Research: Romance

creepy-crawleys

Antonia Crawley was one of the rare individuals with absolute genius for scaring the bejeezus out of people. Which... wasn't a very promising sentiment now that Henry and I were being offered up to her for an afternoon. 

Henry extends his hand out warmly, saving everyone else the embarrassment of having to do it first. Antonia shakes it with a soft smile, "Nice to meet you, Mr. Lockwood."

Then she turns toward me, and the corners of her eyes narrow just slightly when she offers me her hand. I'm not sure what to make of it when she tilts her head slightly, as if appraising me, "Miss Aplin, I've been eager to meet you."

I compel myself to smile despite the anxiety-induced shivers trickling down my back... then again, that might be sweat. It's suddenly quite stifling in here.

Before there's a chance to return her greeting, Antiona drops her hand and gestures to follow her "Let's get started."

"Wonderful!" Maizy interjects, then takes a step back. "Why don't you two go on without us. I just remembered; I have some business matters to discuss with Mr. Lockwood."

Everyone stops, surprised by this. Henry is surprised because Maizy had hardly looked his way this whole tour and now, they had sudden business to attend to. I'm surprised that Maizy would dare to let me out of her sight given the situation is on the precipice of becoming tv drama material. Here I was, the writer researching a romance book with the man who was in a scandal with Antonia's daughter... and Maizy was just going to walk off? 

Hmm... I hear Desi's voice in my head. I don't like it.

Henry lifts his eyebrow at Maizy, then glances at me. Not seeing the harm of me being further from Maizy's clutches, I shrug my shoulder at him, "I'll meet up with you later?"

He instructs me to meet him at Maizy's office when I'm done, then Henry follows Maizy back the way we came. Antonia takes me in the opposite direction.

--
Hallways lead off in all directions once we're at the next building. Antonia glances over at me with a little smile, "This place will conclude our tour."

I nod happily, looking forward to being off my feet soon after hours of walking around. The studio was gigantic, taking up multiple blocks, and we had walked most of it in the span of two hours. For a woman in her mid-fifties, Antonia could hold a brisk pace and wasn't attentive of water breaks. Meanwhile, my throat was parched, and I had been trying to mask the fact that I was out of breath for the last fifteen minutes when we took a hill back toward the buildings we started at. 

If I learned one thing today it was this: Golf carts are a valued commodity on movie sets. Find one and seize it!

We arrive a few minutes later at a door that has her name on it. Antonia opens it with her key, "Come on in."

Entering, she gestures to a plush couch against the wall. I fall into the seat obediently, observing my surroundings reservedly as I rub the cramp threatening to twist in my calf. Antonia moves to a desk where she detaches her walkie-talkie from her belt and turns it off. Then she moves to a mini fridge and pulls out two bottles of water. I receive mine with thanks when she offers it to me.

"Is this your...dressing room?" I ask, noting all the movie posters with Delynn on them and the director's chair folded up in the corner. There's a movie poster of Robin's latest film hanging on the wall behind me, I spot it briefly in the mirror across the room before moving my eyes away. 

"I guess you could call it that." Antonia replies, looking around as if she's also never been here. "It's more like a breakroom or a transportable office."