Sequel (Advent Calendar 2016)

THE 5TH OF DECEMBER

The 5th of December

...

They're standing in front of each other. Rob's eyes are fixed on the script. Kristen's eyes are fixed on him. He looks up at her, and smiles. She gives him a slight smile back. He says something, and she chuckles. His smile grows, the light from the studio lamps reflecting in his eyes.

She notices a strand of hair that's out of place, and she curls her hand into a fist, stopping herself, her instincts and reflexes. She informs him about the hair, and he lets go of the script with one hand to correct it.

"Is it fine now?" He asks.

She nods. "Yeah, you look- it looks good." She looks down at the ground, biting her lip.

He smiles at her, again.

He runs a hand through his already unruly hair, and she tries to suppress a grin.

His eyes linger on her fingers that are fidgeting with rings that are not there; Kristen wears rings. Chloe doesn't.

"Nervous?" They ask in unison.

A thousand different emotions flash across their faces. Surprise, happiness, reminiscence, heartache.

They don't have the time to answer their mutual question before Stephanie tells them to get on their marks.

It's a scene where David and Chloe have an argument, a rather heated one. Rob and Kristen act amazingly. The way they shout the harsh words at each other, the emotions on their faces make your heart clench. A match made in Heaven, Steph thinks.

"Maybe we're just not meant to be," Daniel shouts, and the whole room becomes silent, as it says in the script. Daniel is looking at Chloe, but they slowly slip out of character and it's Rob looking at Kristen. His facial expression changes to one of concern instead of anger. "Can we take a short break?" Rob asks, his eyes on Kristen.

The crew looks to Stephanie. Her eyes dart between Rob and Kristen, trying to figure out what's going on. The way Rob's looking at Kristen like he's ready to run over to her and pull her into his arms any minute, makes up her mind. "2 minutes!" She calls out.

Before Steph even has the last word out, Rob's at Kristen's side. He puts a hand on her back, and turns so they're both facing away from the crew. Soon he has both arms around her and his mouth is by her ear, talking to her.

People are mumbling around Steph, but she overhears some of Rob's words. "Forget it." "You haven't fucked up, Kristen." "You're not unprofessional!" "Hey, it's okay, we're- it's okay."

Rob brushes his thumbs across Kristen's cheeks, pulls her short hair behind her ear, and rubs her back. He then calls a makeup artist over, who quickly retouches Kristen's face. Rob's hand is still on Kristen's back, moving up and down in a soothing motion.

The makeup artist takes a look at Kristen's face and smiles at her, giving her a thumbs up.

Rob pulls Kristen into his arms and gives her a short hug.

"You okay to continue?" Stephanie asks.

"We're okay," Rob answers, not just talking to Steph.

...

Screaming at each other across their kitchen is not how they planned the rest of their day off, but even after a few hours, their argument has continued to be as heated as it was when it started.

The harsh words that Rob says cut into Kristen; she wants to cry but tries to be strong as she shouts back at him. They've never had an argument like it, and she never wanted to be on the receiving end of Rob's angry glare.

"You know what, maybe... maybe we're just not meant to be together after all."

After the words tumble out of Rob's mouth, Kristen tries to form a response but she can't, all her words stuck in her throat as she stares at him, completely shocked by his words.

Rob doesn't say anything either, his eyes locked on Kristen's pale, expressionless face as he watches her try to form a response. When he looks into her eyes, he can see into her heart, her soul, and he can feel her heart breaking just as much as his heart is.

Even though she can't say anything, Kristen is screaming inside, all of her senses heightened as she tries to say something, do something, anything. Her heart is breaking into a million pieces and she can't say anything to stop it happening.

Without one last look at her, he leaves the room, leaving Kristen to stand in the kitchen, tears streaming down her face as she watches the love of her life leave the room and, maybe, her life.