Excuse Me, Miss

Claire opened her eyes and, for a moment, she thought she was back in her New York apartment, but the illusion was shattered as she sat up and remembered the events of the past day. That idiot, she thought groggily. Her phone told her it was a little past seven, which was confirmed by the setting sun outside her window. I guess I really did need a day off.

She got out of bed and stretched her stiff arms, then went into the bathroom to shower. The hot water made her feel more alert and she was already thinking about work as she dried off and got dressed. There was a knock on the door, so she quickly tied her hair back and went to look through the peephole. “What are you doing here?” she asked as she opened the door.

“Kyle wanted me to bring these to you,” Philip said, handing her a stack of folders, “and he wanted me to thank you for the flawless directing you did yesterday.”

Claire raised her eyebrows. “Flawless?” she repeated. “He must feel really guilty.” She flipped open the top folder and read it quickly. “Looks like he made room for more staff in the budget,” she muttered.

“Really? Who did he get?” he asked interestedly.

“An assistant for Matt, another photographer and two grips,” she replied, peeking into the other files rapidly.

“You must’ve really gotten through to him this time,” Philip remarked.

“Honestly I don’t remember much of what I said,” she confessed. She yawned again and tossed the files onto an end table. “How did it go today?” she asked.

Philip shrugged. “It went fine, I guess. A lot of people asked about you, but most of them were relieved you’d finally taken a day off.”

“Most of them?” Claire echoed.

“I think a few people were hoping you’d be directing again,” he admitted. “Everyone liked working under-”

“No,” she said, sitting on the couch. “I won’t have any of that, Phil. Kyle is the director, and for all his faults he’s going to stay that way.”

Philip nodded. “Oh, I almost forgot,” he said, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. “This is from-”

“I know,” she said, opening it quickly.

Dear C, it read, I hope you’re enjoying your time off. Missed you on set. Don’t stay away too long, big surprise planned soon.

K

“Do you know anything about a ‘big surprise’?” she asked, refolding the note.

“Not really, but Kibum’s been pretty mysterious all day,” he replied. “Are you ever going to let him take you on a real date?”

“I don’t think I can,” she sighed. “I really do like him, Philip, but-”

“You've got to stop letting Sam hold power over you like this!” Philip exclaimed. “Has it ever occurred to you that maybe not every actor is like him?”

“Maybe I'm just having a hard time,” she snapped. “I was facing jail time, if you remember, on top of my ruined career and near homelessness, so excuse me if I'm being extra cautious this time!”

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I'm sorry,” she muttered.

“No one's expecting you to fall headfirst into anything,” he said, “but maybe give the poor guy a chance before he starts throwing pebbles at your window or something.”

The image of Kibum trying to lob a pebble up to her sixth floor window made her chuckle and soon they were both laughing. “Okay,” she agreed, still smiling, “I'll try.”


******

Minho strolled through the rapidly filling parking lot to where the food tent was just being set up. It was only a little past six and he was anxious for a warm cup of coffee to ward off the morning chill. “Hey Sunyoung,” he said, nodding to the intern as he helped himself.

“Mr. Choi,” she replied, bowing in her genteel way. She was the only intern who didn't get starstruck around him, so he was able to have actual conversations with her, even if she insisted on formal terms.

“Did you get food tent duty again?” he asked.

Sunyoung nodded. “The other interns don't like it,” she said, setting a tray of bacon on the table. “They think it's beneath them.”

“Beneath them? Why, it's the most important job on the set!”

“You always say that,” she said accusingly.

“Because it's true!” Minho insisted. “If we didn’t have food to eat, none of us could do our jobs. You're the heart of this whole show, Sunyoung.”

Her cheeks pinked and she bowed again. “Good morning, Miss Gresham,” she murmured.

Minho turned around and smiled. “Claire! How was your day off?” he asked, already pouring her a cup of coffee.

“Restful,” she replied, “but I'm anxious to be back. Have you seen Kibum anywhere?”

Minho shrugged. “Not yet.”

“He came by a few minutes ago,” Sunyoung offered. “He mentioned something about hair and makeup.”

“Thanks, Sun,” Claire said, taking her coffee and heading up the hill.

“Wait up,” Minho called, downing the rest of his coffee and immediately regretting it as the hot liquid raced down his throat. He gasped and Sunyoung handed him a napkin. “Thanks,” he croaked before running after Claire.

She glanced back at him and shook her head wonderingly. “You think you’d have learned not to do that by now,” she commented.

“I’m fine,” he insisted, though his throat felt like he had swallowed hot coals. “Are you gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“What’s going on is I have a new photographer and two grips to acquaint with my set, so you should probably head on to wardrobe,” she said brusquely.

“You’re different today,” he said, cutting in front of her, “in a I’ve-decided-to-actually-enjoy-life kind of way.”

“What can I say? Sleeping more than three hours can have that effect.”

They got to the top of the hill, where the first crew members were already rearranging the set for the morning’s shoot. Claire started to leave, then she wheeled around again. “Do you know anything about a ‘big surprise’?” she asked.

“I’ll tell if you will,” he challenged good-naturedly.

To his disappointment Claire only smiled and sipped her coffee. “Fair enough,” she agreed. “I’ll see you on set.”

She cut through the crowd and was soon lost in it, but Minho waited about ten seconds before following her. She’s planning something, and I’ve got to know what it is.

He trailed her in and around the set until they arrived at the makeup tent, where Kibum was already in a chair. He had earbuds in and was staring at his phone, but Minho watched as Claire touched his arm lightly and Kibum looked up and smiled at her. It was a real smile, one that lit up his entire face, and Minho couldn’t help smiling too. She’s really doing a number on him, he thought.

He wasn’t close enough to hear what they said, but the shy look on Claire’s face and the increasingly hopeful expression on Kibum’s made it pretty obvious. He nodded a few times, his smile getting bigger each time, and Minho saw Claire squeeze his hand before melting into the crowd again. They’re going for it, he realized. They’re actually going for it.


******


Claire knocked on the door of Kibum’s trailer as softly as possible, trying not to draw attention to herself. It was hours after quitting time and the moon blazed in the sky like a giant lantern as she waited.

The door opened and Kibum peeked out. “You came,” he said in a loud whisper. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure you would.”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” she reminded him. “Where’s this place you wanted to show me?”

“It’s not far,” he assured her, closing the door behind him. He led her around the back of the trailer and gestured at a metal ladder on the side. “Come on,” he murmured, climbing up the ladder. She followed him carefully until she was on the roof of the trailer. There was a bottle of something already sitting there, along with two squat glasses and a mountain of pillows. Kibum reached down and pulled her onto the pillows beside him. “What do you think?” he asked, gesturing around him.

“It’s definitely creative,” she replied, “and certainly as clandestine as you promised.”

Kibum laughed softly. “I always keep my promises,” he said airily. “Want a drink?”

He filled the glasses and handed her one before leaning back on the pillows. Claire sniffed her glass carefully. “What is this? I can’t tell in this darkness.”

“Try it,” he said amusedly, so she took a small sip. “It’s grape juice!” she exclaimed in surprise.

“I heard you don’t like alcohol, so I improvised,” he said with a grin. “Will it do?”

“Yes,” she said, laying beside him on the pillows. She looked up at the sky and stared into the infinite array of stars, all of them scattered across the heavens like diamonds on velvet. She felt at peace - not just calm or collected, but truly at rest in every part of her being. “Thank you,” she murmured, though she didn’t know whether she was talking to Kibum or the glittering sky above her. Neither responded, so she turned her head to look at him. He was staring up too, his wide eyes reflecting the same awe and wonder she felt, so she turned her attention back to the captivating night, until somewhere below them a truck rumbled by and the moment was shattered into reality. Claire sat up and set her glass aside as the rumbling died away and the night was still again.

“Claire?”

“We still have to be careful, Ki,” she whispered. “We’re still coworkers, and you’re still a hotshot celebrity, remember?”

She felt movement and was aware of him sitting up, contemplating her. “I haven’t forgotten,” he murmured finally.

“We… we haven’t known each other that long, and you know far more about me than I do about you.” She turned to look at him and was surprised at how closely he was leaning in, as if he was straining to hear every word. “Whatever happens, whatever we start has to begin with the future in mind.”

None of this seemed to concern him, but she still waited for a reply. Seconds passed and she thought he might kiss her, but he just looked up at the sky again and smiled. “I know you’re afraid,” he said, “and I know this is going to be hard for both of us, but…” he glanced over at her and shrugged. “It’s like every time someone tries to talk me out of it, I see you coming out of that loading bay and I’m convinced all over again.”

Claire blushed in spite of herself. Keep it together, Claire, she told herself sternly. “I do really like you,” she confessed, “but what happens if the show gets canceled and I have to go home? Or what if word gets out about my past in New York? None of the local crew knows about that, Kibum. It could sink the show if someone found out.”

“You’re inventing problems that haven’t come up yet,” he said pointedly. “Why don’t we agree to take this one day at a time, and if anything happens, I promise we’ll figure it out together. Okay?”

Her familiar sense of self-preservation battled with her growing desire to agree with him and she let out a long sigh. “Okay,” she conceded, “but we have to remain professional on set, no matter what.”

“Strong words coming from someone who yelled at me in front of half the crew,” he teased.

“Hey, you know that was-”

Her sentence was cut off as he leaned down and kissed her, and she realized that for all the worries she had, her heart was finally starting to heal.

Notes