Big Apple Besties

Elle at the Plaza

Hey!

Elle moved her sore hand from her laptop keyboard to her phone to check who was texting her. Turns out it was Rob. She had engaged in casual conversation at nighttimes, humoring him and her. She smiled and texted back. Hey.

She put her phone down again, but picked it up eagerly when she heard it ding.

I'm super bored. You wanna go walking?

Elle smiled. She looked at her laptop, though, and thought pensively. She had planned on staying in the entire night to work more on the screenplay. However, her fingers and her mind were exhausted and was in the mood to have some crackhead conversations with a neurotic mess like Rob.

Sure. I'll meet you at the cafe on 32nd.

With that, Elle got up from her seat on the sofa and grabbed her windbreaker, put on some blush and tied her hair back. She walked briskly through the streets, pulling her head over her head so as to not be noticed by any fans. As she neared the cafe, she spotted the familiar lanky ginger with horrible posture leaning uncomfortably against the wall. When they meet each other, Rob awkwardly leaned in for a hug, which luckily, Elle decided to go with as well. He cleared his voice to relieve himself of the embarrassment, then said, "Shall we?"

They at first walked in silence, until Elle smiled over at him and said with a laugh,

"You smell good." Elle.

Rob looked surprised at her, sniffed his shirt, then said, "Really?"

Elle nodded, and he said again, "You know, lots of people tell me I smell like a crayon."

Elle laughed at his awkwardness, and exclaimed, "Like you're made of wax??"

Rob laughed with her and responded, "Yup, like I'm embalmed."

Elle shook her head with a smile and said, "You're so weird."

"Oh you have no idea." The two smiled at each other then continued walking. When a breeze came by, Elle hooked her elbow with Rob's and leaned against him. He was warm and his jacket was soft. Rob looked down at her with a smile, and Elle blushed slightly and looked away.

"Stop looking at me like that."

Rob laughed genuinely, then pulled her closer. "Like what?"

Elle shook her head, not knowing what to say. She simply leaned closer to him and the two walked like a couple down the street. They stopped at an intersection, and Rob slowly pulled away from her. He cleared his throat, then asked, "Elle?"

"Yea?"

"I really want to kiss you right now."

"Then why don't you?" Elle answered, almost not believing the bluntness of her answer.

He slowly leaned in and pecked her on the lips. Elle, dissatisfied with the shortness and awkwardness of the moment, simply smiled. Her phone rang, and immediately she dug into her pocket to see who it was. It turned out to be a voicemail from Chuck Spadina, one of the big producers she had called the other day.

Hi Elle! Thanks for your phone call the other day. I was wondering if we could meet at the restaurant in the Plaza Hotel lobby and talk business? I'm there already. Thanks.

Elle, heart pounding with excitement, immediately said to Rob, "I'm so sorry I gotta go." Before allowing him to say goodbye, she sped down the street like a maniac, twisting through the intersections and crosswalks and running through Central Park until she reached the Plaza.

Slowly smoothing out her hair and jacket, Elle walked casually into the restaurant and found the silver haired Chuck sitting at a two-seater. She eagerly sat down next to him and shook his hand.

"Hi Mr. Spadina, thank you so much for meeting with me so soon."

Chuck looked her up and down, then replied, "Elle, thanks for coming so soon." He then signaled to a waiter and asked him to bring two martinis.

Elle folded her hands, eager to seem professional, and took out her laptop. "So, I pretty much have a rough draft of the script done. It won't take that hefty of a budget, but I'd really like to see my vision come to life." Elle realized Chuck was on his phone and stopped. He slowly looked up and said,

"Sure Elle, let's wait for these drinks to arrive."

Elle, brushing back her hair slightly embarrassed, sat back in her seat as Chuck scrolled through his phone more. When the waiter brought the drinks, he signaled to her to take a sip. Elle took a small one then started again.

"So, are there any other associates of the company I have to pitch to to get it off the rails? I plan on directing the film as well." Elle tried to reason with him but Chuck signaled to her to take another sip of her martini.

"Where are you staying Elle?" Chuck asked. Elle, unsure of what this had to do with the movie pitch, answered.

"With a friend... in the upper east side, anyways back to the script." However, Chuck interrupted her before she could finish.

"Ok, ok, hold your horses for a second. Can I give you some advice, honey? For future meetings, talk a bit less and listen a bit more."

Elle sat back in her chair, discouraged and humiliated. Chuck covered Elle's hand with his own and said,

"It's a bit loud in here, I think I could think a lot better if we were alone." Chuck smiled at her and Elle's heart beat fast. She paused, eyes filling with tears.

"You never wanted to hear my pitch, did you?" Elle said softly. Before Chuck answered, a tall man interrupted them at their table by clearing his voice. Elle looked up to find Rob standing there, looking at Chuck with contempt.

"Hey Elle, you coming?" Rob reached his hand out to Elle, and she took it eagerly. They walked together out of the restaurant and onto the street.

"Thanks for saving me back there." Elle said while letting out a sigh. "And, I'm sorry for... leaving you back there suddenly." She immediately felt bad for how she treated him. "But, wait... how did you know I was going to be at the Plaza?"

Rob rubbed his arm nervously, trying to piece his words together. "I...ok. I could recognize the voice coming from your phone as Chuck Spadina... He's produced a couple of my ex-girlfriend's movies and she always complained of his behavior. I knew he was sus, so... I followed you. I know that sounds super creepy, but... I'm glad I did."

Elle took his hand in hers and touched his cheek with the other hand. "I'm glad you did too." She pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately. Rob was startled and struggled to gain his footing, but eventually kissed back.