Aliyah unwrapped a mint and tossed it in her mouth. Her phone lay on the desk, playing a calming instrumental. She checked her hair then grabbed her lip balm. The script caught her eye in the mirror. She left it open to the scene they were shooting that afternoon.
“One problem at a time,” she whispered.
Nothing had gone right for her lately. Since filming started, it’d been all work without any play. She hadn’t even had an afternoon for herself. Let alone Kelvin. He worked during the day while she filmed at night and on weekends. The first episode was scheduled to wrap up on Friday, so she just had to make it until then. They planned a house party to celebrate.
She cleaned her dressing room a minute ago. The lamp on her desk lit the small space like a bedroom. At least that was romantic. A rack of clothing stood in the far corner. She draped her robe over one side to hide her swimsuit. They were filming that scene tomorrow. She already felt weird wearing her police uniform, and she didn’t want him seeing anything else.
Her heart skipped when she heard Tiffany coming. The clack of her high heels echoed down the hall. She approached quickly with another set of footsteps behind her. The second pair shuffled over the tile.
Kelvin, he made it.
With a crack, Aliyah bit down on her mint and swallowed it. The two stopped outside her door to talk. The music drowned out what they were saying. Kelvin stumbled into her room shortly after.
She covered her mouth, giggling into her hand. Dressed in khaki shorts and a white polo, he looked extra dorky. He seemed just as surprised to see what she was wearing. His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
“Wow,” he whispered.
She smirked then pulled out her prop gun. “Officer Roberts, reporting for duty.”
He chuckled. “Just… Wow.”
She pointed it at him and told him to freeze. He put his hands up to play along. The voice in her head suddenly screamed at her to hug him. So she did, burying herself in his arms.
“I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.”
“I’m sorry it’s been so long.”
“Nah, don’t be. I know you’re working. You always hit it hard. That’s why I like you, remember?”
She lifted her head. His tone changed. He wasn’t talking like a boyfriend anymore. He was talking like a fan.
“So, Tiffany filled me in,” he said, “I guess you keep laughing. It’s my favorite look, isn’t it? Your co-star does something stupid, and you gotta look at him like—”
“What the hell was that?”
She finished the thought for him. How could she forget? Out of everything, and he liked how she gawked at her boyfriends.
Go figure.
She walked back to her desk. “Yeah, boy, you’ve really thrown me off my game. I’ve never struggled like this before.”
He tried to apologize, but she shushed him.
“I know how to fix it, though.”
The light in the room dimmed as she passed in front of the lamp. She turned around to find him in her shadow. The guilt lingered on his face.
“How?”
“Kiss me.”
His body tensed like she zapped him with her taser. For the first time, she couldn’t read him. His eyes widened, but his lips thinned.
“You know,” he said, “I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”
She snorted. “Oh really? Then why are you still standing there?” She put her hands on her hips. The distance between them grew with every step he didn’t take. “I should be wrapped in your arms right now, slipping you some tongue.”
He coughed. “Yeah, no, I want that. I do. It’s just heavy, you know? I mean, it’s only been two months, and to me, you’re still Aliyah Gav—”
“Don’t you dare,” she interrupted, “You can’t keep putting that space between us. It was cute in the beginning, but it can’t be like that anymore. I hate that it’s come to this, but we either take this step now, or we don’t take another step.”
The music on her phone quieted. It hurt to push him so hard, but she couldn’t wait any longer.
He wiped his mouth. “So that’s how it is then?”
“Yep, that’s how it is.”
“Alright then, say it again.”
She folded her arms. “Excuse me.”
“You heard me. If that’s why I’m here, say it again. You didn’t bring me all this way just to end it, did you?”
She glared at him, holding back a smile. He wasn’t wrong.
“Kiss me, damn it.”
“Fuck yeah.”
They didn’t have a script, or the right lighting. Nobody shouted cut or gave them a second take. Nothing about her dressing room seemed romantic, but none of that mattered. It turned out, she didn’t need a whole team for that perfect moment. She just needed him.
And yeah, she slipped him some tongue.
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