old soul | matthew gray gubler

35. second home

"Filming is supposed to start in 2 weeks and you're- you're, what? Nearly 2 months pregnant?"

Charlotte bit down on her bottom lip, nodding slowly. "Since the beginning of August."

"And you've been with him for six-"

"Seven months."

"Has anyone seen you together?"

Charlotte nodded again.

"And what are you expecting to happen when you break up?"

"If," she corrected quietly. "If we break up."

"Charlotte, you've got me into quite a PR mess," her agent, Jacob Ward, ran a hand over his face and breathed deeply. Loudly.

"Sorry," she squeaked, "I didn't mean for it to happen."

"Well, nobody ever does," Jacob moved his hand to the table where his fingers tapped the wooden surface repeatedly. "It's okay. It's nothing too serious, just- gotta figure out if the directors going to be okay with that."

"I won't get that big. The schedule for filming ends around, what? December...?"

"Yeah, December 22nd," he finished.

"That'll be only-" Charlotte did the math in her head, and she lost her confidence as she said, "20 weeks."

"Yeah," he mumbled, "that's the majority of your pregnancy. It's not only the matter of covering up your bump, but the symptoms of being pregnant. I don't want you on your feet all day if they're swollen, or if you're having cramps, or the fact that you have to go to the bathroom every 30 seconds. Charlotte, I'm worried about how the public's going to view this, yes, but I'm more concerned for you."

She pursed her lips, unsure of what to say. "Well, I am a woman. We've been dealing with it for thousands of years. I think I can handle two months."

Jacob gave her a strained smile, "I know you can. Just- okay. Let me call the manager for this season."

Charlotte leaned forward in her seat as the phone rang. She chewed on the tip of her finger, nervously staring at the name on the screen.

She answered and Jacob launched into a description of the 'problem.' She- someone Charlotte had never met before because she was a behind-the-scenes person- bummed along to everything Jacob said.

Finally, Jacob ended his rambles and she said, "Easily fixable. We'll ensure Charlotte's safe ans comfortable every single moment she's on that set. The shows not a heavy one- she can be sitting for a majority of the scenes she's in. Flowy skirts, dresses, flats instead of heels- hell! Slippers if the shots not on her feet. I'll get on with the schedulers to see how we can adjust it to get her off-set ASAP."

A grin grew on Charlotte's face and relief flooded her brain. The tenseness in her back relaxed for a moment and she leaned back in her seat.

"Okay, thank you so much," Jacob flashed her a wink, "we just wanted to make sure communication was clear."

"Hey, isn't Charlotte dating that Matthew Gubler?" The other line added.