Behind the Scenes

Chapter 10

HARRY

"Cut!" Steven called, his booming voice echoing over the silence in the room. The moment the scene ended, the cameras stopped rolling, everything came alive. Bodies swarmed the set, moving equipment, adjusting items. The makeup and hair teams converged on me, fluttering around me with brushes and powder. It was frenzied chaos at the snap of his fingers. And this was only the beginning.

My alarm sounded before the sun rose, waking me from a deep slumber and forcing me to rejoin the world of the living. I knew my days were going to be long on set, giving me little in the way of free time. But I also knew that I needed to keep up with my own routines as much as possible; hence the abhorring early wake up call.

I started my day in the gym, waking my lungs on the treadmill, and stretching my muscles on the weights. It was early enough that no one else was in the room, leaving me to my own thoughts and my privacy. It was a novel thing, being alone, and something I had experienced very little of in the last few years. I guess I hadn't even really noticed how much I missed the quiet of my own company until this morning in the gym, when no one was approaching me, asking for something, wanting my time and attention.

I had barely parked my car on set before one of the producers converged on me, going over the plan for the day, explaining the scenes we would be shooting. We had already been over this same information the day before, but she seemed determined to follow me onto set, chattering endlessly as she rhymed off the items on the clipboard in her hands. It wasn't until I was in the hair and makeup trailer that she finally left me alone, turning her attention to one of the other actors.

Once I had been thoroughly buffed and fluffed by the makeup team, dressed in my outfit for the first scenes, I was practically attacked by Madison before even had a chance to fully enter the set. She flung herself at me, blathering away in a high pitched, fake perkiness that made my ears hurt and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. She clung to me, looping an arm through mine, running her hand over my chest in a blatant way that she probably thought was subtle, batting her long lashes up at me. Repeatedly she told me how much of a fan she was, that she loved my music and was so excited to be working together. That she had been thrilled when she heard of my plan to try my hand at acting, and is the envy of all her girlfriends to be starring along side me.

As much as I liked the flattery, it fell flat when coming from her. She was hot, don't get me wrong, but she was just too...fake. The praise, the pawing, the endless giggling made me feel like I was in the middle of a meet and greet session with fans, rather than with a colleague. I couldn't get away from her fast enough, thankful that the first few scenes of the day were to be filmed solo in what was supposed to be Madden's bedroom.

It was here that my day started to turn for the better. The scenes we were starting with were deep and emotional, having me hint at the vulnerability of Madden's character as he struggled against his feelings for Layke. There were few lines, mostly brooding and what would eventually be voice over, but it required me to truly emit the emotions in my expression and body language, without having to rely on dialogue.

As the first scene ended, I looked up to find those familiar blue eyes watching from the sidelines. She wore faded denim jeans and a pale blue t-shirt, her long hair pulled back into a ponytail. In her hands she clutched onto a copy of the script for dear life, holding it to her chest like a shield. The look on her face when our eyes first met surprised me. She looked a mixture of shock and pleased, with a touch of sorrow for my fictional pain.

It would seem like I was pulling off the wounded hero portrayal quite well, to have even froze the ice queens heart towards me. Albeit momentarily.

With every possibly opportunity, I tried to seek Kate out. I had no master plan with this, of course. It was merely to make myself present, to catch her eye, and entice her interest. I wasn't going to chase her. Not yet. For now, I was going to give her what she said she thought I was; the charming, intriguing leading man.