HIATUS

Chapter 2 - Change of Pace - Part 4

The script reading had finally ended and for the first time in a long time, Jen had experienced quite a lot of anxiety. Usually she was great at reading scripts having to learn them for concerts, music show mc'ing and commercials. Everyone had read the script in character, characters that Jen hadn't even learned of yet. She had been given a brief synopsis of the show and about her character but she was reading the script for the first time.

Everyone had started packing up, a few were mingling at the coffee table and Moo had left to pull the car around. It was only midday so she was glad to have the rest of the day to herself. A deep voice started behind her.

"Uh, Yi-Jen?" She turned to see a tall young man towering over her, an even younger man standing behind him. She couldn't remember his name, she was never great with names but she knew he was one of the main characters.

"Oh, hi, please call me Jen." She stood up and offered a hand.

"It is such an honour to have you on board, I have been a huge fan for a few years now. I love your music-" he nudged forward, having being shushed by the guy behind him.

"Well, thank you, that's always great to hear, umm..." she waited for a name.

"Oh, Mew and this is Gulf." The young man extended his hand and she accepted. His tanned skin had a glow about his face, his strong shake took her by surprise.

"Sorry, I was quite nervous today. I'm not sure I heard anyones name if I'm honest." Mew chuckled and gave the same bright smile as before.

"You were great during the script read." Jen knew he was just being nice, she stumbled through the lines for the most part.

"Thank you, I know you're just being kind but thank you anyway." A hand placed on Jen's shoulder from behind, that familiar grip.

"The car's ready out front, Jen." Moo interjected.

"It was really great to meet you guys, I can't wait for the workshops and filming." Part true.

"Great to meet you, too. Speak soon." Jen turned her back and walked out towards the door. 

"How nice is she?" Mew turned back to Gulf with a glowing complexion.

"She's not what I thought she would be like, but then we've only just met her." Gulf turned back towards his seat to grab his jacket.

"What do you mean?" Mew's eyebrows pulled together.

"I'm just saying, she is an idol. You know what that lot are like..." Mew scoffed.

"They're just people like us, except they're always in the limelight. It must be hard for them." Mew followed Gulf out of the room once they had grabbed their jackets.

"That type of fame definitely gets to your head, they're all desperate for attention." They had started to walk down the steps until they noticed a black SVU with tinted windows parked at the bottom; a familiar blonde with her back to them, hands in the drivers seat open window. Just as they approached the bottom of the stairs, Yi Jen turned to greet them again.

"Hey guys, again." She gave a light chuckle, her white, glazed teeth showing. Mew beamed at the sight.

"Yi-Jen, I thought you'd left." Gulf gave a mental head slap, Mew definitely seemed too eager.

"Well I was just about to until I realised that I have the rest of the day to myself, for the first time in a long time. But I don't know what to do." Gulf could see some sort of quarrel in Jen's eyes. She seemed relieved while still having a sense of stress around her. He'd never seen that type of emotion before. He felt the need to help her, she looked helpless.

"Well, we could certainly give you a range of places to go." Mew struggled for his phone in his jacket pocket.

"I was actually going to suggest, I mean if you wanted to come along, you don't have to if you don't want to and if you have other plans-"

"That would be amazing! Of course, we'd love to. We could go for lunch, see some sights, go to the beach and-" Gulf elbowed his side again, hinting at his over spilling. Jen gave a slight chuckle at his keen-ness.

"Jen," Moo called from the drivers seat and she turned back towards the window.

"Why did you nudge me?" Mew whispered to Gulf behind him so Jen couldn't hear.

"You're being too eager, you're acting like a kid." He couldn't help but think it was kind of cute.

"You're kidding, right? Yi-Jen asks to spend the day with you and you don't jump at the offer? Seriously, what's your thing with idols?" Gulf just scoffed. Truthfully, he didn't have anything else to do today plus his heart was racing at what had just happened but no way was he telling Pi Mew that, or his own face.

"Jen, I don't think this is a good idea. You'll be mobbed everywhere you go plus hanging around two men for the day... fans wouldn't be too happy." Moo knew Jen was going to regardless, he just wanted to make sure she knew what she was doing. He had never been great with stopping her from doing what she wanted. He just made a point to tell her what she was doing so she could at least hear it out loud.

"This is the first day I've had to myself in so long and I have no idea how to spend it. I don't even have any friends in Thailand to call. I should get to know them anyway if I'm going to be spending the next 6 months with them. You were the one that told me to try and enjoy it..." Moo gave her the look, the one that he gave when she'd managed to find a way to blame what she was doing on him. He'd given that look quite a lot.

"At least let me take you guys everywhere, so I can keep an eye on you." Jen grinned.

"You think I was letting you away? Of course you're taking us." She gave him a nudge, she really didn't know what she would do without him. She turned back to the boys.

"You guys ready?" She opened the car door for the backseat and the two boys piled in. She followed behind them into the passenger seat.