Free Green Eyes by Amanda Heath

sweaty. Suddenly I have never wanted anything more in my life than for his mouth to touch mine.
    Our lips finally touch and while no fireworks go off in the background, something shifts inside of me. I’m no longer angry and confused by my actions. You see, he was trying to bury what he feels around me, just like I was doing. I didn’t realize I was doing it until right now, but I was. It’s why we haven’t spent time together outside of the set, because, let’s be honest, there’s not much to do around here. We are filming out in the middle of nowhere, so it’s not like we can really go anywhere. It’s also why I know hardly anything about him. I didn’t want to know because I didn’t want to like him.
    Based on what I do know about him, it would end in disaster. He’s best friends with my father’s son, and he just got out of a six year-long relationship. Not to mention all the fucking baggage I have following around behind me.
    His lips push against mine and then pull away slightly. His thumb smoothes over my skin oh so slowly, goose bumps following in their wake. Then he’s moving in again, those lips so gentle against mine. My hands have slipped up his chest and I’m clutching at his tux jacket because he just isn’t close enough. I hear a chuckle in there somewhere but we are going to pretend that it was my imagination.
    “That’s good guys! You can stop kissing now,” Victor yells somewhere in the background.
    Ryan’s lips leave mine, his hands slowly leaving my face. I take a step back, my hands slowly leaving his jacket going over his hard chest. My eyes slowly move away from his to look out at a sea of extras, all of whom are looking at us like we are crazy. Word seems to spread fast around here, so everyone pretty much knows that the two of us don’t get along, and here we are kissing like two love struck teenagers.
    I’m fairly embarrassed.
    Ryan takes my hand and kisses the back of it before lifting them above our heads. The crowd cheers and I find a genuine smile stretch my face. We just fooled the shit out of these people and we weren’t even pretending.
    At least, I wasn’t pretending.
    For the rest of the day we film while we act out activities that you do at a wedding. We danced, we took wedding photos, and we shoved cake in each other’s faces. All the while something so different was there now, between us. I know where he is at all times. I can feel him, especially when his eyes look at me. It’s intense and it scares the living shit out of me.
    I was in love with Aaron. I would have moved the entire world for that man. In the end, of course, he didn’t want me, or I would be with him. The thing about it is, I never had this kind of connection with him as I do Ryan. I knew Aaron better, not as much as I would have liked to know, but I knew enough to fall in love with him.
    This was a slow burn that took its sweet time in showing itself. At the beginning I wasn’t even attracted to him, considering his rugged appearance, but that’s where it sparked. Something inside of him, it sings to something inside of me. And now I feel like I’ve lost my mind. Here’s hoping I have because that makes more sense to me.
    After all the filming and fanfare, I sneak away from everyone to my trailer. I find my pack of smokes hidden deep under my shoes in my suitcase. I do unpack my suitcases, but not my shoes. There is really nowhere else to keep them. I rush out the door and stand in front of my trailer, my hand shaking slightly as I light my cigarette.
    Yes, I’m a smoker. And you didn’t know until now because I don’t advertise it. I don’t want some young girl seeing me smoke a cigarette and think it’s cool. I try not to be photographed with one in my hand. I also try not to do it around Talia.
    “I didn’t know you smoked,” comes a deep Australian accent somewhere behind me.
    I want to growl at him for sneaking up behind me and for catching me at a weak moment. The only reason