On Set

23

"So! Tell me! Tell me! How was lunch with Chris from Hot-Man-ville?!" Whitney asked excitedly she sat in the seat in front of my desk with wide eyes.

"Fine, fine. It was everything you would imagine." I stated calmly, with no emotion. I was organizing my notes, and papers on my desk when I told her this. I had just gotten out of my meeting with the finance team.

"I think we imagine different things, because I'm imagining you two getting it on in the bathroom."

"What! No, that didn't happen. Yeah, not this time, Whit." I laughed a bit. My laugh was hollow, and worn. I just felt weak, like there was a hole in my heart. I wanted to fold into myself and wrap up in a blanket. I wanted to get out of the stuffy office, and walk around. Maybe even get on a plane and go somewhere, any where. I just wanted to heal my bleeding heart.

"What happened then? You were late, to the meeting so something must have happened?"

"We just talked. He's leaving, again, for LA. Where his fiancé is." I told her and now I just want a drink.

"NO!"

"Yes, the magazine was true." We both knew I was holding on to the idea that it wasn't.

"So that's it?"

"Yeah, Whitney, that's it, that's the end." I admitted to her, and myself. She knew I wasn't telling her something, when she left my office. And I wasn't, but what happened between us, was just for us. It was something I'll don't think I could describe correctly. I was having a hard time wrapping my head around everything that we had said to each other. There was closure in our fight, but something else that I'll hold on to as I move on.

I stood in front of Mel's restaurant ready to meet Chris for lunch. Why did we come here? I had a strong feeling that nothing good would come from this. It was a gut feeling. I reached for the door handle, and I wanted to bolt away. I thought for a second about skipping out, but I know it was the wrong thing to do. I took a deep breath, and walked into the restaurant like I owned it. It was a normal restaurant, with a gray entrance looking out on to one of the many busy roads of Boston. It was on the more richer side of Boston too. It had normal lunch foods, like sandwiches, salads, and soup. The best part about Mel's was their desert, at night the restaurant was crowded with people trying to get some of their cake, and pies. I personally loved their cupcakes that they sometimes had.

I went into the restaurant looking for Chris, I was a few minutes late as normal. I had on some jeans, and a white button down, pretty much my normal work outfit. I sat down in the seat next to his, and I felt a little nervous. I don't know why, he knows me, we're not strangers. But it still felt like we are. It kind of felt like I was meeting him for the first time again. We ordered and of course I ordered a cupcake, because I love them.

The starting conversation was strained. We had no idea what to say to each other. So naturally we talked about work, something we both do too much. I talked about other movies I'd done, I talked about some funny stories that he laughed at. He discussed about the movie he was directing, and the one he was staring in. The more we laughed at each others lame jokes the closer we were to being back to normal.

"Have you been to any interesting places?" He asked because he knows how much I love to travel.

"Yeah, I took myself to Machu Picchu." I told him and he looks impressed.

"Alone?"

"Yep, I backpacked that one, so I stayed in a couple hostels, camped a bit, hitched hiked a little and walked a whole lot." I explained

"Please be careful" he pleaded and I almost rolled my eyes.

"I'm always careful, and I can take care of myself." I wanted to tell him I wasn't any of his concern too.