A Look Into Reel Love (3 page)

And that was how Dylan McKinsey learned of Cassie Summers’ life story. She had told him about how she was abandoned at an early age and jumped from one foster home to the next. It wasn’t until she was fourteen years old that a lovely couple adopted her. That was the first time she felt what the words ‘stability’ and ‘security’ meant. From then on, she worked a series of retail jobs, and at certain times, balanced more than two jobs to earn and save enough for college. It was during her first year of community college that an agent discovered her when she took the lead role in one of the local plays, and the rest, as they said, was history.

“Is that why you barely open up during interviews?” Dylan asked, taking in her entire life story.

His first reaction was to feel sorry for Cassie – that she had to go through so much before she got to where she was now – but looking at her journey and how much she had accomplished, it wasn’t right to feel sorry for her. It felt disrespectful.

“You can say that,” she said. “And it’s also why I’m most comfortable doing dramas. It’s just acting…but a big part of my abilities comes from everything I’ve experienced. Every time I have to act out an emotional scene, it helps when I reminisce on my own experiences.”

“No wonder you always look so natural and authentic,” Dylan added, after he took a sip from his beer. “It’s cliché…but you seriously become the character.”

Embarrassed at the compliment from Dylan, she shifted the conversation with, “How about you? I barely read the news, but every time you’re printed on the headlines, you’re in some exotic destination. I would love to travel…outside of work.”

“Any special places you want to go to?” he then asked, truly enjoying the conversation between them.

Their exchange felt genuine and so natural at the same time. Most importantly, their conversation was substantial, and Dylan wracked his brain for the last time he experienced a discussion that went deeper than the surface. He couldn’t think of any.

“Southeast Asia most definitely,” she answered without missing a beat. “It looks very different from the US and Europe from pictures, so yeah…that’s where I want to go.”

“Maybe after filming, I can take you there and show you around,” he said.

There was no malice in his invitation. It seemed like the most natural thing to say at that moment, so when she looked at him, tipped her head up into a nod, and gave him a grateful smile, he didn’t need to guess whether she meant ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

“There’s no backing out then.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at Dylan’s last statement, and so, they spent the remainder of the night, or rather morning, getting to know one another. By the time they had gotten back to their hotel, they both held a newfound respect for each other. They weren’t just co-stars now and actually considered each other as friends.

The feel of Dylan’s warm breath against Cassie’s neck sent shivers down her spine as soft, careful moans left her mouth. The way he nibbled the skin on Cassie’s neck left her recoiling her whole body from underneath him as pleasure surged all throughout her insides. He was propped above her with his arms resting on the bed as his only means of support. When his lips left her neck, Cassie let out a whimper to show her dissatisfaction of Dylan pulling away. Soon enough, his lips found hers as his tongue began to probe her mouth asking for entrance. It wasn’t long before Cassie gave in to his demands.

Slowly, his lips trailed down lower, leaving Cassie’s neck and then trailing kisses down the soft mounds of her breasts and past her ribs. When they reached the expanse of Cassie’s stomach, he moved upwards again and held her face carefully in his hands. Under the thick covers of the bed, Dylan began moving his hips against Cassie’s as his lips never left hers. She could feel his member hardening against the material of his underwear. Keeping up the pace in which they moved, Dylan and Cassie continued the passionate exchange, and it was only when Ben shouted ‘cut’ from his director’s chair that they pulled away.

In the span of a second, Nina was at Cassie’s side and handing her a robe. She took it and immediately covered herself up before she and Dylan walked towards Ben to wait for his next instructions. When she met Dylan’s eyes, Cassie looked away. She felt embarrassed and had a million questions running through her mind.
Was my acting okay? Did I kiss well enough? Was my moan too fake?

Then she found herself cursing internally.
This
could not be happening. She didn’t want to think about Dylan and how he felt above her with only their underwear separating them. She wasn’t going to be like Dylan’s previous co-stars – falling for him only to be left confused and alone soon after.

It wasn’t Cassie’s first time to shoot a sex scene, despite the overthinking that was happening at the moment. Hell, she had fully exposed herself before; yet, this was the only shoot she couldn’t stop thinking about even after the cameras stopped rolling.

“Fuck,” she said, not one to constantly utter a curse. “I’m dead, aren’t I?”

After the shoot, she met with a few, close friends for a quiet, intimate dinner. Belle, a fellow actress and one of Cassie’s closest friends, was hosting a dinner at her apartment. The table arrangement was divine, and the food at the center of the table was quickly being ravished. No one could let the smell of roast pork linger and not take a portion to eat.

“Well, I’d be more surprised if you weren’t attracted him,” said Belle.

“I’ve worked with him in a show before, and all the females were going ga-ga over him.” That was Lorie, another close friend.

Wanting to bury her face in her hands, Cassie then said, voice whining, “I’m not supposed to like him…he’s a playboy for crying out loud!”

That got a good laugh out of the group of girls before Belle told Cassie to take another sip of the wine, or two. Her friend looked like she needed it.

“Well,” Lorie began. “If it makes you feel any better, you can’t really help who you’re attracted to.”

“It’s not even because of his looks.” When they raised a sly eyebrow up at her, she continued, “Well, yeah. I won’t deny that. But he’s hot
and
can carry a conversation. “Seriously, I haven’t had much fun as I did back in Paris, and we were just talking.”

“Damn, dear,” Lorie then said, tsk-ing and shaking her hear. “You’re right. You’re dead.”

“Bro seriously, I’m telling you now,” Liam, one of Dylan’s closest friends, said.

They were in one of the dive bars to have a drink and a catch-up. Liam worked as a model and was one of the most sought-after in the field with high-end designers booking him left and right. They made it a point to meet one another on a monthly basis with tonight being one of those times.

“From what you’re telling me,” Liam then added. “She’s not the kind of girl you hook up with.”

Liam seemed to be typing away on his phone, eyebrows furrowed and eyes tied to the screen in concentration. His eyes flitting over the display as if he was reading something on speed mode.

“See…” He then showed Dylan his phone screen. There were links to numerous articles about Cassie and her past relationships, or lack thereof. “Her shortest relationship lasted six months, and she’s only been paired with two other actors. She isn’t a pump-and-dump situation, man.”

“Seriously?” Dylan asked, his voice rising. “That’s what you think of me?”

If there was one person that could give Dylan the cold, hard truth, it was Liam, and tonight was no exception. Placing a firm hand on his friend’s shoulder, Liam answered his question, no holds barred.

“Last time we talked, you wouldn’t even consider a relationship.” Dylan wanted to rebut his friend’s statement. Liam was making him sound like an asshole, but the more he thought about, the more Dylan realized Liam was making sense. He didn’t want to admit it, but he knew there was truth in his friend’s words. “And don’t even try to fight me on it.”

“I’ll forget about her, won’t I?” Dylan then asked. They both knew that was only rhetorical. “The feeling should blow away once filming ends…like it always does.”

“I don’t know about you, man.” Dylan glared at the beer mug before him, feeling as if he wanted to break something. He was feeling both irritated and scared at the same time, irritated because a woman was fucking with his mind and scared because he had never felt the feeling before. Liam’s next words hit home. “Based from your stories, Cassie doesn’t seem like a woman who’s easily forgotten.”

It was the culmination of all their hard work. From filming to post-production, the nine-month journey all ended and began with tonight’s premiere. The Hollywood premiere marked the end of production; however, there were interviews, appearances, and promotional tours lined up, so at the same time, it also marked the beginning. ‘The Timeline Before I Love You’ was finally hitting the big screen. The red carpet was rolled out, the paparazzi were in a frenzy, and the fans cheered loudly and fanatically by the sidelines. When Cassie stepped out of the limousine, the crowd went wild. She was wearing a nude lace gown that boasted of an intricate back design and thigh-high slit.