by Claire Raye
“If you can’t take an order from the fucking director then you don’t belong on my fucking set!” Noel screams, as anyone within striking distance moves aside. Elizabeth’s assistant scrambles toward an exit, but somehow falls in between the argument.
“Me?” Elizabeth says, a questioning hint of sarcasm present in her tone. “Orders are being tossed around. Everything is contradictory. I’m growing impatient with the disorganization of this set…”
While she seems annoyed, she’s far more reserved than I thought she would be.
“Disorganization!” Noel screams, his hand shoving Elizabeth’s assistant out of the way causing her to cower in the corner as he heads to the bookshelf. He tugs a hand through his hair and it feels like everything is happening slowly, like it’s been going on for an hour when it’s only been seconds. “The only thing that’s disorganized is you. I’m trying to help you and you just fucking sit there. You’re ruining my fucking movie, you stupid cunt!” His words are like daggers, cutting deep, and when he begins to chuck books around the set, I step in.
Even though I just watched him shove an innocent bystander aside, I put myself in the path of his book bullets, several hitting me, but someone needs to intervene and stop this.
With my back to Noel, I look right at Elizabeth and ask her to leave the set and not because she did anything wrong, but because we need to diffuse this situation.
She obligingly walks past me, but stalls for a second, turning around to face Noel and his reddened face and wide eyes, as I stand between them.
“I will never work for you again. You are done in this industry,” Elizabeth hisses, but she remains steadfast, her eyes never leaving Noel’s.
His laugh is condescending and when he speaks spit flies from his mouth, “Don’t flatter yourself into thinking I’d ever hire you again, bitch. And if you think it’s me that’s done, you have no idea who I am.”
“I know exactly who you are,” she says, stoically. “You’re a manipulative bully and I’m done dealing with it.”
She begins to storm away and before I can stop him, Noel goes after her, pushing me out of the way, his hand grabbing my shoulder and yanking me out of his path.
At this point this man is so unstable that I can’t possibly trust that he won’t assault her, causing even more problems on this already volatile set. My heart is racing in my chest and I suddenly feel like I might throw up. This crazed man is my employer and I’m about to witness him attack a fifty-five year old veteran actor. Any name he’s made for himself will be shot to shit and my name being attached to him will only look poorly upon me.
But despite standing here, my hands clammy and my legs weak, I know someone needs to step in. I can’t watch him attack her, because I don’t even want to see what that will look like. I fear he would kill her.
I grab for his shirt, wrapping my fingers around it as I yell out his name. My call stops him for a split second and gives her just enough time to get away. But the way he looks when he turns around causes me to let go immediately and back away.
If he touches me Lewis will kill him with his bare hands and I have to figure out a way to defuse this.
I throw my hands up defensively as Noel steps toward me.
“Please, just stop,” I practically beg, my body so tense that I feel like it might snap in half. Every muscle is clenched as I wait for him to make the next move. “Take a minute and think about the repercussions,” I continue as Noel stops directly in front of me.
“You’re fired!” he screams, his face so close to mine that I can feel the warmth of him, smell the stale coffee on his breath as he pokes a finger into my chest. “I never want to see you on my set again.”
And with an irrational calmness, he walks away from me, leaving me to grab onto the desk to steady myself.
As he’s walking away, Sadie reaches out a hand and with controlled precision, he throws an arm up, slapping her hand away.
“Don’t you fucking touch me,” he growls. His eyes narrowed as he glares at her. “Now you suddenly want to be all concerned about me? It takes me losing my shit for me to get your attention.”
The entire crew is still scattered about the set, and some have even begun to clean up, picking up the papers and books, righting the overturned furniture. They move about as if this whole thing didn’t even happen, as if Sadie and Noel aren’t arguing in front of us, as if he didn’t just insult the lead actress and scare the shit out of everyone.
And there’s also that little thing about him firing me.
“Go back to your trailer and cool down, Noel,” Sadie quips back and adds, “And Ava, you’re not fired.”
“I’m not?” I ask, almost okay with the fact that I would no longer have to work for this lunatic.
“Yes you are,” Noel spits back. “Mind your own fucking business, Sadie.” Stomping out of sight, all I hear is a door slam as Sadie rolls her eyes and follows after him.
I have no idea what to do now. My purse and things are all in Noel’s trailer, which I assume is currently occupied by Sadie and Noel, and that’s not something I want to walk in on…again.
But I can’t leave without my purse, so I make my way to the trailer, listening at the door before I gently knock, waiting to see if anyone is inside. I hear a muffled voice call for me to come in, but it’s not Noel’s voice.
I pull the door open and find Sadie sitting on the couch, her phone in her hand. Her demeanor is casually calm, as if nothing has happened. She flips her blonde hair from one side of her head to the other, letting out a long breath as she looks up at me.
“He’s not here. He’s on a call with his publicists. Yeah, he has more than one because no one really likes to deal with him.”
“How about you?” I ask, knowing there are divorce papers tucked neatly into a file and they aren’t the only ones.
“It’s hard to leave.” Her words are hollow and detached, and she doesn’t make eye contact with me when she says them.
“It doesn’t have to be,” I reply, like I’m an expert in divorce. I have no place to give advice, especially since I married my husband after only knowing him for three months. But there’s a difference between Lewis and Noel. While Lewis can be bossy and assertive and at times overprotective, he would never speak to me the way Noel speaks to Sadie, he’d never demand things of me or undermine my opinion. My success is his success, my happiness is his.
“I’m not sure you understand my situation. It’s far more complicated than me just leaving. We have money and careers that rely on each other.”
“So you just stick around and let him…let him…” I want to say abuse you, but I feel like I’m stepping over the line, “mistreat you?”
“He’s volatile and that alone is scary. I try not to let it show, but I’m afraid of him. I’m afraid he’ll hurt me. I’m afraid he’ll ruin my career…” She trails off, her deep blue eyes now pooling with tears. She runs a finger under them, sweeping away the remains as she pulls herself back together.
“I think his career is ruined,” I try, hoping to ease her fears and bide her the time she needs to come to her senses.
“Not forever,” she says, shaking her head. “He’ll come back from this. He always does.”
“Then distance yourself from him. When you’re done with this movie, pursue that divorce and find your own path. You don’t need him.”
She laughs a little, her hand moving as if she’s brushing me off. “Sometimes things don’t go as planned,” she says, shrugging her shoulders and going back to her phone while I gather up my things.
“It was nice getting to work with you,” I tell her, my hand on the door.
“You’re not fired,” she replies back. “He does that kind of shit all the time. He’ll apologize in his own way soon enough and ask you to stay.”
“What if I don’t want to stay?”
“Then he’ll replace you. It’s the nature of this business. You know that, but you’re doing an amazing job, so quitting
now would not be the best for your career.”
I don’t like what she’s doing here. It’s the same line that I imagine Noel feeds to her every time she files for divorce.
“If you think threatening my career the way he threatens yours will make me stay, it’s a shitty tactic.”
“I know it is, but I need you to stay. I need you here. After this film ends you can find another job, but I’m begging you to stay. You’re the reason I’m still here.”
This conversation is weird because I haven’t done anything to help her and the fact that she’s putting so much into me being here means something.
“You stand up to him. You put yourself in situations where it would’ve been me stepping in. You’re his first assistant to not run for the hills when he…when he…when he does what he does.”
I nod my head, but still not understanding how this is a benefit to me.
“So I’m asking you to stay for me. I’m asking you to stay so one day I can leave. I know that’s selfish, but I need your help.”
“You’re trapped?” I ask, knowing the answer already.
“Yes.”
Chapter Nineteen
Lewis
I glance at my phone to check the time. Ava is back to working days now, which means she comes home at a reasonable time, which is also perfect considering I’ve now got some extra staff hired so I can take nights off to be with her.
She should be back any minute and as I glance up, watch the new guy, Ed as he serves one of the regulars, laughing and chatting as he pulls a pint, I exhale, a sense of relief washing over me.
It’s good having some extra help at the bar, fucking fantastic having my wife back in our bed at night and even better that my ex hasn’t shown up since I kicked her out of here a couple weeks ago.
“Can I get you anything?” Ed asks, wandering down to where I’m sitting at the end of the bar.
I glance at my phone again before looking up at him. “Yeah why, not,” I say. “Pint of Stella, thanks.” Ed nods and grabs a glass to pour my beer. “How are you liking it here?” I ask him.
He flicks off the tap, setting a perfectly poured beer down in front of me. “All good,” he says with a grin. “It’s cool place you have, I’m enjoying working here.”
I nod, just as the door to the pub opens and from the corner of my eye, I see Ava walk in. She glances around, her eyes landing on mine as she offers an exhausted smile and walks over.
“Hey, sweet girl,” I say, sliding an arm around her waist and pulling her close. I press a kiss to her temple, feel her body as it melts into mine. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” she murmurs. “Just a long and frustrating day,” she adds, reaching for my beer.
I watch as she talks a long gulp of the liquid, her eyes closing as she swallows it down before placing the glass back on the bar.
“You sure you’re okay?” I ask. “Do you want a drink, something stronger maybe?”
Ava turns to me, smiling as she leans in and brushes her lips against mine. “That sounds good, but do you mind if we have it upstairs, I’m kinda beat.”
“Of course,” I tell her, pressing a kiss to her neck. “Why don’t you head up and take a shower, I’ll just finish up and be there in five.”
“Thank you,” she whispers before saying good night to Ed and heading up the back stairs toward our flat.
Ed wanders off and I turn back to my beer, at the same time running my eyes over the orders that came in today and checking them off against anything that’s still outstanding.
Eventually I stand, catching Ed’s eye, who walks over. “You okay if I call it a night?” I ask him, knowing he’s closed up several times now and has always done a great job.
“Yep,” he says, nodding. “Go have fun,” he says, giving me a smile. “All good here.”
“Okay, you know you can call or whatever if anything comes up?”
Ed laughs. “I got this, boss, don’t worry.”
I nod, finishing off my beer. “Thanks,” I add, as I turn to head upstairs.
Just as I do though, I see the door to my pub open, see the flash of red hair that can only belong to one person that’s now walking in.
“Fuck’s sake,” I mutter, grabbing my laptop and keys before striding toward the door where she stands, her eyes scanning the room as though she’s looking for someone. “What are you doing here?” I ask, my words harsh as I stop in front of her.
Joanna looks up at me, a smile plastered on her face as she says, “Having a drink, it’s a public bar isn’t it?”
I roll my eyes at her lame attempt to act as though this is no big deal. Like she walks into my bar for a drink on a regular basis and I’m somehow okay with it. “You know it fucking is,” I say through gritted teeth. “Just like you know there are a million other bars in London you could easily go to. What I want to know is why you’ve come here?”
Joanna shrugs, brushing past me as she makes her way toward the bar. I follow close behind, holding a hand up at Ed, stopping him as he moves over to serve her. When our eyes meet, I give him a subtle shake of my head before turning back to Joanna.
“You’re only here to create trouble, Joanna, and you know it.”
She exhales dramatically as though she has no idea what I’m talking about. “Of course I’m not,” she says, taking a seat at the bar. “I’m just here for a drink, Lewis, nothing more.”
I lower my mouth to her ear, not wanting anyone else to hear what I’m about to say to her. “No, you’re here to fuck with me,” I growl. “You know it and I know it. So, in case you didn’t quite hear me the last time, I’ll say it again. Get. The. Fuck. Out.”
Joanna turns, our faces only inches apart now. I watch as her eyes drop to my mouth, her tongue snaking out to wet her lips. I stand, my body stiffening as her eyes, which are now level with my stomach slowly make their way up to my face.
“We’re not doing this,” I whisper, my jaw tight.
“What?” she asks, as though she’s got no idea what I’m talking about.
I move a finger between us. “You, me,” I add, spelling it out to her. “We’re done, you and I, for good. Forever. We aren’t friends and I don’t want to see you, to hang out with you, to act like everything is all somehow okay between us, Joanna. Because it’s not.”
She turns away, raking a hand through her hair as she tries to catch Ed’s eye. The guy’s good though, ignoring her because even though he has no idea what’s going on right now, he knows enough that this is something he doesn’t need to get involved in.
I watch as she flattens her palms on the wooden bar top, her eyes glancing around the rest of the pub. It’s only now, as I watch her search the room that I realize what she’s really doing. Why she’s really here.
“I know who you’re looking for,” I say, lowering my head to hers again, as I flatten my hand on the bar. “And I know what you’re doing, so stop. Go, because you aren’t ever going to get near her.”
Joanna’s eyes move to my hand as it rests on the bar. She stares at the tattoo on my ring finger, the three letters of Ava’s name spelled out in black ink that wrap around my finger. I watch as she swallows hard, her eyes still locked on my hand.
I don’t move either, letting her get a good hard look at it, as though I can somehow sear it into her brain that I’ve moved on, found someone else who means a hell of a lot more to me than she ever did.
Eventually her gaze moves to my face, her eyes locking with mine. She stares at me for a few seconds, her eyes dark and unreadable, making me a little nervous.
“Get out, Joanna,” I whisper. “Now.”
She shoves back her stool, the legs scrapping loudly on the wooden floor as she stands and turns to face me. I feel her fingers as they curl tightly around my wrist, her face only inches from mine as she whispers, “I’ll see you later.”
She smiles then, a dark smile as her eyes drop to my mouth and she moves ever so slightly closer to me as though she’s actually going to kiss me
. I yank my arm away, straightening as I take a step back.
Joanna laughs before finally turning away and walking toward the door, disappearing out into the night.
“You okay?” Ed finally asks.
I glance over at him, shake my head once as I try to process exactly what the fuck any of that was about. Joanna has always had a crazy edge to her and if I’m being honest, it’s probably what attracted me to her in the first place.
I always liked the way she didn’t give a shit about what anyone thought, the way she was willing to try anything. She reminded me of V, but in that, you’re-not-someone-I’ve-known-my-whole-life-and-couldn’t-ever-possibly-get-romantic-with, kinda way.
It made being with her fun, spontaneous, unpredictable. But it also came with its own set of problems, because in not caring what anyone else though, she also didn’t seem to ever really care what I thought either.
“Who was that?” he asks.
I swallow hard. “My ex,” I say, my eyes still on the door as though I half expect her to walk back in. “She’s trouble,” I add.
“Noted,” Ed says, knocking on the wooden bar. “Head upstairs, Lewis,” he adds as though he knows I need to get out of here. “I can take care of things down here.”
When I get upstairs, Ava is walking out of our bedroom, dressed in one of my t-shirts, her long hair wet and pulled into a knot on the top of her head.
“Hey,” she says, smiling as she walks toward me. “You okay?”
I dump my things on the table, reaching for a bottle of whisky on the shelf above the fridge and two glasses. Pouring us both a drink, I nudge her glass toward her before lifting mine and swallowing the contents in one go.
“Lewis,” Ava says, ignoring her drink as she steps closer, slipping an arm around my waist, her other hand pressed against my chest. “What’s wrong?”
I put my glass on the bench and pour another drink, but don’t touch it, instead wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. I press my lips to hers, kissing her softly, but deeply, before pulling back and resting my forehead against hers.
