Chapter 16
Thomas
I got to Bridget’s that morning, and she was already standing outside waiting for me. Today, she started shooting one of the three movies that her agent had thrown at her, and she was tapping her foot like I was late. I got out of my car before sliding right into hers, and she began rambling away while Bernie pulled out of the parking lot.
“This movie should be done pretty quickly,” she said. “It’s a low-budget movie that’ll be sent straight to DVD once it’s done. Doing movies like this is really good for my career because it gives me connections in the indie movie industry, which means I could potentially go to some of the indie festivals, like Sundance, and promote other things. It doesn’t pay me too much money, but it’s still fun.”
“Do you enjoy these types of movies more than the high-budget ones?” I asked.
“Sometimes,” she said. “But this one’s a horror flick, so I’ll probably just end up having nightmares.”
“Well, you’ll be safe on set so long as I’m there,” I said.
“Thanks. Oh, and thank you for taking care of me last night. And ignoring my crazy, rambling ass.”
The way she tacked that last statement on made me wonder. She acted incredibly strange when I’d called her “Kimberly” as a joke yesterday, and the way her leg was jiggling again told me I was getting closer to this secret of hers. But with whatever the hell was brewing between us, I didn’t feel right digging into her by reading her body language, so I just decided to flat out ask her.
“Bridget?”
“Yeah?”
“Is there something I should know?” I asked.
“Not at all. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that you answered that question pretty quickly, and you seem a bit tense,” I said. “Especially when I called you ‘Kimberly’ yesterday. It was just a joke, and I didn’t mean to upset you if I did.”
“Oh, I wasn’t upset. Taken aback and very confused, but not upset. I could never be upset with you, Thomas.”
“The middle of last week proved differently, but thanks,” I said. She slid her hand onto my thigh, and I felt my skin warm against her touch. Her head was turned, poised to look out the window, but her focus seemed elsewhere. Her eyes weren’t moving with the passing of the scenery, nor were they focused on the road below us. She had buried herself into her head again, and I didn’t understand why.
“Are you sure?” I asked her again.
“Hm?”
“That there isn’t anything I should know,” I said.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just got some stuff on my mind is all.”
Now, we had gone from “no” to “it’s nothing.” There was definitely something going on, and whatever it was had been taking up space in her mind for a long time now. Her hand was slowly squeezing harder into my thigh, and I cupped my hand around hers to relax her. The moment I did, she let out a breath I didn’t know she was holding.
She was panicking about something, and it killed me that she wouldn’t talk with me about it. But before I could ask her about it again, we had arrived on set, and she was already scrambling out of the car before I could get out first.
We walked onto set, and she was immediately whisked away to hair and makeup. Just like the previous set, I wasn’t allowed back there, but with it being a low-budget film, she emerged twenty minutes later, looking not too far off from what she’d looked like going back there. I stood in the corner of the room where the shadows of the equipment converged and hid me so I could get a good scope of the room. But I couldn't tear my eyes away from Bridget. Every scream scene and every scene where she had to have fear in her eyes looked a little too real for my liking, and I found myself squeezing my fists while she continued to film.
Over and over again, she cried on cue. She screamed out whatever pain it was she was obviously feeling, and the fear that rose into her eyes brought tears to mine. It killed me that she didn’t feel safe, even with me around, and I knew then I’d have to figure out what her secret was.
Whatever it took.
By the time filming was over, it was a little past three, and I knew I wouldn't be able to pick up Lacey. I called my parents while she went back into hair and makeup to change and take all her stuff off, and I was thankful that my mom was around and willing to get her. I hung up the phone with her just as Bridget emerged, and I could tell her eyes were darting around, looking for me.
And when I emerged from the shadows, she took off running and jumped into my arms.
“Well, hello to you, too,” I said.
“Let’s go home,” she said into the crook of my neck.
I put her back down onto her feet, and we called Bernie to head home. The entire car ride was silent, but every once in a while, I would hear her shift. She’d slowly scoot closer and closer to me, like somehow, she knew I’d protect her from the looming world outside of the car. I slipped my arm around her and pulled her close. She sank into me with the relief, the way Lacey usually did after having a nightmare. I was honestly scared of leaving her alone with her own thoughts tonight.
“You gonna be all right tonight?” I asked.
“Oh, yeah,” she said. “I’ll be good. And if I’m not, I can call Rachel.”
“No going out without me, okay?”
“Promise,” she said.
We pulled up to her house with her body cradled into mine, and for a moment, neither of us moved when Bernie stopped the car. It was almost four o’clock now, and I knew Lacey would want me home soon, but something in the back of my mind told me to just stay with her a little while longer.
So we sat there and breathed together in the silence of her car.
“You should get on home,” she said. She threw her door open and got out before I could protest. I scrambled out behind her and watched her walk to her door. She was acting incredibly strange, and it left a bad taste in my mouth, so I asked the question that had been throwing itself around in my head all day.
“Are you sure you don’t have anything you want to talk about before I leave?” I asked.
I saw her body stop before her shoulders slumped forward. She cocked her head to the side a bit, and if I didn’t know any better, I could’ve sworn her eyes glistened over with tears. My entire body yearned to pick her up and take her with me, back to my home where I could watch over her and keep her safe, but then, she turned toward me and answered my question the only way I knew she would.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
I wanted to tell her it mattered to me. That I wasn’t just some fuck toy, but I was also her bodyguard. I wanted to tell her it was my job and my right to know what was going on in her head, in case it posed a threat to her safety, but I knew if I cornered her like that, she would run.
So, I answered the only way I knew she would accept.
“All right,” I said.
I turned to start for my car, and I heard her footsteps behind me. I went to turn around, but I felt her hands on the collar of my jacket. Her eyes were frantic, and her body was suddenly pressed close to mine. As Bernie began to back out of the driveway, she thrusted her lips upon mine as she raised up onto her tiptoes.
Her lips were soft against mine but filled with a desperation I couldn’t pinpoint. Her grip on my collar was shocking, like the fear she held within her body was willing her to keep me here. I dropped my arms to her waist before I cloaked her body with my strength, and as I swept her off her feet, I walked us back into her home and headed for the staircase.