Forever Box Set

by Wendy Louise

  Anger starts to bubble in my gut and I can feel it rising to the surface. I am most upset about the pool photos. That was a private, intimate moment that was really special to me and now it has been splashed across the world for everyone to see.

  It makes me look cheap, and I don’t appreciate it.

  “God Josh, how did they get all of those out there so quickly?” I feel sick to my stomach.

  “That’s what they do. They’re vultures. Look, you need to know what they’re saying. They’re reporting that you’re Ethan’s latest flame. They have your name Ava. They know you’re Liv’s sister and that you’re working on the film. The problem with that is that they may start looking in to you now. Especially if you and Ethan are photographed together again. If there is anything in your past that you don’t want to come out, start thinking about it.”

  I look at him horrified. “There’s nothing in my past that could cause any trouble Josh if that’s what you mean.” I try to keep the anger out of my tone. I feel a little insulted.

  “No, no, I don’t mean that Ava. You misunderstand me. I’m not worried about Ethan here; he’s been dealing with this his whole life. I’m worried about you. I know how they’ll hound you now; you need to understand what you’re in for. It may be best for you to make sure that you’re with someone when you venture out. Don’t go alone. You don’t want them going at you when you have no-one else with you.”

  I feel some relief. I didn’t want Josh thinking that I could do anything to ruin Ethan’s career. He knows me well enough to know that I would never do or say anything that could tarnish things for Ethan or Liv in the press. I’m glad to know that he realises that. He’s a sweetie who is just trying to look out for me.

  “Josh, I appreciate your concern, but I think you’re over-reacting, they wouldn’t be interested in me if Ethan wasn’t there with me.”

  “Don’t underestimate them Ava. You’re the new girl in Ethan’s life and that makes you a pay check for them. Any photos, even those of you alone will make them money. Just promise me you’ll be careful.”

  “I promise.” I give him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks for showing them to me and giving me a heads up, it means a lot.”

  Josh smiles and puts his ipad down on the table.

  “Is Ethan taking you out before the dinner tonight?” he asks as he looks me over appraisingly.

  “Yep. We’re heading somewhere for drinks. You wanna’ come with?” I ask. I like Josh, he’s a sweetie and he has Ethan’s best interests at heart.

  Mine too it seems.

  “Nah, you two go for it. I already bumped in to your sister and Ryan down in the lounge bar as I was coming up here. A few of us are going to have drinks down there before dinner.”

  “Okay. Well thanks again Josh, as I said, I really appreciate the heads up. You’re a good friend.”

  “You’re welcome Ava; I need to look out for my right-hand girl.” He gives me a gorgeous smile, grabs his trusty ipad and turns to leave the suite.

  As Josh turns the handle to leave, Ethan appears at the door.

  “Have fun,” Josh says as he pats Ethan on the shoulder and continues in to the hallway.

  Ethan turns to look at Josh and then back to me. “What was that all about?”

  “Nothing. Josh just wanted to show me some paparazzi photos that have already hit the web of us from today.”

  “Dammit. Already? Are you okay?”

  “Yep, all good.”

  I don’t want those photos to ruin my night. Ethan and I have had such a great day today. He’s been attentive and sweet and acting like a guy who adores me, I won’t let anything ruin this.

  Not even my personal business being splashed across cyberspace for all to see.

  I grab my clutch and wrap and ready myself to leave the room. As I take a step forward, Ethan stands in front of me and blocks my way. He places his hands on my hips and pulls me against him.

  Hard.

  “You look stunning.” He bends his head and seals those gorgeous lips over mine, and all thoughts of paparazzi and pictures immediately leave my mind.

  He pulls back, too quickly, and hands me a small clear box. Inside is the most stunning coral-coloured flower I’ve ever seen. I look back at him and smile. “What’s this?”

  “That is a hibiscus. Every stunning girl in Hawaii needs a hibiscus behind their ear. It’s tradition.”

  Oh!

  He takes the box from me and opens the little lid, pulling the beautiful flower from it. He places the hibiscus carefully behind my left ear and pins it in place.

  “Perfect,” he says and leans down to place a light kiss on my lips.

  I turn to look at the flower in the hallway mirror. “How did you know what colour I was wearing tonight? This matches my dress perfectly.”

  “I didn’t,” he shrugs. “Great minds think alike I guess. C’mon let’s go.”

  “Wait.”

  I stop him and lean up on my tip-toes to place a soft kiss to his lips. “Thanks for my flower,” I say with a smile.

  He deepens the kiss before pulling back to take my hand and we leave the Suite. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” he says, not giving anything away. “Don’t worry you’ll like it.”

  I know without a shadow of a doubt that wherever he takes me, I’ll like it. He could be dragging me down the back alley near the dumpsters and I’d still like it.

  As long as he is with me.

  I wake to the alarm, alerting me to the fact that it is six o’clock and I need to get up. Josh and I are meeting in the hotel restaurant for breakfast at half past. We have a few things we need to finalise and prepare before shooting commences at eight this morning. We have a full morning on set today. This is one of a few daylight shoots we have while we’re here. All other shooting will be done at night.

  The majority of the scenes being shot while we are here are between Ethan and Liv. Their characters come to Hawaii for their honeymoon, so most of the scenes are romantic ones. I know this is going to be so weird; watching Ethan and my sister making out and shooting love scenes. A shudder goes down my spine. I guess it could be worst; he could be shooting those scenes with Madeline. I don’t even want to entertain that though, so I push it firmly from my mind, never to be thought of again.

  I rise to have a shower and prepare myself for the long day ahead. While the warm water wakes me, my thoughts go back to the incredible evening I had last night.

  Ethan took me back to his room for drinks prior to dinner. He said that he didn’t want me to be worried about any more photographers invading our privacy yesterday. He had arranged for everything to be set up on the patio looking out to the water. He had candles in hurricane lamps surrounding the terraced area and tea light candles all over the table. A waiter was on hand to mix cocktails and serve canapés. It was magical. We talked and kissed and even danced around the terrace, to just the sound of the ocean in the background. We didn’t need music, we just needed each other.

  The cast and crew dinner was fantastic. We all ate our fill of amazing food, and drank, but not to excess as we all knew we had an early morning today. Mike Sanders, the Director gave a moving speech about how working on a movie forms family bonds and how he was proud of how we all worked as a team. It was an amazing evening.

  Dream-like.

  How a regular Aussie girl found herself in this situation is beyond me. I need to pinch myself every morning to remind myself that this is real.

  Ethan walked me back to the Suite and kissed me senseless at the door before retreating to his room. I know he’s trying to take things slowly at my request, but I’m not sure how much longer I can hold out, I had to give myself a seriously long cool shower when I got back last night. My skin was in flames. If that’s what his kiss can do then I can’t imagine what else is in store for me.

  I pull on some short denim shorts and a white cotton baby-doll cami. I tie my long hair back into a high ponytail and swipe some gloss over my
lips. I grab my messenger bag and flip flops and make sure I have everything - Olivia’s script, ipad, iphone, schedule; I think I have it all. I’m just about to make my way out the door when Liv appears in the hallway.

  “Morning Sis,” she says through half closed eyes.

  “Hey Liv. You’re up early; you don’t need to be on set for another ninety minutes.”

  She gives me a wicked smile. “Ryan and I have been up for a while Ava. We need coffee.” She wiggles her eye brows up and down and laughs at my expression.

  Right, enough said. I don’t want to know what Liv and Ryan have been up to this fine morning. I can only imagine. Liv shuffles towards the little kitchen in our Suite to put the coffee on.

  “I’m out of here Liv, see you on set. I’ve left your things ready on the hall stand. Don’t forget to bring your sunscreen and hat; you’re filming outdoors most of the day.”

  “Okay. Bye,” she calls after me.

  I make my way down the corridor towards the elevator that will take me down to meet Josh. There are already a few people in the restaurant when I get there. I spot Josh sitting at a table on the terrace, waving me over. He’s dressed casually in khaki shorts and a tight grey t-shirt that hugs the very fine muscles that adorn his chest. Chelsea is indeed a lucky girl.

  “Morning Josh. Sleep well?”

  “Morning. Yes, I did, this place is good for the soul.”

  “I agree,” I say as I put my sunglasses on. The sun is bright over here at all times of the day.

  Josh and I place our breakfast orders.

  “I miss Chelsea,” Josh says as he takes a sip of his coffee. “No one can make my latte the way she can.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that’s what you miss most about her Josh,” I say in jest.

  We both look at each other and laugh. “You should bring her with us next time we have to do this. I’m sure she could get time off.”

  “Yeah, maybe I’ll do that,” he says, as he runs his fingers through his choppy hair.

  Josh and I finish breakfast, and then head to the first shooting location. We need to be sure that everything is ready for Liv and Ethan when they get down there. The schedule is really tight while we are in Hawaii and we need to ensure that nothing will delay production.

  The first scene today is of Ethan and Liv swimming in the ocean. They’re filming a sequence of shots that have no dialogue that can be put together as a montage in the film with the soundtrack playing over it. It’s to show all the things that their characters get up to on their honeymoon.

  Liv and Ethan arrive and are immediately ushered to make-up and hair. Ethan gives me a wave and a wink as he’s pulled towards the make-up tent. He’s so damn cute.

  After all their primping, they emerge in costume. Olivia looks stunning. They have her in a white bikini with hot pink hibiscus flowers on it. It reminds me of the flower Ethan gave me last night. She has a sheer white wrap tied low on her hips and high wedged sandals on her feet. She could easily be a model. He skin is flawless, tanned and lotioned to look like she is glowing.

  Ethan is equally as gorgeous. They have him in black board shorts that have white hibiscus flowers printed on them. Obviously they’re going with a theme. His dirty blonde hair has been artfully dishevelled to look like he just rolled out of bed. Those chiselled abs are on show for all to see, and the deep ‘V’ of muscle that leads in to his shorts is purposely displayed by the low waistband.

  I want to lick it, taste it, run my tongue…..

  I fan myself with the papers in my hand. It’s hot out today, but the heat hasn’t affected my temperature as much as seeing Ethan does.

  I take a deep clarifying breath as they’re directed toward the edge of the ocean where the crew are set up and waiting. Barricades have been erected along the beach to block off the area we are filming in. There are still a lot of people standing on the other side of them eagerly watching what is transpiring. All hoping to get a glimpse of the movie stars and the process that goes in to filming.

  Mike is directing Ethan and Liv on what he wants to happen in the scene. Ethan and Liv are both listening intently and discussing what they will do with it. This whole process is so amazing. To think that all the films I’ve ever seen have been put together in the same way. The average film goer would never even think about how much goes in to just one sixty second scene. I guess that all makes up the magic of the movies.

  Josh and I stand off to the side with water, sunscreen, hats and cover ups for Ethan and Liv. We’ll need to get them both out of the direct sunlight as much as possible today. It is really hot, and the sun is high in the sky, casting rays across the beach that reflect off the sand.

  Mike moves behind the camera and calls for quiet.

  Someone yells “Rolling,” and Mike calls “Action.”

  Ethan and Olivia immediately run towards the water, hand in hand, acting like a couple who have just been married and are madly in love. Ethan wraps his arms around Liv and twirls her in the air as she throws her head back and laughs.

  Mike calls - “Cut.”

  He makes his way over to them and they all have a further discussion before Mike returns to the camera again. It takes a total of ninety minutes to get two scenes down. Liv and Ethan must have replayed the run in to the ocean about seven times. Movies may sound glamorous but I can’t imagine how onerous it must feel to do a scene over and over and over.

  Once Mike is happy he announces that we’ll be moving to our next location. Liv comes over and grabs her hat and drink from me.

  “Good job Sis. I’m so proud of you.” I still can’t believe that this is my sister, filming a blockbuster movie. She is so incredible. Olivia pulls me in to a hug. “Thanks,” she says.

  “Okay guys, next location,” calls the Production Assistant.

  We’re all shepherded on to waiting golf carts. They convey us further up the beach to where the second crew have set up for the next set of shots. This time Ethan and Liv are being filmed next to a luxurious pool, lying on a large day-bed that has billowing white curtains around the sides. This is one of the scenes that I’ve been dreading.

  Ethan and Liv have to make-out in this scene.

  Josh and I make our way over to the tented area where the rest of the crew are waiting. Before I reach the tent I’m grabbed by the upper arm, pulled around to the side, and pushed up against the white canvas. Ethan crushes me to him and wraps his arms around my waist.

  “I missed you this morning,” he says against my neck before smashing his lips down to meet mine. He tastes minty from toothpaste and delicious. He works his lips over mine before pulling back.

  “Just remember that this is acting. I know it’ll be weird to watch me making out with Olivia, but we’re playing characters, and that’s the head space that I’m in when I do this.”

  “Okay,” I reply.

  It means a lot to me that he wanted to convey this to me before shooting these scenes. Truth is that it will be weird and very uncomfortable. Knowing that he has acknowledged that makes it a bit easier to swallow. I know that Liv feels weird about it too. Not about kissing Ethan, but about how I will feel about it. We talked about it a few nights ago and I assured her it would be fine.

  Ethan drops his head again and kisses me softly, slowly, snaking his tongue with mine and running his hands gently through my hair. He rests his forehead on mine and looks in to my eyes. “That’s a real kiss okay? A camera kiss is different. It’s staged, choreographed, not at all special, just make-believe.”

  I nod as I stare in to his eyes and his soft lips push against mine again. “Don’t forget,” he breathes against my mouth.

  “I won’t,” I say trying to push air back in to my lungs after that kiss.

  “I’d better get back, I just wanted to be sure that you would be okay with this,” he says cocking his head towards the set. He pecks my lips one last time, releases me and makes to move before turning back. “By the way Ava, I’m taking you out to dinner tonight, just us.”
He smiles his breathtaking smile and I swoon.

  How could one human being be so goddamn good-looking?

  And why is he so interested in me?

  “Damn that was a long day of shooting,” Liv says as she reclines on our terrace. Its early evening in Hawaii and we both decided on some sister time. We’re sitting out on the sectional wicker sofa and sipping mojitos that we just ordered through room service.

  “Are you okay after watching all those scenes today?” Liv asks me warily.

  “Of course,” I say.

  It was weird and a little strange to watch my so-called boyfriend kissing my sister. I’m sure it will haunt my dreams tonight, but I wanted to remain professional, and I certainly don’t want to make this more awkward for us all than I have to.

  Liv seems happy with my response and moves on to other things. “Madeline is shooting with us tomorrow,” she says.

  “I know,” I say rolling my eyes.

  “Just keep a wide berth Sis and she won’t even notice you. I’m sure there are a few poor people on the crew that she will focus her claws on instead tomorrow.”

  I don’t want to discuss Madeline so I go for a subject change. “What are you and Ryan up to tonight?”

  “Not sure. I’m heading to his Suite in an hour. You?” Liv asks as she sucks her straw in to her mouth and takes another sip of her drink.

  “Ethan is taking me to dinner.” I can’t help the wide smile that covers my face.

  Olivia mirrors my smile. “Well, look at my little sister. Here in the States for a couple of weeks and already she’s won the heart of one of the most talked about celebrities in the land. Go for it Sis.” She winks, drains the rest of her mojito and rises from the chair.

  “I’d better shower and get ready to meet Ryan. Have fun.” Olivia enters the room and then turns back. “By the way,” she says with a cheeky grin, “I think I’ll probably stay at Ryan’s tonight if you want the Suite to yourself.”