"Camera one is set up near the table. Camera two needs to be positioned at the front door for the video's introduction, we'll pan out to the 'landscape,' – the coffee shop," a woman's voice instructed. She spoke mostly to herself as if marking off a mental checklist; a lanyard dangled around her neck, she bit her thumbnail as she glanced around the twelve o'clock dead hour. Mr. Dalton hired Violet Summers to direct Online Dating: Real or Fiction? She had six years of experience in the film and documentary industry along with a Master's degree. Violet knew the ins and outs. Most companies shed away from female directors, not with Hazel, Inc. Mr. Dalton was impressed with her perseverance and passion.

"Thank you for this opportunity. Now let's get down to business, what projects are in the works," Violet said once she accepted the position.

Violet read every word of my proposal. She saw a vision. She saw my vision. She wanted in.

A gentleman stood next to Violet in the EspressGo shop. He wore 90s headphones around his neck. The words "BAM!" and "POW!" written on the circular earpieces. In both of his hands, he held a spherical reflective lighting. He specialized in "illumination" to create mood and tone for the audience. His name was Bobbi with an "i." He said it every single time he introduced himself.

I sat at a nearby table. My fingers were going a mile a minute on my cell phone. My back leaned against the metal chair. I pulled over another chair to prop my legs up. My face was powdered and highlighted and with a dash of mascara. Cathy, the make-up artist, complimented my natural features: strong jawline, full lips, and thick eyebrows. I held my breath.

Cathy's nasty onion breath made me gag. I gave her short answers. "Uh-huh," "Hmm," or I nodded my head.

"There, darling, you're all done," Cathy stated. She held the egg shaped sponge in her right hand. Her gorgeous raven hair was twisted in a messy bun. She then started to organize all her utensils into her pencil and makeup bags.

"Camera three will fluctuate between August and Sugar," Violet stated to a camera person. Her hand grazed over her cheeks and then down her neck.

"We've been ready to film since eleven this morning. Where's your heroine?" she questioned as she walked over towards me. Her hands were across her chest.

"She's stuck in traffic. She'll be here in five minutes." I lied.

I had no clue where Sugar was. After three phone call attempts and five quick response texts, I knew I had to wait. The palm of my hands sweated, I kept wiping them on my denim jeans.

She's not coming.

With the TrueMatch messages and I obtained Sugar's phone number, I believed we were moving a step forward. I bit my bottom lip.

I scrolled through our last text messages in the past three days with a message I sent.

What are you going to wear? The writers are giving us free range. I can't decide on what to wear.

Sent 5:01 PM

I have no clue. That's not one of my priorities at the moment.

Sent 5:05 PM

Sent a picture.

What do you think of this? Emerald? The sapphire one will match my eyes. Or red?

Sent 5:07 PM

Why did you send me a picture of you with a "kiss me, I'm Irish" T-shirt, a Captain America T-shirt, or red tank top?

Are you secretly a girl? I've never had a guy freak out about what he'll wear.

Sent 5:09 PM

I chuckled at her response as I reread it.

Honestly, I was soooooo nervous to open that picture.

Sent 5:11 PM

😱

You don't trust me?! I thought we were closer than that.

But in all seriousness.

I'll never send anything inappropriate. I promise.

Cross my heart.

Sent 5:14 PM

😐

Uh-huh.

Sent 5:16 PM

Unless I'm drunk.

... Again though, not intentional.

Sent 5:18 PM

Have you ever sent a drunk text?

Sent 5:19 PM

A few.

You?

Sent 5:20 PM

Nope.

Sent 5:20 PM

You mean, you haven't yet. Right? 😉

Sent 5:21 PM

I winced at my last reply.

This was Sugar. Her snarky and cute remarks. Not being an hour late. This was unusual for her.

I clicked on 's name dropped down with her information. My thumb hovered on the "call" button.

Just wait. I hope she's not in trouble.

I let out a long breath and relaxed my shoulders. I hadn't noticed that my shoulders were tense and up. My legs stopped spreading across the chairs. I ran my left hand through my brunette hair. Small waves slowly fell into place like snow sliding down a small hill.

"All Star" by Smash Mouth played from my cell phone. I updated my phone ringtones – I set this under my text messages.

This better be Sugar. What if she ditched after all. She signed the papers, but she still could not show up.

The small green message app had a number one in the top right corner. I pressed it.

The message wasn't from Sugar. No. My hands began to shake.

How did she get my number? I changed it after Champion.

The name taunted me.

I opened the message. My eyes skimmed the small paragraph.

Hello Gus! There's going to be a Champion's reunion for this upcoming season. The shooting begins in the springtime. We would love for you to join! Everyone misses you. I miss you.

Sent: 12:05 PM

The last sentence hit me hard. I gripped my cell phone. My knuckles cracked. I closed my eyes and one tear escaped.

Before I thought any more of what the words possibly meant, me wishing there was another meaning and value to the three words, I replied.

I have another priority.

Sent 12:06 PM

I clicked the side button to lock my cell phone.

Why would she ask that question? Why would she say those three words? I'm not falling for it. No. Not again.

I placed my phone in my pocket.

The baristas started to call out a few names for orders. Customers walked around the sound and film equipment.

Questions continued to form in my mind.

How did she get my number? There has to be another reason why she reached out to me. There's always a reason. What's her motivation? Why now, when it's been a full year since she invited me to her wedding? With that dumb-ass for a husband.

"August-"

"I promise that Sugar will be here."

"She's here."

I glanced up. The questions. Those annoying nasty voices stopped. I watched as Sugar ran into EspressGo. Her caramel waves were tossed everywhere. A ruby complexion painted on her cheeks and nose. That cute, little nose reminded me of another character – oh yes! Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer.

Sugar rushed over towards me. She dropped two thick bags that held outfits, dressy shoes, and multiple smaller bags with make-up. Her chest was moving up and down. Her chapped lips spoke, "I'm sorry! I just got off work. I had to finish helping a patient. It was only going to be five minutes, but it turned into an hour. I'm here. I'm here!"

She kept repeating her words.

The nasty navy uniform weighed her down. There was a mysterious stain on her abdomen.

"I didn't have time to text or call you. I had to drive," she declared.

She pulled Chapstick from her pocket and applied it. Her words started to muffle.

I couldn't stop looking at her lips.

"You've been ready for an hour – I need to change – I didn't know what to wear, which is ironic since you brought it up a couple days ago and I teased you about it. I have to brush my hair – I have no idea how much make-up I need to apply – I just finished an eight hour shift, it felt like a twelve hour-"

"Lollipop." I softly spoke.

I placed my hands-on top of her shoulders. The tension made my body jitter, well maybe not so much tension. It could be something else. The muscles were tight. My right thumb massaged her collarbone area.

"You're here."

She stared back at me.

"Of course. I said I would be here."

I laughed. "Yes, what I meant was that you made it safely here. That's what counts."

Sugar opened her mouth.

I raised one of my fingers to her lips.

"Take your time. There's no rush," I said.

"I know, but I haven't met the director-"

"Violet, this is Sugar. She's one of the three main leads. Violet is our amazing director," I introduced them. "We have everything set up."

Violet pointed towards the shop's back corner. "There's the bathroom for you to change. Honestly, I'm getting paid a salary so it doesn't matter to me how long you take."

Sugar had a small smile. "Thanks."

She picked up her bags and headed towards the bathroom.

"She's the one who poured hot chocolate on you?" Violet asked, we watched Sugar walk away.

"The one."

Violet grinned then said, "I'll order the hot chocolate."

I shook my head.

Bobbi with an "i" popped up close to me. "She's super-hot."

I gave him a sideways glance.

"I highly recommend you keep your comments to yourself," I countered.

Bobbi trembled and sideways walked away. He went to his position to provide more lightning.

I kept an eye on Bobbi. My hands reached for my cell phone before I remembered the reason why I put it away. There was no time to dwell in the past. Or even in the present on her. She decided long ago. Now it was my turn.

"Maybe you should take your own advice," a voice teased.

Sugar changed into comfortable jeans, black t-shirt, and ruby fluffy sweater. Her hair now brushed with the tangles and knots gone.

"You could too." I winked at Sugar.

Sugar snickered.

I watched Sugar quickly put liquid foundation on her face. Mostly, she put the foundation under her eyes, covering the black eyes.

She's so different from her. Sugar does what she says she'll do.

Sugar shoved her remaining make-up into the bigger bag. She rotated her shoulders and then stretched her arms. I heard her whisper something.

"What are you saying?"

Sugar stopped. "I'm not saying anything."

"You can tell me."

Sugar blinked.

"Well," she said, "I've tried to remember what I said to you on our date. I wrote it down and I memorized them."

I frowned, "You didn't have to do that."

"You said that the writers want to replicate our first date."

"It won't be exact," I tried to say, "the writers know that."

"Violet and everyone has an expectation. I don't want to let them down."

Sugar ran her fingers through her hair once more. The waves flowed down her back. Her ruby nose sniffled to prevent snot from escaping. Her shoulders rose again, she collected her bags and placed it on the table that I was sitting at.

She's dismissing me.

"Are you ready?" Violet called over.

She fiddled with the setting: drinks, hot chocolate and black coffee. A small glass vase held an artificial daisy. The faded plastic petals added a simplistic element to the frame. Three napkins positioned in between the two drinks. Two construction paper had our names on it. Violet had labeled the seats with who will sit where.

"Yes," Sugar said. Her fingers pulled on her ruby shirt to smooth out the tiny wrinkles.

We're not ready. I teased Sugar throughout this week about this moment. Maybe, I didn't give Sugar enough time to transition.

Sugar sat down where she was supposed to. Her hands laid flat on the table.

Violet pulled the construction paper off the paper. She went towards the camera people, giving short orders and recommendations to focus on when they begin filming.

I slowly walked to my seat. My feet stomped on the floor. I flipped my chair around.

My chin leaned against the seat's frame. Arms wrapped around the seat's backing. Silence exchanged between us. I watched Sugar as she mumbled words to herself. Her fingers danced on the snowflake cup. The warmth tickled her.

"You're okay," I said, "Right?"

"Yeah." Sugar's eyes fixated on the hot chocolate.

"I don't believe you."

She smiled. "I'm fine."

"We're ready in three, two, one," Violet said loudly. The loud crack of the marker broke our conversation. The markers helped out in the editing process later.

"Hello, I'm August," I introduced myself. I stood up from my chair and then reached out my hand.

Too quickly, Sugar reached for my hand and shook it furiously. "Hi, Sugar's my name."

I smiled. "Sugar? What's the story behind your name? I don't know anyone with that fascinating of a name."

I smoothly sat back down in my chair. My thumb rubbed against my bottom lip, I waited for her response.

Sugar glanced down. Her fingers twirled in her lap.

"My grandmother. Yeah, she's the one who," Sugar mumbled under her breath, "gave me the name. My birth name was Cassidy. I hated it. It was my birth mother's name. And well, Mama loved to bake. We did that all the time and sugar would mysteriously appear on my - my – my apron."

Violet wrote on a blank paper. Harsh quick movements was all I heard from behind me.

Sugar's eyes glanced up and read the message.

Violet stood behind camera one. Her arms rose high above the device. However, once Sugar read the message, her eyes automatically focused on the recording lens.

"Cut!"

Violet strolled over towards Sugar.

"What happened?" I asked.

I had an idea, but -

"Please don't look at the camera. It's rule number one in film. Unless you want to make a statement. We don't have people look at the camera during this exchange. You can look at the camera when it's more of a Q&A session."

"I understand. I'm sorry," Sugar replied. She pushed pieces of her hair behind her ears.

"Bobbi," Violet stated, "Less lighting on Sugar. More on August."

Bobbi seemed to shrink in size after Violet's remark. "Will do."

"Excellent," Violet grinned, "Let's go back to the story of your name."

Sugar nodded.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Sugar asked back.

"Where's the snarky remark woman? The one who teased and stood up for herself. The one who spilled hot chocolate all over me?"

Sugar glanced back at the cameras and then at her hot chocolate.

"It needs to be perfect."

"What does?" I asked.

"The whole thing. I can't mess up. I just can't."

I reached for her hand on the table. My index finger grazed her knuckles, but Sugar moved away from my touch.

"Ready! Three, two, one!"

Sugar stared at the table. "My Mama - grandmother named me after sugar. It was her endearment. We used to bake all the time and white and brown sugar accumulated in my apron pockets."

"What about your name?" she countered.

"Mine?"

She nodded.

"It was the month I was born," I stated, "Nothing endearing or special about it."

Sugar frowned. "I find that hard to believe. I don't know many August's. You're definitely you."

I grinned.

She never asked me for my story. "You think so?" I teased, "What's your occupation?"

Sugar looked stumped. This wasn't going anything like their first date. "Paramedic."

"Never would have guessed with someone who has a name Sugar."

"Then what's your expectation?"

I stopped.

Stop going back to a script. I was teasing her that the writers "wrote" the entire thing. Of course, they wanted it to be close to our true encounter. Fine, I guess I'll be the bad guy.

"We know each other from our messages. What to skip the boring conversation and head out of this place?" I said, grazing my fingers on her thumb.

She froze.

"No," Sugar said. "We don't know each other. I want to continue the boring conversation."

I heard annoyance and frustration in her voice.

"Come on, Lollipop. Let's go enjoy-"

"Don't call me Lollipop. I'm pursuing a real relationship. Not a one-time deal. You got that?" she hissed.

Her hands tightened around the hot chocolate.

I raised my hands. "I'm sorry. You're right. I won't call you Lollipop."

"Good."

"Unless you change your mind."

Sugar glared at me.

"Uh-huh."

"In all seriousness, I don't know how to do a real relationship. I haven't had one in more than five years," I clarified.

Sugar paused. Her eyes glanced down at her cup once more. She took the lid off to let the hot chocolate cool down.

Why did I say that?

"I've had one boyfriend. It didn't end well. Miscommunication and misguided emotions," Sugar shared.

She's had only one boyfriend?

"You're lying," I leaned back into my chair.

"I'm not."

"I can't believe no one has had the guts to pursue you."

"I think about that too."

I frowned. "I'm pursuing you."

"And it scares me," Sugar whispered.

Did she say what I think she said? I reached out underneath the table. My foot grazed Sugar's calf, a soft touch. A touch that made Sugar jump. Her knee hit the table and caused the hot chocolate to spill.

On the table.

And on Sugar's hand.

Her skin transformed into a hot red.

"Ah – ou-," Sugar bit her lip.

She tried to stop any curse words from escaping.

I grabbed the napkins and wiped her hand.

"Oh my gosh! I'm sorry!" I kept applying pressure on her hand.

"I'm fine. I should have seen that coming," Sugar replied.

I saw the red. It reminded me of my incident. I had pants to protect my groin. However, Sugar's hands were vulnerable to the scorching steamed milk and chocolate.

A giggle deterred my attention.

"I deserved that compared to your incident," she grimaced.

A hidden secret between two individuals on the camera.

I smiled.

Her laughter was contagious.

"Cut!" Violet wore a smug, "Good job, that's all for today. I'll need to set an appointment for each of you. I need a one on one time with the audience."

"Do you have any bandages?" I asked.

Violet nodded. "Gavin should have everything medical. You can go ask him."

"Thanks." Sugar wrapped up the remainder of the napkins on her hand. "I'll be back."

"I'm so sorry, Sugar."

I held onto her hand. My palms started to sweat again.

"I really didn't mean to-"

"I know you didn't," Sugar grinned. "I've never heard so many apologies come from you. It almost seems too good to be true."