36 The Titans

Damian Radosz knew that he had gone too far. Such interviews are not conducted on the set, in front of everyone else, but in the silence of a private office. Damian, however, had to do something to end this farce. It was not only about saving Brylski from complete shame. It was also about saving production.

Every word Radosz said was true. His series was intended to be a family series, and he did not want eleven-year-old children to be exposed to passionate scenes. Children are innocent and should remain so. Teenagers in a whirlwind of hormones might enjoy the French kiss scene, but romantic innocence will be no less appreciated.

It was this romance that reigned in the East, gaining millions of viewers and billions of profits. And it is in the East, in some countries, such as South Korea or China, that censorship would not pass up a too daring kiss scene, and Damian did not intend to shoot two versions, one for the West and the other - for the East.

“I'm sorry for raising my voice” said Radosz after a few breaths of a break where there was a silence so dense that it could be cut with a knife. “I should have cleared that up sooner. My mistake. This is the first time I am a producer, so I didn't express myself very precisely in our earlier discussions. Due to the age group and the countries to which I want to sell this series, there can't be anything more erotic than a romantic kiss with your mouth closed or a touch of a hand. There also can not be too bloody fight scenes. I stepped in now so as not to waste the entire shooting day on a scene that was going in a direction that I cannot accept for commercial reasons.

Różycki glared at him, but at that moment he had no choice but to accept the hand extended in his direction.

"Yes, you should specify that beforehand," he replied. “Half an hour break! Me and Mr. Radosz will discuss everything calmly.”

Everyone began to step away from the plan in a hurry, as if they had seen the King of the Plagued move on to him. Evacuation has always been a good solution when two titans fought each other. With his eyes Damian found Rafał, who, covering his mouth as if he wanted to stop the nausea, hurried to his trailer.

This sight painfully stung Radosz's heart. Różycki really had no mercy for Brylski.

***

Anita ran into Rafał's caravan right after him so that he did not even have time to close the door behind him.

“Are you okay?” She asked with concern.

"Give me a minute," he asked, turning his back to his friend. He hardly went towards the toilet and Anita heard him turn on the water in the sink. Probably regardless of the fact that he might spoil his make-up, Rafał was washing his face.

Janiszek reached into the refrigerator for a water bottle and when pale Brylski, dripping with water, came out of the bathroom, she handed it to him.

“It's all right” said Rafał after drinking a few gulps of water. “You really have nothing to worry about.”

"I believe you." She sat down next to him, and she really knew everything was fine now. She could see it in his eyes. “You're stronger than you used to be.”

Once in a similar situation, Rafał would vomit for half an hour, although he would have had nothing in his stomach for a long time. His nausea was purely psychological. A little boy standing naked in the snow outside his mother's house had more wounds in his body and soul than the frostbites of that day.

The nightmare itself ended that day when a girl dressed in a pink jacket and a red hat showed him to her parents. Although, perhaps, we can only talk about the end of a certain stage of the nightmare. With the memories of Rafał, in mind and in his heart, it is not easy to break free from the heavy chains that wrap the neck and squeeze the chest, taking the breath as soon as someone smacks any of his links.

Nevertheless, for years, Rafal has been struggling with the past and with macabre memories. He fought with all his might and won more and more often. Unfortunately, not always.

“Can you get back on set?” Anita asked with concern. She wasn't worried about a possible production delay. All her attention was focused on whether her friend would deal with his emotions enough to be able to stand in front of the camera. If he overestimates his strength and returns to work before he is ready, his condition can deteriorate significantly.

Brylski thought for a moment, then smiled, encouraging them both, and nodded.

"I can do it," he assured her. “But if Damian hadn't stopped shooting, I don't know...”

‘Damian’, not ‘Radosz’. Rafał did not switch to ‘you’ too easily with people. He always preferred official forms. And yet ‘Damian’ came so naturally to him!

Anita should be happy about it, because Damian Radosz reacted as soon as she mentioned that Rafał has problems. She should be grateful to the producer for such a quick response and help, but… she couldn't. In her heart there was a tiny bug of envy for this gratitude, because it was she who told Radosz that Rafał needed help. If she hadn't, the producer wouldn't have realized something was wrong.

However, she could not say this, lest it turn out that she wants to appropriate someone else's merit. Anyway, it didn't matter who actually helped Rafał, it was important that this help came on time and - here Anita sighed - it was true that it was Radosz who carried out the entire action.

Although grateful for his help, the girl also felt a certain anger. It is she who should be able to help Rafał always and not have to look at others.

Struggling with her contradictory and not always pleasant feelings, Anita said:

“Yes, he hit perfectly. As if it were a trick of fate.”

“Right?” Brylski beamed, which in this situation was surprising. Literally a moment ago he was almost vomiting from his nerves, and now, remembering Radosz, he was beaming like the sun.

Anita could not shake the impression that Radosz is slowly starting to displace her from Rafał's life.

No, it's impossible, she told herself firmly. She and Rafał have always been together, always being a pair of perfect friends. Rafał is interested in Radosz, because Radosz is new and at the same time a man needs a man's friendship, if only to talk about women, although Rafał did not have such a need.

Or maybe he had?

Ever since her friend decided to become an actor, his behavior began to change. He started to open up more and more to people and maybe his interests also started to change a bit? Maybe Marzena Skierska, or another girl on the set, lit something in him that Anita could not light up for years and now he needed to tell someone about it, and he couldn't do it to Anita?

Was Rafał really interested or started to be interested in a woman?