Page 60 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Right, everyone.’ Jake’s voice got their attention. ‘Let’s see if we can get things back on track. There’s no time to lose.’

He headed over to Anoushka, and gave her a brief rundown of what she was to do. She was inordinately relieved to hear it was straightforward and just seemed to involve her wandering around while being filmed with the moors as a backdrop. She could do that! Gabe would be playing with his band for part of the time, at others, he’d be walking over the moortop, holding her hand. ‘Just act natural, Anoushka. For the purposes of the video, he’s your boyfriend; act like you’re in love with him.’

She felt her face flame at his words. She suddenly wished she was still sitting in her garden at home, reading her book, minding her own business.Why did I agree to this?

Doing her best to put the awkwardness out of her mind, she dug into the resources she’d learnt at uni and soon found herself relaxing. And, she told herself, it wasn’t exactly taxing to look happy while you were wandering around such a beautiful place as Danskelfe High Moor.With Gabe Dublin, said a little voice which she tried to ignore.

Anoushka followed Jake’s instructions, her hands trailing through tall grass. ‘Look up at the sky, spin around with your arms outstretched… hold the rose up to your nose, take a sniff… smile… throw your head back and laugh…’ Jake’s voice called out. ‘You’re doing brilliantly, Anoushka… Right, you need to stand still now and look right into the camera… oh, man, that’s beautiful. I love that smile… that’s perfect. Now cut! Phew!’

After several takes – one thanks to the sound of whirring of blades as a helicopter made an untimely appearance – Jake seemed more than happy with how things were going. ‘Thanks for that, Anoushka, you were amazing,’ he said, smiling broadly. ‘You can go and take a break, get freshened up.’

The sun was blisteringly hot and her mouth was dry. She welcomed the opportunity to grab a drink. She stood in the shade of the stone building sipping from a bottle of water, looking on as Gabe and Jake pored over the newly shot footage with Dave. The two men appeared to be inordinately happy, Gabe giving the director a friendly slap on the back.

It seemed only moments before she was heading back out on the set, after having her make-up and hair re-touched. Now was the part she’d been worrying about the most: she had to get close to Gabe. She gulped; she felt more nervous than ever.

‘Come on, fella. It’s your time to shine. And no rolling now you’ve been groomed. We don’t want you covered in dust and bits of grass like yesterday.’ She followed Gabe’s voice to see him walking towards her with Bob in tow. The Labrador raced towards her and nuzzled her hand.

‘You’ve been such a good boy, Bob,’ she said, smiling down at him, her nerves evident in her voice.

‘He has. He’s almost forgiven for demolishing two pairs of Lady Davinia’s shoes. Almost, but not quite.’ He pulled a regretful face while trying not to laugh.

‘Oh, dear.’

‘Bet you’re not surprised to hear she wasn’t exactly gutted when myself and “Bob the Shoe-Shredder” here moved out of the Castle.’

‘No, I can’t say I am,’ she said, the hint of a laugh in her voice.

‘Anyway, I’m hoping he’ll redeem himself in her eyes when she sees his star performance in the video.’ He looked down at Bob who was blinking up at him, his tail swishing over the grass.

‘Oh, I’m sure she will. He’ll be awesome; a real superstar.’

‘Yeah, superstar’s the word. But, I tell you, I’m already a bit worried about his diva behaviour. You should see his list of riders: pure white lilies in his room, a crystal bowl of doggy biscuits, milk, cooled to perfection and poured from a china jug, half-a-dozen lady Labradors, and, perish the thought, a four-poster dog bed… the list’s endless. To be sure, looks like fame’s already going to your head, young man.’ He looked down at Bob whose tail wagged some more. Anoushka couldn’t help but giggle.

The reprieve was brought to an abrupt end when Toby the runner hurried over to them, pulling their attention away from Bob. ‘Gabe, Anoushka, Jake wants you in your places.’

‘Right, here we go. You okay?’ Gabe looked across at Anoushka.

‘I’m fine.’ She nodded, not wanting to share how nerves had started wriggling like crazy inside her.

Gabe’s song boomed out again, and he took her hand, leading her along the path, turning to her, singing along to the words. Bob was bounding around them happily, his black coat glossy in the sunshine. The moors looked stunning in the background, bathed in the mellow afternoon sun. Anoushka smiled shyly back at him, reminding herself of Jake’s words: “act like you’re in love with him”. She suddenly realised that wouldn’t be so hard to do.

Before she knew it, she was in Gabe’s arms, her hands pressed against his chest, him gazing down at her. Butterflies took flight in her stomach. She could feel his heart beating hard beneath the fabric of his shirt, feel the warmth radiating from his skin. It took her breath away.

‘Look into Gabe’s eyes, Anoushka,’ said Jake. She did as she was bid, peering up at him beneath her lashes. The look that met her left her in no doubt of his feelings. ‘Fantastic. Right, bend your head and kiss her now, Gabe.’

Jake’s voice seemed to fade into the distance as Gabe brushed her hair back, cupping her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over her cheeks. Her heart was thumping. His eyes had become dark pools as his lips meet hers, soft and gentle, sending invisible sparks of electricity flying in the air around them. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into his kiss.Oh, my days!It felt like a million fireworks were going off in her stomach! She’d never been kissed like this before. Never felt this way before. It was overwhelming. Dizzying. She couldn’t stop herself from kissing him back with equal ardour, pushing her hands into his hair, pressing her body against his.

‘That’s absolutely bloody brilliant, guys!’ said Jake. ‘That’s a wrap.’ But neither of them seemed to hear him.

39

It took a succession of loud barks from Bob for them to finally pull apart. Dazed, Anoushka reached a hand to her lips; they were still burning from Gabe’s kiss. She was tingling all over and her knees felt like they could buckle at any moment. She was vaguely aware of Gabe looking down at her, his breath coming in short bursts. What had just happened? Where had these feelings come from?

‘Seriously, that was bloody fantastic, you guys. You were on fire!’ Jake strode over to them, clapping Gabe soundly on the back. ‘The chemistry between the pair of you is amazing; anyone would think you genuinely had feelings for each other.’

‘Oh,’ was the only word Anoushka could say, not knowing where to look as a round of applause broke out and ran around a relieved-looking crew.

Realising Gabe was uncharacteristically quiet, she stole a look at him. A gasp escaped her mouth as her eyes met his. He knew! He knew how she felt!Of course he does! said a pesky little voice.He’s not stupid. After that kiss, everyone will know!

---