Four hours later and the shoot is still going. Everybody is pretty exhausted and sitting around the set but the minute the camera goes on, we all leap into action like true professionals. I’ve filmed a lot with JC singing to me. I had to jump on his back and hug him and stuff while he kept singing. It was so weird. I felt like a catalogue model, having to pretend to be in love with him and giggling while he sang. After filming Justin dancing with Nelly, Bruce calls me and JC over to him.
“Ok, last scene for you two.”
“Yay!” I cheer tiredly and JC grins.
“I want you guys to get REAL close,” grins Bruce. “So close that you’re practically kissing and JC, you have to mouth the words “Would you be my girlfriend?” say two times. Ok?”
“Yup,” JC nods and I swallow nervously. I don’t like the idea of getting so close to JC again. We’ve been pretty close several times already and each time he has had some kind of effect on me. But it’s the last scene so all I have to do is get through it and I’m done. “Ready Jade?” he asks and I nod. “Come here then,” he smiles and pulls me right up against his body. I rest my hands on the small of his back and look up into his face as the clapboard woman snaps the board again.
“And…ACTION!” yells Bruce.
JC moves even closer to me and our noses touch slightly. He smiles softly and moves his hand up to touch my face.
“Would you be my girlfriend?” he whispers and I have to remind myself that he’s only acting and I’m already somebody else’s girlfriend. He drops his hand back down to my waist and moves me slightly so that we’re dancing slowly, hip to hip. “Would you be my girlfriend?” he whispers in my ear and I feel his warm breath caress my skin. He looks back into my eyes and touches my nose with his own. We stop dancing and his hands move up to tangle themselves in my hair. I close my eyes and feel his breath touch my lips as he gets ready to kiss me.
“CUT!” yells Bruce.
I open my eyes to see that JC is barely an inch away from kissing my lips. His eyes look a lot darker than I remembered and his breathing is faster. He steps away from me and looks at Bruce.
“We done?”
“Yeah. All I gotta do is film the drag racing and you’re not involved in that. I need you to film a segment at the end with the guys just cheering him on.”
“Ok,” JC nods and takes my hand. “C’mon,” he pulls me after him and we end up running away from the set, down a dirt track. When we get far enough away from the noise and the lights, JC stops and I run into him. He holds onto me to steady me and he doesn’t let go. He smoothes my hair back from my face and leans in closer to me. I close my eyes as his lips touch mine. His tongue flicks inside my mouth and I wrap my arms around him to deepen the kiss.
“Anybody seen Jade?” Justin walks over to where I’m sitting with Lance and Joey.
“Nup,” we all shake our heads.
“Damn, I wanted her to start the drag race,” he mutters. “Ali, would you?”
“I would but my legs are kinda refusing to obey my brain. I just want to find Jade and go home,” I yawn.
“I wanna go home too,” Justin pouts. “But I gotta race a car!”
“Be careful,” Lance tells him.
“Oh don’t worry. Bruce told me I can’t go above 30 cos insurance won’t cover me speeding.”
“Some race!” I giggle and he rolls his eyes.
“I know, but apparently they’re gonna speed it up in editing so it’ll look pretty cool.”
“JUSTIN!” yells Bruce.
“My lord calls,” Justin says sarcastically and heads off just as Chris joins us.
“Hey guys,” he flops into a chair by me and yawns. “Goddamn I’m tired.”
“Us too,” Joey says, leaning back in his chair. “Have you seen JC at all?”
“Hey,” Lance suddenly says. “No JC, no Jade… Anybody else puttin’ two and two together and coming up with X?”
“Oh, I saw them together,” Chris says casually. “They finished a scene then JC grabbed her hand and they just took off running. I didn’t see where to.”
“Hmm,” Joey waggles his eyebrows and we all laugh.
“Naw,” I shake my head. “Jade wouldn’t do anything bad with JC. She’s way too boring,” I add.
“Ooh, get you!” Joey exclaims in a girly voice and I giggle.
JC’s tongue flicks the corners of my mouth before drawing back and he places a soft kiss on my lips before standing back. I open my eyes and see him gazing at me with a half-smile. I can’t stop myself from smiling back. I was tired and cold and I’ve had a shitty evening with Ali and JC’s kiss just wiped all that away. I know it was wrong but it was so good. When he sees me smile, he steps close again and wraps me up in his arms.
“I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have done that,” he murmurs. “But I’ve wanted to all night and I felt like if I didn’t at least try to kiss you, I would die.”
“I wanted you to kiss me,” I admit.
“Then I take back that sorry,” he chuckles.
“You know I have a boyfriend?”
“Do you love him? I mean, REALLY?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“Well that’s ok cos tonight you were my girlfriend,” he whispers and kisses me again.
“And you’re ok with that?”
“I knew you had somebody before I kissed you so yeah, I’m ok with it. I kinda HAVE to be or I’ll end up makin’ you mad and beatin’ myself up over something that felt so good.”
“Wow,” I whisper. “You REALLY are somebody JC.”
“Is that good?”
“Oh yeah,” I giggle.
“How much longer can you be my girlfriend for?” he asks after another lingering kiss.
“Uh…” I check my watch over his shoulder. It’s already gone 3am. “I don’t know.”
“Well, when do you have to be anywhere?”
“Airport at 10am,” I say.
“You can’t take a later flight?”
“I’m meeting somebody.”
“Oh, ok,” he says in a dull tone of voice that says he knows who I’m meeting. “Then I guess we got seven hours left.”
“Uh, I kinda need to figure in sleep somewhere,” I smile.
“Tired?” he runs his finger lightly along my face and down to my lips.
“Not so much,” I confess.
“You want to spend the time with me?”
“But Ali will be waiting for me…”
“I can tell her you need to hang around for another scene,” he tells me. “Do you wanna spend time with me?” he repeats softly and I find myself nodding. “C’mon. I just need to do one scene then I’m yours,” he takes my hand and we walk slowly back to the set. Before anybody can see us, we let go of each others’ hand and walk in separate directions. JC goes to ask Bruce if he can do his filming now and I go to find Ali. I find her sat with Lance, Joey and Chris.
“Hey guys,” I greet with a smile and drop into a spare chair. They all stare at me. “What?!”
“And where have YOU been?” asks Joey in the perfect mom voice.
“Around,” I laugh.
“With JC?” asks Lance.
“He was around too, yeah,” I shrug.
“Cos I saw you guys run off someplace,” Chris says casually and I try hard not to blush.
“Oh yeah, we wanted to escape Bruce’s commands for a coupla minutes. That’s all.”
“Ah,” Joey nods and I can tell he doesn’t quite believe me but he lets it slide.
“I’m gonna go. You ready?” Ali asks and I nod just as JC walks over. “Cool. Well, it’s been good guys,” she tells everyone.
“You leaving?” JC asks innocently. “Only Bruce just said I have one more scene with Jade to film at the end.”
“Oh, we do?!” I try my best to sound annoyed and he nods.
“’Fraid so. Sorry,” he shrugs and turns to Ali. “I can drop her off so you go back and get some sleep.”
“Yeah,” I tell her. “No point both of us lookin’ like zombies tomorrow.”
“Ok then,” she shrugs. “If you’re sure?” I nod and she stands up to hug each guy goodbye. “See you later Jade,” she tells me and walks away. I pull a face at her back which Joey catches.
“She’s still mad at me,” I explain and he laughs.
“Why?”
“I threw her a surprise party.”
“And she’s MAD?!” he exclaims. “Girl, I’d be eternally grateful.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I grin.
“Guys,” JC says. “Bruce wants us to film the race part now.”
“Ok,” they all stand up.
“You wanna wait here and I’ll come get you when it’s our scene?” JC asks and I nod. “Ok,” he smiles and walks away with the other guys. I lean back in my chair and close my eyes briefly.