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

Chapter 18: Follow The Sun

{Follow The Sun - The Beatles}
COURTENEY'S POV
The whole gang, minus David and Jen, are sitting in a fancy-ish restaurant just down the road from Warner Brothers, where we shoot the show. The guys have changed into suits, and Lisa and I are in nice dresses. Kevin and Marta aren't coming, although they decided to pay in thanks.
"Would you four like anything to drink?" A waiter asks, handing us all menus.
We shake our heads, because we are waiting for the other two, and reside to talking.
"Hmm... I wonder what the others are doing riiiight now.?" Matty asks sarcastically.
We all laugh, and Matt, like Joey would, doesn't quite get it.
"Okay, I'm having a Joey moment. The two are filming their kiss scene, what's so funny about that?" Matt asks embarrassed, because he hates being considered like Joey.
We all nod understandingly.
"Okay, well those two have immense chemistry, and I was alluding that after kissing they move into something a bit more...you know, risqué if you get my drift." Matty chuckles.
Matt catches on, and finally laughs. I wish they'd get here, it's kind of boring without them.
JENNIFER'S POV.
As we approach the restaurant, I pull David aside. He's wearing a collared shirt and a blazer, with dark jeans and nice shoes.
"Look, we can't mention the whole kissing-for a-minute thing, ok?" I ask, smoothing out the wrinkles on his chest.
"You know, they'll find out anyways, so we might as well tell them now. Just don't make a big deal out of it." He reasons.
I nod, and agree with him. I guess he's right, if we don't tell them, someone else will heavily exaggerate it and tell their version. David then opens the door for me and leads me inside. We approach the table sat with four of our best friends.
"Hey it's the Fab Four!" I joke, pretending to be a huge fan.
They all turn to us in excitement.
"If we're the Fab Four, you guys are definitely Sonny & Cher!" Matty jokes, causing us to look at each other in utter terror.
David pulls out a chair for me, and after doing so sits in his own, next to me.
"How long have you guys been waiting?" David asks the group.
"Not too long, only like fifteen minutes. We all went home and changed first, so not long." Lisa pipes up.
David nods and smiles. The waiter returns, this time taking our orders. After he brings us the food, and we all enjoy our lovely (and expensive) meals, we all sit back in our chairs, much fuller than before. Matt then quiets us all and catches our attention.
"Alright listen up. This year has been the greatest of my life so far, I don't know what we all have in store for the future, but for now it seems like it's going in a good direction. Of all of the new friends I've made this year, you guys are by far the most special of them all. So, raise your glass to a good next season!" He toasts, and we all raise our glasses.
"Cheers!" Courteney yells out to us all.
"Cheers!" We all yell back in response.
And then, we all turn to look everyone in the eyes, closing our wonderful year together. And to a good next year.
As we all clear out of the restaurant, David pulls us off to the sidewalk.
"Well Marta helped me plan a small gathering on the roof of Warner Brothers, and we could all just hangout and stuff." He announces, but everyone seems uninterested.
"Well, I've got plans with my David." Courteney replies.
"Yeah, It's been a long night and I'm just so tired." Lisa chimes.
"There's a Dodgers game on tonight that Matty and I don't want to miss it." Matt adds, most sorry.
They wave a goodbye, and all leave us to their cars. I turn to David, and he looks so rejected. He planned this, and no one wanted to actually do it. I approach him slowly and wrap my arm around his waist.
"I'll join you. Sounds nice, David. Thanks for setting that whole thing up for us all." I respond, leading him towards my car.
We drive in silence to the studios, and by then the sun is just beginning to set. It's still late, around 9:30, but since it's summer the sun sets later. We go inside our studio, and climb up the folding staircase to the roof. No one ever goes up there, it was just us. He brought a massive blanket, and a picnic basket was already up there. He laid it across the floor, and gestured for me to sit. Once we both sat down, he removed his blazer and shoes. We lay back onto our elbows. We then turn to look out across the large expanse of Los Angeles, one of the biggest cities in the world. The sun slowly descends down to the buildings, each minute approaching the ground.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" He breaks the silence.
I look over at him.
"Yes, it really is. This is incredibly beautiful, you don't always see things like this. I'm glad the others didn't come, because we would have lost this moment." I reply, smiling across at him.
He slowly inches towards me, until his left arm is against my right arm. When we both turn our heads, our lips as only inches apart. We both dismiss this, and return our gaze to the wonderful sunset in front of us. We admire the last few moments of light, until darkness surrounds us. David stands, and switches on some Christmas lights still left up here from December. The whole roof lights up, but it's still very dim. I shiver, and he carefully places his jacket over my shoulders. I sit up and take a seat between his legs, with my back against his torso, and us both facing the place where the sun disappeared. After a few moments, he gently wraps his arms around my stomach and brings me in even closer. My head is resting in the crook of his neck, and his chin is on my shoulder. I can feel his breath on me, and his heart beating against my back. After a minute of silence, he turns his head slightly towards me.
"Why are we like this? You aren't as close with the other two guys, why me?" He asks, carefully.
I breath in deeply, not meeting his eyes, as instead watched the stars rise into the sky.
"I don't know, really. You're different, unlike anyone else I've ever met. Other men aren't as sweet, intelligent, caring, and sensitive as you are to me and everyone else. You have a delicate sense of empathy and love. It's endearing, and makes me want to know you well." I reply, and he nods understandingly.
"Have you ever thought that I might only be like this because I'm in love with you?" His voice quivers trembles slightly.
I pause, and think about how he's changed since I first met him.
"No. I may have only known you for a year, but I unknowingly watched you fall in love with me, and I never noticed a change in you." He places his hands on the blanket behind him.
"You know, this year has been the best year of my life. I've finally for the first time in my life made friends, and five of them. I've fallen in love, and although it didn't go the way I wished it would, it's still my first time. I've gotten a job, and one that I enjoy, as well as being able to afford the price of living in Los Angeles. Aside from the hardships of everything, I'm living the dream." He announces.
We talk amongst ourselves for around an hour or so, before realizing how late it had become, and packed up. He opened the trap door for me, and we both climbed down into the set, and we had practically a bird's eye view. Everything was its own little world, and our characters are the operators of it. The idea of television is so odd, but so normal to us. He leads me to my car, and waves goodbye as I drive off into the night.
A/N: Sorry for the random dates of posting, it's just finals are taking over my life! My teachers aren't stopping until the last week of school, and I have so many HUGE assignments due the next couple of weeks. Hopefully I can maintain the Sunday/Monday posting, but I can't promise anything. Also, wow, 3.5k reads! How is that even possible? Thanks for reading, and as always, hope you have a great week. ❤️