Page 18 of Seeking Stars
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Liam closed the door behind him, the click of it loud in the silent house. He stayed fixed on the spot, reminding himself that having Ana in his place did really make the most sense. It would be a real test to his growth and everything he'd been learning in therapy; proving it was okay to trust the process of getting to know someone. As long as he didn't come to regret it…
He walked away and sat on the sofa, turning on the TV in the hope to fill the space until she came out of her room. She did, half an hour later.
Ignoring the minor spike of adrenaline, he turned to her. "Are you hungry?"
Without waiting for a reply, Liam got up and went to the kitchen. He opened cupboards and drawers and took out glasses, plates, silverware, and napkins. He turned to leave it all on the kitchen island, which had an overhang to make it into a small, simple bar. Ana came closer and sat on a barstool on the other side of it, taking things and organizing them into two places.
He added the take out boxes next to her and she began adding food on her plate. There was no filming equipment around.
"You don't have the camera out." He filled up his own plate with his favorite Indian dish.
"Yeah, I thought I'd give it 'til tomorrow." She left one container on the stone surface and reached for another. She took a scoop out of it and added it to her plate. "Look," she added, her hands moving more slowly now. "I know that me being here and the whole documentary thing are not something you were craving in your life, precisely…"
He continued to put food on his plate, pressing his lips together not to smile at her choice of words. He said nothing.
"I just… is this too awkward?" she continued. "Tell me it's not too awkward."
"Maybe a little awkward."
"Can we work withalittle awkward? You seem like a private person. I kinda have to invade that but… how can I make it better for you?"
He turned and put his plate in the microwave, buying himself time. He needed to find the right words.
"What do you want to drink?" he asked.
"Water's fine, a slice of lemon if you have it."
He went to the fridge and took out one of the yellow fruit. He ran the water and washed it, before reaching for a knife.
"I knew what I was getting myself into when I invited you here." Cutting up the lemon into slices, he dropped them onto a small plate and passed it to her. "I just need some time to adapt. I'm not used to having people around here."
"I see. Are there any parts of the house you don't want me to film? I don't see any photos around but I can make sure to avoid anything too personal. And don't worry— I'm not going to try to get into your bedroom."
His eyes shot to her. Hers widened as she realized the different potential interpretations of what she said.
This was a momentous time. Did he choose to show her his impish side, or not?
He went for it, unable to contain the teasing smile that took over his lips. "We're still talking about filming, right?"
"Yes! Oh my god, yes, Liam."
He grinned and licked his bottom lip.
"You wanna rethink the words you're using?"
"Oh god." She dropped her face to her hands, hiding behind them. "Let me rephrase. I want to be respectful of your privacy so please let me know what's out of bounds. I'm trying to take this seriously. You added those clauses to the contract for a reason."
She made room between her fingers and watched him through them. He abandoned playfulness and followed her train of thought instead, with half a grin still in place.
"You get why I added those things, right?"
She went back to setting up her place, eyes still shy. "I assumed it's because you want to keep control over what people learn about you. And I mean, I get that. Not that it was easy for me to accept; the idea that you get a veto on the final cut is scary for me."
"I don't get a veto on the whole thing, though," he countered, "just up to three scenes."
The microwave beeped. He took his plate out and put Ana's in. She squeezed lemon juice into a glass and threw the scrunched piece of fruit inside.
