Who We Once Were - A Jolivia Story

Chapter 4

Save for the tense energy Olivia could practically feel seething between her and Josh, the rest of the table read had pretty much gone smoothly. 

"And that's a wrap on our episode 2 table read team!" Tim called out clapping his hands while everyone else cheered in response. Well, almost everyone else. Even through reading out all his lines, Josh hadn't seemed to take his eyes off her since she'd made that comment. "Okay, everyone take five and then please head over to hair and makeup at," he check his watch, "9:30. We start shooting for this episode on Tuesday people but today we just have a couple promo bits to film and some costume fittings. Okay you wonderful people, let's get moving!" He finished off as the room erupted into a flurry of movement and chatter. "Oh one more thing, how could I forget," he yelled above the noise and all heads turned his direction. "What team!?" He called out.

"Wildcats!" The group called back with enthusiasm.

"Yes I love the energy guys! Keep it up for the shoots today! Now shoo." He said laughing as the paused movement from before continued and they all made their way towards the doors. 

Olivia was chatting with Julia about some English project she'd been working on for school and how endlessly boring it was while Julia entertained her complaints with laughter and pity. The two girls were about halfway to their trailers when he came running up behind them.

"Hey Liv, can I talk to you for a second." He said a little out of breathe, it was clear he had been running, and with a gentle hand on her shoulder. It may have been a light touch but she felt that hand burning into her skin, practically seething. She shrugged the hand off of her and addressed him without turning around because she knew if she had to face him, she'd be too weak. She hadn't heard him call her that nickname in so long, granted he hadn't called her anything at all in a while, but yet it still made her melt a little inside when he said it, affection seeping through his tone.

"Sorry, I gotta do some work before hair and makeup, can it wait?" She asked providing him with the lame excuse, making sure to keep up her quick pace. 

"No actually, I kind of need to speak with you now." He said clearly a little unsure of himself and sounding maybe even a little panicked, as he continued trailing behind her. Olivia took a deep breath and said a quick goodbye to Julia who'd been sporting a look of confusion at their interaction. Ignore her as he might, Olivia and Josh had never fought, not before, not during quarantine, her behaviour towards him was new territory for both of them. She mentally prepared herself as she turned to face him, ignoring her brain screaming at her to just run away. When she finally did meet his eyes though, she saw confusion, maybe sadness? It'd been so long she didn't know if she could even read him anymore. They stood like that for what seemed to be the world's longest minute before Josh whispered shyly.

"Do you think we can talk in my trailer where there's a little more privacy." He asked with uncertainty in his tone of voice. She forced her face into a not happy, awkward, smile of acceptance like nod and he let out a breath he seemed to have been holding in. The two turned around and made the short walk to the trailer she'd spent so much of her free time in before everything went to hell. He opened the door for her which she thanked him for with a polite but almost calculated nod, before closing it behind the two of them. She took a seat on her favourite chair, out of habit more than anything, before he cleared his throat to speak.

"Are you okay Livvy," there it was, that goddamn nickname. "You've barely said a word to me all morning and when you spoke back there about Nini and Ricky, you called me Joshua. And yes I know that that's my name but you haven't called me that since like our first day of shooting." He said with a bit of what she assumed was nervous laughter as he ran his hand through his brown curls.

"I'm fine." She said with a tight-lipped smile or as much of one as she could muster. She wasn't there to guilt Josh, that was never the plan. As much as she wanted to hate him for cutting her out of his life completely with no explanation and then replacing her with someone else, she didn't think she was even capable of feeling that way towards him. No, all she planned on doing was separating herself from him. He didn't want her friendship and she wasn't about to make the same mistakes this time around, she couldn't allow herself to get lost in him again. Losing him once hurt enough, she didn't think she could handle it a second time around, especially now when that friendship would mean having to hear about his gorgeous new girl Sabrina.

"Olivia did I do something wrong because if I did I-"

"You did nothing." That meaning was almost too literal for her liking. Absolutely Nothing. "Everything's fine Joshua." She said trying for it to sound natural but clearly she failed because he was standing up again and pacing now.

"See you say that Liv, but there you go again with that Joshua thing. What's up with that?"

"Nothing I just-" She was interrupted by a knocking sound on the trailer door. 

"Olivia they're ready for you in hair and makeup!" Called Julia from the other side of that door. Her guardian angle.

"Hey um, I gotta go but I'll see you later for shoots?" She said scrambling towards the trailer door. Josh had sat down with his head leaning on his hand. 

"Ya, ya definitely I'll catch you later Liv." He said sounding defeated. Olivia greeted Julia with a kind smile as she closed the trailer door behind her. 

A/N - Chapter four starting to get into some of the awkwardness and angst! I hope you enjoy please leave a comment below :)