Chapter 21
Chloe
I left Hudson standing there even when everything in me wanted to turn around and hear him explain what he was holding back. I knew there was more to it, but if he didn’t have the balls to let it out, then I wasn’t going to sit around and wait for him to become comfortable enough to talk to me about it. As I walked past the set, Simon called me to her director’s chair. I don’t know what his deal was, but he’d gone from being a total jackass to dripping all over me like honey. I hadn’t yet decided which worse, but I was leaning toward this current version of him. It made my skin crawl.
“So,” he said absent-mindedly, “it looks like we aren’t far off the end of wrapping this. How are you liking your position?”
“Well, I’m not sure about it. Maybe it is not for me, you know? I came out here wanting to act and I haven’t decided if I want to work production. I don’t know, there was just a lot going on this time around, so my mind is all over the place.”
“I see,” he said looking up from his tablet, eyeballing me over the top of his glasses. “You should probably consider exactly what it is you are looking for. And how I can help you get it.”
My stomach dropped. What exactly was this guy implying? “Excuse me?”
He smiled. “Never mind. Did you deliver the call sheet for tomorrow to Hudson?”
“I will later. I think he was busy in his trailer. So, I will just talk to him another time. Maybe I can just send it to him in an email or something.”
The faintest hint of a smirk crossed Simon’s face, but it disappeared as fast as it appeared. “Is everything alright with you two? I mean, you seemed like buddies in the beginning, but now it seems like you’ve been avoiding each other.”
“It’s just personal things, you know? I don’t really want to talk about it.”
“Ok. Well, word to the wise,” Simon leaned closer to me, so he could whisper into my ear. “Men like Hudson? They only want one thing from pretty young things like you. It might be better for you to stay away from him. And focus on more important things,” he reached out and ran a finger down my arm. I thought I was going to wretch. “More important things… like grown men. Who can offer you opportunities beyond your wildest dreams.”
Oh, you have got to be kidding me with this. Is every man around me an ass? I shook my head, wanting to say more, but knowing that it was best to keep it to myself. “Alright, then. I have a few more things I need to take care of, Simon, so I am going to get on it. If you need me, just call me, ok?”
“Sure thing.”
As I walked away from him, he yelled out to the set, “Alright, places! Places, everyone!”
I walked away from the commotion and into a small, makeshift office that was the size of a utility room. I closed the door behind me and sat down at the desk. At first, when Hudson hadn’t been around to talk to, it had been hard for me. It was hard to get used to not seeing him as much as I had been, but I couldn’t take the pain. The more I thought about it though, the more it didn’t make sense to me. Why would he just all of a sudden flip on me? I couldn’t put everything together, but right now, it just didn’t make sense. And after the crap Simon just said… something was weird. I had a sneaking suspicious whatever Hudson wasn’t telling me, he wasn’t telling me a good reason.
Jade told me that I was trying to subconsciously give him a way out because I liked him so much, but I didn’t think that was it. I opened my laptop to send him the call sheet that Simon wanted me to. I pulled up his email address and started to type but I was halfway through the message before I deleted everything. I had to say what was on my mind.
Hudson,
I don’t know what went wrong. I don’t know what changed between us, but I do think that you should have the chance to explain yourself to me. Maybe you couldn’t do it while you were here on set and I realize that I may have put you in an awkward position. So, I am willing to give you a chance to tell me the truth. All of it. But I won’t stand for any more lies, or half-truths. This is your last chance, so please use it wisely. Let me know…
Chloe
I reread the message what seemed like a thousand times, erasing things and adding to them just to make it sound better. After I was satisfied, I sent the email to Hudson. I looked at my watch. It was 2:49 pm and it was just about time for me to pick up the last of the sides.
I got up, locked the door and made my way to the editing room. I hoped that Hudson would see the email before he ended his day. I wanted him to tell me what really happened, and after that, I could make my decision to turn away and not look back or give him a second chance.