Yes

I moved slowly, hesitantly, silently across the dirty floor.

Paper, bullets and fake blood was spread everywhere, covering the old wooden planks I was treading.

I felt good; my skin was hyper sensitive, feeling every sprinkle of dust touching it, every change of the warm air in here, my hair was swaying softly from side to side as I took a step, then another, then another towards Connor MacManus laying there on the floor. The soft satin skidded loosely on my body, tickling my nipples, making them hard and pointy.

The set was silent as ever as I made my way over the floor.

But I focused on the man lying there; his breathing was hard, staggered, and his face torn from the pain he was suffering. He looked to be dying.

I was as aware of myself as I’ve ever been as I came to a stop beside him; letting my eyes drop down on his heaving chest.

I knew I had to keep my body turned to face the camera but I couldn’t help but to have my face directed at him; I felt my face soften as I laid down next to him. He looked so damaged.

“Connor,” I breathed.

I almost lost my focus when I heard my own voice speak out. It had this weird cling to it; like I was another person.

More feminine.

Softer.

I knew what my next line was and I closed my eyes as I let my hand stroke his chin; his stubble grazing the back of my hand.

Connor breathed out heavily as he felt my touch.

He was warm and sweaty.

I continued speaking with a breathy voice, remembering how Norman’s stubble had felt on my skin the first time we’d been together: “Le do thoil, nach bhfuil tú ag éileamh do cheart chun sosa le Dia ach go foil,” I felt warmth surround my pounding heart as I bent down, my face inches from his, “Téigh agus troid mar an aoire ceart fíor.”

I could sense movement out of the corner of my eye but I ignored it. Connor was all I needed to think about right now. He needed to be saved.

“Ansin, beidh tú a bheith faighte ag dúinn agus go fírinneach grá ag go leor.”*

I let my hand sway down his heaving chest, down to take his hand in mine. I lifted it up to my mouth where I gently planted a soft kiss on it; I could see how heavily it affected him, his body trembling from the angelic touch he was feeling.

“God, have mercy,” Connor spoke in a shaky voice, his breathing uneven and staggered.

He was fighting to stay alive, and I was the only one being able to have him fight on.

The words I said now were just coming out of my mouth without me even thinking them; it felt so natural: “Tabharfaidh mé cabhair duit, aoire.”

It was like my words uplifted him, reached into his body, touched his soul and heart; kept it pumping.

I let my face drop down slowly to lean it against his hard jaw. I could see a camera rolling closer but I kept my eyes on the man beside me.

I narrowed my eyes a bit and said in a more firm voice: “Riachtanais Do dheartháir tú. Ní mór dúinn duit a throid.”*

My heart was pounding so hard, I didn’t even realize the scene was actually over.

It had felt so real; like I was actually an angel, there to help Connor get up and keep on fighting our war against evil.

It was not until some male voice yelled out “Cut!”, I was torn out of the world Sean and I’d just built up, and I looked up to see people clapping their hands.

Had they been so close this whole time?

I smiled nervously as I felt a deep blush spread on my cheeks. Luckily, I had so much makeup on, I was certain no one would notice.

One of the makeup artists had come over and was correcting some of my eye makeup. It felt sticky.

Why was my cheek wet?

“You did such a good job, lass,” Sean said and I felt a confirming clap on my shoulder.

I looked over the shoulder of the makeup artist, I think her name was Linda, and searched for Troy. I wanted to know how I’d done, and I wanted to hear it from him.

He was staring into the monitor, looking over the film we’d just recorded.

He wasn’t looking happy.

I gulped as Linda sighed out.

“Miss, you weren’t supposed to cry with this makeup,” she spoke out softly as she gently dabbed a cotton pad over my right cheek.

“Crying?” I croaked, my voice coming out rough, as if I hadn’t used it for a long time.

Had I been crying?

I suddenly felt adrenaline rush through my body.

Fuck… I’d been crying.

Damn, I’d ruined it all.

Troy was going to flip out; he wouldn’t use the take and we’d have to do it all over again just because of me.

Idiot!

I looked to my side to find Sean chatting happily to his makeup artist, all smiles and happy faces.

How could he be that calm?

I looked down to the back of the room, searching for the blue crystal eyes but they were nowhere to be found.

I felt so alone.

A dude with a camera in his hands was walking by slowly, asking me something I couldn’t really comprehend. Was it even English?

“Miss? Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “Yeah, yeah, fine, I’m fine,” I turned to the guy with the camera, ”Sorry man, what did you say?”

He flashed a big grin behind the camera, his voice sounding perfectly clear this time: “I’m just doing this small video, something for the fans, to let them know how the making of Boondock three went down. You wanna let them know how shooting your first scene was like?”

I can’t even remember what my answer was.

I gabbled out, something about being nervous.

Suddenly Troy was standing before me, his eyes serious and hard.

I swallowed hard.

Judgment-fucking-time.

“That was fucking beautiful,” he said...

I think my jaw just dropped to the floor.

Excuse me, what did you just say, Mr. Director of this whole freaking movie franchise?

“The whole crying thing was a nice touch, liked that. You too Sean, fucking perfect. I’m pretty satisfied; we’ll just do it one more time, just for good measures.”

I was floating on a cloud.

......................................................................................

I giggled out lamely, letting a cloud of smoke escape from my lips; I was having another smoke. I’d needed it after we wrapped up the scene, and I was now standing outside, chain-smoking with David Ferry.

He was a funny man and apparently he’d been watching during both takes of my scene with Sean.

“Yeah, your Gaelic is really good. Where’d you learn it?” he asked.

I scratched my jaw as I spoke out: “Well, me and Norm went down to this Irish pub in New York and had this dope Irish guy named Liam help us out. He helped me translate and everything. Even though the pronunciation is kinda weird, it’s really a lot like languages I’m used to. It sounds a bit like a mix between French, English and Norwegian. Which I’m familiar with listening to back in Europe, you know?”

“Yeah, you're from Denmark, right?”

“Yeah,” I nodded.

“Cool, well, I’ll leave you too alone now, see ya around,” he said as he turned to walk away.

You too?

Who…

I curiously looked around to see a tall handsome guy leaning up the wall ahead of me. Ray bans, leather jacket and a cigarette in his hand.

My heart skipped a beat.

I hadn’t had a chance to see Norman after having done my scene; he’d totally disappeared on me after we wrapped up.

I was suddenly feeling self-conscious again; was my hair still okay? Could you see through my bath rope? Was my makeup all smeared out?

He walked over to stand next to me, and looked at me through his dark glasses. I couldn’t figure out his expression; he seemed to be on the verge of something; either breaking out in laughter or tears.

I wanted him to say something but he just stood there, eyeing me intently.

Was there something in my teeth maybe?

I was just about to say something when he spoke out: “That was probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. So believable. The way you talked? It gave me chills, man. And the way you and Sean worked together, formed that scene into reality? It almost made me jealous. I so wanted to be in his shoes right there.”

I felt bubbles of joy spread all the way down from my toes, reaching through my entire body and out to the tips of my fingers.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips and I launched myself at him; my lips hard on his, my arms thrown over his broad shoulders and my legs wrapped around his hips. He laughed into my kiss, surprised to see my reaction.

I was about to climb down from him when I felt a hard wall on my back, Norman pressing his hips into my pelvis. A whimper of surprise sounded from me.

“You look so… You really do look like an angel,” he whispered into my ear as I buried my face in his neck.

“Thanks… I guess,” I smiled, cheeks burning.

What a compliment.

“It was like, when you entered the room, the whole crew just seemed petrified. Like, I’ve never seen them that quiet. And when you talked like that to Sean, your voice just echoed through the room, I swear, I felt chills all the way down my spine. It was so beautiful.”

Can anyone please help me down? I seem to be stuck up here, seventh cloud to the right, thank you!

“Wow, thanks Norm; that really means a lot when it comes from you. I…”

He put a finger to my lips, and grabbed at my thighs with his other hand to lift me, pressing himself closer to me, his eyes wandering down my body.

“Can I take you out tonight? Like, on a date?” he asked.

I breathed out.

When had we asked each other permission? We usually just did it.

“’Course,” I said, “When are you off?”

He had two more scenes to shoot today; the first starting in about half an hour.

“Don’t know, pretty late, I guess.”

He bent down to kiss my neck and I tilted my head to the side to make more room for him. That’s when I saw them; fucking Dafoe and Sean standing over by the door, huge grins on their faces, pretending to be kissing each other, tongues out and everything but never touching.

“Screwing my aingeal, dear brudder, now, are we?” Sean yelled out, and Norman almost dropped me in surprise.

I hit my face in my hands, as if covering myself would make them go away.

Good try ostrich.

“Fuck off assholes!” Norman growled as he put me down and flipped them off, never turning his eyes away from mine.

“What you say, babe?”

My mouth fell open.

“I, um… Yeah, of course you can,” I stumbled out.

Why was he acting like that? All different; polite, as if we hadn’t been on dates before…

“Good, see you tonight, I’ll pick you up when I’m off!” He laid a quick kiss on my lips before disappearing through the doors with Sean and Dafoe.

What the hell just happened?