Sadness flooded through me as I knew for sure that this man was the sun, and I was nothing more than Pluto orbiting on the edges of his solar system.
“It’s time!” Alina said after glancing at her watch.
I had been so enraptured in the conversation around me and that stunning man in the corner that I’d lost track of time. I hadn’t noticed the shadows around us lengthening, the midday heat slowly creeping back down, and the sky slowly turning a pale pink color.
When we were down by the beach, I got to watch as the cast assembled and the director, Reese Riley, gave everyone a pep talk.
“This is a scene that’s pivotal to the rest of the series,” he said in his sharp British accent, his tie flapping in the beach wind. “Everything hinges on what happens on this beach tonight. Luckily, we’ve hand-picked every one of you to come together for this series.”
He paused for a beat, his slim form standing tall like a stake in the sand.
“Even though this scene only has Leo and Alina, I want all of you to know that it’s just two notes. Two notes out of a symphony of art.”
He snatched the wind with his hand as if he could capture it in his fist. It occurred to me that that was exactly what he was trying to do as a director — take this intangible quality of the people, the settings, the story, and weave them together into something an audience could consume.
I couldn’t help but swoon a little.
He continued with his speech, and the entire cast and crew were enraptured. By the time he was finished, some people surrounding me had tears in their eyes.
“Now we begin!” he called, clapping his hands together.
When he did that, it was as if he called “action.” The people around me scattered and hustled into position. Alina and Leo were both dressed in the stunning costumery that had been created by the skilled designer they’d plucked right out of Parsons. I hadn’t been introduced to him yet — he was lost in his work, locked in his trailer, frantically sewing buttons onto Leo’s costume earlier today.
I watched from far back on the sand as Alina and Leo talked on the beach. As soon as Reese said “Action!” the camera started to roll.
It was magic. I watched as the beach transformed from the powerful performance from Alina and Leo. Everyone around me was completely enraptured in the magical moment, stunned by their acting.
When Lady Bryn turned to walk away, tears in her eyes shining pastel colors in the evening light, Prince Valentine took her hand.
She stopped in her tracks and shut her eyes tight, making some kind of internal decision. Then when she turned to face him, it was clear what she’d decided to do.
His face displayed a look of pure lust as he pulled her in for a passionate kiss.
It was… it was beautiful. They embodied forbidden love.
I felt something in my chest clench tight, knowing that from here on out in the story, shit was going to go sideways at every turn.
I couldn’t wait.
The scene only took one take.
Once they were finished, Reese stood up from his chair and regarded the two actors with wonder; as if he couldn’t believe what was happening in front of him.
“That’s… that’s all for tonight,” he said, shaking his head with a smile. “You both are something, you know that?”
Alina smiled as she looked up at him, and he looked down into her eyes with a fatherly love.
For a second I got the inkling that Reese had a thing for her, but then he put his hand on her shoulder in a clear we are friends sort of way.
Something within me relaxed, surprising me.
Did I… did I have a crush on Reese?
I looked him up and down, then decided that I wouldn’t be too hard on myself if I did. He was… he was attractive, yes, but he also had that something that you can’t describe; that star magnetism. I wondered if he’d ever been an actor himself.
When Leo went up to him, the two chatted for a minute. I watched the friendliness between them and observed as Reese touched his shoulder in the same friendly way.
Then his hand slid from Leo’s shoulder down an inch or so.
I narrowed my eyes. The move was subtle, but it conveyed some kind of possessiveness.
It was clear that like everyone else in the world, Reese coveted Leo Knight.
“Charlie, there you are!” cried Alina from behind me.
I jumped and said, “Oh my God you were amazing!”
“I’m glad you liked it!” she said, pulling me into a huge hug.
“That was… do you even realize what you’ve done here on this beach?!” I gushed. “That scene is going to go down in film history!”
“I certainly hope so,” she brimmed, shimmering in the night.
Alina had that very same star quality that Leo, Reese, and Mason had in spades. Her grandmother was right when she predicted that Alina was going places.
For a moment, an unfamiliar feeling of envy twisted in my gut. I wondered what it would be like to have what they had; to be in the spotlight.
I’d taken theater in high school when I was a teenager and loved it. Though I always dreamed of making it big one day with acting, I secretly knew that I didn’t have the skill or dedication, looks, or luck that was required to make it. I’d gone to a few auditions when I first moved to L.A., but I’d been rejected from every single one of them. It only confirmed what I’d already suspected: I wasn’t that good of an actor.
Plus, I would have to compete with all these beautiful people…
My eyes slid over to a figure moving towards us in the crowd: Mason Vayne.
“Alina, congratulations,” he said clinically with that dazzling smile.
I was sure he was used to that smile getting him whatever he wanted.
Alina smiled back at
