Page 83 of Total Creative Control
“Aaron?”
Toni was heading his way, her large—empty—coffee mug dangling from the fingers of one hand.
“Morning,” she said. “Listen, I know it’s not your job, and I hate to ask…” She did look rather uncomfortable. “But we’ve got a Zoom call with Charlie this morning…”
“Do you need me in the meeting?”
Fuck, he hated the hope that sang through him, the treacherous, homesick craving to return to the familiar. To Lewis.
But Toni was shaking her head. “No, no, no. I don’t think that would be a good—No, it’s just that we need the series bible, and Lewis can’t find the latest version.”
Fighting a flash of disappointment, Aaron said, “Oh, right. Yeah, he emailed me.” He glanced back at his screen and realised that the email had come in hours ago—at 04:13 in fact. It didn’t bode well for Toni’s meeting that Lewis had been emailing at that time of morning, er, night. Lewis occasionally suffered from insomnia, especially when he was stressed about something and wasn’t eating right.
Aaron’s stomach twisted at the thought, and he was struck by a sudden, powerful memory of sleeping in Lewis’s bed. Of the heavy weight of Lewis’s arm around his waist, holding him tight against his bare chest, of the comforting sound of Lewis’s peaceful breathing as he slept.
And of how much Aaron had loved him in that moment.
The feeling left him airless.
“Any chance you could ping the file over to us both?” Toni was saying, checking her watch. “The meeting starts in fifteen, and the last thing we need is Charlie thinking we can’t find our arses with both hands.”
Shaking off the memory, Aaron nodded. “Of course. It’s in the shared drive. I’ll send you both a link. Should I send Charlie a copy, so you don’t have to share your screen?”
“You’re a star,” she said. “Thankyou. Oh, and I read your script notes on episode two. Spot on. Could you liaise with Marc about the impact of the changes?”
“Yeah, we’ve got a storylining session this afternoon,” Aaron assured her. “We’ll work the notes in if you’re happy with them.”
“Ecstatic, as always.” She beamed. “You’re doing great work, Aaron. Which comes as no surprise whatsoever. Now, I need a coffee before this hell-fest begins. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thanks. And good luck with the meeting. I hope…”What? I hope Lewis is okay? For God’s sake, Page, get a grip.“I hope you get what you need out of it.”
“I’ll settle for avoiding an all-out slanging match. But you know Lewis…”
“Yeah, I know Lewis.”
After he’d sent the file, he started going over his script notes to prepare for the meeting with Marc. But a few moments later, he became aware of...a presence. Of eyes on him. He glanced up, and his heart slammed into his ribs at the sight of Lewis standing a few yards away with Toni and Dave Peterson, the Development Producer forLeeches: USA—or, rather,Brahmins. They were hovering outside the meeting room. Toni was talking, Dave was nodding, and Lewis was watching Aaron.
He looked gorgeous in a tailored white shirt, sleeves rolled up to reveal strong forearms, his hair tousled and curling a little, the way it did after he’d been out in the rain.
Their eyes met, glanced off each other, and came back again as if magnetised. God, it was ridiculously good to see him. How stupid was that? But it was true. Aaron had missed him, missed even the sight of him. Tentatively, he offered a smile. A smile that wavered when Lewis frowned and looked away, those divots deepening between his brows as he glared down at the floor. When he glanced up again, his blue eyes were wary. And then, to Aaron’s mingled delight and dismay, he began walking towards his desk.
Aaron scrambled to his feet, wanting to meet Lewis on equal terms. Then, feeling like he was standing to attention before a superior officer, quickly turned his stance into an awkward perch on the edge of his desk that looked anything but relaxed. “Hey,” he said, utterly failing to sound casual.
Lewis nodded, his gaze averted. Up close, Aaron noticed that he looked pale and drawn, purple smudges beneath his eyes. No wonder if he’d been emailing at four in the morning.
“Uh, thanks for sending the link to that file,” Lewis said. “Don’t know why I couldn’t find it.”
A thank you? That was unexpected, and disarming. “You’re welcome.” Aaron said carefully, “Is everything—? I mean, how’s it all going?”
Lewis gave a sharp, unamused laugh and didn’t respond. Or maybe thatwashis response.
Aaron expected him to leave then, but he didn’t, and an awkward silence descended. Desperately searching for something to say, Aaron was aware of Marc and Chika watching them avidly, yet all he could think about was the scent of Lewis’s Neroli Sun aftershave and the memories it triggered of touching his bare skin. Of tasting his mouth. Of Lewis fucking him.
And shit,whyhad he allowed those thoughts to surface?
Panic rising, Aaron was about to blurt something inane about the upcoming meeting, when Lewis said, “So how’s…?” He flapped a hand towards Aaron’s new team. “Are you enjoying it?”
“Yes!” Relief made him gush. “It’s good. It’s great!Bow Streetwill be a fun show, I think. You know, if you like historical crime stuff. I’m doing a lot of script notes and storylining, which is cool.”