Page 114 of Cast to be Mine

I walked to the spot and planted my feet, staring into the lens. The lights were hot and bright. I could feel the eyes of the crew on me, could sense them watching, waiting. Were they thinking about the scandal?

I pushed the thoughts away. I was here to do a job.

“Alright, we’re almost ready.” Toby’s voice came from somewhere behind the monitors. “Just give us one more minute.”

I waited, trying to find my center, trying to remember how to be Elena. Where was he? Was he avoiding me on purpose? Had he decided it was easier to let an AD handle this? Was this him keeping that distance thing going?

And then he appeared.

Micah walked through the side door, script in hand, looking exactly the same as he had three weeks ago. Maybe a little tired around the eyes but still devastatingly handsome. My heart skipped a beat.

Our eyes met across the soundstage.

For a moment, neither of us moved. I wanted to run to him. And run away at the same time. Instead, I swallowed hard and looked around the set.

“Where’s Jack?” I asked, going for a casual, breezy tone. “Don’t we need him for the dialogue?”

Micah walked closer, stopping just outside the ring of lights surrounding my mark. “We don’t need him. I’ll be reading the monologue in his place.”

My heart stuttered. “You?”

“I made some changes to it.” He held up the script, but he wasn’t looking at the pages. He was looking at me. “If that’s okay.”

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

“Whenever you’re ready,” Toby called out from behind the monitors. “Rolling.”

Micah took a breath. And then he started speaking.

“I should have never let you go.”

I kept my face neutral, but those weren’t the lines. They weren’t anything close to what Jack’s character was supposed to say in this scene. But I pretended they were because I had no idea what the hell was happening and I didn’t want to ruin the take.

“From the moment you walked into that audition room, something hit me,” he continued, his voice low, his eyes never leaving mine. “I told myself it was professional admiration. Respect for your talent. But it was more than that. It was always more than that. I never believed in love at first sight, but within three seconds I knew you were special and I’m not talking about your acting.”

I couldn’t breathe. The camera was rolling, the crew was watching, and Micah Blackwell was standing in front of me, baring his soul. These were definitely not the lines. This production wasn’t about the film.

“Every second I’ve been apart from you has been misery,” he said. “I’ve tried to give you space. Tried to respect what you asked for. But I can’t pretend anymore. I can’t act like I’m okay when I’m not.”

A lump formed in my throat. I felt tears prickling at the corners of my eyes.

“I don’t care about business,” he continued, taking a step closer. “I don’t care about our fathers or their decades-old grudge. None of that has any place in my decision to choose you. Because I do choose you, Grace. I choose you over everything.”

I gave up trying to be Elena. I was all Grace.

“You’re the most talented, infuriating, beautiful woman I’ve ever known,” he said. His voice was rough with emotion. “You challenge me. You make me want to be better. And when I’m with you, I feel like I’m finally exactly where I’m supposed to be.”

A single tear escaped, sliding down my cheek. I didn’t wipe it away.

Micah set down the script. He wasn’t reading anymore. Maybe he never had been.

“Grace Sterling,” he said, and hearing my real name from his lips made my heart skip three beats. “I love you.”

The words hung in the air between us. Very real and very terrifying.

“I don’t care what our families think,” he continued. “I don’t care what the rest of the world has to say about us. I love you, and I can’t live without you.” He paused, his eyes searching my face. “If you give me one more chance, it’s the last chance I’ll need.”

Silence stretched across the soundstage. The crew had gone completely still. Even the usual ambient noise of the set seemed to have disappeared.