Meg is early to the hotel for the next long day of interviews, having been awakened at the first light of dawn by her happy dreams -- and Titus jumping on her bed. Together the two make blueberry muffins sweetened with applesauce instead of oil, and Titus insists she pack the leftovers to take to work.
"Mr. X like muf'ns, mama?" Titus asks, and Meg laughs.
'Mr. X' is the name she uses to refer to her boss. It makes him sound mysterious, which is exactly what Meg prefers. If her parents knew she was working for Xavier Tarrango, the notorious bad boy of Hollywood, they would be reluctant to babysit Titus for her. Of course, they will find out one day because her name will be in the credits of 'Press Release' as his personal assistant. But she's not ready to tell them yet.
Letting herself into the suite at the hotel reserved for Xavier, Meg sets the muffins on the coffee table. Starting a fresh pot of coffee in the maker on the counter, Meg prepares a little breakfast spread. Rubbing her hands on her slacks, she glances around nervously. What else could she do while waiting for X and O to arrive? Oh! She can fill up the ice bucket! Grabbing the empty plastic container from the table, Meg heads down the hallway to locate the ice machine.
Returning to the suite, she frantically pats her pockets for the key card. Where is it? After searching every ounce of her person, Megan comes to the conclusion that she'd left it inside the room. Dammit. She had been so meticulous about everything, and she wanted this morning to be perfect, a continuation of last night's evening.
Tears well up. She won't be in the room to greet him with a smile when he walks in. There's no way security will let her in. After all, she's young so they would just think she's a crazed fan.
Ugh. Sliding her back down the door so that she's seated in the hall, cradling the ice bucket in the space between her criss-crossed legs, Meg takes several deep breaths, trying to get herself under control. Why hadn't she put the key in her pocket?
"Lost, little girl?" A familiar rumbling voice causes Meg to raise her head from her spot on the floor until she is looking into the piercing brown eyes of Xavier.
Meg's heart has jumped into her throat, and she knows how pathetic she must look, sitting on the floor with the ice bucket between her knees. While she knows she should make a joke so he doesn't know how important this is to her, she's incapable. Her tears spill over, and Xavier immediately stops teasing, crouching down in front of her to examine her more closely.
"Meg?" he says tenderly, "What's wrong?"
The tears threaten to overtake her as she shakes her head angrily, "I wanted everything to be perfect for you this morning! I baked healthy muffins for you, and then I got here early, and I made coffee, and then I went for ice, and I forgot my room key on the table, and now you're here, and I didn't want you to see me on the floor; I wanted you to see me smiling inside in my new work outfit, and I think maybe I need to just go home now and start over tomorrow." She's managed to make it through this monologue without taking a single breath, and Xavier is quite impressed at her lung capacity.
There is one thing she said that stood out to him, "You baked for me?"
Biting her lip, she makes eye contact with him. "Mhm. Blueberry applesauce muffins."
His eyes light up, and his mouth forms a broad smile, which makes the corners of her mouth turn up too. "I love blueberry applesauce muffins."
With a sniffle, Meg wipes her nose on her sleeve, "You do?"
Nodding, he stands, holding out his hand to help her up. She hands him the ice bucket first, and then takes his hand as he pulls her up. Reluctantly releasing his hand, she brushes the back of her pants.
Appreciatively, Xavier runs his eyes over her figure. "You clean up real pretty, Meg."
She blushes, and he turns to open the door, sliding his key card in and gesturing for her to enter first. The smell of fresh coffee permeates the room, and Xavier is touched at her thoughtfulness. When she serves him a cup of black liquid gold, he breathes in the scent and thanks her in his most polite voice. Just before reaching for a muffin, Xavier swears to himself that he will rave over this damn muffin even if it tastes like sawdust.
His first bite, though, makes his mouth water for more. "Yummmmmm," he purrs, and Meg's face lights up. He makes a mental note to compliment her more often if it means he gets to see that look on her face.
Just then Olivia bustles in, "Let's go over the schedule," she says, not appearing to notice the coffee or the muffins or the way the two move away from each other guiltily.
Olivia slides onto the sofa between Xavier and Meg, seemingly oblivious to the tension in the room. "Now," she starts, looking at the paper in front of her hand, "I've prepared a response in case anyone asks about this weekend."
Hurriedly, Xavier glances across Olivia's lap at Meg who is pretending not to listen in.
"We don't have time for this, Xavier. Meg already knows. And before you ask, I didn't tell her. She read it on some fan site. Now we need to make sure you know how to answer the questions that are going to be asked if the reporters also follow fan sites, and it's a good bet they do. So look over this statement please."
Xavier's head is swiveling between Olivia and Meg. His face flushes red, and Olivia can't tell if he is angry or embarrassed. Finally, he swallows before looking at his publicist.
"O, would you excuse us for a moment? I'd like to talk to Meg alone," his voice brooks no argument, and despite her business-like demeanor, Olivia is proud of him. He didn't yell or throw a fit, and he politely asked for time.
With a glance at Meg who nods, Olivia stands up and steps over Meg's legs. She starts to head into the hall, grabbing a blueberry muffin to take with her.
Xavier twists his hands in his lap for a moment after the door closes behind his publicist before wiping his palms on his pants' legs and standing up to pace the small space in front of the coffee table.
"Did you, uh, know when you came over last night?" It makes sense to him now. The food was pity food, her feeling sorry for him.
Meg nods, unable to look at him, horrified that he has found out she knew all along.
"I'm...." he takes a breath, sliding his hands into his pockets, "I'm sorry you had to read about it on a fan site, Meg. It's just that....I, uh. I didn't want you to know," and without taking a breath, he barrels on. "And there weren't any charges pressed or anything, so it's not like it's a big deal really."
Standing up, her fists clenched, Meg interrupts whatever he was going to say next. "Not a big deal!" she screeches, "NOT A BIG DEAL!"
Xavier holds up his hands to try to quiet her, but she's not backing down or lowering her voice, "It's a HUGE deal, Xavier! You got arrested! For being not only drunk, but disorderly. Did you really try to take a swing at someone?"
Ashamed, Xavier looks down at the carpet. "No, Xavier. Look at me and tell me the truth! Did you try to hit someone?" his personal assistant demands.
"Um," he shuffles his feet in his mortification, "No. I mean, I didn't TRY to hit someone. Apparently I did, uh, you know, uh, actually punch someone."
Meg gasps, covering her mouth with her hand in her shock, "Xavier! No!"
Pleadingly, he takes a step towards her, his hands held out in a placating manner, "I'm sorry, Meg. Really. I am so sorry. It's just that....." He looks at her standing in front of him, her horror at his actions so clear.
"What?" she demands. Catching herself, she takes a breath and sits down on the sofa. Sometimes Titus gets like this too. He does stupid things, and she has to really listen to find out why. Maybe he says he wants to play blocks and screams and throws a fit about blocks when really what he wants is time with his mom.
"You know what?" she says calmly, placing her hands in her lap. "I bet everyone has already yelled at you. Olivia. Harry. Maybe even your parents if they heard. So I'm just going to listen. Tell me."
Xavier stands in front of her, unclear as to what shifted in her stance. He looks around the room, everywhere but at Meg. After a minute or so of silence, he stands in front of her, his hands in his back pockets. Eye contact is still not possible, so he talks to her shoulder.
"I, uh....god dammit, Meg....this is hard for me," he pushes the words past his uncooperative tongue.
"Take your time," she assures him, "I'm listening." Then she checks her body language. Uncrossing her arms to show she's open to his words, she leans forward to demonstrate her eagerness to listen.
Xavier reacts to her movements more than her words. Taking a deep breath, he self-consciously says, "This is going to sound stupid."
"Tell me anyway."
"I'm trying!" he bursts out, immediately wishing he could pull the words back, "Sorry. It's hard for me to say this. I, uh, I feel very alone here in LA. And I know I'm not really alone. I mean, there are people around me all of the time, and I am never by myself. There are always fans and friends and people who just want to hang out. And yet....I feel...."
When he pauses, Meg fills in the blank, "Lonely?"
His eyes fill with tears a bit, and he wipes them with his sleeve-covered forearm. "Yes," he whispers.
"Then call me."
Her soft-spoken words capture his attention, and he whips his eyes to hers, questioningly.
"You heard me, silly goose." Meg reassures him, "When you feel lonely, call me."
"That's not part of your job," Xavier asserts, "I can't impose...."
Standing up, Meg walks over to where Xavier is standing. Placing her hands on his hips, she leans in to touch her lips to his cheek. "Don't call me because it's my job. Do it because you know I care about you."
Stepping back, she searches his face. Xavier wants to put his hand to his cheek where she's kissed him, but he refrains. The tingling from her lips travels across his face, down his neck, and straight to his heart.
Shaking her finger at him, she admonishes, "But no more wild drunken parties, Xavier Alexander Tarrango," and she rolls the r's in his last name just like he would, "Or I won't help you when you call."
He readily agrees, astonished at his luck in hiring an assistant who cares about him as a person.
===============
Closing the hotel room door behind her, Olivia leans back, peeling the paper away from the baked treat before tearing off a piece and stuffing it in her mouth. Tilting her head to rest on the door, Olivia closes her eyes, savoring the flavor on her tongue and the quiet. She hopes that Meg and Xavier are okay, but if anyone can keep that boy calm, it's Meg.
Humming the chorus from the Grammy-and-Brits-award-winning single on Harry's third album, she's startled when a hand rips away a bit of muffin. Briskly, she stands up straight, opening her eyes to see Harry in front of her, stuffing the treat into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully as he watches her curiously, wondering what she's going to do next. Surprising him, she hands over the rest of the muffin, folding her arms in what is clearly a defensive stance.
Her mouth is dry, and she can't summon the moisture necessary to form words. She feels the need to remind him that they have to be professional here, but he looks so handsome, his black shirt with the light pink edging around the collar, pockets, and cuffs hanging open enough that she can view his cross necklace and his chest hair -- what there is of it. Even at age 30, Harry hasn't been able to grow a full mat of hair on his chest which no doubt irks him. Olivia smiles at the thought.
As the corners of her mouth tilt up, she notices Harry leaning in, and she's confident he's trying to steal a kiss. Her eyes dart up and down the corridor. Seeing no one, she decides it can't hurt to share one solitary kiss before they start acting professionally. Just as her eyes float closed, as she drifts towards Harry, the door to the suite opens behind her, and she jerks away from Harry.
With a simple incline of his head, Harry acknowledges Meg at the door before moving away to his own suite two doors down. Olivia pulls Meg into the hallway with her, closing the door behind them both.
"Everything okay in there?" she asks pointedly.
"Yep," Meg triumphantly announces, "I told him that he had nothing to be embarrassed about unless he did something stupid like that again. He promises he will stop the wild parties. Not that I believe him 100%, but I do think he really intends to try."
"Yes," Olivia agrees, "For you, he would promise the world, and I think he would do his damnedest to deliver it."
Now Meg is the one to blush. "Hush, O. It's not like that."
"If you say so," Olivia remarks, sliding her keycard into the door and swinging it open to find Xavier just on the other side, his nose getting hit by the portal as he hastily moves away.
Olivia ignores him, quickly moving to the sofa where she resumes speaking as though the interlude hasn't happened, "So, Xavier. Here are some optional responses should one of these reporters ask you about this weekend. Shall we rehearse some of them so you're ready?"
Xavier, after sharing a quick glance with Meg, sits next to Olivia, looking over the responses. Together, they role play the responses so Xavier can choose which he prefers. Once he's settled on two different replies that roll off his tongue, Meg and Olivia run through several sessions with him, tossing the questions at him with different wording to keep him on his toes. Once Olivia deems him prepared, they move onto other questions that might arise during the day's longer interviews.
When the three agree that Xavier is ready, they relax for a few minutes, but it's not long before they are summoned to the first interview.