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"You stink so awful, you know." Shirayuki sniffed, her face immediately twisting due to the terrible smell. But even despite her inner dissatisfaction, she couldn't push him away, letting his head rest on her lap. Her fingers dug into his blond locks, lightly massaging his head. "Drunken Head, can you hear me? Did you fall asleep?"
"No, I'm not sleeping!" Zen immediately straightened up, staggering slightly. His hair was disheveled, and his sapphire eyes were slightly clouded due to the alcohol in his blood. He looked at Shirayuki attentively, humbling her with a frown. "And also, I'm not drunk! I'm as sober as a judge."
"Well, well, yeah, of course." Shirayuki giggled, noticing how charming he looked: pouting lips, slightly furrowed eyebrows, eyes glittering under the warm lamplight. Suddenly, he staggered, practically plopping down on top of her. Shirayuki immediately picked him up, putting him next to her on the bench. "Is everything okay? Let's go back before you fall asleep."
"No, wait..." Zen grabbed her hand. "I have to tell you something…"
He pulled her to him, closing the distance between them. Shirayuki froze in surprise, meeting his eyes.
"You know..." he whispered, leaning toward her so that the tips of their noses barely touched each other. "I like you."
"Wh…"
Shirayuki only blinked, opening her mouth at the sudden confession, as she immediately felt someone else's lips on her own. His hand lightly squeezed her wrist, and his eyes were closed.
She wasn't aware of her actions. Her hand acted automatically, rising into the air, escaping from his grip.
There was a loud slap.
The emerald eyes widened in horror. Shirayuki stared in shock at her hand, which was trembling slightly, and then turned her gaze to Zen.
There was a huge red mark on his pale cheek. Zen slowly touched his cheek, giving her a shocking look. He licked his lips and then got to his feet, turning away from her.
"I'm sorry, I..." his voice trembled slightly, turning his gaze back to her. "I'm sorry…"
“Cut!”
There was a loud click, and the lights came on. The floodlights were so bright that Shirayuki was blinded. However, despite this, she immediately jumped up to Zen, watching with confused eyes as one of the employees approached him with an ice pack.
"Zen, I'm so sorry..." Shirayuki bit her lower lip, looking at him from under lowered eyelashes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…"
"What else could we expect from you?" Suddenly, a female voice sounded like snake venom from behind, and Shirayuki immediately saw Yumi, her colleague. Yumi glared at her with her brown eyes, slowly approaching Zen. "How could you not figure out your strength? Just look at his cheek! You should have faked it, not really hit him. And how you were cast as the main character…"
"Yumi, that's enough. Shirayuki didn't do it on purpose." Zen immediately looked at Yumi with a frown, noticing how she immediately shut her mouth. Then, he shifted his soft gaze to her. A smile spread across his face, and he closed the distance between them by taking a couple of steps towards her. "It's okay, Shirayuki. Anything can happen on set, and it didn't hurt that much."
"I'm really sorry..." Shirayuki was ready to sink into the ground. She could feel the sidelong glances in her direction; she sensed the negativity among the staff and her colleagues.
"It's okay, don't worry." There was still a soft smile on his face. His hand touched the top of her head, stroking it lightly.
Shirayuki, despite his words, could not forgive herself for such an act. She couldn't stop looking at his reddened cheek. Shirayuki still felt guilty for the slap that was supposed to be fake. But who knew that she would get so nervous that she would really hit him?
"It is over for today! Everyone is free!"
Zen was led away, holding an ice pack to his cheek, and the director approached him with another ice pack, with a worried look. A second later, a huge crowd of employees gathered around Zen.
Yumi was twirling around Zen, making eyes at him, twirling a black lock of hair around her index finger, and trying to hug him. However, she was pushed out by Zen's manager, Mitsuhide, who chased away the crowd that had suddenly gathered. He immediately dragged Zen into his trailer, showing him something on his tablet. And for all the people who tried to get in to him, his manager glared angrily and cursed loudly.
For just a second, their eyes met.
Shirayuki, feeling incredibly embarrassed and ashamed, turned away in a matter of seconds. She ran into her trailer, hiding her face in her hands. Shame washed over her in a new wave.
***
Shirayuki was lying in her bed, drilling through the ceiling. Images of the incident were still playing in her head, and she was sure that this accident would be spreading on the Internet. She sighed heavily, turning on her side.
She was new to the film industry. Many people looked at her skeptically, often pointed out her mistakes, and did not miss the opportunity to say something nasty behind her back. But Shirayuki, in most cases, ignored all this because she knew that she would definitely cope with all troubles. She ignored even Yumi's insults, although her colleague never missed an opportunity to be sarcastic.
Zen was the only person who had never looked at her with disdain. Well, okay, maybe he was mean in the beginning, but he never insulted her.
He was a professional, having been in this field since childhood. Zen was much more experienced than her, and shot a lot of scenes from the first take, while she needed at least three or four. He always helped her with many scenes, and she learned a lot from him. Zen always smiled, and when she made mistakes, he said that it happens to everyone, and then talked about his own mistakes that he made in his first large-scale projects.
Shirayuki felt incredibly calm around him. And she didn't feel comfortable thinking that she had really hit him, the man who had always supported her.
"Shirayuki, let's go. The whole team gathered there to discuss the script." Kihal gave her a small smile as she entered her trailer. Shirayuki tried to smile in her natural way, but it came out a little crooked. "Well, except for Zen, but everyone is there."
"And Zen… Why isn't he there?" Shirayuki couldn't hide her guilty look by twiddling her fingers.
"Zen is in his trailer, resting." Kihal, noticing this, immediately went up to her and took her hands, smiling broadly. "Don't worry so much about that incident. Well, yeah, you didn't control your strength, but anything can happen. And Zen is not mad at you."
"But what if he is mad at me? I hit him so hard..." Shirayuki pursed her lips, avoiding her friend's gaze. "You saw that mark by yourself."
"Oh, Shirayuki, that red mark won't be there tomorrow." Kihal pulled her towards the exit. Shirayuki squeaked in surprise. "Moreover, it's just a slap. You didn't hit his eye, did you?"
The door of the trailer opened, and a cool breeze blew into her face.
"If you don't want to discuss the script, then go talk to Zen." Kihal persistently led her in the direction of his bus. Shirayuki couldn't even figure out what was going on; everything was changing so fast. And when she was in front of his trailer, Kihal turned her around to face him and gave her an encouraging smile. "Go ahead, there's nothing to be afraid of. I'll tell everyone else that you're already asleep."
"But Kihal, what if Zen…"
"Shirayuki?"
Shirayuki froze when she heard his voice behind her. She turned around slowly, smiling awkwardly. Zen tilted his head slightly to the side, and a soft smile spread across his face. He was wearing a hoodie, and his blond hair was disheveled. Zen looked a little sleepy, as evidenced by his sleepy eyes and yawning.
"Oh, Zen, um, hi." Shirayuki waved her hand, awkwardly smiling at him. "I came to talk to you."
"Sure, come in." Zen smiled wider and stepped aside, allowing her to enter the trailer. He held out his hand to her, and Shirayuki, a little embarrassed, put her hand in his. Zen stared at her intently, then shifted his gaze behind her. "Kihal, don't be shy, come in."
"Oh no, I have to go join others." Kihal immediately took a step back. Shirayuki turned to her, noticing how her friend only nodded encouragingly and winked at her. "Take your time and talk calmly."
Shirayuki only blinked, as her friend's trail had already gone cold. She looked around for a few more seconds, not knowing what or who she was trying to find.
"Have you come to finish what you started?" Zen asked after going inside the trailer. Shirayuki turned to look at him as he placed a small ice pack on his cheek. A grin spread across his face. "Be more gentle, please."
"Zen, I'm really sorry..." Shirayuki looked at him guiltily, sighing heavily.
"I'm just kidding, don't worry." He laughed a little, pointedly turning the package in his hand. There was still a red mark on his cheek, but it wasn't as bright anymore. His hand pointed her to a soft sofa, and Shirayuki couldn't refuse him. As soon as she leaned back on the sofa, there was a blanket on her lap. Zen gave her a soft smile and then headed towards the sink. "It's okay, so don't apologize. By the way, do you want tea or coffee?"
"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to do it." Shirayuki shook her head, settling herself more comfortably on the couch.
"So, tea for you." Zen, despite her words, turned on the kettle. From the top cabinet, he took out a glass jar and two mugs. "You like green tea, don't you?"
"How did you know?"
"I noticed that you drink it regularly." His slight smile couldn't hide from her eyes. Unable to contain her interest, she looked around his trailer: warm and dim lighting, papers, and his laptop were on the table. There was a small stack of classical literature books on the top shelf, which Shirayuki recognized as a few of her favorites. "You don't mind green tea with jasmine, do you? I like coffee more, so, unfortunately, I don't have any other options."
"Are you kidding? Jasmine tea is my favorite." Shirayuki continued to look around, noticing the details in his trailer: a magnetic board with beautiful photographs of the landscape, and some of them depicted him, and next to the photos were pieces of paper, like a to-do list and, most likely, his schedule.
When the water boiled, Zen poured boiling water over the mugs. Then, with a neat movement, he handed the mug to her. Shirayuki only thanked him, feeling the pleasant scent of jasmine.
"If you're still thinking about it, it's okay." He leaned back on the couch, standing next to her. "You played your role, your character. It happens, and it can be even worse."
"I know, it's just… I'm still a beginner, and I have a lot to learn. And I'm really glad that you turned out to be my partner. You are a professional, and you have a lot of experience behind your back. And I have no experience at all, but I don't want to lag behind you, I want to learn from you, and be on par with you." Shirayuki squeezed the mug slightly, looking at her reflection. She pursed her lips, trying to formulate her thoughts more clearly in her head. "You know, I've always admired you and your acting skills. Every time I'm on set, I can't help but marvel at your skills. Sometimes it feels like you're not real at all."
"It's me who has to tell you all this." Shirayuki raised her gaze, meeting sapphire eyes and a slight smile. "I agree that you have a lot to learn, but I really admire you. I've seen so many people in my life, worked with so many actors, but you're the only one who impressed me. You are the hardest-working girl, and you are ready to give everything for your role and understand your character. Not every actor is capable of such a thing, which is very sad."
His words were spinning in her head, giving her something to think about.
"I learned that from you. Looking at you, it seems to me that it's all so simple, but… It's so complicated. Being next to you, it feels like I... It feels like there's a lot of distance between us." The corners of her mouth lifted in a slight smirk. She shifted her gaze to the side, but she could feel his attentive eyes. Having lost all desire to enjoy the hot tea, she put the mug aside. "I really want to get better, but the more I try, the more it seems to me that it is impossible. It's like, you know, I'm trying to reach the sun, but the sun keeps getting farther away from me."
"But you're doing a lot better than you think." Shirayuki felt a light touch on her arm, which caused her to immediately look up at him.
His fingers touched her, stroking her lightly. Without taking his eyes off her, he set the mug aside, then squeezed her hands.
Shirayuki could feel his fingers gently stroking her knuckles, and she could feel the warmth radiating from his hands. She couldn't take her eyes off the wonderful eyes that pulled her into this blue abyss. The distance between them was so small that she could feel his breath on her lips.
And yet, quite involuntarily, her gaze dropped a little lower, to his lips. Licking her own, she closed her eyes.
His hand was in her hair, ruffling it.
Their lips intertwined with each other, quite weightlessly, softly, like butterflies. Her head was spinning, and a pleasant warmth spread inside.
The air was drained from her lungs. Shirayuki opened her mouth slightly, exhaling hot air, as she immediately felt his tongue.
Slender girlish fingers squeezed his shoulders, and Shirayuki herself hummed contentedly, surrendering to these sensations. He bit her lips, explored her from the inside, and his touch became more and more tremulous. The distance was reduced to a minimum, pressing her breasts against his torso.
Their hearts were beating in unison.
When they pulled away, Shirayuki was staring at him with dazed eyes, and her cheeks were flushed with fire. Their breathing was labored, shared between two of them.
Zen leaned towards her, pressing his forehead against hers, pulling her closer to his waist.
"I really like you… Really." He pulled back slightly, giving her hand a little squeeze. It took Shirayuki a few seconds to understand his words. "Shirayuki, if you have any doubts about all this, then I…"
He couldn't finish his thought as Shirayuki pressed her index finger to his lips. Zen watched with mild surprise and curiosity as a smile blossomed on her lips.
"I like you too." Shirayuki took her hand away and placed a light kiss on his lips, immediately pulling away.
Zen blossomed, smiling broadly at her, and immediately took her in his arms. Shirayuki only snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"We didn't follow the script." She said softly. Zen immediately pulled away from her, looking at her with wide, puzzled eyes. "What? Is something wrong?"
"What do you mean by ‘we didn't follow the script’?" Zen furrowed his brows, peering into her eyes. It took her a few seconds to analyze his words, and then she immediately laughed out loud, while Zen looked at her with deep incomprehension the whole time. "What's so funny? Hey, I was actually serious about my confession."
"I'm just kidding, just kidding." After laughing a lot, Shirayuki wiped away an invisible tear. She took a deep breath before moving closer. "I was serious about my words, too."
To prove her words, she left a kiss on his “wounded” cheek, but Zen, taking advantage of the moment, pulled her into a kiss. The corners of her lips turned up in a smile, and her hands buried themselves in his hair.
The sensations were too pleasant for her to deny herself the enjoyment of them.
But they had to pull away from each other as soon as they heard the knock. In a slight panic, they pulled away from each other so quickly that Zen even slightly hit his head on the upper cabinet.
"Zen, the director wants to see you, so… Oh, Shirayuki, you're here too." Mitsuhide looked at the two of them in surprise. Shirayuki smiled awkwardly, trying to pretend that nothing had happened and that they hadn't kissed at all, no, absolutely not. "Kihal said that you are already asleep…"
"Oh, well, I was really going to go back to my room and fall asleep, but..." Her brain shut down at that very moment. It seemed that her tongue was slurring, and all the words flew out of her head.
"She came to apologize for the slap. We talked a little bit about that scene, and we decided to change it up a little bit, so you're just in time." Zen rattled, jumping up from his seat. Shirayuki looked at him with a look full of incomprehension, but in response, she only received a wink and a slight smile. "Let's go, we need to tell the director what we're up to."
"Okay, the whole team is waiting there." Mitsuhide got out of the trailer, waiting for them outside.
"And what was that just now?" Shirayuki asked in a whisper in his ear, tugging at his sleeve.
"Well, we have to come up with some kind of excuse anyway." He replied in the same whisper. Then, Shirayuki, completely unaware of this, felt his lips on her cheek. Her eyes immediately widened in surprise and panic. He laughed softly and then continued in a whisper. "It's okay, Mitsuhide's outside."
"And what if he saw it?"
"He won't tell anyone, trust me."
And with that, he stepped out of his trailer. Shirayuki followed him, sighing heavily due to the sudden heat.
Shirayuki, to be honest, didn't think it would turn out this way, but... She was glad for this outcome.