The dressing room was thick with steam and the scent of expensive shampoo.
"Hand me that towel, would you?" Hailey called out, water droplets still clinging to her shoulders.
Donald reached over without looking up from his makeup kit. "The blue one or the white one?"
"The one that's actually fluffy, Donald," Hailey replied. "You know I'm particular about my towels."
"Ah, the diva emerges," he teased, tossing her the white towel. "Next you'll be demanding rose petals in your bathwater."
Hailey wrapped the towel around her hair. "Don't give me ideas. After today, I think I've earned a little luxury."
"Speaking of today," Donald said, finally looking up from organizing his brushes, "I honestly can't believe Victoria would abandon a first-time male lead like that. Did you see Samuel's face?"
"Which expression? The confused one or the disappointed one?" Hailey asked.
"Both. Poor guy was practically vibrating with nerves when she left the set." Donald shook his head. "I've been in this business for years now, and I've never seen someone look so crushed and bewildered at the same time."
Hailey combed through a stubborn tangle. "Ouch. It really wasn't fair to him. You should have seen how excited he was this morning."
"Oh, I did see. Kid was bouncing around craft services like a golden retriever," Donald said.
"Donald!" Hailey exclaimed.
"What? It's true. He kept asking everyone if they thought Victoria would like his cologne choice for the scene," he continued.
Hailey paused her combing. "He asked about cologne? For a pool scene?"
"Exactly my point. Sweet kid, but completely out of his depth." Donald closed a palette with more force than necessary. "And Victoria just... poof. Gone."
"You know," Hailey said, setting down her comb, "I knew that being a stand-in meant playing risky scenes, but I never thought it would be for something like this."
"What do you mean?" Donald asked.
"Usually it's just the dangerous stuff — stunts, action sequences, things where the lead actress might actually get hurt. This was supposed to be romantic," she explained.
Donald looked up sharply. "And how do you feel about that?"
"About what?" she asked.
"About stepping into romantic scenes. About being... intimate with other actors when Victoria can't be bothered," he pressed.
Hailey turned to face him fully. "I feel sorry for Samuel. It was his first movie, his big break, and he got let down by the female lead. That's not how someone should start their career."
"But what about you, Hail? How did it feel?" Donald persisted.
She was quiet for a moment. "It felt... needed. Like I was actually helping instead of just being backup."
"Samuel certainly seemed grateful," Donald pointed out.
"He was so professional about everything. Even when he was clearly disappointed, he kept it together." Hailey smiled slightly. "And yes, the way he thanked me afterward was really sweet."
Donald grinned. "Sweet enough to make you blush, apparently."
"I am not blushing!" she exclaimed.
Donald grinned even more. "Sure you're not. Your face is just naturally tomato-colored."
"Donald, I swear—" Hailey began.
The dressing room door swung open, cutting off their banter.
Victoria glided in, followed by Eric. The atmosphere immediately changed.
"Oh," Victoria said, seeming surprised to find them there. "I hope we're not interrupting anything important."
Donald straightened up. "Not at all, Victoria. We were just finishing up."
"Perfect timing then," Victoria said, her voice warm. She moved toward the refreshment table. "Eric, we should eat here."
Eric remained near the door. "Are you sure? We could go somewhere more private."
"This is perfect. Besides," Victoria said, reaching into a white bakery box, "I brought something special for us to share."
She lifted out an elaborate cake. The frosting was decorated with delicate sugar flowers.
"Wow," Donald whistled low. "That's some serious bakery work. Did you make that yourself?"
Victoria laughed. "Hardly. I can barely boil water without burning it."
"She's being modest," Eric said, though his tone seemed distant. "Victoria makes excellent coffee."
"Only because I have a very expensive machine that does all the work," Victoria replied. "This cake is from that cafe we talked about last month, Eric. Remember?"
Eric took a few steps closer. "The one with the pastries?"
"Exactly! The one we passed after the premiere." Victoria began cutting into the cake. "You said you wanted to try their desserts."
Donald whispered to Hailey, "Fancy cafe cake. Must be Tuesday."
Hailey stifled a giggle.
Victoria held up a fork with green frosting. "I brought this as an apology for abandoning you last night."
"It's alright," Eric said. "These things happen."
"Are you sure you're not upset?" Victoria asked. "You seem... quiet."
"Just tired, I suppose," he replied.
Victoria's face lit up. "Well, this should help! The cake from that cafe is incredible. You have to try it."
Eric shook his head gently. "I'm full, actually."
"Oh," Victoria said, her face falling slightly.
"But," Eric continued, moving closer, "I'd like to watch you enjoy it. Can I feed you instead?"
Donald made a soft choking sound. Hailey shot him a warning look.
Victoria brightened. "That's very sweet of you."
Eric took the fork from her. "Do you want the green one? It looks like mint."
"Yes, mint is my favorite. You remembered," she said.
Eric smiled. "Of course I remembered."
As Eric carefully fed Victoria the bite of cake, Donald leaned toward Hailey.
"Should we leave?" he whispered.
"We can't just walk out," she whispered back.
"This feels very... intimate," he murmured.
"Shh," Hailey hissed.
Victoria closed her eyes as she tasted the cake. "Mmm, it's delicious. Thank you, Eric."
"You're welcome," Eric said softly.
Donald cleared his throat. "The cake looks amazing, Victoria. Very fancy."
Victoria turned toward them, as if she had forgotten they were there. "Oh! Yes, it really is wonderful."
"This reminds me of that little bakery in Paris," she said to Eric. "The one we visited during the film festival."
"I remember," Eric said. "You got that strawberry tart."
"And you insisted on photographing it for ten minutes before I could eat it!" she laughed.
Eric smiled slightly. "It was a work of art. Just like you."
Donald caught Hailey's eye in the mirror and raised his eyebrows expressively.
Victoria's cheeks flushed. "You're always the charmer."
"Only when it's deserved," Eric replied, offering her another bite.
"You two are making the rest of us feel very single," Donald said with a laugh.
"Donald!" Hailey hissed.
"What? I'm just being honest. All this romantic cake-feeding is making me want to call my ex," he continued.
"Please don't call your ex," Hailey said quickly.
"Why not?" Donald asked.
"Because last time you called her, you ended up crying in my dressing room for two hours," she explained.
"That was different. That was a Tuesday crying session. This would be a romantic inspiration crying session," Donald protested.
Victoria laughed. "How many types of crying sessions do you have?"
"Oh, several categories," Donald said seriously. "There's Tuesday crying, Sunday crying, post-bad-date crying, and my personal favorite, 'I-saw-a-really-touching-commercial' crying."
"You cried at a commercial?" Eric asked, seeming more engaged.
"It was about a dog finding his way home! There were violins!" Donald exclaimed.
Even Eric cracked a smile at that.
"See?" Donald said to Hailey. "I'm providing entertainment value."
"You're providing something, alright," Hailey muttered.
Victoria took another bite of cake. "This is exactly what I needed after such a long day."
"It has been a long day," Eric agreed, his attention back on her completely.
"But a good one," Victoria said. "Even with the... complications."
"Complications?" Donald asked innocently.
Hailey kicked him gently.
"Just some scheduling issues," Victoria said smoothly. "Nothing major."
"Right," Hailey said. "Nothing major at all."
"You did wonderful work today, Hailey," Victoria continued. "Samuel was lucky to have you as his scene partner."
"Thank you. He made it easy," Hailey replied.
"He's very talented," Eric said, though his voice sounded empty. "Natural screen presence."
"And very grateful," Donald added. "Kid practically wrote Hailey a thank-you novel."
"Donald, stop exaggerating," Hailey said.
"I'm not! He went on for five minutes about your professionalism and your 'intuitive understanding of the scene's emotional core,'" Donald insisted.
Hailey rolled her eyes. "He did not say that."
"Okay, maybe not in those exact words, but the sentiment was there," Donald conceded.
Victoria pushed the cake plate away. "I should probably stop. The director is very particular about consistency between scenes."
"You look perfect," Eric said simply.
"You always know exactly what to say," Victoria replied.
A knock interrupted them.
"Come in!" Victoria called.
A nervous-looking assistant peered in. "Victoria? They need you for costume fitting in ten minutes. The wardrobe department wants to make some adjustments to tomorrow's outfit."
"Of course," Victoria smiled warmly. "Thank you for letting me know."
The assistant left quickly.
"I should go," Victoria said, gathering her things. "Will you walk me there, Eric? I always feel more confident when you're with me."
"Of course," he replied.
As they moved toward the door, Victoria turned back. "Thank you for the dressing room. And Hailey, thank you again for today. You truly saved the scene."
"You're welcome," Hailey managed. "Good luck with your fitting."