On the Outside (Caught Inside #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  Before the manager could sneak a word in, Xavier and I were already running toward the side exit. It was oddly exhilarating to feel the rush of air hit my face as we sprinted toward his car. The rush of adrenaline was exactly what I needed to perk me up.

  Laughing, I looked down at my feet and grimaced at the sight of my ugly rentals. “Crap! Should I go back and—”

  “Are you kidding? Of course not.” Xavier shook his head as we hopped into his car. Without pausing, he started the engine and immediately began to reverse. “We’re lucky that everyone was caught by surprise and didn’t have a chance to grab their phones. If we run back, I guarantee you they won’t miss out on the shot. Trust me; those rentals aren’t worth the pain and scrutiny.”

  I bit down on my lip and frowned. “Xavier…you know you didn’t have to do that, right?”

  “Do what?” He kept his face straight forward and turned toward the freeway.

  “Come to my protection. Face off with those guys.” I shook my head and crossed my arms tightly over my chest. “I can take care of myself. I’ve been caring for myself for a long time now. I am from New York, you know.”

  He glanced over at me. The corner of his lip pulled down into a frown. “Judging by your inability to react in that situation, I don’t think you could. I’m actually wondering how you survived in the city for that long.”

  And just like that, any remorse I felt disappeared. “You know what? Just leave me alone next time. I don’t need your help.”

  “Next time?” he repeated incredulously. “Wow, nice to know you’re at least confident in one thing—getting into trouble.”

  Now I was really pissed off. “If you haven’t noticed, my life has been nothing but trouble. What’s a few more ingredients to add to the pot?”

  With a shake of his head, Xavier sighed. “So much for a good first date.”

  I tried to keep my expression cold, but I couldn’t help but allow the corners of my lips to turn down in disappointment. Nevertheless, I chose to remain silent for the rest of the ride home.

  After a few moments, Xavier was the first to break the silence. “At least tonight was good for something.”

  “What’s that?” Okay, I was never good at staying quiet. Sue me.

  “Got your mind off read through tomorrow, didn’t it?”

  I shut my eyes tightly and rubbed at my temples. “Well, not anymore.”

  Chapter 12

  “Harper Montgomery, Charlie Daniels, Melissa Warner, Bebe Jenkins, Drake Vincent.” Wyatt, our director extraordinaire, murmured, barely looking up from his notes. “I’m your director, so whatever I say goes, gotcha?”

  So much for a warm welcome.

  Charlie, who I’ve seen in a few movies, snickered. I tried not to look at him, but it was quite hard seeing that he kept making noises beside me and that I was silently fangirling the whole time.

  I was such a geek.

  Nudging my ribs, he whispered, “Is it me or is this guy a Grade A level wanker?”

  “Ah, I’ve met worse.” I couldn’t help but smile. His Australian accent made the word ‘wanker’ sound so poetic.

  How the hell did I land a role with Charlie Daniels playing my opposite?

  With a grin, Charlie extended his hand. “Charlie Daniels. I guess I’m your leading man.”

  “Harper.” I shook his hand and glanced around the table at faces I’d only seen in magazines. There was the usual snarky diva—Melissa—and the bright faced newcomer—Bebe—but they all seemed harmless enough. At least I hoped they were. “Is this your first time working with everyone else?”

  He nodded. “Yeah, everyone’s pretty new to me. I’m actually excited about it. As odd as it sounds, I’m actually looking forward to working with Wyatt too.”

  “Really? I’m actually not sure how to feel about him,” I admitted, worried that my anxiety peeked through. Luckily, Charlie didn’t seem to notice my growing nerves.

  “Oh, yeah. I’ve heard great things about Wyatt. Have you seen his film, Sharp?”

  I shook my head.

  “It was outstanding. This guy can work miracles for such a small budget, short shooting time, and a bad script. There’s nothing he can’t touch that won’t turn to gold or that he can’t fix.”

  I snorted quietly. No wonder Robert was insistent on me taking this part. He wanted Wyatt to ‘fix’ me. I guess only time would tell if I’d end up turning to gold.

  I propped my chin onto my fists and sighed. “Well, hopefully he can help my career out. God knows I need it.”

  The corners of Charlie’s eyes crinkled into a sincere smile. “Ah, Harper. I don’t think you need any help at all.”

  ***

  The table read took a few hours, but by the end I was feeling more confident. Of course I did catch myself looking for Xavier in the studio a few times. It was ridiculous how attached to him I’d gotten. Blaming it on the fact he was the only person I knew in San Diego, I shrugged off the disappointment of not seeing him until the following day for our lesson.

  “Well, that was fun, don’t you think?” Charlie rushed past me and pushed the glass door open, waiting for me to pass. The cool breeze ruffled his dirty blond hair, making him look even more dream-like. I had to make a conscious effort not to gawk at him.

  “Thank you.” I bowed my head and hurried past him, only to screech to a halt when I felt someone grab my shoulder. Even without looking, the familiar jolt of electricity made it hard not to know who it was. “Xavier, what are you doing here? I didn’t know you were coming.”

  “Got a meeting with Wyatt.” Xavier’s brows furrowed as he eyed Charlie. “Afternoon, Charles.”

  “Xavier.” Charlie nodded his head in greeting and immediately looked away.

  Okay, that was weird. I eyed the two curiously, and figuring I was just imagining the animosity, I threw Xavier a hesitant grin and took a step toward the Uber car Wyatt had called for me. “Um, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

  Xavier nodded. “Pick you up at nine. See you later, Harps.”

  Harps? What the fuck? He never called me that.

  Charlie watched Xavier enter the building and shook his head slowly. “I never understood that guy.”

  Okay, maybe I wasn’t imagining it.

  Charlie followed me to the lot, matching my steps. I tilted my head up toward him and frowned. “You guys go way back or something?”

  As if enjoying his own inside joke, he stifled a laugh. “Or something.” Pausing, he placed his hand on my lower back, eliciting goose bumps up and down my body. “Come on; let me walk you to the car.”

  Chapter 13

  Riley, I just wanted to say that I miss you. I’m in California and I really want to see you. Please forgive me for being the worst friend ever.

  I blinked once, staring at my phone screen. I wanted to hit send so badly, but I knew it wasn’t the right time. With a groan I hastily deleted my text and threw my phone to the side.

  BZZZ.

  The moment my phone hit my mattress, it buzzed with a new notification. Feeling my heart catch in my throat, I grabbed for the leopard print case, praying that Riley was on the same wavelength as me.

  Xavier: Are you doing anything now? Want to go surfing before the sun sets?

  I let out both a sigh of relief and disappointment, but the beating of my heart didn’t stop. In fact, I had come to the realization that even when he was annoying the shit out of me, Xavier always caused the same reaction.

  Me: Won’t the water be cold?

  As soon as I sent the message, I shook my head in disgust. Really, Harper? Way to sound like a whiny bitch.

  Almost immediately he responded.

  Xavier: Won’t be any worse than it has been before. Pick you up in thirty minutes.

  I couldn’t even find it in myself to be mad that he didn’t wait for a yes. Instead, I smiled and headed over to the drawer I kept my swimsuits in.

  Me: See you then.

  ***

  Xa
vier picked me up right on time, his familiar Jeep parked in front of my window blasting yet another punk song. I hated to admit it, but since I’d started hanging out with him I couldn’t get enough of All American Rejects and Fall Out Boy.

  Exiting my apartment, I bit my lip, stifling my smile when I spotted his face. Though we hadn’t really talked since the infamous failed first date or the weird interaction we had with Charlie that afternoon, seeing his face filled me with the familiar comfort I had come to know from him.

  “Hey,” I greeted, hopping into my seat. My smile disappeared when I noticed the serious look on his face. “What’s wrong?”

  “So you know how rehearsals start soon…” His voice trailed off, leaving me leaning forward in anticipation.

  “Um, okay? Care to continue?”

  He gulped. “I know we thought we had more time to teach, but…”

  My mouth dropped open. “You can’t be hinting at what I think you’re hinting at.”

  He nodded sadly. “Well, Wyatt called me in to let me know that some sponsors pulled out and our budget dropped—”

  “So they’re canning the whole film?” I squeaked.

  “No! Of course not.” He sighed. “But I do need to pitch to some more studios. I’m sorry, but I have to leave town tomorrow.”

  I blinked not just once, but twice, then three times, and four.

  “Harper? Are you okay?” He shifted in his seat. “Wow, I didn’t think you’d take my absence this bad.”

  I threw him a look of bewilderment. “How do you expect I’d react? We’ve been taking lessons for one full month and I still have yet to catch my own wave! How am I supposed to play an awesome surf chick when I can’t even surf on my own?”

  “We’ll figure it out. That’s why—”

  “That’s why you asked me out tonight?” I shook my head in frustration. “There’s no way I can learn how to do something in one night that I haven’t been able to get for thirty!”

  I groaned and pressed my fingers to my forehead. There was a churning in my stomach that I knew was too great to be only caused by my inability to surf. I was going to miss Xavier, the first person to view me as a human since my scandals. Though I usually prided myself on being independent, this whole ordeal had made me realize that sometimes you can’t do it all alone. You need somebody beside you, and for this past month that somebody was Xavier.

  Sighing, he reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Obviously I don’t need to remind you that a stuntwoman is out of our budget.”

  “Obviously,” I scoffed.

  “But I have an idea of something we can do that might make things easier—a loophole, if you will.”

  I cocked my head to the side and narrowed my eyes. “I’m listening.”

  “You just have to trust me.”

  ***

  The cold water splashed against my face, startling me. A sharp cold breeze sliced by me, cutting me between the loose spaces of my wetsuit.

  “A-are y-you sure t-t-this is a-a good idea?” My teeth chattered and I pressed my cheek against the surfboard, bracing myself as Xavier propelled me forward. “S-should you be in the wat-ter?”

  Xavier swam beside me looking like a merman. He was so comfortable in the dark water that I really wouldn’t be surprised if I learned he was born with saltwater in his veins.

  “Of course! I grew up night surfing with my sister.”

  Close enough.

  I took a deep breath to calm my fried nerves. “So what’s the plan? You’re just going to push me into waves again? I thought you said that you can’t CGI yourself out of the picture.”

  “Don’t you see? Your problem isn’t popping up. You can stand; you just need someone to push you into the waves. Balance isn’t your issue. Upper body strength is.”

  “Okay?” I shook my head. “I still don’t get it.”

  He groaned in impatience. “What we’re practicing is positioning for me. Where is the best place I can swim without the camera seeing me? I can easily push you into average sized waves. All you need to do is practice looking graceful once you are standing.”

  “I guess…”

  “It’ll work, I promise—” He cut himself off and glanced at the looming wave behind us, shouldering perfectly. Without warning, Xavier pushed me forward, and to my surprise it was as if instincts took over—survival instincts. Pressing against the board, I propped my front leg up and then my back, riding the wave perfectly to shore. It was something I’d done time and time again for the past month, but for some reason this wave felt a bit different.

  “Woo hoo!” Xavier cheered, body surfing to shore. Once he reached the sand, he pushed himself up and broke out into a run, almost tackling me down. “Whatever you did out there, keep doing that! That’s the most comfortable I’ve seen you ride. You did a great job.”

  “Well, I guess it’s because this time I knew you’d always be there pushing me into the wave,” I admitted, slinging my wet hair over my shoulder. “Before I always had the fear of doing it by myself, knowing that, in the back of my mind, you wouldn’t be there right beside me forever. I guess the fear always messed me up, but now that I know you won’t leave me to fend for myself…oh, forget it, I’m rambling.”

  Xavier’s eyes were bright, almost lighting up the dark night. His lips were tensed almost as if he was holding back a bigger grin. Nodding his head, he reached out and placed his hands on either side of me. “You did a great job out there.”

  “You already said that,” I replied quietly.

  “Well, yeah…uh…I wanted to say it again because I mean it.” He smiled sheepishly and scratched his head. “I’m sorry I have to leave, but I promise I’ll work it out with Wyatt. Every surf scene you film, I’ll be there with you.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yes…”

  For a split second Xavier leaned forward, bending his neck slightly so I could feel the warmth of his breath against my cold cheeks. I licked my lips, and almost immediately Xavier’s gaze dropped down hungrily.

  Do it.

  To my disappointment, he pulled away. Clearing his throat, he took another step back and curled his lips into a soft smile. “I’ll text you while I’m gone. Make sure you’re surviving this harsh Cali life, you know?”

  “Yeah…” My voice trailed off in thought. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

  To my disappointment, he shrugged. “Soon.”

  “Soon,” I repeated blandly.

  “Just say a prayer that I get this money. If it doesn’t come easily, I might not be back until the first days of shooting.” My mouth dropped open, but before I could respond, Xavier interjected, “Don’t worry. The surf scenes won’t be filmed until after the prison scenes. You’ll be fine.”

  “I sure hope so.” I also hoped the days without him would fly by.

  His fingers reached out to grip my wrist. I took a moment to admire them. They weren’t burly like most men’s I’d seen, but they weren’t dainty, either. They were just right—the perfect mix of masculinity and softness.

  I cleared my throat. “I guess our lessons are coming to an end, right? I mean…you’ll still be with me, of course…ermm…I mean…”

  Xavier chuckled. “Yeah, after this trip, I’m not going to leave you alone for a while.”

  Ever?

  I swallowed down the lump that formed in my throat. I felt like I was starved for air and I had the slightest inkling as to why. “Well, that’s good to know.”

  We stared at each other for a good minute or two, soaking each other in. The howling wind seemed to die behind us and the night seemed to quiet down into utter silence. It felt as if a warm blanket had been placed above us, enclosing us with comfort and security.

  Xavier was definitely getting to me.

  Chapter 14

  The next few days passed by at a snail’s pace. Sure, the days were filled with rehearsals, wardrobe fittings, and some other miscellaneous pre-production chores, but to me they dragged on excruc
iatingly. For one, each morning I’d automatically glance out my window expecting Xavier’s ostentatious Jeep to pull up, and then each morning I’d be heavily disappointed when I remembered he wasn’t in town. The one ray of light in the situation is that he’d text me every day. Even if the text was about something stupid like whether or not I knew my way to the nearby grocery store, it felt good to know that he cared about me somewhat. I hated to admit it, but my feelings for him were growing steadily by the day. It didn’t help that I had no other friends in the area, so I had nothing to do but pine for the man every waking moment. After my experience at Joy In and Joy Out, I’d made it a cardinal rule not to befriend any of my coworkers. Sure it was a bit lonely, but it was safer, and safety was what I needed in my life. However, after being left with nothing to do but stare at the clock after work, I was more than willing to break that rule. Of course that would mean I’d have to contact them first. Like that was going to happen.

  Knock. Knock.

  My head snapped up from the magazine I was reading. I hated to admit it, but after reading and rereading the same article for ten minutes, I still had no idea what it said. Stupid Xavier was filling my mind! Shrugging it off, I glanced at the door and frowned.

  “Who is that?” My heart immediately began to pound. “Maybe Xavier came back early!” Just as soon as the words left my mouth, I shook my head and scowled. “Come on, don’t be stupid, Harper. He wouldn’t come back for you.”

  At least he’d text you first before showing up.

  Groaning at my stupidity, I threw the dog-eared magazine to the side and shuffled toward the door. Placing both hands gently on either side of the peephole, I looked outside and gasped in surprise.

  I quickly yanked the door open and lost all my breath. “Charlie! What are you doing here?”