Page 41 of Romance Is Dead

Oh God, here we go.

The interior of the boathouse was dim, with just enough light to illuminate us on camera. The scene would be dark—so dark that audiences would complain about not being able to see anything. But it would also be effective, with one of the best jump scares in the whole movie. A motorboat was secured to the dock, which creaked ominously under our feet.

There were several crew members in the boathouse with us, but when Teddy looked into my eyes, somehow it felt like we were alone.

“After you.” He motioned toward the water.

“That’s rude.” I stared at the dark depths, unable to see below the surface. “What if a lake monster is waiting for me down there?”

“Ladies first,” he insisted.

“If you’re scared, you can just admit it.”

“Never.” Teddy flexed his muscles, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he grinned at me in a way that made my stomach flip. I faced the water, ready to sacrifice myself headfirst to the lake monster if it meant I didn’t have to examine that feeling any further.

Instead, I shrugged. “Prove it.”

“Alright, I will.” In one swift motion, Teddy jumped up and canonballed himself into the lake, spraying frigid water all over my very exposed skin.

I yelped. “Damn it, Teddy.”

“You said prove it.” He shook his head to get the sopping-wet hair out of his eyes. “It’s kind of nice actually.”

I rolled my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I eased my body into the dark lake, clinging to the deck to keep my shoulders out of the water. The icy cold bit at my skin, taking my breath away. I treaded water furiously, trying to warm up.

Natasha filed in, taking her spot behind the camera as she started to check its settings. The prop head, which Teddy and I were already familiar with, thanks to our spying, waited on its own chair off camera. Scott sat nearby, likely guarding it from careless cast or crew members. I smiled and gave him a wave; he grudgingly raised a hand a few inches from where it rested on his knee.

“Alright, folks.” Natasha stood and clapped her hands once, loudly. “We’re ready to go.”

At the top of the scene, my character and Teddy’s have just finished hooking up on the boat when the spirit of the witch appears. We’re able to jump into the water and hide under the dock as Brent’s and Chloe’s characters rush in, too late to warn us.

The scene took just a few takes. The cameras and lighting were reset, and Teddy and I resumed our places under the dock so we’d still be visible in the background for the rest of the scene. I was thankful our parts had been quick, but it also meant that for the rest of the shoot, we would be hiding under the dock looking scared. Scared and naked. Scared and naked and wet and clinging to each other.

Next, the script called for a confrontation between Brent’s and Chloe’s characters and Audrey as the witch. Chloe escapes, using her cheerleading skills to jump and somersault out of the way, but poor Brent’s character meets his gory, spectacular end when his head meets the business end of the boat propeller—switched on magically by the witch, of course.

Huddled in the water, I was happy to have a front-row seat to the rest of the scene. Brent might not always bring professionalism to set, but one thing he took very seriously was his character’s death scenes, striking the perfect balance between camp and realism. Usually. He had come dangerously close to overdoing it in the one where a crocodile devoured him, starting at his feet. Just before the croc got to his head, Brent had kissed the beast goodbye on the nose.

How his character would have accomplished this with no blood pressure remained a mystery.

The take started smoothly. Chloe and Brent burst in, yelling for us loudly as they struggled to see in the dim light. Audrey appeared at the precise moment she was supposed to, and Chloe screamed at just the right annoyingly high pitch. Then, Brent’s character was supposed to duck as a spell was cast his way.

Supposed to.

The first time he missed his cue, we figured it was a fluke. But then he missed it again. . . and again. . . and then a third time. His eyes looked unfocused and he wavered slightly as he waited between takes. I squinted at him as he blew take after take. Was he on drugs? It wasn’t unusual for him to show up a little high, but this seemed a bit much, even for him.

Teddy leaned closer to me, his chest brushing against my shoulder. “Is this what it was like watching me on the first day?”

I muffled my laugh with my hand. “Kind of.”

“At least we weren’t operating in subzero temperatures that day.”

“Subzero? That’s dramatic.”

“Let’s just say I’m glad no one can see me from the waist down right about now.”

My cheeks warmed at the implication and the image that quickly formed in my mind. Thankfully, my train of thought was broken by the thudding of footsteps as Natasha emerged from behind the camera.

“Cut! Cut, cut, cut.” Natasha tugged at her hair as she approached the dock, quietly fuming as she walked toward Brent.

---