The years vanished like they’d never happened, the magic of Mia’s kiss transporting me back to the past, desperately in love with her.My hands moved to cradle her face as I deepened the kiss.
And she was kissing me back.A sound in her throat, her hand sliding into my hair.For a few moments, suspended in time, everything was the way it was meant to be.
But as I tried to get closer, I bumped her into the sink and she jerked away.
Reality rushed back in.What the fuck had I done?I hadn’t asked…but she’d kissed me back.
“Sorry,” I said, willing to apologize for knocking her into the sink, even if I couldn’t regret the kiss.
Her cheeks were flushed and she wouldn’t meet my eyes.“Justin, we can’t…”
“I know, I know, you’re right.I shouldn’t have done that.I’ll just—” And I slid out of the doorway and pulled off the towel before I walked straight out the kitchen door to the backyard.
I stayed there, bits of beard tickling under my T-shirt.I stayed till Mia called that she was leaving.Would she even come back?
As the sun set, the sky darkening, I had no answer.
Mia
What had I done?What the hell had I done?I couldn’t kiss my clients.I was supposed to help Justin, not fuse myself to his mouth and suck on his tongue like I needed it for sustenance.
I’d offered to shave him like I would any client.But he wasn’t any client.
I ran, leaving a little early, but Justin wasn’t going to complain.I stopped at the grocery store to clear my head.We were always running out of things, the way my siblings and Bruce ate, so I might as well do something productive.
I was very productively standing in the cereal aisle, gazing blindly at the boxes on offer, when I got a text.
We’re shooting not far from you today.Think Arne would like to come and see what it’s like on set?
It took me a moment.Shooting.Shooting Erik’s show, right.That made sense.Would Arne like it?Of course he would.He was a kid and he was curious about everything.Plus, it might distract him from hockey.His dad’s arrival had given him some excitement, but I’d seen hockey sticks doodled on his homework.I hadn’t researched acting classes, but they couldn’t take more time and money than hockey, right?
Should we come after dinner?
Come anytime.You can eat with me on set.
So, a meal I didn’t have to make?Sign me up.
Okay.Where do I go?
That was how Arne and I found ourselves standing with Erik in the middle of a large crowd of people making a TV series.Arne’s eyes were open wide, but that was probably more because of something Erik called a craft table with snacks for anyone who wanted, rather than the magic of filmmaking.Since the meal break was apparently going to be a while yet, I let Arne have some.
He stood by Erik, who wasn’t in this scene but the next one, holding his hand while eating string cheese and watching the camera and light and sound people go about their business.There were two pretty people rehearsing in a kitchen, a set with only a couple of walls and no ceiling.The dialogue wouldn’t keep Arne’s interest, but he was enjoying the cameras and lights and the fuzzy-covered microphone over the top of the actors’ heads.
It was a new experience for me too.I had no idea what went into making a TV show or movie.A lot of people, apparently.I stood beside Arne, watching with almost as much interest as him.
Then everyone paused, words were yelled out, and I froze in place to make sure we didn’t mess things up.I heardCut!, like in movies about movies, and after a few minutes they started again.
After some time passed, and Arne kept his questions to himself so we didn’t attract unwanted attention, everyone relaxed and they started arranging things for the next scene.
Erik flashed us a grin.“My turn now.You guys okay on your own?”
“Can I get more juice?”Arne asked.
Erik opened his mouth, undoubtedly to agree, but I spoke first.“If you drink more, you’ll have to go to the bathroom, and you might miss seeing your dad do his thing.”
Arne shook his head.“No, we have to see that.No juice…for now.”
Erik moved us to another place to watch and then disappeared.