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I gulp. That is exactly what I’m afraid of.
I weave through the crew and arrive in front of George just as Kai does too. I almost don’t recognize him at first. He’s cut his hair shorter. His dark curls still have a mind of their own, but he must have had at least a few inches taken off.
He smirks. “Welcome back.”
“Your hair…” I breathe. It’s too short now to tie up in that glorious man bun I salivated over the first time I met him.
He laughs and runs his fingers through it. “Post-war soldiers tended to cut it shorter. I’m just glad they let me keep it this long.”
I watch his fingers, wishing mine could be there too. I’m pretty sure it’s just as soft as it looks. Maybe when we kiss today, I’ll get to grasp it tightly…pull him closer…
“Welcome back, guys.” George interrupts my fantasy. “Hope you both had a great break.” He glances behind him. “Oh! Hang on, I have someone I want you to meet. I’ll be right back.” He gets up from his chair and leaves us alone.
Kai watches me for a moment. “How was your Christmas?”
“It was really nice. Yours?” I reluctantly look up into his eyes again.
“My mom was glad to have me home.”
“I bet she was.”
George returns with an unfamiliar woman. He pats her on the back and stands her in front of us. “This is Sarah. She’s going to be your intimacy director.”
My throat goes dry. I knew this was coming, but that doesn’t make me any less anxious.
Sarah looks to be in her mid-forties, and she has a bright, comforting smile. She shakes our hands enthusiastically. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Have you ever worked with an intimacy director before?”
We shake our heads.
“Well, I work with actors in films, TV, and stage plays. In a stage play, most people assume the intimate scenes aren’t nearly as intense as on screen, but the truth is, they can really be just as emotional and vulnerable. It’s really important to have a plan.” She waits for us to nod. “So, I’m here for two main reasons.” She holds up one finger. “First, I’m here to make sure that you both feel comfortable during the scenes that include any sort of intimate physical contact. It’s my number one priority to be your advocate and ensure that you both feel safe.”
I gulp as she raises another finger.
“And secondly, I’m here to help make it look authentic. We want to make these feelings and these interactions believable to our audience, and that’s sometimes hard to achieve on stage with all the lights and people staring at you. But chemistry is key, so I’m going to be here to help you chart out every detail, and to make sure you’re both fully aware of the plan for each scene.”
George laughs from next to her. “You haven’t seen them yet, Sarah. Chemistry won’t be a problem.”
She winks. “Well, that makes my job easy.”
There’s an obvious tension in the space between Kai and me as she explains her job. I’m not sure if her presence makes me more or less nervous. I’m glad we’ll have someone calling the shots so I can take my mind out of the moment, but the fact that we need her at all makes me a little anxious.
“Of course, today will be simple,” Sarah adds. “There won’t be a tremendous amount of coordinating needed for this kiss, but we’ll make sure we are all on the same page. It’s important that you always let me know if something makes you uncomfortable. Do you have any questions before we get started today?”
The kiss is the elephant in the room. Clearly, Kai knows it’s coming too, but we’ve conveniently danced around the topic until now. I take a shallow breath and shake my head. Kai scratches his chin as he responds to her. “I don’t think so. No questions yet. We’ll appreciate your advice though.”
She smiles widely. “Excellent. Well, let’s get started!”
Five minutes later, we’re in position in the large studio room. As our characters, we’re strolling through the garden, chatting about Elaine’s older sister, Daria. When William returned from the war, he reconnected with Daria at a nightclub and then they began dating. Only, weeks later, a chance encounter with Elaine has him realizing how much she’s matured since before he left for the war. As the story unfolds, he begins to fall deeply for Elaine. He plans to break things off with Daria, but she falls ill with Polio. Elaine can’t bear to break her dying sister’s heart, so she asks William not to end things.
It's a tragic love triangle, and the scene we’re about to block is a culmination of a barrage of emotions. William is desperate to be with Elaine, and she with him, yet they can only live their truth in secret, and with a myriad of guilt.
Today, they will kiss for the first time.
Today, Kai and I will kiss for the second time.
A shocking burst of butterflies hits my stomach all at once as Sarah clasps her hands together. “OK, ready to get this blocked?”
I glance at Kai, who has his hands shoved in his pockets as he nods. I wonder if he’s as pitifully nervous as I am. He’s hard to read.
