Loveless(38)

‘We have some minor artistic differences,’ said Rooney. ‘But aside from that, this is working absolutely fine.’

I snorted. Pip glared at me.

Rooney put one hand on her hip. ‘If Felipa could just compromise a little, then things would be a bit more straightforward.’

Pip squared up to Rooney. Or, at least, she tried to, but couldn’t quite because Rooney was several inches taller, even with Pip’s hair height.

‘You do not have permission to call me Felipa,’ she said.

‘This is bad,’ I muttered to Jason. He nodded in agreement.

‘How about we just wing it?’ said Jason. ‘Just let me and Georgia have a go at the scene, and we can go from there.’

The two co-directors reluctantly agreed, and all was right for a small moment.

Until I realised that I was about to act a Romeo and Juliet scene with Jason Farley-Shaw.

I loved acting. I loved getting to step into a character and pretend to be someone else. I loved getting to say stuff and behave in ways that I never would in real life. And I knew I was good at it too.

It was the audience that made me nervous, which in this case was Pip and Rooney. And with the added pressure of performing a romantic scene with Jason, my best friend who I was almost dating, it’s hopefully understandable that I was very nervous going into this scene.

Jason and I had copies of Romeo and Juliet in our hands – well, mine was sort of in my arm because I was using my giant Oxford Anthology of Shakespeare – and he had the first line. Pip and Rooney were sitting on chairs with one seat between them, watching.

‘If I profane with my unworthiest hand,’ began Jason, ‘this holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a gentle kiss.’

OK. In the zone. I am a romantic lead.

‘Good pilgrim,’ I said, focusing on reading the words in the book and trying not to overthink it, ‘you do wrong your hand too much –’

‘OK, Georgia?’ Pip cut in. ‘Can we have you a bit further away from Jason? Just to emphasise the yearning.’

‘And then you could step a little closer to him as you speak,’ said Rooney. ‘Like, this is your first proper meeting and you’re already obsessed with each other.’

Pip looked at her. ‘Yeah. Good idea.’

Rooney returned her gaze with a slight twitch of her eyebrow. ‘Thank you.’

I did as they instructed and carried on.

‘Which mannerly devotion shows in this; for saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss.’

‘Definitely a hand touch there,’ said Rooney.

Jason held out his hand to me, and I touched it with mine.

I felt a wave of nerves flow through me.

‘Have not saints lips,’ said Jason, staring right at me, ‘and holy palmers too?’

I could feel myself going red. Not because I was flustered or because of the romance of the scene. But because I felt uncomfortable.

‘Ay, pilgrim,’ I replied, ‘lips that they must use in prayer.’

‘Georgia,’ said Pip, ‘can I be honest?’

‘Yeah?’

‘That was supposed to be a super flirty line, but you just look like you need a shit.’

I spluttered out a laugh. ‘Wow.’

‘I know it’s just a read-through but, like … be romantic?’

‘I’m trying.’

‘Are you?’

‘Oh my God.’ I snapped the book shut, kind of annoyed, honestly. I wasn’t a bad actor. Acting had been one of the few things I’d actually excelled at. ‘You’re being so harsh.’

‘Can we start again from the beginning?’

‘Fine.’

Jason and I reset and I opened up my book again.

OK. I was Juliet. I was in love. I had just met this super-hot forbidden boy and was obsessed with him. I could do this.

We read through until we got up to the ‘lips’ bit again, Jason’s hand holding mine.

‘O, then, dear saint,’ said Jason, ‘let lips do what hands do; they pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.’

Jason was giving his everything. God, I felt uncomfortable.

‘Saints do not move, though grant for prayer’s sake.’

‘Then move not, while my prayer’s effects I take.’

Jason suddenly glanced at me kind of awkwardly, then turned to Rooney and Pip and said, ‘Presumably we kiss there.’

Rooney clapped her hands in delight. ‘Yes.’

‘Definitely,’ said Pip.

‘Just a little one.’

‘I dunno. I think it could be a proper kiss there.’

Rooney waggled her eyebrows. ‘Ooh. Felipa’s into this.’

‘I would prefer it,’ said Pip, ‘if you did not call me that.’

Pip really, really didn’t like being called Felipa. She’d gone by Pip ever since I’d known her. She always said she preferred a more masculine-sounding name, and – with the exception of it being used by her family members – Felipa just didn’t feel like her.

Sensing the change of tone in Pip’s choice, Rooney’s smirk dropped.

‘OK,’ said Rooney, more genuinely than I’d heard her talk to Pip so far. ‘Sure. Sorry.’