That was some speech you gave at the table last night.
FINN
I guess. I was just speaking my truth, since I doubt you lot will tell it.
PRODUCER
We just show the footage we have— hey, wait, we’re not done yet.
Finn unwraps mic.
PRODUCER
Wait. Finn, please, just one more moment of your time.
Finn stands, places mic on chair.
AUDIO SWITCHED TO BOOM MIC
FINN
Listen, my friend — I said goodbye to Cap. Ember has already filmed her last shot and she’s waiting for me on the deck. You’ve had your pound of flesh.
Finn stands.
FINN
But I get to take control of the story now, and your time in it is over.
PRODUCER
You’re contractually obligated to attend the reunion.
FINN
Then you can feck off until then, can’t you?
Finn exits.
The lights above were hot and relentless, washing out every feature, every flaw, and somehow still highlighting them all at once. I swore the makeup artist had caked on a full jar of foundation, but even that wasn’t enough to hide the months of stress that lined my face.
I was wishing an ill-timed wedgie was still the worst of my problems, but alas, it was this damn reunion.
The cameras were already rolling in the backstage holding area, mostly phones held up capturing exclusive live content for social media. Nothing was sacred. I knew better than to pull up the stream on my own phone and read the comments rolling in.
No doubt, more than half of them would be shitting on me and Finn.
Speaking of the handsome Irish devil, where I was trembling, he was solid, standing beside me like an old oak tree with roots too deep for even the strongest storm to disturb. He was sexy as ever, his golden-brown hair tussled, the navy-blue suit he wore bringing out the deep aqua of his eyes. His stubble was a well-grown beard now, trimmed short and tight to his jaw but thick and purposeful. He had one hand stuffed into his pocket, the other linked tightly with mine.
He hadn’t let go since we arrived.
In fact, he’d rarely let me go since the day we left theSinking Sun.
For the first two months, we worked. We found a gig together on a yacht in Greece, for old time’s sake, and threw ourselves into doing what we do best. Fortunately for us, we were with an older, more experienced crew — and there wasn’t a single ounce of drama.
Which was great, because we’d had enough of that to last our entire lifetime.
When it was getting close to the show airing, we holed up together at my apartment in South Florida, laying as low as we possibly could. We would watch the episodes when they aired, but Finn kept me from spiraling when I saw what I already knew would happen.