Chapter Four

 

Three days on the set. There was so much more to making a movie than a play, or a commercial. This was wild. I loved it, except that I’d been so busy, I hadn’t had time to see Josh.

“I’m making dinner,” Lisa said on the other end of the phone.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be home,” I explained, watching the director glare at me as I took my personal call.

“I gotta go,” I said quickly, shutting my phone off and shoving it into my bag.

The man who was playing my husband was Mark Lewis, a B-rated actor from years ago. It wasn’t Scorching Rays of Beauty like Jackie Lemay landed, but it was my first leading role, and I was going to give it everything I had.

The long hours were exhausting, and not seeing Josh was torturous. It was sweet that Lisa was planning dinner, since the four of us were always busy lately. It used to be a ritual, at least once or twice a month, but I knew it had been at least three months since our last meal together.

When the director closed the set down, it was only seven o’clock, plenty of time to make an appearance at dinner, even if late.

I sent Lisa a text as I got out of makeup, letting her know I’d be there. On my way home, I called Josh, but got only his voicemail. I hadn’t talked to him all day, and even though I knew he was working his twenty-four-hour shift and couldn’t see him, I wanted to at least hear his voice.

Laughter rolled out of the house as I pushed my key into the front door lock. I opened the door to a smoke-filled room that smelled like someone had burnt old tennis shoes over a charcoal grill. “What the hell happened in here?” I asked, looking around the room at my three drunken roommates.

“Lisa burnt dinner, so we’re drinking instead,” Tamara said, holding up her beer.

“We need to open some windows,” I gasped, covering my mouth to keep from breathing in the stench.

Amy giggled, her plump cheeks pushing up her face. “Where’s Maria?” I asked, not used to seeing her without her sidekick.

“She got pissed off because I got asked to do some work for one of the car companies,” she said stiffly.

“I’m going to light some candles,” Lisa said, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

I fell into the sofa, too exhausted to change, or to care about the burnt smell drifting through the room. “Here,” Tamara said, handing me a beer.

It tasted good. Cold, wet, soothing. Yes, I needed a beer more than I needed dinner.

“How’s it going with Josh?” Tamara asked.

My cheeks burnt as I let my lips curl into a smile. “That good?” she laughed.

I nodded.

Lisa returned from the kitchen with a tray of cheese, salami, and crackers. She laughed as she placed the tray on the table. “Dinner is served.”

It felt good to just sit there and talk to my roommates. I found out Lisa got hired for a semi-lead role in a play, making me feel more at ease as I told them about the movie set.

Tamara kept pushing the conversation back to Josh, and how we were doing. I didn’t mind giving them all the details about our love affair, but honestly didn’t know how to answer the questions about how I felt, or where I saw it going.

“He’s twenty-seven, six years older,” I argued when Lisa said he’d be perfect for me.

He was perfect for me. The age difference didn’t matter to me, and I didn’t think it did to him, either—but I needed something to keep him from entering my heart. That was all I had.

“Who gives a shit?” Tamara growled.

I didn’t. Not really.

“I have to pee,” Amy said after sucking down four beers.

We all teased her about her tiny girl bladder as she left the room, and quickly went back to talking about Josh, and why I was being so stubborn about a possible relationship.

“Fire!” Amy yelled from the other room.

She ran into the living room with flames chasing her from the kitchen opening. “Fuck!” Tamara yelled, quickly gripping her phone.

“Everyone out,” Lisa shouted, ushering us through the front door as Tamara called 911.

Standing on the front lawn, we all watched with horror as our house was engulfed in flames. “My camera,” Tamara shouted, running back towards the house.

We all screamed at her, begging her to stay away, but it was her only way to survive; we knew it was a lost cause.

The fire trucks blasted loud horns and flashing red lights as they approached. Men piled out of the trucks, some running towards the house, and some dragging the long yellow hose to the nearest hydrant. It was like a bad dream. Tamara was still inside, the flames were growing more powerful, and suddenly, I realized, she may not come out.

“Emily. Are you okay?” I turned to see Josh, all geared up in his yellow suit.

“Tamara. Tamara went inside to get her camera. It’s been too long,” I sobbed, falling into his arms.

“It’s okay. Stay here,” he ordered, peeling me from him.

My heart sank deep into my chest as he ran into the house with several other men. Now, not only was my best friend inside the flames, but so was Josh.

Lisa let out a cry, sobbing that it was all her fault. Amy comforted her in her arms as I stared at the front door, waiting to see if anyone came back out.

Two firefighters exited; I couldn’t tell if one was Josh right away or not. My knees weakened when they both walked towards the truck. It wasn’t Josh. It wasn’t Tamara.

“There she is,” Lisa yelled out.

I looked towards the door to see Josh carrying Tamara out of the house. She gripped her camera case tightly as the rest of her body fell limp in Josh’s strong arms. He set her on the lawn near us, shook his head, and smiled. “You’re not a very smart woman, are ya?” he teased.

She smiled weakly. “I got my camera, didn’t I?” she snapped.

He nodded and winked.

The EMTs quickly rushed to Tamara, giving her oxygen, and covering her in a cool cloth.

“What happened here?” he asked, his eyes lingering in my direction. “I mean, I want to see you, too, but this is a little extreme,” he smiled.

Even in this horrid situation, Josh had a way of making me feel safe and at ease.

I explained the situation, how Lisa burnt dinner, and we lit candles and opened windows to kill the smell. The candle in the kitchen had most likely brushed with the curtain as the wind blew through, causing it to ignite.

Josh seemed to agree it would be tough to determine the house was on fire with the smell and smoke still so strong from earlier. I felt foolish, but I was glad to see him.

The fire was finally contained, but there wasn’t much left to the house. “You’ll obviously need a place to stay for a while,” Josh said.

“Where are we going to go?” Amy cried.

“Do you have anywhere?” Josh asked. “Family? Friends?” he added.

“None of us have family here,” I explained.

“All my friends live here,” Lisa laughed nervously, pointing at the house. “Can I stay with you?” she asked me with a laugh.

“Sure, bring your own marshmallows, though,” I teased.

Tamara was fine despite how long she’d been inside with the blaze, and was released by the EMT. She assured us that the insurance would handle everything. “We can stay in a hotel. They’ll reimburse us,” she suggested.

“Why don’t you girls go to my house,” Josh offered, reaching under his suit and into his jeans.

“Here,” he said, handing me a key.

“We couldn’t,” I argued.

“Of course you could,” he said with a wink.

He leaned in, kissing me softly on my forehead. He reeked of smoke, but I didn’t mind. He was sensual, sweet, and so kind that I could feel my heart swelling inside my chest.

“Are you sure?” I asked.

“Yes,” he insisted.

The girls all thanked him as the other firefighters pulled him away. “I gotta go. Emily knows how to get there,” he said, grinning as he turned to head back toward the truck.

Wow, only two official dates, and I’m already moving in.