A Look Into Reel Love (5 page)

“I was laughing my ass off,” he said; then he fished for his phone at the back pocket of his jeans. “Let’s watch it right now!”

Cassie definitely found it amusing, as evidenced by the way she tried to cover up her giggles by covering her mouth with her hands. Watching the interview in the tiny screen of Dylan’s phone, there was no way their bodies wouldn’t touch. Their thighs rubbed against each other as half of Cassie’s upper torso rested on Dylan’s chest. Before they could pull away from one another, a bunch of their mutual friends invaded their tiny bubble and plopped themselves onto the empty couches and bean bags.

“A-ha!” Lorie teased, propping her eyebrows up and down. “What do we have here?”

That was Cassie’s cue to move a few inches away from Dylan. It was ironic that she was an actress, but she wasn’t used to the spotlight. She could finish an interview and insert a few jokes here and there, but she would feel awkward and embarrassed the whole time. Even with small groups such as this, she didn’t like when all eyes were on her, so she stayed quiet and let Dylan take the stage.

“I thought you said we wouldn’t have to worry about unwanted questions?” Dylan replied smoothly. “I remember you saying this is a private party.”

“But friends tell one another secrets,” said Ella, one of their co-stars in ‘The Timeline Before I Love You’. “So what’s really up between you two?”

“And I’m going to get a drink!” That was Cassie, and before anyone could stop her, she stood up from her space on the couch and walked over to the kitchen. When she opened the fridge door, she reached for the bottle of red wine and poured some into her glass.

“So, do you want to tell me what that was about?” That was Belle, whose back rested against the cool granite counter of the kitchen.

“What’s what?”

“We can all see it, Cass,” said her friend, one of her closest in the industry. “There’s something going on between the two of you. You might be blind, Dylan included, but we’re not.”

“I’m not really denying anything,” came her reply, and Belle’s eyes widened at the confession, but soon enough her facial expression softened, replacing her look of shock with one of happiness. “But it’s
him
we’re talking about…I’m just going to be another name on his long list…”

“If you ask me…” Belle said, voice trailing off. “People can and will surprise you. I thought you were a boring hag at first.” Cassie feigned a look of humiliation, before laughing the statement off. She knew she had that kind of impression on people. “Now, you’re one of my best friends, and we have so much fun together.

“Belle…”

Her friend stopped her move to argue by putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked at Cassie square in the eyes, as if daring her to take action.

“Just…give people a chance. They can shock you.”

Cassie spent the rest of the night deep in thought. She would join the conversation of the group from time to time, agreeing, disagreeing, and giving her own opinions when the situation called for it, but she never led the dialogue. That was Dylan’s expertise.

Looking at him from where he sat across her, she couldn’t help but hang on to his every word. Dylan McKinsey exuded life and excitement, and there was no dull moment with him around. He was the kind of person that could talk about anything and everything to anyone and everyone - one of the reasons, the best actually, as to why Cassie was attracted to him. He was so unlike her, but in a good way.

When conversation slowed and some were already passed out in random areas of the house, Dylan and Cassie found themselves sharing a couch. Their arms brushing up against one another, neither could deny the tension between them.

“Can we talk?” Dylan asked, turning his head to face her.

When she looked at his striking blue eyes, her breath hitched. There was fear and longing in those eyes, and she didn’t know what to make of them. When she tipped her head into a small nod, he took her hand in his and led the way to Lorie’s pool house. It was at the other end of the pool, and it was a good thing it was unoccupied. When he closed the doors behind them and drew the thick curtains to allow them better privacy, he let out a deep breath before he looked at her and began to speak.

“You probably know why I want to talk,” he started, deciding whether to remain standing or to sit beside her on the bed. He chose the latter.

“I have an idea,” was her reply.

“I like you…” Feeling both shy and embarrassed at the situation, he rubbed the back of his head with his hand. He was losing his eloquence tonight. “If you haven’t guessed already.”

“Dylan…”

The moment his name left Cassie’s lips, he could feel the tension in his chest tighten all the more. There was a bitter taste in her lips with the way she said his name, and he could feel himself losing all confidence he previously had. He didn’t want to sound dramatic, but there was slight paint in his heart – a feeling he never felt before. There was no denying the look on Cassie’s face, cold and grim and not a smile in place. It didn’t take a genius to realize that wasn’t a positive reaction.

“I get it.”

He made a move to leave since he didn’t need to stay for the pain. He was smart enough to read between the lines and Cassie’s facial expression. She looked like a dear caught in the headlights; she looked shocked and disappointed at the same time.

Before he could reach for the doorknob, Cassie rushed over to his side and encircled his wrists with her fingers. He liked the feel of her soft hands against his clenched muscles, but then he remembered where he was and what was happening. He straightened up, trying and failing to soften the glare he gave her.

“Let me explain,” she said, pulling her with him to the edge of the bed, but Dylan remained grounded in place. “I like you too…”

“Really now?” he asked sardonically, the acid in his voice evident. He felt guilty for doing a one-eighty on her, but the irritation mixed with disappointment was quickly building up inside him. He couldn’t help but take a little bit of it out on her. “I wouldn’t have guessed.”

“I’m just…” She took a deep breath and tried to find the right words to say. “I’m scared. I know you…” He raised a questioning eyebrow up at her, prodding her to continue. “You’re bound to film a new movie soon, and you’ll have a new onscreen partner….yo-”

“What are you trying to say?” he asked, although he very well knew what she was insinuating.

“We’ll end even before we start.”

At that, Dylan closed the distance between them as he wrapped an arm around Cassie’s lower back and pulled her flushed against him. Carefully, he placed his lips overs hers and kissed her carefully and passionately at the same time. He moved slowly, savoring the feel of her lips against his and enjoying the way her lips moved in sync with his. Caught up in the moment, she wrapped her arms around his neck as his hands roamed the expanse of her torso. After a few seconds, he was the one to pull away, and Cassie was thankful he did so. She knew better than to trust herself in the heat of passion and with someone she harbored deep feelings towards.

“Do you really want to just let go of
this
?” Dylan then asked, voice solemn and firm at the same time. “Because I don’t.”

Cupping the side of his cheek with her hand, she looked up at him with a small smile.

“Dylan…” she began, her heart demanding to beat right out of her chest. “Do you really think we’ll last? I’ll start filming in London in two months. Who knows where you’ll be and who you’ll be with…”

“We can do long-distance,” he answered, not missing a beat. “Many couples do it.”

“We’re not even in a relationship…” There came the cold, hard truth. “And please, don’t keep my hopes up,” Cassie then said, shaking her head and looking at him sternly. “Don’t make me promises you can’t keep.”

“But we won’t even
fucking
know unless we try!” Dylan said, raising his voice. He didn’t like where the conversation was heading, and all he wanted to do was throw Cassie’s assumptions out the door. “Why can’t we try?”

She looked at him, her eyes never leaving his.

“I’m not selfish enough to limit your choices.”

At this point, tears slowly rolled down Cassie’s face. She knew expressing her feelings and listening to her mind instead of her heart would hurt. That was why she didn’t want to jump in, and just ‘try’. If this hurt, she didn’t want to imagine how much more it would pain her months after they tried to only fail. “And I’m not stupid enough to become just a name in your long list of past relationships.”

“Trust me…” Dylan began, losing hope. His eyes had glazed over with an expression Cassie couldn’t read. It was like he had switched off the emotional board inside him. “Cassie.”

“Let’s keep in touch.”

Then, she walked closer to him and stood on her tiptoes. Carefully, she placed a lingering kiss on his lips before she pulled away and left the room. Soon after, she left the party completely. One more minute, and she was going to break down right in front of him.

“Dylan, this is Anna,” said Steve, the director for the new movie he was cast in. “Anna, Dylan…he’ll be your knight in shining armor for the next, few months.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” said the svelte woman before him, smiling end exposing her rows of pearly whites. “I must say you look much better in person.”

“Great to meet you as well,” he said in return, taking her hand for a quick handshake.

After they were introduced to all the cast and crew members, Dylan and Anna joined a few of their co-stars to get to know one another better. He was excited to film the movie since the plot revolved around a group of fresh graduates maneuvering the real world outside of university. It was to be a lighthearted, just-for-laughs film, so he knew he was going to have a grand time shooting.

“Hey man, nice to see you again,” said another one of their co-stars who Dylan was already friends with from a couple years back. “Long time no see!”

“Yo! What have you been up to?” Dylan then said, giving him a handshake all men seemed to know by heart.

The cast members then spent the rest of the day hanging out in each other’s trailers. A few of them had already pulled a few pranks on their co-stars even. If the first day was any indication of the remaining months of filming, then everyone was in for a ride. At present, they were raiding the buffet tables and stuffing their mouths with all things fried and crispy. The conversation lulled, and Dylan found himself playing with his phone. His finger hovered over Cassie’s name in his list of contacts.

When she had told him a few months back to keep in touch, he knew she was only being cordial. Keeping in touch while they were attracted to one another felt awkward. If she were another girl, Dylan wouldn’t have a problem just flirting, and sexting even, but Cassie was different from other women. She was sensible enough to listen to her mind rather than emotions, and Dylan realized a month after that night that Cassie had been right. Looking back, he realized she made the right decision. They were still in the stage of getting to know one another that tying themselves down could highly result to the end of their relationship. As his eyes stayed glued to her name on the screen, he couldn’t control the desire to message her. After all these months, he still constantly thought about her.