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He stared at me hard, his front wafer-thin. He wanted to be the big, macho motherfucker, and maybe he could pull that shit with Julian to a certain degree, but sure as hell not with me. And he knew it.
"Let's be realistic, Noah." He went for reasoning, but it came off patronizing. I wasn’t amused for shit. "This is how LA works, and Julian knew very well what he got himself into. No feelings involved. A good time that also took us places—"
My glare shut him up.
"Where the fuck does a good time with you take him?" I stepped close, throwing the coffee in a nearby trash can. "Let me make this clear so you understand." I dusted some lint off his shoulder. "Stay away from Julian. He's got too much on his plate to deal with your God complex. And if you don't? If I hear about you bitching at him like some little cunt again, I'll make it significantly more difficult for you to get a job in this town under your name. You follow me?"
He gritted his teeth, and I didn't think he'd say anything, so I turned around and started walking back to the building.
I should've known better, though.
"I know about you two," he called.
I stopped and clenched my fists. Then I headed back to him, not stopping until I was in his space, towering over him.
"A friend of mine drives around rich fuckers like you for a living." He tried to come off assertive and threatening. "Guess who he drove home after a birthday party a while ago?"
I said nothing, seething. It was strange, but I didn't care he knew. There was even some pleasure in knowing he did. What did piss me off royally, however, was Nicky's agenda.
"I also know you and Julian had a relationship last year," he went on. He swallowed and straightened, as if he could grow in height to look less pathetic. "He told me. I get it. You forgot you were straight, and he got to warm your bed until you'd had enough. You ruined him. And I bet you don't want that to get out." He smirked. "Noah Collins banging his nephew? Fucking disgusting, man."
The only thing that packed a punch was the possibility of me ruining Julian. I didn't know what he'd told Nicky, but I'd find out. In the meantime, I could take my miserable state out on the fuckwit in front of me. Who the hell did he think he was?
I smiled faintly and took a step back. "You just killed your future in this industry. Well done." Next, I jerked my chin at one of the security guards. "Get this motherfucker off my set."
Back to work.
*
"Action!" I checked the monitor, where the main operator let me see April's world and how it was tilted off its axis.
The meltdown was over, and Sophie lay on the wooden floor. We filmed her from a low angle, and she slowly lifted her hand to the sunbeam flowing through the window. Dust bunnies were going to swirl in the wake of her destruction.
She let out a sigh. Peace surrounded her, and she was off in her own fantasy world. The ring she wore glinted in the light, and I nudged Lucia and my script supervisor to make a note. I wanted extra coverage there.
Zooming in on the butterfly ring April's brother had once given her, I waited patiently for Sophie to bring it home. She hummed lightly as her fingers danced slowly with the dust.
"Don't worry, dear boy," she sang softly, "Mommy can shelter you well. Don't worry, dear boy, Mommy can catch you stars." It was perfect. Her voice was angelic but held a note of scratchiness, the only reminder of her previous meltdown where she'd screamed and trashed the place. "Don't worry, dear boy, Mommy can keep you safe. Don't worry, dear boy, Mommy can catch you stars."
The song morphed into a quiet humming again, and I paused for a beat before I called cut. Everyone waited for orders while I spoke with the script supervisor, and when I saw Tennyson watching in the background, I went over to him.
"The lullaby," I said, looking around to see where Julian was. "What do you say about Sophie recording an extended version?" It hit me that Julian wasn't here. I was an idiot. This was what work did to me. I forgot everything around me, and now that the memories flooded back, so did the unease in my gut.
"Recording it for the score?" Tennyson inquired.
I nodded and pushed aside my personal life again. "The next scene is April's family closing in on her in Paris. So in this scene, the song is a lullaby. But it could grow from there as the next one begins."
Tennyson evidently approved. "It would be more of a warning of what's to come. I like it. I'll speak to Julian. I've come to value his opinion, and I think he could make this powerful."
