The Write Match // Bill Hader

Sixteen

I'm walking his apartment floor, back and forth. How am I supposed to act, what am I supposed to do, what am I supposed to say? Who else will be here tomorrow beside his parents, I know he has two sisters, but I don't know if they'll be here or not. He didn't mention them, and I didn't see them as I left the show, but that doesn't mean that they're not here.

I don't talk a lot; I stay quiet and to myself because that's the easiest thing for me to do. I feel like an idiot, why did I tell him I would stay here last night? We're having fun, Meredith, this is fun. I walk to the window, calming myself down and I look at his clock again. His family will be here any second.

"Meredith!" He yells, and I freeze, looking to his bedroom door. He comes out in jeans and a plaid button up. He's in normal clothes, nothing fancy. I wear jeans, a caramel turtleneck, and a light grey coat.

"Hey." I say and Bill smiles, pulling me into a hug. It's odd, but I don't fight it. His buzzer interrupts the silence that has fallen over us, signaling his family's arrival. Shit, they're here. They come in, his mom and dad first.

"It's nice to see you again Meredith." His mom says, and she didn't hug me again, thank goodness. His dad gives me a smile and a wave.

"How was the show last night?" I ask, trying to make this as normal as possible even though I'm freaking out. I've met many people since living in New York, so why do I feel like I'm going to throw up? Is it because I'm meeting his family for the first time? I smile at his mom, and Bill gives me a soft smile, but it fades as she walks past me.

"I thought it was one of the best ones we've had in a while, what did you guys think?" He asks his parents, inviting them into the conversation and his mom starts cleaning a few things around the apartment. "Mom, stop cleaning." He laughs, and his dad rolls his eyes.

"I love watching my Billy every Saturday night." She pulls Bill down to her and she kisses his cheek, causing me to chuckle.

"So, is anyone else going to be joining us?" I ask him, and he turns his head towards the door, then back to me.

"Kara and Katie should be here soon." He smiles and my stomach drops.

"Anyone else?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"So, Meredith, Bill told us that you loved writing for him, and I would love to believe him, but I know you have better things to do with your time." His dad says, laughing and I glare at him.

"I love writing and I like working closely with people who have great ideas, but I spend a lot of time working alone. Don't listen to him and let him fool you into thinking that I'm working exclusively with him." I tell them both and find myself taking a seat in the chair next to his couch.

"We work a lot together and I feel like a lot of the sketches we write are a lot of my ideas." He pushes on and I don't look at him, feeling my annoyance grow. Of course, he would tell his parents that I work exclusively with him, it's just a way for him to justify all the time we spend together.

"He does have good ideas, but I actually have to work a little bit to make his jokes funny." I tell them and I get a chuckle from his dad.

"Don't let her lie." He takes a seat beside his mom, and pushes me further, and I turn entirely towards his direction.

"It's okay, you can admit that you're not funny." I tell him and raise my eyebrows, hoping he gets the message to stop.

"You guys are cute." His mom says and I feel my face burn red. "Oh no, not like that. You two just go on with each other all the time and it feels like you two have known each other for years." She laughs and I let out an awkward laugh.