His Last Chance

Chapter 22

I absent mindedly fiddle with a thumbtack as I watch Jude and Dan lower some of the backdrops to the ground.

Most of the set is down already, it's just the backdrops, the green screen, the staircase and the special effects lighting to come down. We obviously can't move the massive water tank, but it has been drained, and now it just looks like a glass cage.

"Can you believe it's really over?" Martin hands me a lidded plastic cup with a straw sticking out of it.

"What the hell is that?"

"Well I figured it was too hot for a cappuccino."

"So you got me a......"

"An iced mocha," he shrugs as he takes a sip of his own. "It's not too bad, and not too strong on the caffeine either."

I have a taste of my own after swirling it around in the cup, enjoying watching the ice cubes click together.

"Hmm, not bad. Not the same as a cappuccino, but you know. Not a bad alternative."

He nods in agreement. So I guess we're not talking about last night then.

"But no, I can't believe it's over. This has been our life for, what? A year? Near enough? The scripts, the auditions, the castings, the rehearsals. God, it's been a fucking roller-coaster I'll say that," I laugh dryly as I have some more of my drink.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," he laughs nervously. "I just want you to know that I am sorry. About you and Ollie. I never expected things to go the way they have."

Liar.

"It's okay. If we'd carried on, then it only would've dragged out the pain for both of us. I didn't deserve him, and he deserved someone better than me."

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with you. You just weren't the right people for each other."

"Yeah, clearly not. In all fairness, you were right about the stuff you said last night. We should've talked about marriage a long time ago."

"Maybe you should've, but what would it have changed?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "He wouldn't have lost so much time from staying with me for starters."

"Well, now he can learn from his mistakes."

"I guess," I try to hide my falling tears as I drink my iced mocha.

It doesn't work.

Martin puts down his drink, takes mine from my hands and puts it on the table next to his. Then he holds out his arms.

"Come here Munchkin."

I bury my face into his shoulder and try to muffle the sobs as he squeezes me in a tight hug.

"It's okay hun, let it out."

It feels as though my heart is slowly breaking in two.

Even if I wasn't in love with Ollie...... I still loved him. I still love him.

But there was no good way that it could've ended. We'd been together for a year, and we'd come to the T junction. It was either we get married, or we break up. There was no third option and there was no putting it off for any longer. And now there's an emptiness that no amount of coffee can fill.

"You know you can stay with me and Bobby until he's moved his things out of your place, right?"

"Thanks Martin. But um, no more alcohol?"

He nods quickly. "Definitely no more alcohol."

He rubs my back. "Come on kiddo, we've got work to do."

"Kiddo?" I dry my eyes on my sleeve. "Well excuse me Martini Man, but you're only 2 years older than me."

"Ugh, don't remind me. Every new day is one step closer to wrinkles."

I lean forward and squint at his forehead. "Is that one? Right there?"

"What?? Where?" He frantically looks for a mirror, but stops when I start to laugh. He points a makeup brush in my face. "Wrinkles are no joke I tell you. I won't be looking this young and beautiful forever!"

"Nope, and you'll be old and gummy 2 years before I will."

"You little-"

"Haul ass you two! We need to get this set shifted, and it won't happen with you yapping at each other all day."

We turn to see Jude Law yelling at us, but he's giving us an affectionate smile to show he means no disrespect.

"Yeah, come on Martin. Time to bust out those muscles right?"

"If you think I'm getting sweaty then you've got another thing coming."

I sigh. "Well, if you want something doing, do it yourself." I walk over to the large backdrop that Jude is trying to move by himself. He seems to be struggling a little, so I grab the other end to help him out.

"Thanks," he grins as we slowly lower the giant piece of wood down to the ground.

"No problem." I look over to where Martin's scrolling on his phone with his iced coffee in one hand, and I roll my eyes.

"Y/n? You okay?"

"Oh, yeah. All good."

"You sure?" He looks right into my eyes and raises his eyebrows slightly.

"Absolutely. Don't worry about...... everything. I'm sure everyone here knows at this point anyway."

"Yeah....." he grimaces. "The lovely, sweet little intern had a small outburst before you got here."

"Oh god, she didn't did she? Well what was she saying?"

"You know, nothing too bad I guess. Just a few, um, colourful names."

"Go on. It's alright, just tell me."

"Well, there was bitch, fuckwad, homewrecker, liar, cheat, slut, whore-"

"Okay I think that's enough."

"Sorry."

I laugh a bit sadly. "It's fine. Not your fault. They're probably all well-deserved to be fair, I just wish she could've been a bit more professional about it."

"If it's any consolation, everyone here loves you. I think they either didn't believe her, or they were too busy ignoring her to hear what she was actually calling you."

"Ahem, yeah. Thanks Jude."

"Sorry, I know that's not much help."

"No no, it's alright. Really. I do deserve some of those names. Not all of them, but some of them."

"Look, I think that whatever happened between you and Ollie was sad, but I also think it was necessary."

"What do you mean?"

I start to wrap up some wires from the lighting as we talk.

"Well, we all love Ollie here. He only came a few times, but he only ever had nice things to say and he was polite to everyone. Honestly, a gentleman. But when you looked at him, and I might be wrong about this it's just how I saw it, there seemed to be something missing. The spark. The fire. There was definitely chemistry between you, but it didn't seem to be much of a romantic one from your end of the relationship. Then, when Jamie got here, you got all nervous and twitchy and scatty. I don't know what your history is with him, and I don't need to know, but I could see it when you talked together. That missing spark."

I pause thoughtfully. "I know what you mean. I hate to admit it, but I do know what you mean. I've felt it, when speaking to him. Even just watching him do things, talking to other people, smiling, acting. Everything that I felt for him before..... Well, I'm feeling it all again."