During their ride to the countryside on Friday afternoon, Lynette knew that she was supposed to feel excited for what they were about to do. However, with each passing moment, the doubts she tried to ignore and push away caught up with her, until she felt like she was suffocating in them. Their trip there, in short, had been quiet and tense.
The town where they would be filming was small and quaint, up in the Catskills Mountains. It had the typical Winter holiday colony feel: North European architecture, expensive boutiques and plenty of gourmet restaurants along the narrow streets. The resort which the production booked was also very comfortable, with pools, a spa, beauty technicians at their disposal, and a very well-manicured garden for a short walk.
The psychologist had barely slept the night before, as her brain tormented with way too many thoughts. Even if she did not actually need the rest, but it would be nice to have it anyways.
She had not met Raul on Saturday during most of the day. She does not know the details of the film project that they were undertaking at the mountains, but he had told her that it was a found-footage horror film about a group of hikers that get lost at the Catskills and find refuge on an abandoned resort. The studio was banking hard on that movie, but it was another new experience for him.
Regardless of what one may think at first regard, Raul is very serious about his acting craft. For a person that looks for the easy way out in every other situation in life, he is willing to put on a lot of effort to give good performances, and he is always keen for a new challenge. He had never done Horror before, and it would be a hurdle to overcome. This time, thankfully, his agent has not asked of her to be his method acting teacher.
Since they could not spend any time together, Lynette scheduled her day back-to-back with individual activities. Anyone would love to spend their weekend in such a hotel, pampering oneself, but she was not there to relax, but rather to do her own sort of method acting.
She spent her time in the hotel spa, going through all sorts of beauty treatments and relaxation massages. Later, she walked around town, shopping for clothes that suited her and presented an appropriate image, that would make her appearance and demeanour believable on the role of a famous actor's girlfriend, enough to pass the scrutiny of other masters of their craft. Her friend had insisted for her to take his credit card, but she refused, preferring to pay for her purchases out of pocket.
Finally, it was time for the show, but Lynette feels in a worse shape than she was when she left Los York thirty-six hours prior. When she went downstairs to meet her co-conspirator for the night at the lobby, her eyes were bloodshot and she could feel a nasty, stress acne forming somewhere between her eyebrows.
Suddenly all the perfect images she pictured, with careful consulting from Claris in Los York seemed pathetic. The outfit she had picked out, her make-up, her nails, choice of shoes, purse, nothing felt like it was good enough.
Even before Raul parked his car in front of a fancy restaurant with the name she struggled to pronounce, she had the feeling of nausea piling all the way to her throat. Her hands clammy and her shoulders heavy.
What am I doing? She thought repeatedly.
"I don't have a good feeling about this." Lynette whispered, deject.
She walked past her date when he held the doors open for her while trying not to trip on the soft, red-tinted carpet that covered the floor.
"Relax." He smirked a little at her, trying to ease her anxiety. "Just imagine we're going to Happy Forest Café, just like we always do. The only difference about tonight is that we'll be holding hands."
"Emma Winston doesn't go to Happy Forest Café, and I don't run the risk of someone calling me a rat when I ask for a cappuccino over there." The pink-haired woman argued back.
"Focus on me, and we'll be fine." Raul stopped, taking her hand in his as if it was the most normal thing, making her heart skip a beat. "Oh, by the way, I also might give you a kiss or two on your temple like I do when you make that veggie Bolognese for me, so don't be surprised when it happens."
"Jupiter preserve me." She whispered under her breath.
"Lynette, the god of deceit is Mercury, and no-one needs to preserve you. Just remember to act naturally." He added with a wink.
"Raul, I am afraid that…" The woman breathed out before taking a halt and making him glance at her. "I'm afraid that your castmates will take one look at us, and they will know that this is fake. You'll be humiliated. It's better to turn around now."
"Why do you say that?" The blond actor asked through a small chuckle, gently tugging at her hand, urging for her to start walking again.
Lynette did not know how to phrase it in such a way that was eloquent, descriptive and not too pathetic, but it was gnawing at her for so long that she could not hold it in anymore.
"It's obvious, no?" She scoffed, in derision of herself. "I'm a 55, remember? A rat, I guess. I'm not fashionable, and I'm a bit of a disaster with etiquette and fine dining. I am way out of your league, and they know it."
Raul refused to say anything about her statement, but rather gave her a look that she could not read before looking back in front of him, an almost indistinguishable scowl on his face.
"You know, we shouldn't make them wait." He elected to respond to her commentary, pulling her along with him towards the table.
Lynette decided to prepare for the worse.