Be My Juliet [on hold]

Chapter 7: Rude Jacket Manners

"What kind of food do you want?" Dan asks.

"Anything."  He nods and brings me into the cool night air.  We walk quickly to a random restaurant, talking about our thoughts on the movie.  "Do you like Asian?" he asks, bringing me into a darkly lit shop.  Immediately I am filled with the smell of vegetables and stir fry emanating from the kitchen.

"I love it."  I smile as Dan walks up to the hostess.  She has a short fiery red bob with a side part almost as deep as mine.  Her eyes are a dark brown color – black, almost.  She has a few freckles scattered across her nose, and is wearing a tight black tee with pastel purple skinny jeans underneath an apron.

"Table for two?" she smiles, leading us to a secluded booth in the back of the restaurant.  We slide in so that we are facing each other.  The hostess stays standing over us for a few seconds, staring at Dan.  "Let me know if you need anything."  She bites her lips as she spins on her heels to walk back to the front of the restaurant.  I smile, looking down at my hands as I twirl my thumbs around each other.

Before we can even say a word to one another, the hostess is back.  "I forgot to ask if you want anything to drink." She says, obviously ogling at Dan again. 

"Water for me."  I smile.  She nods, continuing to gawk at him.

"Me too."  Dan adds.  She nods again, waiting a few more moments before leaving us.  "So tell me about this callback!"

"Well, it's for a new movie," my smile widens, looking up to meet his gaze. 

"Wait, like actually?"

"Yeah..."

"What's it called?"

"It's going to be another Romeo and Juliet."

"You're joking."  He stares blankly at me.  "You might be in the new Romeo and Juliet movie?  Some of my friends can't wait for it!  Ever since they heard there would be another, they've been excited!"

"Really?"  I blush.  "Well, that's what it is.  I'm not sure it's the same one though..."

"What part are you up for?"

"Juliet."  My cheeks turn a deeper red as I look back down at my hands.

"Holy shit Penelope!" he almost screams.  "That's amazing!  Honestly.  I'm sure you'll be an amazing Juliet."

"But that involves actually getting the part, and I highly doubt that is going to happen."

"True," he says sarcastically as a girl walks up to us holding a notepad.

"Had some time to think?" she asks in a high-pitched voice.  She resembles the hostess, so I guess that they are related somehow.

"Not yet."  Dan smiles up at her.  She lingers for a few seconds like the hostess, her eyes fixed on Dan, then walks away.

"So what's good here?" I ask, picking up my menu.

"A lot.  What do you like?"

"Almost everything."  Dan smirks, and then we both look through the options.  We decide to split a chicken stir-fry because the portions are supposedly enormous.  As soon as we place our menus down on the table, our waitress is back.

"Ready?" she smiles, completely ignoring me.  Dan orders for us, adding a side of broccoli.  "Alright!  My name is Abby if you need anything else."

Once she walks away, Dan and I continue talking about the audition and past acting experiences we've had.  I learn that he wanted to be an actor when he was younger.  "So why don't you try now?" I ask.  "I bet you'd be great."

"But I'm so lazy..." he sighs as our food arrives.  Dan was right—there is a ton of food.  I doubt we could actually finish all of it.  We dig in, and it is absolutely delicious.  Before I know it, the plate is completely gone.

"Is all food in London amazing?" I laugh.

"No, you're just used to American crap." He smirks.  After we pay, we walk out of the restaurant and are hit by the frigid air.  I pretend like it doesn't affect me, not wanting Dan to notice.  We start walking back towards the Starbucks when I start shivering.  "Oh, God.  I'm so rude."  Dan facepalms himself, taking off his black jacket and placing it on me.  I start to protest, but the inviting warmth is hard to resist.  Dan slings his arms around my shoulder, making it impossible to give the coat back.

"Dan, you'll be freezing."

"Well then I guess I'm going to need to suck it up!" I laugh as we quicken our pace.

"I had a great time with you, Penelope." He says suddenly, grabbing my hand.

"Me too.  Tonight was fun." I smile as we arrive outside the coffee shop.

"When do I get to see you again?"

"Well, seeing as I don't really have a life here, I'm guessing soon."

"Good." Dan smiles, hugging me.  I feel myself blush as his arms wrap around my waist.  We stand there, in each other's arms, for longer than I expected.  I didn't want him to loosen his grip; his body heat warming up my already chilled body and inviting smell pulling me in.  When he finally does, we say our goodbyes and walk in opposite directions.

I run back to my flat, trying to escape the cold night air as quickly as possible.  Once inside the building, I hurry to the elevator, knowing Jess has the heater blasting.  I unlock the door and open it to reveal Jess standing there with some sort of food.   "Congrats!" she sings as I walk in.

"I didn't get the part, silly.  It's just a callback."

"But you will!" she smiles, handing me the plate.  I look down and see a huge slice of chocolate cake with a giant scoop of leftover ice cream sitting on top. 

"I feel like all I do is eat." I laugh, grabbing a fork from the kitchen.

"That's because food is amazing and delicious."

"True..." I giggle, taking a bite of the cake alone.  "Where's this from?"

"While I would love to say that I made it, I'm not that skilled.  I bought it from the bakery up the street."

"We live near a bakery?" I ask, stuffing my face with more food.

"Yeah..." she laughs.  "Wait, where's that jacket from?  I don't recognize it."

"Oh, it's Dan's," I blush; I had completely forgotten that I had it on.

"That's so sweet!  Did he let you borrow it?"

"Yeah, it's freezing out." I walk into my room and change into my normal sleep attire—a tank top underneath a giant hoodie paired with patterned pajama pants.  I go back into the lounge and see that Jess has put on a movie.  "What are you watching?"

"Inception." She smiles.  "Care to join me?"

"Sure!" I laugh, jumping into the empty seat next to her.

Hi! New chapter :D I hope you guys liked it!  I'm sorry this chapter is so short D: However, I have a lot of ideas for upcoming chapters, so they'll be posted soon! chapter title credit: Booknerd160 stay amazing <33