A Step Back (Jennifer. A + David. S)

Chapter 14: Celebrity Secrets

JENNIFER'S POV
It's the same day David, Court, and Lisa left from our sleepover and I'm bored. I read over the new script for this week's episode, and I then proceed to flipping through the pages of a new autobiography of Paul McCartney. Hmm, David would like that. It's so boring just sitting around here, doing nothing. I decide to grab a magazine from the news stand a block away just for the sake of doing something. Once I arrive, I have to choose what to read. Vanity Fair, Cosmo, no, not those. The Chromicle, The New Yorker, ooh! Celebrity Secrets! For some reason I really like this magazine, although it's filled with untrue trash. And then I notice the cover. It's a picture of David and I from Valentine's Day holding hands and walking to the restaurant. Oh no! The title reads: "New Stars Of Hit Show's Valentine's Day." Oh great. I pay for the magazine and speedily race home so I can delve into the pages. Once I arrive, I jump onto my couch and pull it out. I flip to the article and am faced with multiple photos of us holding hands, even with one from yesterday morning when we went on our walk! I scan through the article.
"Two new breakout stars from the newest hit show, Friends, have hit it off together. Television's Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer, pictured above are in a relationship. We caught them smiling at each other and holding hands affectionatly. They were both dressed up to go to the fancy restaurant on Valentine's Day. The two aren't on the high scale of celebrities, but after the release of more episodes of their newest show, Friends, they will be.
Friends is a comedy ensemble show focusing on the lives of three men and three women. Each character has their own struggles with adult hood and individuality, as well as with each other. The show is on at 8, just before Seinfeld. Funnily enough, Schwimmer's character, Ross, is in love with Rachel, who is played by Aniston on the show. A coincidence? We think not. What do you think? Send in your thoughts to us..."
I finish the rest of the article. It's so weird seeing myself in one if these magazines, because neither David or I are really famous. We've only known each other for a month or so! I have to show this to David. I know he only left my house a few hours ago, but he doesn't read these kinds of magazines, so he'll never know unless I show him. I rush over to his house in my car, and knock on his door.
DAVID'S POV
I run to the door when I hear someone knocking. Jennifer is here! That's odd, I just left her house. Why is she here? Did I forget something at her house? I open the door, and she looks extremely nervous. She barges in and immediately sits down on the couch. I'm sort of confused, so I slowly walk over to join her. I furrow my eyebrows, trying to show that I don't understand.
"Is everything alright Jennifer?" I ask her.
She shakes her head and hands me a magazine I hadn't noticed her holding. I take it and read the cover. I swallow. Wow, that's odd... There were barely any people walking around that part of town. I'm sure we would have noticed them. I flip to the inside pages where the story is. I scan through the column, reading the words. When I finish, I set it down between us.
"It's not that bad. So what if they think we are dating? Just calmly deny it, and don't make a huge fuss or they won't believe you." I announce, breaking the silence. She hasn't spoken one word.
"I'm just confused." She utters.
I place my hand on her arm, which was in her lap. She looks up at me.
"We've got to be more careful. But at least they didn't get one of us kissing." She says.
She's acting very strange about the whole thing. I thought she would find it amusing, because at least they aren't making fun of her.
"We are going to have to get used to this. Just ignore it. Act like you don't see it. Many people don't even believe what they read in these, they just read them because it's entertaining." I reply, telling her the truth.
She nods sadly, still not being herself. I bring myself closer to her and look down at her, trying to meet her eyes. She's acting like I do.
"I'm not that upset about the magazine, it's just making me realize how our lives are about to change forever. If the show gets popular, we aren't going to be able to live in the same as we usually do. We are at a turning point, and we can't go back."
I sit back, taking in what she said. She's right, and I never thought about how different our lives are going to be in the next year.
"You're right." I plainly admit.
She bring her arms around me and squeezes before she stands up and leaves. The magazine is left by my side, so I chuck it into the bin. That's all I can really do.
Later on, at around two in the afternoon, I kind of need some exercise. I wear my khaki slacks and I throw a purple and green flannel shirt over my white T-shirt. I leave my house and lock the door behind me. I don't live too far from Jennifer, and Lisa lives just down the street.
I cross the street before walking in the direction of Lisa's house. I'm not going to visit her, but there is a great little movie rental place almost directly across the street from her house. Actually, I think it's just a blockbuster. After about a minute, when I approach the store, I see Matt crossing the street with a tape in his hand. He sees me, so he crosses the street over to where there is a little alley between apartment buildings so we don't block anyone walking past us on the sidewalk. He greets me with a firm hand shake.
"So, how are you?" He starts, "have you gotten over you-know-who?" He teases. (Not Voldemort, you know who I mean)
I stare at the ground, digging my feet into a rotten cigarette butt. I'm beginning to get a bit sick.
"Umm, well you know how it is. Kind of hard to get over someone." I admit, almost wanting to throw up.
I feel like this is a bad idea; talking about how I feel for Jennifer. He then looks up at me and shoves my chest terribly hard. I stumble back, shocked at how hard he pushed me. Why did he push me? Is he still mad about Jennifer? A bruise will probably be there later today. I back up, not wanting to get any closer.
"I told you to stay away! What the hell is wrong with you?" He yells fiercely, powerfully etching forwards.
I hold my hands up like I'm about to get arrested.
"I'm sorry, I mean you no harm. I can't help falling in love!"
His nostrils are flared, and he leaps forward, grabbing my shirt and holding it to his face. This isn't anything new for me.
"What?!" He grits his teeth, "You are a dead man, Schwimmer!" He shouts before punching me in the eye.
I keel back; my vision obstructed my his fist. I squint through the pain. I try to adjust to the feeling, but I don't notice as he whacks my cheekbone with his plastic-boxed VHS tape. It slices my skin down my cheekbone, about two inches long. I dab the fresh cut and see the oozing blood on the back of my hand. My vision is blurry, but I see him escape the alley before running off down the street. I fall to the ground. Trying to stay awake, I touch the cigarettes and gravel of the alley way. I watch as cars roam by occasionally, with nobody walking by at all. At least he didn't really beat me up. He only punched me, shoved me, and smacked me with a tape. It's not that bad. I've been beaten up numerous times in my childhood and teenage years.
The world is a blurry haze for me now. The only sense I can generally use is touch, so I continue to feel the small grains of gravel...
JENNIFER'S POV
I need to do something to take my mind off of the magazine, so I grab my coat and walk out the door. I happily stroll down the empty street. I'm so lucky to live in a cute little area of town nobody really knows about. It's great because there are never people to bother you about fame or anything. Not that people have, but hopefully in the future. Coffee. I'm craving a steamy cup of coffee from Mattia. His restaurant is so sweet, and this morning with David was fun. It doesn't seem like today, it feels like a week ago. As I get about halfway there, I notice something in the alley. I wonder what that is? I approach it, but then see it's a man! Probably an old stoner or something up from last night. As I back away, I catch in the back of my eye that isn't a stoner, but David! What on earth could have happened? I run over to him, and turn him over onto his back. His right eye is purple and his left is squinting. His cheekbone is bleeding! I dig through my purse before finding my scarf. I dab the cut, but he wearily removes my arm. He clears his throat before attempting to speak.
"Hey don't use that. It's a nice scarf, and I don't want to ruin it." He croaks.
He sounds terrible, and looks horrendous. I lift his heavy head and rest it on my lap. He tries to watch me as I wipe more blood from his face. I push back his hair, and stroke his other cheek with my thumb. He has dirt from the gravel all over his body, so he needs new clothes. I stand up, but he doesn't join me. I can't carry him because he's too heavy. I pull his arm it around my shoulder for support. I sort of help lift him up. He hangs his head and limps while I walk him back to his house. We stumble down the road, and he almost collapses multiple times. I prop him against his door and reach into his jacket pocket for his keys. Once I find them, I open the door and bring him inside. He's conscious, but just barely. I lay his body on the couch and grab him a glass of water. I then carefully place his head on my lap and lift it up so he can drink the water. He sips it cautiously, his movements slowed down like a slow motion scene. He struggles to drink the water properly. I run my hands through his hair, calming him.
"Does it hurt really badly?" I ask, hoping he knows what I'm saying.
He nods and lays his head back down.
"Do you have any painkillers? If you do, where are they?" I ask, looking into his eye.
He tries to speak, but no words come out. He tries again.
"Medicine cabinet." He whispers, as if muttering two words took all of his power.
I stand up and ran into his bathroom. I open the cabinet, looking for the pills. He has three small canisters, but two are painkillers. The third one is a bottle of anti-depressants. I take them, and read the label. Yep, that's exactly what they are. I know he's had a rough life so far, but I never thought of him with a serious mental condition. I'll mention it to him later. I grab one of the bottles and then dash into his kitchen for ice. The freezer is humming quite loudly; I grab a hand towel and place a handful of ice cubes in it and wrap them up. Once I'm back in the living room, I give him the pill to swallow as well as hold the ice over his black eye. He sighs when he finally feels relief from the stabbing pain. Finally, after ten or so minutes, he falls asleep in my arms.
Every couple of minutes I remove the ice from his face to see how he's doing as well as make sure he doesn't get frostbite or something. I very gently rub my thumb over his tender bruised skin. He flinches in his sleep. I then place the ice pack back onto his face and look down at his handsome face. I wonder who would ever do this? Maybe it was just some guy who wanted to beat someone up, and had no reason at all. Or maybe the person had a reason. I have so many questions to ask him, but all I can really do is hold him and make sure he's alright. I stick a plaster on his cheek where he was cut, and kiss it once lightly. With his head resting in my lap, I place my hand on his chest and feel his heartbeat. It's so calming. I run my hand down, but when I reach the lower part of his chest, he flinches again. He must have a bruise there! I decide all I can do is check it. I carefully unzip his jacket and pull up his shirt to expose the bruise. It's just on the bottom of his sternum, dark and purpely green like his eye. I steal the ice pack from his face to let it get a break as well as let his chest get iced. Again, he flinches when I place it down, because the area is sensitive and isn't numb from the cold. I've never seen a man so broken and hurt.
After three quarters of an hour of sleeping, he finally wakes up. He's definitely feeling much better and he has more energy. He wearily sits up, and looks at me with his adorable eyes.
"Can you please help me stand? I don't know if I can." He pleads, as if I would reject doing so.
Of course! I stand up and take his hands and help him up. He smiles and kisses my forehead in thanks. He stumbles towards his bedroom. I follow him inside, and he closes the door behind me.
"Can you umm, help me undress?" He asks, blushing.
I've never been more happy to see him blush! His voice is still cracking and deeper than normal, but his words are fluent and it doesn't look like it takes him too much effort to muster. I nod and walk over to him. He unbuttons his plaid shirt, with his plain white t-shirt on underneath. He asks me to help him pull that off, so he bends over and sticks his arms in front. I easily slide it off, and then he turns bright red.
"Can you help me with my uh...pants? I just need someone to lean on." He mutters, unbuttoning them.
I hold his sides as he slides them off. He's left in only his boxers. He then climbs into bed, leaving half of it unoccupied. He motions for me to lay down. I tug off my jacket and shoes, and climb in after him. We both lay an inch or two apart, but I take his bicep and run my hand up and down. Wow, he's got nice arms.
"So I'm guessing you want to know how this happened, right?" He states, turning towards me.
I smile and nod.
"Okay I'll tell you. But I have to thank you first. If you hadn't found me I would've spent the night there. You saved me, so thank you a lot. Jennifer, I owe you anything. Anything." He smiles, switching his position so he's on his side, so I mirror him.
"David it's just common sense to not leave you in a dark alley. But still, thank you for saying thank you." I grin, reassuring him.
He looks down at the blanket.
"Alright tell me! I want to know!" I ask, poking him lightly.
He looks uneasy, but he finally gives in.
"So... what happened was I was walking to the video rental place and Matt was walking out of it. We started talking about stuff, exchanged a few words, and he got really mad at me, so he shoved me. I apologized for whatever I said, and he then punched me in the face, before whacking his tape at my cheek. Then I guess he ran off. I was just laying on the ground, feeling so helpless. I don't know about this fight, I guess it made me feel like such a wimp." He answers, reluctantly.
No. No. No. Matt did not do this. I know him, and he's sweet. He must have hallucinated him. I can tell you Matt is not like that.
"You're wrong! Matt is so nice and different and not like that, okay? Why would you make something up like that?!" I say, smacking his chest, but forgetting that he has a bruise there. He keels over, crossing his arms tightly to his chest. I apologize continuously, but he's still in pain. When he finally sits up, it looks like he's chewed his cheek raw. I bring his head to my chest and kiss his head while searching though his mess of brown hair. It's so soft and lucious, it's perfect. His bare torso is pressed against me, commanding me to love him. I bring my other arm around his strong and muscular back. I run my hand up and down, feeling each muscle, from his shoulders to the small of his back.
"I'm not lying. If you don't believe me, then don't. Matt and I have never fully gotten along at all. He's just mad at me for something from a while ago." He mutters through clenched teeth. I can feel his muscles flexing in anger.
"Alright, well what was it about? Maybe tomorrow we can work it out."
I slightly pander to him.
"I'm sorry but I just can't tell you. I really can't." He whimpers.
What? Why can't he tell me?
"Your secret is always safe with me sweetie!" I whisper to him.
"I know. Please don't push me, because I will not tell you." He replies, harshly.
What is it? What is this big secret he's hiding? Wait...
"Earlier, you said you owed me anything. Well, this is my anything. I want to know." I force.
He won't break his promise; I know he won't. He looks up at me with his puppy dog eyes but with a hint of fear. He's so scared. His hands slightly shake around my body. If it's causing him too much pain I won't make him tell me.
"I'm trying to protect you, by doing this, I'm saving you! Jennifer, you don't have any idea of what you're dealing with." He cries.
"No, I don't have any idea because you won't tell me! We have no secrets between us! I want to enjoy listening to you, knowing that if I ask, I can get an answer. Cmon, it's eating you alive!" I respond, driving him insane.
He stands up and pulls on some different clothes from earlier. His eyes are scared and worried, full of heart wrenching pain. I can't stand to see him so broken. He runs his shaky hands through his hair like he always does when he's nervous. What is this secret?
DAVID'S POV
I'm trying to hold back tears. What if she hates me after I tell her? What if things become extremely awkward between us? What if she thinks I'm a freak and acts like I'm a hopeless loser? I wait, I already am one.
I can't do this, but I have to. I won't break that promise I made to her; I won't. I will tell her today, not some other time. Right now.
I lead her into the living room and sit her down next to me on the couch, so we are facing each other.
"David, you're kind of scaring me now!" She awkwardly laughs, trying to cut the tension.
I look into her eyes, and try and muster some confidence, but I have none. My hands shake in my lap, and my heart might rip through my chest in the next minute. My voice is just a stutter, every word it cracks and repeats. I look right into her eyes, and she looks forgiving and caring.
"Matt and I were fighting because of something men have been fighting over forever. Do you know what I mean?" I ask, leaving her with a question. She pauses to think.
"Umm, money, food, women..." When she says women, I look up at her.
She smiles when she realizes I like someone. She scoots closer, trying to help me. But I can't be helped.
"Yeah. You see, we both like this woman, and she means the world to me. But all Matt wants from her is sex, and he even told me so. He's just mad because this woman and I are good friends, and he isn't really that close with her." I stutter out, hoping she figures it out, because I only have one true friend.
She opens her mouth wide in figuration.
"You guys both have a crush on Courteney!" She says, as if she had discovered the cure for cancer.
I hang my head in defeat. I'm going to have to say it.
"No, not quite. You see, I've..." I swallow, "fallen in love with... someone." I announce, losing my confidence in saying Jennifer.
I turn to her in my vulnerable state, hoping when she finds out she will accept my love and adoration. She smiles in awe. But then her face quickly changes to confusion and panic. I look down at my wriggling, shaking hands in my lap. After a long pause of silence, I look up into her eyes with a sudden burst of courage.