What if...

Chapter 3

AN: I don't have many words except: Thank you❤

Enjoy❤❤❤❤

Jen was smoothing over the sage colored dress she was wearing for the next scene they were taping for the second episode of the season. This had been a crazy rollercoaster ride for the past weeks: during the first friday this was going to be recorded, Matt had injured his shoulder while jumping into a chair. And as he had to wear a sling for multiple weeks after that, their whole production schedule went down the drain because they had to wait until he was fully healed to film the end of this episode. Which was happening today.

Looking at herself in the mirror she had to admit to herself that she looked mighty fine. She could already imagine what David's reaction to this would look like, as he had never seen her in this outfit before the scene...

David. Thinking of being close to him already send a shiver down her spine. While there had always been a certain level of flirtation between them, it had skyrocketed over the past few weeks. This had earned them more than one confused look and a certain amount of prying questions from their colleagues. Up until now, she had been able to brush them off. Because honestly, she herself did not fully understand what was going on.

Ever since they had returned to set a few weeks ago, she had a feeling that David had "kicked the engine into next gear". His touch felt different than before. It was not that he was not treating her with respect, or that she felt uncomfortable around him... more of the opposite. While for the past months or really, years already, before the break after season 2, she got the feeling that every sweet word, every little touch or every glance from Ross to Rachel MAYBE could have been David adressing her, it seems that now - he WANTED her to know it was not Ross speaking, but him. There was a new clarity in his actions.

It had confused her at first, to the point that she had not even been able to call him out on it, because she did not know what to say or do if he finally addressed it. Said what he wanted. Said that he wanted her.

If she was being honest, she knew. Because she wanted the same thing. But still... what had changed really? They were still doing this show, which she was pretty sure would be not go anywhere except up on the rating charts anytime soon. And they still were in a position where everyone around them was convinced that nothing good would come from 2 of the actors hooking up in private.

But really? Referring to this as a hookup felt wrong to her. Because, while she was crazily attracted to this man, it went way beyond the physical part.

Somehow, he seemed to represent everything she could ever want in a man. When she pictured her life, the family she hoped to have one day... the person she pictured by her side wasn't Tate... the man in this mental picture always had dark hair, chocolate brown eyes and wore the sweetest smile she had ever seen in this world.

Still, did this mean that this was worth risking this job over it? She knew that she was in a much better position now than she was in the beginning: for one, would the producers really risk loosing Ross or Rachel for the show, or even both, in case they decided to put their private life first? And if so, at least she was a bit of a household name by now so that she most probably would easily be able to score another role.... but she also loved this show, and she actually loved going to work every single day... Was this worth taking the risk... and even if they decided to... what would this be like for the rest of the group? Would the dynamic between them change? Would it be awkward?

She had to smile, because this actually reminded her of her inner struggle as Rachel when she first found out Ross had feelings for her... all those parallels...

The door to the dressing room opened, and one of the production assistants stuck her head in.

"Jen, are you ready?"

"Yes, yes!" She hurried over to the door and followed the girl to take her position. When the director signaled the camera was rolling, the others started to act out the scene with everybody leaving in the apartment, and she confidently stepped into the living room when the timing was right.

David looked at her stunned as she walked over to him, not only his character being taken aback by the view. And again, in the little flirty scene that unfolded, she was unsure if it was Ross and Rachel or her and David dancing around each other.

Her heart was pounding when she looked into his eyes, seeing that special sparkle that seemed to be reserved only for her. The touch of his hands on her waist felt like it was going to burn holes in the fabric of that gorgeous dress. And just like their characters, she would rather just have pulled him with her to a private place to have her way with him. His sweet kiss unleashed a fresh wave of butterflies in her stomach.

Still, they managed to get through 3 takes of the scene, until the tension finally lifted when the director called it a night.

Still unsure of what to make of all of this, she took her sweet time to take off her make up and change back into her private clothes. She did not really feel like going home to Tate after this... it was a weird mixture of feeling guilty for the way she felt about another guy, and simply the the lacking appeal of being in her boyfriend's arms right now. Because if she was being honest, it was quite obviously another man's touch that she craved...

When she heard a soft knock on the door, she did not even tear her eyes off her own confused expression in the mirror when she said.

"Come on in, it's open."

She froze in her motion when she saw David come in, closing the door behind him and then leaning his back against it. He looked directly into her eyes in the mirror infornt of her.

In his eyes, she saw the same spark she had seen before. She lost all control of her body, and it was as if someone was magically pulling strings attached to her limbs that made her get up and walk over to him, her eyes still connected to him.

She did not know what he had seen in there, but whatever it was, it caused him to reach for the knob on the door to lock it. Then he took 2 steps into her direction to close the distance between them and then took her into his arms and landed his lips on hers.