Stars Collide

by H. P. Munro

  Freya placed her head in her hands. “Aslan licking my butt cheeks...really!” she grinned grabbing Dan’s beer and taking a drink from it.

  August 2011

  Five weeks later, the season premier was complete. Episode two was in post-production, filming was almost complete on the third episode and they were gathered for the read through of the forth episode’s script. The read through was in full swing when Freya and Jordan exchanged a quick glance as they reached the page in the script where their characters would interact for the first time.

  “Crap,” Freya read out.

  “Dollar, stop wiggling. I can’t tell if it’s broken or not if you wriggle,” Jordan replied.

  “It hurts,” Freya whined, gaining a small chuckle from Jordan at her childish pout.

  “Of course it hurts, that was a pretty nasty spill you took,” Jordan read from the script contorting her face into an exaggerated frown as she shook her head towards Freya.

  “Yeah well you should have been looking where you were going.”

  Jordan pursed her lips and placed her script onto the table and looked towards Freya, waggling her finger she started to bob her head back and forth, “I was looking where I was going, you came hurtling out of nowhere at sixty miles an hour.”

  Freya glanced at the script. “I was not hurtling anywhere, I was on my way to the ER,” she corrected petulantly. “Now Van Hausen will you just fix my damn ankle,” she scowled over at Jordan, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

  “Only if you stop wiggling,” Jordan retorted, “and let me get a damn x-ray to fix your damn ankle.” She flipped over the page, “Damn woman.”

  “Who?” Greg asked.

  “Captain Dollar. She barrels into me on the stairs, falls down them and then shouts at me as if it’s my fault. When I’m trying to help her.”

  Greg rubbed his chin, his fingers created a noise against the bristle of his stubble as he read his line out, “But she is hot, maybe I should go in there and show her some of the old Major Love charm to cheer her up.”

  “I think she’d prefer Georgia’s bedside manner to yours Love,” Dianne chipped in.

  “What?” Jordan and Greg said in unison, high fiving each other at their timing.

  “I mean that while you’re a lady’s man Love…Emily is a lady’s lady,” Dianne read flipping her script over quickly.

  The rest of the episode focused on the ongoing saga of the show’s main relationship and Freya quickly switched off and spent most of her time surreptitiously watching Jordan as she and Greg sat nudging and poking each other as if they were kids in kindergarten.

  As the table read came to an end the group dispersed to either the trailers or the set to record the final scenes for the third episode.

  “Jordan, Freya,” Eleanor shouted after them. “There’s a couple of reps from GLAAD in my office to speak to us. Can you two head up now and I’ll be there in a minute.”

  On arriving at the small Front Line office, Jordan and Freya greeted Eleanor’s assistant and entered her office. They smiled towards the two women standing admiring the show’s awards displayed in Eleanor’s office alongside other memorabilia.

  “Impressive collection,” one of the women commented as she came across to shake their hands. “Samantha Hale and this is my colleague Victoria Foster.”

  “I always thought one displayed awards in the loo,” Victoria remarked, her clipped English accent contrasted against the soft lazy tones of Samantha’s Texan drawl.

  “That’s where I keep mine,” Jordan grinned, indicating towards the soft seats. The four women sat down and looked at each other expectantly, no one sure who should be leading the conversation.

  Jordan looked at Freya who was shifting nervously in her seat playing with the tie of her scrub pants. Jordan decided to take control as her co-star was looking anywhere but at the women seated around the small coffee table.

  “Sooo our characters are going to…” Jordan’s expressive face scrunched up as she selected her words. “Become involved.”

  “Eleanor said you were interested in exploring the relationship dynamic between a Gold Star lesbian and a newly realized bisexual?” Samantha asked, looking directly at Freya for a response.

  “Um yeah,” she replied nervously.

  As soon as Freya had entered the room she had recognized Samantha from a party she had attended with Dan. A party where Freya’s sexual orientation would have been in no doubt if her close-dancing with her female date was any indication. Freya was terrified that Samantha would say something either directly, or indirectly, about her sexuality.

  “So what do you think might be the issues that a relationship with that particular dynamic would throw up?” Samantha probed gently.

  Jordan chewed thoughtfully on her nail, thinking back to when Freya stood dripping pool water onto Eleanor’s guest room carpet, “I suppose from Georgia’s perspective there is dealing with new and confusing thoughts about being attracted to a woman for the first time, and then I guess there could be insecurity around on both parts. Am I enough?” She stopped as Eleanor slipped into the room and sat down before indicating for her to continue. “Yeah, am I enough? Would she want to be with someone more experienced with gay relationships? I mean with this being Georgia’s first time in this position.”

  “Freya, what do you think?” Victoria asked.

  Freya nodded as if considering her response. She had only half-listened to Jordan speaking, as for the most part her brain was in blind panic. Aware that so far her responses made her appear as articulate as a truculent teenager she sighed, “I suppose from Emily, the ‘am I enough?’ factor could be concerns that Jordan’s character will want to go back to a male-female relationship.”

  “Absolutely, all are common issues. One thing we are keen to make sure of is that the bisexual aspect isn’t portrayed as promiscuity. It’s not a ‘can’t decide’ option,” Victoria nodded enthusiastically as she spoke.

  Jordan nodded, “I was speaking to a friend who is bisexual and she said that, for her, it’s the person not the wrapping that’s important. Although she also said that she likes the wrapping to be hot.” She grinned apologetically.

  Eleanor clapped her hands, “Absolutely, we want to show Georgia’s journey of self-discovery and we want it to be an organic growth of realization, which maintains authenticity rather than anything done for titivation.”

  There were murmurs of agreement.

  “I want to show Emily as someone who is comfortable and confident about her sexuality, but who is completely at sixes and sevens and undone about her feelings for Georgia,” Eleanor continued as Freya continued to examine the ties of her scrub pants.

  Samantha smiled, “That’s great. We need positive visibility in terms of a successful woman who is open and out there with her sexuality and for it to be treated as normal by her employer and co-workers. It’s a really important and interesting time for LGBT rights at the moment what with the end of ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ in sight. So for this to be set in the background of a military hospital, well that’s even better. We’ll really get a chance to see how this institution is adapting.”

  Freya could feel herself shrinking as Samantha continued to speak.

  “It’s important that adults, but more importantly that teenagers, out there see a positive role model, preferably real but fictional is the next best thing. So that they understand that there’s life after high school,” Samantha smiled warmly. “What you’re doing here is important.”

  “Exactly,” Eleanor slapped the arm of the chair. The sudden noise made Freya’s head jerk up, she was almost down to the last strand of her extremely frayed nerve.

  Jordan had been watching Freya throughout the meeting and concern around the her feelings towards the storyline had started to grow. She was afraid that her co-star was starting to have second thoughts. She kept glancing over as the women continued to discuss common misconceptions and the pitfalls that other shows had fallen victim to. Fr
eya participated in the conversation but appeared distracted and jumpy throughout.

  “Well thank you for your time ladies,” Eleanor smiled shaking the hands of both Samantha and Victoria. “I’d appreciate your feedback when we’ve filmed a bit more of the relationship, just to make sure we’re representing responsibly.”

  Samantha passed Jordan and Freya her card, “Just in case you want to speak at any point during the process.” She flashed Freya a quick look of understanding, “Call anytime.”

  Freya returned her look with a grateful smile, her anxiety finally starting to wane as she realized that Samantha was not about to out her to her boss.

  As they walked towards their trailers, Jordan chewed nervously on her bottom lip. “Are you having second thoughts about this?” she blurted.

  Freya’s head snapped round, “No, no, I’m not. It’s just it’s a big responsibility and,” she looked up towards the blue sky, “don’t you worry about the exposure this could create for us, you know, in the media?”

  Jordan’s eyes widened. She had not considered this angle before and had only thought about the storyline and the positive aspect it would bring, not about the potential for a backlash of any sorts.

  Freya watched Jordan’s reaction. Realizing that the taller actress had not thought anything about the potential consequences, she backtracked eager to put Jordan’s mind at rest again, “I mean it’s probably just me catastrophizing,” she smiled. “It’s a bit presumptuous that people would want to read anything about us.” Her mind went back momentarily to the conversation she’d had with Dianne about gay fans and their fervor, “I’m probably just thinking the worst.” She gave a quick smile, for once eager to end her time with Jordan so she could berate herself again in private for agreeing to the story arc, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She waved and headed quickly towards her trailer without looking back.

  Jordan watched Freya leave mulling over what she had said. Shrugging, she turned, “We’ve nothing to worry about.” A frown appeared on her forehead as she remembered her arousal when looking at Freya after the pool incident. “Nope nothing to worry about at all,” she muttered as she walked towards her trailer.

  ***

  “Sabrina, what’s it like?” Jordan asked, turning onto her front to give her back some sun.

  They were lying by Sabrina’s pool enjoying a relaxing Sunday which, following the weeks of mad activity as both settled back into their grueling working patterns, was a welcome relief.

  “Do you have cream on? ’cause I do not want to have to listen to you moaning that you’ve burned your lily white skin,” Sabrina looked over the top of her sunglasses at Jordan. Her oversized sunhat flopped down and she pushed it up irritably.

  “Yes mom, I have cream on,” Jordan replied like a petulant teenager. “So what’s it like?”

  “What’s what like?” Sabrina asked, sipping water through a straw.

  Jordan groaned, “Kissing another woman.”

  “Are we talking for a role or for fun?”

  “Either.”

  “Well,” Sabrina said grinning. “For a role it’s work, so it’s like work! For fun, it depends on who you are kissing and what you feel for them and how compatible you are. So have you locked one on with Freya yet?”

  Spinning around on the lounger, Jordan spluttered, “What? No! Why would you say that?”

  “Because you’re lady lovahs on the show,” Sabrina replied frowning at her friend’s reaction. “You have had your first kiss haven’t you?”

  Jordan relaxed as she realized that Sabrina was referring to the show, “We’re only about to have the read through for the fifth episode.”

  “And still no kiss! My, how restrained, it’s almost like a Brontë novel,” Sabrina smirked at Jordan’s eye roll. “Wait. Are you worried about kissing her?” Sabrina pushed her sunhat off completely so she could see her friend.

  “Why would I be worried?” Jordan blustered, knowing full well that if there was a scale of worry she was off of it.

  “You tell me. You have kissed a woman before haven’t you?”

  Jordan slunk down on the lounger, a sheepish look on her face as she shook her head.

  “What, not even for work?” Seeing Jordan’s shake her head again, she smiled, “Well I imagine that Miss Easter is a good kisser. For a first you could do worse.”

  Jordan felt her skin blush at the comment. The confusion Jordan felt around Freya had progressed steadily since the charity workshop and, as if to compound it further, ever since the Fourth of July ‘poolwatergate’, as she had started to refer to it in her head, she had found her eyes lingering on Freya. The thoughts swarming her brain were rapidly becoming less of a friend and co-star slant and more potential lover. Knowing that they would be kissing at some point for the show, she had started to watch Freya’s lips anytime they had a conversation, wondering whether they were as soft as they looked and how they would feel on her skin.

  Sabrina watched over the top of her sunglasses as her friend obviously worked through something in her head, a dark flush spreading up her throat to her cheeks, “You sure you have cream on? You’re looking red over there.”

  Shaking her head as if to clear her brain Jordan stood up, “I might just head inside, it’s got a bit warm out here.”

  Watching her go Sabrina chuckled to herself. “Sure it has,” she muttered, pushing her glasses back fully on her nose.

  ***

  “I am amazing,” Jordan announced as she flopped down onto the sofa beside Freya, allowing her arms to stretch along the arm and back of the seat as her head tipped back to rest on the sofa.

  When she did not get a response from the brunette sitting at the other end she lifted her head up.

  “Emily, I said I. Am. A-May-Zing,” she twirled her hands to encourage a reply. “Which is when you say, why are you amazing? What have you done Georgia?” sitting forward she could see tears flowing down Freya’s face. “Emily, are you okay?” Jordan asked moving towards Freya, her tone full of concern. Before she could say anything further, Freya spun on the seat and launched herself across the sofa in her direction. Her arms wound tightly around Jordan’s waist as she buried her face under Jordan’s chin.

  “Cut,” the director shouted. “Excellent, guys. We’ve got Freya’s shots, we just need to switch the camera angle for Jordan’s close up at the end of the scene, so if you can stay in position.”

  It was the end of August and they were filming their first scenes for episode five of the season which had seen their characters’ friendship develop during the episodes following Freya’s character’s accident. For the past two hours they had been shooting what would prove to be a pivotal moment in the relationship between their characters; Emily’s vulnerability and depth of character would be shown as she grieved for a lost patient, receiving support from Georgia.

  Jordan rested her chin on the top of Freya’s head as they waited while the crew measured the light and distance for the shots. “How you doing down there?” she could feel Freya’s shoulders shift quickly as she laughed.

  “I’m good thanks. How’s junket week going for you?” Freya asked trying to spark up any conversation that would help her ignore that fact that she was nestled against Jordan’s breasts.

  “My favorite time,” Jordan laughed in response to Freya’s question.

  As the show’s airing date neared the actors found their busy work bubble pierced by the reality of having to promote the show. Their call sheets were steadily filling up with a variety of press activities. This week was set aside for on-set interviews for the extras section of the show’s season DVD as well as interviews in the press suite with a number of presenters from the countries around the world where Front Line aired.

  “So what’s your entry for the dumbest question competition?” Jordan asked trying not to move her head while the crew bustled around them measuring and setting up the cameras.

  “Apart from the veiled attempts to find out about my mom’s new film y
ou mean?” Freya laughed. “It would have to be what would Emily be if she wasn’t a surgeon or in the army?”

  “What was your answer?”

  “To which question?”

  “Both.”

  “That as far as I was aware my mom’s film had nothing to do with Front Line.”

  Freya could feel Jordan chuckle as she held her head in place listening to the steady rhythm of Jordan’s heart.

  “For the other, that’s a really good question, although probably one for the writers not me. But if I had a say then she’d probably still want to help people, maybe be a teacher or something? What about you?”

  She felt Jordan stiffen slightly at her question. The arms holding Freya in place tightened, momentarily pulling her closer, “They asked how my family reacted to me playing a gay woman.”

  Freya sucked a breath in. Trying to control her reaction, she released the breath slowly and wet her lips giving herself time to respond, “What did you say?”

  “That if they wanted to apply a label then Georgia is technically bi-sexual. However, I’m not big on labels, that I think Georgia is attracted to Emily the person and her gender is almost of no consequence. That my family is incredibly supportive of my career and of this storyline as it’s an important one and that so far in my career, amongst other roles, they have seen me play a murderer, a drug addict, a prostitute and an alien and have so far been able to tell the difference between me and the characters I play.”

  “Ouch, wish I’d been there to see that.”

  “Okay, thanks Jordan. Freya you can move we’re set up,” the director shouted over.

  Freya straightened up and gave a sheepish smile as Jordan stretched her back slightly, causing her top to ride up a little.

  “Can we take it from Georgia’s line of ‘You did everything you could’,” the director smiled checking his copy of the script as the actresses moved back into position.