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queerchoicesblog · 3 years

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Epilogue: Underwater (SC Titanic, Zetta x Adele Series)

As promised, here the epilogue of the Zetta x Adele Series, folks.

This is the very end of a project that meant me quite a lot to me and got me through the last terrible year. Thanks to all those who supported it: hope you enjoyed it and will enjoy this ending.

In case you were wondering, this song inspired the whole series, particularly the last chapters:

youtube

I will skip the tag list for once since it’s pointless anyway.

➡️ Ch. 1, Ch. 2/1, Ch. 2/2, Ch. 3, Ch. 4, Ch. 5, Ch. 6, Ch. 7, Ch. 8/1, Ch. 8/2, Ch. 9, Ch. 10/1, Ch. 10/2, Ch. 11/1, Ch. 11/2, Ch. 12, Ch. 13, Ch. 14, Ch. 15 , Ch. 16, Ch. 17

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Almost a century after the sinking of the RMS Titanic and to celebrate Canada becoming the first country outside Europe to legalise same-sex marriage, the Canadian Film Institute decided to work side by side with several LGBTQ+ organisations across the world to put together an exhibition focused on the early queer cinema and the many queer stars who were forced to hide their true selves in the Golden Age of cinematography, spanning from 1890s till the aftermath of Second World War. "A testament to the role the LGBTQ+ community played in the history of cinema and that we have always been here, even if people hardly saw us" as a journalist wrote on a queer magazine. After the recent discovery of some private documents, the curators were overjoyed to include an icon of the 1900s - 1910s cinema like Zetta Serda into the retrospective and cast a new light on her extraordinary career sadly soon forgotten after the advent of the sound era. Yet, the silent picture star was mentioned as a model and 'endless source of inspiration" by many queer movie stars like Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Greta Garbo all part of the retrospective. Rumor has it that as soon as she landed in America, Marlene Dietrich demanded his agent a meeting with Mrs King.

A curator drove all the way to Montreal to meet the last known heir, a certain Mrs. Julia Nowak, who greeted him on the threshold of a cosy downtown apartment. She offered him a coffee and a slice of a Polish sweet bread: the recipe was a family heirloom, she explained, beaming. She was in her late fifties, a therapist, she said. Her hazel eyes gleamed when she added, in a pleasantly soothing voice that betrayed a hint of excitement: "I must confess I am so incredibly happy that you contacted me about the retrospective. I adore the idea and I will make sure to attend it. Also" she nodded to a wedding picture hung to the wall "did you know that my wife is in politics? She campaigned for the legalisation...yes, Madeleine Fournier: see, you know her! We got married right after the law passed. If anything, your call and project made me twice as happy". She took a pause, smiling over her coffee in remembrance. "Anyway, back to the matter of your visit...yes, as far as I know, I am Zetta's last heir. As you probably know, my family wasn't officially related to her but she stated otherwise in her will". She moved to the couch and gestured the curator to follow her as she opened up one of the boxes and chests piled into the living room and picked out an old album, the leather cover worn at the edges. Dust waltzed in the air as she opened it with caution and gentle care. She showed him a slightly discoloured black and white picture of a young couple kissing for the camera in front of a church. Another wedding picture, from a different era. "Nana Hileni and Papa Maciej's wedding picture. I still remember them even if they both died when I was barely a teen...as if one couldn't bear to live without the other. Or so I like to think. She would help me with the homework, mathematics particularly, and he baked this bread for me till he was too weak to do so. He always claimed that he won Nana's heart with his pastries but she always denied it laughing". She passed another picture of the same couple proudly standing in front of the Nowak family bakery in Hoboken. "Frankly, I believe that Papa's broad shoulders and Marlon Brando smile are more likely to blame for this coup de foudre" she laughed. "And he knew how to deal with her no-nonsense attitude and vice versa. They...balanced each other, if you wish". She picked another picture and handed it to him. A woman was looking down in tender adoration and awe to a baby nestled in her arms looking up at her, outstretching a tiny arm in an attempt to touch her face. "There! This is Dad" she pointed at the baby before turning the picture where someone wrote 'Alex meets Auntie Adele'. Turning it again, she pointed at the woman. "This is Adele Carrem. Or Auntie Adele as I've always heard calling her. Nana's sister and Zetta's publicist and companion" Putting it back into the album, she carefully picked a bunch of other old pictures. "You surely know who this one is" she smiled, handing out the one on top. The photo was rather grainy but you could still recognise the same kid, slightly older, around two, sucking his thumb, cuddled up in Zetta's lap. The actress had aged a little but her features were unmistakable and it was endearing to see her sitting by the fireplace to read that kid with the sleepy face a bedtime story. "Sadly, I have never met them. I wish I did, oh you have no idea...but stories of them lived through in our family" Julia continued. "My Dad loved his Aunties - as he called them - dearly and by what I've heard and read, they loved him in manner as if he was their own. He knew little of them or Zetta's career back then...to him they were just the sweet ladies who would buy him ice-cream in Central Park or take him to see his favourite pictures over and over again at the movie theater. He said he will never forget the afternoons he used to spend with them in a Manhattan cafe that no longer exists around Christmas: Nana and Papa worked like crazy as the festive season approached and the glorious cup of hot chocolate with an elegant puff of cream on top with the Aunties became a tradition to him. He kept it alive somehow as he did the same with me". She handed the curator a bunch of other pictures: Zetta cleaning up Alex's face smeared with jam, the both of them laughing; Zetta posing with Maciej and her Dad at a table in the Hoboken bakery. He eventually mirrored her smile seeing a five years old Alex at the beach all engrossed in building a sandcastle with Hileni and Adele, and he standing at the water edge hand in hand with Miss Carrem, looking out into the distance. "These are family pictures. I'll show you the Zetta's private memorabilia we cherished". Julia searched a little, opening an old chest and handling every item inside with tender care. When she found what she was looking for, she showed the curator an elegant set of smaller boxes containing letters, dried flowers and photos. "I have already received an offer to get these published. I'm still pondering it. Before agreeing, I want to consider throughly if this is a thing they would have wanted, even if they're no longer here" The curator nodded as she kept searching. He skimmed a few letters and smiled as his eyes fall on the photos hidden away in those boxes: the two women sitting together and chatting at Hileni's wedding, Zetta's reading a script, lazily sprawled on a chaise long in her apartment. Some had short lines handwritten on the back, like a promotional picture with "Missing you" written by Zetta herself. The curator showed another to Mrs Nowak: a visibly excited Miss Carrem proudly showing to the camera a document announcing her voter registration. On the back, in Zetta's penmanship: "On the way to vote...my sweet Adele won!". "Oh you didn't know? Auntie Adele was a suffragette! I couldn't believe it when I first heard it! Nana told me that she was in and out jail when they lived in London because of protests. You know, like those suffragettes you read about in history books but less famous. Yet she fought for women's rights and kept fighting for them even in America. She was quite disappointed though by some major decisions of some feminist movements and eventually joined a socialist Union 'more rightfully welcoming working class individuals, immigrants and black brothers and sisters'. It's all in those letters but yeah, you couldn't possibly know. So little is known about her outside family". A little smile drew on her face as she put back the photo. "That photo was taken the day of the first election open to women. I checked the date. I suppose Zetta wanted to immortalise the moment...it was sweet of her, huh? Auntie Adele must have been so proud and overjoyed that day! You know, my Dad was born in 1920 when women's right to vote was legalised nationally and Nana once told me that Auntie commented the lucky coincidence saying she was incredibly happy her nephew would get to live in a fairer world. She was a true force of nature...she never talked much of the sinking of the Titanic just like Zetta and Nana actually but when one day Dad asked...he was barely a child and probably found an old article about the tragedy...Auntie Adele minimised but Nana assured him that her sister saved her life that night, risking her own to go down to the belly of the sinking ship to bring her to safety. Auntie simply shrugged, saying that it was what sisters do and that they made it to the lifeboats only thanks to Zetta, who shouted protests to stubborn officers and eventually found them a spot on a boat. I cannot even bring myself to imagine how scary that must have been: I cried so much when Madeleine took me to see Leo and Kate...to think they were there and it was all real!" She picked a few other objects out the box: a Shakespeare Sonnets book in a leather cover with golden engravings, with a little handwritten dedication 'To Adele, my sonnet 116. Happy birthday! With all my love, Zetta'; old scripts with annotations, a framed photograph of Adele and Zetta slow dancing barefoot in the living room of a gorgeous Long Island mansion. "These have a sentimental value" Mrs Nowak noted, her voice betraying the flicker of emotions as she picked it up. She took a deep sigh and continued. "I remember the day I told Dad I was gay as it was yesterday. We had always been quite close so it came natural to tell him first. We were in his car, he had come straight from college to pick me up at ice-skating practice. I..I dropped it in the middle of a conversation, bracing myself for the worst. I heard so many bad stories about coming out to your parents I was terrified of the consequences but I couldn't hide it anymore. I mean, yes, in public: bullies get even nastier if they know and I didn't want people shouting me "dyke" at school. But I needed to get it out of my chest...with someone at least. He kept quiet for a moment and I felt like drowning in shame. But then he spoke". A nostalgic tender smile formed Julia's lips. "He said he had two amazing Aunties that contributed to make his life a wondrous adventure. It was thanks to them that he, the son of a baker, could attend a prestigious college, for instance: they offered to pay for it without asking a penny back. They also helped him write his first romantic letter to his childhood sweetheart and consoled him when the little girl turned him down. But his Aunties had a secret, he added. He said: to my kid eyes they were no less a couple than Mom and Dad and at home we all treated them in manner but one day Mom made me promise to behave differently when we were in public. In public I would refer to her sister as 'Auntie Adele' but call Zetta by her name. He didn't get it and it took some getting used to. He soon noticed that even the Aunties behaved a bit differently out in the sun: they wouldn't hold hands or use endearing words in the street or when other people were around. They simply behaved like good friends did. He understood it later when he, as stubborn as a mule, asked them directly". Julia gently grazed her fingers on the glass of the framed photograph, caressing it. "And they told me everything, he said. That they were in love, just like mom and dad were, but people out there could be uncomfortable and extremely rude to women loving other women and men loving other men. That they kept their companionship a secret in public because those people had no problems with women being friends and they didn't want to have bad words or worse happening to them. I remember asking him what he thought about it. He smiled. 'I cried. Since Auntie Zetta mentioned people claiming that women like them were sick and would burn in hell, I actually started crying. I sobbed desperately in her arms, crying that I didn't want them to burn in hell, I loved my Aunties and I was happy they loved each other. Eventually they explained me it was just a vile lie spread my malignant people. But I got quite a scare and kept staring at them with puffy red eyes and my face wet with tears for a while. It required lots of cuddling to bring a smile back on my face'. He shook his head, laughing of his endearing naivety. Then he pulled over and looked at me. He continued: 'I still don't get why people keep spreading those mean lies but I know for sure that my Aunties weren't sick and didn't end up in hell and so won't you. Don't believe bullshits like that for a split second, okay? And I also want you to remember that it doesn't change a thing for me and mom too. You will always be my little girl, our little girl and we love you'. We shared a long hug before driving back home. On the way back he insisted to buy my favourite chicken and waffles for dinner, saying mom's veggie soup could wait. For my birthday, a month later or so, he asked me to follow him to the attic and showed me this chest. To meet the Aunties that 'would have surely been there for me'". She tipped away a tear. "I told you I married Madeleine right after the legalisation of same-sex marriages. My wedding was also the last public event Mom and Dad attended together before his health worsened irremediably. He passed away last year". For a moment she looked on the verge of tears but she recovered quickly. "Sorry...anyway, that day Dad insisted on walking me down the aisle even if he was getting weak. He beamed with pride when a friend fixed a rainbow ribbon to his jacket. Later at the lunch he read a speech he had written for the day, his hand shaking. He shared the story of his Aunties. He said that despite the hardships their situation forced upon them, they had quite a happy life together, a happiness carefully hidden from the world. He wished us to find something similar to what they shared without needing to hide anymore. He said Adele and Zetta would have been so happy and proud to celebrate with all of us that day" Mrs. Nowak picked the Shakespeare Sonnet book and gave him a fond look. "He brought this to the wedding. And he read for us the sonnet 116, the one Zetta mentioned in her dedication. You know, the one that starts with 'Let me not to the marriage of true minds admit impediments..." ----------------------- A few months later the exhibition on old Hollywood queer cinema and artists opened. Each artist had a room that soon filled with a crowd of enthusiastic visitors. In the first half, in a room arranged as a turn of the century nickelodeon with velvet chairs, all the memorabilia of Zetta Serda's public life: panels explaining the various stages of her career and the birth of her myth, promotional pictures of her performances, articles about her and a copy of a gazette announcing her wedding with the director Richard King. On the wall, on a screen her entire filmography rolled up in loop, bewitching spectators after a century. In display cases: the gorgeous sapphire necklace she wore on her last night on the Ship of Dreams and at the movie party of Surviving the Titanic, and a replica of her Cleopatra costume. The aging Queen of Egypt with a tragic love and destiny immortalised by Shakespeare was her last role back on the theater stage before retiring from the scenes. Old scripts with her personal annotation were displayed with photographs taken on sets and mundane events. The wall hosting the motion-picture screen cut the room in half. On the other side, the hidden half of her life. Her life with Adele no one suspected back then. A life kept secret that now unveiled in front of the eyes of the visitors. The curators discovered that finding public pictures of Miss Carrem was nearly impossible, true to the nickname she acquired as time went by: The Shadow. She stayed at Zetta's side until and even after she stopped acting, showing rare loyalty and devotion, but ever surrounded by this mystery allure. No one, even the most stubborn reporters managed to know anything about her and she was soon dismissed as a Titanic survivor, possibly a fan, who worked as Zetta's secretary and somehow gained her respect. Little they knew about the depth of their relationship and what stacks of secret letters and family memories revealed of the life of Miss Carrem. A panel finally told her story and her secret achievements: Adele, or better Adal, kept fighting for a fairer world and society her whole life and marched for women's right to vote on the famous parade in 1915. She also passed the teaching of Edith Garrud to her American sisters. The only pictures of her came from the Nowak family, except for one. The only photograph of a public appearance of Miss Carrem as well as the only known public appearance of Zetta and Adele. An old grainy photo accurately framed showed Adele shaking hands with The Unsinkable Molly Brown on a podium. In her free hand a shiny medal and a few steps behind the mayor of New York. According to the panel, the survivors' committee founded by Mrs. Brown decided to award Miss Carrem a medal for bravery and a generous check "to help her and her sister starting a new life in America". With great surprise, Miss Carrem received the medal and the check, thanked the board but refused the honors. Instead, she asked to deliver them both to the family of a certain Charlie Stoke, a stewart that lost his life in the sinking to save her life and those of many passengers. She added that her friend expressed the desire to study naval engineering one day and she wished that the money kindly offered to her would be enough to establish a scholarship for boys like him across the ocean. In another picture, Miss Carrem and her sister chatted with Moll Brown in company of Zetta. Eventually, other philanthropists and wealthy socialites signed checks for her cause so that the Stoke family received a generous contribution too. And today, as another picture confirmed, the faculty of naval engineering of the University of Newcastle hosts a marble engraving of Charlie Stoke: to his memory a scholarship had been instituted one year after on the anniversary of the sinking. Since 1913 it has been helping students of poor background to get an education and improve their life. Zetta herself became a philanthropist during her Renaissance and ever since. The first act of her new phase of her life was joining the Moll Brown survivors committee to provide help to the second and third class passengers families and survivors. Some said that the tragedy she witnessed touched her heart, other claimed that it was to be attributed to the influence of her publicist. Jokingly, she used to say that after all, she had too much money yet all she could have wished for in her life, so why not doing some good with it? A considerable donation under her and Mr King was received by the main hospital during the Spanish flu pandemic; she was particularly active in providing financial help to struggling neighbourhoods and female education institutions. In the middle of the room, a long glass display hosted the Shakespeare Sonnets opened at sonnet 116 and a selection of the private correspondence between Zetta and Adele. My darling, You will receive this letter tomorrow morning when I'll be already off to Chicago. The suitcases are ready and packed, this is a goodnight note scribbled the night before leaving you to remind you how much I love you and care about you. How much I'm going to miss you even if - thank God! - we won't be parted for long... Do not forget you promised me to write every day! Write to me, Adele, write to me whatever thought crosses that gorgeous mind of you: you know I could you rambling for hours without getting tired of the sound of your voice, of your sparkling wisdom. I wanna know everything. So don't be shy: I'll be waiting your letters with tender impatience. Can't wait to be in your arms once more. Adoringly yours, Zetta - Dear, dearest Zetta, I went to Central Park today with Hileni. It was a gorgeous spring day, sunny, a gentle breeze blowing: 'simply too beautiful to be wasted inside' as my sister put it. Did I tell you that she's still exchanging letters with the delivery boy from the hat shop? I thought they were over but apparently he invited her to the nickelodeon next week. Anyway, walking in the park with her I suddenly realised how I wanted to share that spring wonder with you. When are you coming back to New York? Tell me soon, please. And even 'soon' won't be soon enough: you're always on my mind since you left. But yes, tell me soon so I can make you promise we will go for a walk before the weather becomes too hot. Do you think I can wrap my arm with yours? Is it professional enough for a publicist? Even just for a few steps: oh you have no idea how I would love that! Or maybe you have? I hope so: it'd mean you miss me as much as I miss you when we are apart. Oh, I almost forgot: all settled with that magazine you mentioned before your departure! I negotiated a two pages long interview, plus pictures. And a cover mention. Hope I did well: you have already fired me as your secretary, I must prove you I am just what you're looking for in a publicist... Can't wait to see you again! Loving you always, Adele Only one letter was copied on a panel of its own on the main wall side by side with a blow-up of the picture of Adele and Zetta slow-dancing barefoot and free, for a blessed moment immortalised in a discreet shot. Adele pressing a tender kiss on Zetta's forehead, drawing a soft smile on the acrtress' lips. Many visitors commented it was heartwarming to see such a photograph that conveyed the intimacy and the warmth of affection radiating from the dancing couple. Some said that Zetta was even more beautiful like that: free, hair slightly askew and genuinely happy, loved. What stole their hearts away though was the letter attached to it. It was no surprise that the curators decided to name the retrospective Underwater. Dearest Adele, Forgive me for the tone of this letter. I am writing it down in bed while I cannot sleep and my mind runs back to you as if we could meet halfway between the miles separating us, in a world of fantasy of our own. It's ridiculous how much I miss you! I want you near, I need you near all the time. Take tonight: if you were here with me, I would be heavenly sleeping in your loving embrace. Most unfortunately, you are not and I'm lying here, insomniac, thinking of you. And about my life. No, don't frown. I am not getting all sad again. It's...bittersweet. And - I'll spoil you the ending so you will stop worrying, hopefully - it gets better the more you proceed. Have you ever felt trapped underwater? I did, my whole life. Always hiding, always measuring words, gestures, gazes not to let them see, not to let them know...so little time to go up and break the surface. Drop the mask and breathe. In, out. Once, twice. In my lowest moments I repeated to my myself: how are you gonna survive? One day an acquaintance with a remarkable passion for the sea explained me and the other bored commensals that you can keep someone alive by breathing oxygen into their mouth underwater. Pretty much like mouth-to-mouth resuscitation helps an unconscious person to regain consciousness. I found it interesting but doubted his words. Then I met you, Adele. My dearest, wondrous Adele. And I learnt that yes, you can't breathe if you're constantly underwater...but you won't drown if you have the right person swimming by your side in those deep waters. Put your lips on me, Adele. Touch me, hold me in your arms. And I can live underwater. With your love, I can live underwater. We can live underwater. I love you. I want to cover a full page of these three simple words: I love you. I want to cry them out and entrust them to the winds, to the night. But what for? Who cares if the world knows or not? I'll whisper them over your lips when we will be reunited. So you can breathe underwater. Counting down the hours separating us, my love. Eternally yours, Zetta

#titanic storyscape #sc titanic #zetta serda #adele carrem #zetta x adele #zetta x adele series

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superapplepie · 5 years

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Accidentally In Love

Summary: You work a comic con in Toronto to help a friend. Little did you know you’d make a deal and accidentally fall in love.

Pairing: David Castañeda x Reader

Word count: 1890

Warnings: Curse words? It’s pretty fluffy I guess. Pre-smut?

Thank you @like-a-bag-of-potatoes for being my beta and @lookitschynna for encouraging me to actually write this. This will be a series so if you want tagged let me know. Enjoy!

The incessant buzzing of your alarm forced you awake, grumbling to yourself about having to be awake at such an ungodly hour, you slid out of bed making your way towards the shower. Today was the day you agreed to help your best friend’s mother, Susan, with the Toronto Comic Con. You tried to recall what all she told you about it, this years con was special for some reason or another. Instead of being three days, the con was going to be an entire week filled with comic book geeks and almighty celebrities.

Your assignment for the week was to be a handler for one of the many celebrities that would be flooding the floors. It seemed pretty easy, just like babysitting a toddler. The curiosity of who you’d have was almost killing you though. You were obsessed over these cons just as much as everyone else. Anxiety and excitement flowed through your veins as you got dressed. Deciding to spice your look up a bit, you opted for some black skinny jeans, a black tank top, black stiletto heels, and a red leather jacket to match your red lipstick. You ran out the door completely forgetting all about breakfast as your adventure downtown began.

Walking into the convention center you made your way over to your friend and her mom, greeting them both with your best smile.

“Ah, Y/N, so nice of you to finally join us,” your friends mom, Susan stated flatly before looking you up and down.

“Um, yeah sorry I'm late. Traffic getting here was horrible. They're having the art festival on my side of town so roads are blocked off.” Biting your lip out of habit you shot her a quick glance before reverting your attention to the ground.

Being late was something you were habitually known for. Needless to say, Susan was clearly not impressed with your tardiness nor your choice in wardrobe, but it was too late for her to make you change. You were handed a large envelope that contained who you were handling, their detailed schedule, anything important you should know about them, and your badge for the week.

You thanked her before hurrying off to the ‘green room’ to prepare yourself. Finding a chair in the corner of the room away from the commotion of everyone else, you took a deep breath and slowly opened your packet.

It took you a few seconds to register the name you were looking at. In big bold the name ‘DAVID CASTAÑEDA’ was typed across the top of your page. You couldn't stop the squeal that escaped your lips, the excitement causing you to tumble from your chair. Laughter caught your attention and you looked up to see your friend making her way over to you.

“I see you've opened your packet.” She smiled and helped you up.

“Gee, how'd you guess?”, you rolled your eyes and laughed.

“I might have had something to do with it. I heard my mom talking about The Umbrella Academy coming to the con. So I pulled some strings to make sure you got David.” She smiled again, looking pleased with herself.

“Holy shit, dude! That's like the nicest thing you could have ever done for me!” You couldn't believe it, making a mental note to get her a decent Christmas present this year.

“It was nothing, I know you'd do the same for me if it were you. Anyways, I've got to go. The celebrities should be arriving soon, my mom will introduce everyone and make sure all the handlers have the right celebrity. I'll catch up with you in a few hours when you bring him down for his first Q&A.” She shot you a wink and ran off leaving you a flustered mess.

She was your best friend, so she knew you had a hard core crush on David and was obsessed with the show. You didn't have much time to process the situation you were in when the celebrities began filing into the room until it was completely full. Susan stood at the front of the room making her announcements and going over the usual con rules. She began going to each handler and guiding them to the correct people. It was finally your turn and you stood on shaky legs, suddenly regretting wearing stilettos.

Before you knew it, you were standing face to face with not only your celebrity crush, but the man who you'd be handling for the next week.

Susan smiled and shook David's hand before turning to you. “David, this is Y/N, she'll be your handler for the week. Hopefully she'll be on her best behavior.” Giving you a pointed look, she moved on to the next handler leaving you two alone.

“It's a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a charming smile as he stretched out his hand. It took a moment but you finally remembered how to shake hands. Sliding your hand into his you marveled at how big and warm his was.

“Believe me, the pleasure is all mine.” Your eyes went big comprehending what you just said out loud.

Thankfully he laughed, but not before he noticed the blush that spread across your face. You had one shot to impress him and you had already blown it.

“Uh, anyways, you don't have to be anywhere for a couple of hours. Is there anything you wanted to do or somewhere you wanted to go? There's an art festival with loads of delicious foods a couple of blocks away. Hell, you can even go back to your room for pizza and beer. There's probably a hockey game on…” You cut yourself when you realized you were rambling, too embarrassed to make eye contact with him you stared at the ground.

He chuckled softly, “That sounds great actually. It's been a long morning and I'd kind of like to just chill, if that's okay with you?”

You looked up at him and smiled brightly, biting your lip subconsciously. “Awesome, I'll call my buddy in the kitchen and have him send up some pizza and beer for you to enjoy”

“Actually, I'd love it if you'd join me, it's no fun watching hockey alone.” His signature smirk spreads across his face.

“O-okay, I c-could join you, if that's what you want.” You stuttered through your words, mentally kicking yourself for being so ridiculous.

“Good, it's a date. Let's go, I'm starving.” David ushered you to the elevators and after a quiet ride you stepped off on his floor.

He used his key to unlock the double doors, opening up to a penthouse suit that took your breath away. You suddenly felt awkward being in a place that was so expensive with someone so famous. Wandering around at the amazing room, you failed to notice the set of eyes that followed your every movement.

“Holy shit, this place is nicer than my apartment, ” you muttered out loud.

Turning towards the man still standing near the door, you asked “Is pepperoni okay?”

“What? Oh right, pizza. Yeah that's perfect,” Rubbing his hands together he flopped down on the couch to find a game to watch.

You quickly made a call down to the kitchen, your buddy Jay owed you a favor and you gladly cashed in on it.

Time had passed and the pizza was long gone, you found yourself sitting next to David comfortably. It felt like you two had known each other for years, it seemed so natural to get along with him. You found that you had a lot in common and with each passing moment you grew more relaxed being around him.

Once the game was over, you sat back against the couch and looked over at him. It was a surprise to see him already looking back. Blushing, you bit your lip again.

“What now? We still have about an hour until your Q&A.” You held eye contact with him hoping he wouldn’t ask you to leave.

“Well…” he started but was cut off by his phone. Answering it, he had a short conversation with the person on the other end. He mentioned that you were both in his room and you’d be waiting for everyone to meet here before heading down as a group.

Clearing his throat as he hung up he turned to you with a serious look in his eye. “Y/N, I’m about to ask you to do me a huge favor and I get it if it’s too much or if I’ve crossed a line but I’m kind of desperate at this point.”

Millions of thoughts flooded your mind wondering what he could ask you but they were soon put to rest as he continued.

“Will you pretend to be my girlfriend this week? I know it’s weird but Emmy seems to think I’m lonely and need someone. She’s been setting me up on these blind dates with these women who I can’t stand. I can’t take it anymore. Please, Y/N. If I make you uncomfortable at all during it I promise we can stop right away. You can make the rules if you want.” He grabbed your hand and you looked into his gorgeous brown eyes, he was pleading with you and who were you to say no to him.

“Sure, I’ve got nothing else to do this week.” You tried to casually say, hoping he couldn’t tell that your heart was about to beat out of your chest.

“Really? Seriously? You’d do that for me?” He grabbed you and before you could grasp what was happening, his lips were pressed against yours.

Immediately you reacted and leaned into the kiss, wrapping your arms around his neck and moving to straddle his lap. If you were going to pretend to be his girlfriend, you were going to at least enjoy it. His hands rested on your hips making their way to your ass giving it a rough squeeze. Without thinking you started to grind your hips, his hands guiding you against his growing erection. You both moaned in unison, reluctantly pulling away for air.

A knock on the door made you jump, looking at David, you noticed his pupils were blown and his eyes were now filled with lust. You grinned and bit your lip again making to slide off his lap. However, he stopped you, seemingly mesmerized. His thumb trailed lightly along your bottom lip, pulling it gently from between your teeth.

“You and that lip”, he murmured.

His thumb moved across your kiss swollen lip one last time, smiling proudly at his handy work.

Another sharp knock followed by loud banging and yelling came from the other side of the door. You slid out of his lap and stood up, adjusting your clothes and hair in attempt to make it look like you hadn’t just been making out.

“Shit.” He groaned and pouted slightly, trying to conceal his erection in the waistband of his jeans.

Grabbing your hand he pulled you to the door and swung it open with a huge smile, greeting his fellow cast mates as they made their way into the room. All eyes fell on you and your hand enveloped in his. David glanced down at you before looking back at everyone else.

“Everyone, I’d like you to meet Y/N, my girlfriend” he introduced.

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