“Got to go,” I mumble to Sarah before rounding the car to where Danny is waiting, rummaging in my bag for the battered paperback I have carried around since I found him reading a thriller in his trailer. I pass it to him without looking in his eyes, a feat I have managed to accomplish since he last pierced my gaze in the bedroom mirror.
His fingers linger on mine as he takes the book, his skin brushing against my knuckles and sending a spark straight through my body. This was supposed to be gone, this energy between us. Worked out of our system by now.
I look at his Adam’s apple, unwilling to look up any further.
“I’ll uhm,” I splutter, “I’ll get you your coffee.”
He nods, his tongue tracing his lips as if remembering my taste.
I glance up finally, looking into his eyes before ducking away to the catering truck.
I manage to successfully avoid him for the rest of the day, fetching him water and escorting him back and forth without so much as a word passing between us. Instead of hanging in his trailer, I lurk around the production truck under the guise of helping the production secretary, Sadie, organize transport.
At the end of the day, I get Danny in his car without so much as a word. He seems to have picked up on my ‘don’t acknowledge me’ vibes so doesn’t protest my silent treatment, though after wrap Jess has obviously picked up on the strange tension.
“Has he pissed you off or something? You guys are usually always whispering in the corner.”
“Oh.” I swallow, horrified that anyone has even picked that up. “I’m pissed at him for making us late this morning so I’m making him suffer.”
“Love it, put him in his place.” Jess laughs. “Is that ahickey?”
I slap a palm against my throat. “No I—uh— I burnt my hair on my straighteners,” I laugh weakly.
“Oh, I’ve done that before,” she winces in sympathy.
I say a quick goodbye before dashing past security and back into the city proper, walking instead of getting in the car with Danny. I’m tempted to hit up the local supermarket and grab a bottle of wine but decide I drank enough last night to last the whole month.
Finally on my own, I have the chance to sort through my muddled thoughts. This time yesterday Danny and I were getting closer, sharing life stories and a bottle of wine. Making terrible decisions. Although those terrible decisions felt gigantic when I was on set, in the dark of the night, last night doesn’t feel so catastrophically awful.
Last night might have been…incredible.
It doesn’t matter my personal feelings about the matter, I’m his paid assistant. Even if he didn’t hire me, if people knew, I would garner the worst kind of reputation. My first job in the industry and I’ve already tried sleeping my way to the top. Even if it was unplanned, that’s what everyone will say. No, it was good that we established this boundary now, before it got even more complicated.
We will act like nothing ever happened and everything will be fine.
Chapter 19
DANNY
Anya is acting like nothing ever happened and it’s driving me insane.
It’s been days since I’ve had the best night of my life, since I felt her thick hair wrapped around my fist and tasted her soft mouth.
She’s been doing her best to keep it professional, which is almost hilarious to watch as professional has never exactly been in Anya’s repertoire. I almost think she’s going to start ducking her head and calling me ‘Sir’.
I wouldn’t mind that actually.
I don’t understand why she’s being so weird about this. I know what we had was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. Not just the sex, but the whole day leading up to it. It was the first time I felt like myself, like I could be playful and joke, do anything to make her laugh.
I thought she felt it too, but this awkward formal Anya has me all twisted up.
She won’t even come inside my trailer, instead deciding to stand outside like a five foot five bodyguard.
The only time I get to see her is when she ferries me from base to set or the hotel. It’s a unique kind of torture to sit so close to her and for her to barely even acknowledge me. Her head bent and buried in her phone, or speaking quiet French with Jaques.
I’m starting to doubt that that night had any effect on her, but I know in my soul that it’s just a front she’s putting on. It seems impossible that she can’t feel anything when I can finally see a world in color that was sepia toned before.
Today, I’m shooting a court scene. Costume has fitted me with a three piece suit that’s itchy yet silky at the same time. When I step out of the costume truck, Anya straightens from her guard post and I don’t miss the double take she gives me. Nor do I miss the way her plump lips part as her eyes drop to my suit.
