Just Like the Movies

Chapter Eighteen

Although I was sure Rowan would have spent the night teasing me rather than telling me to wake her up if I got scared...

The humor on Rowan's face disappeared and she slid her hands into her jeans' pockets. "Yeah, well. Maybe I got too into my head."

"About what?"

"You really don't know?" she asked, not sarcastically, but in genuine realization. "Huh." She then shrugged to herself. "Well, it's not really your business, anyway."

I stared at her. "Okay?"

She slapped an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close to her side. "You know, you're actually kind of cute, Maisie."

I thought back to the past few days, realizing Rowan had stepped back a bit after that. "Oh," I said, it finally hitting me. "I know what this is about now. Are you annoyed about how I asked you and Theo not to interact with me on set? It's really not about either of you two. I just have anxiety."

She patted my shoulder. "Well, partly. I understand now, but that was still a bit rude of you to say."

"I really didn't mean it in a rude way. Just so you know," I told her, stopping by the next picnic table, sending her an apologetic look, then scanning the surrounding area for trash.

"Should I leave you alone?"

"No," I decided. "There aren't that many people around. And also, now I'm thinking I don't really care if there's attention on me with you guys around if the alternative is having your feelings hurt."

Rowan squeezed me closer to her side, almost making me lose my balance as my crutches fell sideways. "I wouldn't go that far as to say my feelings were hurt... but I appreciate it, nonetheless. However, it's really Theo who attracts attention, so you're fine with me."

"Again, I guess you don't realize how attractive you are," I said, grimacing.

"I've always been attractive, so I guess you're right. I never notice it."

"Wow."

She laughed, and we finished scouring the campground for trash together, not really finding any. It kind of made me proud, knowing everyone involved in the production cleaned up after themselves, and respected the property. After that we returned to the filming site, a little relief going through me as I realized they'd finished filming the kissing shots. Rowan and I stood back as they filmed the last bit of dialogue between Sienna and Theo for the scene, the sun beginning to sink in the sky.

Marco called it a wrap for the day right after they finished, the crew immediately beginning to disperse, and Rowan waved as we headed toward the dock, gaining Theo's attention as he started heading off of it with Sienna in tow.

Sienna suddenly tripped, falling hard into Theo's back with a startled scream, causing them both to lose their balance, sending them both off the edge of the dock and into the water. I barely had time to react before Rowan was shouting Theo's name, sprinting for the water. My feet moved before my brain caught up, following right up after her, the crutches falling to the ground, the pain in my ankle feeling nonexistent as instinct took over my body.

I didn't understand the panic right away. It couldn't be that deep there—

but then Rowan was yelling that Theo couldn't swim. Worried shouts followed after Rowan and I as we raced down the wooden boards of the dock, Rowan throwing herself right into the water without hesitation. I jumped in right after her, taken aback when my feet didn't touch the bottom at all, even as I sank for a second. Re-surfacing, I bee-lined for Sienna, her head and torso suddenly appearing at the surface, as if she'd been shoved upward, knowing Rowan would help Theo. Sienna sunk back down immediately, flailing around, and then drew herself to me as I grew close enough to grab her, nearly shoving my head under the surface as she scrambled to get a better purchase on me, wrapping her arms around my neck.