Trapped

Chapter Nine: Newcomers

They walk back into the house, hand in hand, taking joy in each other's presence. Nestor sneaks glances at Vera, memorizing every curve of her face. He stares at the small smile that lays gently and naturally upon her lips. He watches them as they move, forming words. The way they press together and part. Her lips by themselves could be framed and placed in a museum next to the most famous pieces of art and still outshine them. She turns toward him, smiling at him, her blue eyes gleaming up at him.
"Nes?" she asks.
"Huh?" he answers, looking into her eyes.
"Did you hear what I said?" she asks. He blushes and drops his hand from hers, looking up at the house as they continue to climb the stairs.
"Oh, uh...no. Sorry." he mumbles, hating the fact that he was so focused on her lips that he didn't hear her.
"I said I am going to take a shower and then I'll start dinner. What do you have in mind?" she asks.
"I'll make dinner." he offers.
"Oh you don't have to-"
"V, I've got dinner. You shower and take your time. Relax." he says, opening the front door for her.
"You can cook?" she asks with a smirk. He rolls his eyes and gently pushes her toward the stairs.
"Go." he says, smiling. She laughs as she walks up the stairs and into the bathroom. She ties her hair up into a bun and starts the water, deciding on a nice bubble bath to relax.
Downstairs, Nestor sets a pot of water on the stove, deciding on making pasta. About 45 minutes into his cooking, he is covered in sauce  from the stove and flour from the rolls he tried to make. He rushes around the kitchen and is alerted of the forgotten rolls in the oven when the smoke alarm goes off.
"Shit." he mutters as he opens the oven and pulls out the blackened bread.
"I thought you could cook." Vera says, tying her bathrobe around her waist. He sighs, setting the pan on the stove and turning everything off, officially giving up.
"I thought I could do it. I just wanted to do something nice and give you a break. I mean you're always taking care of us and feeding us and-"
"It's because I like to. Nes, I really appreciate the effort. Really. It's cute that you tried. But how about, we throw this away and order a pizza." she offers gently, trying not to hurt him.
"You're not mad? Because I interrupted your shower and burned bread and waisted food?" he asks.
"I could never be mad at you, Carbs." she says softly. He smiles widely, his dimples showing very prominently. His smile is her favorite thing to look at.
"I'll call the pizza." he says, grabbing the phone.
"Can you handle it?" she asks.
"I know how to dial a phone, Norma." he says, dialing a number. She smiles and walks back upstairs to change. As she is pulling her dress up, she hears the front door slam shut. Her feet walk toward the window, pulling the curtains open just enough to see who is here.
But she saw no one. No car. No one walking down the set of stairs. Maybe Nestor had let them inside. She turns from the window, fumbling with the buttons on the back of her dress. She becomes agitated because almost every dress in the closet buttons up in the back which makes it very difficult to dress herself.
"Alex?" she calls out, just in case someone from town is here. She opens her bedroom door, looking down the hallway both ways before walking toward the railing.
"Alex, could you come up here please?" she calls out. She hears no reply nor any footsteps making their way toward her. She sighs and makes her way downstairs, checking the living room and dining room, both of which are vacant. He must be in the kitchen.
"Alex, darling. I need your help with-"
She stops as she walks into the kitchen and sees Nestor talking to Dylan.
"Dylan, hey. Where've you been?" she asks, still holding the back of her dress shut. Nestor walks to her without being asked and begins to button her dress for her, purposely skimming his fingers along her sensitive skin, making her have to hide her shivers.
"V, it's Max." he whispers into her ear.
"Yeah, hey. This is weird." Max says, stuffing his hands into his pockets and looking around.
"You're telling us. We're married." Vera says, laughing.
"Married? Like to each other? But what about your wife?" Max asks, looking at Nestor.
"No, not us. Norma and Alex."
"But they hate each other." Max says wth confusion.
"Yeah well tell that to him. When I came here, he was kissing my half naked body." Vera says. Nestor blushes and steps away from Vera.
"Okay, you guys don't understand the situation I was in." Nestor says, defending himself.
"Whatever. We get it." Vera says.
"You're in love with Norma. It's alright. No judgement." Max says with a smirk.
"Well maybe a little." Vera says with a wink.
"Yeah a little." Max agrees. Nestor shakes his head and sits down at the table.
"So where's Freddie?" Max asks, sitting down beside Nestor.
"Mental institution. We offered to bring him home but he declined." Vera explains.
"He said he likes playing with his psycho side." Nestor adds. The doorbell rings and Nestor jumps up to answer it. He pays the pizza man and brings the pizza back into the kitchen.
"I guess I came just in time." Max says, eyeing the box.
"So what was it like after I left?" Vera asks, placing a slice of pizza onto her plate.
"People went mad. They started discussing theories of aliens and witchcraft. The doctors however were discussing starting experiments on your guys' bodies. I even heard some discussion of pulling the plug on Nestor."
Vera looks up with concern and Nestor discreetly places a hand on her thigh, comforting her.
"No one will let that happen." he says to her. She nods and goes back to eating.
"What do you think would happen if they did though? Would we be stuck here forever?" Max asks.
Nestor shrugs, also becoming concerned. As much as he loved his cast mates, he wouldn't want to be stuck in this screwed up world for forever.
"I guess we will find out when we cross that bridge." Vera says.
"Or when that bridge gets destroyed, leaving us here forever." Max says dramatically.
"Nothing will happen. We just need to have fun here while we can. Think of it as a learning experience. A way to get to know the life of your character more." Nestor says. The other two nod and finish eating.
"I should probably head out then." Max says, wiping his face.
"Where are you going?" Vera asks, following him out of the kitchen.
"To my place. I mean I am pretty sure I have my own place. That's where things were headed in filming. I'll just call Emma and ask her." Max says with a shrug.
"You don't have to." Vera says, grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving.
"Vera I'll be fine. I'll be back in the morning." he says, walking out. Vera moves to walk after him but Nestor grabs her arm, pulling her to his chest. She wraps her arms around his waist, trying to ignore the hurt she feels.
"He will be back, V. Don't worry." Nestor whispers, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. She looks up at him, a mask of confusion on her face. Her breathing becomes heavy as she looks between his eyes and lips. His hand comes up and cups her cheek, rubbing it with his thumb.
"Nes...I..." she stops herself from saying more. He leans down toward her, hesitating over her lips. She can feel herself start to shake with anticipation. Just as his lips are about to make contact with hers, he moves past her and walks up the stairs, leaving her breathless and confused.