Rumor Has It

Part 11

Sorry you all, starting my new uni took over my life! But I hope I can keep finding time for this! :)

*

Bradley was so nervous throughout the entire day and this wasn't even a date. Except he was going to pick Stefani up and they were going to a relatively nice restaurant she had picked. Because she was assuming he would enjoy it. It had been a long time since anyone had thought of him that way, at least it felt like it.

He wasn't having feelings in that way, it was physical attraction. It just happened. To everyone. And looking at her, it could be inevitable.

Even admitting to some physical attraction, she had directly told him they were meeting only as friends. After all, there was someone else. And that most likely meant that she wasn't attracted to him, or at least wouldn't feel this way about him.

Bradley snapped out of it roughly when he arrived at her house and took a few deep, steadying breaths before getting out of the car. He thought he was prepared but then to his surprise, Stefani was the one opening the door and not one of her team as usual. The house was unusually quiet and she snapped the door shut behind her very quickly.

Bradley impulsively enveloped her in a hug and she returned it, making him relax his muscles he hadn't noticed he was tensing. He couldn't help it, his heart was still racing and the smile kept remaining on his lips. She wasn't dressed to attract any attention in her ripped jeans and tshirt as usual, but he just knew she'd be the center of attention anyway. He wondered if she dressed very much like Stefani around him to make it clear who he was with.

Stefani reached out and almost took his hand before she jerked hers away again and wrapped it around his arm instead.

"Sorry, I haven't told Emily about this." She said quietly while she pulled him away from the house.

"Would she not be okay with this?" He asked and opened the door for her, out of reflex.

"I don't want her or anyone to get ideas." Stefani explained while she slid into the seat. "Or her hopes up, you know. She likes you."

Bradley froze standing at the car door and didn't know what to do with the information. He didn't think they had given the kids any hints in this direction at all and Emily must be used to Stefani going out with people. "You okay?" She suddenly asked.

"Yeah. Sorry. And don't worry, I feel like at some point they both won't like either of us." He shrugged and walked around to his side of the car. "She probably likes me because I'm someone new to be around. Lea is the same there."

Stefani nodded and leaned back in her seat quietly. "There's always something special when something's new, simply the novelty of it, maybe you're right."

He didn't know the Italian restaurant she led them to, but it seemed like Stefani was there often enough for them to know what she liked. She couldn't possibly know his tastes, but she wasn't lying when she said she had a good idea of it.

They snuck in through the back entrance to be safe and were seated in a more private little corner. At first, it was exactly how they have always talked so far and the kids were the easiest topic to talk about.

Bradley didn't want to pry, but he hadn't heard from Lea all week she had been at Irina's and he was sure the girls had spent time together. It had been easy to have the girl promise not to mention anything about their connection, but he was aware of how enthusiastic she got.

There wasn't anything unusual Stefani had heard about, so he hoped everything would remain peaceful.

"What have you been up to during your kid-free week?" She asked casually and after that talk with Todd, he still hadn't decided if he should be telling her a lot of details about their plans.

"I've been catching up with work. There are a few films I've been interested in..."

"But nothing interesting enough." She finished his thought. "That's how it goes sometimes for me, too."

"Yeah, I'd rather...it would be so much more exciting to create something from scratch than to jump into something someone else has already planned out."

"Ever done anything like that by yourself?"

Bradley thought about the projects he'd taken part in and let, but none of them had really been a vision of his own. "Not really." He paused and nodded towards her. "You've done it, right?"

He hadn't meant to make her uncomfortable, but she squirmed a little while trying to decide what to say. "There are always more people than just me involved, like insanely talented producers and..."

"... but it's your vision."

Stefani hummed quietly before turning serious. "Well, it's my name on it, so it better be."

He looked at her, how she was drumming a rhythm out on the table without realizing it and how intently she was focusing on making it clear to him she wasn't joking. It was a difficult thing to wrangle art and put it into a format where it was still true to itself but also approachable and now he really didn't see this happening with anyone else.

And if they wouldn't be able to afford her, he could have still mentioned this as her friend. Were they friends? That could be a bit presumptuous, even if they had spent time at each other's houses a lot so far.

"Okay, don't laugh." He began and Stefani frowned at him like he had forgotten who he was talking to. Without thinking, he reached over the table to lay his hand on her forearm. "No, sorry. I know you won't make fun of me, but it might sound like a stupid idea at first."

"Go ahead."

She threw a glance at his hand and he quickly pulled it back. "I've been thinking about how much potential A Star Is Born could have today, a modern version. Have you seen it?"

"Yeah, of course. It's a great story."

"I know it sounds risky, because it's been done so many times, but there are so many human and emotional aspects that are still relevant and important to tell and I think we could really do it justice."

He lost himself in this dream of his while he explained where he wanted to take it. The more he allowed himself to talk about it and to hear himself say it aloud for the first time, the more it sounded real. And like something that could really happen.

Stefani was listening to him patiently. "It sounds like you've already started writing." She finally said with an amused look in her warm eyes and his ears burned. Was he too eager?

"No, I haven't..." Had the time, he wanted to admit. "It's been a dream of mine and Todd's."

"You'd make a great team. I know how both of you work and you sound so passionate about the film...I'm sure it'll be amazing." She beamed at him and it felt incredible to him to know she might believe in him.

His heart swelled in his chest and he let the budding smile take over his face. This only made it feel even more important to really make something out of this, because everyone could make up plans. Following through with them was going to be the real challenge.

"What have you been up to?" He asked, feeling like he had taken over most of their time together so far.

She froze and poked at her remaining food with her fork before she gave him a shrug and a tired smile. "The usual."

Bradley looked at her closer and furrowed his brow. "Sorry. Is everything okay?"

"Mh-mh." She nodded. "Tell me more about what you're going to do differently from the other versions."