Just Acting [Matthew Gray Gubler]

chapter twenty-three

(hey! if you're Jewish or don't celebrate Christmas just ignore the mentioning of it and replace it with whatever you please/ what you do celebrate)

Next week is Christmas, how exciting right? Not really, as much as you need a break and want to head home, you don't really want to deal with your old friends and family. You actors are getting two weeks off of filming for the holidays.

Right now, you all are 11 episodes into season 16, and after Saturday it'll be 12. Which means you have somewhere around 14 more weeks of filming and you'll be done with the season... or possibly the show. It still seems surreal, but ending seems even crazier.

You arrive on set around 5 am, going in for an early morning shoot. Your scene takes about two hours. In your trailer, you're reading a book for the first time in a while and lying on your couch. You don't have to film for 4 hours or so, but you couldn't get your mind to settle down and take a nap. Reading is the next best thing.

In the middle of running your eyes along a sentence, your door bursts open. Matthew stands in the doorway with a smile.

"I see you still haven't learned to knock like a big boy."

"Oh I'm definitely a big boy," he smirks.

You chuckle slightly, "What do you want?"

"Let's go get breakfast!"

"No..."

"But why?"

"Being seen with you in public, eww."

He frowns.

"I'm kidding... mostly. Butttt we're not going on a date."

"Of course not. I'm hungry, you're hungry. We're just getting breakfast."

You stand up, tossing the book on the couch. "Okay. Where we going?"

"You like Dunkin don't you?"

You nod your head, grabbing your bag. Following him out, you close your trailer door and walk down the steps to solid ground. Matthew leads you to his car and you hop in, excited to get coffee and food in your system.

You turn the radio up, hearing 34+35 play. You don't change the station, singing along to the lyrics instead.

"Can you stay up all night..."

"I mean I could," Matthew eyes you sideways with a smile.

You roll your eyes, still jamming to Ariana.

"Baby you might need a seatbelt when I ride it. imma leave it open like a door, come inside it. Even though i'm wifey you can hit it like a side chick. Don't need no side dick no..."

"Damn girl," Matthew smiles, looking at you for a moment before returning his eyes to the road.

You smile, cheeks burning a bit in a pink glow. Matthew finally pulls into the Dunkin parking lot. You get out, smoothing down your black ripped jeans. Your auburn flannel is the only thing keeping the December wind from making you too cold. You're wearing a white shirt underneath it, and your white shoes make the look put together.

Walking into the building with Matthew, you realize that Jess is working and will see you with him.

"Hey, Y/n!" Jess says after handing someone their coffee order.

"Heyy, Jess." You say with a nervous smile.

"You know each other?" Matthew asks curiously.

"This is my best friend Jess." You say to him.

"Hi," Jess smiles up at him, "I love your show." She averts her gaze to you, giving you a questioning look.

"Thank you," he says with one of those Matthew smiles.

After ordering, leads you to a table, but Jess pulls you aside before you can sit down. "So you're going on breakfast dates now?"

"Hell no. We were just hungry, and there's no food on set until 9:30 today."

"Mkay..." she says, releasing your arm.

You sit down across from Matthew. "She seems nice," he says looking at Jess for a moment.

"She's great. Jess was one of my first friends in LA," you say to him, a slight smile spread across your face as you remember your first meeting.

"That's good."

"Yeah."

"Matthew, your order is ready," another Dunkin employee says. Matthew gets up and sets your order down on the table.

"I could've helped."

"Nah I got it."

You nod your head as he sets your iced coffee and breakfast sandwich in front of you. You thank him, taking a drink of your coffee after putting in the straw.

"So what are your plans for the holidays?" Matthew asks you, then takes a bite of his sprinkled donut.

"I'm going home."

"Oh cool. Where are you from again?"

"Philly," you tell him.

"Ohh right. Well I hope you have a good time."

"Are you being nice because we're in public?"

"Definitely," he chuckles.

You roll your eyes with a smile. "What are your plans, Gubler?"

"Going to see the family in Vegas of course. Also no last names."

"We're not alone," you smirk.

"Ugh true."

You laugh. "Matthew... there."

"That's better, but I'd prefer you call me..."

"Okay that's enough talking," you interrupt him before he says anything inappropriate.

The two of you eat your breakfast and drink your coffee in a mostly comfortable silence.

After saying goodbye to Jess, the two of you head back to set for the rest of the days' scenes. Matthew has a few more and you have one or two more shots left to film for the day.

"You went with Gube to breakfast?"

"Yeah I guess he's not always horrible," you say.

"Wow, I'm surprised you didn't bite his head off," Aj says.

"Honestly me too," you laugh.

Once the long day is over, you head back to your apartment and eat whatever random things you can find out of the fridge for dinner.

You fall asleep earlier than normal, tired from waking up so early.

961 words. idk if i ever said where "you're" from, but pennsylvania it is:)