me...and tell me you don't feel a thing for me."

His scent was almost suffocating, but in a good way. A way in which I could become addicted to it if I wasn't careful. His eyes captivated mine, like they had many times before, but this time it was different. He was holding back, but his face moved closer to my own. Pedro took a breath, and said "Fuck it." before grabbing my face with his hands and smashing our lips together. No bumping of teeth and no awkwardness was involved. The passion and eagerness Edith Flax had wanted between Dahlia and Matthew, was found here between Pedro and I in his trailer.