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She knocks her hip with mine and slides between us, linking her arms with mine and Jeremy’s. “Can you believe this is our final season? Six seasons, what a ride. Jeremy, what are you going to do without me and Shay to keep you young, old man?” She chuckles as we make it to the set they’ve set up for our pictures.
He rolls his eyes. “Fuck off, V. I’m sure you’ll still be sending me a thousand TikToks a day.”
We’re rounding the fourth hour of pictures. We’ve changed outfits, and hairstyles—namely me—and we’re on our final set of pictures.
We took a break for lunch and I forced Damian to come inside because I knew he had to be hungry and the spread that the production team puts out is phenomenal. But it was like an equally fun and nerve-wracking game having Damian so close to me amidst so many people that didn’t know something is going on between us. I couldn’t stare at him, he couldn’t stare at me, and the few times our eyes locked, it could be for no more than a second to avoid raising questions. At one point though, I started eating a banana and Damian started coughing out of nowhere.
I’m going to pay for that later, I’m sure, especially because I don’t even particularly like bananas.
Damian lingered after lunch and despite the bright lights in my face, I knew he was behind the cameras watching. This wasn’t the first time he’d been on set while I was doing something, but it was the first time since we’d crossed certain lines. It felt different, him being here, like he was watching me through different eyes and it made me feel infinitely sexier.
The final pictures being taken are of me by myself in front of a green screen that they’ll Photoshop a variety of pictures into for promotion like the LA skyline or theLA Dreamslogo. They’re using a fan to give my hair a windblown look so it’s drowning out the sounds of anything besides the faint music still playing. I can’t even really hear Lucas, the director, or any of the executive producers. The sudden banging sounds of something overhead breaks through the hum of the fan, and I resist the urge to look up because I know the cameras are rolling and I don’t want to ruin the shot. It sounds like metal grinding against metal and it’s getting louder so I finally do look up. My eyes widen as I see a light fixture falling and in the split second it takes for it to register that it’s going to land on top of me, I’ve been knocked to the ground out of the way just as it hits the very place I was standing with a loud and very hard crash.
My heart is beating a million times a minute and when I open my eyes, Damian is on top of me, his eyes wide with shock, like he can’t believe he got to me in time. We are surrounded instantly by everyone on set, and they’re all asking a million questions. I vaguely hear the director screaming,“Who the fuck can tell me what just happened?”but the voices are all being drowned out by the blood rushing to my ears to the beat of my pounding heart.
I can’t answer if I’m okay or if anything hurts. I think I’m in shock, and then Damian’s voice roars over everyone to be quiet. He sits up, pulling me with him, his eyes still on me like if he looks away, I’ll disappear. I realize my hands are still wrapped around his biceps and I grip them tighter as fear stays wrapped tightly around me.
“Are you okay?” he asks, his voice laced with concern and his eyes full of worry.
I nod, my eyes still wide and unblinking, still unable to find the words as I look behind him at the very large, sharp metal light fixture that very well may have killed me if he was just a second later.
“I…”
“Honey, here.” Denise kneels next to me, handing me a glass of water. “Do you want to stand up? Guys, give her some air.” She shoos everyone away and I’m grateful for her because it instantly feels like I can breathe now that people have taken a few steps back. I take the water with one shaky hand, still gripping Damian’s arm with the other, not wanting to let him go for anything.
I take a slow sip just as Lucas lowers to his knee in front of me. “You okay? Jesus Christ, I am so sorry.” He looks to where I was just standing and there’s a crowd from the tech team surrounding it and looking up from where it fell. “We’re going to call it quits for the day,” he says, his brown eyes wide and worried behind tortoise horn-rimmed glasses.
“No shit,” Damian snaps at him and Lucas shoots him a glare before removing his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose.
“East, you good? Do you need to go to the hospital?” he asks using his nickname for me.
“N—no.” I shake my head. “It didn’t get me. Just scared me.” I swallow hard, still trying to calm my racing heart.
“Oh my god, what happened?!” I hear Veronica’s voice moving towards me, the neat braid that she’d had for pictures, is no longer neat—or in a braid for that matter—letting me know what she’s been doing when she drops to her knees next to me and wraps her arms around me. “Are you okay? They said…” She trails off and looks behind Damian and then looks up and then at me and then back to Damian and then to where my hand is still wrapped around him.
“You were here.” Tears spring to her eyes, probably having drawn the same conclusion that I did.
He nods once before turning back to me. “Do you want to stand? Or…do you want me to carry you?”
Heat fills me thinking about him carrying me out of here and I shake my head not wanting anyone to see that side of our relationship knowing that I won’t be able to hide it the second I’m in his arms after what just happened.
“I can walk.” He stands up first, helping me to my feet, and I wince when I feel a sharp pain shoot through me. Damian is a big guy and although he didn’t put all of his weight on me, the way we landed was not ideal.
“Shit, are you okay?”
“Yes, my back just hurts a little.” I shake my head at the look he’s giving me. “You saved my life. Relax please.” I give him a small smile despite the pain shooting up my back and I look at Veronica as we start towards the exit.
“I’m fine. I’m just going to go home and rest.”
“I’m coming with you,” she says. “Let me just go get my stuff.”
“V—” I start but she’s already out of earshot and jogging towards her dressing room.
I’m able to get off of the set pretty easily, but now I’m walking a bit slower with the adrenaline wearing off and the aches starting to flare up everywhere.
“For fuck’s sake,” Damian growls, lifting me into his arms in a fireman’s hold once we’re somewhat alone and continues walking down the long corridor. He pushes his way outside and I’m grateful that I rode with Veronica so it’ll just be Damian and me in his truck on the way home. He unlocks the car and slides me onto the back seat.
“Wait, can’t I sit up front with you?” I want him to hold my hand or just be closer than he’ll be with me sitting in the back.
