His Last Chance

Chapter 34

Today's the deadline.

We need to sign the contract for our next film.

I know that Martin wants to do Little Women and, I'll admit, it would be amazing to meet Emma Watson. I think she's fantastic. But this could be my only chance to ever work with such an incredible director. It would be many people's dream to have the opportunity to work with a man like him, and here I've been given the chance on a silver platter and..... I'm not going to accept it?

I don't know if I can go through with this.

But if I can't get Martin on board, does that mean I have to go at it alone?

Could I go at it alone?

There's Martin, dressed extravagantly as always, stood with the manuscript for Little Women in his hand, the others in a pile on the table next to him.

"Y/n! There you are. You ready to do this?"

His face. He looks so happy and excited.

I can't do this to him.

So I force a smile onto my face, and say, "Yep, of course. Can't wait."

Liar.

I'm lying to him and myself.

But after everything he's been through, we've been through, I've put him through, he deserves this.

He deserves to be put first for once.

"Pass me that pen Martini Man," I stretch out my hand for the pen and contract.

His grin is so wide as he hands them over to me.

"Now then," I say as I take a seat at the table. "Have you read through it all? Gone through every detail, every clause, every single word."

"Yep, yep, done all that. I was very thorough, I've checked it all. But feel free to read it yourself, I know what you're like."

He's right. I am like that.

I cross one leg over the other and open the first page of the contract.

Martin laughs, "Right, I'm gonna go get us some coffee."

"Thank you," I call to him as he walks off, my eyes never leaving the page as they search line by line, word by word.

I don't know how long I'm sat there, going through the pages, but I'm about halfway through when I feel someone's presence behind me.

"Finally Martin, I'm dying over here," I hold my hand out behind me expectantly, and in it is placed a wad of pages.

"What are you doing?"

Shit.

"Um.... What does it look like I'm doing?" I don't look up as Jamie pulls out the chair next to me to sit down.

"From here? It looks like you're missing out on a great opportunity to do something you've always dreamed of doing."

"I wouldn't say I've always dreamed of it, it's just something that has been offered that I'd quite like to do. Would it be a fantastic experience to work with such an amazing director? Absolutely. But could I risk leaving Martin behind and going and doing it on my own and risk all of our hard work and sacrifice our friendship and potentially we both end up being big flops by ourselves because we're such a great team? Absolutely not."

"Y/n," he gently moves the contract away from me. "First of all, breathe. Please. Second of all, you need to stop putting other people before yourself-"

"No Jamie. I need to stop thinking about myself and start putting other people first. I'm such a problematic person, and I know that. And I also know that I'm unpredictable with my moods and I piss people off and I dump all my problems on other people. Particularly Martin. He's had to deal with so much of my personal shit, and he does a lot to make me happy. I think it's time to repay the favour."

"That's not a favour y/n, that's friendship. You two do a lot for each other, this is a 2-way street. It's not one does more than the other one, you are both there for each other when you need to be. And that's the most important thing."

"Yeah, and I'm gonna be there for him now, and I'm gonna give him this."

"But-"

"Stop, Jamie. Please just stop. I've made my decision, please just respect it."

I snatch the contract off of the table and walk off to my own little room to finish reviewing it all, and then to finally sign it.

Is Jamie overstepping by telling me what I should be doing?

Maybe. I don't know.

Was I a bitch about it?

Most definitely.