The Making of…

Chapter 52

Drown in Your Love

My eyes widened as sheer panic washed over me like an unstoppable wave, sweeping away every rational or calm thought. I didn’t realise that I was on my feet until I felt myself take a step towards the river, my eyes scanning for any sign of Viggo. Where was he?

“What’s going on?”

“He’s been pulled under!”

“Can you see him?”

“He was near those rocks-”

“How long has he been under for?”

The voices around me merged into white noise as my breathing became laboured and I verged on a panic attack. Why wasn’t anyone doing anything? My legs felt cold, but I didn’t notice until someone grabbed my arm, pulling me back. I realised that I was standing in the river, the cold water seeping up the legs of my jeans and chilling me. Maybe that’s why I was shaking.

“Where is he?” I heard myself whisper.

“It’s going to be ok Kira.” Someone, the person pulling me back, told me.

“There!” Someone in one of the boats yelled as I saw Viggo’s head appear above the rushing water. I felt myself suck in a breath of air as I watched him get pulled into the boat. Someone wrapped him in one of those metallic silver blankets and I could see him coughing. The boat couldn’t get to the shore quickly enough, and as its hull scraped along the river bed, the crew jumped out of the boat and Viggo followed them. I ran to him and flung my arms around his neck as I reached him.

“Viggo.” I sobbed into his chest as I felt his arms wrap around me. I hadn’t realised that I was crying until now. He was soaked, and the water from his saturated clothes quickly became absorbed by mine, but I didn’t care.

“Kira.” He whispered breathlessly as he shivered against me. I clung to him, never wanting to let go. I couldn’t let go, not after nearly losing him like that. I bit my lip to try and hold back the tears that streamed down my face as he held me tightly. I don’t know how long we stood there for. It could have been seconds or minutes, but I only looked up when someone lightly tapped my shoulder; my arms slipped away from Viggo as I turned around saw the man in a fluorescent orange coat, he was a member of the first-aid team. I nodded silently and stepped away from Viggo, even though it pained me to release him, I understood that they needed to make sure he was ok. I wrapped my arms around myself as I looked on whilst he was lead to a chair and examined. I began to shiver from the cold – it seemed the sun had slipped behind a cloud, but at least I was able to breathe normally again. I looked up in surprise as somebody draped a large coat over my shoulders, and I smiled gratefully at Peter as he stood beside me – looking sufficiently awkward with his hands stuffed in his pockets. After what seemed like an age, the medic gave Viggo the all-clear, and he stood, his eyes locked with mine and he smiled a little. Fresh tears stung at my eyes and suddenly I was in his arms again. I hugged him tightly as he buried his head in my shoulder – he was still shivering, so I rubbed his arms in an attempt to warm him up. It reminded me of the day we did the scene where I had to dive into the frozen lake, and Viggo had been trying to warm me up. Right now those times seemed like they were a world away.

“You ok Vig?” Peter asked from behind us.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” He said quietly, looking up from my shoulder as I rested my head against his chest.

“You should probably go change then, so you don’t get cold.”

“You don’t want me to do another take?” Viggo asked anxiously, but Peter only laughed and I felt my lips tug into a small smile.

“No Vig, you’ve done quite enough for one day, in fact, take the next few days off.” Our director assured him as I stepped out of his embrace and held out my hand for him, but Viggo wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me back towards him.

“Alright Pete.” He sighed.

“You look after that idiot, ok Kira?” Peter smiled at me and I nodded, wiping my tears on the back of my hand. Viggo and I began to walk back to the car park, but as soon as we were alone in the forest on the way back, he stopped.

“I’m sorry.” He murmured and I looked at him in alarm.

“Viggo, you can’t blame yourself for what happened.” I said softly, lightly touching his arm as he smiled weakly.

“I know, but when I got out of that boat and I saw your face… You looked so crushed.” He sighed and ran one hand through his hair, “I felt terrible.”

“That was because I thought I’d lost you.” I whispered faintly.

“For a minute back there, I thought I was a goner too.” He mumbled, tightening his hold on my waist as I rested my head on his shoulder and curled my arms around his chest.

“What happened?” I asked quietly as he rested his head on top of mine.

“I don’t know… I think it might have been my cloak; it might have got caught in a current and pulled me under. The current held me down, and I couldn’t tell where the surface was; for a minute I honestly thought that it was the end, but I guess I must have kicked off a rock or something, because next thing I knew I was back at the surface.” He explained in a low voice. I bit my lip as I took in the event from his point of view, “The thing was, when I was down there, all I could think about was you and Henry…” He sighed and kissed the top of my head. “I didn’t want to leave the two most important people in my life.”

“Viggo…” I whispered, holding him tighter as I felt tears pool in my eyes again. He was freezing, his soaked clothes stuck to his skin and his face was deathly pale. ‘Get over yourself’ I sternly told myself as I wiped my eyes, ‘Now is not the time to be having a nervous breakdown’. “Come on Vig, you need to get dried off.” I smiled weakly and took his hand in mine.

“You know I’d be lost without you, right?” He laughed quietly.

“If that’s the case then I’m surprised that we’re not totally dysfunctional.” I joked lamely as we started walking again. We headed back to the makeup bus that was parked in the car park and I left Viggo to change and left Peters coat on the roof of his car. I walked to the Jeep and opened the door to the driver’s side and climbed in, closing the door behind me. Viggo’s denim jacket hung over the back of the seat and I picked it up and pulled it on, slipping my arms through the sleeves and breathing in the familiar, safe smell. I was still trying to deal with the shock of what had just happened, and what he’d told me. I closed my eyes and sighed. Underneath the jacket my clothes were uncomfortably damp from hugging Viggo… But frankly I couldn’t care less. I must have sat in my contemplative daze for some time, as I was only pulled out of it as Viggo opened the passenger door, dressed in his dry clothes.

“Kira? Are you ok?” He asked as I looked up.

“Yeah.”

“You’re crying…” I could clearly see the concern in his eyes before my vision blurred.

“Oh…” Was all I could say as he climbed into the car and wrapped his arms around me. “Sorry.”

“It’s ok; I know you’re pretty shaken up.” He murmured understandingly.

“Yeah, but I shouldn’t be.” I sighed, “You’re the one who should be a nervous wreck, not me.” He laughed at that.

“It’s alright Ki, nothing bad happened.”

“But something bad almost happened.”

“But it didn’t.” He smiled, and then laughed a little. “You warned me you’d get like this.”

“Huh?”

“When Orlando broke his rib and you freaked out, I asked if you’d get as worked up about me, and you said you’d be worse.” He explained, “You were right.” I laughed into his chest and hugged him.

“I love you.” I whispered.

“I love you too.” He replied, gently stroking my hair. We sat like that for a few minutes before he looked up. “Do you want me to drive?”

“If you want.”

“Ok, well unless you want me to sit on you I suggest you shift.” He smiled and I began to manoeuvre across to his seat. He steadied me as he shifted at the same time and we both ended up in the other’s seat. “Nicely done.” He commented as he started the engine and pulled out of the car park. His phone beeped in the pocket of the jacket I was wearing and I patted down the pockets until I found it. “What is it?” He asked.

“A text from Orlando, he wants to know if you’re ok.”

“Peter is such a gossip.” Viggo laughed as I replied on his behalf and set the phone on the dashboard. On the way back to the studio, he got five more messages and three phone calls from various people, and after we’d arrived and gotten out of the car, more people approached us to voice their concerns. Viggo casually waved them off as he slipped his hand into mine and we walked to my trailer. Once we were inside he locked the door behind him and ran a hand through his hair. “I think a quiet night in is in order.” He sighed as his phone rang again, but he switched it off. “I’m not sure if I can take many more people fussing over me.” He smiled as I flopped down onto the sofa and kicked off my shoes; I turned on my laptop that was sitting on the coffee table and opened my iTunes, letting whatever music I’d been listening to last play quietly in the background. Within seconds of Vig’s phone being switched off, mine started buzzing with about seven different messages. I didn’t even look at them; I just sent a mass text to everyone who’d messaged me saying ‘He’s fine’ before turning the phone off and tossing it onto the coffee table as Viggo closed the curtains. It was beginning to get dark outside.

“The days are getting shorter.” He commented.

“Blegh… Winter.” I sighed, blowing a raspberry and tilting my head back to stare at the ceiling. Viggo sat down beside me and I instantly moved to lie against his chest. He absentmindedly trailed his fingers through my hair, and I could feel his eyes on my face.

“Are you ok?” He asked quietly.

“Are you?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I am too.” I smiled, closing my eyes and smiling as I listened to the music coming from my laptop I sang along softly under my breath as Viggo held me. “Lean on me, when you’re not strong, and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on…” I frowned as the music faded and I looked up to see that the laptop’s battery had run out. “Shoot.” I muttered, flopping back down against Viggo and resting my head on his shoulder as he lightly kissed my cheek. I looked up and his lips pulled into a gentle smile as I reached forward and cupped his cheek in my hand, before pulling him down until our lips met. He kissed me carefully as my hands tangled in his hair and he wrapped his arms around my waist, but then he stopped.

“Ki, your clothes are still wet.” He murmured against my lips and I sighed.

“It’s ok, it doesn’t matter.”

“You’ll catch a cold.” He smiled as I rolled my eyes.

“Fine.” I muttered, sitting up and running a hand through my tangled hair as Viggo released me. I stood and went to find my pyjamas, before walking into the bathroom. I pulled off my clingy, damp shirt and jeans and tousled my hair, wincing as my fingers caught in the tangles. A shower would have been ideal, but I wanted to get back to Viggo quickly. I changed into my lime green boy-shorts and vest top – probably the only pair of matching pyjamas I owned – and padded barefoot back into the main area of the trailer. Viggo must have moved from his spot on the sofa, because next thing I knew he had hugged me from behind and was softly kissing my neck. “Hi.” I smiled.

“Hey.” He replied, “I missed you.”

“I was only gone for two minutes…”

“It was two minutes too long.” He sighed, his warm breath making my exposed skin tingle. I turned in his arms to face him and rested my hands on his chest – beneath my palms I could feel his heartbeat. It was more rapid and faltering than usual, as if he was nervous, but he seemed as calm as ever as he leant his forehead against mine and I let my eyes flutter closed. It was a moment before his lips connected with mine and he gently kissed me, waiting for me to respond, before I kissed him back, my hands moving up his chest so I could wrap my arms around his neck. I timidly pulled him over to the bed and we both sat down, his lips never leaving mine as his hands moved to my waist. “Kira…” He whispered against my lips, “Tell me if you want me to stop.” His hands slipped under the base of my flimsy pyjama top. “Now?”

I didn’t say anything as he held me closer, his lips leaving a trail of tingling sensations behind them as they moved to my jaw line. “Or now?” He repeated almost too quietly for me to hear, but again I said nothing. He moved, and I almost didn’t realise that I had moved too until I realised that I was lying beneath him with my arms still wrapped around his neck. I gazed into the stormy abyss of his eyes, and they seemed a little unsure, before he closed them and lightly kissed my neck. “Now?” It wasn’t like he was asking for my permission anymore. It just seemed like he was teasing me.

“Viggo?” I whispered, and he hesitated and looked up – clearly afraid that he’d gone too far. “Vig shut up and kiss me.” I gasped, my words forming a low moan in my throat as I pulled his lips down to mine. His obvious surprise lasted for a brief moment before he started kissing me back. My fingers fumbled against the buttons of his shirt as I hastily unfastened them, and soon my hands were free to roam across his chest as I persuaded him to shrug his shirt off. His hands that rested on my hips pulled me closer, crushing my body against his as a quiet moan escaped his lips.

“Kira,” He gasped, his lips momentarily leaving mine, “A-are you sure…?” He stammered as a hint of adorable shyness crept into his voice and he trailed off uncertainly. I smiled and nodded breathlessly, rubbing my forehead against his.

“I’m sure.” I whispered, glad that my voice hadn’t failed me as he reached behind him and pulled the duvet over our bodies before kissing me again.