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Sarah checks her script. “OK, so you’ll work through your lines as you walk. Sophie, you’ll be trailing slightly ahead. Then, Kai, you’ll grab her hand and pull her into you. William is feeling extremely protective at this point.” She turns her eyes to me. “And Elaine is already beginning to fall in love with him. You’re going to want to convey that with your eyes and also with the way you’ll cling to him when he kisses you.”
I briefly eye Kai, but he’s focused solely on Sarah.
“Let’s talk about the kiss,” Sarah says. “Before we block that, I’m gonna have you do an exercise that works really well to help you get comfortable with each other. So, let’s have you start by standing chest to chest.”
We step up to each other, and I mistakenly catch Kai’s gaze for an instant before looking away. I stare at his rising and falling chest instead.
“Great,” Sarah says. “Now, Sophie, would it be ok if Kai puts his hands on your waist?”
I nod with a gulp.
“Ok, go ahead Kai.”
Firm and sure, he takes my waist. I look to Sarah. “And where should I put my hands?” I’m quickly beginning to realize just how unromantic this will actually be.
“Kai, would it be ok if Sophie puts her hands on your chest?” Sarah asks.
“Yep,” Kai replies simply, clipped.
“Ok, Sophie, like this,” She mimics the action on herself. “Like you have the urge to pull him closer to you. Are you both ok with that?”
We both nod and I lift my palms to Kai’s chest as he stares down at me. This time, I meet his eyes with purpose, and it’s he who looks away quickly.
“Now, I’d like you both to look into each other’s eyes. Let’s talk about the feelings your characters have for each other.”
Kai’s gaze finds mine again. His face is mere inches away—so close I can see little specks of gold buried in the green of his eyes.
“There is a lot of build-up here,” Sarah says. “They’ve been hiding their feelings. They’ve desperately wanted to kiss each other for a long time, but they’ve been holding back until now. So, when they finally give in, they give it their all.” She pauses and waits for us both to nod. “Sophie, look at Kai and tell us how Elaine is feeling in this scene.”
Holding his gaze feels like the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I know Sarah is just trying to get us comfortable with closeness, but it’s more difficult than she probably realizes.
I take a breath. “Elaine has virtually been in love with William since she had a childhood crush on him before the war. She wants him to kiss her, but she’s hesitant too…because of her sister. There’s a war raging in her head.”
Kai smiles just a little. It’s encouraging…just a little.
Sarah nods next to us. “Exactly. And Kai, what about William?”
Kai’s chest rises and falls as he watches me. “In the beginning, it was just lust for him, but it’s starting to turn into love. He yearns for her on a different level, now. He can’t wait to finally touch her.”
“Perfect,” Sarah says. “Those are the feelings you want to convey to the audience, so hold those close as you look at each other. Sophie, you’re looking at William. And Kai, you’re looking at Elaine. Channel those emotions.”
That won’t be hard for me, but it should be entertaining watching Kai try to channel something other than lust.
“And this is where we get technical,” Sarah says. “George is looking for a fairly passionate kiss here. But remember, this is also a first kiss, so you can hold back a bit too. Kai, once you grab her hand and pull her to you, you’ll go right into the kiss.” She focuses on me again. “And Elaine is surprised at first but only hesitates briefly. When he kisses you, you’re going to bring your hands around the back of his neck, holding him to you until he is the one to break the kiss.”
I inhale a shaking breath as Kai releases just the hint of a smile. He’s amused by my nerves.
“Pretty simple, right?” Sarah nods. “Any questions? Any worries?”
Kai steps back, putting a brief distance between us again. “Passionate first kiss. Not a problem.”
I bite my lip and eye him with a half grin. It is kinda fun keeping our secret. He returns it with a smirk that quickly becomes a shallow exhale of breath when his gaze finds my mouth.
“Ok, let’s run it!” George calls from nearby.
Kai and I move to our starting positions. My heart is thumping in my ears. And then we begin.
“Listen to me, Elaine,” Kai calls out as I begin to walk away from him.
