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CHAPTERTWENTY-EIGHT
Audrey
“Idon’t know who the hell you are, but you’re taking this Union soldier get-up a bit too seriously.”
Marveling backstage, I watch as Eli, looking breathtakingly gorgeous in a Union soldier uniform, marches up to famous actress Melody Piper, who is playing the love interest and main female protagonist, Macy Gray.
“Miss, you must seek shelter at once. Don’t you realize how dangerous it is out here? There’s a war going on.”
Waving her garden shovel in front of him, she shoos at Eli. “The only war that’s going on right now will be my shovel in your face. Now, get lost!”
I giggle out loud at Melody’s unamused facial expression. It’s amazing how actors can make their expressions seem so genuine.
“Miss, please, I beg of you. It’s too dangerous out here…”
“And cut!” the director shouts. “Eli, can you repeat that line again, our camera jumped.”
Eli swiftly nods his head, and they get back to the task at hand. All the while, I’m staring dreamily at his blue uniform. His hair is slicked back underneath his blue forage cap, his green eyes sparkling under the brilliant sunlight of Gettysburg, Virginia.
Eli tried putting off this new movie for a few more days, but when I suggested that I would be thrilled to watch him on set, he eventually relented. So, here we are doing the third scene as the first two had already been done by an elderly actress named Rachel Mannings, and the second by Melody Piper. Eli isn’t needed until he emerges out of nowhere and instantly tries to protect who he believes is a woman in grave danger.
Ever since Eli told me about this upcoming movie, Lost In Time, I have been itching to see it. Now, I have front row seats and I can hardly contain my excitement. Since we arrived in the early hours of this morning, I have been glued to Eli as he struts around on set. I sense the stares—or much rather glares from people who are added to the long list of people who hate me, but I’m learning to not let it get to me too much. It’s Kendra they hate, not me. Besides, if I cared too much about the hateful glares then I wouldn’t be able to enjoy watching the man I’m quickly falling in love with do his magic. And I am falling for him. It’s way too easy to. I’m equally euphoric and frightened to death about this fact. Euphoric that he wants me, but also frightened to death of the future. The very near future. In fact, it’s so near that today is June sixth, and since I woke up this morning, my heart hasn’t stopped thumping at the prospect of what tomorrow may bring.
Putting that aside, I watch and laugh as Eli camps outside the lady’s house, gun clutched close to his chest as he guards Macy from any wayward bullets that he believes may fly her way. Macy is seen showing her frustration inside her house. A house the director insisted on being a genuine house in Gettysburg—much to the owner’s excitement. Camera crew are everywhere, people running around touching up makeup and bringing water whenever someone needs it. The professionalism and dedication from the director is equally captivating and frustrating to watch as he seems to want every word, sentence and scene to be repeated until it’s perfect. This is something Eli relays to me once he’s relieved of his last scene for today.
“He’s punishing me for wanting time off,” he grumbles, taking a swig of water. I watch as a tiny bead of sweat forms at his brow. He must be so hot in that uniform. A thought he quickly answers when he unbuttons his jacket.
“You’ll be back on set in a couple of days.”
Eli wipes the water from the corner of his mouth. “He knows that, but wants me permanently here, which I suppose is understandable. The thing is, he’s lucky I even came today, which I wouldn’t have if it wasn’t for you wanting to watch me in uniform.”
He offers me a cocky grin, causing me to laugh. “Ah, shucks. You got me!”
He shakes his head, cocky grin still there. “See, I know your womanly ways.”
“My womanly ways, huh?” I giggle back. “In all seriousness though, I appreciate you bringing me here. I understand we’ve had to come so far for me to see this, but it’s something I will never forget.”
Eli’s face drops suddenly. “You’re talking like you’ll never have another chance like this again.”
When my only answer is to gaze back at him sadly, he simply tugs at my t-shirt. “Come on, let’s get home.”
The mood is somewhat somber on the journey back to LA. By the time we get home, it’s already well into the afternoon, but my spirits lift when an excitable Max greets us at the door. As I’m busy getting licked all over, I notice a couple of big sacks by the entrance.
“What are those?” I ask as Eli shuts the door.
“Every month, I ask my agent to send me some fan mail. It’s only fair I take time out to answer some.”
My eyes light up. “Can I look through them with you?”
Eli throws his head back laughing. “A rather strange thing to get excited about, but okay.”
To be honest, the letters will be a welcome distraction from the rest of the day ahead. Not knowing what will happen when the morning comes fills me with dread.
“It’ll be fun,” I reply, watching as Eli picks up the bag and takes it towards the office. And then something comes to mind. “Does Kendra get any?”
Setting the bag down on his giant mahogany desk, he cocks an eyebrow at me. “Yes, but she gets her agent to deal with all of them. To be honest, some can be quite frightening to read, so I understand that part. Thing is, our agents normally weed those out before sending them straight to the police anyway.”
Eyes widening at the thought, I intake a breath. “Sounds horrific. Have you or Kendra ever had to deal with nasty, obsessive fans?”
