Karen was sprawled over Harrison on one of the benches and she was wrapped up in a blanket. Harrison looked torn. It was obvious that he didn't know what to do and eh didn't want to laugh either to avoid waking the other girl up. TK turned on her heel, walked back out before collapsing to the ground in a fit of laughter. She rolled onto her back and kicked her legs in her uncontrollable laughter.
Konstantin glanced down at her in surprise and amusement before he crouched down and waited for her to calm down. It took her around two minutes to calm and when she did, she took one glance at Konstantin's bemused expression and burst into laughter again. She found the expression so out of place on his face and she couldn't help but laugh.
The expression on his face was one of incredibly amusement, as though he had just found the most entertaining thing in the world. Konstantin was somewhat concerned about her constant laughter and so he held her nose. She choked a little and slapped his hands away as she glared up at him.
"That was mean," she complained.
"I had never seen you laugh so hysterically before so I was worried that you might not be able to stop."
"It was partly your fault, KJ."
"Oh?"
"You looked so confused and amused at the same time. I didn't think it was possible to have that combination but you somehow managed it perfectly," she teased him as she stood. She went back inside and noticed that Karen had moved and was now straddling and cuddling Harrison's head.
"This must be tough on you, Quinny." TK laughed and patted his shoulder sympathetically.
"Don't just stand there and laugh at me, help!" he hissed.
"Nah, she looks pretty content. I think I'll leave it."
"This is torture."
"If it's really torture, why don't you wake her?" she teased. She helped herself to the food from the massive pot of pasta on the table and scooped some tomato sauce on top.
"You are horrible."
"Love you too, Quinny."
"So what've you been up to this morning? We tried to call you but you'd forgotten your phone." Will asked curiously as she took a seat opposite him.
"Oh, I paid Ritchie a visit."
"Who?"
"The music director and composer."
"You play music?"
"I'm alright at it."
"Again with the modesty." Kelly smacked the back of the young girl's head gently. "When she says that, she means that she's good at it."
"That's not necessarily true."
"Ray, your singing yesterday was amazing. You kept up with Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé. That calls for talent." Jake pointed out.
"You know, Jake does have a point." James agreed.
"I'm not agreeing to anything."
"You don't have to. There is photographic evidence of your awesomeness so just embrace it, Rayne." Harrison grinned and held up photos that other people had taken whilst the girls were on stage giving their performances.
TK took one look at the pictures and her face lit up in embarrassment. She covered her face and tried to hide herself even though she knew that it was futile. "Who took those?"
"Tray did. Alyssa was a bit too far gone by that point to hold the camera steadily. Tray is a surprisingly good drinker. He can hold his liquor really well."
"Well, definitely better than you guys can." TK teased him.
"Rayne, just to give you a warning, we've got a rehearsal in about ten minutes." Konstantin reminded her.
"Ten minutes?" she squealed. "Where on earth did the lunch break go?"
"The music ran overtime so you started lunch late." Konstantin told her simply.
TK slapped her forehead and reminded herself not to get so carried away again. Though, even if she did think that now, she knew that the next time she spent time in the music hall, she knew that she would lose track of time again. She hastily shovelled pasta into her mouth and ate as quickly as she could.
When she was done, she piled the plates into the sink in the large kitchen and told everyone else that she would see them again at dinner. She glanced at Karen again and amusement ran through her. She couldn't believe that the girl was still out for the count. It was already lunch after all.
Konstantin followed not long after her and when he got to the main rehearsal room, he wasn't surprised to find TK already there stretching a few times and studying the script. She gave him a small smile when she saw him but went back to looking at the script.
"Rayne, we're going to have a change of schedule since Will isn't feeling up to standard. We'll move onto the scene towards the end between 'Rose and 'Dimitri'." Konstantin told her.
"So we're doing the scene in the bedroom, right?" she asked just to double check.
"Yes, how are you feeling?"
"About what?" she arched her brows at him in confusion.
"This scene."
"Yes?"
Konstantin stared at the girl and she wasn't sure whether she was simply acting like she didn't know what he was talking about or whether she genuinely didn't know what he was trying to ask. It had been at least a month since the last time TK had had to run through a scene that held intimacy and although Konstantin knew that she was a strong girl and that she was improving rapidly, he wasn't sure if she would be prepared for it. This scene would be even more sensual than the one between 'Rose' and 'Jesse'. He didn't know whether she would react the same way as she did the first time they tried to run through the scene between her and Will. He didn't know if she would freak, or if she would be fine.
"Never mind," he shook his head, deciding against asking her. It would be better to just run the scene and see how it goes rather than purposefully reminding her.
"How did things go with Ritchie?" Carlisle asked TK as he walked into the room.
"It was really fun, thanks. He said that he would be badgering you to find out my rehearsing schedule so that he can steal any free time that I may have."
"I thought it might go well." Carlisle chuckled. "Now, serious question, are you two genuinely up for working? Because we have plenty of time and can shift this scene to another date if you two don't feel up for it."
"I'm fine with it." Konstantin shrugged and turned to TK for her opinion.
"I think it'll be good to run through it just to see how we do with it first time. If we're good then that would be a reassurance, if not then at least we'll have as much time as we need to work on it on another day," she voiced her thoughts honestly.
Both men nodded and were surprised by her professionalism. Yes they knew that she was a highly mature girl for her age, and yes they had already seen her maturity and professionalism build throughout the past few months since they started the project, but they were still surprised.
"Alright then, let's do this. Where do you want to start from?"
"How about from the moment 'Rose' knocks on the door and 'Dimitri' responds?" Konstantin suggested.
"That sounds like a good place to pick up from." TK nodded.
She stood up, stretched a few times and rolled her shoulders. She walked out of the room and tried to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She was nervous. Of course she would be. Konstantin was a gorgeous male actor who had had experience with that sort of scene. She remembered the conversation that they'd had on the terraces of their rooms back in LA. Her? She was still a novice both in acting and in being intimate with a man. She didn't feel panicked, nor scared, just nervous and anxious to do the scene justice.
Although the scene was highly risqué, and on screen, had they stuck to the original concept of Rose having to become completely naked, it would be borderline erotic, but on paper, it had been one of her favourite scenes between Rose and Dimitri. It was the first real step to their relationship. When they both found out just how much they wanted each other.
TK wanted to make this scene right, she wanted this to go well. It was part of the climax of the film so she couldn't allow herself to do a poor job of it just because she was an inexperienced girl.
She took a deep breath and felt something slip over her. A certain sense of calmness washed over her and under her breath, she quietly muttered a charm that she had repeated on more than several occasions for the past few months. It was something that she had come up with when she was a child after her parents' divorce to get her through life and to remain cheerful no matter what happened.
"Life is yours to control, Tamara," she murmured.
Throughout the past few months, she had barely realised it but she was vaguely aware of the fact that she had somehow managed to build Rose's persona and format it into her character. There were times during rehearsals that she would feel as though she was a completely different person altogether. She felt the mask slip on and a frantic and almost desperate expression settled on her face.
Powerfully and demandingly she thumped her fist on the door, almost putting a dent in it.
There was a brief pause but not once did TK let her expression falter, not until the door opened and her expression changed. First it became relief at being able to see him.
"Rose?" Konstantin muttered slightly breathily, as though he wasn't entirely awake.
"It's to do with Lissa, let me in," she told him curtly.
He stepped to the side, letting her into the room and she made a quick sweeping glance of the room as she turned to face him again. Her expression changed yet again and unconcealed desire flashed across her features as she stared at him.
"What's wrong?" he asked, pretending not to have taken notice of her reaction to him. Not yet, that was yet to come.
TK gave a brief expression of inner turmoil for a few seconds before without warning she took a decisive stride towards him, reaching out for him. She ran her hands over his chest and it took Konstantin a split second to react to her actions. He sprang away from her and stared at her in shock and disbelief.
"Rose! What are you doing?"
"What do you think?" she asked breathlessly as she tried to reach for him again but he stepped away from her again and held his hand out in a defensive way.
"Are you drunk?" he demanded.
She gave a bitter laugh and shook her head. "Don't I wish!"
She tried to reach for him again and again he stepped away from her. She tried to find a way of getting to him, of getting to his skin, of being able to feel his skin. After a few attempts, she paused and stared at him with a somewhat uncertain, pouty and sad expression. "I thought you wanted this. Don't you think I'm pretty?"
"Rose, you need to go back to your room. Now." Konstantin commanded her and when she tried once more to get closer to him, he latched onto her wrists to stop her from being able to touch him.
He blinked twice and by the third time his expression changed. It was a serious expression, but a different type of seriousness. His expression mirrored hers. The desire was there in the way he looked at her. He slowly ran his hands up her arms and he tugged her to him.
She almost crashed into his chest but she readjusted her footing to prevent that from happening and continued with the scene. His hands continued to travel higher until they reached her neck and she let her eyes flutter close in delight. Then he cupped her cheeks and she opened her eyes to connect her gaze with his. Her lips parted in silent invitation and his hands travelled into her hair behind her head and neck and he pulled her up towards him as he dipped down.
The first touch was feather light and TK felt something flutter within her. She wasn't sure whether it was the scene that incited the feeling from her, or the man himself but she used that feeling to her advantage and put everything into the scene. She didn't have time to think about why she felt the way she did because things were reaching a high point and she couldn't stop now. The need suddenly coursed over her and she felt different yet again. She felt more needy, more desperate for his touch and she put all of that into the way she moved and looked.
His lips hovered a millimetre or so above hers as he simply gazed down at her as though she was the most wonderful and beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his life.
"Am I pretty?"
"I think you're beautiful."
"Beautiful?" TK added a hint of uncertainly and surprise in her tones.
"Yes. Beautiful. So beautiful, it hurts me sometimes."
With that his head pressed down towards hers once more and his lips moulded over hers. At first the touch was still gentle, but then it became fiercer, hungrier and he was kissing her like she was life itself and he just couldn't get enough.
Konstantin wasn't sure what to do at that brief moment so he prolonged the kiss for a few seconds to give himself thinking time. In the real scene, she would be wearing a dress which he would remove, since they weren't in the right clothes at that moment, he was going to have to improvise and do something else to mirror the scene. Then he remembered that she was wearing another top under her long-sleeved top. Because it had been baggy and off-shouldered, he remembered having caught glimpses of her undershirt a few times that morning.
His hands ran over her shoulders, made sure to avoid touching her chest, slipped to her waist, her hips before he finally found the edge of her top. He inched it up and continued to do so without breaking their kiss until they finally had to separate so that he could lift the jumper up over her head.
"You… I thought you liked the dress." TK made her voice sound laboured, as though she was trying to catch her breath and she made sure to emphasise the way her chest rose upwards and downwards as she tried to catch her breath.
"I do," he told her with a tone mirroring hers. "I love it."
Then he took her hand gently and firmly in his. There wasn't a bed in the room, he noted, but there was a table. A table that was just big enough for her to sit and lie back onto it. It would be slightly uncomfortable, and her legs would dangle awkwardly off the edge but for now, they would have to make do. They were so immersed in the scene that Konstantin found it difficult to break away now, especially when TK seemed to be in such a flow.
He had noticed that she had somehow slipped into the Rose character. He knew that over the months, she had managed to establish the character and retain it whenever she needed it. She was no longer just acting. She became the character she needed to be. She thought the way Rose would, she behaved the way Rose would, it was as though she was no longer herself. He admired her abilities and was highly impressed by her progress. Normally, it took actors years to be able to do that, some never managed to grasp that skill, but TK? It had taken her less than three months. To say that she really was born for something like this would have been an understatement.
He hadn't noticed it at the very beginning of the scene but when he kissed her. That was when he knew. The way her eyes gleamed, the way she responded so naturally wasn't something that TK would have done. Not that easily. The real TK would've been more nervous, more anxious and less certain of what to do. He knew the young girl long enough to be certain of that.
The pair continued the scene and somehow, just as she manoeuvred to switch their positions and climb on top of him, she lost her balance and fell off the table. She landed on the floor with a thud and for a moment, there was silence in the room. The spell was broken and TK instantly snapped back to herself.
She burst into laughter and clutched her stomach as she fell into a laughing fit. Konstantin blew out a breath and ran his hand through his tousled hair. He couldn't help but smile in amusement as he stood and helped her up. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Yeah," she nodded and wiped away the tears of laughter from her eyes. "Oh that was brilliant, we nearly made through it but that moment was something that would only happen to me."
"Falling off the table? Yeah, that certainly does sound like something that would happen to you and it did." Konstantin chuckled.
"I'm contemplating on making the next time we run this scene a filming session." Carlisle told them as he approached the pair. "Keep it up, you two," he told them simply. "And you're done for the day."
With that said, he walked out of the room, feeling more ecstatic than ever. It was official. He had just found the best cast he could ever ask for. The dynamics of the group and their skill to adapt quickly and professionally was phenomenal. He doubted that he would find a better cast than the one he had now.
He hadn't expected TK to have been able to completely push away the sense of unease when it came to intimacy in just a month. It had been a month since their last rehearsal regarding anything intimate and even during that last rehearsal, both he and Konstantin had been able to notice the hint of anxiety and unease from the girl.
But this time? This time was phenomenal.
The progress that they had made was incredible and he couldn't wait to see what else TK had yet to show him. Her professionalism was one thing. Her skill to establish and become the character she needed to be was another that impressed him. Delight and excitement ran through him thick and fast and he couldn't wait for the release of the film.
Ideas began to run through his mind thick and fast, ideas of how to promote the film even more and to give teasers without giving anything away. As much as Carlisle wanted to protect TK from the press and the media, he also wanted to promote her as much as he could. If she didn't refuse it, Carlisle would make her a star and no doubt as would her mother.
There were chat shows, photo shoots, red carpet events, and he would without a doubt try his best alongside Richard to persuade the young girl to produce a song or two as well for the film. It would be too much of an opportunity to let go in order to showcase her talents.
Her mother would be so proud of her. He knew that Alexandra would be. He envisaged the night of the first premier ad he imagined the way that Alexandra would react while watching the film. He could only guess that she would be entranced by the performance and that at the end of it she would cry. She was just that type of emotional woman. More often than not, it was a good thing, and Carlisle loved the woman for it.
"Well that was a short rehearsal…" TK laughed.
"You did so well that there was nothing to change." Konstantin told her simply. "And now we have the entire afternoon off."
"Well then, I'll give Maria a call and see if she's sobered up yet." TK beamed and dashed over to where her phone was on a table on the other side of the room.
Konstantin watched as the young actress waiting patiently for his sister to answer and he watched with soft eyes as she began to chat animatedly with his sister. He decidedly to leave before she got into a deep conversation with his sister. He didn't want to intrude on their conversation since that would be rude.
He mulled over the events of that rehearsal. He was surprised by how well she'd done. How perfectly she'd done. He had expected at least a hint of reluctance or anxiety from the girl but there was nothing of the sort. If anything, he was probably more anxious than she was, worrying about how she'd react to his actions, always expecting for her to suddenly push him away.
8