บท 197: I Might As Well Have Nothing At All
Elle let out a soft sigh. Her breath materialized in a warm white cloud in the cold winter air. The small town they had been filming in had been hit with a snow storm and now an icy chill ran through the air while everything around them was covered in soft and sparkling white snow.
It made for a cold and uncomfortable day but it provided the perfect scenery for filming. The production crew worked quickly to take advantage of the fresh snow.
It wasn't unusual for Elle to be on set to watch the filming but in a rare move Adam had joined her on set today. He sat beside her now, watching the crew work with perfect concentration. Elle shifted uncomfortably beside him.
Elle had grown quite comfortable being on set and likewise, everyone else had become accustomed to her presence. Now her and the crew were united in their nervousness around Adam. Elle had no real job on set and yet even she could feel his impeding presence and even she was nervous about everyone's performance with him here.
Amelia on the other hand was thrilled. It was another rare opportunity for her to impress him. Among the dozens of people on set, she was the only one wearing a confident smile.
"Why did you come today?" Elle whispered to Adam when everyone else's attention was on the scene unfolding in front of them.
The corner of Adam's lips turned up ever so slightly. "Why? Am I not allowed to attend?"
"Of course you can. I was just curious..." Elle trailed off.
Elle could hear the sincerity in his voice when he gave her his serious response. "The crew have been working hard, especially in the cold weather. Filming will be over soon enough as well. I thought I should at least show my face once or twice."
"Cut!" The director called, interrupting their hushed conversation. "Why don't you all take a 15 minute break before we shoot the next scene."
Everyone dispersed to go get warm while the director walked over to join Elle and Adam.
"What do you think?" The director asked Adam as he approached them.
"I'm more interested to hear your thoughts." Adam replied.
"Both Chris and Amelia are exceptional. The story is well written, and everyone is putting their full efforts in. I think we can all look forward to a spectacular result." The director replied optimistically.
"Good. I'm just here to watch quietly so please continue working without paying attention to me."
Elle held back her scoff. As if anyone could ignore his presence. The director seemed to think the same. He laughed awkwardly and said another word or two of conversation before heading back to instruct the crew.
From a distance Amelia glanced at Adam who was sitting beside Elle. Though they were sitting side by side they exchanged almost no words amongst themselves. Amelia took comfort in that. The Adam that she knew, the Adam who was unfazed by anything and that was dedicated to his work alone, was the same Adam she saw before her now.
His eyes were fixated on the filming. Amelia would use this opportunity to show him the result of her years and years of hard work. She would show him how reliable she was.
Elle watched on as well. She wasn't bothered by Adam's lack of conversation. They were there to work, not socialize, but more than that, it was Adam's unfazed concentration that Elle found so admirable in the first place.
The minutes passed by quickly and soon enough the director was calling on them to resume. As he called action the scene in front of them unfolded. Amelia and Chris disappeared, replaced by two characters that Elle recognized from her own imagination.
In the scene Amelia's character was meant to be running after Chris. As Amelia chased after him her shoe caught a patch of ice that had been hidden beneath the snow.
No one could have predicted it and yet every heart sunk as they all watched Amelia lose her balance. She hit the ground hard. A horrible thud echoed as she fell flat on her back against the cement.
Everyone froze in horror as they saw the twisted expression on Amelia's face. She let out a strained groan as she rolled to her side.
Chris was the first to react. He rushed over to her; helping her sit up and making sure she hadn't hit her head. Some of the crew members and a medic they kept on site rushed to her side.
Elle was still frozen in her seat. Any feelings she had for Amelia were forgotten and replaced with only worry. She didn't dare blink, as if her gaze was somehow supporting her.
"She didn't hit her head, right?" Elle asked Adam with panic laced through her voice. "Please tell me you didn't see her hit her head."
"You wait here. I'll go take a look."
Adam began to head over to where Amelia was still sitting in the cold snow. As he left her, Elle became unable to sit still. She got up and headed closer but didn't approach the rest of them for fear of overcrowding the injured actress.
"I'm okay, really." Adam heard Amelia insist as he approached them. Her words said she was fine but her voice was taught, and thin with pain.
"How is she?" Adam asked the medic.
"She didn't hit her head very hard but she fell pretty hard. She'll likely have a bruise but I'm more worried about her ankle." The medic replied honestly.
"I'm fine." Amelia insisted more intently, this time pleading to Adam directly. "I don't want to hold up the filming. It's probably just a light sprain. If I can just put some ice on it for a few minutes it'll be as good as new."
Adam stared at her for a moment. Looking between her swelling ankle and the determination in her eyes. He judged for just a moment before finally announcing her verdict.
"Go to a hospital." He instructed. "If the doctor gives you the okay then you can come back to set after healing for two days. In the meantime we'll continue filming any scenes that don't include you."
Amelia's eyes protested and pleaded with him but she didn't dare say a word of it out loud.
He looked back at her with just as much determination. "Do you plan make your injury worse? Do you want to hold back filming with your recklessness?"
Amelia looked away and Adam let out a light sigh. "Go see a doctor first. We can decide on the rest after that." He said less sternly.
"Okay." Amelia unwillingly relented.
Her manager came over to help her up. As she stood up she let out a yelp and grabbed onto her manager's arm for support. She stood on one foot and looked at the injured one helplessly.
"I'll help her to the car." Adam said to her manager before effortlessly scooping Amelia up in his arms.
Elle could hear the murmur of some of the girls around her whispering their jealousy as they watched Adam carry Amelia off the set, but Elle felt no jealousy of her own. All she felt was worry and sympathy as she watched Amelia reluctantly leave.
The director began having hurried conversations with the crew as they tried to figure out what could be done to keep the production moving forward without the female lead.
Meanwhile, Amelia looked up at Adam as he carried her. His eyes betrayed the slightest bit of his inner feelings. Amelia could see worry reflected in them. She hid her face against his shoulder and smiled inwardly.
'Sorry Elle.' Amelia thought to herself.
She recalled the advice Elle had once given her. 'You better stop before you ruin the relationship you do have with him.' She had told Am.
'I know you tried to warn me. I know you were confident and told me that I would only end up pushing him away, but I too cannot give up so easily. I'm not interested in only being friends with him. I might as well have no relationship with him at all if I can't have him.'
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S_B I hope everyone's having an enjoyable end to the year! I'll be trying to post another holiday chapter on new year's eve but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this chapter from the main story line. It might be the last chapter of the year~
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