Chapter Text
Nothing was working today. As Jonathan read through the fifth draft of the script, everything seemed to jar. The dialogue that last night had felt flawless was clunky. The directions cheesy, the pacing all wrong.
This weekend wasn’t going to plan, this whole writing process wasn’t going to plan. He was meant to be in Philly, at the now bi-monthly meet up. But he’d cancelled earlier in the week, this script needed to be done by Monday and he knew that a weekend of beer, pizza, and fighting feelings he wished he didn’t have anymore wouldn’t be of any help.
But as he sat staring at the piles of paper on his desk all he could think about was the three people in that house. The fact that they would be sharing a last breakfast together before making their respective ways home, probably hungover but happy. Steve excitedly talking about his recent engagement - he’d actually found the one this time, Robin her new job as a translator in DC and Nancy, well, he wasn’t actually sure what she’d be talking about.
For a couple of years after that night on the roof of the WQSK where they agreed to hang out again, he and Nancy had fallen back into being best friends. It had been easier than he thought, the baggage of their years together a soft backdrop and nothing more. Yes, every now and then when they were away in the summer at Cape May and she’d be playing soccer with Steve on the beach in her swimwear he’d be reminded that they had once been much more than friends - but it was always fleeting. Just a pleasant reminder of what had been. However, in the past couple of months something had crept up on him. Nothing was fleeting anymore.
It’s not like he could pin-point a moment. He didn’t suddenly look at her and think oh shit I’m in love with her again. But he knew it had happened. Well, he wasn’t sure if it was love. But it was something like it. A pull. A need to hear her voice, to be in the same room with her. He’d been trying to deal with it by avoiding her, not answering her calls, not attending the meet up. He guessed the others might be starting to notice something, but for now he had the excuse of work to hide behind, and it seemed to be working.
So as he sat at his desk that Sunday morning, he didn’t know what her news would be. Or even what she’d be going home to.
It was nearing lunch time when the phone rang. Jonathan let it ring to its conclusion. Only when it immediately started ringing again, he picked up.
“Byers, I have news.”
It was Steve, breathless. The sound of highway traffic in the background.
“Is everything okay? Where are you?”
It’s not that Steve had sounded panicked, but whatever he had to say sounded urgent.
“Yes, yes, I’m fine, everything’s fine, nothing is wrong.”
“Why the hell are you calling me from the side of the interstate then?” Jonathan wasn’t exactly annoyed, but this was weird and somewhere in the bottom of his stomach, Jonathan had a feeling this was about Nancy.
“Look, I couldn’t call you when I was with the girls, so I waited until I got to a rest stop, but Jon it’s big news. It’s about Nancy.”
He was right. Of course he was. A silence hung between them.
“Go on then! Spit it out Steve.”
“She’s moving to New York. She got a job at a paper, she’s going to be in the city, just like you. Isn’t that great?”
For a moment it felt like the world fell from under his feet. Nancy, in New York. She would want to see him, want to hang out. She’d no longer be this spectre to avoid calls from and dance around every other month in Robin’s Uncle’s house. She could be on any street he walked on, in any bar he dipped into. Hell they could end up with the same favourite coffee shop, the same dentist. He could never avoid her again.
“Earth to Byers, can you hear me? Is this connection shitty?”
“Oh yeah, sorry, I was just shocked, I mean -” Jonathan forced himself to recover, “This is great news, she hadn’t told me, but yeah this is great I’m so pleased for her.”
“She said that she tried to call and tell you, but you didn’t pick up.”
“I’m busy, that’s all.”
“So you never pick up the phone on the first ring anymore just because you’re busy? Wrist deep in that photo fluid is that it?”
Jonathan scrunched his face up, he was right, Steve had worked out something was off.
“No, I’m writing Steve, if you remember I make films now, I hardly take any photos.”
“You sure took a lot of photos last time you came out to Philly.”
“Well, yeah, I take photos of my friends, what I mean is that it isn’t my main thing anymore.”
“Whatever you say Byers, you’ll always be a photo-nerd to me, and I still think you’d be great in the paparazzi.”
Jonathan laughed, “Oh yeah, you can really see me harassing celebrities for photos? Asking actresses to smile?”
“Not with an attitude like that!”
They were both laughing - Jonathan was relieved that Steve seemed to have dropped the issue of the phone calls.
“But seriously, Jon, you should talk to her. I’m sure she’d like some help moving.”
But he hadn’t dropped Nancy’s move had he.
“Yeah, I mean of course, I’ll call her.”
“Don’t worry, I already gave her your number. This conversation has just reminded me that I need to tell her about your weird double call habit.”
Jonathan slouched against the wall. His defences when it came to Nancy were already pretty flimsy, and Steve had just dismantled his last one.
“Don’t you need to be on the road? Getting back to Hawkins?”
“So quick to get rid of me! I’ll try not to take that to heart. But you are right, and I’m low on quarters. But you had to know about Nance. I will get her to call you. It’ll be fun to have you two in the same place.”
“Yeah, something like that.” Jonathan replied quietly.
“Okay, I’m gonna go. Talk soon man, bye!”
Jonathan listened to the dial tone before gently hitting the phone against his forehead three times. He was undeniably stuck, in a Nancy Wheeler quagmire he wouldn’t be able to escape anytime soon. He had to work on getting over her, and getting over her soon.