Just Like the Movies

Chapter Fifteen

Wow, he had to come right out and say it, didn't he? Rowan snickered from behind me and a second later she was thrusting the blanket at me. "Thank you," I muttered, both to Rowan, and for Theo's consideration.

"I'll wake you up when we get closer," Theo said.

I spread the blanket out on my lap, already feeling cozier. "I'm not going to fall asleep."

And the next thing I knew, Theo was gently shaking my shoulder, startling me awake. The brightness of the sun made me squint as I tried to take in my surroundings, seeing the peaks of mountain tops in the distance as we traveled down the highway. My chin felt wet and I quickly wiped it with the back of my hand, hoping he hadn't noticed me drooling.

"We're almost there," he told me, his eyes on the road.

"Thought you weren't going to fall asleep?" Rowan teased.

The tips of my ears felt hot and I ignored her, staring out the window, trying to wake myself up more. Eventually, we pulled off the highway and drove until a lake became visible. We followed along the road paralleling the lake until we started coming across multiple vehicles lining each side, Theo going past them, until we reached a camping grounds area. Crew members were already scurrying about, having probably started setting up before we even left our apartments.

Although we arrived in time, I felt a little anxious as I got out of Theo's car, hoping no open would notice. I had my excuse ready—one that was the truth for once—but everyone was so busy, no one even took notice of us. I thanked Theo and Rowan before deciding to try and hunt down Zara, wanting a quick rundown of any additional notes I needed to take throughout the day, remembering her warning about how difficult filming in nature could be.

The air smelt clean and fresh as I made my way across the grass, taking in the sights before me. Cabins were scattered across the grounds, some hidden further into the expanse of trees surrounding the clearing that held two pavilions, what looked to be bathroom facilities, a main office, and then a dozen recently assembled canopies, courtesy of the production team. Equipment was being lugged from vans to the different canopies depending on the department.

I eventually found Zara far off in the distance, standing near the trailheads along with Director Ahn. I made my way over them, covering my mouth as I yawned. "Morning," I said as I reached them.

"Hey, Maisie!" Director Ahn greeted me, bright and chipper. "Isn't it so nice out here?"

"It is," I agreed.

"How was the—" She cut herself off abruptly, clearing her throat. "Drive?"

Zara raised her eyebrow at her, and I smiled tightly, knowing she'd been about to ask about the awards show. "Good. Fun," I told her, before changing the subject. "The weather looks good today."

Director Ahn nodded. "I'll let you guys do that, then. They should be about finished setting up for the first scene. I'll meet you guys there in a few minutes. I need to grab something from my car."

Zara and I took off toward the trailhead, passing by the sign, and heading up the winding dirt path strewn with rocks and overgrown roots. I had to keep my gaze on the ground so I didn't trip over anything as we continued up, the sounds from the campground being swallowed up by the quietness of the trees. That is, until we reached the filming location, and people were shouting directions at each other—the loudest being Marco.

"Let's move this rock," he was saying as we approached, gesturing to a rather large rock in the pathway. "We don't want Sienna tripping over it."