It was her first day of the shoot, and Lucy had mixed feelings ranging from excitement to silent nerve-wracking panic about her acting skills. She did take a crash course for a week to prepare for her role and learned the basics. However, to be in a place filled with people who can switch into characters to the sound of claps, gave Lucy, the stage fright.

Scanning through her colorful closet to find the right outfit suddenly became a tough choice. To further make it harder, her mobile kept repeatedly buzzing over and over again.

She grunted to the disturbance and chose to answer the irritating calls.

"Frank!"

"I know it's today, and I'll be ready by the time you reach here," she cried.

It was Frank, her manager, who kept repeatedly calling Lucy in the morning.

"What?" Lucy's voice broke in an instant.

"You'll arrive in another five minutes?" she exclaimed to her alarm.

Frank sighed, antic.i.p.ating her panic.

"I'm starving!" Lucy suddenly cried for her grumbling stomach.

"What?"

"I haven't had breakfast today, so you go around to get me my coffee and food- you know what I like!" she demanded.

Frank deeply sighed, again antic.i.p.ating her reaction.

"How was Thanksgiving?" he asked.

"I visited my parents and strictly restrained from stuffing myself with some delicious turkey. Do you know that my mother makes the best turkey and gravy? I almost thought about breaking the diet. What about you?" she asked.

"My wife makes decent turkey, but her ca.s.serole is to die for, and she told me to bring it to you, but I didn't,"

Frank could practically hear Lucy audibly swallow her drool through the phone.

"Alright, fifteen more minutes, and I won't spare another second. I'll get a breakfast burrito and some healthy protein shake. You can have coffee later,"

"Thanks, Frank."

Lucy cheerfully smiled because Frank grew more supportive of her.

"Go pick something sporty since you're going to have to change to another costume. Make sure it's comfortable and keeps you warm. December's wind will welcome you, heartily," he advised.

"Yes, sir," Lucy obeyed.

The call ends shortly, and Lucy spotted her maroon pantsuit, overpowering with its robust presence. She quickly changed to get her makeup done and was on her spot readily waiting for her manager, Frank. Frank arrived sharply after sparing fifteen minutes and picked her up. Lucy got in to find boxes, and the air inside the car had the divine scent of eggs and bacon and something else she hadn't seen in a while.

"Sorry! They had nothing other than blueberry yogurt smoothie. Apparently, a group of fitness enthusiasts threw a smoothie party for completing their early morning marathon. By the time I arrived, the store had nothing but a couple of blueberry smoothies only left to order."

Lucy heard him explain, even when she didn't demand it.

"I knew that you had an obsession over the flavor for a while, and then, suddenly, you avoided it abruptly," Frank mentioned.

He watched Lucy's gaze stuck on the drink.

"I'll get you coffee or something else! You can throw it away," he suggested to turn around and grab the blue colored potion. Lucy slapped his hand away and warned him to keep his eyes on the road.

"It's alright, Frank," she said sternly.

"Yeah, I am avoiding it for the memories it carries, but we can't control everything, Frank. Things happen, and I learned to accept it," she said to take a few sips and unwrapped the burrito.

Munching to her hot breakfast, Frank drove Lucy to their first day of the shooting.

**

The two arrived early to the set as per Frank's idea. Getting to know the work environment is essential for Lucy, and he thought that reaching fresh to the location will give Lucy, ample time to observe and learn.

Though she's been to several photoshoots and dozens of fas.h.i.+on shows, the first sight of the film crew intimidated her instantly.

People bustling from one group to another, and each team huddled together with their ch.o.r.es. The first day of the shooting appeared agitated. Wherever her eyes went, it got occupied; Too much detail in one picture. Lucy spotted a few familiar faces among the crowd from the welcoming party that the film crew had before Thanksgiving. Even so, no one cared to greet her as they were engaged in their posts.

Although Lucy had experienced this type of atmosphere in the fas.h.i.+on world, this is a new venture for her. Frank informed to leave her alone to look for the casting director. He ordered Lucy to stay put on the same spot and retired to explore the place.

Lucy obeyed to stay put and observed her surroundings to pa.s.s the time.

Positively, a hundred and something number of people surrounding this huge set where the production team worked to finalize the minor details before getting ready to shoot their first scene. Just the sheer counts of heads that moved around began to challenge Lucy's confidence.

Her eyes glanced over the set and spotted three huge cameras standing on its spots where the camera crew played with it to keep it tuned for recording the actors. Lucy also discovered the marks on the floor, hinting the actor's position, something fundamental and crucial to remember. She noticed Frank meeting the casting director to greet the brave lady with a warm welcome. They chatted for a while, pleasantly. Frank's eased expression encouraged Lucy not to get anxious. She exhaled to release the burden.

"Lucy?"

Someone called to startle the arrived model, and Lucy turned to greet the visitor.

"You came early! None of the actors even arrived yet,"

Lucy admitted to her lack of experience and bubbling nerves.

"Oh, it's natural, don't worry. Hey, give your best!"

Lucy thanked the person with a modest smile and watched the visitor leave hastily with her permission.

Frank returned with the casting director, seeking Lucy.

"Did something happen? Why are you talking to her?" he asked her frantically.

"Nothing's wrong!"

Lucy responded to see the two still bewildered to their agitated stares.

"What? I was only chatting with her, casually," she stressed to convince them.

"Okay! I guess you knew Ivy already!" the casting lady remarked.

"Her name is Ivy?" Lucy gaped.

"Wait- you don't know her-"

"What- I'm sorry, am I missing something here?" Lucy demanded to know.

"That's Ivy, the director of the movie," Frank revealed.

They did not expect such a surprising expression from Lucy. The casting director spilled more details about the short film that skyrocketed Ivy's career, giving her a chance to direct her first feature film. Lucy continued to remain astounded as she listened to the two, educating her about the mysterious woman.

"Wait a second, did you meet her already?" Frank interrupted to ask as it seems to be an unrelated sight of seeing Ivy with Lucy when they haven't officially met.

Lucy explained their first meeting: Frank recognized leaving her alone for a while to attend an urgent call. It is during this time that this mysterious woman approached Lucy, who was standing alone, to chat briefly before leaving in a hurry.

"Well, I heard that she wanted to shoot a couple of scenes at the Tavern on the Green," the casting lady reported.

"The restaurant?"

"Yes, there were some issues with the permit notice, and she got called for an emergency."

"Did we get the permit?" Frank inquired worriedly.

"Of course, it's just some minor issue, so she stepped in to help."

"So, she left the party and-" Lucy was busy trying to connect the dots, and Frank helped her.

"And because of her absence, David, the co-writer and the one who sat through the audition- you remember him, right? he stood in her place to give the speech."

Finally, it all made sense, and Frank signaled Lucy to forget about Ivy for now and greet the casting director. They chatted for a while when another actor arrived on the set.

Frank and Lucy stood alone to watch the actors appear one after the other. Seeing them did stir Lucy's heart, making her feel nervous and slightly intimidated by their bearing.

She averted her gaze to focus on something else. Her eyes found Ivy among the crowd, busily chatting with a guy from the camera crew.

'So that's the director of the movie- a female, wow!' Lucy thought to admire.

Leaving the camera crew, Ivy marched into the set to study it. She made a few suggestions to the people, and they followed her.

'She's so confident!' Lucy thought again.

To those vigilant eyes, Ivy appeared striking, commendable, excited, and enthusiastic. It calmed Lucy's simmering nerves. At one point under her watch, Lucy found Ivy return to her director's seat. She grabbed the nearby script and flipped through the pages, focused on its content, and Lucy found something new in Ivy's demeanor.

A mixture of emotions played in her gaze. The feeling of having b.u.t.terflies in the stomach accompanied by the subsequent panic of pulling this out flawlessly. It was a rich eloquence of someone who loves what they do with heart and soul. Lucy admired that quality, and somehow it reminded her of Lillian Grey.

Overall, Lillian was a sluggish type, but when it comes to her work, she's intense. Thus, making her more attractive and admirable.

Concerned about this uncalled remembrance, Lucy stared at Ivy closely, wondering what triggered the memory. Her piercing gaze coincidently moved Ivy from her lowered face to investigate the surroundings, making sure everything went according to the plan, and nothing uncalled occurred. On her wander, she found Lucy staring right at her.

Their eyes meet to a startling spark, and Ivy could see herself getting drawn to those pretty blue eyes. She smiled and lifted her thin brows to greet Lucy.

Meanwhile, Frank receives a word from the makeup department to bring his talent immediately.

"Lucy, you're on," he said to wait but found her frozen and daydreaming. He snapped his fingers twice and thrice to get her attention but failed poorly.

Ivy watched the person standing next to Lucy, trying so hard despite his miserable flops. She smirked softly to find Lucy's eyes still fixated on hers.

'Go!' Ivy signaled, and Lucy obeyed to find Frank, quite concernedly looking at her.

Finally, receiving her care, Frank informed Lucy to get ready for the shoot. Lucy withdrew to agree to him. She was about to leave the place but paused into a few steps to turn to the director's seat. Ivy went back to studying the script, so she retired to Frank's call and followed him to her makeup chair.

Ivy waited for a while and then lifted her eyes to take a peek. Lucy is no longer available to her sight. Sighing to herself, she closed the screenplay, idling for a minute before someone called for her presence. She looked around again in search of this blue-eyed beauty, and after confirming her absence, left to a.s.sist her crew.