Although there had been a rocky start to the day, the rest passed by without incident. In fact, it ended up turning into one of the best days I'd had in a while. It was one thing to be told your book would become a movie, another to see the script, another to watch the audition tapes, another to see the news get announced watch how your readers reacted... but all that was nothing compared to witnessing the filming of it. Every line acted out made my heart pound. Every retake still felt like watching it for the first time. And, even though acting as a script supervisor felt a little overwhelming at times, I felt like I was in a dream. It didn't feel like it could possibly be real life.
The only thing that reminded me that it was indeed real life were the startling moments where Theo Park and I accidentally made eye contact. It felt like cold water washed over me every time and my cheeks grew warm as I'd remember how close we were. I tried to tell myself just to get over it— it was an accident that I'd walked in on him half-naked. And it wasn't like I hadn't seen a man's bare chest before, so why was I letting it affect me so much? Because it was Theo Park? Because he was famous? But wasn't I, too? Maybe not to the same extent, but...
I stood off to the side of the set next to the actual script supervisor, watching the man in question, just as shirtless as the first time I saw him, listen to Director Ahn and Marco as they walked him through a scene, making some adjustments to where he stood and the angle of his body as he spoke to another actress playing a small role of an intern. I'd been briefly introduced to the other actors in the scene and had to contain my excitement. Although Theo was the only lead actor in the scene, every other single actor and actress were just as important to me. They were bringing my characters to life. They were helping me achieve my dreams.
The scene they were filming now was one of Theo's character trying to convince the intern to mess up an outfit he was supposed to wear for a shoot on purpose— hence why he stood shirtless. Originally, he would wear the shirt he wanted messed up, but they'd changed it so he held it in his hand. I didn't see how it really added to the scene, but Marco was convinced the minor nudity added to it.
I found it interesting how they filmed the movie out of order, but I knew the actress playing my female lead had been delayed by another project, and they couldn't shoot with her just yet. And, because she was the main character, she was in the majority of the scenes including the majority of Theo's scenes, as well. She played my character who was an upcoming fashion stylist that meets Theo's character, a famous model, and gets entangled in a fake relationship when she claims that Theo is her new boyfriend to an ex out of panic.
Sort of cliché, but my readers like that. And I liked writing it, too. There was never anything wrong with a good cliché. They were clichés for a reason— because people enjoyed them.
"Maisie? Maisie!"
My name being called out startled me and I snapped out of my thoughts to look at Zara, the script supervisor, who frowned at me. "You can't space out like that, Maisie."
"Sorry," I apologized, a wave of embarrassment washing over me.
"I know you got this job under special circumstances, but I'd really like to help you gain experience and help you grow as a script supervisor," she said. "And the biggest piece of advice I can give you is that you must always pay attention. You can't space out."
I nodded, taking in her words. It made me feel a little bad, seeing how this actually wasn't my career path, and she was genuinely trying to help me. But it also made me happy seeing how dedicated she was, and how it was my movie she was this dedicated to. Obviously, it was also partly because it was her job, but I still appreciated it.
"Filming will be ending here today. Tomorrow we won't be picking up from this scene, so we need to make a note in the script that Theo is now shirtless in the continuing scene when we get back to it." As Zara spoke, she took out her iPad, pointing at the next scene that would be filmed later on, and then added her note. "Small things like this can be overlooked and create a huge problem with continuity."
There was a flurry of motion as the set was dismissed and everyone began to finish up for the day. Zara had me follow her as she walked along the set, pointing out things to take photos of, so we could make sure everything would be exactly where it should be when we picked back up. I did as I was told, happy to just be here, even if it ended up being more work than I'd originally thought it'd be.
After Zara was satisfied with the photos we had of the set, we parted ways, and I headed off the set, to where Director Ahn stood chatting with the director team by the back entrance of the production company's main building. I looked around for Theo and the other actors, but everyone had already departed from the set. While waiting for Director Ahn to finish her conversation, I took out my phone, and decided to text Levi.
Maisie: Filming went great! Only the actor playing the male lead was here today, though. I can't wait to see my female lead in action!
Not even a second after I sent my text, the speech bubble popped up, signaling that Levi was already texting back. He was normally a quick texter, but this brought a new meaning to an immediate response, and it made me smile.
Levi: That's awesome, Maisie! When will you get to see her?
Maisie: I hope tomorrow. I should meet most of the cast tomorrow according to tomorrow's call sheet.
"How did it go today, Maisie?"
Director Ahn's voice made me look up from my phone and I quickly put it in my pocket, giving her my full attention, feeling a little caught off guard. Talking to Levi was always so comfortable, but talking to others felt so much more difficult. "Um, it actually went great. I had a lot of fun."
She grinned. "I'm glad to hear that! I didn't think Zara would work you so hard. I was watching you two a bit. She must like you. I've worked with her on many projects, and she definitely prefers to work solo, so I was a bit worried when I asked her to take you under her wing."
"No, she's really great," I assured Director Ahn. "Although I feel bad because I'm not even really qualified for this position, and I must be making her work harder on her..."
She nodded, her dark eyes trained on mine. "I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. But if you want to step back, you're welcome to do that, as well. I can think of something else for you."
"I'll keep trying it," I said, resisting the urge to lower my eye contact with Director Ahn. I'd read online it was good manners to hold eye contact. But no one said how hard it would be. "Honestly, it's kind of nice to have someone to talk to, anyway. I haven't been around this many people in a long time."
She sighed wistfully, folding her arms over her chest. "Is that so? Writing is lonely, isn't it?"
I fiddled with a strand of my hair, lowering my gaze. Was it really the writing that made life lonely? "Yeah, kind of."
"Are you going to go to the event the production company is holding tonight?" Director Ahn asked me. "A lot of the crew will there as well as the higher ups. You're more than invited."
I hesitated. I'd received the invitation a couple of weeks ago, but the person invited wasn't Maisie, the assistant script supervisor. It was Maisie, the best-selling author. And aside from that, a formal event was very low list on my fun-things-to-do list. I'd rather much prefer to stay in and watch dramas or write.
Realizing that Director Ahn was still waiting for my response, I gave her a half-smile. "I'm still thinking about it."
"No pressure. I have to head out, so I'll either see you later... or not." With a small wave, she twisted on her heel, sneaking in through the door as a crew member came out, followed by two others, who nearly crashed into me in their hurry.
Deciding not to stay in the footpath of everyone, I headed inside the building, back down the halls I'd followed to get outside in the first place. I came to a pause when I passed the door that led to Theo's makeshift dressing room. The door was shut, but I could tell the lights were on inside from the floor tile that was illuminated by a little bit of light that bled from under the door. I looked at the door handle, debating. Should I just apologize right now? Would it make me feel better? Or would he think it was weird? Was it weird?
Feeling antsy, I shook my head, turning to continue down the hallway, but stopping again before I could take more than three steps. The idea of having to face Theo for the rest of filming with this awkwardness wasn't an enticing one. If I just apologized and got it over with, then I could put it all behind me. We would barely interact, anyway. I was just an assistant script supervisor.
Just as I was thinking that, the door swung open, and my breath caught in my throat. Instead of Theo walking through, though, it was a young woman around my age with long, reddish hair. She held a phone to her ear, chatting animatedly, not noticing me right away. I didn't move, unsure of who this was, or what I should do. When she finally noticed me, she pulled her phone away from her ear, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Can I help you?"
"Um, is Theo—"
"He's busy," she cut me off, eyes flickering back at the now-shut door. "The crew shouldn't be bothering the actors, anyway. Who are you?'
"I-I'm a script supervisor," I answered, hating how small my voice sounded, but I could admit I felt a bit intimidated by this woman.
"There's no meetings for Theo planned," she said with a frown. "Why are you hanging around?"
"I... I'm just..." I trailed off, unable to find my words under her sharp gaze. "I accidentally bothered him earlier and just wanted to apologize. That's all," I managed to get out, feeling sweat bead on my forehead.
She opened her mouth as if to immediately shoot me down, but then she paused, pursing her lips a bit. "Oh, you're the one who walked into his room earlier?"
"Yes."
She seemed to study me for a moment as if debating about something. I had no idea what for, though. "Maybe it would be good for you to apologize," she said, almost as if speaking to herself.
"I can," I said immediately. "I will."
"Wait for him to come out, then. Don't go in."
I nodded and she gave me one last curious look before putting her phone to her ear again, resuming her conversation without a beat. She walked past me, her high heels clicking on the tiled floor, and I watched her go for a second, noticing how anyone approaching immediately made room for her.
It took a moment for my heart to calm down and I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I leaned against the wall next to Theo's door, wondering who that woman was. I didn't think she was part of the cast as I hadn't recognized her. Maybe someone who worked for Theo, then? Or part of another team? Either way, I found myself admiring her confident aura. Myself on the other hand... I sighed as I wiped the sweat from my forehead. I couldn't even have a conversation without getting anxious.
I expected Theo to come out of the room relatively quickly, but as the minutes went on and he didn't appear, I began to wonder if he wasn't even in there in the first place and the woman was playing with me. Half an hour, then an hour passed. The set workers going through the halls slowly dwindled down until I could go small periods of time with only seeing one person and, eventually, seeing none at all.
I glanced at the time on my phone for what felt like the hundredth time. Almost two hours had passed and it was nearly six o'clock. What was he doing in there? Sleeping? I was wasting my time being here. But even though I thought that I stayed where I was, crouching down with my back against the wall, arms wrapped around my knees. He'd come out eventually. I'd just apologize and be on my way.
I decided to scroll through the comments on my most recent update as I waited, amused at the reactions to the latest plot twist in a current work. If readers were that excited about a chapter ending, I could only imagine how they'd freak out about some of the changes in the movie. They weren't huge, as I'd wanted to keep true to what they loved about the book, and the scriptwriter agreed, but enough to add something new to the story.
As I let out a quiet laugh at a really out-of-pocket comment, the door finally swung over me. I got startled so hard that my phone went flying out of my hand and clattered across the floor.
"What the hell—" Theo started, sounding just as startled as I did. Then his gaze met mine and narrowed. "What are you doing here?"
I scrambled to my feet, my body feeling overly warm again. "I was waiting for you."
"Why?" he said, his voice hard and cold.
It took me a little off guard, seeing how friendly and warm he'd been to Director Ahn earlier, but then I realized I'd sounded stalker-ish and probably like the pervert he accused me of being. I immediately put space between us two, holding hands up. "Wait, not like that! I just wanted to apologize for earlier. The woman who came out of your room earlier said you were still here and I just really wanted to say sorry."
Theo's expression remained tight and he glanced down at my hands, open-palmed and held out in front of me. "...You waited this long just to apologize?"
"Yes," I said, bringing my hands down to my waist, and clasping them together. "I was lost earlier and accidentally walked in on you and then panicked a little bit. I should have walked out right away. I promise I wasn't some crazy fan trying to get a look at you. I'm actually the— I'm an assistant scriptwriter," I corrected, trying to get my rambling under control. "I don't want it to be awkward for the rest of the time on set."
He folded his arms over his chest. "And waiting outside my door for hours makes things less awkward?"
"That's..." I didn't know what to say to that. It was weird, wasn't it? I grimaced, putting a hand to my forehead and scrunching my eyes shut, wanting to disappear. "Yeah, you're right. I made things worse, didn't I? I promise I'm not trying to stalk you, though."
He didn't respond for a moment and I heard him take a few steps. I opened my eyes again to see him picking up my phone I'd thrown earlier. Remembering I'd been reading my own books, my heart lunged into my throat as he glanced down at the screen. I moved to steal it away from him, but then remembering he already thought I was a stalker, decided not to get close, holding my breath as he looked up from the screen, eyebrows furrowing.
"You..."
My heart beat so loud I could hear it in my ears. There's no way he figured out anything just by looking at my phone. Unless— was I actually in an edit mode? Did he realize that? Did he know everything? I finally unfroze, stepping forward, and snatching my phone back, eyes wide. "I swear it's not—"
"You must be a fan of the author," he cut me off, nodding his head at my phone. "To be reading her other works after working on her movie all day."
"Uh." I blinked. "Sure."
"I believe you're a script supervisor since I saw you on set. I doubt you'd go so far just to get close to me, so I accept your apology about earlier," he continued, leaning against the door to his room, and then hesitating a moment. "And I also—"
A clattering sound came from inside his dressing room and Theo reacted faster than I could process the sound. He grabbed my arm, pulling me behind him, and putting his body between me and the door. He didn't let go, keeping me in place, his hand fisted in my hoodie sleeve. With his free hand, he pulled out his phone, pressing on his most recent contact. "Rowan, get to my dressing room as soon as possible. I'll call security."
"What's going on?" I asked.
"No one could be in there... I was just in there," Theo said under his breath, his eyes trained on the door. "Unless they were in there all along?"
His skin looked paler and the muscles in his neck were taut. My stomach churned at how uneasy he seemed. Did they think there was an intruder in his dressing room? But how could they have gotten through all the employees? I pushed those thoughts aside. Theo looked really shaken.
"I'll check," I said, even though I also felt a little afraid, and attempted to walk in front of him.
"No," he said shortly, yanking on my sleeve again. "In fact, you should leave."
"I'll stay with you—" I started, knowing full well I wouldn't leave with him looking so off.
"Theo!" a voice interrupted and I heard the click of heels again, this time more rapidly as they approached us. The red-headed woman from earlier appeared with two beefy security personnel behind her and without hesitating, she moved in front of Theo and burst into the room.
I attempted to move out of the way so the security could easily follow through, but Theo still refused to let me go. From the hard glare on his face, as he stared into the room, I didn't think he realized he was still holding on to me.
"Check the wardrobe," the red-headed woman snapped at the security guards.
"Rowan," Theo said.
The woman, I assumed Rowan, glanced over her shoulder at him. "It seems clear. It's highly unlikely someone could have snuck in here. I think it was your script falling over."
My ears started to burn as Theo didn't relax any and his eyes met mine at the comment of someone sneaking in. Neither of us said anything. After a few more moments of the three inside the room searching, it was deemed clear, and they all returned to Theo and me.
Rowan's gaze immediately dropped down to where Theo still had a death grip on my hoodie. "Theo."
Theo looked too, and then immediately released me as he realized the same. A little flush tinged his cheeks as I pulled my arm to my side again. "Sorry," he muttered to me.
"You can be on your way," Rowan said to me, her expression neutral. I didn't need to be told twice, I turned to leave, but her voice stopped me again. "Also, don't mention this to anyone."
Don't mention it? Someone maybe breaking in? Didn't that pose a threat to anyone? I didn't want to question her and just simply nodded, hurrying away, only glancing back once to see Theo pressing a hand over his eyes, and Rowan putting a hand on his shoulder.
I tried to take my mind off it as I made the journey back to my apartment, but I kept replaying the scene over and over in my head. Theo had immediately acted as if there was an intruder rather than just something following over. That, plus the fact he'd reacted so strongly when I'd accidentally walked in made me wonder if...
I slapped my hands to my cheeks. No. I couldn't come up with stories for people I didn't know. It was a bad habit. Anyone could think someone was breaking in. It wasn't unusual. And no one wanted to be walked in on. I wouldn't either. And Rowan had basically told me to forget about it. So I would. I'd done what I'd wanted to and apologized.
I made it back to my apartment and dropped my messenger bag that held my script and work stuff, kicking off my shoes, and barely making it to my couch and collapsing onto it. It'd been a long day. And putting the thing with Theo aside, it'd been a good one. A smile came on my face again as I thought about the scene we were filming. It'd be so great when the lead actress arrived.
My phone started ringing and I reached around for it before looking at the caller's I.D.
The smile immediately dropped from my face.
It was my mom.
Author's Note:
So I kind of know I dropped one chapter and disappeared forever. But pretty much right after that, I found out my mom was diagnosed with stage three cancer, and then my cat was diagnosed with a life long sickness. It's been a couple stressful months with everything... but I'm trying to be back now! My mom is almost done with her treatment and as long as the last part goes well, she'll be okay! And my cat is doing well after we got him the treatment and life style changed he needed to be healthy with the disease. Sorry for disappearing, though. Really.
Also, my canva expired during this little period, so no more graphics :p