21 | Extended Cut

My eyes sprung open in horror, my face only inches from Colt's. his eyes opened too, a look of annoyance on his face. A sharp knock sounded from outside the door, followed by the same voice. "Jody, are you in there?"

I immediately jumped up, my face tinted a bright shade of red. Colt seemed less bothered as he stood up, but a light tinge was still visible on his cheeks. That made me feel slightly better.

"Get back there," I whisper-yelled pointing in the direction of the office. "Quickly!" Colt raced away and disappeared into the room. I took a deep breath, composing myself from the heated moment and opened the door. "Gail?"

"Skye?" A frantic Gail stood outside, looking up at me. "Is Jody in there?"

I shook my head. "No, she should be over at the tent." I waved my hand in the general direction of the director's tent. "She was there a few minutes ago."

"Right." Gail seemed frustrated, running a hand through her hair. "Okay, thanks." She turned to walk away, but stopped in her tracks, turning back around. "How are you doing?"

I blinked in confusion. "Sorry?"

"With Colt being... you know?" My eyes widened in realisation and I tried to plaster a grieving facade onto my face. "It's really just awful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." I glanced over to see Colt smirking, with his hand over his heart in mock flattery. I muffled the urge to flip him off and turned back to Gail, who was watching me expectantly. "Yeah, it is really awful. Very, very sad."

Gail nodded. "Well, let me know if there is anything I can do." I nodded gratefully. "What are you doing in there?"

She tried to peer around me, but I moved slightly to block her vision. "Just getting the scripts for Jody. I think she wants to film the final scene. Is Ryder here?" I was proud of myself for being subtle.

Gail shook her head. "No, he's not." There was a brief—but awkward—silence, where it occurred to me that Gail might have seen the news story stating I was an accomplice to Henry's murder. "Well, I'd better get going. I can give those to Jody."

"Okay." I picked up the scripts, which I had discarded on the floor beside the door upon seeing Colt. "Thanks."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do, okay?" I smiled until she turned her back and walked away.

I shut the door and Colt just threw his hands up in anguish. "What a bitch!"

"Colt!" I punched him in the shoulder. "You can't say that."

"What?" Colt protested, rubbing his arm. He pulled the costume off and let it fall to the ground, stepping out of it. His clothes were ripped and tattered and he was missing his jacket. "She's in on all of this."

My eyes widened. "She's in on it?" Colt nodded. "Holy shit. Alright, yeah. She is a major bitch." I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "What are we gonna do about it?"

"I have a plan," Colt replied confidently. "But we can't do it until Ryder gets here."

***

I let Colt stay at my place again; partly to be polite, but mostly because I didn't want him to leave my sight. We sat at the kitchen island, eating Malaysian food in comfortable silence. I couldn't get the almost-kiss out of my head. He had leaned in too. It would have happened if we hadn't been interrupted.

I genuinely didn't realise I thought about Colt in that way. It hadn't occurred to me that my feelings might be deeper than I'd realised until that  moment. Now, I was just frustrated. What if it never happens?

"You okay, Skye?" I glanced up at Colt; the sweet and sour pork in my mouth well-and-truly chewed to a pulp by now. I nodded. "About earlier..."

I swallowed the food. "Did I overstep?"

Colt tilted his head at me. "I hope not."

***

I didn't hesitate to curl up on the couch beside Colt, switching on the television. "What to watch?"

"I don't mind. "I rolled my eyes. "I know, very helpful. You're welcome." I just tossed the remote onto the coffee table. I didn't even really care to watch anything. I just wanted to soak in Colt's presence, now that I had him back.

'"So, what's your plan?"

"Well." Colt draped an arm around my shoulders and leaned his cheek on my head. I closed my eyes comfortably. "We get him to confess."

I tilted my head up and he looked down at me. "And how do we do that? Tom Ryder is stupid, but I don't think he's that stupid."

Colt chuckled. "He's alway saying the craziest shit when he's mic'ed. It's like he forgets he's being recorded." I nodded in agreement. "So we get him to do his own stunt and while his freaking out, we get him to confess."

"I don't know," I replied sceptically. "You think he'll fall for that?" Colt nodded confidently. "Okay. I mean, what have we got to lose, really?"

Colt squeezed me tighter, not breaking eye contact. "A lot, actually." I smiled up at him. "Now, earlier... where were we?"

My breath caught in my throat as Colt lowered his head towards me. I tilted my chin, our lips connecting ever-so-softly. I couldn't help the smile that spread onto my lips as Colt raised his hands to rest on either side of my neck. I wrapped my own arms around his neck, pulling his body down towards mine.

This kiss was slow, soft, tender. We were in no rush; as far as I was aware time had stopped and the world around us had gone still. Nothing else mattered; not Jody, not Ryder, not even Metalstorm. The only important thing was Colt's lips on mine, moving in sync as if we'd rehearsed this a hundred times.

By the time Colt did pull away, my heart was swelling and I felt light as air. Colt's glazed eyes stared down at me with an emotion I couldn't quite pinpoint; but I was too happy right now to try.

***

Finally! It only took 21 chapters. Sorry for the wait. I hope it was worth it.