Illicit Affair ||Pedro Pascal||

New Territory

"In the middle of the night, in my dreams
you should see the things we do..."

*******

"I want you to come to my place tonight." Pedro said, his voice coming from my phone that was held to my ear.

My heart jumped, and I refrained from sounding too excited. "Okay, sounds good." I heard him laugh, he could probably see right through me, even without seeing me. We were both on set in our separate trailers, and I found it a bit ridiculous that we were on a phone call with each other when we're less than a quarter of a mile away. Then I remembered that we have to be mindful of how we act on set: per his suggestion.

As soon as I got home after work I took a shower and got myself ready to go see him. I was more excited than nervous. No matter how many times we've slept together, no matter what things he's told me that he claimed no one else knew, Pedro still seemed to have this wall put up between us. How many women have seen his place, I wondered. I didn't care, I was just happy that he wanted me there.

I had learned a lot of tips on how to be casually discreet ever since I was first in the limelight. It was 11:24 pm when I arrived at the address he provided me. A semi-modern structure stood in front of me. There was a gate, and I texted him that I had arrived. A few seconds later I heard the gate slowly open itself and I walked through it to see Pedro standing by his front door.

The first thing I noticed when we stepped through was the foyer, which had crème colored walls with beautiful paneling, and a walnut wooden table. On the table were two coffee table books, a little dish where he put his keys, and a lamp that illuminated the entryway with a comforting warm light.

We entered into the living room, and I looked around, observing my surroundings. I was shocked to see how neutral and cozy his house was decorated. With the walls now a sage green that had the same paneling as the foyer. A dark grey couch with a matching ottoman was placed up against the wall to the left, facing a fire place. A television was mounted above it, and along each wall, were multiple different paintings and artworks. "Wow." I said, mouth agape. "I did not expect for your house to look like this."

Pedro scrunched his nose. "What were you expecting?"

"Hmm... dark tones, barely decorated. Classic man cave style." I took a couple steps into the living room, and made a 180 degree turn to the right into the kitchen. The kitchen itself was almost just as aesthetically pleasing as the living room, with a window above the sink that looked out into the front lawn, meaning it was the most superior room in the house. It was spacious, much too big for one person. "I'm surprised at how...homey it is in here." I complimented.

"Ah, wait until you see this." He led me out of the kitchen and into the hallway that was to the left of the living room. The first door on the right was cracked open, and he pushed it further to reveal what looked like a study. A big dark wooden desk sat in the middle of the room, with tall bookshelves behind it on both sides. It was dark inside, and from that darkness, came a furry orange cat.

"You have a cat?" I whisper-yelled, looking at Pedro with pure joy. As I looked down to the feline, it was rubbing the top of its head against Pedro's legs. I bent down and held my hand out in front of its face. I was a new person to it and I didn't want to pet him right away without letting it smell me first. The cat sniffed my fingers, and I examined it's face, green eyes and a pink nose. After getting familiar with my scent, the cat rubbed its cheek against my hand, giving me permission to pet. "Oh my goodness."

"His name is OJ."

I looked up at Pedro. "...like...OJ Simpson?" I questioned.

He rolled his eyes. "No, like orange juice."

"Ohhh because he's an orange cat, I get it." He laughed in response and I stood up straight again. "So...do you want to do something...or..."

"Are you hungry?" He asked. We ordered Chinese takeout for dinner. I forgot how delicious the food was in New York. It was so convenient how late the restaurant was open, with it being in a city where everyone comes alive at night. I silently wished we could always be like this. When we finished eating, I helped him clean everything up, and that's when he told me he wanted me to stay the night.

"I didn't bring any clothes."

"I'll give you something of mine." I accepted the offer after contemplating about it for a second and decided to stay over. I didn't have to be on set the next day, so I wasn't worried that I hadn't brought a change of clothes. As he turned off all the lights in the house, I sat in his bedroom, the mattress like a cloud beneath me. Three of the walls were white, and an accent wall painted dark grey, that of which the king sized bed with a dark wood frame was up against. Two bedside tables that matched the headboard had lamps and decorative books placed on them. A matching dresser faced the bed, a couple plants and more books made their homes there. More artwork hung on the walls to rid them of emptiness.

OJ had made himself comfortable at the foot of the bed, curled up into a ball with his fluffy tail  covering his nose. Pedro came in and left the door open just an inch for Oj in case he needed to leave the room while we slept. He went into his closet just next to the right side of the bed and came out with a yellow Lakers t-shirt for me to sleep in. I had no choice but to sleep in my underwear— nothing he hasn't seen before— since he and I both knew no bottoms he had would fit me, and his shirt was just big enough to cover.

Once he was also ready for bed, he turned off the lights and got under the covers. He turned to face me, and rubbed his hand softly along my arm. "Tell me about your family."

I was at a loss for words. I didn't typically talk about my family, but then again, nobody's asked me. The only person in my life now who knew my family was Chloe. I had gotten homesick and went to Maryland to visit for a few days, she went with me, and met them. After thinking for a little while about what I wanted to say, I finally spoke. I told him about my mom, a 64 year old retired nurse, who was always so hardworking that she was barely home when I was growing up. My mom was the one who provided for my sister and i financially. My sister Calliope, or Callie for short, was 34 and my biggest supporter. She got married and had a little boy named Noah.

"And...your father?" He asked.

"He died when I was 19."

He could tell  how hesitant I was about the topic. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." I said. I turned to lay on my back, Pedro still faced me. "Your turn."

He told me about his parents, his two sisters and brother, how close he is with all of them. I began to miss my own family. He mentioned his mothers passing, but didn't talk in depth about it, I understood.

Next thing we knew we were kissing, and one thing led to another. When I woke up in the morning he was gone, the bed was cold. He left a note on the night stand that read..

'Didn't want to wake you, here's a key to lock up when you leave - P'

So I put my own clothes back on, and left his shirt folded on the edge of the bed. I made sure to give Oj a goodbye pat before leaving.

The next couple days flew by, which consisted of going to work and going to Pedro's house at night. He insists on leaving super early to go on set, and he let me sleep in, making sure to be extra careful when leaving his place. I started going out the back door and walking a little ways down the street to my car, which I began parking a few houses down.

It was beginning to feel like a cycle, one that I couldn't decide if I was happy with. Sure, I really enjoyed seeing him after we're done filming and we talk about one another, and of course the sex was great, but he still neglected me the moment we stepped back on set. I get that we have to be professional and whatnot, but I was so confused as to what it was that Pedro wanted out of this. Every time I think we've gotten closer, it all fades away when I see him anywhere outside either of our places.

As much as I tried to be content with this whole casual thing we have going on, I still wanted more. If felt like it already was more. I just wanted clarity.

"are you ready for it...?"