Chapter Text
It was only a month and we were done filming. It was up to the VFX team to make it look pretty. It was only a month since we revealed our true feelings about each other. It was only a month…
“Hey babe?” He was in the kitchen doing god knows what.
“Babe?”
“Yeah…” he caught himself saying that nickname, “figured I could start calling you that since we… did you not want me to?” I could only smile. Hearing that nickname from him felt right.
“I don’t mind. In fact, please keep saying it.” I hugged him from behind. “Pesto eggs? Again?”
“You love pesto eggs!”
“Yeah but not like every day. This is the third time this week.”
“I’m sorry… you know I don’t cook very well.”
“Then let me teach you?”
“If it means more time spent with you? Yes baby.” His face was so close to mine. He smelled like lavender.
“Can you believe it?”
“What’s that babe?”
“I’m the girl and yet you have the prettier eyelashes.” He joked by waving his head around and flipping his nonexistent long hair.
“Well, I keep an eye curler around.” He gave a dopey grin and I haven’t seen his cheeks so rosy red before. His hands were placed perfectly on the sides of my face like that day. “Can I?”
“Please.” He leaned in closer, our lips lightly grazed; hesitant. Then our lips locked. His lips soft as pillows, but passion hot as fire, and somehow, he was still so gentle. That was how our first kiss went.
We were watching a movie (when are we not?) when I felt his gaze towards me. I turned to him with a questioning look.
“Can I help you?”
“Has anyone told you how fucking gorgeous you are in shorts?”
“Multiple times actually,” whipped my back to the screen with pride and a smirk on my face. He leaned into my neck and started nibbling as his hands crawled up and down my leg underneath the blanket we were in. “Chris…”
“Mmm… can we… can we please?” he practically begged. I adjusted myself so that his body was in between my legs.
“I’m down.” He stopped, “What?”
“I’m down?” he shook his head in disbelief and continued kissing me. Now his hands cupped my chest just outside my shirt, “can’t believe you just said I’m down. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this?”
“I bet too long.”
“You bet your ass that’s right.” Our hunger rose for each other as we pawed at each other and clothes flying off. “Let’s move it to the room. Want our first to be comfortable.” He carried me as we continued making out and dropped me on the bed. We didn’t get to sleep until early morning. That was the first time we had sex.
I was at home in California. It was a week before the premiere for the FF sequel. I was paying no mind until I heard the doorbell go off. IT kept going and I groaned on the way.
“I’m coming, I’m coming. Hold your horses.” I opened the door and saw a bouquet of flowers in front of me. Behind were a pair of legs. The flowers lowered and I saw his dopey grin.
“Chris!”
“I flew in this morning and I thought I’d surprise you. These are for you.” He handed me the plants and I was speechless.
“I… I…”
“It’s cliché but I know how much you love that shit.”
“They’re so pretty Chris, thank you.” He gave me a tender kiss before I let him inside the house. He looked around and admired the place.
“I think this is the first time I’ve been in your parents’ home. I haven’t even been to yours in Boston, I don’t think. It’s so fancy.”
“My parents live for the good life. They immigrated just before I was born so they strive for what’s best.”
“Hey whatever works. Where are they?”
“Where else? Work always has them away.”
“Seriously? Do you ever spend time with them?”
“When I do, it’s actually alright. I don’t hate them or anything. I understand their grind. We just have a good chat over dinner really. The most they do is stay a weekend before heading out and travelling for work. I swear they’re basically nomads. They sleep in hotels half the time.”
“That’s kinda sad…”
“Maybe…” I was always independent. I never really needed anyone since my parents worked so much. I appreciate what my parents are trying to do but there are times I wished I hung out with them more. Chris hugged me bringing me out of deep thought.
“I didn’t mean to make you all sad.”
“I’m not sad!”
“Well… whatever what’s going on in your head, don’t pay attention to it. Just focus on the present.” Chris was always good at making me feel better. “Will you be my plus one at the premiere?”
“What?”
“Yeah. I wanna go with someone I know and since we worked together on this film, I thought why not?”
“I’d love to!”
The night of the premiere finally came and I was getting all dressed up. I wore a longer dress this time. It sheened with some gold and fit snugly. Since I didn’t do make up, I chose to put on simple lip gloss, eyeliner, and mascara. I did like earrings though. Nothing flashy; matching long gold strings dangled from my ear. I did my hair up too in a somewhat messy bun. The doorbell rang and rushed downstairs. I opened the door and saw Chris in an all-black suit. It was sleeker than last time.
“Did you pick this out or did you get a wardrobe assistant?”
“What? Does it look bad?”
“No, no! You actually look good for once.”
“Thanks babe. Love your support.”
“You have to admit Chris, you were wearing basic white boy clothes.”
“I thought it was cool!” I tightened my lips in a small smile and shook my head. “No? Aww man.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re my basic white boy.”
“Aww please no I sound like a jackass.”
“Sometimes you are still.” I love that our banters were kept the same. I don’t know what our relationship would be without it.
We arrived at the red carpet and were met with the rest of the main cast. I stood off to the side while they took pictures from the reporters. Once done, Chris called me over and I slung my arm with his. He was stopped by some reporters on the way in.
“Chris, who is this lovely lady?” someone asked. I blushed at the comment.
“Oh she’s just a friend. I knew this lady my whole life. She is actually one of the writers of the movie.” Did I hear him correctly? Just a friend? He didn’t just tell the world I was just his friend.
“Is that so? Well you two seemed to be more than friendly with each other.”
“Nah, nothing more man. Though, I wouldn’t know what to do if she was out of it.” What he said seemed to make me feel a little better but I couldn’t help be hung up on the just a friend comment more. I didn’t bring it up until after the viewing. It wasn’t until the after party he realized I wasn’t having quite a good time.
“Hey, you alright? You haven’t said a word since the red carpet. You alright?”
“Yeah.. yeah…”
“No, I know that look. Something’s on your mind and I would like to know if I can make it better.”
I sighed, “it’s just… you said I was just a friend. That kind of hurt. I thought we…”
“I said that because I want to keep you to myself a little longer. If I told the world, there would be nonstop press. I kinda like my quiet time with you in or out in public.”
“Really?”
“Trust me.” I searched for any reason to doubt him in his eyes but he was sincere.
“Okay. I trust you.”
I was mingling with guests in a different crowd than Chris. I met someone through our agent. His name was Robert Downey Jr. I knew him from multiple films before he went to jail. He seemed a lot better since then. Timid almost but he somehow kept an air about him. I couldn’t pinpoint what it was.
“Nice to meet Mr. Downey, I’m (y/n).”
“Please, Robert. Mr. Downey is my father. You did a good job on the writing for the movie.”
“Nah… I wasn’t the main writer. I still don’t know a lot about the comics.”
“Hm… the funny one liners.”
“Excuse me?”
“Those ones. Those were all you?”
“How did you know?”
“Snarky but lovely lady like yourself? I can spot one right away. I like you. Kevin,” he was also in our little chat circle, “where did you find her?”
“Thank your agent. She’s the one who brought her in this project. She’s perfect right?”
“You’re right,” Downey agreed.
“What are you guys talking about?”
“The Marvel project,” Robert explained, “Feige told you right?”
“Yeah, but I’m still kind of in the dark about it though.”
“We’re working out the kinks but Disney is buying rights to Marvel. We’ll be able to use the characters not associated with Fox to make our own universe,” Feige said.
“Disney? Really?”
“It’s going to be big. I hope you’ll stay on.” Robert held my hand as his eyes smiled.
“Wouldn’t miss it. Would love to see how this pans out.”
“Even if it goes bad?” wondered Feige.
“Even if it goes bad. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m a little tired. I’m going to see if Chris is around.” I bid them good night and searched the floor for him. The last place I looked was the bar and there I saw what I couldn’t believe. He was chatting up a storm with some girl. I didn’t know where she came from nor do I know her. She wasn’t an actress I knew or a reporter I saw. I started to walk over but stopped when he laid a hand on her waist and got closer to her. The worst scenario popped in my head and I didn’t want to confront it. I had to leave and called my agent. She said that a driver would be out to bring me home. Once on my way home, I stared outside, the streetlights quickly passing by. So much for being his girlfriend.