THE RULES OF FAME

Chapter 6 - Breaking Point

Vanessa Louvier

The whole week, Tate had been giving me that look, and I just smiled. I promise I am trying to move on to smile, to be normal... to be over Peyton, but deep down everything feels wrong.

The shooting continued, and by Thursday, we would be shooting our first kissing scene... I was terrified. What if I can't do it? This is the first romance I am part of, and I have never done kissing scenes...

"Hey, Ness..." Tate walked towards me, and I gave him a small smile.

"You look as if you are going to get sick," he smirked, and I shook my head.

"No, not sick. But..." I sighed, and he tilted my face up.

"But?" his piercing eyes locked mine, and I took another deep breath.

"But, I have never kissed anyone on-screen," I confessed, and he nodded.

"I've got you, beautiful," Tate said and pecked my forehead. It was tender, but completely unexpected. He was my co–star, nothing was going on between us, and yet, he made it feel as if something more was happening.

"Ness, Tate..." Our director called us, and we walked towards him. He started giving us instructions. It was the scene, the one where the male shows the girl that he is serious about her, that he is desperate for her to realize that whatever has happened in the past, that is not their future. It is the breaking point of the movie, the one that will make the viewers cry and connect with the characters... It was a scene that had a lot of weight, and I didn't feel nearly as ready as Tate seemed to be.

I listened with attention; the fewer takes we had to shoot, the fewer kisses I would have to give Tate. "Alright, take your spots..." Our director said, and Tate walked to one side of the road, and I walked to the opposite side. In the scene, we were supposed to be walking about and around the city. He would walk from one direction, and he would see me walking past him, coming from the opposite direction. He would then turn to see me, and then reach out to stop me, turn me around, and pull me into his arms. Then he says some dialogue, and he kisses me. My character, in the end, surrenders, and the whole thing happens in slow motion. Several cameras were around the scene, capturing every angle.

"Action," our director said, and Tate started walking towards me, the extras feigning a walking crowd in every direction. I started walking towards him, my eyes fixed on the distance. My character doesn't see Tate's character in the surrounding crowd. We pass each other, and then Tate does as he was instructed. He holds my wrist and pulls me into his chest.

"I have tried, Samantha. I have tried to live without you. I have tried to erase you from my mind, to exile every feeling. To live in this city has been torture. Every corner reminds me of you, every little moment we have shared in the past comes alive in these streets, and now, I don't want to let you go," Tate said, with the slow draw of his character, and then, slowly, like a torture, he lowers his lips into mine. Slowly at first, and then after a few strokes, he pulls me into him and deepens the kiss.

"Cut!" Our director yelled, and we immediately stopped.

"Tate, you are on the spot. Ness, you look like a cardboard doll... need more fire, more passion," the director said, and I nodded. f**k, I am so f****d.

"Sorry," I sighed, "I need a minute," I said, and the director nodded.

"Extras, take your places... we will shoot the scene again," he said, and while they set everybody on their marks, I gulped out of my water, makeup retouched my lips, and I tried to mentally prepare myself for the scene. It was not me, the one kissing Tate, it was Samantha kissing Spencer. I can do this. This is my big break. It is a romance with lots of drama. It is intense, and I need to show intensity... There is no other way.

"Ness," Tate stood beside me, and I almost choked on my water.

"Sorry for ruining the scene," I sighed, and he took a deep breath.

"No problem... relax..." he said, and I nodded. It was easier said than done, but alright.

"I don't mind," he smirked, and I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Want to know a secret?" he leaned forward, and I slowly nodded. "The first time I had to do a kissing scene, I was worse than how you are now," he said, and I gave him a half smirk. "But, instead of thinking about my co-star, I thought about the woman I liked at the time... that made it all better," he said, and I nodded.

"Isn't it a bit yucky, if you are kissing someone and thinking of another?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"It helped me, at the time," he shrugged his shoulders,

"And now? What technique are you using?" I asked, and he chuckled.

"None, I genuinely like you, so screw as many scenes as you want, darling..." He smirked, and I gasped. Damn it, was that a little declaration? Was he for real? Did the superstar "Tate Porter" just say he liked me?

Shit!

"Ness, tate, places," Our director called us, and then he yelled, "Action!"

We did the scene, and mid-kiss, he yelled, "Cut!" Of course, knowing that Tate wanted to kiss me made it all harder than before. We have made several takes, and maybe I should do as Tate said, maybe I should think about... Peyton.

No, how could I kiss Tate as I had kissed Peyton? How could I? But Peyton is with Shanty, and I am giving myself a chance to move on. Tate asked me out to have dinner with him tomorrow, and I agreed. Why should I not give Tate a fighting chance? Peyton has moved on...

But I can't kiss Tate like that, not him, but his character Spencer... I need to get my s**t together; otherwise, I would spend my entire day kissing Tate, and the i***t is enjoying every bit of it, while I am a nervous wreck.

"Ness..." The director walked towards me. "I understand that this is your very first on-screen kiss, but you need to relax. Tate is very experienced, just lean into him... it looks as if you are fighting with yourself and with him," the director said, and I sighed.

"I'll do my best," I sighed, and he nodded.

"Do you know why I cast you?" he said, and shook my head.

"Because I saw you all those years ago in New York, in a little play, and you shone through the whole thing. At that stage, I saw your potential, and this is your moment. Let me see that girl on that stage, let me put her through my lens and show the world how amazing you are," he said, and I gasped. He saw the last play I participated in when I was in New York. The play Peyton missed the opening because he was in Switzerland...

"I've got it," I said with a new determination.

"Alright! Places!" our director yelled. I stood on my mark and took a deep breath. I am going to open up, and leave everything out... I am done holding back, letting Peyton consume my thoughts. He has moved on, and I am moving on, too.

"Action," The director yelled, and I walked into the crowd. Tate found me, held my wrist, and pulled me against him. He delivered his lines, and then he lowered his lips to mine. Instead of him kissing me, I started responding to his deliberate strokes. He pulled me into his body, and then I leaned into him and allowed him to deepen the kiss. My mind played the nasty trick of reminding me of Peyton, and a tear slipped out of my eyes. This was a new beginning, and I was saying goodbye for good...

"Cut!" The director yelled, and Tate and I took a little step back, both of us panting. His eyes met mine, and he smiled.

"There you are," he caressed my cheek, wiping my tears.

"Amazing!" the director said, "That is a wrap for today!" he said, and I turned around on my heel and left Tate standing there in the middle of the set.