The last days of rehearsal went by too fast for
Amy.
Garret continued to stop by at or near seven in the morning to share breakfast
with Amy and Renee, proving to Renee that he wasnt a
tight-ass at all. Just
a workaholic as Amy had suggested for so
long. Renee kept Garret up-to-date
on her portfolio revision and on the find of her new photographer and
agent. Garret promised to spread
the word on his inside track to the newest and freshest face
in modern modeling, thereby assuring her of continually growing interest
until her agent was ready to act.
Renee was thrilled. Amy
was relieved. Garret was
amused.
Then Renee would rush out the door to work, excited to be at last trapped
within her dream of modeling, and leave the two to a continued discovery
of the other. Garret began to
share stories and anecdotes hesitantly at first, and then with more ease
as he saw her interest and answered her eager
questions. He confessed to adventures in London with neighborhood
boys, often ending in being chased by the
constable. He described school productions of A Midsummers
Night Dream or Romeo and Juliet that had Amy wishing she could
have been there. But then Garret
would perform select scenes from them, thereby giving Amy a small taste of
who Garret Harrison
was.
Amy loved it.
Then Garret weaved tales of independent productions that caught public attention;
his acceptance into the Royal Shakespeare Company; performances in front
of royalty; and an eventual interest in the big screen that brought him at
first to Los Angeles and then to New York and
Broadway. Which of course led
to a reminiscence of Broadway productions, ones where Garret had performed
the starring role while Amy had watched
awestruck. Garret would ask
if she had seen a particular production, and most often Amy would
enthusiastically reply yes and then give a detailed account and
synopsis of her favorite scenes, thereby encouraging Garret to do the
same.
Oftentimes the reminiscing led to an attempt at acting out their favorite
scenes, Amy doing her best to recall the lines of those roles opposite Garret
while he did his best to prompt her. The two would often laugh so hard that they couldnt
do anything but gesture the lines.
Then they would surrender the attempt and go back to the couch to
sip their coffee and begin another visit to
memory.
Mark and Vanessa never asked how much earlier Garret arrived at Amys
apartment. Amy wouldnt
have lied to them if they had asked, and shed requested that Garret
be honest as well. Luckily,
Mark and Vanessa never inquired about the pairs growing
relationship. Instead, all focus was on the scenes in the first act,
honing and tightening them until Garret was certain they would enthrall the
audience.
Then the rehearsal week was over, the weekend was coming to a close, and
Amy was setting her alarm for the early arrival at the studio the next
morning. Nervousness and anxiety
battled with eagerness and anticipation at the prospect, scaring sleep right
out of the picture. Then of
course there was the knowledge that she would be receiving tutoring and
choreography instruction for the final scene in Act
I. Her
death. Garret assured her that
he had gone over the plans and possibilities too numerous to
count. He had also told her
it would be easier then a few Broadway stunts he had
done.
That had relieved Amys mind more than anything
else.
So Amy bid Renee goodbye, finding it very funny that now Renee was
left at home alone, and then made her way out to the bus
stop. The bus ride, as usual,
was quite the experience with people.
Amy enjoyed it, snickering here and there at the funny things people
said in response to bus driver quips aimed at the other drivers tactics
at cutting him off. Then Amy
was dropped off at the studio lot and heading toward the security
booth.
Amy wasnt sure if she should be happy or annoyed that the same man
as before stood
guard.
Name.
Amy Burke. And she
went about the duty of freeing her ID from its specific pocket within her
purse.
Youre not on the
list.
Amy blinked and then looked up. What?
Give me that. She
swiped the list from him before he could
protest. Oh for petes
sake! This is
ridiculous! How am I supposed
to get any work done if they dont put me on the list to get
in in the first place! Amy
shoved the list back at the guard.
Can I use your phone please? she asked,
frowning.
Sorry. Not
allowed.
What? How am
Oh
forget it. Amy heard a
car door shut. She turned, and
her face brightened. Garret
looked spectacular dressed in his charcoal silk slacks, cashmere vest of
the same color, and antique-white Perry Ellis dress shirt with a gray silk
tie. Amy moved toward
him. Good morning, Mr.
Harrison.
Garret smiled. Miss
Burke. What a pleasant
surprise. He came to stand
opposite her, and his smile faded to a concerned
expression. What has
happened?
Amy gave an exasperated sigh as she motioned over her
shoulder. You wont
believe this. Im not on
the list.
How can that be possible?
Shooting schedules begin this
morning.
Amy nodded. I know, but
Im not on the
list.
Well this is very odd, I must
say. Garret
smiled. Come. Let
us see what can be done, shall
we?
Hes not a very sociable fellow, Amy warned as she fell
into step beside
Garret.
Yes, well I pay his
salary. The pair came to stand opposite the security guard, who
didnt seem to be at all impressed with Garrets role as Executive
Producer. Good
morning. Might I see the
list? The security guard
handed it over. Thank
you. Garret searched each
page before looking up and slightly raising the
clipboard. This is an
incomplete
list.
The guard blinked. What
do you mean?
There is no mention of those scenes scheduled for shooting in Studio
10. Where are the remaining
names?
The guard shrugged.
Thats all Ive been
given.
Garret raised an eyebrow as he handed the clipboard back to the
guard. How
odd. He retrieved his
phone and pressed a number.
Max, we seem to have a misunderstanding at Gate 12
.
Yes
. Studio 10s schedule isnt among them
. I see
.
No, that wont do at all
. Can you fax it?
Thank
you. Garret disconnected
the call and gestured behind the man to the compact fax within the
booth. A fax holding the remaining names should come through
shortly. Then Garret motioned
for Amy to precede him through the gate.
Miss Burke. After
you.
Amy sent the guard an uncertain look.
Are you going to let me go through? she asked
him. Or should I get my
mace out?
The guard pressed his lips together and
frowned. Go
on.
Get.
Gee. Thank you so
much. Amy followed beside
Garret with an exasperated breath and a shake of her
head. Someone should sell
him some
personality.
Nonsense. Shane is our
best asset. He simply takes
his duties a bit more seriously than what others
appreciate.
Amy smiled. Then it faded as
she sent a quick glance over her
shoulder. To her surprise, no one was
around. She stopped Garret with a gentle hold on his arm and took
his hands in hers as she smiled up at
him. Do you realize you
just arrived in your shining white horseless carriage and rescued
me?
Garrets lips twitched upward. Did I? It
was quite
unintentional.
Amys crinkled at the corners. Unintentional or not, the knight always gets
a kiss.
Garret brought each hand up to his lips.
Unfortunately, sweet muse, I would rather not take the
risk. My reputation would taint
yours.
Amy released a hand and caressed his
cheek. I dont care
about that, but it makes me feel nice that you
do.
Garret took her hand and kissed the
palm. Come,
sweet. Max and the men from the stunt company wait for
us.
Amy smiled and reluctantly released his
hands. They started forward
to Studio 10 again. Will
you be coming over for dinner this
evening? I was going to make
lasagna.
I will do my best to arrange my schedule,
Amy. What
time?
Seven. If you need it
later, just let me know. Or
I could bring it here, if youre working in your
office.
Garret reached out to briefly caress Amys
hand. Thank you, sweet,
but that wouldnt be wise.
The tabloids would eagerly put their own story to the innocent
meeting.
Amy looked over to meet Garrets
gaze. Garret, when this
movie is over, will you come with me to
Illinois? I want you to meet
my parents. Theyd love
to meet you, Im sure, and you could use a
vacation.
Garret smiled. The invitation
is
appreciated.
Amy smirked. But how plausible
is it?
That depends on how tenacious I want to be with my
schedule. Garret touched
her hand again. And where
you are concerned, sweet, I am always
tenacious.
Amy chuckled.
Good. Im
glad youll at least try. I
think youll have fun.
Its not Chicago, but Aspen Grove is a really nice
place.
It sounds
delightful.
Especially since it only has a population of
1500.
Garret chuckled. This
I must see.
Amy smiled up at him.
Believe me, if you go Ill show you each and every square
inch of it.
Garret stopped outside of the door leading into Studio
10. Do I have your word
on that? he asked with a
smirk.
Amy nodded, still smiling.
You certainly
do.
Garret stared down into her face for a long moment before placing a kiss
on her lips. Then my schedule
be damned.
Rehearsal, choreography, and scene shooting went as smooth as silk
for the most part.
The choreography for the death scene made Amy nervous at
first. Then Garret and Mark
both gave her an encouraging pep talk, telling her that as long as she took
it one step at a time, the flow would come
eventually. Amy gave it her
all. She listened intensely
to what each stunt choreographer had to say, asked questions if she wasnt
sure she understood, and then demonstrated what she believed they
wanted. All in all, Amy picked
it up fast.
Shooting the scenes scheduled for that day was fun after the stress and
concentration of the stunts.
Garrets scenes with Amy werent scheduled until later in
the week, so he left shortly after the choreography of the death scene had
come to a close. Amy and he
had exchanged slight smiles and nothing
more. Amy didnt have a
problem with the less-than-romantic parting because shed planned on
calling his cell phone later to leave a romantic message on his voice
mail. There was no telling how
stressful his day would be, and she reasoned that anyone would enjoy receiving
a pleasant message.
That and she wanted to remind him of her invitation to dinner that
evening.
The scenes went smoothly enough. There were the occasional bloopers, as in anything on
screen, but the troupe dealt with it and moved
on. Vanessa was brilliant as
Tifa, for lack of a better word, but the relationship between Tifa and Cloud
didnt necessarily jump out at the
watcher. It was more of a subtle
intensity that the camera easily picked
up. Amy enjoyed watching it,
doing her best to learn what she could from each performance and apply it
to her own.
Time flew as Max pressed them to shoot scene after
scene. He turned out to be more
the taskmaster than Garret. Max
demanded perfection from her; no foibles, no stutters, no hesitations, and
no diverting from the set blocking of the
scene. Amy took it all in stride,
even though she noticed he wasnt nearly as demanding on the
others. She just chalked it
up to the fact she was a newbie chosen by the Executive Producer
and moved on with the scene and what he demanded of
her.
Then Amy had a brief respite from shooting when Mark was called upon to shoot
some of his solo scenes in Miss
Cloud. Amy excused herself
to one of the soundproof rooms with a phone and dialed Garrets cell
phone. She sat in a chair around a small table and drew circles
around an ink stain with her finger as the call attempted to
connect. To her surprise, it
didnt go to voice
mail.
Harrison
here.
Amys eyes crinkled at the corners.
Hi, Harrison. Burke
here.
Hello, Amy, he said in a much gentler
tone. How fares
rehearsal?
Good. Its definitely
different than the stage, all those cameras staring at
me. And sometimes we have to
reshoot a scene just because the camera angle wasnt right or
something. Its a little
frustrating, but Im having
fun. Amys smile
twitched upward. How fares
your
schedule?
The same as usual, Garret said vaguely, but I would much
rather talk of
you.
Amy smiled. That makes
me feel
wonderful.
Garret chuckled. Do you
still plan on dinner this evening at
seven? Or does Max plan on keeping you later than first
planned?
I dont know. Im
afraid to
ask.
Afraid to ask?
Why?
Amys smile faded as she picked at the side of the
table.
Nothing. Dont
worry about it. She forced
the smile back. I had
a lot of fun last week, Garret.
Thanks for clearing your schedule and coming
over. It was really
nice. Especially all the
stories.
Thank you for the invitation, Amy.
I have never before so enjoyed laughing with a
woman.
Amy released a deep breath as she closed her eyes, playing back the myriad
of happy moments. Garret,
if you cant make it for dinner, thats
okay. You can just give me a
call between meetings or
something.
Ah, sweet muse, should I be content with the song when my soul thirsts
for the warmth of the laughter within
it? Say not that you give me
leave to be absent, for that shall cause the death of my
spirit.
Amy smiled, eyes still closed. Poet mine, she said in a voice slightly colored
with tears, come then that your muse might rest within the intensity
of that spirit. My warmth is
created for yours; my song sung for your lips; my life empty without your
spirit to give it wings. Come
then, that I might
live.
Deep breath. I shall come,
sweetest muse. I shall come
that your life and mine be shared as one breath and
song. Cry not, lest your tears
break this very
heart.
Amy sniffed, wiping the tears from her face with a tremulous
smile. I cry, but for
the joy found in the safety of your
intensity. Amy sniffed
again. Love has blossomed
within that intensity, poet mine... accept this warmth as your very own.
Accept my song as yours. Your
muse shall wither if the petals of my love are not accepted by that of your
spirit I adore.
Silence. Poet
mine, Amy whispered, speak that I might hear the tones which
replenish my
breath.
Deep breath. I speak,
muse, but what words to say when a confession of love has stolen my
breath?
Amy smiled. Then let my
words return it to you, she whispered, I love
you.
Deep breath. I need to
go, Amy, but I will come this
evening. Wait for me at the bus
stop. I will take you
home.
Alright. Until this
evening.
Until this
evening.
Amy took the phone from her ear and very slowly replaced the
receiver. She released a deep
breath.
*
"Amy?"
Amy looked up from her small book of
poems. She
smiled. "Hi,
Vanessa."
Vanessa sat beside Amy at the bus stop, turning slightly toward
her. "Amy, I need to ask you
a personal
question."
Amy closed the book of poems, nodding as she held Vanessa's concerned
gaze.
"Sure."
"It's about Garret."
Amy arched an eyebrow and adjusted her hold on the book of
poems.
"Oh?"
Vanessa examined Amy's open expression, absently biting her lower
lip. "Amy, do you remember that
I told you Garret's quite the
charmer?"
Amy nodded. "Yes," she said
with a slight smile, "but I knew that
already."
Vanessa looked down at her clasped hands for a
moment. "Yes, well," she looked
up, "he's also quite the accomplished and believable
actor. He has played so many
tortured souls that he knows, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what to say and
do that will melt the heart of any young
woman."
Amy felt a spark of defensive temper.
She lowered her eyes to her hands as she lightly rubbed the leather-bound
volume of poems with her thumb. It
had been a gift from Garret on Friday.
Sir Philip
Sydney.
"I believe you when you say you haven't been intimate with him," Vanessa
continued, "but I'm still concerned that he might be playing your
heart. Garret loves women, and
he loves a challenge even more." Vanessa sighed and reached out to cover Amy's hands with
hers. "Don't be angry,
Amy. I know how wonderful
Garret can be, with his quoting of Shakespeare and Marlowe and
others. His
accent. His
charm. His
manner. That sexy smile and
laugh." Vanessa sighed again
as she gave a slight shake of her head.
She squeezed Amy's hands.
"Garret could charm an intimate moment out of a nun, Amy, and I'm
afraid that's what he's doing with
you."
Amy pulled her hands out from under
Vanessa's. Then she cleared
her throat and pressed her lips together before knowing for certain that
she had her temper under control.
That was when she faced Vanessa.
"Mr. Harrison did try to 'charm an intimate moment' out of me,
Vanessa. I said
no. Well, I actually said a
great deal more than that, but 'no' was the basic
idea. After that first time, he tried
again. Again, I said no.
While it felt wonderful to have Sir Garret Harrison attempting to
seduce little old me, I'm not one of those women who enjoy short-lived romps
in the bedroom, satisfying as that might be to view Garret as a feather in
my cap."
Amy grimaced. "A feather," she
said, and her tone was very near a
sneer. "Garret is a human being
who deserves to be thought of as more than a rung on a ladder to the
top. These past couple of weeks,
I've treated him just like that.
I've shown him respect and he's done the same for me, respecting even
my decision to keep our relationship limited to intense conversations and
the occasional good-bye kiss. And
that," Amy said with a finger in Vanessa's face, "is to stay between
us."
Vanessa blinked and leaned slightly
back.
Amy lowered her finger as she continued.
"I'm sure he could be acting this 'tortured' and 'misunderstood
man' role simply to eventually get me in his sheets, but I like-- No, I
love the Garret Harrison I've
discovered. He's a poet, an
actor, and a philosopher - much to his own
surprise. I appreciate the concern,
Vanessa, and I know it comes from what happened in your own relationship
with him, but I'm not going to be suspicious because of something that happened
in the past. We all deserve better than
that."
Amy felt her passion and intensity begin to swell out of control and yanked
them back with a clearing of her throat and a tightened grip on her book
of poems. "Garret knows how
I feel about sex before marriage.
He also knows how I feel about him, just like I know how he feels
about me. You might think it
another plot, but like I said before: I don't
care. I'm going to take him
at his word. If you're right,
then I'll chalk it up to experience and move
on. If I'm right, then I hope
you'll come to the
wedding."
Vanessa blinked again, eyes wide as she regarded Amy in stupefied
silence. Then the shocked expression
melted to a slight smile. "I
hope I am wrong, Amy. I
really do. Garret needs someone
like you to keep him in
check."
Amy released a deep breath, ushering the passion into a far corner as she
reluctantly smiled. "You know
what, Vanessa? It's me that
needs someone like
him."
Amy heard the recognizable sound of Garret's English roadster as it pulled
to a stop. She and Vanessa
stood. "I really do appreciate
you looking out for me, Vanessa.
It's nice to have a big sister.
That was always my
job."
Vanessa reached out to give Amy's arm a
squeeze. Then she looked over
toward Garret, who very slowly exited the
roadster. She smiled, waved,
and then turned to go back to Studio 10 to finish those scenes scheduled
that day. Amy released a deep
breath and then stepped toward the
roadster. Garret opened the
door for her, helped her in, and then absently closed it with another slight
frown Vanessa's direction. Then he went around to his own side and merged the roadster
into traffic.
Amy released a deep breath as she leaned back in the leather
seat. She looked over at his
profile - he still had a slight frown - and
smiled. "You're probably dying
to know what we were talking about,
huh?"
Garret glanced toward her, and his frown faded when their eyes
met. "Yes, I suppose I am,"
he admitted once his gaze focused on the
road. He gave a shake of his
head as he chuckled. "Chalk
such a reaction to a guilty conscience.
How nice to actually discover I have
one."
Amy chuckled, still watching his
profile. "Well, Mr. Garret Harrison,
she told on you." Garret glanced
toward her, eyebrow raised. "She's
sure all your charm and attitudes of a tortured individual are dedicated
to the single goal of getting me into your
sheets."
Garret sent her a sharp look.
"What?"
Amy nodded, her expression mock
seriousness. "She made a very
convincing argument, too, and I'm sure it was only because of your relationship
with her before, but I told her I wasn't going to be suspicious of you just
because you have a somewhat colorful
past. We've already dealt with
that."
He regarded her a moment before looking again to the
road. "Yet what if her concerns
are proved true?"
Amy looked ahead out at the taillights of the cars, her eyes crinkling at
the corners. "Just promise to
let me know before my mom asks if I have plans to marry
you. That I'm actually considering
it with the famous Sir Garret Harrison will probably do her
in. I'd rather not risk giving her a stroke if you're just
charming me for my
body."
Garret sent her a sidelong glance. Then he chuckled and gave a slight shake of his
head. "Amy, Amy,
Amy. What ever am I going to
do with you?"
Amy smiled broadly and sent him a look full with wrinkled
nose. "I have a few
suggestions."
Garret laughed and reached over to rest a hand on her thigh, caressing it
with his thumb. "Yes. I am sure
you do."
Amy covered his hand with hers to give it a squeeze, still watching his
profile. Her smile faded with
a sudden wave of seriousness and
honesty. "Garret, you promised
you didn't want to hurt me. That
would. If all this is an act
to get what I said 'no' to before, that will really hurt
me."
Garret sent her another sidelong glance.
Then he brought her hand up to his lips for a long
kiss. "I feel I must confess
that though this plot had been the original intent, it has long since
faded."
Amys hand tightened its hold. What
she
whispered.
Garret gave a slight nod, still holding her hand as his eyes didnt
leave their examination of the road.
I know. Im
a cad. He glanced toward
her again. Youre
an intoxicating woman, Amy. I
couldnt bear the thought of being told no when I wanted
you so completely. Such didnt
happen to Garret Harrison.
He released a breath.
I am so sorry,
Amy.
So
even the poems? You
did the hesitancy and uncertainty just to seduce
me? Amy pulled her hand
from his with a shake of her head.
Garret
Garret pulled the roadster over and then turned off the
ignition. He faced her with
a serious expression unlike any shed
seen.
Yes. The
hesitancy. The
uncertainty. The unique poems.
Even confessing the reasons for Mark and Vanessas placement,
although what I told you was indeed the
truth.
Amy stared down at her clenched hands.
And the first breakfast with me and
Renee? And the confession of
the proposal to Vanessa? And
saying I love you in the
elevator? Amys voice
cracked.
Lies?
Acts? Amys
glimmering eyes rose to meet his gaze. You didnt mean any of
it?
I dont recall at what point I ceased acting and actually became
engrossed and enthralled with the tales and heart of Amy Burke, Garret
began carefully. He lowered
his gaze with a deep breath and a shake of his
head. Perhaps, at the
time
He raised his
eyes again. Amy you
do inspire those poetic words.
I am attracted to you.
I do care for you in a different way than I have for any other
woman.
Amy stretched out her hands. How can I believe you,
Garret? You just told me it
was only for sex. Her
voice choked on the
word.
Garret nodded. I know,
and I believed that at first. Yet
I continued to come. To
listen. To
laugh. To surrender a snippet
of myself to your memory. I
havent done so with any other woman,
Amy. While the words Ive
said may have been untrue at the time, I would not hesitate to speak them
again.
Amy covered her eyes with a hand, fighting back the
tears.
Amy, I did not want for you to find
out. I wanted to save you this
pain
Amy
Garret
reached out to hold her upper arm, tenderly caressing it with his
thumb. Amy, I will not
blame you if you choose not to see my face
again.
Amy lowered her hand from her eyes, and her eyes
sparked. Do you have
any idea how stupid I feel, Garret
Harrison!? You had me
completely
fooled!
Garret nodded. Please,
Amy. Forgive
me. I swear I have uttered nothing
but the
truth--
Since when?
Amys expression was pained.
Since when, Garret?
Since I asked you not to hurt
me-- Her voice choked,
and she looked away.
Garret watched her, expression haggard.
He breathed deeply.
Amy, he said softly.
Garret leaned toward her.
Amy, I confessed so that I would not lose
you. If the confession has separated
you from me, can we not pretend there was no confession of a darker
intent?
Amy didnt answer. Garret
cautiously reached out to take her hands in
his. She didnt pull
away. Sweet muse, bestow
again your warmth. Sing again
your song, lest I perish alone, lost and
unloved.
Unknown. Half a man,
with my muse the holder of my
spirit.
Amy clenched his hands tight, and then she pulled him close to bury her face
in his neck. Catch me,
poet mine, lest my heart break and be lost, she choked
out.
Garret held her tight against him, releasing a long and slow breath as he
closed his eyes. Forgive
me, sweet muse. Please, please
forgive me.
Amy sobbed as she adjusted her hold around
him. Remove this pain,
poet mine. Its depth terrifies
me.
Garret pressed his cheek against her
hair. I never intended
to pierce my muse with such pain.
Give it me, that you might be free of its
torture.
It burns still, as does the spark of my love; your
warmth. Amy pulled back,
tears glistening on her cheeks and in her eyes as she examined his
face. If this be the lie,
show me not the truth. I love
them both.
Amy kissed him.
*
(I might add more )