“And...ACTION!” The director screams out, his rough voice echoing throughout the whole ballroom. Straightening the front of my dress, I march through the double doors of the room, smiling and shaking the hands of all the extras on set.

It’s been three months since our contracts were renewed, and now shooting for Manhattan Reign has already commenced. This is actually the first scene, the one that’s going to open the season and dictate the pace.

To be honest with you, I can’t believe that, after all that happened, Manhattan Reign is still a living thing. We were all convinced that the show was going to be cancelled, but now look at us...critical acclaim, viewership records—we went from being on the verge of being cancelled to transforming into a veritable juggernaut.

“Thank you everyone for being here tonight,” Kane says, his voice booming through the room. Even though he isn’t using a mic, he really knows how to project his voice. “It feels good to have everyone in here. Family, friends, all my loved ones,” he continues, looking around the room and allowing his gaze to linger on me for a long while.

We’re shooting a scene that’s supposed to be a birthday party for his character, and it’s happening in a extravagant ballroom. The set was terribly expensive but, after renewing the show, the producers decided to go all out with the money they were putting in. As it is, Manhattan Reign is the most expensive series ever on TV.

“I want to use this occasion to do something I’ve been thinking about for a long time now,” he says, this time his eyes never leave mine. Even though this is his birthday party, the script has a little twist coming: he’s going to propose to my character, Katya.

“Katya,” he continues, slowly walking across the ballroom as everyone looks at us. Even though I know we’re acting right now, I can’t stop my heart from fluttering inside my chest. We’ve been together for a few months now, and I’m so in love with him that even a fake marriage proposal is enough to make my head spin.

“From the first time I met you, I knew that my life would never be the same again,” he tells me, now lowering his voice. Reaching for me, he holds both my hands and smiles at me. “I’ve never felt anything like this for anyone...And, deep in my heart, I know that you’re the right woman for me. Whatever the future brings, I want to grow old by your side.”

Lowering himself on one knee, Kane takes a small box from the inside of his jacket. Raising it up, he then opens it and shows me the golden band tucked in there. “Will you marry me?” he asks me, but I notice that he has dropped my name from his line. He was supposed to say ‘Will you marry me, Katya?’ but I guess he’s just winging it now.

Slowly taking the ring out from its box, Kane looks up at me and smiles. I’m about to say my line when I notice something out of place in this whole scene. The ring Kane is holding isn’t the one we used during rehearsals, and I doubt the production would change such an important prop without letting me know.

Narrowing my eyes, I look down at the ring in Kane’s hands and I see some subtle lettering engraved on it. As the light bounces off it, my heart almost stops beating as I realize what’s written there: it’s my name.

That’s why Kane didn’t say Katya’s name. That’s why he changed the ring we were supposed to be using for the scene.

Right now, he isn’t acting.

He’s asking me, Sasha, to marry him.

“I…” I stammer, covering my mouth with one hand and completely forgetting about my lines. I feel tears start to sing at my eyes, and I just wipe them with the back of my hand. “Do you...Do you really mean it?” I ask him, my voice quivering.

“I’ve never meant anything so seriously as this,” he whispers, softly holding my hand in his. “If you want this...I’ll be yours, and you’ll be mine.”

“If I want this?” I whisper, gritting my teeth so that I don’t start crying. “Of course I do!” I let the words flow out of my mouth like a raging river, and I let tears stream down my face as Kane holds my hand steady, sliding my finger into the ring.

“I love you,” he tells me, and I don’t even give him the time to stand up. I just go for it, bending over and throwing my hands over his shoulders; crushing my mouth against his, I then stumble forward and collapse on top of him.

Around us, the whole room is applauding and whistling, and I can’t even tell if such a wild celebration was part of the script or not. Either way, real life is never scripted, and just like this moment, it feels so much better.

“You’re completely crazy,” I whisper into his ear, smiling so hard that I feel the muscles in my face will be hurting for days.

“I’m crazy for you,” he replies, wrapping his arms around my body as he kisses me again. I have to struggle against the urge to simply have him right here and now, and somehow I manage to get myself back up on my feet.

“CUT!” the director screams out. I look at him, expecting to see an angry expression on his face, but he seems ecstatic. “I know I tell you guys not to go off script...But this was some world-class acting,” he tells both Kane and I, shaking our hands. “And you guys pulled it off in one single take. Perfect scene.”

“Well, you know…” Kane replies, laughing. “This wasn’t a scene, it was real.”

“Real,” I repeat, the happiness rushing through me making me feel as if I’m about to burst.

“What are you guys talking about?” the director asks us with a confused look, but Kane simply grabs me by the hand and starts dragging me out of the ballroom set and towards the bedroom set. Oh my God.

We’re going to fuck on camera again.

In the set that contains Katya’s bed.

“I’ll explain it to you later…” he tells the director over his shoulder. “Right now...We gotta celebrate. So keep filming.”

That’s right; a celebration is in order. And I’m thinking of a naked kind of celebration.

Now this is the life.