𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝙁𝙇𝙊𝙒𝙀𝙍.ᐟ

his  hand  found  nadia’s -  fingers  slipping  between  hers  like  it  was  second  nature  -  and  with  a  slight  tug,  he  guided  her  back  toward  the  warm  thrum  of  the  venue. at  her  mention  of  some time alone,  his  brows  arched  -  a  slow,  deliberate  lift  that  made it clear what was on his mind.  his  thoughts  veered  off  track,  straight  into  the  kind  of  territory  that  made  his  grin  reach his eyes.  “sounds like we ain’t gonna get much sleep tonight.”

SOMEWHERE JUST OFF SET ; AFTERNOON

Morgaine was sat on the floor, in full costume, with her back against the wall as she attempted to study her lines. Her script was laid out on her knees and she was tapping a pen against the open page, staring down at the coloured marks she’d made beside her dialogue. She fondly remembered watching her father do the same thing when she visited him on set as a child.

The fire of determination was burning within her; Morgaine was eager to make ‘Whispers of the Past’ her best film yet. But doubt and apprehension lurked. She wasn’t sure if it was just a blip or whether the clarity that came with age had now cured the blindness of youth. Sure, she’d been reckless and not taken some things as seriously as she should have done and perhaps that’s why she hadn’t got her real breakthrough role yet. Or maybe it was audiences that couldn’t see the true greatness of her films. The success of ‘Mercy Me’ five years ago had stoked Morgaine’s ego, yet nothing had lived up to it since and she was relying on that ‘talented Wolfe Family blood’ to do her justice this time around.

With a huff, she rested her head against the wall and looked up, asking the next person that walked past, “do you ever get imposter syndrome?” and not caring if it came across as weird or completely out of the blue. She needed reassurance that wasn’t alone in her feelings right now.

basking in the fresh air outside the soundstage, the italian beauty sipped on her coffee, deep brown eyes trained on her phone screen, scrolling aimlessly past posts from old friends or colleagues she didn’t care to keep up with.

the sound of another woman’s voice captured her attention, provoking her to turn to lay sight upon a blonde goddess; she had a familiar face, although, she had never been the best with placing names with faces.

the question caused her to let out a small chuckle before shrugging. “honestly? not really. i’ve always been pretty sure of myself, but i’ve always been confident, though… even when i was a small child.” she replied matter-of-factly before slipping her phone neatly into her coat pocket. “i assume you’re dealing with that right now?”

che’s  smile  bloomed  slow,  unhurried,  a  rare  thing  that  softened  the  sharp  edges  he  so  often  carried  around  with  him at work.  “careful,”  he  cooed,  voice  warm,  teasing.  “you’re  gonna  make  me  soft.”  and  then  he  kissed  her  -  lips  pressing  firm  against  hers,  nicotine  laced  with  the  sharp  sting  of  mint  that  he’d  had  consumed  before  slipping  outside.  god,  he  was  a  lucky  man.

“y’know,”  he  murmured  against  her  brims  before  he  pulled  back,  lips  still  lingering  close.  “probably  oughta  buy  something  before  we  bolt.”  truth  be  told,  che  couldn’t  give  a  damn  about  appearances  most  days,  but  tonight  -  at  a  charity  event  -  he  had  to  at  least  feign  some  civility.  “something  to put in your trailer, maybe?”

relishing in the instant bliss that was his lips against hers, she snuck in an extra kiss, blush stained lips already missing his the second they parted. “you’re right. i actually did have my eyes on an art piece.” a one-of-a-kind painting by her favourite artist, a canvas adorned in violet and blue shades; reminiscent of claude monét’s water lillies. “well, how about we go back inside, buy it and then go straight home? i’ve been craving some time alone with you all day.”

Setting back in the mobile chair, Seneca sighed, exhausted by the work he had put in today already. He felt stiff from having sat for such a long time, now that he wasn't focused on work. Stretching a little bit, he holds his arms out before bringing them back onto the table in front of him. Pushing himself away and rising from the chair, he grabbed his things from off the table and walked toward the exit. A few minutes later he was outside, lighting a cigarette and thinking he had been alone to do that. Taking a longer drag, he held the smoke in his lungs for some time before finally letting it out. Swallowing, he glanced to the side, “I wonder if it's too early to take a nap.” He muttered to himself, holding the cigarette to one side and tapping it, sending a sprinkle of ashes onto the sidewalk below.

with another 2 hours to kill before her call time, the actress decided to venture outside, in a desperate need for some fresh air to clear her head. the cool breeze hit her as she stepped out of her trailer, catching sight of a familiar figure just across from her.

“never too early for a nap. at least that’s the way i see it.” she laughed, reaching into her coat pocket to retrieve a half-full packet of cigarettes. “you got a light?”

it  wasn’t  jealousy  -  no,  that  wasn’t  the  right  word.  he  was  glad  people  fawned  over  nadia,  that  they  scrambled  for  a  moment  of  her  time  like  moths  throwing  themselves  at  a  flame.  she  deserved  it  -  the  admiration,  the  reverence,  the  hushed  awe  that  followed  her  into  every  room.  she’d  more  than  earned  it.  but  did  he  wish  they  could  go  out  without  someone  intercepting  them  halfway  through  a  sentence?  without  someone  stepping  into  their  space  with  a  hand  extended?  yeah,  sometimes  he  did.

“it’s  just...”  he  paused,  dragging  one  last  pull  from  his  cigarette  before  flicking  it  into  the  gutter,  the  embers  scattering.  “it’d  be  nice  if  we  could  go  somewhere  without  you  getting  pulled  aside  every  five  minutes.”  his  voice  softened  then,  quieter,  like  he  wasn’t  sure  he  wanted  to  say  it  out  loud.  “feels  like  i’m  always  sharing  you  with  someone.”  his  eyes  lingered  on  her  face  and  he  stuffed  his  hands  into  his  pockets,  shoulders  bunching  like  he  was  bracing  for  something.  “not  your  fault,”  he  added  quickly.  “i  just  thought  we’d  have  at  least  twenty  minutes  before  someone  swooped  in...  maybe  next  time  we  skip  the  gala, grab  a  bottle  of  wine, and  sit  on  the  kitchen  floor.  sounds  more  productive.”

as good as acclaim felt, at times, it did become tiresome. while fame had its perks, it certainly got old after the four decades she’d been in the spotlight. sometimes, all she wanted was to go out with her husband without either of them being recognised — ah, to live a life of anonymity for a day… or two. still, she had to remember this was a reality of the business she was in.

watching as che flicked the cigarette onto the ground, she moved closer, closing the gap between to them to drape her arms around his shoulders, pulling him against her. “i know, darling. the novelty wears off after a while.” a sigh. “well… we can still make that happen. how about we ditch this thing and go home? the only person i want to be with tonight is you.”

che’s  fingers  trembled  slightly  as  he  cupped  the  flame  to  the  cigarette  perched  between  his  lips.  the  air  outside  the  starlit  gallery  was  cooler  than  expected,  crisp  and  biting  against  his  face  -  a  much  welcome  contrast  to  the  suffocating  warmth  inside.  the  chatter,  the  glasses  clinking,  the  grating  sound  of  forced  laughter  -  all  of  it  had  begun  to  wear  thin.  he  didn’t  mind  the  charity gala  itself;  hell,  he  even  liked  these  kinds  of  things,  sometimes.  but  he  knew  better  than  to  compete  for  nadia’s  attention  when  some  slick  producer  with  perfectly  gelled  hair  had  cornered  her.  he  wasn’t jealous.  not  exactly.  but  there  was  only  so  long  he  could  stand  there,  half-smiling  and  nodding  while  someone  else  soaked  up  her  focus.

so,  che  murmured  an  excuse  before  stepping  outside,  a  carton  of  cigarettes  lifted  in  a  silent  signal  to  her.  she  knew  the  drill  -  he'd  be  back  when he was all jacked up on nicotine, when  the  air  felt  less  stifling.

he  lingered  in  the  alley,  cigarette  ember  glowing  like  a  heartbeat  in  the  dark.  halfway  through,  he  spotted  her  -  silhouette  sharp  against  the  faint  spill  of  streetlight,  the  faint  click  of  heels  against  the  dark  cement  floor.  “did  you  enjoy  getting  your  ear  chewed  off?  thought  i’d  lost  you  to  a  better  conversationalist.”  he  grinned,  smoke  curling  lazily  from  his  lips.  “they  pitch  something  to  you?”

after a rather gruelling conversation with a prominent and rather eager producer, the dark-haired woman tolerated the tedious conversation for as long as she could possibly stand, offering him the handy, yet utterly overused “my agent will be in contact with you” line before ushering off outside at the quickest pace her stilettos could muster.

catching the sight of a small orange flicker of light ahead of her on the dimly lit street, she moved closer, the crunching of gravel under her heels filled the gap of silence hanging in the air. “well… i wouldn’t say he’s my favourite conversationalist. he was certainly trying to charm me, though.” she responded, a light chuckle eliciting red stained lips. “he tried to pitch, but i brushed him off as politely as i could, you know how it is.” a shrug. “you went off in a hurry, though. is something on your mind?”