A Second Take & The Aftermath

The following day, filming resumed, but the mood on set had changed.

Since our heated exchange in my caravan, Julian and I had been able to keep our distance from one another, but I could sense him—his presence was unavoidable, like an electric charge in the air.

The fact that everyone seemed to notice something different about our last take did not help either.

The filmmaker had been overjoyed. "That was amazing! The tension and passion are just what we need.

I had overheard some crew members whispering behind their clipboards and exchanging knowing glances. And now I could hear the buzz of excitement all around us as we stood under the bright set lights for another take of the same scene.

They had an expectation.

They hoped we would be able to re-capture the magic.

I rolled my shoulders in an attempt to release the pressure of expectation. There was only a scene.

It is just a scene.

So why, as I looked directly into Julian's eyes, did my pulse pound in my throat?

The Second Take: Too Dangerous, Too Real

"Take action!"

The world we were meant to live in took the place of the set.

Eli, played by Julian, stalked towards me with a dark, unreadable expression. He was meant to be furious, caught between desire and hatred.

It was not merely a performance.

His eyes showed me the true Julian—frustration, something unfiltered and unspoken between us.

"You make me crazy," he whispered. He touched my wrist with his fingers, then took hold.

It was not preplanned.

He took a step closer, and I took a sharp breath, our breaths mixing. Every nerve was hyper-aware of him, and my skin burned when he touched me.

I had trouble recalling what I was going to say next.

"I—" I took a swallow. "You do not have my faith."

He clenched his jaw. "Then allow me to demonstrate."

And he kissed me like it was yesterday.

It was not the same this time, though.

It was more ravenous. rougher.

His hands tangled in my shirt as he pushed me back against the wall, his body pressed against mine. He did not pull away even though the kiss was only meant to last a few seconds.

I did not either.

Unquestionably, there was heat between us that crackled like a live wire.

On set, I heard someone gasp.

I vaguely realised that we were not following the script.

I did not care, though.

The director's final "Cut!" was the only thing that brought reality back to earth.

The ensuing silence was deafening.

With my hands still gripping Julian's jacket, I blinked, my breath coming in short gasps.

His pupils were blown wide as he gazed at me, his chest rising and falling quickly.

I stepped back, dropping my hands.

Nobody spoke.

After staring at us in awe, the director shook his head and burst out laughing.

“That was incredible!” he said. I did not even want to shout "cut," Jesus! That was raw, you two. Actual. tense. We have never had a better take than that.

Some of the crew were still in shock from what they had just seen, but they all nodded.

It was as if I had just been revealed.

Julian, who appeared to be as shaken as I was, combed his hair. However, a brief smirk appeared on his lips as he turned to face me.

As if he was aware.

As if he was fully aware of what was happening to me.

Worse?

He seemed to know that I could not stop it.

The Internet Explodes in the Fallout

Before I could even comprehend what had happened, my phone began to explode.

I initially disregarded it. Whatever Liam had to say about our second take, I did not want to read through the messages.

But then, with her phone in hand, my assistant, Rachel, stormed into my caravan.

"Ethan," she exhaled sharply. "You must watch this."

Her phone was thrust into my face.

It was T*****r.

And the internet as a whole had gone crazy.

CURRENT: #ThatKissWasREAL #EnemiesOrLovers #EthanAndJulianChemistry

I felt sick to my stomach.

With my heart pounding, I browsed through the tweets."That was not acting in any way. It was just too good of a kiss. Too authentic. I am going insane."How did Ethan and Julian go from detesting one another to making out as if their lives depended on it?!""I am suing these two if they are not dating by the end of the film.""The way they exchanged glances following the incident... AID.

Fans were not the only ones.

It was being covered by the media.

There were headlines everywhere.

"The On-Set Chemistry Between Julian Cross and Ethan Ford Lights Up the Internet—Was That Kiss Just Acting?"

"The Distinguishing Fact from Fiction: Hollywood's Favourite 'Enemies' May Be More"

Then—

When I watched the video, my heart almost stopped.

Our second take had been leaked.

It appeared to be a behind-the-scenes video shot from a perspective that allowed you to see everything, but it was not even the official footage.

Julian's method of grabbing me. I melted into it in that way. The time we continued when the script instructed us to stop.

Rachel was speaking, but I hardly heard her.

This is getting out of control. Even though it has only been a few hours, people are already making assumptions. Liam is going crazy. You must give him a call—

I ignored her.

Since the only thought that was going through my mind was:

Julian.

What was he doing about this?

My time of wondering was short.

An article with a quote from Julian himself appeared as a new notification.

As I clicked it, my stomach twisted.

"I Will not Pretend There Was not Something Real in That Moment," Julian Cross says in response to a viral video.

I went cold.

I went back and read it.

And once more.

Julian was not trying to hide it.

He was admitting it.

That is when I realized—

This was not merely an error.

It was more than a scene.

It was authentic.

Furthermore, I was clueless about how to handle the situation.