II. I'm knots about you.

Myla is woken up by a voice. She looks up to see Celine. The cast Tasha.

She jumps upright and the lady stares in shock.

“We need both of you in the hall.” she says then walks out angrily.

Myla becomes confused. While Jamal slowly wakes up. “Bonjour Princess.”

His greetings take her out of her thoughts. She faintly smiles.

“Merci. How did you sleep?”

“Perfect.”

Myla nods as they stare at each other. Suddenly, her memory flashes a sound from yesterday.

“Did . . . you recite something while I slept?”

He shrugs then jerks from bed. “I don't think so. Did you hear anything?”

She ruminates for a second and shakes her head.

“Maybe it was just a dream.”

He nods but knows that he said many things. He doesn't mind if it stays to her as a dream.

“I should go freshen up.”

“She said they need us now.”

“Whatever. I'm not walking there like this. And you should do the same.” he strolls towards the door and Myla just smirks back.

“If not what?”

He chuckles and leaves his hand on the knob. “You don't want to know.”

“I didn't say that. You just looking for an excuse because you can't do anything.”

He spins on his toes. “Do you know what scene we have today?”

She's about answering but shuts her mouth when understanding sinks into her brain. She looks away from him. He chuckles.

“We need to rehearse after you have your breakfast. Hope you don't run away.”

He swirls and exit the room. She stays back thinking about what he said then bit her lower lip.

'Myla!'

She shakes her head in remembrance to the calling this morning. She needs to get ready quickly.

...

Jamal and Myla exit their rooms almost the same time.

They meet in the corridor and discuss until they reach the meeting hall.

Myla freezes. Shae is standing there with his band.

“You will make musics together for the next scene.” Dr. Ed says.

The next scene is erotic. How can she even stand this man in any circumstance? Not to talk of making a love making song with him.

“No I can't.” she responds truthfully.

They all stare at her in awe. “Why not?” Mr. Andrew questions.

“Because-I don't want to.”

“That's not enough. You must give us a skeptical reason.”

“She doesn't want to. Isn't that enough?” Jamal interject.

“Why will you suddenly take Shae for this when Jamal is here with her. They can sing this together.” Caterina utters.

Leonel adds. “I've been asking the same question too.”

“You know what? You don't have to oblige her. If she doesn't want to then I'm gone. It's fine with me.”

“But I know both of you have sang together before. Why refuse each other now?” Celine inclines.

“Because she can't face what she did. After forcing herself on me.”

Almost everyone gasp.

“What?”

Jamal doesn't waste anytime to attack him. His fist meets Shae's face again. And this time Shae doesn't escape another of his blows.

He passes out in an instance before people hold Jamal back.

Ed stoops to look at Shawnee. “If anything happens to him you'd be held responsible.”

Jamal grits. “Fuck him! If he gets up I'm going to finish from where I stopped.”

Myla runs to Jamal and tries to calm him down. “You won't do anything stupid Jamal. Don't fall for this. They'd trap you. The cameras are recording.”

Jamal looks around and brings his gaze to Dr. Ed. He knows that he called for this on purpose to spoil his name.

The man looks back at him and Myla pulls Jamal's arm.

“This place is not conducive for you. Let's leave.”

“I'm not surprised you forced yourself on Jamal too.” Celine tells and Caterina speaks on Myla's behalf.

“You don't even know if what he said is true and you're already making assumptions because Jamal is not attracted to you?”

“No I'm not. We all know the rules of this house. And I have never tried to go against any. But these two slept together. Certainly made out last night. I'm not so surprised she's capable of doing such.”

Myla holds herself to react and Jamal instantly takes her out of the crazy scene. While the others carry Shae out.

...

“This is weighing on me Jamal. I can't believe she'd tell everyone that we had sex! And that pervert trying to make me feel like a slut. He forced himself on me and now everyone thinks I did it.”

“But I know you didn't. Isn't that enough?”

She nods gently and shuts her mouth.

“There's just one person who is behind all these and that is Dr. Ed. He's trying to humiliate you because you refused him. But he's going to pay for dealing with the wrong man.”

“Hope you won't try to fight with him?”

Jamal shakes his head. “I wouldn't waste my time. There's a better way to deal with people like him.”

Myla sighs. She doesn't want to be the reason he ends up in trouble.

“I think . . . Celine has some sort of . . . feelings for you.”

Jamal doesn't looks surprised as he stares away.

“Did-did you ever . . . get too close to her?”

He rolls his head to her narrowing his eyes.

“Where did you get this from?”

Myla shakes her head looking down. “Just asking.”

“If there's anything you need to tell me. Stop letting me find out after it gets uncontrollable.”

“Dr. Ed told me you have an affair with her. I don't believe him but-the way she looked hurt seeing us together back then . . . makes me think you two had something?”

Jamal inhales and exhales. He's somewhat frustrated by her enthusiasm. Not that he's hiding anything but she's difficult to crack. Especially when she has a strong idea about something.

“She tried severally to get very close to me during our rehearsal. She proposed an idea of making Kim jealous when talking about our stuffs in the film.”

“She wanted to show me how close she'd be and all the like. I accepted but when she started, I noticed extreme lust from her gaze. I pulled away and certainly Dr. Ed saw everything. That's what happened.”

Myla nods. “I must say you're very talented. You playing a hot pursue and a dangerous man is so sexy. It's almost like you lived in it. I'm not surprised she had a thing for Chris. And for you.”

She smiles and Jamal confesses. “What if I lived in it?"

She brings her gaze to him. “What if Chris is real? What if he's a past experience?”

Myla's smile fades away. She gulps and silence drains the room. Jamal suddenly realizes that they are in the bathroom.

“I need to show you something before the shooting.”

Myla stares at him blankly. “What's that?”

He draws near and she leans against the toilet counter.

“Turn around.”

She blinks her eyes a number of times before doing as told. Her back is against his crate and they are both staring at one another through the mirror.

He uses his fingers to brush the collar of her neck. She shivers and tilts her head reflexively.

He brings his head in her gape and sniffs her. She closes her eyes at the feeling of his breath against her skin.

He extends to her hair and says. “Take it off.”

She opens her eyes and shakes her head.

“Please.”

She's not sure she'd do this. She has never showed her natural hair to anyone. This is huge for her.

“I'd do it then.”

He raises his hand and she holds it. She faces him. “Don't please.”

He sighs. “Why not?”

She looks down. He raises her head up and drains his gaze into hers.

“Are you sick?” his brows are crumpled.

She offers a gentle nod. His heart sinks. He closes his eyes and opens it.

“I still want to see it.”

She swallows thickly, then nod towards him. He lifts his hands and takes his time to discard her wig.

Once it's off. He pulls away the the Bonet. She closes her eyes as he grimances what is inside.

He touches her hair and pulls it apart to see further. When he touches her scalp, it peels off.

His eyes grow a little wider. “Shit!”

Tears slip down her cheeks. He looks down at her but she refuses to open her eyes.

“I know what this is. Why are you keeping this to yourself?”

“Because it doesn't benefit anyone that I am this way. It's not glorifying. It's . . . contagious.”

He scoffs. “I don't care. You need treatment. And besides I'm never going to get this.”

“You think. Like you said you'd never catch a cold.”

He Chuckles. “That was different.”

She smiles faintly and looks down again.

He sighs and jakes her chin up. “Stop doing that when I'm talking to you.”

“Besides it's not as if you're having Cancer. It's just fungus. You should know that better.”

“It still makes me pale and . . . UGLY”

“Shush. Never say that again. You're beautiful.” he kisses her head.

Her eyes bulge out. “What did you do? Are you knots?”

“Maybe I am. I knots about you.”

She runs out of words. He wipes her cheeks and whispers. “It's healed. But you'd need medications. I'd take you somewhere.”

She doesn't say anything either. She flops her head against his chest and wraps her arm around him.

He smiles and brushes her hair with his hand. “I got you.”

She lays there for some minutes and he mutters. “We'd wash this right now and you'd do me a favor to let me expose your beauty to the world.”

She takes her head off his crate. “No, no. You won't. You can't. I trusted you. You can't do this to me.”

“Hey. I'm not Judas. Just let me take care of you. It'd be an intimate moment for Kim and Chris. So at some point she'd have to unveil another side of her to him. That's fair after discovering his darkest secrets.”

She frowns. “Not fair! It wasn't her fault she found out. You hid things from her.”

“This is about Chris not me.”

“And this is about me not Kim. We were talking about us and now you want to use my situation in the movie!”

“I'm dead serious Myla.” his expression because unreadable.

Another moment of silence.

To be continued...