Chapter: Music Video Shoot
Forty-five days passed. I worked on my music and spent time living with Zai. Then the day to film my music video finally arrived. Zai actually came to the studio with me, which was a relief. He'd finished teaching me how to drive, and after five trips, controlling the car became a lot less scary—so I'd gotten used to going to work alone.
"Snowe, this way! We need to start on your makeup," a girl I didn't recognize called out, pulling me away from Zai, who was busy scanning the room.
I was taken into a dressing room, where three people immediately began applying makeup to my face.
"Wow, your skin is so clear," one of them said.
"Your lips are such a pretty color—I thought you were already wearing lipstick!" another chimed in.
I blushed too much to respond. There were four different costumes for the video, and I was told I'd need to lip-sync my song multiple times across different sets.
"You can sing along if you want, but we'll mute it later and insert the album version," Mark clarified as I sat on the hood of a car in front of a green screen.
"I understand," I replied.
"The best shots we get today will go into the final cut. Once it's done, we'll watch it together." I nodded, then waited for the signal to begin filming again.
My song played softly in the background as I mouthed the lyrics. I sang lightly under my breath to make the performance look as natural as possible. It was the song I'd written for Zai, so having him in the room, listening to me repeat it ten times, was pretty nerve-wracking.
As I was wrapping up, I noticed an assistant handing Zai a doughnut and a coffee. If it had been a guy, I probably wouldn't have cared. But the way she was looking at him ticked me off. He seemed half-asleep but accepted the food with a smile.
"I need a break!" I shouted, jumping off the car and heading straight toward Zai. "Can I have a bite?" I asked, eyeing the doughnut still in his mouth. He leaned forward so I could take the other side—and laughed when I actually bit it.
"I didn't realize you were still hungry after that big breakfast we had," he teased.
"I could say the same about you," I shot back. He rewarded my sass with a kiss and handed me the rest of the doughnut.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted near the studio entrance, and everyone hurried over to see what was going on.
"Did Mark tell you what that's about?" I whispered.
"No," Zai replied, pulling me into a cuddle as he sipped his coffee. I stuffed my face with what was left of the doughnut.
"Snowe! Come here," Mark called. Zai and I both responded.
"This is Michael," he said. "For some scenes, you'll be posing with him since this is a love song."
Michael was handsome—with light brown hair, fair skin, and tall, though not as tall as Zai. He looked almost scrawny standing across from him. I needed to get my mind off Zai for a second. It was cruel to compare everyone to him… but it was hard not to.
"Oh... nice to meet you. I look forward to working together," I said stiffly, offering him a handshake. He took my hand and kissed the back of it.
"My pleasure," he said.
Zai stepped between us and stared him down coldly.
"I was just being polite. Calm down," Michael chuckled. Where did this guy get the confidence to talk back to Zai like that? Maybe he was overconfident and totally unaware.
"I am calm," Zai said flatly, then walked away and took a seat near the director.
We started filming after Michael got his hair and makeup done. I was told to sing while staring into his eyes.
Thirty minutes later...
"Imagine you're in love, Snowe! Relax!" the director shouted.
We had to restart the scene again—it was only going to be twenty seconds in the final cut. Each time Michael touched me, I felt nauseated and kept glancing back at Zai.
"Cut! Let's try again."
Apparently, I was a terrible actor. I focused instead on mouthing the lyrics perfectly and pretending Michael didn't exist. Things were going okay—until he put his hand on my waist and whispered, "You should look at me."
A memory of Zai flashed in my mind. When it faded and I saw only Michael, I actually threw up.
Michael screamed and cursed. Lisa rushed over, asking if I was okay. Meanwhile, Zai whispered something to the director, and assistants hurried to help Michael get changed.
I rushed to the bathroom to wash my face and rinse my mouth. When I stepped out, Zai was waiting with a bottle of water.
"You were doing so well earlier. What's troubling that little head of yours now?" he asked.
I chugged the water, puffing out my cheeks and pouting. "Aren't you jealous?" I asked.
"Should I be? Do you like him?" I shook my head. "Oh… so it's love already?"
"I definitely don't love him, Zai!" I shouted.
He laughed and patted my head. "This is for your work. I want it to go well. I'm not jealous."
That didn't make me feel better—and I didn't know why. Then Zai sneaked one of his signature kisses onto my lips, sending butterflies through my stomach.
"You got this, Snowe."
After that, I felt like I was floating. I finished filming with no mistakes. Michael seemed eager to get away from me—thank God.
"See? I knew you could do it," Zai said as he stepped onto the stage.
"Thank you. You really helped me a lot." He laid his forehead on mine and held my waist.
"Of course. I'll always help you."
"It was hard making goo-goo eyes at another guy while you were watching the whole time," I teased.
We kissed, and he laughed. "Oh, so you can do it when I'm not looking?"
"Not even when you're not looking," I replied with a giggle.
Zai held my cheeks and muttered, "Stop... you're making me want you right now."
My temperature skyrocketed. He pressed against me and kissed me again—this time parting my lips, massaging my tongue with his.
Someone loudly cleared their throat. That's when I noticed the crowd watching. I'd completely forgotten we weren't alone.
"It's about time to wrap up!" Mark called, face flushed as he walked off. Michael was also in the crowd, frowning at us. Zai smiled smugly.
"I have no reason to be jealous," he muttered before releasing me and walking off with Mark and the director.
As I stepped down from the set, Michael was waiting—everyone else had scattered.
"I didn't know you were sick. I'm sorry. But you should've warned me or something."
I'm not sick...
"You're right," I said, choosing to go along with it.
"Make sure your boyfriend knows I apologized," he added pointedly before walking away.
Did Zai talk to him? When?
I headed to the lobby, where Lisa hugged me.
"Are you okay? Do you have a fever?" she asked, pressing her hand to my forehead.
I smiled. "I'm fine!"
"You actually feel cold... Are you sure you're okay?"
I nodded. "I think it's just nerves from being on camera." I lied. My body temperature is naturally five degrees lower than normal.
She frowned. "It's not like this is your first time on camera. Well, anyway—we're all going out for drinks. Want to come, since you're not sick?"
Over the last few weeks, Lisa and I had gotten close, but I wasn't sure about drinking with other people.
"I'll... see if Zai wants to come," I answered.
She pouted. "If he doesn't, you should come without him! It'll be fun. I'll text you the address."
Back on Infaniya, I used to go to parties with Ibij. He was a Celestial Noble—Elite Class—so he had a massive house and plenty of resources. He was also an extrovert who threw parties 4–5 times a week. They could get wild, and I knew now... parties weren't where I wanted to be without Zai.
"I'll tell you if I'm on the way," I said.
Soon after, Zai appeared at my side.
"Are you ready to go home?" he asked. I nodded, and he smiled. "I have a surprise for you."
I gasped, bouncing on my tiptoes. "What is it?!"
Zai laughed and stroked my cheek. "You'll have to wait and see."
"Um... before that... do you want to go to a party?" I asked.
He gave me a puzzled look. "What?"