Scene of Eve

[ chapter 6 ]

“How many cars do you have?” I laughed as I approached Ian, his fingers playfully calling me to him.

“For you to ride on? I have a ton.” Ian winked as he ruffled my hair and went on to explain how the scene would go.

“So, I assume you’d want to race around?” I asked as the race car got me curious on what the scene would be for me. 

“No, not really. I can’t risk it. And before you say you trust me enough. I’d rather not risk it. I’m not losing you too,” Ian said, but the last was whispered and I had to strain my ears just to understand it.

Lose me?

“Positions, you two! Out of the frame first, alright?” the director called with his megaphone.

Ian walked to his position opposite mine as I did too. But his last words bothered me. 

Lose me, how, exactly? Did he kill anyone while racing?  I didn’t remember having any of that conversation on our ride home from my parents. Just a bunch of small talks about Ian's project in the midst of blushing cheeks and heated looks. But nothing about losing anyone.

“Actors cue!” the director again called out, giving Ian the reins as always. He looked at me and nodded slightly as he started taking steps towards the middle of the track. I followed and walked to meet him as well, his black racing car as our backdrop. My arms are already spread open, ready to have him in my arms.

“Congrats champ!” I whispered and hugged Ian, my arms on his shoulders while he pulled me closer by the waist. I felt him laugh as he shook in my arms, his hot breath on my neck momentarily made me lose focus and forget to answer him back as he whispered,

“Thanks, babe,” he said as he slowly stood straighter and looked at my dumbstruck expression.

“And cut!” the director called out. I was about to get out of the frame for the expected re-take, but a hand-pulled me back and suddenly a mix of soft but a little chapped lips were on my own.

Wait. Did the director call out before or after the kiss? Was the kiss a part of the scene? Do we have to do it on this second retake? What-

“Positions, you lovebirds. You got time all to yourselves after this.” The director chuckled as he waved his arms up, giving us a signal to separate and out of the frame.

I went back to my side in a daze, my eyes refusing to meet him though I felt his stare. And even though I was not looking, I could see a smirk. A smirk I badly wanted to kiss away while my fingers found his long locks. Fingers combed through every tangled strand, smoothening it along with the kiss.

What are you thinking, Apple? I needed to get a hold of myself or I might just blackout in the middle of the race track. I was in no way going to cause any burden just because of a kiss.

A kiss that was not even included in the first shot.

I slapped myself internally and reminded myself where I stand and what I am.

But he kissed me.

It might just be a joke to him. I might be the joke.

The last thought bugged me to the core. I already thought of Ian as a friend more than a colleague. His company had lately been comfortable. Boundaries were still set, but we both could breathe around each other. We both found comfort with one another. But that could just be me. After all, I couldn’t read minds. The Ian I knew might not be the Ian that he really is. The image I had of him might prove to be wrong and the rumors could be right instead. 

But, no. Ian had been nothing but sincere. 

“And on your cue again, Ian!” the director called out once again.

I was not ready but I had to do this. My thoughts were going haywire. My heart was pounding like crazy. But my body seemed to be able to still function as I felt my feet move. I tried making my steps smaller, slower. But it was like the thumping of my heart dictated the pace. Faster. My arms automatically caged Ian. It was as if he always had space all to himself as my arms locked perfectly around him. And like a magnet, my fingers wound back in his hair, our gazes locked.

“I like you, Apple.” It was just a whisper but I felt like Ian’s voice as if it was spoken. My heart leaped out of my body and ran the whole race track before digging itself back inside me, thumping even faster than it already was. 

I couldn’t find my voice. Instead, it was the lips that I found. Lips stopping me from screaming. But my heart was free and was screaming, my thoughts drowned out. 

I must be dreaming. Yeah, this is a dream.

I would wake up in my room, thoughts still buzzing from the night before from an after-party. I would then go plug on my laptop and, hopefully, get a few more hours of sleep. Maybe my headache would lessen. Then wake up again. Turn on my laptop. Get up and go to the kitchen to heat up some water for coffee. Look around more for food then I would sigh, remembering that I had not bought groceries for the month yet. Turn off the kettle and make coffee. Get a call from my parents to ask about how the last gig went. Lie to them that the director hooked me up with some writers to get my works up on the market. Tell them I was busy preparing for a meeting. Drop the call. Sip more of my coffee but then I would cringe because it was too bitter. I looked around and of course, I had not gone for groceries. I endured the bitterness instead and took it with me back to bed where my laptop had finally opened. I checked my emails. Just the usual. All messages were read and there were no new gigs. I took more wee sips of my bitter coffee until I emptied my cup. Placed it by the floor as I sent an email with my resume attached for any openings I saw. I sent another email, a follow-up on the write-up I passed to a local publisher. Stared at my emails for a few minutes then got bored. Opened up YouTube and watched some puppy videos. 

Weird. Is this some 4D s**t kind of video? I could feel a puppy’s tongue lapping with my own. I could feel its warmth in my arms. But it was no tiny puppy I had in my arms. The gentle pull on my waist told me that it was no puppy that I was holding. The warm breath mixing with mine tasted like too much smoke and a tinge of something sweet. Like drinking a bottle of honey after smoking for hours. 

“I like you and I think- No. I know I’m barely hanging because I can see myself falling.” That voice. That was definitely no puppy. And I was not at home. I was not dreaming. 

“Ian, I-” I what, though? I like you too? I love you too?

“CUT! THAT WAS GREAT YOU TWO! AMAZING. THE BEST CUT SO FAR!” the director screamed, cutting me off totally. Nessa and Hazel were suddenly running towards me both, their cheeks flushed and their eyes refusing to meet Ian. Behind them, Tiana walked slower but at least she had the guts to smile at Ian before she fully blocked my view of him.

Hazel was holding a bunch of leather jackets on her arms and bringing them up to my shoulder as she examined each one and asked for my approval. Nessa, on the other hand, was retouching my makeup. She first made sure that my eyes still had my signature cat eyeliner. Seeing that it was not even smudged, her eyes moved down to my lips and hid a giggle as she cleared her throat while looking for the powder in my bag. My cheeks heated up and my heart raced a third time. At this rate, I would get a heart attack if people kept looking at me weirdly.  Finally, she finished with the powder. She asked Hazel if I needed any more blush and Hazel laughed as she looked at my cheeks. Shaking her head ‘no’, Nessa picked one last item instead. Lipstick and some glitter gloss. 

“Tissue, please,” Nessa asked for Hazel’s bag. I was in a daze and everything that they were doing was no longer registering as I focused instead on calming my heart and cooling my cheeks down. But just when my heart was finding a normal pace again, Nessa was wiping on my lips with a wet tissue.

“Smudged a little,” Hazel said with a giggle and a nudge at Tiana as I looked at Nessa’s fingers wiping away. I pouted away in annoyance at the two. I was not mad though. Just confused. I didn’t know what was happening and why it was happening.

“Okay?” Tiana whispered as she grabbed my hands gently, her thumb tracing patterns on my palm gently.

With my lips still occupied, I just nodded at Tiana. She really is something else. How could she still be jumping from one amateur to another when her whole personality already screamed the perfect agent for bigger stars. She’s got that eye. She knows when someone is bothered. She knows just when to join the fun or be the one consoling and calming down.

The next scene was inside a car yet again. But this time Ian and I would be inside a race car while being pulled by a truck ‘for safety’, as Ian had said. Maybe that was what he meant when he said ‘I’d rather not risk it. I’m not losing you too.’ Maybe there was a minor accident in his past projects which led him to say those words. 

But the kiss. His confession. Was it even real? Or just something to bring out my character for the scene?

Tiana must have felt my limbs going weak as she helped me get to the car, blocking Ian’s hands from helping me.

“Thanks, Ti,” I said gently as her arms slowly let go of me as she walked out of the scene and was replaced by Ian.

Before Ian could do or say anything though, I opened the car door and went in on my own, closing it on him. I sat with my hands shaking subtly on my lap and my head down, prolonging the moment where I could still have my thoughts somewhat calm before it goes haywire again. A sigh from Ian as he got settled in and the voice of the director from a hidden walkie-talkie telling him to give his signal when all is set.

“And feel free to talk! We need to see some dialogue even if the cameras won’t be able to capture your voices.” The director added before a short static sound and then the total silence inside the car followed. 

“Ready?” Ian asked just in time my hands stopped shaking.

“Hmm.” I nodded and Ian raised both his thumbs by the window. The truck started driving along the tracks and Ian wore his helmet as he raised the shield over his face.

The scene was that both characters were having a relaxing night ride by the racing tracks. It was taking place right after Ian’s character supposedly won the race and my character, being the lover, met him in the midway and congratulated him. Then he would ask if I wanted to experience the thrill.

The whole scene lasted longer than expected with the truck having trouble in the middle of the shoot. Going back to the tent to refresh and back again at the racing track, took a toll on both me and Ian. The small talks while we were inside the racing car were getting smaller than they already were. Because of it, the previous scene was not brought up. But I did notice how Ian hinted once or twice - actually, a lot - about the conversation we left hanging. I just was not having it inside a car with a muted dialogue and fake scenarios. If he wanted a conversation, he should at least give me the real thing. No cameras. No staff. No scenes to shoot. No playing pretend. Just Ian Miller and Apple Rodriguez. Acquaintances. Colleagues. Senior-Junior. Friends. Anything except pretend lovers with no voices.

The scene was still a success though some disappointments.

“But I understand.” The director chuckled as he patted Ian’s back and thumbs up at me. “The truck chose to be a burden in the middle of the shoot and got both of you tired. We can always make up for better shots in the coming scenes. Right, Apple?” He added as he passed me and Tiana with a smile before helping his team pack up for the night. 

I ran to my van as I noticed Ian approaching. Tiana must’ve felt my urgency placing some distance because she immediately blocked Ian from going further. 

“Ian has a modeling gig tomorrow morning so we need to get her back home. Sorry, Ian. You can talk to her tomorrow on your next shoot, yeah?” I heard Tiana before making her way to the van followed by Nessa and Hazel, who were murmuring to each other. 

As the three girls got inside as well, Tiana told the other two to keep it down because I was tired. I laid my head on her shoulder and whispered my thanks to her as the van drove away.

__

It was not over. Just a day of rest and I found myself back on the road.

Ian had called me a couple of times yesterday but I didn't have the courage to pick up my phone. I left it ringing the whole day as I distracted myself by cleaning the house. It was late in the evening when I noticed how silent the house was. He would obviously get tired of calling me for hours. After looking around my house, I saw that it was spotless and clean already. Nothing more to distract me, I grabbed my phone on the kitchen table but I was surprised that it was off. 

Even my phone got tired. Who else will get tired of me?

As I plugged it to charge and turned it on, messages kept coming in. All of it, or mostly, was from Ian. Maybe some from my parents or Tiana. I couldn’t figure out as it was Ian’s name that was constantly lighting up my screen. I left it again for a couple of minutes and when my house was enveloped in silence again, I opened my phone and clicked on one voice message from Ian.

“Can we talk?” His voice was unusually quiet. Not the usual quietness his voice had when he was being gentle with me, rather the kind of quiet that worried me. I scrolled further down my phone and saw Mike’s contact. I immediately clicked on it, worrying about taking over everything else.

I’m probably getting fired. 

“Apple! Thank God you answered.” Mike was breathless like he was running a marathon when I called.

“Is there anything wrong?” I asked as I placed one of my palms on my heart, hoping it calms down.

“Well, no. Not really. Just-,” A heavy sigh. “Can you come pick up Ian? He won’t budge. He’s still drinking. He needs to be somewhat sober for your shoot tomorrow, well later. Seeing that it’s already 2 AM.” 

“But why me?” Of course, me. Deep down I knew what was bothering Ian to get himself so drunk. Mike must have also called me seeing as it was me who Ian last called. Has been calling for a while. 

As Mike apologized for making me come up to them and telling me that he would just find a hotel nearby and drag Ian over, I was already in a state of panic. While letting Mike ramble on and on with his apologies, I was already grabbing my wallet and car keys, and a robe. A motherfucking robe. f**k. 

“I’m coming,” I said cutting the call and typed the bar they were at in the car’s GPS. 

_

I parked just outside the bar as I saw Mike by the door and a hunched sitting figure on the floor. 

“Mike,” I called as I approached him.

“I am so sorry. But-” He put his hands together as he apologized before pointing with his hands at Ian.

“What can I do though?” I was utterly confused. I obviously couldn’t carry him on my back. I couldn’t drive him home because then I would have to leave my car or his. I doubt I could talk to him either in his state. 

“I actually found a hotel just a block away,” Mike told me how he called Tiana to bring my things instead of for the shoot later and that I didn’t need to be picked up because I would be arriving at the venue with Ian and him. 

“Stay with him at a hotel? A hotel? Mike, why-?” Oh no. My panic-induced self was swimming back to the surface as I felt my palms start to sweat and my knees wanting to buckle. Like I just wanted to curl in on myself on the floor as well. Maybe join Ian. But I would be drunk overthinking instead of alcohol.

“You’ll have different beds,” Mike said, hoping to lift the mood.

“Beds? Not rooms?” I was hoping I heard wrong.

“Yes. Beds. It’s a weekend and it’s the middle of the night. Other hotels that have more rooms are miles away.” Mike was very apologetic as he grabbed Ian and held him up. He explained how he had to get back to the office and finish up some paperwork from his meeting with Tiana but he could not leave Ian. He didn’t trust Ian’s friends because he knew they wouldn’t really be bringing Ian back home. They were just going to get drunk even more. And one of the many things Joey, our director, hates is having to deal with drunk stars or having hangovers on set. Mike went on even more about Tyson and how he went to shoot drunk and it nearly got Mike fired for not following what the director wanted. 

“I’ll take him.” I reached out for Ian weakly as Mike was starting to sound senseless. It was getting late and I’m tired. It’s not like we’ll sleep on the same bed. 

Mike helped me get Ian to my car and again thanked me over and over again. He was getting on my nerves.

“Alright, Mike. It’s fine. We’ll see you later at the shoot. I’ll call if anything happens.” I knew that I may have sounded rude. I didn't mean to but my head was starting to ache from the lack of sleep and stress. With a last ‘thanks’, Mike drove off opposite my direction. The drive was quick seeing I only had to turn a street to get to the hotel.

“We’re here. Hey.” I gently shook Ian and he opened his eyes slightly. He was a mumbling mess but thankfully his body cooperated and we both got to the room with not much hassle. The room was tiny but the beds were spacious. So spacious that there was not much space between them. Anyone could literally roll over one bed to the other.

Great. So much for sleep.

I sat Ian on his bed as I removed his hat and leather jacket. His back was sweaty as my palms rubbed on his back. My arms still loosely wrapped around him, I debated whether I should remove his shirt or not. But of course, the rational part of me won. 

“Hey, I’ll remove your shirt, okay? You might wake up with a cold if you sleep with it on,” I whispered as my fingers found purchase on the hem of his shirt. I lifted his shirt gingerly over his head and as I threw it on the chair, his head nearly lolled dangerously over to the headboard without my hands keeping him steady. Luckily, I caught him, a palm on the back of his head as I gently placed it on the pillow. My body was inches away from him and I could feel the warmth emanating from his body. I was about to stand and remove his shoes, but strong arms were suddenly caging me just above him. A hand landed beside his head while the other landed on his chest along with my face.

“Ian-” I tried to wriggle my way out of his hold but the more I moved, the tighter his hug had gotten. I huffed and stopped, the exhaustion fully catching up with my own body.  My eyes were on Ian’s face. His lips were still moving, mumbled whispers forming. His eyebrows were scrunched and his breathing was getting erratic as if he was running.

“Don’t...leave…please.” Ian turned with me still securely in his arms, his back on the window blocking the moonlight both from my eyes and his own. I placed a palm on his cheek, my thumbs gently rubbing in circles, hoping he would calm down from whatever nightmare he is having.

“I’m here, Ian,” I said as I lifted my head up a little and nuzzled the tip of my nose from his chin down to his Adam's apple. I felt it bob lightly before his breathing slowed. The steady thumping of his heart against my hand was calming. My eyes were getting heavier. Just before I totally lost myself to sleep, I heard a voice. Ian’s voice, a little muddled probably because I was already on the verge of succumbing to complete darkness. But what he said was clear as the night sky.

“I love you.”