[A/N: I'm SO happy you guys liked the first chapter *yay* 🤩
Since it apparently rose a few questions, hope some of them will get answered in chapter 2...]
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Afternoon, the day before, somewhere in West Hollywood
„Colin?!"
He looked up from his book and his blank expression instantly turned into a beaming smile. „Oh my God, hey!!"
He got up from his chair to hug her tight.
„Hey, how's it going, you look great!"
„You too! And that long hair, wow! Almost didn't recognize you."
„It's so cool, isn't it? I really like it. Can I...?", she pointed at the empty chair at his table.
„Oh gosh, of course, please!"
„I don't want to interrupt your reading?"
„No no, are you kidding? Book wasn't that interesting anyway."
She put down her bag and sat down next to him. „Man, I haven't seen you in forever, how long has it been?"
„No idea, like... two years for sure. Before the pandemic."
„Right, how have you been?"
„Alright, I guess?", he smiled, „And you?"
„Oh, not too bad actually. I mean, all drama in the world aside, personally I'm really, really good, actually", she laughed, reached for his hand and squeezed it, „I can't believe I'm running into you here, I mean, what are the odds?"
„Well, given that it was Sean who recommended me this place... probably not too low?"
„Right!", she laughed, „But then, I'm almost surprised I haven't met you here before."
„I know, well, I haven't come here in a while, this might actually be the first time since COVID, I just recently remembered this place. Great to see they're still around."
„Right? I love it here! The garden here is the quietest place in the area, I love all the trees and the little pond. In spring it's even lovelier with all the flowers! Plus, they make great coffee and their pecan cheesecake is to die for!"
„Ah, really? I gotta try it then."
A young woman came to their table and served Colin the double espresso and a glass of cherry lemonade that he had ordered, then smiled at Lana, „Hello, welcome! What can I get you today?"
„Hi! I'd like a latte and a piece of the pecan cheesecake, please!"
„Actually, I'll try the cake too", Colin added.
„Coming right up!", she replied and left.
Lana leaned back, took in the serene ambience of this garden of one of her favorite coffee places in the city, closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. Then, she looked at him.
„You know, just yesterday I've been saying to Bex that I haven't seen you in so long and I couldn't wait to catch up with you in Paris."
„Oooh, right! That's already... that's already next month, isn't it?"
„It is, yeah!"
„I can't believe we're doing in-person conventions again, how crazy is that?"
„I know! Have you done any this summer?"
„I haven't, actually. You?"
„Yeah, a few across the US. And before Paris I'll be in...", she tried to remember, „Sweden, I think... then I'll be back home for Thanksgiving and then I'll go back to Europe, to Germany and Portugal in December."
„Wow, that sounds nice! Busy as usual, huh?"
„Would you have expected anything less from me?"
The server returned with their cakes and Lana's coffee.
„So, tell me", she said, stirring in her cup, „How's life? How's Helen, how are the kids?"
„The kids are great! And Helen... well, I'd assume she's really great too because she's leaving for Hawaii with her new boyfriend tomorrow."
She almost choked on her coffee. „Excuse me, did you say..."
„We broke up...", he explained with a sad smile, „officially divorced since August."
„WHAT?! Oh my God, Colin, that's horrible, I'm so, so sorry!"
„Nah, it's alright, really... no hard feelings."
„But what happened? And when? And... wait! It wasn't because of me, was it?"
„What? Oh no, no, no worries! No, I mean, that was just a kiss and we were drunk and it was years ago! No no, we separated... about a year ago? A little longer, maybe... And nothing really happened, it just... didn't feel right anymore at some point. For both of us. With all the quarantines and just sitting at home on top of each other 24/7, I think somewhere down the line we just realized that we weren't a couple anymore, you know what I mean? Still friends, sure, parents to our children, roommates, but... something was just missing. And I think it had been for a pretty long time."
„Oh no... man, divorce sucks! Tell me about it... And how about the kids, how did they take it?"
„They took it really well, actually! I mean... would they prefer mummy and daddy to still be together? Sure... But I think, they kinda like having two homes, two rooms with toys in them... plus, they definitely get more spoiled by both of us that way."
„Sure, but... I don't know, I remember when my parents broke up... it's still brutal."
„At least there was no fighting involved, you know, we both take care of them almost equally, I don't just get to see them every other weekend, sometimes they stay with me for weeks, depending on my schedule, of course. Like, I'm going to pick them up tomorrow for when their mother will be gone on vacation."
„Right. That's good! That's so important! And with Helen, it's..."
„It's good, yeah! We're still friends, for sure. Like I said, no hard feelings. And this dude she has now, some guy from her school, he's a good lad! He makes her happy in a way I think I haven't in a while, so... I'm happy for her and wish her the best. I've moved on."
„Wow", she shook her head in disbelief, „Still, I'm in shock, it's so sad! But anyway, you seem good, so... that's good."
She smiled at him, then her eyes widened. „I just can't believe... like, HOW did I not know about this?! A YEAR, you said? Does Sean know?"
„Yeah, of course he knows! He helped me through it all."
„And he didn't say a thing? I can't believe this, he's such a gossip, usually..."
„He is, but well... looks like he can keep his mouth shut about things that are really personal and difficult for his friends. Anyway, it's not like it's a secret or anything either, it's just, like you said, we just hadn't seen each other, and I didn't exactly, you know... send a newsletter to all my contacts."
„Oh, no problem at all, you don't owe me an explanation for sure, it's just... if you had reached out, I would have been there for you, you know that?"
She reached for his hand again and squeezed it once more, looking him deep in the eyes.
„I know", he replied, smiling and nodding.
„Makes me remember my own separation and divorce", she sighed, „and you guys were all there when it happened..."
„It was pretty painful to watch", he said, „You never deserved any of what Fred did to you."
„Oh, trust me, I know that! But still... anyway, let's talk about something more pleasant, shall we? So, if Helen's in a new relationship, how about you? Probably not since you're sitting here all by yourself reading, or at least that had been your plan until I crashed your date with self?"
He chuckled. „Yeah, you're right... I'm still enjoying the single life for the first time in... I barely even remember. I'm not in any rush."
„And you're absolutely right! Just don't get too comfortable all by yourself, you might get used to it! Take it from someone who's been there, or... still is", she pointed at herself.
„No new ‚Mr. Parrilla' yet?"
„Nah", she waved it off, „I think I'm done with all the relationship drama... I just wanna enjoy myself however, whenever and with whomever I want."
„As you should!", he took a sip from his lemonade, „Don't get me wrong, but you also never struck me as the wife-y type. And still... Fred's an idiot."
„Not disagreeing with you there..."
„But we wanted to talk about something else, right, sorry! How's Lola? She's still...?"
„Oh yeah, yeah, thank you for asking, Lola is still alive and kicking it! I actually got a second dog earlier this year, Levi", she pulled out her phone and showed him a few pictures.
„He looks like fun! Where are they?"
„Oh, they're with friends... I have a day ‚off' today, which is why I thought I'd come here for some peace and quiet! Levi is a just this fur ball of energy, which is so much fun, but also... I'm not 25 anymore, you know?", she chuckled, „They're gonna bring them back tomorrow morning."
They talked for another hour so until they decided that the cake all by itself wasn't substantial enough for dinner, it was already past 6pm after all.
„Do you trust me?", she asked when they were stepping back out onto the street, leaving their calm oasis behind to all of a sudden be back in the heart of buzzing LA.
„Uhm... I don't know, do I have a choice?"
„Of course", she smirked, „But I'd recommend you to trust me."
„Alright, then I trust you. Regarding what?"
„Dinner! Just around the corner here is my all-time favorite Puerto Rican restaurant in LA, and I haven't been in forever! Up for some lechon with arroz con gandules and mofongo?"
„I have absolutely no clue what that is, but... sure, sounds delicious!"
And it was! Even though as far as he knew there wasn't a drop of Puerto Rican in his blood, he would most definitely come back here one day. And his former cast mate's nice company had made his meal all the more enjoyable. It actually was nice seeing her again, he might even have missed her. A little.
When they left the restaurant, it was already dark outside, and he reached out his arm for her to take.
„So what now?", she asked.
„Well, if I remember correctly, you're still off dog duty until tomorrow, much like myself, the night is young, and so are we, so..."
She smirked. „Alright... which means?"
„It means that you just got to introduce me to a part of your culture, and now it's my turn!"
„What...?"
She couldn't finish her question though when just at the next corner he stopped and opened the door for her ushering her inside gentleman-ly. „Milady?"
She looked up at the sign that was illuminated above the door, spelling out a name: Molly Malone.
„An Irish pub?", she asked with a raised eyebrow and he smirked, excited like a little boy.
„Scared?"
„Of drinking with YOU? Never!", she replied and entered, her head held high.
„You know I am a real Irishman, right? This funny accent is not just an act...?"
***
„Cheers!", she raised her freshly poured glass of whiskey for a toast, „To freedom!"
„To freedom!"
They drank, by now she had gotten used to the intense taste of the golden liquid burning down her throat.
„Boy, I still can't believe it... you and Helen... I really thought you guys would stay together forever! That totally crushes any last belief in love that I might still have had."
„Sorry about that!"
„I can't even imagine you with anybody other than her!"
„Well, neither can I... which is why, I guess, I haven't been with anybody else."
She frowned. „How do you mean?"
„I mean since the separation."
„You haven't... wait... not even, you know... for fun? Not even ONCE?"
„Nope!", he shook his head, „You know me, Lana! How am I gonna pick up a woman?"
„I mean, you're charming, you're handsome? You wouldn't even need to do a lot of „picking" yourself, you probably just need to show up and women will queue for you?"
He had to laugh. „That's very sweet, but...", he looked around, „Do you see anybody queuing here?"
„Well, no, not here, but now you're here with me, and I'm obviously a competition that all my fellow females know they can't win, so... But, I don't know, I mean, Tinder..."
„Oh no no no, please! Don't even try!"
„When you said earlier that you were enjoying the single life, I thought you meant ‚enjoying' the single life, I didn't think you meant just being actually lonely?"
„I'm not lonely!"
„Come on, Colin, you have to put yourself back out there at some point! How old are you now?"
„What does that have to do with anything?"
„You can answer me or I can google you, which one's it gonna be?"
„I'm forty."
Her eyes lit up in both, joy and shock. „OH MY GOD, right!! You turned forty earlier this year! And... oh my God, so you and Helen broke up before that, so that means... Oh no no no", she decisively shook her head, „No, you hear me?"
„I'm hearing you, but... I'm not sure I get what you're saying."
She grabbed his arm and looked him right in the eyes, her speech already a little slurry. „From personal experience... as well as from literally everyone I know over the age of forty, male or female, I can tell you that you have the BEST sex of your life in your forties. And YOU have already wasted almost an entire year without ANY of it?! No! This ends tonight! If you won't do it, I'm gonna find you a woman..."
„Oh gosh, Lana, that's really nice, but really not necessary!"
„Nonsense, there's tons of people here, I'm sure there's a girl for you, let's see... wheeeee", she twirled on her barstool for a few rounds, then stopped in a random direction as she was starting to get nauseous, letting her gaze search through the crowd – until she had found what she was looking for.
„JACKPOT!! See the blonde one over there? If she doesn't look EXACTLY like Jennifer Morrison, then I'm blind... doesn't she?"
He stretched his neck to take a peek, then shrugged. „Uhm... maybe, I guess..."
„Right?! At first I thought it was her, but then again... Jen... here?", she snorted, „Alright, I'll go over and ask her whether she wants to join us for a drink."
„What?! No, please!"
„Why not? She's pretty, she's not wearing a ring..."
„You can see that from here?"
„... and that freshly cut fringe, I'm telling you", she whispered conspiratorially, „I bet she's just gotten her hair cut after a fresh breakup. Trust me, she's vulnerable, she's ready. She's perfect!"
„You're scaring me... And I'm pretty sure that's sexist."
„Uh-uh-uh", she smirked, „I know she's your type! Already back when we were filming, I always felt like you must have had a crush on someone on set. Am I right, huh?"
She quizzically pointed her extended index finger at him while holding her glass before taking another sip.
„Uhm...", he cleared his throat, uncomfortable all of a sudden, „if it was that obvious..."
„Oh, don't worry, it's alright, I never told her anything. Come on, pleeeeeeease? I'm the perfect wingwoman, I swear! Please let me get you laid tonight!"
„There's absolutely nothing that sounds right about any this..."
„Alright, I'm going over!"
„Lana, NO!", he almost yelled, grabbing her hand to stop her, and she froze, all of a sudden looking at him with her big brown eyes.
„Okay... sorry!"
„Let's just finish our drinks and talk, okay? I just want to have a nice evening with you... I don't want any drama tonight. Please?"
„Alright, sure!", she nodded and sat back down again, then giggled. „As long as we don't end up making out again..."
Of course, they did end up making out, in the backseat of an Uber on the way back to her place. What could she say... with each glass of whiskey he just became funnier and funnier, and eventually she had come to realize that his blue eyes were actually kinda cute, just like his butt. That must have been around the same time that he had started to basically exclusively talk into her cleavage. Usually, she found her boobs to be nothing to write home about, so the sheer fact that he was so mesmerized by them she had found oddly flattering. Plus, she had promised him to make sure that he would get laid tonight, and he didn't want her to hit on other women for him, so... in the end, this should be what one would call a win-win situation... right?