"Don't overthink this is love, maybe it's just a crush."
- UMI (Love Affair, 2019)
____________
Y/N's POV
The next few days were tougher than most. It took a lot out of me to finally accept the idea of letting her go because I love her so much. I didn't think I could do it. Not in a million years to say the least. I used to think of the quote; "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back to you, then it's meant to be," was ignorant and useless. It didn't make sense to me that if a person truly loved someone, why would they let them go? It didn't occur to me of what that truly meant until now. I get it. I realized that holding on does more damage than letting go.
Nothing has changed. I still love her just as much. But, we both have to learn how to live without each other. If time brings us back together once again in a better state where the feeling flows both ways, I won't let her go. I'll do anything and everything to give us the future we both deserve. But, it isn't our time yet. Right person, wrong time.
I started the second session of the day on a good note. I'm still ahead of schedule, and I managed to finish Courtney's songwriting project. I'm vibing to the harmonic melody of the song currently being sung by the band as I adjusted a few sound technicalities. I'm in my zone more than ever. I can't remember feeling like this without purposely drowning myself with work.
A light tap on my shoulder pulled me out of my zone. I turned around and saw Scarlett behind me with a bright shy smile on her face. I stood up from my seat, and offered a hug, which she reciprocated almost immediately.
"Scar, what brings you here on this side of town?"
"What? I can't just stop by and see you?" Scarlett said in her raspy voice as she laughed in between. "But, also, I have some business to discuss with you. A three month contract."
We took a seat, "Sounds serious, but continue."
"Okay, so I'm planning on doing a short film with Youtube next month after I finish filming the current movie I'm in." Scarlett informed me as she handed me a folder filled with documents regarding the contract. "We need some instrumental tracks and possibly a song I'll be singing as an original."
I nodded, flipping through the pages of the document, and reading them thoroughly as I'm listening. I realized that this contract is almost the same as the ones I signed from Facebook almost five years ago. The only difference is how long the contract is good for, which is only three months.
"You don't have to give me a definite answer now. Obviously, I want you to read through it and let me know."
"Okay." I closed the folder, taking a quick peek at the band still playing their tracks. "Is that the only reason why you came?"
"Not entirely." Scarlett chuckled. "If you're not busy, I was wondering if we can go to the burger place in Inglewood like you talked about for lunch."
"Oh, yeah, of course."
"Great." She smiled excitedly. "Is it okay if I stick around to see how everything works? I've always been fascinated by all of this stuff."
I chuckled, "If you miss me that much, just say so. No need to use my profession as an excuse."
Scarlett rolled her eyes, "You're annoying."
I laughed as I continued to work with the current session. They were experienced with everything, and they never had trouble getting in sync with one another. Scarlett watched me like a little kid seeing a dog walk on water for the first time. She praised everything I did, and her cute adorable laughter was hard to go unnoticed.
She tapped my shoulder, "I must admit, you actually look like you know what you're doing."
I laugh lightly, "Did you think I was pretending?"
Scarlett shrugged, "Only a little."
I pulled her chair closer to me, "Well, come here and let me teach you a couple of things."
"Alright, ma'am, I'm listening." She joked as she saluted.
I shook my head and rolled my eyes, "Okay, so right now we have a soloist in the booth. Do you see his vocal range and volume right here?" I pointed at the sound bar. "He's in range, which means that I don't need to use audio controls to balance his vocals for the final mix. Right here are my synthesizers, sequencers, automated mixing consoles, and digital recording."
"Sounds complicated."
I clicked a couple of buttons before putting another pair of headphones on Scarlett. I turned up his vocal volume while I lowered the background music so she could hear his voice.
"I'm usually the one in control when it comes to vocal producing and mixing." I said. "Athena, right over there is making sure that the instruments aren't overpowering his vocals. Miles does the equipment maintenance, he's inside the booth keeping track of it. And as for Ronnie—"
"Y/N, so I was looking at our next session, and—" Ronnie stopped talking as soon as she saw Scarlett. She immediately dropped her notepad to the floor as her eyes sparkled with shock. "Oh my god, you're... you're her, you're Sca— you're Scarlett Johansson."
Scarlett greeted her, and Ronnie melted on the spot, "That's right. I'm Scarlett. But, feel free to call me Scar. I heard you're a fan of mine."
She nodded, "I'm in love with you." Ronnie blurted out, surprising herself. "Shit, I didn't mean to, uh.... yeah, I don't know why I would say tha— as you can tell, I'm a little—"
Scarlett chuckled, "Starstruck? That's okay."
"Yeah, I am."
"Aww, you're adorable." Scarlett made her blush even more. "And I love your jacket."
"You can have it if you want." Ronnie spoke a little too fast in her liking. "I mean if you want because you know... you're you." She rambled as fidgeted with the hem of her jacket, incapable of keeping still.
Seeing Ronnie get flustered meeting Scarlett reminded me of the first time I ever met her. I was surprised that I didn't make a complete fool out of myself because it felt like I was about to say something stupid the entire time I was talking to her. I couldn't comprehend the fact that I was in the same room, breathing the same air as Scarlett Johansson.
After we were done with the final session just before lunch, I gave Scarlett my other motorcycle helmet as she hopped on. I looked behind me, making sure that she's ready to go as she slid both of her hands beside my waist.
"Don't fall off now." I joked.
"Well, don't drive so recklessly." Scarlett fired back. "I don't want to fall off a cliff. Literally."
I laughed, "I'll try to get us there in one piece."
I revved the engine, bringing us to the main road. I drove faster than usual, switching, and merging from one lane to another. I was mostly doing it to tease Scarlett, and it worked. Every once in a while, she would bury her face against my back as she clutched on my waist for support. It made me laugh.
"You're mean." Scarlett threw a jab at my shoulder after I helped her off my motorcycle. "You were totally driving like a maniac on purpose."
"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't."
Scarlett rolled her eyes as she walked ahead of me. I followed her inside as we both ordered our food. I took her bag before she could pay because there's no way I was letting her. There was no winning an argument against me, so she didn't fight it. We took a seat near the window, overlooking the busy streets of LA.
"What was that song you were singing again earlier?"
"When?" I asked.
"While I was ordering my food." Scarlett said. "You were singing a song and it sounded catchy, and now it's stuck in my head."
"Oh, that song." The memory clicked.
"Can you sing it for me?"
"Yeah, of course." I cleared my throat. "I'm going to pretend like I'm playing the ukulele so don't make fun of me. It brings out the mood better."
She laughs wholeheartedly, "I promise, I won't."
"Your lipstick stains
On the front lobe of my left side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you
And so I went and let you blow my mind
Your sweet moonbeam
The smell of you in every single dream I dream
I knew when we collided
You're the one I had decided who's one of my kind..."
Scarlett clapped along to the melody of the song, the bright smile on her face was contagious. She caught on to the chorus, so she sang along with me when it came again.
"Hey, soul sister
Ain't that Mr. Mister on the radio, stereo
The way you move ain't fair you know
Hey, soul sister
I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight
Hey, soul sister
I don't wanna miss a single thing you do tonight..."
I played my imaginary ukulele like it was real, earning a laugh from Scarlett, "Oh my god, you are such a doofus."
I mimicked her energy, "I think you mean the 'best' doofus. I'm pretty great, I know." I flaunted, making her laugh even more.
Scarlett stood up from her seat, "Yeah, I don't know you. I'm going to sit somewhere else."
I acted like it hurt, "Wow, right after I sang to you?"
"I guess." She went back to her seat. "You did sing the song pretty nice. I'll admit."
"Hmmm... what else?"
"That's about what you're going to get out of me."
My elbows rested against the table while my hands supported my face, "We'll see about that."
_____
After lunch, we were too full to sit in a car for thirty minutes, so we decided to go to a nearby park to walk. Surprisingly enough, there weren't a lot of people around, so she didn't get recognized, which worked out well for the both of us.
"Why did you let me eat two big burgers?" Scarlett groaned as she rubbed her stomach. "Ugh, I'm so full that I could explode."
"Me too."
There was a moment of silence between us as we made our way down the pathway. Something about the faint sound of families sharing laughter, and the handful of kids running around with their pets, and some flying kites warmed my heart.
"You seem to be doing okay." Scarlett spoke softly, and carefully. "I'm glad to see you smile again. I know how hard it was for you to make that choice."
"I feel the same way." I admit. "I'm glad that I feel better. It's all thanks to you."
"'Me? I didn't do anything."
"It was what you said." Our gaze softened against each other. "I kept thinking about how in order for me to not feel like an option, I needed to stop giving her the power to. I thought a lot about that, and it helped. You were right."
"I'm glad that I could help."
I bumped her shoulder, "You're pretty great, you know that?"
"Only because you're letting me." Scarlett smiled. "Do you have any plans for dinner tonight?"
"No, why?"
"I'm cooking a meal tonight since Rose is coming home from her trip with her dad." She told me. "And I was wondering if you want to join us for dinner."
"I would love to."
Scarlett and I enjoyed each other's company. And just like that, I felt a little bit of weight being lifted off my shoulder. She made me feel this way. It wasn't anything new. I always knew I could rely on her. She's the middle ground for me and Lizzie. Scarlett's always there for us without a second thought, and I appreciate that more than anything.
_____
After Scarlett and I parted ways when we got back from my studio, I went back inside and continued with my daily tasks and sessions. My team and I worked diligently, and efficiently, knocking each session down successfully. One after the other, we were able to finish thirty minutes before planned.
"I can't believe I missed it." Miles shook his head in frustration as he laughed. "I wanted to see how freaked out she was meeting Scarlett."
"Ronnie lost it all for her." Athena chimed in. "She was basically ready to pay Scarlett to step all over her and say thank you."
"Can you blame me though?" Ronnie chuckled. "She looks even better in person."
"She does." I said. "But, props for you for not making a complete fool out of yourself."
"Yeah, barely though." Athena poked fun at her. "I wish I recorded it."
Even after our team meeting, we still made fun of Ronnie for being starstrucked. It was funny to say the least, everyone was laughing their hearts out. I swear, I almost lost it when Athena and I acted out how it all went down, and Miles laughed nonstop. Oh, I love these people so much.
Initially, I was planning on going straight to the nearby farmer's market to buy a couple of things for tonight, but I know myself. I'm going to end up buying more than I planned, so I went back to my apartment. I took a quick shower, and changed clothes before grabbing my car keys, and leaving the premises.
I took a cart outside, and wheeled it inside the market. I don't really have a plan in my mind, but I know I'm getting at least two wine bottles, and some snacks for Rose. But, knowing myself, I get side tracked all the time, so I might end up buying the entire store because that's the kind of person I am.
I spent almost two hours inside the market. An hour longer than my plan. I paid for everything, and placed everything in the back of the trunk. I looked at my watch, relieved that I'm just in time to leave. Accounting LA's inevitable traffic, and the time it's going to take me to get to her house, I should make it around the time frame I told her I was going to stop by.
Luckily, traffic wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. With a few minutes to spare, I arrived. I knocked on the door gently with a couple of plastic bags in my hand, waiting for the door to open.
"Hey, Y/N!" Rose greeted me with a toothy grin. "Mom's in the kitchen making food. Can I help you carry some of that?"
"Of course." I handed her the bag filled with snacks. "That one is actually for you. I got you some of your favorite snacks."
"Ooooh, wow, thank you." She held my hand as we entered the house.
"You're welcome."
"Mom, Y/N's here and she got me some snacks." Rose showed her the bag excitedly, melting my heart.
"That's nice sweetheart." Scarlett said, giving me a thankful smile. "Did you say thank you to Y/N?"
"I did, yes."
"Do you need help over there?" I chuckled, seeing her struggle to multitask. "We could offer you a helping hand, right Rose?"
"Yes, we'll help you mom!"
Scarlett waved her imaginary white flag, "Alright, why don't you guys help me with the sauce, the mac and cheese, while I finish up on these chicken tenders."
"Coming right up, ma'am yes ma'am." Rose and I said in unison as we assaulted her.
Scarlett let out a laugh as she continued to keep an eye out on the chicken. Rose and I stirred the pot, waiting for the rest of the cheese to completely melt before adding the macaroni. With my help, we poured the elbow pasta into the sauce, mixing it together as a team.
I grabbed a spoon, feeding Rose some of the mac and cheese, "How does it taste?"
"Ooooh, they're really good." Rose smiled as she chewed. "Here, have some too." She grabbed another spoon, and fed me.
I hummed in satisfaction, "Ooooh, you're right. This is really good. Here, Scar, taste this."
"Wow, I actually made some decent food for once." Scarlett laughed.
"The pasta you made for me last time was good too."
"Oh, yeah, you're right. Maybe I'm not as bad as I thought I was."
"Wifey material." I winked at her, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Or should I say, MILF."
"What's a MILF?" Rose asked innocently.
Scarlett glared at me playfully, "Nothing honey, it's uh.... Mother in lots of films."
I couldn't stop laughing at what she said. I had to excuse myself for a second because I was trying not to laugh so hard that it caught their attention. Scarlett knew what I was doing, which is why it was so funny to me.
We set the dining table with plates and cups, along with some fruits like mangoes and clementine. We took our seats, and I took it upon myself to pour each one of us water, while Scarlett scooped Rose some food, and she did the same with me.
The three of us ate blissfully. Scarlett and I would listen to Rose's many interesting stories about the friends she made, and how much fun she's having. She's still so young, but wise for her age. She reminded me a lot of Maya, and how much I've missed her. It's been two weeks since I last saw her.
The same goes for the rest of Lizzie's family. The only person I remained in contact with was MK and Courtney. I was supposed to go to lunch with MK last week, but she had to fly to New York for a business trip, and she won't be back until next week. Ashley texted me every once in a while, but it wasn't as consistent as MK.
While we were doing chores, washing dishes, something touched my foot. I looked down, and saw a little cat, walking around me. I lowered down to its level before carefully picking it up.
"Oh my god, I didn't know you guys have a cat." I said as I admiringly rubbed its chin. "What's its name?"
"That's Luna." Rose answered. "She's only four weeks old."
"Aww, she's so adorable!"
"I couldn't resist Rose, so I got her a cat." Scarlett told me. "Now, Luna's all she talks about."
"I can't blame her. She's soooo adorable."
As soon as we were done with chores, Rose and I played with Luna in the living room with some toys, making the little furball run adorably. Scarlett was busy attending a few calls, she left us alone for now. We had fun nevertheless. Rose's contagious laugh as she chased Luna around was heartwarming to me.
I don't know how, but we eventually ended up in her room, and she showed me a few of her drawings, some that are better than mine. She's very artistic, and I won't be surprised one day if she becomes a very well known artist.
Rose didn't waste any time and told me all about her drawings, and the little stories she came up with. She didn't stop to take a breath as the excitement across her face completely took over. But, eventually, everything caught up to her, and she fell asleep on her bed with Luna.
I made sure to tuck her in before turning off the lights, and closing the door behind me. I made my way downstairs, and found Scarlett barely getting off the phone.
"Is Rose asleep?"
"Yeah, I just tucked her in." I said. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, my assistant just told me my schedule for the rest of the week." Scarlett poured both of our wine glasses about halfway before reaching over for her script. "Ready to help me study my lines some more while we drink wine?"
I grabbed my glass, clinking it against hers, "I thought you wouldn't ask." I smiled as I took a sip.
_____
The next few hours consisted of us reading her script, line by line while we're three bottles in with the wine. We're obviously both intoxicated, which made everything funny. We were stumbling on our lines, and laughed at our mistakes because our 'tipsiness' is definitely a little out of control.
"Alright, on to... the next page!" Scarlett sipped on her glass, and laughed. "Uh-oh, this is a kissing scene. Should we skip or say fuck it and let's do it?"
I'm not one to get tipsy off of wine, but for some odd reason, it's hitting me, "The second one sounds a lot more fun."
"Alright." Scarlett said, putting her glass down as she situated herself into a seated position, facing me.
I barely paid her monologue any attention. I couldn't even if I wanted to. My head is spinning, which is odd to me because only tequila is capable of making me feel this way. But, I made sure not to look like I'm about to pass out as she's speaking her lines, my eyes followed her.
Without a thought, Scarlett slid her hands beside my face as she pulled me in for a kiss. Her soft, plump lips connected with mine naturally. My breath hitched at the back of my throat as I pulled her in, my right hand, placed behind her head. We both moved in sync, the alcohol completely had full control of everything.
When we pulled away from each other, we immediately burst out laughing. Scarlett laughed more than me as she poured us another drink, our faces changing to the color red. We clinked glasses and drank some more.
"Oh my god, we just kissed." Scarlett said in between laughter.
"We did, didn't we?" I matched her energy. Our forehead leaned up against each other. "We're both so drunk."
"Yeah, we are." Scarlett nodded. "But, I must admit because I probably won't when I'm sober, but you are such a great kisser."
"I read the next page of the script." I said in between smiles. "Stella kisses James again. Should we kiss some more?"
Scarlett gave me a look as she mindlessly grabbed her script, "Yes, we should."
We acted out, and exchanged a few lines before our lips connected for another kiss. I don't know if Scarlett straddling my lap was part of the script, but I'm too drunk to remember, and she's too lazy to check, so we didn't bother enough to care. We kissed. And kissed some more. By the end of the script, I forgot the amount of times we kissed. But, we sure did laugh about it.
—————
A/N: Scarlett won't be the only person Y/N will be kissing 😉 I hope y'all enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it 😇
See y'all in the next chapter MK simps 🤝