everything was right now and how I didn't have much time until she'd be out of my grasp, again. I saw the life ahead of me as a desolate landscape. She was irreplaceable. Besides, being on the road was no place to find someone to love, someone who would love me back. I already knew that for certain.
"Graham, is everything okay?" Liam asked, after the fifth or sixth take. "You seem very stiff."
I wanted to scream that I absolutely wasn't okay, because the woman I wanted more than anything was within arm's length and it felt as if she was already a continent away. I wanted to scream that Angie and I should just say "fuck it" to our circumstances, deal with them, and stay together, all because we loved each other. Why the fuck isn’t that enough?
"I just don't like this business of the girls acting bored. It feels all wrong."
Liam paced closer and nodded, pinching his lower lip. "Okay. We'll switch to the shots where the girls are quite taken with you. Maybe that will help. Angie, Gigi, I want you two standing right next to your guy, maybe holding on to their arm, running fingers through their hair, smiling, being flirtatious."
"While they're performing?" Angie asked. "Seriously?"
Oh Good God. Now I was wishing we could go back to bored.
"Yes, seriously." Liam's tone cut right through the air, making Angie wince.
All I wanted to do was protect her. And punch Liam. I did have a bit of a desire to do that as well.
"Look, I've directed dozens of videos that have done incredibly well on MTV,” Liam continued. “You're all just going to have to trust me. Once it's edited together with the other footage, it'll be a masterpiece."
"Right then," I said. "Let's get on with it." Yes, let's see how much more awkward things can get between me and the girl I love.
Angie stood up, right next to me. "It was dumb of me to agree to this, wasn't it?"
“Depends on which part of it you’re regretting.”
She grinned. A soft blush colored her cheeks. “The part where I pretend like I have any business being in a music video.”
A smile and a few words from her and I felt as if I had a tiny sliver of a chance. “I’m glad you did it. At least we’re talking. And it's a cute story we can tell our grandchildren."
She rolled her eyes. But I could also tell she was hiding a smile—that sent tiny zips of electricity through me. She somehow thrilled me even when she wanted to be annoyed. "You don't give up, Graham Whiting. Do you?"
"No. I don't. The question is whether you're going to give up."
Liam clapped his hands. "Alright. Let's do another take. Girls, start flirting."
We were talking, you git. I took a deep breath, cursing Liam and his desire to stay on schedule. The playback began and I grabbed the microphone in its stand. Angie was tentative at first, rubbing my arm so lightly that I almost couldn't feel it. I started lip syncing along to the song, feeling more relaxed than before, but mostly out of amusement at what Angie was being asked to do. She fumbled with my hair a bit, stood closer to me, awkwardly brushed her nose again my cheek.
"Cut!" Liam shouted, shaking his head and marching toward the stage. "Gigi, you're doing perfectly."
"A little too perfectly from where I'm sitting," Terence chimed in.
Angie's shoulders slumped. "I take it that means I'm doing it wrong?"
"You're wound too tight. It's all I can see on the monitor. You need to loosen up."
Angie turned to me and grimaced. "Maybe I'm wound too tight because this is stupid," she muttered under her breath.
"So it isn't just me who thinks that?" I asked in a whisper.
"No. But I suppose he knows what he's doing."
"The record company is paying him like he's going to cure cancer with this video."
Angie laughed. She didn’t even try to hold back. "I suppose I'd better try harder, huh?"
"It's not that difficult to pretend that you like me, is it?"
She stood perfectly still, looking up at me. "It's not hard to pretend that I like you. Like I said, it's
"Graham, is everything okay?" Liam asked, after the fifth or sixth take. "You seem very stiff."
I wanted to scream that I absolutely wasn't okay, because the woman I wanted more than anything was within arm's length and it felt as if she was already a continent away. I wanted to scream that Angie and I should just say "fuck it" to our circumstances, deal with them, and stay together, all because we loved each other. Why the fuck isn’t that enough?
"I just don't like this business of the girls acting bored. It feels all wrong."
Liam paced closer and nodded, pinching his lower lip. "Okay. We'll switch to the shots where the girls are quite taken with you. Maybe that will help. Angie, Gigi, I want you two standing right next to your guy, maybe holding on to their arm, running fingers through their hair, smiling, being flirtatious."
"While they're performing?" Angie asked. "Seriously?"
Oh Good God. Now I was wishing we could go back to bored.
"Yes, seriously." Liam's tone cut right through the air, making Angie wince.
All I wanted to do was protect her. And punch Liam. I did have a bit of a desire to do that as well.
"Look, I've directed dozens of videos that have done incredibly well on MTV,” Liam continued. “You're all just going to have to trust me. Once it's edited together with the other footage, it'll be a masterpiece."
"Right then," I said. "Let's get on with it." Yes, let's see how much more awkward things can get between me and the girl I love.
Angie stood up, right next to me. "It was dumb of me to agree to this, wasn't it?"
“Depends on which part of it you’re regretting.”
She grinned. A soft blush colored her cheeks. “The part where I pretend like I have any business being in a music video.”
A smile and a few words from her and I felt as if I had a tiny sliver of a chance. “I’m glad you did it. At least we’re talking. And it's a cute story we can tell our grandchildren."
She rolled her eyes. But I could also tell she was hiding a smile—that sent tiny zips of electricity through me. She somehow thrilled me even when she wanted to be annoyed. "You don't give up, Graham Whiting. Do you?"
"No. I don't. The question is whether you're going to give up."
Liam clapped his hands. "Alright. Let's do another take. Girls, start flirting."
We were talking, you git. I took a deep breath, cursing Liam and his desire to stay on schedule. The playback began and I grabbed the microphone in its stand. Angie was tentative at first, rubbing my arm so lightly that I almost couldn't feel it. I started lip syncing along to the song, feeling more relaxed than before, but mostly out of amusement at what Angie was being asked to do. She fumbled with my hair a bit, stood closer to me, awkwardly brushed her nose again my cheek.
"Cut!" Liam shouted, shaking his head and marching toward the stage. "Gigi, you're doing perfectly."
"A little too perfectly from where I'm sitting," Terence chimed in.
Angie's shoulders slumped. "I take it that means I'm doing it wrong?"
"You're wound too tight. It's all I can see on the monitor. You need to loosen up."
Angie turned to me and grimaced. "Maybe I'm wound too tight because this is stupid," she muttered under her breath.
"So it isn't just me who thinks that?" I asked in a whisper.
"No. But I suppose he knows what he's doing."
"The record company is paying him like he's going to cure cancer with this video."
Angie laughed. She didn’t even try to hold back. "I suppose I'd better try harder, huh?"
"It's not that difficult to pretend that you like me, is it?"
She stood perfectly still, looking up at me. "It's not hard to pretend that I like you. Like I said, it's
Similar Books
