Episode Eighty-eight: Hunter's Moon

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Next: Episode 89

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Episode Eighty-Eight: Hunter's Moon

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In the morning, I made us a quick breakfast before we went together in the car the studio had provided for him. We quietly sat in the backseat, his head on my shoulder as we held hands. The driver, a young woman, opened the door for us when we arrived at the lot. 

Most of the movie was being filmed on a large sound stage. Edward had a small trailer just outside of it, a few more all in a row around his. There were two people, a makeup artist and a stylist, waiting for us just beside the camper at a picnic table. 

"Good morning, Eddie," one of them, a tall, pretty black woman, said right away when she noticed. She stood up with a big smile. The other, a short, stocky young man, looked over tiredly as he sipped his giant coffee. He was clearly not a morning person.  

"Good morning. Tasha and Joe, this is Bella, my girlfriend. She's coming to watch me today," he explained with a big smile as he opened the trailer with his key. He allowed them to go up the steps first before letting me. When I got inside, Tasha brought me into a hug.  

“So nice to meet you! We just love working with Eddie!” She gushed. 

“It’s nice to meet you, too! He is easy to work with, huh?” I winked at him when I looked back over my shoulder. He chuckled, scooting past me in the small space to go sit in his chair to start his process. 

“He is probably one of the most pleasant celebrities that I’ve worked with.”

“Wow. All this because I bought you pizza for lunch yesterday? You’re easy,” he teased, throwing off his hoodie and stretching his arms above his head. “See? This is why I buy people things.” 

"I am easy, but you're still nice," she giggled as she started to pull out her supplies while Joe helped. I sat at the dinner table that was across from them, pressed against the other side of the wall. "Oh, and you also gave me some of your breakfast, too." 

“Bella made all of that,” he sang my praises with a big smile. “I am so spoiled.”

“Good!” I laughed. “That’s exactly the kind of spoiled that I want you to be. Stay this grateful, though. It only encourages me to cook more.”

"So, how long have you two been together? You seem like an adorable couple," she asked as she started to put a stark white foundation on his face.  

It took them an hour to get him ready, and we chatted the entire time. I really enjoyed talking to Tasha. She could have held the conversation all on her own, but it was fun to keep up the constant pleasant chatter. When they were done, they left to go help someone else, but he still had another thirty minutes before he was needed on set.  

Edward was dressed in a nice tight-fitting black suit with a crisp white shirt but no tie. His hair was perfectly trimmed and combed into place. His skin was snow-white, his eyes edged in purple and dark blue. He even had the fangs. Somehow he didn’t slur when he had them. 

“How do I look?” He questioned. 

"You look like we need to go find a nice private place, so we roleplay out some of my long-running fantasies," I stated flirtatiously.  

Edward raised an eyebrow in my direction. “Oh, really? ‘Vampire’ does it for you?”

I giggled. "Obviously. Wanna come over here and bite me?" I pulled gently on the lapel of his expensive jacket.  

"Mm, yes, I do. But we shouldn't mess up all that hard work they just finished. Tonight?" He answered in a teasing voice. "Why don't we go get some coffee real quick instead, so I’m not tempted?" 

“K.” I bounced up from my spot at the table and took his hand. He smiled at my silly enthusiasm. 

There was a commissary in the next building over from the sound stage, so we walked the short distance outside in the pleasant California sun. There was a little bit of a line.  

“Why don’t you go sit down, love? I’ll fetch this for us,” he offered when he saw me yawn widely. 

"Thank you," I mumbled as I leaned my head against his shoulder for a brief moment. 

There was a small round table to one corner by the exit door that was empty. I decided to take up residence there to people watch for a few minutes. There were somewhat familiar faces, but I wasn't sure of anyone's name.  

"Hi!" A small woman in her early twenties, maybe, said from the table beside me. She was wearing blue jeans and a t-shirt with a comfortable looking bright yellow hoodie jacket. She was as short as me, but her skin was an even lighter olive tone, and her hair was straight and blue-black. "It's fun to watch, right?" 

I quickly nodded in agreement. “Totally. I am terrible with names, though. I don’t know anyone. I do know some faces, though.”

“Well, I’m Sarah!” She grinned as she introduced herself. “I know a lot of them, but I don’t know your face. What’s your name?”

“Bella,” I smiled back pleasantly. “This is my first time in one of these things.”

She nodded in understanding in return. “Oh, makes sense. You get used to it,” she promised. “So, what are you working on?” 

“Oh, I’m just visiting the set. The one they’re filming just right over here, actually. Um, Hunter’s Moon.”

Sarah instantly got excited. “Aw! Awesome! Actually, I’m working on that movie, too. You know, if you wanted… I could, you know, give you a special private tour and then maybe afterward we could get some lunch?” She asked, smiling at me as she looked me over slowly. The pretty young woman was checking me out. 

“Oh, my!” I laughed as I instantly blushed. “Like a date?” I blurted out, almost embarrassed. She nodded again with her friendly smile.  

“Oh, no. Did my gaydar go off at the wrong time?” She inquired cutely with a scrunched up nose. 

“No. It’s not wrong,” I giggled at the way she phrased it. “I am queer. Um, it’s just that I’m actually visiting my partner on set. He’s in the movie. I’m sorry. That’s really flattering, though. Thank you.”

She didn’t seem too disappointed. "Aw, that makes sense! You're gorgeous, and you seem sweet." 

I clicked my tongue, blushing brighter at her compliment. "Thanks. I don't know about that. But you are."  

Her phone beeped in her hand, and she looked at it quickly. "Oops, time for me to get on set. I hope that I didn't make you uncomfortable." 

"No, not at all! You are a beautiful young woman, and it always feels nice when someone so lovely flirts with you," I admitted quietly.  

She put both of her hands on her chest, blushing a little herself. “Aw, thank you! See, I could tell you were sweet. Well, maybe I’ll see you later.”
“Have a good day,” I called to her as she left. I kind of laughed to myself. A couple of minutes later Edward came to me with our coffee. I stood and took it from his hand. “So, I totally just got hit on.”

He wasn’t impressed. “Um, are you surprised?”

“Uh, yeah? She was like twenty and super hot.”

“Oh?” He said, his voice getting a little more high pitched. “You should have led with the ‘she’ part. That makes it more interesting.”

“I think that she was an infant was more interesting. I’m a million years old.”

Edward ignored my comment. “Did she say her name?”

“Sarah. That’s it, though. We only talked for a couple of minutes.”

“Is she still here?” He questioned, peaking around him before we walked out the door to go to the studio. He would be needed there soon. 

“No,” I laughed. “She had to get to the set.”

“Huh. Wonder if she’s an actress.”

“She didn’t say if she was or not. It didn’t seem like it to me. She wasn’t dressed up or anything. But she was an embryo, seriously.”

He took a sip of his coffee before shrugging. “She could just be baby-faced like you?” 

“No. She was definitely under twenty-five. I’m pretty sure that’s my hard limit on ages. No more than ten years. And I think my dating calendar might already be full,” I teased. “I think two is enough for me. Thanks.” 

My boyfriend snorted. “Please, you could wear six people out,” he said under his breath. I gave him a look, making him chuckle to himself. “I’m just calling you energetic. It’s not an insult. And I’m not saying you should. It’s just entertaining to see you so flustered.” He just smirked when I stuck my tongue out at him. He was doing it on purpose. 

We came onto the set, Edward leading the way while I still held his hand. We went to a quiet corner where there were mirrors and makeup chairs for touch-ups. They were in between scenes.  

I expected there to be a lot more action than there was. But it was a lot of just sitting around, waiting, makeup touch-ups, scene adjustments, camera, and light readjustment too. After a while, I brought out my tablet, a Christmas gift from Alice that I actually rarely used, so that I could work on my charity research. It was perfect for this purpose, though.  

Edward was filming scenes by himself for most of the morning, and I wasn't sure how he could be so funny all on his own. He knew every line perfectly. Whenever the director would want him to do it a different way, he could change on a dime. It was impressive. He was a far better actor than I had ever actually seen in person before, so close up anyway. I had gone to a few Broadway shows, but I could see him shining on that stage as well.  

After a few hours, they finally called cut for lunch. Apparently, two different crews were shooting on opposite sides of the big soundstage, and they started a break at the same time because a bunch of people went for the exit all at once. Edward was taking off his shirt and jacket so that it wouldn't get dirty while we ate.  

"So, what do you think we should order? We have a couple of hours if you'd rather go to lunch?" He offered as he hung them back up on a rack. There were several backups, just in case. Just then, the girl in the yellow hoodie walked by. We smiled at each other, and she looked over at Eddie.  

"Oh, that's your partner?!" She shouted in surprise. I laughed, covering my mouth as I nodded. "Hi, Eddie!" 

Edward whipped around to look at us, his eyes wide. Then he started to laugh, pointing between her and me with a grin. "Oh, I didn't even put two and two together. Sarah. Of course. Um. Yeah, so… Bella. This is Emma Sarah Jones, my co-star." 

"But my friends call me Sarah," she explained to me brightly. It's something they had it common, that they went by their middle names normally. I could tell by the way he looked at her that he liked her. "Oh, my gosh! He was talking about you all day yesterday. ‘My girl this and my girl that.’ It was so sweet. I can see why you turned me down," she lightheartedly teased. "I'm sorry that I was trying to pick up your girlfriend." 

“I get it.” He winked at me. “She’s a masterpiece. I can’t fault you your taste.”

“Oh, my. Eddie’s going to lunch today,” I mumbled to myself jokingly as I hopped down from his makeup chair finally. 

“What does that mean?” She asked in curiosity. 

My boyfriend answered for me. “She means she’d like quiet Edward to come back so that we can have a pleasant meal because she’s sick of watching Eddie already.”

I lifted my chin in the air, comically offended. “I’m not sick of him. You just need to save that energy for work. You don’t have to be a show-off all the time.” 

He scoffed. “Um, yeah? I do.”  

“You know what? Your grandmother was right about you. You are a fulltime job,” I responded dryly. 

"Um, yeah?” He repeated playfully. “Wasn't that basically the conversation we had last night?" He deadpanned before pulling me surprisingly to his side and kissing me deeply on the lips. They were going to have to fix his makeup after eating anyway. "Mm, I've wanted to do that for hours," he said to himself as he pulled away. 

“Kissing is an extra twenty dollars,” I smirked up at him in a challenging way. “Time is money. And what were you saying? You don’t give your skills away for free?”

“Twenty? That’s it? I’ll take a thousand more,” he replied before kissing me all over my face until I dissolved into giggles in his arms. He laughed at our playfulness, pushing his face into my neck for a moment to breath in my scent. “You should charge more, darling.”

I heard a soft giggle. “Oh, god. Too cute,” Sarah stated sweetly. I had forgotten she was even there. I was so wrapped up in my own little world of Edward. “He was actually explaining the term ‘pre-fiance’ to me at lunch yesterday.”

“No!” I laughed in embarrassment, “Edward, you’re telling people about that?”

He quickly nodded his head. “Um, well… just her. And Tasha. And a couple of other people.” I pouted a little. “Oh, come on! I like the term. It makes me happy. I’m sorry,” he chuckled before looking at her. “Thanks for outing me.” 

"Whoops," she giggled unapologetically. "Anyway, would you two like to join me for lunch? I was thinking about hitting a food truck down the street. It's Vietnamese. It's right by a small park, so we can sit out there while we eat." 

I looked up at Edward, who smiled down at me. I glanced in her direction. "Sure. Sounds fun." 

And it was. A lot. I loved talking to Sarah. By the time we had finished eating our meal and walked over to another food truck to get some dessert, we were entirely holding up the conversation. 

Apparently, she had been a child star and was on a television show that ran for six seasons that I had never even heard of. She had also been in more movies than Edward. She had come out at eighteen and had been an advocate for equal rights ever since. She was only twenty-two. I didn’t have the heart to tell her my age. She was so full of happy energy, chattering away with me. 

When we got back to the lot, we separated to go to their trailers so they could get freshened up. They were going to filming together that afternoon on a different set that I hadn’t seen yet. They were right beside each other. 

“I feel like I just chaperoned the cutest high school date ever,” Edward taunted in an American valley girl accent as soon as we got inside. I laughed and shoved him. “O.m.g. Totes adorable.” 

“Shut up!” I laughed, pushing him again. He was trying to make me flustered once more. “She’s too young for me! I’d never date her even if I were single. She’s just an infant! A gorgeous one, but still.”

He grabbed me up in his arms. "I think you made a new friend, though." 

“I think you have too, actually.”

“I hope so.” He squeezed me and kissed the top of my head. “She seems like a genuine person. I like her. It would be nice to have a friend in Hollywood.”

“She seems like our kind of people,” I replied. He nodded in agreement. 

Tasha and Joe knocked on the door, coming to finish getting him ready. He gave me one last long kiss before sitting back down in his chair. 

“You have a piece of rice on your shirt,” Joe laughed, picking it off and flicking it into the trash can. 

“And that’s why I took my costume off to eat,” he said back in fake indignation. 

They filmed for a lot longer this time. Several hours in a row with only short breaks. There was still a lot of quiet sitting around, though. By the time we got to the car around ten that night, I was ready to show Edward the work that I had done during the day on my tablet.  

“So,” I began as I pulled it out the device, his head on my shoulder. “Here is my research that I’ve put together for your charity of the month. I have three possible choices for each. Here are the details on each foundation and why I would like to use them that particular month. I made sure every one of them had a good track record. I also made sure to pick some more obscure ones. You don’t want to just focus on the mainstream nonprofits. I have the bat sanctuary as my top choice for October.” I grinned. “But all of this is in our file now. So, whenever you’re ready for it…” 

“Wow. That was so much quicker than I thought you’d be able to do it. And far more detailed.”

“It wasn’t hard.” 

Edward took my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you. I can't wait to see what you have for me. See, this is why your time is worth so much! You accomplished more on a tablet while sitting around being bored for an afternoon than most people can in a week." 

“I’ve been working on it a little, on and off, for a couple of weeks now,” I admitted. 

He sighed very quietly then he glanced over at me, brushing his fingers over my chin. “Yeah, I know. But you’ve been a very busy girl today. Bella, love- I…” Edward paused, squeezing my hand again. “I just want you to know that I see your worth and I want you to know how much I appreciate all that you do. And I want you to see your value, too. And not just to me.”              

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