Heather walked into the dance rehearsal studio, the "Tin Shed" as it was affectionately named. The front and side walls were lined with full-length mirrors so they could see themselves dancing while they rehearsed. The space was bare except for a few chairs up against the wall and a sound system in the corner. Naya was already there talking with Gwyneth over on the opposite side of the room. Naya was wearing athletic shorts with a tank top and a zip up hoodie. Heather stood there for a second, with her backpack slung over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. She gazed across the room looking at Naya who was bobbing her head back and letting out a carefree laugh, a huge smile on her face.
Naya's laughter resonated throughout the room. At the sound of it Heather felt a flutter in her stomach. Then it felt like someone had stretched a rubber band super tight inside her tummy and let it go, making it twist and knot. It didn't feel bad at all though. In fact it made her insides burst with warmth. It brought a smile to her face.
"HeMo!" Gwyneth excitedly called out from across the room. "Come here girlie," Gwyneth waved her arm out, beckoning the girl over.
Heather thought the smile on her face probably looked a bit dorky and took a moment to clear her throat, replacing her dorky smile with a simple, friendly one as she strode across the room. She tried to keep her focus on Gwyneth but she couldn't help but glance over at Naya. She shifted her eyes to the smiling brunette at least five times as she made her way across the room.
Gwyneth pulled Heather into a big hug. "It's been a while. How've you been? Not getting into any trouble I hope," she joked.
As Gwyneth hugged her, Heather glanced over at Naya, first to her brown eyes then down to her lips and back up again.
Naya's eyes quickly diverted and started darting up and down and all over the room, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. She became incredibly conscious of her hands and didn't know what to do with them as they involuntarily did a nervous little dance around her hips. She finally settled her footing for a second and then decided to swiftly turn around to where her bag was on the floor against the wall, kneeling in front of it to get her water bottle.
When Gwyneth let go of the hug, Heather placed her hands in her hoodie pockets and smiled back at her. "Good. Ya know, working a lot." Heather was surprised at how unsettled her voice sounded, like she had pop rocks in her throat or something. And her arms started feeling tingly.
"Yeah, this week is gonna be loads of fun with the three of us," Gwenyth turned slightly to give Naya a warm smile before turning back to Heather. "You two are in for quite a storyline."
Both Heather and Naya's eyes shot towards each other, connecting with what felt like an awkwardly tight string that filled the space between them. After a brief moment, both girls quickly broke eye contact. Naya whipped her head back to look down into her bag and Heather cleared her throat once again while trying to mask her sudden nervousness with a smile as she continued some small talk with Gwyneth.
Naya was looking down into her bag at nothing in particular. She chugged about half of her water bottle trying to calm herself down. When that didn't work she took a few small breaths to try and regain her composure. She shut her eyes for a moment trying to center herself.
Okay. Come on, you can do this. You just gotta make it through this week without being an emotional wreck or making a complete fool of yourself with those googly eyes you just had when Heather walked in. Just one day at a time. Calm down. Breathe. She took a few steady breaths and felt some of her frenetic energy dissipate. You're here to do a job. So do your job, stay focused and you can worry about how screwed over your feelings are later.
Naya zipped up her bag and slowly stood up to join Gwyneth and Heather's conversation, masking all her feelings with a friendly enough smile.
"Hello ladies!" Zach's voice boomed from across the room as he walked in and made his way over to the girls.
"Zach attack!" Gwyneth gave him a toothy grin as she shouted back with excitement.
"I heard your wonderful face was gonna be hanging around here this week." Zach gave Gwyneth a warm and welcoming hug when he got over to them. "Glad to have you back Gwynnie."
"What are we? Chopped liver?" Heather joked to him.
Zach waved his hand forward, brushing off the comment, and joked back. "Pshh, I see you two everyday."
Heather lightly nudged his shoulder with her fist. Zach laughed as he leaned back with the movement. Then he clapped his hands together and smacked his lips, making a popping noise. "Alright, you ladies ready to get started?"
"Oh yeah! I'm ready to get my Joan Jett on," Gwyneth enthusiastically responded.
Zach laughed and slung his backpack around off his shoulder. "Alright, you girls stretch a bit while I look over my notes for a minute." Zach walked over to a chair against the wall, setting his backpack down and pulling out a notebook.
Heather and Naya took their hoodies off and set them next to their bags against the mirrored wall of the rehearsal space. The three girls stood in a circle together as they did some light stretching before they had to start dancing. Naya tried to distract herself from looking over at Heather by engaging Gwyneth in some light conversation about her macrobiotic dieting craze.
Heather remained quiet as she stretched out her legs. She hoped the stretching might make her feel a little more balanced. She had been fine on the walk over to the Tin Shed, maybe a little jumpy in anticipation of seeing Naya, but fine. However, the second she walked in and saw the brunette, she suddenly felt skittish like she was constantly about to trip over herself. And now it had gotten to a point where it felt like a thousand butterflies were landing all over the skin of her arms and legs. Since the moment she'd gotten within ten feet of Naya she became tense and uneasy and felt like she didn't know what to say, or do with her hands or how to stand. It was completely uncharacteristic because Naya was the one person Heather usually felt completely relaxed around. It was awkward for Heather to feel this way around Naya, and she knew it was only because she was still internally freaking out over their recent make out session and didn't know what to do with her feelings about it, whatever they were, she still wasn't sure. She hoped this awkward feeling would just go away but the more she tried to shove it away, the more it became front and center in her mind.
Heather stood with her legs together. She bent down slowly, running her hands along the backs of her legs until she could touch the very bottom of her heels. She had her eyes to the floor and brought her head up slightly to see Naya just a few feet in front of her and to the left doing the exact same stretch. Naya's body was facing Heather but she had a clear view of Naya's perfectly round and toned butt in the reflection of the full-length mirror on the wall behind Naya. Heather's eyes were locked on the image in the mirror for a moment until she caught onto the fact that she was leering at Naya's ass and totally enjoying it. She immediately shot her body straight up and turned to face the other direction, placing one hand at the lower right side of her back and the other up by her throat.
Holy shit Heather. What are you doing?
She gulped and then tugged at the top of her shirt before taking a deep breath and stretching her neck out to the side.
Zach walked up to join the girls. He pushed three chairs in front of them and there was a pile of jackets resting in the seat of the middle chair. "Alright, you ladies ready to get sexy?"
Heather turned around to give Zach her attention.
"Well with these two it's kinda hard not to get sexy," Gwyneth joked as she gestured toward Naya and Heather.
Both girls blushed at the comment, Heather more than Naya. Naya quickly and bashfully tucked her lips into her mouth and then smiled after averting her eyes to the ground. Heather nervously laughed with a feeling of slight embarrassment, like she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing.
Zach lightly laughed at the comment as well before giving his usual pre-rehearsal preface. "Okay, so we're just gonna work on a short little thing with the three of you for the top of the number and then get you over to wardrobe. We only have like half an hour but it's easy. You three'll get it in no time. I'm going to be directing the rest of the choreography with the three of you and the rest of the kids when we're set up with everyone in the choir room. The choreography is loose so just be sexy and fun with it."
"No problemo, right girls?" Gwyneth looked to both Naya and Heather with a playful smile.
"Sure thing," Naya smiled and nodded. She made a mental note in her head, promising herself to throw all of the intense feelings she was having into the choreography so she could at least get rid of some of the tense energy in her body.
"Alright, grab a jacket and a chair." Zach instructed.
Gwyneth was the first to pick up a jacket and grab a chair. Naya and Heather both reached for the same jacket at the same time and their hands grazed against each other. Naya withdrew her hand while Heather flinched backward at the unexpected electrifying shock she felt from just touching Naya's hand.
"Go ahead." "You go." Both of them said simultaneously. They both reached their hands out again to grab a jacket and then withdrew them when they saw that they were both reaching at the same time again. They both nervously laughed at the uncharacteristic awkwardness they were sharing.
Naya stepped back and nodded her head down at the two remaining jackets on the chair. "Go ahead."
"O-Okay." Heather hesitantly took one of the jackets and walked over to one of the other chairs as she slipped the jacket through her arms and over her shoulders. In her head she was determined to focus on the dancing and let it take away all this awkward new sexual tension she was feeling.
Everyone was in the choir room set waiting around while the camera team set up for the first shot of the "Do You Wanna Touch?" number. Zach was discussing the choreography with Ryan using most of the space in the room to map out the details of how the number would be shot.
Naya was leaning up against the wall at one corner of the room with Harry, Jenna, and Amber in front of her. It seemed that the four of them were in a playful conversation. Harry had taken Amber's hat and started doing funny dance moves and tricks with it. Naya was laughing along with them but she didn't quite feel like she was all there. She had done fine focusing all the sexual energy and attention that was required of her during dance rehearsal that morning and she was focused when the camera was rolling as they shot all their dialogue in the choir room. But in between takes she wasn't being very talkative and resorted to being a wallflower in other people's conversations, mostly to distract herself and give herself something to do other than drown in her own thoughts.
For Naya, ever since the end of dance rehearsal that morning everything just felt off. Heather had started messing up the choreography towards the end of rehearsal, falling out of her chair a few times or tripping over herself like she'd lost her balance. Every time Naya rushed over to see if she was okay, Heather just flinched back and got all fidgety. Naya had never seen the blonde so skittish like that and she'd certainly never seen Heather act so awkward toward her. It was unsettling and Naya was thrown off by it. She wondered if it was her fault, if she'd done something wrong, maybe something she wasn't even aware of to make Heather act that way. Naya was so lost in thought she didn't even realize that she'd stopped paying attention to the conversation in front of her and was gazing across the room in Heather's general direction.
Heather sat in the rolly chair behind what stood as Mr. Schuester's desk. She was twisting the chair from side to side with her hips and twiddling her thumbs while her eyes were angled down and filled with worry. She felt horrible for messing up the choreography in rehearsal earlier. She was a professional dancer and she'd tripped over some of the easiest choreography in her life.
She started off the rehearsal with ease but as it progressed Heather couldn't help but constantly glance in Naya's direction at their reflection in the mirrors. She had become increasingly distracted by how sexy the brunette was whenever she dipped her body low and back up again or shimmied in her chair or whipped her hair around. The worst was towards the end of their choreography with the chairs when they had to lift a leg up and around the top of their respective chairs, strip their jackets open and thrust their pelvis' up. Every time she saw Naya do that sequence of choreography the area between Heather's legs would knot and twist and heat up. Heather thought her body might explode or spontaneously combust and she was pretty sure she was in desperate need a cold shower after they left the Tin Shed.
She had no clue what was going on or why her body was responding to Naya the way it was. It's not like she'd never seen Naya dance like that before. Hell, she'd even given Naya her own private dance lessons whenever the brunette was having trouble with some of the choreography and sure, Heather always thought Naya was sexy but it never made Heather get all hot and bothered to the extent that she was that morning. This was something completely new and different and Heather wasn't expecting it. It completely freaked her out. She felt like she had no control over her body whatsoever, like she had two left feet and no balance, which at the moment had her terrified because they were about to shoot a number that required Heather to dance her ass off and be completely sexy while doing it. She took comfort in the idea that maybe she'd be fine because this time she wouldn't be staring at Naya dancing in a mirror. But she was still doubtful after her horrible performance in rehearsal. Her nerves were creeping up on her, the kind of doubtful nerves that were poison for a performer. She desperately needed to quell them.
When Naya realized she had been staring in Heather's direction for at least a good five minutes or so, she realized that Heather looked completely anxious and nervous and lost in thought. Naya felt bad because they'd barely said a few words to each other all day. Normally they were giddy and giggly and fun together from early morning call time and throughout every second of the day, but so far they'd been distant and shared nothing but awkward glances and sidestepping each other. Naya felt it was partly her own fault for trying to keep the intensity of her new, self aware feelings for Heather in check.
But now Heather had that look on her face that she got whenever she was doubtful or nervous before a scene. Naya knew that look perfectly well because Naya was usually the one to quell Heather's nerves whenever that happened. She knew Heather needed reassurance right now and she needed it from Naya, no one else. Naya's own feelings be damned, she walked across the room and pulled up a chair next to Heather.
Heather glanced up at Naya as she pulled up a chair and sat next to her. Heather shifted in her seat, unsure of herself with Naya in such close proximity and no one to distract her or shift her attention towards.
"Hey," Naya spoke softly and gently. "You okay?"
Heather made eye contact with Naya for a split second before diverting her eyes away and to the floor. "Yeah, I guess." Heather's voice was unsteady again. She cleared her throat and fidgeted with her fingers. "Just nervous."
Naya gently placed her hand on Heather's back and began rubbing small, soft circles at the center of it.
Heather thought Naya's touch would make her skin jump again but it had the complete opposite effect. It was actually calming her down and made her feel comfortably warm inside. She relaxed as Naya continued rubbing her back.
"Is this about rehearsal this morning?" Naya was looking intently at Heather who was still avoiding eye contact.
Heather apprehensively nodded her head up and down.
Naya placed her other hand on Heather's knee and soothingly rubbed her thumb across her kneecap. That one simple touch made Heather feel even more relaxed. How did Naya have the ability to do that so effectively?
Heather still had her head hung down and staring at her fidgeting hands. Naya brought her hand out from behind Heather's back and placed her thumb and index finger under Heather's chin to gently bring her head up and make eye contact with Naya. "Hey, don't worry about it. You're the best dancer here. It's easy peasy. You're gonna be great." Naya placed her hand next to her other hand on Heather's knee.
"You think so?" Heather questioned.
Naya made a soft smile on her face. "I know so."
All of Heather's momentary self doubt about her skills as a dancer completely washed away and for the first time all day, she actually felt comfortable in her own skin. She softly smiled back at Naya.
Naya held out her pinky. Heather entwined it with her own pinky and they both twisted their hands so that the knuckles of their fists pressed together before they pressed the pads of their thumbs together. It was a ritual they had developed back in the first season when Brad Falchuk had instructed them to hold pinkies during a scene. They eventually made a variation of the gesture for whenever either of them was nervous about doing a scene or a PR event and needed some encouragement or a boost of confidence. They'd never discussed why they did it but it was a silent confirmation of a promise between the two of them, to always be there for each other, to hold each other up and remind each other of their strength when they needed it.
"Cut!" Ryan Murphy called out from behind the monitor at the back of the auditorium. He gave a light, almost inaudible chuckle and stood up from his chair with the bullhorn. "Alright, good job everyone. Let's get Matt and Gwyneth to wardrobe. The rest of you are back here tomorrow."
Heather stood up from her auditorium seat and briskly walked out of the auditorium set. She had to go pee really bad and had been holding it in for the past twenty minutes, not wanting to interrupt shooting. She made her way through the various sets of the soundstage, past the crew, crates of equipment and countless light stands and random apples boxes to the back corner of the soundstage where the bathrooms were. When she was done she briefly deliberated catching up with some of the other cast members to see what everyone's plans were for the rest of the day. Most everyone had a half day of shooting since Matt and Gwyneth were going to be shooting a lot of their scenes that afternoon and evening so some of the other cast members might be making plans to hang out. But if Heather was being honest with herself she really just wanted to go home and veg out. She decided to walk back to her trailer and made her way out of the soundstage. She started walking down the in-roads of the Paramount lot.
The cool afternoon breeze felt good and the sun wasn't annoyingly bright or hot. It felt good to be walking out in the open air. Heather could slowly feel herself normalizing a bit, or maybe she was just getting used to her nerves being so jumpy. She was sure it couldn't possibly get any worse then the wreck she had been in dance rehearsal the previous morning. Other than the gentle and reassuring moment Naya offered just before shooting their dance number, Heather's nervousness and awkwardness still hadn't gone away. It may have been slightly more muted now but it was still prevalently there and it made Heather uneasy to feel so uncomfortable in her own skin and especially around her best friend.
Heather was just about to step up the metal stairs of her trailer when she heard someone call out her name from down the row of trailers for the Glee cast.
"HeMo! Hold up a sec!" Dianna called out to her.
Heather stopped and waved at Dianna as she approached. "Hey Di, what's up?" Heather greeted her as she walked up to her trailer.
Dianna was still in her wardrobe for the 'Afternoon Delight' number they'd just shot in the auditorium and she looked completely out of place, not to mention ridiculously unstylish. Heather was snickering at the site of the outfit until she couldn't hold in her laughter anymore and burst out into a full chuckle.
"Oh shut up. It's just wardrobe," Dianna smiled at Heather's laughter.
Heather and Dianna walked up the metal steps and into Heather's trailer as Dianna continued with her original intent in stopping Heather to talk. "So do you have anything planned for the rest of the day? I thought we could hang out."
Heather was rummaging through her backpack on her couch. "Um, no I don't but to be honest I really just need some time alone. I'll probably just go home."
"Oh come on, just grab a late lunch or something with me."
Dianna was leaning against the doorframe of the trailer and biting down on her lip trying to buy some time so she could figure out how to segue into the conversation she wanted to have with Heather. If Heather didn't want to hang out then Dianna might have to be a little more blunt about her concern for Heather's perplexing behavior for the past few days.
Heather tossed her backpack against the couch. She was trying to remember where she'd misplaced her car keys. "Di, really, I just want to relax alone for a bit. I've just... I've had a weird couple of days."
Dianna used this opportunity to nudge the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go. "Yeah, I've noticed."
Heather looked at Dianna, giving her her full attention. "Am I that obvious?"
"Well let's just say you haven't been your normal happy-go-lucky self for the past two days."
Heather's face completely dropped with worry. "Yeah, no shit. I've been a complete mess." Heather sat down on the couch in a huff and placed her head in her hands.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Heather didn't respond so Dianna pressed the question again. "Look, we all have off days but whatever it is that's bothering you really has you rattled. It might be good to just talk about it, I mean, if you want." Dianna was unsure of how to approach this. Heather was normally so bright and cheery but in the past two days she'd been nothing but apprehensive and shaky. Dianna was genuinely concerned for her.
Heather brought her head up out of her hands to look at Dianna. "It's kinda of...personal. I just... crap, I wouldn't even know how to start talking about it."
Dianna closed the door of the trailer and looked back at Heather with empathetic eyes. She spoke gently. "Well, just talk. It doesn't have to make sense. Just say whatever you're feeling. It's better than keeping it bottled up."
Heather stood up and started pacing back and forth across the room as her thoughts disjointedly tumbled out of her mouth. "Just... ugh! I just want things to go back to normal! I hate feeling so confused. Like I think I'm fine one second and then something happens, something small, that just makes me feel like I'm jumping out of my skin and I don't know what the hell's wrong with me."
Heather's pace picked up and her words came out almost involuntarily as she expressed her pent up frustration. "I mean I know we were drunk but every time I see her I get this image that streaks through my head and I don't know how to feel about it or what I'm even feeling. Like I can't even define it. And maybe it shouldn't even be that big a deal but I mean she's my friend. My best friend. And I hate that I'm all awkward around her now."
Dianna's eyes popped wide open. "Oh my God, you do remember?"
Heather abruptly stopped pacing. "Wait, what?"
"Kevin's party."
"You know?"
"Well, I mean I just saw you two rush into the downstairs bathroom and when you came out you both looked a little disheveled so-"
"Oh crap!" Heather sat back down on the couch and placed her head in her hands again. "Di, I've been like massively freaking out about this for the past three days."
Dianna sat down next to Heather and placed a hand on her knee. "Heather, there's no reason to freak out. It's fine."
Heather sunk her face further into her hands and made a small whiney noise, her hands muffling her voice.
Dianna took a moment to try and think of the right words to say. "Look, you and Naya have one the strongest friendships I've ever seen. You two can make it through anything. I think the best thing to do is to just talk to her. You can talk to her about anything and I'm sure you two can figure it out and you won't feel so awkward about it anymore. Just be honest with her."
Heather took a deep breath and mulled it over in her head for a moment. When she brought her head up out of her hands she looked at Dianna with distressed but grateful eyes. "You're right. I'm being ridiculous. I should just talk to her."
"Everything will be fine. I promise," Dianna reassured her.
Heather leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dianna, giving her an appreciative and indebted hug. "Thanks Di."
Dianna hugged her back hoping that Heather's pending conversation with Naya would leave Heather feeling better about the situation and God forbid it leave Naya feeling crushed or rejected that Heather only wanted to continue their normal friendship instead of pursuing something more.
Naya was walking back to her trailer from the wardrobe truck. She was glad that she was only scheduled for a half day and was looking forward to going home and relaxing for a bit. Maybe she'd do some yoga or cook herself a nice dinner tonight.
She was completely filled with anxiety at the fact that Heather was acting so distant around her. They'd never been more awkward around each other than they had been in the past two days, especially when they had shot a scene with just the two of them that morning. When they first ran through lines, Naya swore she saw Heather's arms jump with goosebumps when she said her line, 'I really like when we make out and stuff.' Naya started thinking that someone had said something to Heather about their drunken make out session. Maybe Kevin made an off hand comment or joked about it to her, or maybe she in fact did remember, just with a delayed memory of it. Naya thought that might be the reason why Heather was so off lately. It felt incredibly unsettling for Heather to be so uncomfortable around her. Ever since they wrapped their scene that morning Naya had been trying to think of ways she could remedy the situation. She just hadn't thought of the right way to do it yet.
As she approached her trailer she saw Chord leaning up against the side of it with his hands in his jacket pockets and his face up towards the sun. His sunglasses glinted in the light. When Naya got closer, he faced her with a smile.
"Ace!"
"Hey," she greeted him with a friendly smile.
"Get your stuff. We're going on a field trip. I gotta pick up a part for the Triumph."
Chord was really into classic cars and had recently bought his first fixer upper antique to work on in his spare time, a navy blue 1966 Triumph Spitfire Mark II. Naya had expressed a mild interest in learning about cars and Chord invited her along, giving her a few lessons in car maintenance and repair whenever he was working on it.
Naya sighed. "Chord I'm really not in the mood for auto shop class today," she protested.
Chord was still friendly in his defense and remained inviting, trying not to push any buttons with her. He knew that she got a bit stubborn from time to time when she was tired or pre-occupied with something. "No grease monkey stuff today. We're just picking up a part and then I'm treating you to a late lunch and maybe a drink or two."
She cocked her hip to the side and jutted her lips out, mulling over his offer in her head.
He opened her trailer door and extended his arm towards it in a welcoming gesture as he flashed one of his signature charming smiles. "Come on, I owe you food and drinks anyway."
He had a valid point. They had a never-ending pool competition going between the two of them. Currently Naya was three games up on Chord and the deal was that if one of them ever got to three games up on the other, the losing participant owed the victor a meal and drinks.
She gave it another moment before making her decision. "Okay." She started walking up the metal steps of her trailer.
"Good," he responded cheerfully.
"Where are we going for food?"
"Um, I was thinking 'Big Mike's'," Chord said as he waited patiently on the steps of her trailer while she gathered her things.
"Yes! I'm starving." Naya cheerfully approved.
Chord laughed knowing that Naya's mood could always be lifted at the mention of food.
They left Naya's car in the parking lot and got into Chord's dark green Jeep Rubicon and headed over to the auto body shop to pick up Chord's car part he had ordered. They spent most of the car ride in comfortable silence except for a few scattered comments. Naya knew why Chord had asked her to hang out with him for the afternoon. He always did this whenever he noticed that Naya was being anxious and reserved for a prolonged period of time like she had been for the past few days. He would find a reason for them to hang out and drop hints that he knew something was bothering her but he would never press to ask what was wrong, letting Naya be the one to bring up whatever it was in her own time. It was his way of saying that he was there for her if she needed a friend or someone to talk to or someone to just be with her so she didn't feel alone.
They had the type of friendship where they were comfortable talking about almost anything but they were also comfortable with just hanging out and not talking at all. There was no pressure from either one of them to be sociable or outgoing or a certain way around each other. They could just be. Naya was appreciative of that aspect of their friendship at a time like this when she wasn't really in the mood to talk about anything going on inside her. Although she knew Chord wanted her to open up and talk it out, he wasn't going to pressure her into it. He was just there if she needed it.
When they stopped at the auto shop Chord paid for his part and spent a few minutes catching up with Carl, the guy who ran the shop. Carl was always friendly enough with Naya whenever she tagged along with Chord, but Naya always thought it was funny how surprised he was whenever she made any insightful comments on cars in their conversations. She had a limited knowledge of the subject but she was very confident in what she did know. As an added bonus, she liked surprising people by turning certain stereotypes upside down, like the fact that at first glance she might seem like a bit of a material girl but she wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty and be a grease monkey.
While Chord finished up his conversation with Carl, Naya walked out the front of the shop and past Chord's Jeep over to the side lot where most of the antique cars were parked. It was a boutique shop that specialized in antiques so they had a lot of classic and limited edition cars in the lot. Naya always liked just gazing out at them imagining what it would be like to have one of her own one day and be able to drive it wherever and whenever she wanted. She liked the nostalgia of those classic cars.
Her dad had owned one when she was younger, a light blue '67 mustang convertible. He used to take her for little road trips through winding canopy roads. She always loved that feeling of having the wind blowing through her hair. They'd visit drive-ins or country diners or a hidden lake in the woods where they'd go exploring or have a father/daughter picnic. It was like they were in their own little world, just the two of them. When she was little he'd always accompany their road trips with an imaginative fairy tale story he'd tell when they got to their destination. Then one day he asked her to tell him a story. From then on whenever they were exploring through the woods or having a lakeside picnic her dad would happily listen as Naya let her imagination run wild with her made up stories. She always loved telling him those stories.
Naya thought of how perfect it would be to do something like that again. She would love to do something like that with Heather and show her all of the hidden little places Naya knew about. Heather would really love that.
"Oi! Ace!" Chord called out from the front entrance of the shop.
Naya broke her gaze at the antique cars and turned around to where his voice was coming from.
"You ready for some grub?" He continued as he walked towards his Jeep.
Naya started walking over to Chord. "Yeah. I could seriously eat a whole cow right now," she joked.
They both chuckled as they approached the Jeep, got in the car and left.
xxxxx
Chord and Naya sat at a four-person booth in the back corner of Big Mike's Tavern and Grill. Naya had picked the table but only because she knew it was Chord's favorite table in the restaurant. It had the best possible view of the most TV's in the establishment, all of them with some type of sports game on. It was an unassuming kind of place with a very relaxed atmosphere and at the moment there was only a modest amount of people in the place. With their schedules Naya and Chord only ever made it out to Big Mike's occasionally but they liked going for the ridiculously good barbeque, beer selection and Chord's love of all things sports related. Naya wasn't exactly a huge sports fan but she enjoyed the atmosphere of it. However, when college football season hits in the fall, Naya religiously watched the Tennessee Vols play every Saturday and Chord would usually join her. Naya watched for her younger brother Mychal, who played as a tightend for Tennessee and Chord was just an obsessive Vols fan.
Naya was just coming back from the bathroom. When she got to the table she saw two Heineken's sitting there, one in front of Chord and the other in front of her own seat.
"What makes you think I want a beer, much less a Heineken?" Naya joked as she gestured toward the drinks and sat down in the booth.
Chord sarcastically joked back. "Oh I'm sorry. Did you want something a little stronger? Maybe a shot of bourbon?"
"All we need is some scotch to round it out," Naya smiled.
They laughed at their own joking and sipped their drinks. Chord was happy to see Naya smile for the first time that day.
"You just looked like you could use a drink. It seems like you're having a rough week," he commented.
Naya knew this was his roundabout way of bringing up the fact that he could tell something was bothering her. But at the moment all she wanted was some form of distraction to take her mind off of it. "Chord, I don't wanna talk about it," she said a little more forcefully than she had intended.
Chord threw his hands up in a defensive manner. "Okay, okay. You don't have to talk about it."
They both took another sip from their drinks. Chord was contemplating what to do. If she didn't want to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her then he at least wanted to make sure he could distract her from it for a bit. He got an idea and pulled out his phone to look up a funny youtube video he'd seen the other day. He was sure it would cheer her up and at least get her to laugh.
"Hey so check this out," he put the phone down on the table in front of her so she could watch.
The funny youtube video got Naya to laugh again and eased her anxiety. The rest of the afternoon was spent in their usual joking around, complete with a contest of funny impressions that they put on for the server. The server decided that they were both equally good impressionists but Naya swore her impression of Jay Leno was much better than Chord's. Chord one-upped her with his undeniably good impression of George Bush. But Naya sealed her title as the best impressionist of the night with her almost perfect Kim Kardashian impression. There was no way Chord could beat that.
When they were done at Big Mike's it was already dusk and Chord still had to drive Naya back to the Paramount lot to pick up her car. It was looking to be an incredibly nice evening and Chord rolled the windows of his Jeep down as they listened to a classic rock radio station. Naya was grateful to feel the cool wind on her face as she solemnly stared out the window at the warm light of the sunset. She needed an afternoon like this, something that was laid back and no pressure. She somehow felt a little lighter and figured that it was probably a good idea that Chord wanted her to hang out this afternoon because she probably would've gone insane if she were left alone with her thoughts. But despite the relaxing afternoon with her friend, it still didn't make all the pressure she was feeling go away and it slowly crept its way back into her body.
Chord pulled his Jeep into the spot next to Naya's car. He turned down the volume of the radio until is was barely audible and shifted the car into Park.
Naya held her still gaze out the window as he parked the car. "I'm in love with Heather," Naya softly but confidently blurted out. She wasn't sure if she'd made the decision to tell him or if she impulsively did it. It was probably a mixture of both.
Every part of Chord's body abruptly stopped, his right hand still on the gearshift and his mouth hung open slightly. It took him a moment to let what she'd said sink in. "Uh...w-Wow."
"Yeah." Naya hung her head down for a second, looking at her hands in her lap. Then she brought her hand up to cradle her forehead, her thumb and middle finger rubbing at her temples. "And she's been totally awkward with me since Kevin's party and it's killing me." Naya dropped her hand back into her lap and leaned back against the seat. "And now I have to do that intense 'I love you' scene they gave us. I have to do that scene with her and..." Her face started to scrunch up. "...and I'm just...I'm a mess." She rubbed at her face and her eyes with her hand for a moment before dropping her hand back into her lap with a light smack. "So there ya go, in a nutshell."
Chord sunk back into his seat. "Shit," he said with a mix of surprise and concern.
"Yeah." She took a deep breath and then sighed before opening the passenger door and moving to get out of the car.
Chord leaned forward and put his arm behind the headrest of the passenger seat. "Wait, I mean, are you-"
"I'm fine Chord. I'll be fine." She stood by the side of the car with the door open and her right hand resting on the bottom of the window frame, looking in at Chord and putting on a brave face. "I dunno," she shrugged. "It actually feels kinda good to tell someone, ya know like, say it out loud. Just...just don't say anything to anyone about it okay?"
"Of course." Chord emphatically assured her. "I won't say anything... You know if you need anything or someone to-"
"I know," she saved him the obligatory best friend spiel and pulled the corner of her mouth up in a faint smile. "Thanks for lunch...or dinner, or whatever it was we just had."
He chuckled. "Anytime," and softly smiled back at her. "I gotta make sure you don't kick my ass in pool again though. I'm embarrassing myself."
"You can't handle my pool skills." She jokingly sassed back and then chuckled. "See ya tomorrow," she shut the door and waved goodbye as she walked behind the Jeep and over to her car.
"Get some rest," Chord called out through his window as he backed out of his parking spot.
Naya smiled back at him as he drove off and she got in her car. She was glad she hung out with Chord this afternoon and had ended up talking, however briefly, about some of her feelings. It felt good to get a bit of it out instead of feeling like all those emotions were caged and trapped inside her body with no way out. Telling someone felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. However, saying it out loud only made all of it more real.
It was early morning and Naya was in her trailer slowly pacing back and forth in front of her couch with her script in her hand. She was going over her lines and looking at the scenes she was scheduled to shoot that day. She had another scene to shoot with Heather and Gwyneth where Santana and Brittany talk to Ms. Holiday, touching on the nature of their relationship.
Naya was hoping that things with Heather would go a little smoother today than they had in the previous few days. Each day things seemed to get a little better but Naya still didn't know how to approach her for a serious talk and Heather was still being distant. They actually hadn't shared one moment alone together since their short conversation just before shooting their dance number on the first day. But Naya knew they inevitably needed to smooth out their awkwardness with each other. As much as Naya thought her feelings for Heather were completely screwed over, not having her normal interaction with Heather was also completely killing her. She needed to fix this recent kink in their friendship but she didn't know how to go about it or what to say. She wasn't sure if she should approach Heather as soon as possible and just wing it, letting the words come to her in the moment or wait until after they wrapped the episode so Naya wouldn't be such a wreck with the impending 'I love you' scene also weighing on her mind.
Knock-knock-knock
Naya stopped pacing and lifted her head up to see Heather standing in the doorway of her open trailer.
For a prolonged moment, they both stood there in silence just looking at each other across the small space of the trailer. Naya's mouth was slightly agape, surprised and confused about what to do. Heather had her hands shoved in her pockets and her eyes kept darting from Naya's face to the floor, up and back down again.
Naya was taking in the fact that Heather had sought her out to have the inevitable private conversation that they needed to have. She silently cursed herself for not having the guts to do it sooner but was glad that Heather wanted to at least talk. "Hey," Naya said softly.
Heather was still darting her eyes up and down and she was rocking her body weight back and forth from the balls of her feet to her heels and back again. "Um, can we..." she stopped rocking her feet and earnestly looked straight at Naya. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah, of course."
Heather quietly shut the door of the trailer behind her and apprehensively walked toward Naya, stopping halfway between the door and the brunette. With her hands still in her pockets, Heather's shoulders and arms tensed up. It looked like she was holding her breath. Then as she finally relaxed her stance she let go of all of her breath and blurted out, "We made out." The statement came out with a burst, as if someone were popping a balloon.
Naya was taken a bit off guard with how direct Heather was with her statement but not surprised that she said it.
She does remember. I knew it!
"Yeah." Naya tried to stifle a little bit of laughter at the blunt force with which Heather made her statement. For some reason it was quite funny in comparison to the quiet and soft nature with which they addressed each other just two seconds ago.
Heather had a look on her face like she had a million questions and no way to answer them.
Naya bit at her bottom lip and rocked back on her heel. She tossed her script to the far side of the couch then turned back to Heather. She nodded her head slightly and extended her hand out. "Come here."
Heather was still being apprehensive.
"Come on, come sit with me." Naya gestured her head toward the couch and wiggled her fingers in her outstretched hand.
Heather extended her hand. They sat next to each other on the couch with Naya gently holding Heather's hand on top of Heather's knee.
Heather looked forward towards the floor and struggled a bit to get her words out. "I - I hate that things are so awkward with us now."
Naya nodded her head. "Me too."
Heather looked up to Naya, happy with the reassurance that she wasn't the only one feeling this way. Heather hesitantly continued speaking, her words choppy and clipped. "I mean we're best friends. I don't think best friends are supposed to do that, right? I dunno, I just...I want things to be normal again."
Naya shifted in her seat. Heather was looking at her like a lost puppy. Naya took a moment to find the right words to say. She lightly squeezed Heather's hand before she began to speak."Okay, here's the deal." She placed her other hand on top of Heather's so she held Heather's hand between her own two hands. "Things don't have to be awkward unless we make it awkward."
Heather nodded her head in agreement but still looked apprehensive.
Naya spoke her next words with warmth and reassurance. "No matter what happens between us, I'll always be your friend, first and foremost. That's never going to change." Naya softly smiled and let out a light laugh. "You're stuck with me."
Heather smiled back at her as she was overcome with a sudden sense of relief. She felt like she could fully relax for the first time in days. How did Naya do that? She always knew the right thing to say or do whenever Heather was nervous about something. She always seemed to have the answers that gave Heather confidence when she was unsure of herself. "So...we're okay?"
"I am if you are." Naya held out her pinky.
Heather took Naya's pinky with her own and they pressed their thumbs together in their makeshift handshake. They both giggled as a sense of relief washed over them with the ease they both had been craving for the past few days.
Naya left her trailer to take a short walk around the Paramount Lot. She was done with Hair, Makeup and Wardrobe and had just gone over some last minute prep work for the big 'love confession' scene she was about to shoot. But she could feel her nerves beginning to buck up in anticipation of shooting the scene and felt like she needed to get out of her trailer and clear her head a bit before going to the soundstage.
It had been about a day and half since Heather and her had their talk in her trailer. The ease with which they fell back into their normal and comfortable rhythm was a little surprising but highly reassuring. Things weren't fully back to normal yet but things weren't nearly as awkward as they were. Naya was glad that their friendship was getting back on track. It was one less thing to worry about. Now all she had to do was make it through this scene.
xxxxx
Heather was sitting in her actor's chair blankly staring down at her script, which was laying on her lap and flipped open to the page with the scene they were about to shoot. She drummed her index finger up and down on the wooden armrest of the chair. She thought about glibbing her lines again but she already knew her lines. She knew the scene backward and forward. That wasn't the problem.
She was anxious about doing this scene. Heather always got a little nervous when she had to do scenes or numbers where the spotlight was a little more focused on her or her and one other person, rather than the big group scenes with practically the whole cast present. But it was a different type of nervous this time. She knew this was a big scene. It was the first attempt at taking the Brittana storyline seriously, the storyline Naya had been pushing for since the middle of season one. Heather didn't have a whole lot of acting experience before booking Glee but she'd learned a lot from Naya and a few of the other, more experienced cast members in the past year or so. And part of being an actor is being there for your fellow actors. Being fully present and connected in the character and the scene so you can give your scene partner a complete spectrum of things to work off of. It's a back and forth dance, a give and take of emotions. That connectedness to the character and your scene partner was the bread and butter of making a scene and a storyline come to life.
If anything, Heather wanted to be there for Naya, to give her everything she needed in this scene. Not just because of their responsibility to their characters, their fans and their storyline, but because it was a chance for Naya to really flex her acting muscles and show the world the amazingly talented and versatile actress that Heather knew her to be. She wanted to be there for Naya because she deserved it. She deserved every opportunity to shine.
Heather continued drumming her finger on the wooden armrest and her right leg started nervously bouncing up and down. Where was Naya? She wasn't in her trailer when Heather had knocked earlier and Heather figured Naya was probably even more nervous about doing such a massively emotional scene. Heather was torn. She wanted to find Naya because on the occasion that either one of them was nervous before a scene one of them could usually give the other comforting reassurance just by being in each other's presence. But sometimes Naya just needed a few minutes to herself before a scene so she could gather and focus her energy. Heather wasn't sure which one Naya needed right now, a friend or a few minutes alone.
Heather's eyes started darting around all over the school hallway set. After a moment she saw Naya walk in and popped up out of her actor's chair, her script falling on the floor. She frantically picked up her fallen script and messily laid it in the seat of her actor's chair before rushing over to Naya.
"Hey," Heather said running up to Naya and trying not to trip over any cables or knock any light stands over.
"Hey," Naya waved.
Heather and Naya were walking side-by-side through the set and over to their actor's chairs. "Where were you? I checked your trailer but you weren't there. I figured you'd wanna run lines before we shoot."
"No, I'm good on my lines. I just went for a walk. Ya know, some fresh air."
Heather's nodded in understanding. If Naya went for a walk then that meant she was in the 'I need a few minutes alone' state of mind.
As they got back to their chairs and sat down, Ryan walked up to talk to them. "You girls ready?"
"Yeah," Naya said and Heather nodded her head.
"Good. It'll probably just be a few more minutes. We're going to do your coverage first, Naya" he pointed to Naya, "and then we'll do yours," he pointed to Heather.
"Cool." "Sounds good." The girls responded simultaneously.
"Heather can I talk to you for a second?" Ryan asked.
"Sure." Heather got up from her chair and walked off to the side with Ryan. Whenever Ryan was directing he always liked to talk with each actor individually before the more emotionally intensive scenes.
Naya sat back in her chair and started absentmindedly fiddling with the dangling black strands of her jacket. The closer it got to shooting the scene the more she could feel her nerves building. There was always at least a small amount of nervousness before scenes but this wasn't just performance anxiety. Naya was a bit of a perfectionist so she wanted to do the character, the scene, and the storyline justice. That, along with her feelings surrounding Heather piled on top, Naya just hoped she could stay focused enough to get the job done and do it with a certain amount of excellence. She just couldn't let her nerves get the best of her. She felt a hand squeeze her shoulder and turned her head around to see who was behind her.
"Chord, what are you doing here? I thought you were done for the day."
He smiled and walked around the side of the chair. "Just thought I'd stick around for some support, ya know I mean, if ya need it."
She smiled back. He didn't have to stay on set. He could've gone home or done something else but given Naya's recent confession to him she was incredibly grateful for his silent gesture of support.
Ryan walked back over with Heather and she sat down in her actor's chair, pleasantly surprised that Chord decided to stay on set and watch them shoot their scene.
"Actually Heather, why don't you head over to your mark and it looks like makeup might do a few more touch ups on you." Ryan instructed. "Naya, I'm just gonna talk to you for a minute and we'll get started."
Heather got up from her chair and started walking over to where the camera team was set up by the lockers. As Naya got up from her chair Chord gave her an encouraging nod. Naya's nerves were building again and they just kept getting bigger and bigger.
xxxxx
"'Background Action!' 'Sound Speed!' 'Rolling!' 'Take 1!'" Smack! "Action."
Naya stood on her mark next to the lockers and in front of Heather. The camera was just to the right of Heather's shoulder and staring straight into Naya's face but Naya kept her focus on Heather. She took a beat, letting the emotions and lines begin organically and trusting that her prep work was there as a safety net to hold her end of the scene up.
'Hi.'
'Hey.'
'Can we talk?'
'But we never do that.'
'Yeah, I know but um, I wanted to thank you for performing that song with me in Glee Club...'
Naya's voice was completely ungrounded and she could hear little cracks in it as she said her lines.
'...because it's made me do a lot of thinking. And what I've realized is why I'm such a bitch all the time. I'm a bitch because I'm angry. I'm angry because I have all of these feelings...'
Naya could feel her throat begin to close up.
'feelings for...'
Naya's voice got caught in her throat and she became almost breathless. She flubbed the line.
"Cut!"
"Sorry," Naya apologized to Ryan.
"It's okay. Let's go again."
Heather was concerned. It was uncharacteristic for Naya to flub lines and she seemed a bit on edge.
Naya took a few deep breaths to try and steady herself before they started the next Take. She shook and wiggled her hands trying to get the nerves to escape her body.
"'...Take 2!'" Smack! "Action."
The scene started off well again. At least Naya could actually be convinced that it was her own voice saying the lines this time. But as the scene went on, her nerves started shooting through her body again and it felt like there was a knot the size of a baseball in her chest that just kept twisting and tightening.
"...I'm angry because I have all of these feelings...feelings for you, that I'm afraid of dealing with because I'm afraid of dealing with the consequences. And Brittany, I can't go to an Indigo Girls concert, I just can't."
"I understand that."
"Do you understand what I'm trying to say here?"
"No, not really."
That knot in Naya's chest kept twisting and tightening and her skin felt like it was starting to jump.
"I wanna be with..."
Naya's voice cracked again and she broke character.
"Cut!"
Naya fluttered her eyes and then slammed them shut in frustration.
"Let's take it from the top again." Ryan called out and then addressed Naya specifically. "Are you okay? Do you need a water or something?"
"No, I'm fine. Sorry. I'm fine." She fluttered her eyes and shook her hand again, trying to get rid of the nerves.
Heather took Naya's hand. "Hey," she said softly. Naya brought her head up and made eye contact with Heather. "Relax. You're gonna be great. Just relax and do your thing. You've got this."
Naya nodded and Heather faintly smiled before they started the next Take.
"'...Take 3!'" Smack! "Action."
They started off the scene again and Naya was a little more relaxed at the top of it. But that knot in her chest was still there, twisting and tightening as the scene progressed.
"...do you understand what I'm trying to say here?"
"No, not really."
"I want to be with you, but I'm afraid of the talks and the looks. I mean, you know what happened to Kurt at this school."
Naya felt like all her nerves had bundled up in her throat again and like they were going to burst out of her skin.
"But honey...if anybody were to ever make fun of you, you would either kick their ass or slash them with your vicious, vicious words."
Naya's heart rate accelerated at a wildly fast pace and her ring finger of her left hand started to involuntarily twitch up into her palm. She felt herself beginning to unravel.
"Yeah I know but I'm so afraid of what everyone will say behind my back. Still, I have to accept...that I lo-"
She choked up on the nerves in her throat and broke character again, fluttering her eyes and rolling them up to the ceiling.
"Cut!"
Naya turned around and walked a few paces away from her mark. She slammed her eyes shut and brought her hand up to her forehead, rubbing at her temples with her thumb and middle finger.
Ryan walked out from behind the camera monitor and over to Naya. "Naya, is everything okay? Do you need a break?"
She crossed her arms and looked up at him, worrying her lip. "Um, yeah. Yeah, I just need a minute if that's okay."
"Yeah, we'll take five."
Naya nodded and started walking down the school hallway set. Heather, filled with worry, slowly started walking after her but Chord came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. At his touch Heather turned around.
"Just give her a minute alone. Trust me." Chord said in a hushed but confident tone.
Heather looked hesitant to take his advice and looked back down the hallway. Naya was just rounding the corner of one of the set walls and went out of sight. Heather turned back to Chord and he gave her a reassuring, silent nod. She decided he was right. Heather knew Naya was in a state of mind where she needed to be alone. Heather just desperately wanted to help and make her friend's anxiety go away, but she knew she wasn't going to be able to. At the moment, it was something Naya needed to do herself.
Naya rounded the corner of the school hallway set and made her way behind one of the set walls in a secluded corner of the soundstage. She paced back and forth with her hand covering her mouth. She felt tears forming and stinging the back of her eyes. She stopped pacing, closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the set wall.
Come on Rivera. Pull it together! You have a job to do and you have to do it regardless of how fucked over your feelings for Heather are and how screwed up this whole situation is. This isn't about you and Heather this is about Santana and Brittany. So take everything you're feeling and put it into Santana. Just calm the fuck down, relax and focus. Focus!
After a few minutes of calming herself down, re-focusing and putting herself in the right frame of mind, Santana's frame of mind, she slowly walked out from behind the set wall and down the hallway. On her way to the camera she glanced over at Chord standing off to the side by her actor's chair. He gave an encouraging nod and a thumbs up. She nodded back, took a deep breath and proceeded to her mark in front of the camera. The crew, Ryan and Heather were all waiting for her.
"Okay, I'm ready," she spoke to Ryan.
Heather took Naya's hand and gently squeezed it, giving her a soft smile. Naya faintly smiled back and took another deep breath before they started their next take.
"...Take 4!" Smack! "Action."
Naya kicked off the scene completely locked into character, hitting every guarded, hurt, earnest and pained note from Santana's perspective.
As they approached the halfway point of the scene, Naya felt the tears building up inside her. She sniffled. "...Yeah, I know. But...I'm so afraid of what everyone will say behind my back." A tear escaped her eye and slowly ran down her cheek. "Still, I have to accept...that I love you. I love you, and I don't want to be with Sam or Finn or any of those other guys. I just want you. Please say you love me back. Please," she pleaded.
"Of course I love you. I do. And I would totally be with you if it weren't for Artie."
"Artie?"
"I love him, too..."
Naya's chest started to twist and knot again.
"...I don't want to hurt him, that's not right. I can't break up with him."
A second tear began to fall from Naya's face as a desperate tone reached her voice. "Yes, you can. He's just a stupid boy."
"But it wouldn't be right. Santana, you have to know...if Artie and I were to ever break up, and I'm lucky enough that you're still single..."
Heather reached for Naya's hand but Naya pushed it away. "Don't."
"...I am so yours. Proudly so."
At those words, Naya felt as if her heart had dropped out of her chest and into the pit of her stomach. It hurt and she felt the pain and anger of being so vulnerable and so rejected course through her whole body. "Yeah, well wow. Whoever thought that being fluid meant you could be so stuck?"
"I'm sorry. Don't..." Heather reached for Naya to pull her into a hug.
Naya snapped back and pushed her away. "Get off me!" She lingered in the shot for a second and then walked out of frame as Ryan had instructed her earlier.
"Cut! Circle it!" Ryan called out from behind the monitor. He stood up from his chair and gave a few congratulatory claps while addressing Naya. She was standing halfway down the hallway set, drying her tears from her face. "Naya that was perfect. I don't think we're going to need another take. Good job."
She nodded, thanking him for the compliment and turned around so she could dry her tears more privately, but there were extras all over the hallway. She started walking toward that secluded corner behind one of the set walls that she went to earlier.
Just as she rounded the corner of the set wall she was swiftly turned around by someone who had gently grabbed her wrist. When Naya turned she saw it was Heather and threw her arms around the blonde's neck as Heather pulled Naya's body in close for a hug. Naya buried her head into Heather's neck as a few more tears escaped her eyes.
Heather squezzed tight around Naya's waist and then gently rubbed small circles at the center of her back. "See, I told you you were gonna be great. You were amazing."
Naya sniffled and then smiled into Heather's neck. They didn't have a whole lot of time before they had to be back at the lockers to continue shooting the scene from various angles, but for the limited time they had, Heather held Naya close to her like she was holding her together so she wouldn't fall a part.
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Thank for reading! I hope to have a new chapter up soon. And don't forget to leave a review if you feel so inclined :)