Sequel (Advent Calendar 2016)

THE 21ST OF DECEMBER

The 21st of December

...

Rob swallows as it slowly starts to sink in. It's about to end.

They're filming the last scene. When they're done with this, the movie will be wrapped. Finished. Over.

He doesn't get how it's gone so fast. He feels like it was yesterday he got the phone call from Steph, telling him he would be working with Kristen.

Kristen.

He knows it pathetic - so fucking pathetic - but he finds himself occasionally messing up on purpose. He's still pissed at her, but he's not ready for it - for... them - to be over just yet. How can we let things end that we haven't even given a chance to begin?

Three weeks. In twenty-one days, he's faced more frustration, more memories, more history, more Rob, than he has in years. All the flashbacks, the moments of reminiscing, the moments worth remembering, the moments he wants to forget, play in his mind, giving him a cinematic summary of the past three weeks. Some scenes make him smile, some make him sigh. When the film ends, taking him back to the present, he feels as if his chest has been tied into a knot.

"Okay, one last time!" Steph yells.

Rob takes a deep breath. Every second counts.

"And... action!"

He hangs onto every line, every word, every blink, doing his best to savour the now.

"Cut!" Stephanie calls. Everyone looks expectantly at her. "That's a wrap!"

Although Rob cheers and claps like everyone else, he feels the knot tighten his chest, making it painful for him to breathe.

Kristen looks at him, smiling slightly.

We're wrapped, her eyes say.

He looks at her, barely mustering a smile.

Before he can react, they're hugging. Their arms linger around the other, their embrace lasting longer than normal.

"I guess it's over," Rob says when they pull away, scratching the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Kristen sighs. "But hey, there's still the wrap party, so it's not over quite yet. This is just the beginning."

...

The big cottage is crowded with everyone who's had their fingerprint on the movie. They're all a blur, except one.

He's watching her. She's standing with her fifth drink in her hand talking to Steph and the costume manager. She lifts her glass, taking a sip as she nods to what Steph is saying. Her blonde hair is slightly messy, but he likes it. Her green eyes are slightly foggy, her red lips occasionally trapped between her teeth. When she laughs, a warmth spreads through his chest.

He is so drunk. Too drunk. He's lost count of how many drinks he's had, but it's more than a few. The alcohol doesn't help with his emotions. They're everywhere, flying around as they wish, not giving a fuck whether they're welcome or not. It's all coming to an end, and he wants to scream in frustration. If they hadn't had sex, if they hadn't fought, if they hadn't ignored each other, maybe they could have been friends. Good friends. They could have spoken even after filming, getting to know each other again. When promotion would start, they could start flirting until it turned into innocent touches, till it turned into innocent kisses, till it turned into less innocent kisses. They could've started dating, find their love again. He could get down on one knee, and she could say yes. But that's never gonna happen, because now it's all over, and they're not even friends.