FALLING AGAIN ON SET

CHAPTER 2

‎Chapter Two

‎

‎

‎I spent the entire drive home convincing myself that seeing Ethan Blake again meant absolutely nothing.It was just a coincidence. A very unfortunate, extremely irritating coincidence.

‎Nothing more.

‎So why had I spent the last thirty minutes staring at the same spot on my bedroom ceiling?

‎I groaned and rolled onto my side, burying my face into my pillow.

‎"This is ridiculous."

‎Five years.

‎I had spent five years moving on.

‎Five years building a life without him.

‎I had learned how to walk onto a red carpet without looking for his face in the crowd. I had learned how to hear our old songs without immediately changing them. I had even stopped wondering whether he was okay.

‎Or at least, I thought I had. One look at him and suddenly I was twenty-two again, standing beneath that old oak tree, waiting for a boy who was always late.

‎I hated him.

‎I hated that my heart still remembered him.

‎My phone buzzed beside me. I reached for it lazily.

‎Chloe: Tell me everything. NOW.

‎I rolled my eyes.

‎Of course. Chloe Bennett, my best friend had somehow developed the ability to sense drama from three cities away.

‎I typed back.

‎Me: Nothing happened.

‎The reply came almost instantly.

‎Chloe: Valerie.

‎Chloe: You literally texted me, "I just met the male lead."

‎Chloe: Then disappeared for two hours.

‎Chloe: WHO IS HE?

‎I stared at the screen. There was no point hiding it from her.

‎Me: Ethan.

‎The typing bubble appeared. Disappeared.

‎Appeared again.

‎Then—

‎Chloe: ETHAN???

‎I winced.

‎Me: Unfortunately.

‎Cloe: THE Ethan?

‎e: How many Ethan do you think I've dated?

‎Chloe: Oh my God.

‎I could practically hear her screaming through the phone.

‎Cloe: Are you okay?

‎I stared at that question for longer than I should have. Was I okay?. I wasn't sure.

‎Me: I'm fine.

‎A lie.

‎But one I had become very good at telling. My phone buzzed again.

‎Cloe: Don't let him ruin this for you.

‎I smiled faintly. That was exactly what I intended to do. I tossed my phone onto the bed and stood.

‎Tomorrow was our first official day of filming.

‎And I wasn't going to let Ethan Blake ruin anything.

‎Not my career.

‎Not this movie.

‎And definitely not me.

‎*****

‎The next morning, I arrived at the studio fifteen minutes early.

‎I had chosen my outfit carefully.Not because of Ethan.

‎Absolutely not because of Ethan.I wore a simple cream blouse tucked into black trousers, my hair styled neatly, and just enough makeup to look polished without appearing like I had tried too hard.

‎I walked onto the set with confidence.

‎"Good morning, Ms. Sterling."

‎"Morning."

‎Crew members moved around me, carrying equipment and adjusting lights. Everything felt normal.

‎Until I saw him.

‎Ethan stood on the other side of the set, talking to Vincent. My steps slowed.

‎He was dressed as his character already.

‎Dark trousers. White shirt. Sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

‎His hair fell slightly over his forehead.

‎He looked...

‎Annoyingly good.

‎I immediately looked away.

‎No.

‎Absolutely not.

‎"Morning, Valerie."

‎I turned to see Vincent approaching with a huge smile.

‎"Morning."

‎"How are you feeling about our first day?"

‎"Excited."

‎"Good, good. Ethan is already here. You two should go over some scene together."

‎My smile disappeared.

‎"Together?"

‎Vincent nodded.

‎"It's a romantic scene."

‎Of course it was.

‎"How romantic?"

‎Vincent laughed.

‎"Nothing too intense. Just chemistry."

‎Chemistry.Right. Between me and Ethan.

‎The universe had a strange sense of humor. I glanced toward him.

‎As if he had heard us, Ethan looked over.

‎Our eyes met. Neither of us looked away.

‎For a few seconds, the noise around us seemed to disappear.

‎Then I forced myself to break eye contact.

‎"I'll go get my script."

‎"Perfect."

‎I turned around.

‎"Valerie."

‎I stopped.

‎I knew that voice.

‎I had heard it in my dreams more times than I wanted to admit. I slowly turned around. Ethan was standing a few feet away.

‎"Hi."

‎One word.

‎That's all he said.

‎Five years. And all he had was hi?. I gave him a polite smile.

‎"Hello."

‎His jaw tightened slightly.

‎"You look well."

‎"I'm supposed to."He looked at me for a moment.

‎"I heard you've been doing really well."

‎"I have."

‎"I've seen some of your movies."

‎I raised an eyebrow.

‎"You have?"

‎He nodded.

‎"Some."

‎"Interesting."

‎"Why?"

‎"Because you disappeared for five years. I assumed you stopped caring about anything that involved me."

‎Something flickered across his face.

‎Pain.

‎It disappeared almost immediately.

‎"I didn't."

‎I almost laughed.

‎"Could've fooled me."

‎Silence.

‎He looked down.

‎"I deserved that." I wasn't expecting that.

‎For some reason, hearing him admit it made me angrier.

‎"Don't".

‎He looked back at me."Don't what?"

‎"Don't act like you suddenly understand."

‎"I don't."

‎"Good." I stepped past him.

‎"Because we're here to work."

‎His eyes followed me.

‎"I know."

‎I stopped."Then keep it professional."

‎"I will."

‎"Great." I walked away before he could say anything else.

‎My hands were trembling. I clenched them into fists.

‎Why was he doing this?. Why did he have to come back now?

‎"Places!" The director's voice echoed across the set.

‎I took my position.

‎The scene was simple.

‎Our characters had been dating for years and were finally reunited after being separated by circumstances of the other cheating.

‎I almost laughed when I read that part.

‎"Action!"

‎I looked up. Ethan was standing across from me. His expression softened.

‎Not Ethan's expression.

‎His character's. But my stupid heart didn't know the difference. He walked toward me slowly.

‎"I thought I'd never see you again," he said.

‎The words hit harder than they should have.

‎I swallowed.

‎"You shouldn't have broken my trust."

‎His eyes held mine.

‎"I'm sorry, i didn't mean to, I'm truly sorry my love."

‎My breath caught.

‎For a second, I forgot we were acting.

‎That sentence.

‎Those exact words.

‎Five years ago, I had wanted him to say something like that.

‎Anything that would explain why he'd left. Anything that would make the pain make sense. But he never did. And now, here he is, saying it in a movie.

‎"Cut!"

‎I blinked.

‎Vincent smiled.

‎"That was good,"

‎I stepped back immediately. Ethan remained still.Vincent looked between us.

‎"Actually... very good, if this scene was this good, the first and last with your co-actors would be perfect."

‎I avoided Ethan's gaze.

‎"Can we do it again?" Ethan suddenly asked. Vincent nodded.

‎"Absolutely."

‎Ethan looked at me. This time, there was something different in his eyes.

‎Something I couldn't understand.

‎"Yes along with the other scenes...Action!" Vincent yelled.

‎He stepped closer. And once again, my heart betrayed me.

‎

‎************

‎I had barely taken a few steps toward my trailer when I heard a familiar voice behind me.

‎"Valerie!"

‎I turned around. Chloe came rushing toward me, her handbag hanging from one shoulder. The moment she reached me, she grabbed my arm. "Tell me you are joking."

‎I blinked."About what?"

‎"Ethan."

‎My stomach tightened.

‎Of course.

‎"How did you—"

‎"You told me his name yesterday!"

‎She looked around the set, her eyes narrowing. "Where is he?"

‎I sighed. "Chloe..."

‎"Where is he?"

‎"He's somewhere around here."

‎HerHer eyes widened. "He's HERE?"

‎I nodded.Chloe looked around again like she was searching for a weapon.

‎"Give me five minutes."

‎"What are you planning to do?"

‎"Nothing."

‎I stared at her. She smiled innocently."Absolutely nothing."

‎"Chloe."

‎"Fine! I want to talk to him."

‎"No."

‎"Why not?"

‎"Because I know you."

‎She scoffed. "What does that mean?"

‎"It means you'll probably punch him."

‎"Probably?" I raised an eyebrow.

‎"Okay, definitely."

‎I couldn't help laughing.Chloe folded her arms.

‎"I'm serious, Val. Do you know how many times I watched you cry because of him?"

‎My smile slowly faded. "I know."

‎"You stopped eating properly."

‎"I was fine."

‎"You weren't."

‎I looked down. Chloe's voice softened.

‎"You waited for him."

‎‎I saidI said nothing.

‎"Every single time your phone rang, you thought it was him."

‎My throat tightened. "Chloe..."

‎"And then he just disappeared."

‎She shook her head, clearly furious all over again.

‎"I swear, if I see that man smiling at you like nothing happened, I'm going to lose my mind."

‎"He didn't smile."

‎"Good."

‎She looked satisfied for exactly two seconds."Actually, where is he again?"

‎I laughed. "You're unbelievable."

‎"No, I'm protective."

‎She linked her arm through mine.

‎"Come on. We're getting coffee before I accidentally commit a crime."

‎I shook my head as we walked toward my trailer. I simply leaned my head against her shoulder as we walked. For the first time that day, I felt a little less alone.

‎Behind us, Ethan was nowhere in sight.

‎Apparently, he'd gotten a call from work and left the studio. I didn't know that yet. And honestly, I didn't care. At least that's what I told myself.

‎

‎

‎**************

‎

‎THIRD-PERSON POV

‎

‎Ethan sat in the back of his car, his phone pressed against his ear.

‎"Tell me Mason, is this actually important?" Ethan said.

‎On the other end of the call, Mason chuckled.

‎"You handed me control of your company and told me to call you if anything came up. Now you're complaining because I actually called."

‎Ethan leaned back against the seat."I said anything urgent."

‎"This is urgent." Mason deadpanned

‎Ethan raised an eyebrow.

‎"What happened?"

‎"We have a meeting with the big investors tomorrow," Mason replied. "And apparently, they aren't thrilled that the CEO has decided to disappear in the middle of everything."

‎Ethan sighed.

‎"I haven't disappeared." Easton clarified.

‎"You left your entire schedule on my desk." Mason complained

‎"Because I trust you."

‎"That's not the point."

‎Ethan smiled faintly.

‎"It is to me."

‎Mason was silent for a moment.

‎Then he asked, "How's the acting thing going?"

‎Ethan glanced out the window toward the studio."It's fine."

‎"Just fine?"

‎"Yeah."

‎Mason chuckled. "You sound thrilled."

‎"I'm tired."

‎"You've only been there one day."

‎"I know."

‎"So what's wrong?"

‎Ethan didn't answer immediately.

‎His gaze remained fixed on the studio entrance.

‎Mason's voice came through the phone again. "Ethan?"

‎"Nothing," Ethan replied.

‎"You know you can tell me anything, right?"

‎"I know, I saw her" Ethan muttered.

‎There was another pause.

‎Mason suddenly asked, "Do you mean her?"

‎Ethan's expression changed.

‎He didn't need to ask who Mason meant. "Yeah."

‎Mason went quiet. "Valerie?"

‎"Yes."

‎"And?"

‎Ethan looked down at his hand. "She's the female lead."

‎"I know that," Mason replied. "I'm asking how it went."

‎"It was fine."

‎"Fine?"

‎Ethan sighed. "She doesn't want anything to do with me."

‎Mason was silent for a moment. "Can you blame her?"

‎Ethan's jaw tightened slightly.

‎"No."

‎"Then don't push her."

‎"I'm not going to."

‎Mason seemed satisfied with that answer. "Good."

‎Ethan looked back toward the studio.

‎"I didn't come here because of her."

‎"I know."

‎"I came because I wanted to act."

‎"I know that too."

‎Ethan leaned his head against the seat.

‎"I just didn't expect her to be here."

‎Mason gave a quiet laugh. "Life has a funny way of doing that."

‎Ethan didn't respond.

‎After a moment, Mason spoke again."Anyway, I'll handle tomorrow's meeting."

‎"Thank you."

‎"And Ethan?"

‎"Yeah?"

‎"Try to enjoy yourself for once."

‎Ethan smiled faintly. "I'll try."

‎He ended the call and stared at his phone for a moment.

‎Then he looked toward the studio one last time before telling the driver,

‎"Let's go."

‎The car pulled away from the studio.

‎Ethan watched the building disappear behind him.

‎He had no idea how long he would be able to keep pretending that seeing Valerie again didn't affect him.

‎But for now, keeping his distance was the only thing he could do, at least before gaining back her trust.

‎