by Wendy Louise
His trademark hair has been spiked to perfection. He is dressed in tight, ripped jeans and a tight black long-sleeved t-shirt, the sleeves of which have been artfully pushed up to his elbows. A leather cuff adorns his left wrist. Every plane of that gorgeous chest is on display through the fabric of his top.
Every woman who watches this clip is going to wish she was in my shoes.
He is grumbling about the ‘shit’ they’ve put on his face, namely just some make-up to dull the shine, but hey, I guess he’s not used to it, so I’ll allow him to whinge.
I make my way over to him and wrap my hands around his neck. “Hey you,” I say, as I kiss him below the ear lobe.
Grayson snakes his arms around my waist and pulls me close. “Hey,” he breathes out.
I pull back, “You okay baby?”
He smiles. “Fine… just nervous.”
“Don’t be, you’ll be great. It’s natural to feel a little overwhelmed by all of this. I know I was when I stepped foot onto the sound stage for the first time. I freaked out.”
I run my fingers gently over his eyebrows and down the length of his nose, making sure that I don’t rub off any make-up.
“Besides,” I continue, “you have me here to hold your hand through this whole thing.”
Grayson places a light kiss to my lips. “Thanks for doing this baby.”
“There’s nowhere else I would rather be,” I respond emphatically.
That gets me a deep kiss on the lips.
“I love you,” I say.
“I love you more,” Grayson responds with a smile.
I look past Gray to see the rest of the band.
They’re all dressed casually like Gray, and are being set up with their instruments against a green screen. I’m not sure what background is going to be superimposed in post-production, but the boys look great.
They really are a good looking bunch; the ladies are going to eat them up. A small twist in my gut reminds me that one of them is mine and I really don’t relish the fact that ladies are going to be going after my man. I worry about how hard it will be for Gray to turn them away when he’s been away from me for long periods of time.
Staying faithful is important to me.
Cheating equals goodbye in my book.
I shake out my long hair and turn out of Grayson’s arms to go over to Sienna. Grayson managed to get her booked for the clip today so she was over the moon. There’s a small group of dancers that will be used in part of the clip. They’ve been rehearsing the routine for the past two days and Sienna is incredible, such an accomplished dancer. She and I have become close, and the more time we spend together, the more I adore her. I know Grayson is happy to see us both getting along so well, so that warms my heart too.
“Grayson, Olivia, we’re ready for you.”
Stuart Jones is the director of the clip. He’s done clips for Maroon 5, Coldplay and Bruno Mars to name a few.
He’s got a great eye for this business, and a young and fresh approach.
Stuart explains that he wants to get some shots of Gray and me hugging and kissing. He has us sitting together casually on a long white sofa. He wants it to look like we’re just hanging out. This all feels so normal to me, I’m used to being directed and told what to do, Gray on the other hand looks as though he is going to faint. I snuggle next to him on the sofa and take his hand in mine.
“Relax,” I whisper.
“I’m so freakin’ nervous Liv, I don’t know why.”
He moves to run his hand through his dark locks and then stops just as he remembers that they’re full of product and styled perfectly.
I take Grayson’s face in my hands and turn his eyes to mine. “I’m here, we’ve got this, relax.” I move forward and place a light kiss on his tense lips.
“Hey you two,” Stuart calls, as he pokes his face around from the other side of the camera, “…can you at least wait til I call action!” he laughs.
I pull back chuckling. “Sorry Stuart, force of habit.”
“Okay, let’s do this,” he calls, before yelling for playback.
Gray’s soulful voice fills the room and Stuart yells, “Action!”
I immediately situate myself on Gray’s lap and wrap my arms around his neck, nuzzling his chest. He strokes up and down my back and we whisper I love you’s to one another, not acting, just being.
“Cut,” Stuart calls. “Perfect you two, just perfect, I can feel the chemistry cutting through the lens of the camera. I just need to adjust some lighting and we’ll go again. Hold for a moment.”
“You’re so good at this Liv,” Grayson says as he gazes at me adoringly.
“Well it is what I do for a living, so that’s a good thing,” I reply. “Although, there’s not much acting going on here today. I love you, so this part comes easy to me.”
Grayson runs his knuckles lightly over my cheekbone and stares straight into my eyes. “What am I going to do without you when we go on tour?” he says, his deep green eyes softening with his words.
It’s the first time either of us have voiced that fear out loud. I’ve been too scared to even think about it, and Grayson hasn’t said a word about it prior to now.
I look to the floor. “I don’t want to think about it Gray.”
“Hey….” he says, using his thumb and forefinger to raise my chin. “We’ll be fine Liv. I don’t want you to worry about it okay? We’ll be in touch every day, I hear sex over Skype is pretty good!” he says raising his eyebrows. “Seriously, you can come to me when you have a break in filming and I have a few days off here and there so I can fly back to you. We’ll make it work. We have to make it work.”
I nod. “I know we can make it work Gray, it’s not that. It’s just that you’ve become so important to me so quickly and I don’t want to be without you now, I’m going to miss you more than you know.” I swallow to try and dislodge the lump that has formed in my throat.
“Liv, you know I feel the same way and I’m determined to make this work. I waited long enough to have you; I’m not letting you go now.”
He smiles. “Besides, I promised you that I would fulfil your every whim, and I have every intention of doing that for as long as you’ll let me.”
“I’ll let you for as long as you want me.” I reply.
Grayson kisses me on the lips. “Then you had better get used to having me around Liv, ‘coz I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to fulfil all of them in this lifetime.”
I get lost in the dreamy look in Grayson’s eyes. How can he make me feel like this when we’re on set surrounded by people?
“God I love you Grayson Adams,” I say, as I kiss him hard on the mouth.
So much for not messing up my make-up.
“I love you more,” he replies against my lips.
After a light lunch we’re back on set again.
Grayson has loosened up to the point that he is almost limbless.
We got so many great shots in this morning. On more than one occasion our kissing and snuggling continued well after Stuart yelled “Cut,” but Grayson and I didn’t care. We just had fun doing this together.
The dance sequence was filmed on another stage while Grayson and I filmed our scenes, so Sienna and I are now finished and relaxing, watching the boys as they pretend to play their song with the playback.
The way Grayson looks on camera is mesmerising.
Those green eyes pierce through the lens and look right through you. The way he caresses the microphone stand with his long fingers is enough to send my heart racing. I just want to go home with him. Today has been like one long day of foreplay and I’m ready to move on to the main attraction.
“Cooper has asked me out to dinner tonight Liv. Do you think Gray will mind?” Sienna asks.
“I don’t know Si, he’s pretty darn protective of you, but at least he knows Coop. He can threaten him with an ass-kicking if he hurts you.” I say smiling.
Sienna chuckles. “Over protective is what he i
s. He and Christian have both been like that since the day my parents brought me home swaddled in pink blankets from the hospital. I love them both so much, but they’re a bit suffocating. You think you could have a word to him for me? He listens to you.”
She looks at me with the same deep green puppy-dog eyes as her brother and I feel my resistance caving in.
“I’ll talk to him for you, but I can’t promise anything.”
“Thanks Liv,” Sienna says, as she throws herself into my arms. “I really appreciate it.”
Sienna and I decide to have some fun and dance while the boys film.
Their song is on constant playback so we enjoy jumping around and moving to the beat while they continue to work. I throw my head back laughing, enjoying the carefree moment we are both sharing. The play back stops and so do we, but not before Stuart looks out from behind the camera that he had pointed at us.
“I loved that girls, I got you both enjoying the song, that’s going into the final cut. I love it!” he yells theatrically, as Sienna and I both stand there with our mouths open.
“You can’t use that Stuart; we were both just being silly.” I state.
“I most definitely can use it,” he says, “you were both having fun and that’s what this song is about. What better way to show it.”
Sienna and I both look at each other and laugh. “Can’t argue with that can we Si?”
She shakes her head, but I don’t miss the fact that we’ve both made our way over to the sofa to sit down for the remainder of the shoot, not wanting to attract any more unwanted attention from the camera.
For the rest of the afternoon my gaze is on Grayson.
The way his lips curl into the microphone, the way he smiles that devilish grin between lines, and the way his delicious body sways to the beat.
He is so good at this, and I can’t help but feel a little sad about the fact that soon I will be sharing him with the rest of the world.
As we’re driving home I get a text from Ava.
OMG Liv just heard Gray’s song on the radio over here! Epic! Ava X
“Ava and Ethan just heard Dark-haired girl on the radio in Thailand babe, she’s really excited!”
“That’s so cool,” Grayson says. “I’m still waiting to hear it on the radio here in the States. I’ve had a few friends text to say they’ve heard it - but I still haven’t.”
“I’ve already heard it Gray,” Sienna says from the back seat. “I was driving with two friends, and the three of us started screaming when it came on. I was so proud of you.”
“Thanks Sis,” he says smiling at her through the rear view mirror.
Sienna sees her opportunity to tell Gray what her plans are for the night while he is otherwise occupied with driving.
“I’m heading out to dinner with Cooper tonight Gray.”
“No you’re not.” Gray says straight back.
“Grayson,” I admonish. “Sienna is old enough to make her own choices and Coop is a nice guy. Do you honestly think he would do anything bad with Si, knowing that you would kick him to the moon?” I give him a look that clearly says ‘you need to back off.’
He sighs and whispers, “I just know what he’s like with women Liv, I don’t want him to treat Si like that.”
“Gray, if I remember rightly you were a little like that too.”
I raise my eye brows at him. “When the right person comes along, it’s amazing what we will do to make that person happy.” I stroke my hand along his forearm.
“So you think that Sienna could be Cooper’s ‘Olivia’?” he says with a quick glance across at me.
I nod and give him a warm smile, as my heart inflates with his words.
“You never know,” I respond, taking his hand in mine and resting them on my leg.
Gray pulls into a gas station so that he can fill up the Mustang.
Si and I stay put in the car so as not to attract too much attention. I don’t want to instigate a mini autograph signing while Gray pumps gas.
A group of young girls are exiting the shop carrying frozen cola. One of them spots Gray and they all start shrieking. Oh great, here we go.
“Are…are…. you Grayson from Awesome Rebel?” one of them asks.
Gray gives the girls a smile, “Yeah I am.”
“Oh my God!” they all exclaim in unison as they reach into their backpacks grabbing pieces of paper and pens.
“Would you sign this for me?” one of them asks as she hands Grayson a magazine, with not only his picture gracing the cover, but mine too.
I slink lower in my seat, making sure my sunglasses are firmly in place. I’ve never been so grateful for the dark tint on the windows of the Mustang.
“Sure,” Gray says as he scribbles across the glossy page.
He signs for each of the girls and then turns to remove the gas pump from the car and place it back on the stand. None of the girls have moved away yet so they all just continue to watch his every move like he is some sort of alien that they’ve never landed eyes on before.
“Great meeting you girls,” he says as he nudges forward trying to move through them to make his way inside and pay the cashier.
As they slowly part to allow him access, he smiles at me through the window before heading towards the store. The girls all sigh and squeal and then each of them pull out their smart phones and start to text everyone they know to brag about their star encounter.
Sienna and I laugh but inside my heart feels heavy.
This is what he has to look forward to.
How is he going to resist when the girls are a little older than that group and they ask him to sign their boobs rather than a piece of paper? Any hot blooded male, and let’s face it, that’s exactly what Gray is, would find it hard to resist that being offered up on a platter. Staying faithful to the girlfriend that is on the other side of the state would be the last thing on his mind.
I sigh as I watch Grayson amble back to the car looking every bit the sexy rock god that he is.
For the moment he is all mine, but how will that change once he hits the open road?
Homecoming
Liv has been a little distant the last couple of days and I’m trying not to read too much into it, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t scare the shit out of me.
What if she’s changed her mind and doesn’t want to do the long-distance thing with me?
The way I feel right now, I would cancel the fuckin’ tour and lock myself in the apartment with her, rather than give that up.
Ethan and Ava are home today and we’re all heading over there for a BBQ at their place to welcome them home.
Liv and Si have been whipping up salads all afternoon and I was sent on grocery duty to grab meat and alcohol to bring with us.
Liv didn’t want Ava to have to cook on her first night home. I know she’s missed her sister and there is so much for me to tell E. So much has happened since they left - it feels like they’ve been gone for a lifetime.
We pull up under the covered entrance to the mansion that Ava and Ethan now call home. Liv jumps from the car as Ava opens the front door and runs to give her sister a hug.
I hear them both exchange ‘I miss yous’ and then Ethan appears, looking like the cat that got the freakin’ cream.
We exchange our usual handshake and he bends to give Liv a hug.
“How was Thailand?” I ask as I notice the warm brown glow that each of them are wearing. “You sure did catch some sun over there, you both look great!”
“We had a blast Gray. You have to come with us next time.” Ethan says enthusiastically.
Ethan moves to Sienna. “It’s great to see you again Si. This is my wife Ava.”
I don’t miss the pride in his voice or the glint in his eye when he says that, and neither does Ava. She pecks him on the cheek before holding her hand out to Sienna and pulling her in for a hug.
“It’s so great to meet you Sienna, I’ve heard so much about you. Come in, let’s get a drink.�
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We all gather the food from the trunk of the Mustang and make our way into the palatial kitchen that looks as though it has never been used.
“I’m earning my Aussie stripes tonight,” Ethan says moving out to the patio. “Ava has insisted that I do the BBQ outdoors and the girls are going to take care of the indoor stuff. Very Australian she tells me!”
I laugh. “I never picked you for one in an apron over the grill E, but hey, whatever floats your boat!” I say handing him a beer.
He laughs. “Gray haven’t you ever heard the term ‘happy wife, happy life!’ I intend to make Ava the happiest woman alive, that way I’ll never lose her to some schmuck that doesn’t deserve her, and she’ll keep me happy in all those little ways that she does on a daily basis, multiple times if you get my drift.”
“I get you loud and clear. Obviously the honeymoon went well.” I say swigging from my beer.
“Gray, it was incredible. Blue, transparent sea, swimming, eating, lounging around, sex, a lot of sex, what more can I say? Suffice to say we will be going on a second honeymoon sooner than later.” He laughs. “I can highly recommend it, and by the look of you and Liv, it won’t be long before you’ll have your turn.” He nudges me with his elbow as he drizzles olive oil across the hotplate. “How’s that going?” he asks.
“Good man, really good. I really love her.” I admit.
If I can’t talk to my best friend about this then who can I talk to?
“Remember that time at your place when we were shooting hoops and I told you that Ava had you whipped?”
Ethan nods and smiles at the memory, “Yeah.”
“Well now I know how that feels.”
I take another swig of my beer to wet my dry mouth.
“Ah payback is a bitch,” Ethan says with a knowing smile, clapping me on the shoulder.
He starts to lay sausages out on the grill. “I’m so happy for you Gray. Liv’s an amazing girl, and you both deserve to be happy. Just promise me you won’t hurt her. You’re my best friend man and I would hate to have to choose sides if this goes south, I mean Liv is Ava’s Sister, it could get messy.”