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Maye and Tracy took turns mumbling back and forth and nodding their heads. After a couple of minutes, beads of sweat began appearing and dropping from Tracy’s face. So much so that Tracy eventually resorted to wiping her forehead with the sleeve of her jacket.

“Background,” Lars shouted through his megaphone. “Can we refrain from touching our face too much, yah?”

“Are you okay?” Maye whispered.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just super hot, right? Are you hot?”

“Well, you’re bundled up pretty good there, Tracy. Do you need to take a break?”

“No, I’m alright. Maybe I’ll just unzip this coat a tiny bit. Good thing I got rid of those mittens.”

“Alright, here we go,” Lars shouted. “Take two. And…action!”

As the scene progressed, Maye noticed Tracy fanning herself, and Lars did, too.

“Cut,” he called. “Background, can we keep our hands away from our face, please, yah? Okay, here we go. Take three, and…action!”

When Maye noticed Tracy wobble a bit, she called cut herself and helped Tracy to sit down. “Can we get some water here, please?” Maye asked of whoever might be closest.

Hanna rushed over with a bottle of water, and Gina brought a spray bottle to mist Tracy.

Lars and some other crew gathered around to check on Tracy. Even Alec and Marcus came over. Chris did, too, and he squatted down next to Maye and Tracy.

“Here,” he said as he took the winter hat off Tracy’s head and handed her a cool washcloth. “These are a must on hot days.”

“Wardrobe?” Lars said as he looked around for Hanna.

“Yes, right here,” Hanna said as she stepped forward.

“Can we try another fit?” Lars asked. “Something more conducive to the environment, yah?”

“Of course. Come with me, Tracy,” Hanna said as she whisked Tracy back to the Wardrobe department.

“Okay, let’s regroup in five, yah?” Lars said as the production crew dispersed.

Maye’s eyes quickly met Chris’s, and she looked away as she tried to bite her lip through a smile. She had been waiting to thank him in person for his generous dinner, but not in front of the others.

“Maye,” Alec reached for her hand. “Thank you for your insight the other day. I have been working on my character a lot and discovered that he was always chasing a relationship because he feared being alone. I’ve got a whole backstory that I won’t bore you with, but suffice it to say, he will be embracing being alone and growing as a person, and he’s found some peace in that. I hope that will come across on the screen.”

“Can confirm,” Marcus added.

“Did you say can’t confirm?” Alec asked.

“No, I said can confirm,” he threw up his hands innocently. “I can confirm that.”

“Are you sure?” Alec said. “Because I feel like I heard a tiny t sound at the end.”

“Nope, I am almost certain I said can confirm. You can take it to the tape to double-check,” Marcus said as he slowly began walking away.

“What tape?” Alec followed him. “What tape, Marcus?”

“Well,” Chris said, “that should keep them busy for a while.” He turned toward her while his smile was still gleaming across his face.

Maye leaned in a little and he seemed to inch closer to her at the same time. “Hey…” they both said at the same time.

He chuckled. “You go first,” he said.

“Well,” Maye began, “I want to say thank you for the dinner recommendation last night. It was so thoughtful and so generous of you.”