A Blast from the Past

LA, 1993

AN: Again, we found a pretty perfect song for this... take a peek in the header❤

"We are really excited! You're going to be a great fit, Jen. We think you'll jive perfectly with the rest of the cast. I'm not sure if you know any of them personally, but we've got Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Leblanc, Matthew Perry... oh, and of course David Schwimmer..."

In an instant, she could feel her heart leap into her throat. Images of that night that had long since left her recent memory, suddenly flooded her mind like an avalanche. She had to fight every urge in her body to play it cool. She had just been given the biggest job offer of her life. David Schwimmer...

"Uh, Jen... are you there?"

"Oh, um, yes. Sorry. That sounds great, Marta! I can't wait! Thank you so much!"

She managed to get through the rest of the phone conversation, all the while, her mind was somewhere else... back in Chicago... six years ago.

On stage he was brilliant, and she was captivated by his performance. Even more so, when she talked to him afterwards and saw his true personality - a little shy... a little awkward... but so funny, charming, and...humble - he didn't even seem to recognize his own talents. Maybe that's what was so charming about him - that and his smile. No guy had ever looked at her the way that David looked at her. It was almost as if those dark brown eyes could see a straight shot right into her heart.

She hadn't been one to kiss random guys within only an hour of knowing them, but he was different.

She should have known that he'd never call. What would a college guy want with a high school girl that lives hours away? But for some reason, in the back of her mind, she held out hope for months that she'd hear from him.

For years, she found herself subconsciously paying extra close attention any time cast lists of any kind were mentioned by her close circle of friends. She had no idea if he'd ever have any plans to leave Chicago, but she knew that his talent was bigger than a theater stage, and she always wondered if she'd see him in LA someday.

When Marta said his name, she wasn't sure at first that she heard her correctly. She was thankful they were speaking on the phone, because if that conversation would have been in person, her poker face would have been out the window.

She really shouldn't be this excited. Really, she should be upset that they had that great night together and then he never called. But for some reason, she still couldn't wait to see him. She was excited - to see his smile, his eyes... to hear his voice. It was almost as if she was dreaming and any moment she would wake up. This dream guy that she shared a magical night and an even better kiss with... and then all of a sudden he was gone, and all she was left with was a memory.

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{ First Table Read 1993 }

He was hesitant about returning to LA... about risking another failed pilot... about all of it - but the writers convinced him that this was different. And after reading through the script, he started to believe them. Each cast member started to arrive, one by one, and he could instantly identify their characters. He was in awe of how each character was so expertly cast.

Five of them sat around the table chatting and getting to know each other. He hadn't seen Rachel yet. She must have been living up to her character in being fashionably late. There was an instant level of comfort among the group and he was quickly realizing that the production team was right - this was different.