( DIVE ── Chapter Six )
Everything She Says

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Liadan and George were at the point of something that was shaping up to be an awkward stand-still.

Both knew they had the ability to cross the line, but neither had the bravery to make the first move. Teetering on the edge of collapse or assembly; but the future remained too far away to see. Too distant to decide.

So for now, life continued as usual.

"No, I promise, totally ready to go." George hurried from room to room with a phone call in hand, picking up ID cards and clothing attire from various end tables. "Lida's even got her coat on." He glanced over to Liadan and gave a thumbs-up.

Leaned against the wall, arms crossed in boredom, Liadan had been waiting for an easy minimum of five minutes at least, and he was still barely dressed. She rolled her hand in the air, like, move it.

"Wait, yeah, I do ─ you know those blueberry lemon scones?" He turned and put his hand over the speaker to whisper to Liadan, "Do you want a scone?"

"I want to leave."

"Okay, just two. No, get four."

Liadan rolled her eyes.

"Here, talk to Lida while I get my shoes on." He turned the call to speaker mode and handed the phone off to Liadan.

"Hi, Liadan," said Alex Albon.

"Hello, Alex."

"Is he actually almost ready?"

"No."

George gave her a scowl, but she just shrugged and tapped the watch on her wrist.

"You run a tight ship," Alex remarked.

"She's a benevolent dictator, and I do everything she says," George replied as he finished tying the laces of his shoes.

"He's a very good boy," Liadan agreed.

George faked a scowl, adorned with half a smile that he couldn't keep back, as he snatched the phone back with one hand and tugged her reading glasses off her head so they fell down around her face with pieces of her messed-up hair. Liadan grinned. For just a brief moment as he passed her in the narrow entryway, they were close enough that she could have reached out and kissed him if she wanted. She found herself following him out of his hotel room with a bit of a buzz.

She was accompanying him for a filming day with Netflix in the UK, and Alex was meeting them there. Liadan wasn't sure how many others would show up, but she was always prepared to see any number of others at any given social event.

They piled into the back of a Suburban, and several other members of the team and crew were waiting, bored, scrolling on their phones. Liadan raised her eyebrows pointedly at George while the very exasperated driver started the car.

"You're cool with cameras on you?" George asked. It was a bit late for the question, as there was already one pointed directly at George, and with Liadan in the seat behind him, she was in frame just as much as him. But the thought counted.

"Yeah, it's fine."

The drive was short but painful. Cameras made Liadan feel like there was a rifle scope on the back of her neck. She contented herself with staring through the rain-streaked window and trying her very best to be normal. Her hands trembled beneath her bag in her lap.

When they reached the filming site, George was whisked away by whoever got their dibs on him first, and he was lost in the crowd within minutes. Liadan found a chair in a crew tent and sat, and waited, watching as they set up in the light rain with ponchos draped over the equipment more often than people. George caught her eye from a small distance away while a girl dabbed makeup across his brow, and he gave her a thumbs-up. She gave one back.

A pasty-looking guy in a suit approached her. "Are you Ms. Liadan Cagney?"

"Yes."

"I'm with the law team at Drive to Survive, I just need to go over something with you really quickly." He dragged a chair up next to her and crammed himself against her side.

"Please, sit," Liadan remarked quietly, long after the fact.

He drew up a paper on his IPad with a stained waterproof screen and zoomed in with two fingers. "In this section of Mr. Russell's appearance contract, there are some very specific terms about filming locations."

"Yes," Liadan agreed.

"It states that there is to be no filming done around his place of residence. This is intentional?"

Liadan brought the IPad closer and pulled her glasses down from her head. She examined it for a moment. "Yes, completely."

"Okay, well, that's kind of going to, you know," he waved his hand a little with his face all screwed up, "kind of harsh the flow of the episode. We need something a little more broad, something to cut the scenes of the episode, so this just won't do."

"I'm in business school, looking to get my master's, and there is this complete block ahead of me, I don't know what's wrong but I can't seem to get past it. If I don't make it in time, I'll have to take another semester, and it's really something I can't afford right now."

The man looked at her blankly, blinking in confusion. "Sorry?"

"I'm so sorry, I thought we were telling each other our problems."

He scowled.

"You'd be wise to find something else to cut the scene together," she advised.

She pretended she couldn't see him anymore until he left. Television psychos. She didn't even have jurisdiction over George's contracts to alter them or enforce them ─ that was entirely up to his legal team ─ it was just her job to adhere to it.

"What was that about?" At some point, George had wandered over, staring suspiciously at the man with the IPad even when he was on the other end of the tent.

Liadan shrugged. "Some silly questions. I didn't let it continue."

"Defending my honor?"

"Always."

George reached out and playfully wiggled his finger into her closed hand to mime a poor attempt at a handshake. "You have my gratitude," he said in a raspy, posh voice.

"The honor is mine." Liadan pretended to bow.

It was so strange, wanting to take part in silly things like this with him. It was even stranger that she wished it wouldn't end.

But ultimately, of course, he was pulled away again, and once again, pushed back into the view of the lens.

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Thankfully, they parted ways with the camera crew after the filming day, and George and Alex decided to carpool and get some dinner, as the sun was starting to go down.

"Liadan, you should join us," Alex suggested as they drove off.

"Oh, no thank you," Liadan replied politely.

"No, seriously," Alex pressed. "George will love to have you there."

There was a thud from the backseat followed by a hiss of anger and a muffled smack. Then a retaliatory muffled smack. Liadan turned around to see that George had thrown himself across the backseat and stuffed his jacket into Alex's face, which was preventing him from not just speaking, but also probably breathing.

"George, stop that," Liadan snapped in confusion. "What's the matter with you?"

Alex pushed George's hand away and wasted no time before declaring, "George actually wants you to come but got nervous to say so."

Liadan felt herself blush hot.

A dinner wouldn't be entirely against the rules. We're all coworkers. Who would care?

"All right," she agreed.

"Brilliant," said Alex.

George was awkwardly scratching the back of his head and staring off into nothingness.

When they were brought to the restaurant and the Netflix Subaru disappeared off into the distance, Liadan grabbed George's hand. He looked so handsome in the sunset. His hair just drying up from the rain, but getting a fresh coat as the sky opened up slightly. She held him back a little bit, allowing Alex to make a distance ahead of them.

"Everything okay?" George asked, glancing down at their joined hands.

"Yeah." Liadan stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek.

"Ah," he said in surprise. "Thanks."

"Thanks?"

"Sorry."

She laughed a bit. So did he.

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( note )
finished writing this while high and it most likely won't be proofread tomorrow morning so you gotta get what you get today