I change quickly and come out in Aiden’s choice. A skimpy, sparkly, zigzag-printed triangle top and teeny bottoms.
“That one,” Troy says, the rest of them unanimously agreeing.
“You don’t like the blue one better? It looks like the ocean.”
“You’re the eye candy, Keats.”
“Me? No. I’m just the background girl who’s going to help bring the story to life.”
Riley starts laughing. He wraps an arm around me and leads me off the set. “Definitely that bikini. And, for the date scenes, I want the bikini top with a very skimpy pair of jean shorts. Then one of your flirty little short dresses and heels for the amusement park and the moonlight scenes.”
“Okay. I like how you’re taking control, Riley,” I tell him as I dash offstage.
While everyone leaves to get their props, I play around with some makeup, then get bored and go in to watch the band perform the song a few hundred times.
“Put the bikini, shorts, and some heels on,” Riley instructs me a few hours later. “I want you to dance around while they’re playing. Kind of like you did with me and Dallas in the video we made on the plane.”
I change quick, come back out, and have fun dancing. Shimmying against Damian and Ethan as they play their guitars. Sitting on Troy’s lap playing the drums. Pretending to let Billy teach me to play the keyboard.
“Do that thing you do, with your hair,” Riley instructs, running his hand through his own hair and shaking his ass.
I burst out laughing and dramatically cover my eyes.
Damian says, “The way she just covered her eyes was adorable.”
“Keep singing,” Riley says. “Keatyn, go.”
I close my eyes and move my body like I did for Aiden on the pool table, slow and sexy, while pushing my hair back off my face.
“Perfect,” Riley says. “Now, open your eyes and lick your lips.”
I try to lick my lips in a sexy way, but just end up laughing. I know I look like a total dork.
“You need some motivation,” Riley says. “Where’s Aiden?”
“Just got back,” Aiden says from behind the cameras. “I found a Ferris wheel seat. It’s being delivered later today. We may have to paint it, though. I think it’s in pretty rough shape.”
“We’ll worry about that later. Come stand here,” Riley says, positioning him just off camera.
“All right, Keatyn. It’s just you and Aiden.”
My eyes brighten immediately and a smile plays on my face. As he smiles back at me, I break out into a broad grin. I can’t help it.
Aiden shoots me a kiss, so I kiss my fingertips and blow one back to him. Then I just stare at him and lick my lips, not even thinking that’s what I’m supposed to do. I’m just reacting to how he makes me feel. Hungry.
“Perfect,” Riley says. “Okay, cut. Let’s take a break. I’m starved.”
“I had craft service bring us in some food,” Damian says. “Let’s eat.”
After a late lunch, we film Damian and me in the scenes in front of the backdrops.
First, the carnival scenes, with me trying to shove a large puff of pink cotton candy swirled on a stick in Damian’s face.
Peyton combined silver and hot pink glitter with bugle beads to make a heart to hang over our heads during the Crazy love is what I feel scene.
We film all the scenes except for the Ferris wheel and the surfing scenes.
When Riley decides he has enough takes, we quit for the day.
“I need to upload all of today’s video, see where we’re at, and then we’ll shoot more tomorrow. Great job, everyone. Let’s meet back here at the same time.”
He grabs Ariela and pulls her into his arms. “Thank you for getting all the props.”
“I loved tracking things down and helping you with the details,” she says sweetly. “We’re a good team.”
I hear him whisper, “I love you, kitty,” to her. Then he says, “We’re going to L.A. when we graduate to do this together. Full time.”
“That sounds really fun,” she agrees.
We all hop in a car and head back to my loft. “So, you ready for some more acting?” I ask Damian. “Tonight’s the big public date, right?”
“Yeah, it is,” he says, grabbing Peyton’s hand. “My publicist set it all up with those reporters. We deleted all of Peyton’s social media while we were in France and followed your advice for preparing a written statement about her. We didn’t bother to include her last name. Just some basic facts, like her name—but we spelling it Payton—and how we met in Napa Valley at a party. How it’s new.”
“That’s perfect,” I say, as the driver drops them off at Damian’s dad’s building. Cooper was afraid to let him come back to the loft tonight after their date, for fear he might be followed.
“They don’t need to know everything. We’ll fulfill your bargain by giving them a few photos. I still don’t want them to get any really clean shots of her face, though. I want to protect her for a little while longer,” Damian says.
“That’s sweet. And smart,” I tell him.