by Chloe Summer
The show began with Jason acting out a scene from the Godfather. When a rambunctious crowd member yelled out ‘Fight Club’, Jason instantly began quoting Tyler Durden, keeping the voice of the Godfather. Another voice then shouted ‘Rocky’ resulting in Jason’s character getting into a boxing match, using ‘Fight Club’ quotes to justify why his character had to box, all the while speaking like the Godfather. And on it went. Really the aim wasn’t just to get the actor out, but to also try and build a story and see where it could go.
Ten minutes in and Jason was such a hodgepodge of characters and scenes that Liana had completely lost track of who or what he was supposed to be doing. Truth be told, Jason and the rest of the crowd had probably forgotten what it was that he was supposed to be doing too. But nobody seemed to care; they were all having too much fun. Liana even managed to join in by the end, adding ‘Annie Hall,’ and ‘The Joker’ into the mix.
--
It had been a solid hour since the performances had ended and Liana was still at the bar, totally wrapped in conversation with Jason. She hadn’t meant to stay. When he first rushed on stage, Liana told herself that she would be polite, watch him and say goodbye when it was over. If she got lucky, she might ‘get some inspiration,’ as Jason put it, but after seeing the bar she thought this to be unlikely. But the show had been so much more fun than expected and when he finally came down from the stage, positively bouncing with excited energy, she didn’t want to leave.
So she stayed, telling herself that it was just to watch a few of the other actors perform. But that time came and went and still she remained. The real truth of it was that she was just having too good a time talking to Jason, and she was pretty certain that he was having the same.
She had written Jason off the moment she had met him. He was an arrogant douchebag type; to in love with himself to care about anyone or anything else. But this couldn’t have been further from the truth. The more they spoke and the more he opened up, the more she came to like him. Sure, he was a little too into himself, and obviously knew how talented he was, but she couldn’t help but be drawn to him.
It was his passion too. Liana loved to write, she could talk about it for hours. But, trouble was, most people found this boring. She couldn’t really blame them. Who would want to sit down and discuss her twelve point plan for the perfect scene? Funnily enough, Jason did.
‘Did you consider adding a thirteenth step?’ He asked seriously as she finished up her explanation.
‘A thirteenth…no. What do you mean?’ She was genuinely curious. She just couldn’t believe that someone else was interested in this like she was.
‘Point thirteen. Just do it! You can sit around all day and talk about it and plan, but if you aren’t doing it then what’s the point?’
‘Yeah.’ Liana agreed, nodding her head. ‘Let me just…write that…’ whipping out her phone, Liana quickly jotted the point down. Sure it was simple, but god damn if it wasn’t useful.
He was such a passionate and talented actor that Liana couldn’t help but feel over whelmed. And as he spoke about auditioning for roles, and how he loved trying out for roles he knew he wouldn’t get because it would push him to be better, Liana couldn’t help but feel inspired. Every word he spoke just made her want to jump on her laptop and start typing. She really felt like if she were given ten minutes she could finish up her script right now.
But during all this, there was one question that Liana really wanted to ask. She had been looking for the right time to drop it, but it wasn’t really the type of question that had a right time. So, long after the performances had stopped and the two were several drinks into the night, Liana decided to just ask.
‘Jason. Can you read?’ Yes it was abrupt, and some might even say rude. But Liana felt like she had a hold on Jason’s personality by now. Somehow she knew that this wouldn’t upset him. That he would most likely prefer the straight up approach.
‘Of course’ Jason responded, totally unconcerned by suddenness of the question. ‘I’m just dyslexic.’
‘Oh…’ Liana began now kind of wishing that she hadn’t asked the question. If it wasn’t for Jason’s coolness, she might have felt more than a little embarrassed.
‘Ha don’t worry about it. It’s not that big a deal. Sometimes I get a little flustered and that guy caught me in a mood. I can read.’ He finished, chuckling as if she were the butt of the joke.
‘And you’ve….you’ve always been like that?’
‘Yeah since I was a kid. Probably why I love movies so much? Couldn’t read so had to watch. Who would have thought watching every episode of The Simpsons as a child would pay off?’
‘If that’s the case, how do you go about reading scripts?’ She asked. ‘It’s got to be hard?’
‘Honestly it is. I have to break it all down, sound it all out…it’s a big old mess…But I make do.’
This night had been a surprising success as far as Liana was concerned. Not only had talking to Jason inspired her in ways she would never have imagined, but the actual show had been extremely useful too. Watching actors act out scenes, the way they approach dialogue and character, gave her a whole new outlook on ways to write. Her only concern was with Jason himself; something told Liana that there was more to this than a kind gesture. What did this self-stylized bad-boy really want?
But, as fate would have it, her question was answered a second later.
‘So you’re a writer then?’ He asked. The way he asked the question implied that he was working his way toward a larger point.
‘Established.’ Liana joked.
I have a…ah let’s call it a proposition for you?’ He continued.
‘OK.’
‘Like I was saying, it takes me hours to read a script…usually that long just to break down one scene. I’ve been thinking it over lately and what I really need is someone to help me read the scripts, to do all that crappy work for me so I can just act.’
‘Well yeah,’ Liana agreed. ‘Obviously that would make it way easier for you. Honestly, it would probably improve your all round reading of the scenes too.’ It took Liana a little longer than she should have to catch on to what Jason was suggesting, especially considering the knowing look that he was giving her as she spoke. ‘Oh…,’ was all she could mutter, not sure how she should react to this proposal.
‘Hear me out?’ He hurriedly cut in. ‘How about you help me with my readings and I help you with your script?’
‘Who says I need help?’ She asked defensively.
No response from Jason of course, just a knowing smirk as he sipped his drink. God he was arrogant. And yet, for some reason Liana couldn’t bring herself to say no. Maybe it was the booze talking, at least that’s what she tried to tell herself. More than that she tried to convince herself that it was the offer itself, god knows she could use the help with her script. And, in all fairness, just being around Jason tonight had helped to inspire her in ways she couldn’t imagine.
But, if she were being perfectly honest, she couldn’t help but get excited at the prospect of spending a little more time around the handsome actor. Sure, his intentions weren’t one hundred precent reliable, but in her current state, Liana didn’t really care. So, against all her better judgement she soon found herself nodding along in agreement.
‘Sure, why not?’ Why not indeed?
CHAPTER FOUR
The President’s Daughter
It had been happening for a month now; three nights a week, for four solid weeks. On Monday and Tuesday Liana would finish work early and head straight to Jason’s house. On Friday’s he would come over to her place. On all three nights the activities were the same; she would help him break down his lines and read his scripts. This meant breaking down every scene of the script for Jason, giving it context and how it relates to his character. This was something that used to take Jason hours.
It took four weeks before Liana would let Jason read her script. At first she had no intention of letting him
at all. She finished her script within days of meeting Jason; the words flowed through her pen like water from a fountain. She had never written better. But even still, she wasn’t prepared to let him read it. Not to mention the fact that he hadn’t even offered to read it yet. In the entire four weeks that she had been visiting him he hadn’t once, not one single time, asked her about her work or how she was doing with it. What was meant to be a two-way street hadn’t managed to remain in the one direction this entire time. Every session had been about Jason and his auditions, something which he seemed only too OK with.
But the more time she spent with Jason, the more she wanted to impress him. Watching him act or the way that he gloated about failed auditions as if they were something to be achieved, made her want to be better. He had total confidence in himself. This was something that Liana both envied and admired. Until one day, out of the blue, she asked him to read her script.
‘Hey,’ Liana began. She was sitting at her desk, on her laptop as Jason paced the room, rhythmically breathing in and out. ‘I want you to read my script.’
‘Yeah?’ Jason asked, coming to a stop, obviously a little surprised by the sudden turn around.
‘Yeah.’
‘I’d love to.’ He responded, surprisingly. In reality Liana had half been expecting him to say no, or to sideline it for another time. After these four weeks she was more and more certain that she had pulled the short straw in this particular deal and he was only using her to help his career.
This was also a big step for Liana and something that she needed to do. It was something that, if she were being honest with herself, she wouldn’t have been able to do without Jason. Four weeks ago the very thought of someone reading her script terrified her; now it excited her instead.
And she loved that it was going to be Jason that read it first. And it wasn’t just because he was a great, insightful actor who would most likely give her some excellent notes. It was because she truly cared about his opinion and what he thought of her…not just the screenplay, but her.
This had started off as an innocent way to help improve her writing, or at least that’s what she told herself. But as time went on, she found it harder and harder to ignore what she knew was true. When she laughed at his jokes, she told herself that that was OK; she was allowed to find him funny. The way she blushed every time he looked at her, that was OK, she told herself. She was shy; blushing was just a part of her nature. And the way that time seemed to slow down when he looked into her eyes, like that moment was created just for her….That was OK too, she insisted.
But what was the point? He didn’t care. That much she was pretty certain of. She had come across his type before and she knew that if he wanted her then he would have had her by now. This whole thing, all of it, was about him and his auditions. Sure he was using her, it was just lucky that she was using him as well.
‘Should we ah, finish your scene?’ Liana asked, realising that she hadn’t said a word since she asked if he would read her screenplay.
‘Oh, yeah right.’ Jason responded, striding to the centre of the room.
Picking up her laptop and leaving the table, Liana sat on the edge of her bed; a better vantage point to read from.
The role Jason was reading for was one that, in Liana’s opinion, he would be perfect for. Set in a post-apocalyptic future were aliens having all but destroyed man-kind; Jason’s role would be that of a CIA agent who will stop at nothing to get the President’s oldest daughter back to him. Even if it meant dying for the woman he has come to fall in love with…the President’s Daughter. It was a great action script, with a really solid romantic plot that Jason would fill to perfection…or at least Liana thought.
Jason was in full flight, reading the character’s final speech with an amazing embodiment of the craft. In this scene, he confess’ his love to the President’s Daughter, right before having to sacrifice himself to save her.
‘Tomorrow morning, I’m going over that wall. And I’m going to kill that alien warlord. With my bare hands if I have too.’ The words came out of Jason with a thunderous boom, as if the gods were shouting down from the heavens.
‘Don’t go.’ Liana quoted, willingly filling the role of the President’s Daughter.
‘I must!’ He bellowed. ‘But before I do, I need to tell you something.’ Taking Liana by the hand, Jason seats himself behind her. He holds her gaze, eyes so deep that she could get lost in them. ‘I love you.’
Completely lost in the moment, Liana wouldn’t be able to tell you what her line actually was. The best she could come up with was a stuttered ‘You…you do?’
‘I do. For every grain of sand on the beach I love you. For every blade of grass I love you. For every cloud in the sky and every fish in the sea I love you. That’s why I’m going over that wall. That’s why that alien warlord has to die.’ A bomb could denote and it wouldn’t have been enough to break the tension, to tear the two away from the moment.
Without letting go of his hand, Liana tried to emote. She wanted to let him know what she thought. How brilliant he was. But it went beyond that. It was about how that reading made her feel….how he made her feel. ‘That was…that was…’
In the end, she didn’t have to say a thing.
He hadn’t spoken since he finished the scene, still holding Liana’s stare; face a mere inches from hers. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, heavy and controlled as if he wanted her to feel it. For the first time his eyes broke hers. They flicked down to her lips, her moist, warm lips, then back up to her eyes.
Time does slow down before the first kiss, nobody would argue that. As Jason titled his head slightly, leaning forward, his lips moving to hers; Liana was able to process more than time should have allowed. She saw his hand, shaking nervously; perhaps for the first time since she’d known him. She saw his cheeks, slightly red, blushed. And his lips, moist, slightly parted; moving towards hers with one intention. And she knew now, without a shadow of a doubt, that she wanted it.
Liana kissed him. It was simpatico as her lips touched his. The perfect amount of moister on his lips as they pressed together, just the right amount of tongue as his massaged hers with his; everything about it was sublime. And as they continued to make out, lying back on the bed, Liana realised that she didn’t want it to stop.
She wasn’t usually this type of girl. Going this far on the first…was this even a date? But as Jason climbed on top of her, literally tearing off his shirt by grabbing one of the already made holes and ripping it, she really didn’t care.
Her legs wrapped around his bare waist as she pulled Jason into her. He somehow managed to get her shirt over her head as he pressed his warm body up against hers; skin against skin, she could feel his heart racing. She could feel him, getting more and more excited as the moment escalated.
His breathing intensified as her hands wrapped around his belt, eagerly pulling his pants down. And as she did that, he somehow managed to manipulate her dress, hoisting it up around her waist so that his member was aligned perfectly with her.
‘Ready?’ He whispered in her ear, his warm breath melting on her skin, giving her goose bumps.
Without a word she grabbed him by the butt, pulling him into her, feeling him penetrate her as he did. And what followed was pure ecstasy.
And the best part wasn’t the sex, although that was incredible. It wasn’t his body or anything silly like that. It was that it felt so right. She made love to Jason that night. And it wasn’t perverted, or whorish or any other sort of terrible experience. It felt as natural as breathing to Liana. The way their bodies synced up, creating perfected chemistry as he penetrated her.
Liana had never felt so good.
--
‘End scene.’ Liana joked as she lay down beside Jason. They had just finished and after a few moments of a surprisingly awkward silence, Liana tried to lighten the mood with that lame joke. It didn’t work.
Totally unresponsive, Jason lay on his back a few inches a
way from Liana, looking up to the ceiling. The moment he had finished he rolled off her, retreating to his side of the bed like a wounded animal. And there he lay, offering little to no contact.
Liana tried not to over react, deciding that she was making too much of it. Surely he had felt what she felt? How could he not? The sex was so perfect, so compatible that it almost felt like it was designed for some greater plan. As if it was meant to happen? He must have felt it too?
So Liana decided it was best to leave him be. She was most likely exaggerating his attitude in her head. He was fine.