Maya and I were sitting in our usual place on set, huddled together on one of the big couches in the break area.
She was just telling me about how Robert had asked her to meet his family, a huge deal for him, when Joe walked into the room.
For a long time when Joe walked into the room, a sense of dread would hit my stomach and the air would be thick and heavy with tension, like the air before a storm. But now, things were calmer, breezier. I smiled when I saw him.
Joe walked over to the coffee and snack station, making himself a coffee and picking himself up a banana.
"Joe!" Maya called.
He turned around. I gave Maya a look. Yes, things were better between us, but I don't need to draw attention to myself constantly when he's around.
Joe walked over to us and set his coffee down on the table to peel his banana, as he looked to us smiling.
"Ladies," He nodded, "How are you this fine morning?"
"Quite well, thank you," I replied, matching his odd formality.
Maya looked back and forth between us, wide eyed.
"I'm good too, why are we talking like this? Oh my god! Are we doing an old timey episode I hadn't been told about?" Maya asked us, getting worried.
I looked over at her and laughed, shaking my head. Joe joined in.
"Just being silly," Joe told her.
"I'm just happy to see you," He told us both, but was looking directly at me.
Butterflies flew into my tummy. My heart melted like butter and settled in a puddle in my chest. All I could do is smile at him.
Joe teared his eyes away to check his watch.
"I've got to go to hair and makeup now, but it was great seeing you two!" Joe said, picking up his coffee and taking a bite of his banana, before giving us a wink and leaving.
"He seems chipper, what's got into him?" Maya asked, trying to hold back a laugh.
I looked after him, shaking my head. I didn't know, but I was feeling pretty good too.
"Oh my god!" Maya exclaimed.
I nearly got whiplash snapping my head to her to see what is wrong. Her mouth was open, equal parts shock and smile, her eyes wide and glistening.
"Did you go to his house again? Did you have a late night rendezvous?" She whispered to me, her eyebrows wiggling, and her tongue running over her teeth, ready to give me what I'm sure is a series of dirty jokes and innuendos.
Much to her dismay, I shake my head and laugh.
"No! Maybe he's just happy to see me," I smile.
"Ohhh," Maya says, smacking her hand to her forehead as she comes to a realisation.
"Your second kiss scene is today," She smirks.
The butterflies return with full force.
"Do you think that's why he was happy?" I ask, my voice going hoarse.
"Uh, yeah," She says, as though it was obvious.
I bite my lip nervously.
"Are you okay?" Maya asks me.
I quickly nod my head.
"Mhm, yeah," I tell her.
She doesn't believe me, and studies my face.
"Aren't you happy about the kiss scene too?" She asks me, confused.
I nod slowly.
"I am, I guess. I mean, it's work and I'm going to be professional, like last time," I tell her.
Maya snorts. I roll my eyes and continue.
"But I'm nervous, about after. He said he didn't want to rush into a relationship and to wait until our second on screen kiss... But, I don't know what I'm supposed to be expecting. A declaration? A date? A relationship? I don't know what's going to happen. What if he decides he doesn't want me anymore?" I pour all my thoughts and insecurities out to her, my shoulders relaxing as I unload what had been weighing me down.
Maya reaches her arm around me and rubs my shoulder, resting her head against mine.
"You, my dear Charlee, are an idiot," She says to me.
I turn my head to her shocked. What? She answers my silent question.
"He has been into you for over a year now. He broke up with Gemma for you. And, didn't he write a song for you? Of course he still wants you. How slow he's going to take things? I don't know. But I can guarantee you, he's going to take them somewhere," Maya tells me, finishing her reassuring comments with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle and smirk. I couldn't expect much less from her really.
* * * *
I stand to the side, waiting to be called to my place on set. I got there a little bit early, too anxious to wait around doing anything else.
Robert comes over to me, and checks I'm okay for the hundredth time. It must be evident that I am nervous, perhaps by the hand wringing or the way I stare off into space as my mind keeps drifting off.
"You got this Charlee, just do the dialogue and kiss him. Like last time," Robert tells me as he hugs me.
My eyes grow wide as he removes himself from the hug.
"Last time he ended up hating me!" I tell him, my voice wavering.
Robert lowers his head and looks into my eyes.
"Last time he got cranky that he couldn't hold your hand, this time you're going to let him," He tells me with a smile.
The panic starts to leave my body.
"Right, yeah. Of course," I say.
Robert leaves me to check what else needs to be done, and I begin to wring my hands again. I want to be excited, I thought I'd be excited, but after everything that's happened, I can't help but expect it to go horribly wrong.
"Is she okay?" I hear a familiar voice ask.
I turn my head to see Joe talking to Robert, who is smiling at Joe and nodding his head.
"Just nervous," Robert tells him.
Joe walks over to me and stands directly in front of me.
"Charlee, look at me," He commands.
My eyes land on his and my breathing quickens.
"I'm not going to put my hands on you right now, because we are so close to this scene being done. But, imagine they are on your shoulders like I used to do okay?" Joe tells me.
I nod at him, still staring into his eyes. I imagine I can feel the warmth and fire of his hands on my shoulders. It's not the same as the real thing, but with him standing there, my breathing starts to even out and my shoulders relax.
"Everything is going to be fine. I'm here with you okay? We've got this," He says, smiling.
I smile too at the memory of me saying this to him when he was nervous about our first kiss. I'm starting to feel better.
"Places people!" Shawn yells out.
Joe looks at me and smiles as I follow him onto set. He sits on top of what is supposed to be the video store roof in front of a green screen, our characters are still trapped in there. I crouch behind the set, a blanket wrapped around me, waiting for my queue to climb up.
"Action!" Shawn shouts.
Steve looks out into the town of Hawkins through Dustins binoculars, looking for a sign of danger, or hopefully of being rescued. He fumbles with the binoculars, nearly dropping them.
"Shit," Steve mutters.
He grabs the binoculars before dropping them, and puts the cord they are attached to around his neck. Smiling at his idea.
"Language," I say as I climb onto the roof, my blanket wrapped around me.
"Seriously? The kids aren't here and even when they are, they swear more than I do," He tells me as he turns to me.
When he sees the smirk on my face, he sees that I'm joking. I sit down next to him, touching my leg against him.
"What are you doing up here? You got the morning shift of keeping watch," Steve asks.
"I know. I just couldn't sleep," I tell him.
Steve looks at me, his eyes soft.
"Are you okay? I know it's scary, I'm still scared shitless sometimes and I've been through it a lot now, but Mike will find Eleven and she will help us. That kid is amazing," He says, trying to make me feel better.
"Oh I'm scared. But... that's not why," I say quietly.
I put my hand down on the edge next to Steve, accidentally touching his. He doesn't pull away and neither do I. He searches my face for a clue as to why I can't sleep.
"Then why?" He asks.
I look into his eyes. Just hearing his voice and seeing his face used to infuriate me, but now I find it calming.
"You'll probably laugh at me," I say, biting my lip and looking away.
Steve takes my hand and I immediately look back at him.
"Hey, no I won't! Nothing surprises me anymore, trust me," He tells me reassuringly.
I take a deep breath.
"I can't sleep when you're not there," I whisper.
Steve looks shocked, his eyes widen and his lips part.
"Me? Really?" He asks me.
I bite my lip and nod. Steve's eyes look into my eyes again, then dart to my lips and back up to my eyes. He swallows.
BANG!
We both jump and Steve quickly grabs his binoculars to search for the source, as I huddle up to him scared.
Steve's shoulders slump as he breathes out a heavy sigh.
"It's that damn door at the store across the street again," He says rolling his eyes.
My body relaxes as my brain switches off my fight or flight response.
"Thank god," I say.
Steve looks down at me, still huddling up to him. I sit up.
"So. You need me huh?" He says with a smirk.
I gently shove him.
"You said you wouldn't laugh!" I exclaim.
He puts his hands up.
"I'm not laughing, I'm not! I'm just enjoying the fact you've gone from hating me, to needing me around to perform basic human functions such as sleep," Steve says, his smirk reaching his eyes now.
Oh, he is really eating this up.
I roll my eyes at him.
"I never hated you, you know," I say to him softly, looking down.
"You were mad at me all the time," He responds.
I look at Steve and sigh.
"I was mad at you, because you kept putting yourself in danger and playing the hero. I was worried about you," I explain.
Steve's eyebrows furrow, trying to process what I was saying. I reach for his hand again.
"And... maybe... I was trying to push you away because I was worried what Robin would think when she found out," I say softly.
"Find out what?" Steve asks.
I look into his eyes.
"That I like you," I whisper.
A smile pulls at the corners of Steve lips, but he doesn't say anything. I'm sure he's going to start laughing at me now. Yes we kissed in the store room, but it was end of the world - mid fight, passion. How could he have feelings for someone like me?
"It's okay, I know I'm annoying, and a know-it-all, and drive you crazy and that kiss we had probably meant nothing to you because a lot was going on and I-" I begin to ramble on so that I don't have to hear him reject me.
Steve puts his finger on my lips.
"Will you shut up for a second?" He says.
I nod and he slowly removes his finger, ready to replace it again instantly if I begin to ramble again.
"I've liked you since the moment you walked into the video store, chewing gum and asking Robin for The Breakfast Club, and if I remember correctly, I kissed you in the storeroom. I was trying to get you to admit there was something between us, you're the one who shut me out after. How can you think I wouldn't like you?" He asks me.
I stare at him. The cool wind blows against my cheeks and I huddle up in the blanket.
"I guess... I just... you don't think it's weird?" I ask him.
"What's weird?" He asks back.
"Th-that I like both," I answer him, staring out into Hawkins, not wanting to see his face when he responds.
"What?" He asks again.
I sigh and bring my knees up, resting my chin on them.
"Girls... and boys," I tell him.
"No. No, I mean, I think it's cool," Steve answers me.
I turn to him.
"Cool?" I ask, surprised.
He licks his lips as he thinks about his answer.
"You just like people, you don't let whether they're a boy or a girl stop you from feeling what you feel. I think that's cool," He answers, shrugging.
"Plus... Bowie is the same right? And he's cool, so you must be cool," He says with a smirk.
I laugh along with him.
"Yes. He's very cool," I say with a smile.
Steve picks his hand up and brushes my hair out of my face, then rests his hand on my cheek.
"That would never stop me from liking you," He whispers.
I look into his eyes and lean in a little closer. Steve responds by meeting his lips with mine. He kisses me soft and gently, like I might run away at any time. Maybe because I ran away after last time.
I reach my hand up his neck and dig my fingers into his hair, pulling him closer and pushing my tongue into his mouth, showing him I'm not going anywhere. He responds and our tongues meet each other, caressing one another like lovers that had been separated for too long.
BANG!
We both pull away from each other and look out at what the sound could be. Steve quickly picks up his binoculars to survey the issue. I swallow as I wait, though I know it's probably the door again.
"Holy shit," Steve says.
"What?" I ask.
"He did it. She's here. It's Eleven," He says, handing me the binoculars.
"Holy shit," I say, peering through the binoculars.
"Cut!" Shawn shouts loudly.
I put the binoculars down and smile at Joe.
"That was good right?" Joe asks Shawn as he climbs down from the fake roof, " I feel like that was good,"
"Yeah I don't see any problems with it, I'll let you guys know if I need you to come back and reshoot, but I think we got it all," Shawn answers, then leaves to talk to the production crew.
Joe wraps his hands around my waist and helps me down from the fake roof.
"Thank you," I say, smiling up at him.
"Anytime, now that we can touch each other," Joe says with a smirk.
I laugh and start to walk off towards my trailer, but Joe grabs me by the hand. His touch still sends a hot spark through my body every time, and I briefly wonder if it will dull now that we will be touching more. The thought makes me kind of sad.
"Can we talk?" He asks me.
I hadn't expected us to have the conversation so soon, but I'd been so anxious about it that I'm thankful it's not being dragged out.
"Yeah," I respond.
Immediately he pulls me away, until we get to a familiar room. The same room we talked in after our first kiss. My heart starts racing and I feel anxious again. Our last talk here wasn't so great.
He pulls me into the room, and shuts the door. I lean against it and he stands in front of me, peering into my eyes. Sometimes when I look into them, I feel drunk. As though those brown eyes were actually pools of whiskey that I'm drowning in.
"W-what did you want to talk about?" I managed to stutter.
"I lied," He says to me, looking down at my lips.
I swallow.
"What?" I ask, a bit alarmed.
"I don't want to talk," He says.
He brings his hands to my face and pulls it up to his, kissing me. I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him into a deeper kiss. It's warm and it's familiar. We'd kissed twice before now, but this time, it's us. No one is watching and we don't need to hold back.
His hands reach my waist and push me against the door, he begins to kiss my neck and I gasp in response to the shivers it sends down my spine. I run my hands under his shirt and up his back, lightly scratching it. He brings his mouth back to mine, and we are reunited.
(Author note: Aaaand I'm going to leave it there. Sorry! This chapter is probably the longest one in this book, but I couldn't chop the scenes up - it all needed to be together. Sometimes longer is good! Do you like this length? Please get your mind out of the gutter, yes you. I'm sincerely curious if this a good length for a chapter! As always thanks for reading, commenting and voting. I write mostly for me, but I do hope other people enjoy it too.)