Maisie Knowles has hidden her identity and lies to everyone she knows to follow her dreams of becoming a successful author, but when she meets Theo Park, the actor playing the male lead in the movie based on her book, all the secrets she hid so well...
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When my alarm went off at five o'clock the next morning, I briefly thought that maybe witnessing the filming of my own movie wasn't worth it. Then I remembered how privileged I was to even think that and forced myself to roll out of bed. It felt like I was going through the motions as I got ready, nearly falling asleep in the shower, almost forgetting to put on moisturizer and sunscreen, brushing my teeth for so long my tongue started burning, and finally putting my hoodie on backward.
Staring at myself in the mirror, I slapped my cheeks, trying to wake myself up. It would be another long day today. I didn't want to let Zara down, either. I needed to take my faux job seriously. Maybe it would have been easier if I could just be there on set as the author, but this both hid my identity and gave me a unique experience.
Plus, today I would finally get to meet my female lead and second female lead. I'd seen them from afar from the script reading I'd attended, but hadn't gotten to greet them. Hopefully today I could. With a bit more pep in my step, I headed out the door, hoping to have enough time to stop at Starbucks before I was due on set.
Not even five seconds after I arrived on set, with my iced latte in hand, Director Ahn swept me away. Hands on my shoulder, she guided me to one of the dressing rooms, with a sign attached reading make-up dressing room. She knocked twice, waiting for a response from inside, before swinging the door open.
My heart rate spiked. Not only was Sienna, the female lead, in the room, but also Aliyah, the second female lead. Both sat at the make-up station, getting ready for the day. I could only see their faces through a mirror, but their beauty stunned me. Sienna had mid-length, shiny chestnut hair that lay curled against her back, green eyes, and pale white skin, and Aliyah had long, sleek black hair tied into twist braids, brown eyes, and warm brown skin.
"Good morning girls!" Director Ahn chirped. "I hope you're ready for a great day of filming!"
"Morning Director Ahn!" Sienna greeted, keeping her head steady as the hair stylist continued to carefully curl her hair.
"I think you mean to say a great day of waiting around until it's our time to film," Aliyah added jokingly, as her stylist added a blush to her cheeks.
"If you're bored, you're always welcome to be a stand-in," Director Ahn suggested, raising her eyebrows.
Aliyah mimed zipping her lips shut, causing Sienna to laugh. "You could get the perfect angle without a stand-in," Sienna said.
Director Ahn shrugged. "Yeah, probably."
The girls laughed again and I stood stiffly next to Director Ahn, an awkward smile on my face. Everyone already seemed so close to each other, but I supposed after all the script reading and rehearsals they'd attended together, it was only natural. I wished I could have gone to more, but at the time, we hadn't known how to place me on set inconspicuously.
