#woken2023

You stretch your legs as you finally step off the plane, your knees stiff from nine hours of flying and your mind hazy with a cocktail of nerves and jet lag. Heathrow Airport is a blur of movement and accents, people weaving through customs and baggage claim with practiced ease. But for you, every moment feels surreal.

Your eyes land on a man in a black suit holding a pristine white sign with your name printed in neat serif letters. Below it, in playful script: "Welcome to London."

You smile, rolling your suitcase toward him. He nods respectfully.

"Ms. [Your Last Name]? I'm Tom. I've been assigned to be your driver during filming. Welcome."

"Thanks," you say, your voice cracking from sleep deprivation. As you slide into the backseat of the sleek black car, your phone buzzes.

looking at your phone seeing a new message from Your manager Kami in the form of a voice memo as in true Kami fashion she very rarely sends texts.

NEW MESSAGE - Manager Kami

"Don't forget, the cast party tonight at 7. It'll be a fun way to meet everyone before we start rehearsing tomorrow! OHH! and I had your outfit for tonight delivered to your flat already because I knew you would over think it, ok got to run bye!"

You exhale sharply leaning your head back on the seat, suddenly aware of how fast all of this is happening. Just a month ago, you were auditioning via Zoom from your tiny LA apartment, and now you're in London, cast as one half of Bridgerton's new queer couple who they will be developing in the background this season. opposite Erin Kellyman, of all people. Your heart thuds, just thinking about her. You had chemistry reads with her before, but you feel like your heart might stop seeing her in person. The car ride was long and primarily you calming your emotions before a night of socializing.

Stopping at your new flat to drop your luggage off and change before going to the cast party. You get out of the car and bring in your suite cases to what will be your new home during the filming of the season. Overwhelmed at the thought of living in a new country, as well as the process of sorting out your living arrangement back in L.A before coming here. So now you're a London girl. Now living in a foreign country with little ties to where you were before. overwhelmed to say the least and growingly home sick. you take a breath and change into the outfit Kami had sent to the flat for the party feeling like a doll being dressed up. Even though Kami was right about how you would over think it and she did pick out a fit that made you look hot. Taking one last look in the mirror before heading out to the car Tom was taking you to the party in.

The cast party is held at a stunning townhouse in Notting Hill. Fairy lights drape across the courtyard, and the air is filled with laughter, posh accents, and the clink of wine glasses. You spot her almost immediately.

Erin is standing by the bar, wearing black trousers and a cream silk shirt unbuttoned just enough to make you lose your train of thought. Her red curls are pinned loosely, and when she turns and catches your gaze, her expression shifts into a crooked grin that's impossible to read.

She makes her way over to you, casual, confident.

"You made it," she says as she leans to give you a friendly side hug.

"I did! Jet-lagged and slightly overwhelmed, but I'm here." you say returning her hug hoping she couldn't hear your heart beat out your chest.

"Welcome to the madness," she chuckles, then tips her drink toward you. "I'm Erin, but you already know that." she giggles. Seeing her eyes light up and smelling her Crisp and fresh perfume brings out a feeling you are in over your head. "And you're stuck pretending to be in love with me for the next few months." you joke with her. Erin's eyebrow arches "Pretending?" You laugh, not sure whether to take it as flirting or just her British sense of humor.

Erin takes you around the party introducing you to the cast members she has been able to meet in the weeks after being casted. She feels like a safety net for the cast party you didn't know you needed. Throughout the night you got lost in the party, feeling the close proximity to the cast and Erin not as scary as you first thought when you landed hours prior. "Falling in love already?" A voice from behind you pulls your attention away from Erin and your conversation to a tall brunette man holding a flute of champagne. "Sorry......what?" you respond as you're not quite sure you heard him right over the sounds of the party. "Falling in love already?" he repeats as you avert your attention around the room "With the cast I mean." he clarifies. "Ohh! Yes definitely, just a bit dumbfounded by it all." you say motioning to the commotion around you "I'm Y/N L/N by the way" you stuttered and extended your hand to shake. "Johnathan Bailey" he shakes your hand. "Don't worry you'll fit in nicely, we party hard, but we are good company" Jonathan says trying to be comforting. "Oh, I bet y'all are!" you tell him "Y'all? Oh, you're so American, this is going to be fun." he jokes, raising his glass to you to which you raise yours in return.

Feeling a little buzzed off the Champagne and the smoke that lingered outside the party when Erin walked you to your car. Holding your door open for you Erin recognizes your driver "Hey Tom! How have you been?" Erin converses with Tom as you get in and get buckled. "Get her home safe for me all right." Erin asked, "I'll see you at rehearsals tomorrow, yeh." she remarks "yup! See you tomorrow." you grin as she closes your door. That night you go home feeling the afterglow of the party. Feeling giddy as you close your flat door playing back the moments the lights caught Erin just right and when she told Tom to get her home safe. 

Two weeks of rehearsals have come to an end with the last costume fittings making you look and feel like a true regency era woman. You take the weekend to recharge and make calls you've been putting off, one to a few friends in LA, a couple to your sister, and a few to your manager. Calling your sister Cindy has always comforted you, she's only about a year and a half older than you so you grew up practically as twins. The first of those calls to her was about the first few weeks in London and how her and her husband were. After a while, that call had to be cut short due to the time difference. The next morning the call resumed, and she told you how your mom, dad, and brother were since you don't really talk to them much. The call slowly turned from home to Erin and the other cast you were spending time with. Cindy has always supported you and was the first to know you were a lesbian, so she was fully equipped to help you through the emotional roller coaster that had been this rehearsed courting of you and Erin. The last calls to your sister were made after the calls to your manager Kami as she had already set up new auditions for you, which were mostly her telling you to be happy for more work after the filming for this season ends.

The next week the Bridgerton set was buzzing with its usual energy but today was different. Today, you were in a full Regency dress, your corset cinched tight and the layers of fabric sweeping the floor with every step. The set had come alive with its signature elegance, grand chandeliers hung overhead, casting soft light on the ornate furniture, and the sound of delicate piano music floated through the air. A big difference from the ballroom you spent hours practicing in. But it wasn't just the set that made your heart race. It was Erin Kellyman. The set was immaculate though Erin stole the spotlight. You were both in your finished costumes, a blend of opulence and restraint. Erin wore a soft, blue dress that hugged her frame in all the right ways, the fabric flowing gracefully as she moved. Her hair was styled in tight ringlets, and her skin tone was complemented beautifully with the intricate lace around her collar. Even in a world of historical fashion, she had an effortless beauty that made it hard to look away. "She lives! I didn't hear from you all weekend. I thought you died." Erin beamed as she turned to see you. "Yes, I am, I mostly slept" you sputtered as she once again pulled you into a friendly side hug. "Oh, you look stunning" Erin complement as she looks you head to toe in your rosy gown and affluent hair style. "I feel like a doll." you giggle looking down at yourself. "Yeah, a cute one! Come on let's get to our marks" Erin says throwing an arm over your shoulders and walking you to where you are starting the scene.

This was your first scene together, and not just any scene, this was the moment where your characters would meet, two women from different worlds whose attraction would grow, slowly but undeniably, throughout the season. But this was the first moment, the first look, the first touch, the first spark. The director called for everyone to take their places, and your stomach fluttered as you glanced over at Erin. She was adjusting the delicate lace on her sleeve, looking so very... poised, in a way that only she could pull off.

"Ready for this?" her voice broke through the silence, and when you turned to meet her eyes, you noticed a slight unease in her expression. Beneath that poised exterior, she was just as nervous as you. You smiled, trying to calm the nervous energy you both felt. "I think so... just... it's going to be fine. We've got this.". She let out a soft, breathy laugh, her eyes lighting up with something between relief and excitement. "Yeah, we've got this.". The camera crew finished adjusting the angles, and the soundstage grew quiet, the calm before the storm. "Alright, places, everyone!" the director called, and you felt your heartbeat speed up.

You took your position in the center of the grand parlor room, and Erin walked towards you each step measured, graceful. You could feel the heat radiating off her as she neared, a warmth that felt like a magnet pulling you in. As she stopped in front of you, you exchanged a quiet, nervous glance, a slight scrunch in her lips.

"Action."

The room seemed to vanish, the buzz of the set fading away, leaving only you, Erin, and the scene you were about to play. Erin's character was meant to be reserved and composed, yet beneath it all, there was a deep longing, a yearning for something forbidden. Your character, too, had secrets. Today was the day their paths would cross, both unknowingly about to step into a love neither could have imagined. You glanced down at your hands, nervously smoothing the fabric of your dress as Erin's character—soft, hesitant—stepped forward, her eyes searching yours. The air felt thick between you two, something unspoken, a magnetic pull neither character could resist. You had rehearsed this moment over and over, but now, in the stillness of the set, it felt as though it was happening for the first time.

"Miss... Celine" Erin's voice trembled just slightly, a soft lilt to her tone. Her character, in this first scene was reaching out, trying, with everything in her, to hold back the emotions swirling inside her. She was supposed to be distant, cold even, but there was no mistaking the flicker of vulnerability in her eyes. "I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

You took a breath, the tension in your chest palpable, before looking up at her. Your character, who had always been more confident in public than she was in private, forced a smile, but it was one that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Neither did I," you replied, your voice a little breathier than you intended. For a moment, neither of you moved. You were both supposed to be playing a game of social propriety, but there was something in the way Erin held herself that made it impossible to ignore the way you felt. There was no mistaking the pull between your characters, a charge in the air that was undeniable. You could feel your breath quickening, just like hers. You both knew where the scene was heading, a casual conversation that would slowly shift to contain a quiet yearning. But it was that moment before, where everything hung in the balance, that left you both suspended in time. Your characters were inches apart. In that space, between them, a thousand unsaid things passed between you two. The air between you was electric, a silent tension that neither of you could quite place but both felt to your core.

"Miss Lacey," you repeated softly, your voice low and teasing, as if this moment were something more than just scripted lines. Your eyes flickered to her lips, then back to her eyes. And in that instant, something in both of you shifted. Her breath caught, and you saw it, the flash of recognition. This wasn't just acting anymore. At least not for you and you think you both felt it. The tension between your characters was real. The attraction was real. Erin swallowed, her lips parting ever so slightly, and for a second, you forgot you were acting. You forgot you were on a set. All you could hear was the sound of your own heartbeat and the soft rustle of your dress as you stepped closer to her. Before either of you could say anything else, the director called, "Cut!" And with that, the magic of the moment broke.

You both took a collective breath, but you didn't pull away. Instead, you stood there, facing each other, still wrapped in that quiet tension, the weight of it both thrilling and terrifying. "That was... intense," Erin said, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she, too, couldn't quite process what had just happened. You nodded, unable to find words. It wasn't just the scene, or the script. It was the feeling that something far more important had started. Something that couldn't be ignored. "Yeah," you finally said, your voice soft. "It was."

And though the director was already moving on to the next shot, you both lingered in that space, unspoken words hanging in the air between you. Thinking to yourself there was no way these feelings were one sided. You've never been the best at reading between the lines socially or understanding body language, yet there's a strong urge to follow your heart in a way you've never felt in other relationships.

You pull away and move back to your mark ready for the next scene. Taking your place once again to see Erin still lingering where you were, In the corner of your eye you see Jonathan giving you a look that said I told you so.

Off set, things grow blurrier. You're hanging out between takes, sharing playlists, exploring cafes on your days off. At first, it felt like bonding, normal and necessary. But frequently her hand lingers too long when she brushes past you. You know each other's coffee order to a T. Her jean jacket makes its way into your custody more than once. After the early weeks of filming, you swear you've memorized the color of her eyes in every lighting. Your sister is being debriefed on your interactions with Erin as you search for validation because surely you can't flirt the way you have been unless someone is flirting back....... right?