Page 32 of Love in Times of Contempt

"Do you think you'll be distracting if you're there, Liam?" Ana modulated her voice to sound casual, as much as it was in her power to do so. "Reagan is worried you're getting all the attention and I'm falling to the side. She told me to make sure I get some attention as well."

He arched his eyebrows. "I'll do my best to be inconspicuous."

"What are you planning to wear to the panel?" Becca asked Ana.

She looked down at herself; faded black jeans and a Madonna shirt, a black-and-white stencil poster of her 80s look, with bright red lips. "This?"

"Mhh. Would you consider wearing a bright red lipstick like on the shirt? And another layer of mascara, if you don't want to bother with fake lashes. Maybe a heavy, long necklace, something that's going to rest between your boobs to accentuate them? And studded, black leather bracelets, if we want to go with this kind of look."

It took Ana a few seconds to respond. "I… I don't have bracelets like that."

"I'll get you some." Without skipping a beat, Becca started typing on her tablet to get things done.

Ana turned to Liam, breathless, eyes open wide.

He squeezed her hand again and kept it tight in his. "It's just posturing. Just for show in interviews and such."

"As your now casual publicist," Becca added, eyes still glued to her tablet, "it's part of my job to help with the… posturing."

Ana gulped. "Right."

"It's like for the industry events you go to with me," Liam added. "No different than jewelry you wouldn't normally wear, but do because it looks better with a fancy dress."

"I thought you would have gotten used to stuff like this after a year." Becca lifted her eyes to Ana. "Unless Liam has been protecting you from the worst of it?"

"I wouldn't call it that," Liam replied. "I'd avoid it for myself, too, if I could. If you'd let me, Becca."

The publicist smirked. "And I'd let you, if you said my job is to keep you happy, which I don't think it is."

"Fine, fine. I know you're doing your job."

"And you let me because you know I'm good at it." Becca winked and excused herself.

Ana couldn't help but notice that they had resolved the situation between them, and Ana hadn't gotten much of a say.

Ana had attended panels as a guest before, but never one with over four hundred people in the audience.

She waited backstage, close to the wings. As the host introduced the panel and started calling their names, her co-panelists stepped into the light and onto the stage, waving and exchanging a few words with the host. Ana had been told she'd be called to the stage second-to-last; she passed the time by grounding herself in Liam's words.

She'd left him in the green room and, right as she stepped away, he'd brought her close to him and whispered in her ear.

"Your brilliance is all you need. You'll rock this thing."

Then he'd kissed her and settled on the couch there, watching her go with a producer.

She sighed, smiling. She could still feel his kiss on her lips.

"Next, let us welcome someone having a bit of a breakthrough moment," the host announced. "I'm sure many of us know her name from her past projects and have gotten used to hearing her name more and more around filmmaking circles. She's a producer, director, and editor, Miss Ana Lira!"

She stepped onto the stage and walked to her chair, grin wide and a casual wave toward the audience. The host kept introducing her as she sat down and got more comfortable.

"With a handful of documentaries out there, people are coming to know Ana Lira's brand of intimate, genuine close ups of people. She gets to know them and understand them as we do, and then she shares the result with us. Ana," the host said, turning to her now. "For those of us in the indie sphere, it's well-known that we expect to see your name getting renown and awards any time now. Your latest project dives deep into the life of a big name in Hollywood, and rumors say it's your most daring film yet. Would you agree with that?"

"It is daring, yes, because it challenges the ideals of glamor we have of someone living in the limelight. Not everyone wants their bubble burst, you know? But it was important to tell the truth."

"I'm sure that makes everyone's antennas tingle— can't wait to discuss the power of truth during our panel! Thanks, Ana. Now, for our last but not least panelist, let's welcome Rossana Levy!"

Ana exchanged a few words with the panelist already sitting to her side, before she scanned the auditorium. The lights made it difficult to see details, casting everyone attending in the shade. A narrow, short table with water bottles and name plates held the space for Ana and the other filmmakers and, to the side, the host stood at a podium.