Forgotten age [a Martin Freeman fanfic]

4.

Half of the movie was already filmed. Martin and I had gotten close. Every break, every lunch time, we would get out of the venue and go for a walk. It was tradition by now.

"I'm actually excited to see how it turns out. The movie, I mean," I started.

"I know they said it's almost done. But we've just filmed the easy bits. My friend Ben is coming next week, we're filming the last scenes." He explained.

"Are we?"

"Yeah. You know, I die, you see the comet, you ask for a wish... Then Ben appears, your boyfriend's dad, well, ex-boyfriend's dad, and he tells you—"

"I know the plot, Martin." I chuckled. "It's just I didn't know it was Benedict Cumberbatch who played that part."

"Yep," he nodded. "Should I start getting jealous?"

I laughed. "Not even a little bit, after all, you're a lovely doctor."

"You just can't stop quoting, can you?"

"I'm good at it, what can I say?" I shrugged. "Does it bother you, though?"

He stopped walking. "What? No! Why would it bother me?"

"I don't know..." I dropped his gaze. "Maybe because you think I'm a bit weird? 'Cause I know your lines by heart and all?"

He smiled tenderly and placed his hand on my shoulder, I shivered instantly.

"It doesn't bother me, Mel. You're great. The fact you can quote me like that flatters me," I still couldn't look at him, I was embarrassed. It seemed like all of our brand new friendship had been built in a lie. At least for me. He didn't know I was his fan. His number one fan.

"Chin up." He said while grabbing my chin and smoothly guiding it up.

I felt my cheeks burning. "Yeah, okay..." I muttered and turned around, I didn't want him to notice I blushed.

"So how's Amanda?" I asked suddenly, failing in my attempt to tear my feelings for him away.

"She's doing well, I think. She keeps texting me, I guess it's normal, though. She misses me, and I do too. It's all a big mess, with the kids and all..." he sighed.

"Right. You've got children." I reminded myself.

"Yes I do. Two of them. Lovely kids. Don't see them too much though," He mumbled nostalgically.

"That's sad."

"It is. My —Amanda. She takes care of them. That was the deal. Look... her and I, we had something, in the past. Turns out our love wasn't exactly true love. If you get what I mean. We did everything we could to keep ourselves together, trust me. But sometimes... these sort of things, they just don't work out and —"

"I get it," I interrupted him, his eyes were starting to redden. "You don't have to explain anything. It's okay. You'll find true love, I'm sure."

He chuckled. "Thank you for your faith."

I smiled. If only...

—

"Hey, Sugarnut!" I heard a well-known voice behind me.

Martin smiled at something behind me, I turned around knowing who I was about to find in front of me.

"Ben!" Martin exclaimed while pulling him in a friendly hug. They both pulled away fast as I was just awkwardly staring.

"Oh, this is Melissa. Melissa Anderson," Martin introduced me.

"Hi," I muttered. I looked at Benedict, he wast tall. His curious blue eyes looked at me curiously.

"You're my son's girlfriend, right? In the movie, I mean." He asked arching an eyebrow.

"Yep!" I said awkwardly avoiding his gaze. He looked... scary, if you get what I mean. All these years seeing him in tv and now... there he was. The Benedict Cumberbatch. It had been different with Martin, though, Martin's small, soft... Martin Freeman.

"Are you ready?" Lilian asked after saying something to one of the staff members. "We're about to start rolling."

"Yeah," Benedict said. "We still need to get through make up, though."

"Great, I'll see you in set then!" Lilian patted my back before leaving completely.

"We just got out of make up, Ben," Martin pointed out furrowing his eyebrows in that cute way only he can.

Benedict grinned, "I know. But... who wants to go get some coffee?"

I smiled. "I like how you think."

Martin looked at me surprised. "Wow. You're already flirting?"

I rolled my eyes and Benedict cracked a little smile.

"Okay, Sugarnut, you can stay here then if that's what you want," He said smirking.

"Off we go," Martin exclaimed immediately.

—

"Thank you for an amazing time on set today," I thanked Ben as we all three walked to the parking lot.

"Sure, thing. I'll see you two tomorrow!" He smiled. Martin hugged him quickly as I walked away.

"You know he's married, right?" He asked me as soon as he reached me.

I chuckled. "I don't like him, Martin."

Martin arched his eyebrows in surprise.

"It's okay if you did though. I mean, age is just a number in my point of view."

I stared at him for a second, he was being serious about it. He furrowed his eyebrows as if he hadn't understood the cause of my reaction.

"I mean, it's not like I would promote your relationship or anything but —"

"I got it." I started. "I feel the same way."

He smiled awkwardly and got inside the car.

Once we were both inside he started the engine and started driving.

"Wanna come over my place?" He asked me suddenly.

I gasped.

"Your place?"

After driving me for weeks this had been the first time he had asked me something like that. I really felt like we had a special connection, we had become really close ever since the filming started. But I just thought it was something I was imagining, not that he actually thought of me as someone he could rely on.

His place. That was something really personal, we're talking about an international movie star. And he wanted to share it with me.

"Well, uh, sure." I managed to say.

I saw him smile from the corner of my eye and smiled for myself as well.

"We'll grab some dinner, it's late. What do you want?" He continued, but I was already out of the conversation, out of the car, the city, the country, the world. I was way up in the sky. Smiling foolishly at the words coming out of his mouth, smoothly tapping my lap with my fingers trying to hide my anxiousness.

Martin Freeman and I were about to hang out, for real.