A Look Into Reel Love (2 page)

“Nope,” she said. “Ben said we need all the energy we have for filming.”

“On our first day?!” he exclaimed incredulously, and she couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle at that.

When they had filled their plates up with food, they walked over to one of the unoccupied picnic tables and took their seats across from one another. Cassie could look at the man in front of her all day and all night. He was anything but an eyesore, and seeing him up close, it wasn’t surprising why he was named last year’s ‘Most Eligible Bachelor’. Even though she had worked with some of the industry’s most attractive actors, teeny-boppers and DILFs included, Dylan McKinsey easily made it to her top five.

“So are you excited?” he asked her, popping a strip of chicken into his mouth. “This isn’t like your usual films.”

“You’re not the first to say that,” she replied, the weight on her shoulders disappearing. She had no idea why she had been scared to meet Dylan for the first time. The guy could easily make friends with anyone and everyone. Cassie usually felt wary and anxious with meeting people for the first time. Her walls didn’t easily crumble when it came to meeting strangers, but Dylan’s exuberant aura was infectious.

“I can learn the ropes from you then,” Cassie said, sending a small grin Dylan’s way.

“I think I’ll be learning from you,” Dylan added, matching her grin with one of his own. “Do you think we can get an Oscar nomination with this movie?”

Cassie chuckled lightly at that and knew Dylan was only teasing. They had both read the scripts and knew the movie was meant to be lighthearted, funny, and romantic – very different from the typically nominated films.

“Let’s just agree,” Cassie began. “That we’re bound to learn something from one another.”

Hot damn.

The thought coursed through Dylan McKinsey’s head. Cassie strutted out of the fitting room wearing a black robe, but when she took her place on set, her assistant, Nina, took the robe from her to reveal the string bikini she was wearing. He knew Cassie had the figure just by looking at the body-hugging gowns she wore during premiers and award shows, but seeing her in a bathing suit certified what he always knew. Cassie had the body of a woman, and he was trying hard not to salivate. She had curves in all the right places and muscles where it mattered.

“Alright, let’s begin!” Ben, their director, shouted a few feet away.

The setting for the scene was at a beach, and it wasn’t just any beach. They were in Nice with the sand buried beneath their toes. Some of the most essential parts of the book were set in France, so to stay true to the story, they needed to shoot in the exact places mentioned in the novel.

The scene they were shooting centered on the undeniable sexual tension between the two main protagonists. Their relationship, as based from the story, was in between dating and entering an exclusive relationship. Of course, one of the best places for increasing sexual tension would be the beach where clothing was left to a minimum. Dylan was sure he was acting the part of the sexually-frustrated character as he looked at Cassie from afar and watched her splash seawater onto her bikini-clad body. He was sure he was nailing the scene since he was feeling the tension as Dylan McKinsey and not only as the character in the script.

At the other end, Cassie was trying to not look, feel, and act awkward. She had bared it all for the camera before, but she had never felt as embarrassed before as she did now. She wasn’t even fully naked, but she felt over-exposed, and she knew why. She didn’t want Dylan judging her. She knew she wasn’t the prettiest of actresses or the thinnest. She wasn’t the usual size 0 or 2 the media loved to categorize actresses and models in. She had always let her skill and talent do the talking, but now, and in the presence of one of Tinseltown’s sexiest actors, she couldn’t help but feel insecure. She knew the kinds of women he hung out and associated with, and she didn’t want him judging her.

After a few more retakes, Ben was satisfied with the shots. They rushed to the next location before it got too late, work ended, and people would crowd the place. Finally donning an ensemble consisting of much more than a bikini, Cassie felt more at ease than earlier at the beach. She pulled out line after line effortlessly with Dylan inserting a few improvised punchlines here and there as the camera kept rolling.

It was the cast and crew’s last night in France, so everyone agreed to end it with a bang. Arrangements were made, reservations were set, and before they knew it, the entire cast and crew of ‘The Timeline Before I Love You’ occupied the whole VIP area of one of Paris’ hippest night clubs. Additional security was stationed right by the entrance of the VIP section, so the cast members were able to enjoy the night without having to worry of rabid fans jumping onto their backs as what Dylan, Cassie, and the others experience on a regular basis.

“No way!” Ella screamed amidst the loud music. She was another actress who played the role of best friend to Cassie’s character. “That’s crazy! I can’t believe someone actually jumped you and tried to kiss you!”

“Tell me about it,” Dylan then said, laughing as he recounted the experience.

When the music changed into a more upbeat song, Cassie and a few others left their seats to dance. They swayed their hips, wildly raised their arms in the air, and jumped to the beat. Cassie considered herself a homebody more than anything else, and she wasn’t the type who went on constant nights out, but everyone decided to come, and she couldn’t miss out. And so, she spent the night dancing like there was no tomorrow even if she knew she had no talent when it came to moving to the beat. A close, few meters away, Dylan looked at her in amusement, finding her out-of-sync dancing all too adorable.

After a good two hours of non-stop dancing and drinking, the older members of the team decided to call it a night and head back to the hotel. For those who prided in being the life of the party, they wanted to hit another club and hop from one bar to the next. For Cassie, who was young at twenty-seven but had already out-danced herself, she excused herself from the group.

“You go ahead guys,” she said, waving ‘goodbye’ to them. “I’m starving after all the dancing.”

“No, Cassie!” Nina, her assistant, exclaimed. “Don’t leave yet!”

“Go ahead guys,” she said, laughing and moving her hands as if to push them away. “I’ll meet you guys back in the hotel.”

“Aww, fine,” Ella said, protruding her bottom lip out into a pout. “Take care, then.”

To her surprise, Dylan had excused himself from the group and walked to her side. She turned her head to look at him, asking him what he was doing standing beside her.

“I can’t let your walk around Paris alone at night,” he said to her, shrugging his shoulders, before he turned to face the rest of the group. “See ya, guys! And party hard for me!”

The men in the group cheered, as if the constant dancing earlier barely did anything to their energy level. When Cassie and Dylan walked further away from the rest, he turned to face her and asked, “So any idea on what you want to eat?”

“You’re going to regret asking that,” she replied, laughing to herself. “I want everything – bread, cheese, butter, and ham!”

That got a good laugh out of Dylan, and he couldn’t help but shake his head in amusement. He looked at her, his eyes trailing up and down her body and wondering where all the food she ate went. In the past month they had been filming, he was a firsthand witness to her seemingly never-ending appetite. She wasn’t model-thin like the other actresses he knew, but she wasn’t fat either, and that shocked him – how Cassie could eat so much without the effects reflecting on her body.

“Let’s start walking then,” he said, still laughing at her. “I think I saw a 24/7 bistro on our way to the club earlier.”

When the two of them arrived at Le Bouche, a place known for serving hot, fresh pastries round the clock, Cassie immediately ordered a basket of bread and butter before Dylan and she looked at their menus for heavier meals.

“All that out-of-sync dancing made you hungry?” Dylan teased, catching the way Cassie bit her lip at his astute observation.

“So you’ve been looking at me?” she asked, raising one of her eyebrows up. It must have been the alcohol, the one asking the questions, since Cassie wasn’t usually straightforward.

“I won’t deny you’re beautiful,” Dylan easily replied. “But you know that already.”

Slowly, a faint blush crept up Cassie’s cheeks. She should have expected that reply from Dylan though. The man, aside from his acting chops in comedy, was known for his long list of ex-girlfriends. He knew how to play the field, catch women, and keep them interested. Even the compliment left his lips so naturally, as if he didn’t have to wrack his brain for a line to use.

“Am I supposed to return the compliment?” she asked, propping her elbows on the table and setting her chin atop her hands.

“A compliment from
the
Cassie Summers?” he began. “Tonight’s my lucky day!”

When the waiter approached them with their basket of bread and butter, Dylan ordered a platter of meat and cheese. That made Cassie more than happy, and so, she decided to lead the conversation and change the topics to more serious questions.

“So you must get a lot of tips from your parents?” Cassie asked, envious of the fact Dylan’s family was considered Hollywood royalty. His parents were both actors, and a few of his uncles and cousins were notable directors and producers in the industry. “You must be so lucky!”

“Eh,” Dylan began, careful to phrase his words. “I won’t deny my family has helped me…I can never thank them enough.” At this point, he was looking at something behind her, as if his eyes had zoned out, and he was thinking long and hard about what to say next. “But you can’t forget the pressure…I feel like I can’t fail because…whatever mistake I make is going to affect the reputation of everyone else in my family.”

“I understand…kind of…” Cassie then said, her voice trailing. “Working in the spotlight is enough pressure itself….I can’t imagine carrying and maintaining the family name…”

“How about you, Cassie Summers?” he asked, sending a small smile her way. “Where’d you learnt to act so brilliantly? Drama school?”

“Ha! If only,” she quickly replied. There was a hint of bitterness in her tone, and Dylan was quick to catch it. “I’ll save you the sob story…”

He shook his head at her then said, “I want to hear it.” Then, he looked at his watch. “We have six hours until our flight, and we can just sleep during the plane ride.”