It was a slow burn. It has been building for weeks, months even. Álvaro was not sure how long. All he was sure of was that it has been three weeks since the first reading of the unexpected third season shoot. Three weeks since he and Itziar saw each other again after that awards night many moons ago.
Netflix wanted everything filmed and documented. From the first greets of the cast reunion to the first reading. It was customary now for shows to film the behind-the-scenes for promotional purposes or additional material for DVDs or Blu-Ray or TV specials.
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LCDP was no exception. Everyone was genuinely ecstatic since the initial calls and press releases. The familia group chat has been buzzing nonstop with messages and reactions since preproduction started weeks prior. The greatest thing with being acquired by an online TV giant such as Netflix is that no expense was spared. So instead of some studio or sound stage or a location shoot in Madrid, the whole cast and crew needed for the first episode of the new season were flown to Thailand, in lieu of the actual scene location in Palawan in the Philippines.
Production crew rented three villas at an island resort in Pattaya. The largest 12-bedroom villa was to be shared by producers, directors and the cast. Two smaller villas were assigned for the crew, wardrobe and filming equipment. A small cottage adjacent to the smaller villa will be used as a scene location, particularly Sergio and Raquel's love nest.
Their first day when they landed was spent unpacking and relaxing so that everyone can get used to the tropical climate--which alternated between hot, humid and breezy depending on the time of the day--but almost all of them, as if on a vacation, just dropped their luggage in their designated rooms and immediately went to the beach to take pictures and take everything in.
Itziar took out her phone and after changing into more comfy clothes and washing her face, she jogged barefoot to the beach and took some snapshots and short videos. She felt the waves on the shore with her bare feet and stood still, unmindful of the others taking group photos amid loud laughs. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply to smell the salty sea breeze. She was doing this for a few minutes when she heard someone stopped walking two steps behind her. She opened her eyes and saw Álvaro standing behind her to her left.
"Es increíble, no?" She smiled at him.
"Si." He smiled back.
"I had to feel the sand and sea on my feet to believe that I'm actually here!" She laughed. A sound he didn't know he missed.
"Si. Estamosaquí! To think a year ago we said this is just wishful thinking." He didn't know what it was but he knew she felt it, the recall of that final day in Madrid.
"Exactly!" They looked at each other and somehow felt...not awkward but--
Esther called out to them. "Guys, they need us back at the villa. I think dinner is served."
