the co-star (jenna / female reader)

Chapter 8: A Surprise in the Soft Glow

Jenna's POV

Perusing the halls of LACMA hand-in-hand with Y/n was a new level of peace I didn't know I so desperately needed. We had the whole place to ourselves, so I didn't have to worry about nosey onlookers or paparazzi or phones in my face, and it felt so nice. We've even been able to steal a few kisses here and there, each one more addictive than the last, as usual. We found ourselves a little tipsy by the end of the tour, thanks to the champagne that somehow kept reappearing in our glasses, and as much as I kept trying to look at the art, my eyes always found themselves fixated on her. Watching her nod intently with the tour guide, taking in the art and reading the booklet to get more in-depth details on what we were looking at was the real sight to see, and I felt relief knowing that she was genuinely enjoying herself.

Now we found ourselves at the Urban Light, the installation of soft glow lamps that were planted just outside of the museum, and seeing her eyes dazzle in the light was the finest piece of art I'd seen the whole night. There were a few couples taking photos and small families admiring the lights, but to my relief none of them seemed to know or care who I was. This moment was still just ours, and I appreciated it with a warm heart. And warm cheeks. Damn that bottomless champagne.

"I can't believe I've never seen these. I literally live right down the street!" Y/n exclaimed excitedly, the effect of the liquid bubbles making themselves known. Her big smile makes me cover my mouth in a giggle fit.

"Well, now you have. What do you think?" I ask as we weave through the lamp posts together, our shoulders bumping every so often.

"They're so pretty. Such a simple concept, but so beautiful." She looks at me fondly now, the subtle glaze over her eyes making them shine even brighter. My heart skips a beat.

"I agree." I smile at her. We admire the lights in a short moment of silence before I clear my throat. "So look, I have one more surprise for you."

"What? What could be better than this?" She motions to the lights with an open-mouthed smile, and her childlike giddiness makes my stomach erupt into a chaos of butterflies.

"I think you'll like this one better." I respond with a knowing grin. Y/n watches in endearment as I grab an envelope from my bag and hand it to her. She takes it apprehensively with an uncertain gleam in her eye. "Go on." I nod to her when she doesn't open it right away. She opens the envelope painfully slowly and takes out the contents, shooting me a look of confusion.

"Plane tickets to Montreal?" I simply nod in response, eagerly waiting for her to put the pieces together as she looks between me and the tickets. "Wait. Did I...?"

"You did." My smile spreads, the excitement quickly getting too much to contain. Y/n stands there stunned with an open jaw, her gaze fixed on the plane tickets in her hand. There's such a long beat of silence I almost think she didn't hear me, but then she looks at me again, this time her eyes brimming with tears. Oh, my heart.

"I got the part?" Her words come out in a whisper of disbelief.

"Y/n," I look around to make sure there are no onlookers before taking one of her hands in mine, "you got the part. You're going to be in a movie." I squeeze her hand, a silent signal that this is real, and she did it.

"I- I don't know what to say." Her words come out in part chuckle, part sob.

"How about..." I tap my finger to my chin to feign deep thought, "My name is Y/f/n/ Y/l/n, and I'll be co-starring in a major franchise film, coming soon to a theater near you?" Y/n glances between me and her tickets again, then I'm suddenly engulfed in an air-tight hug, her scent wafting over me in a wave pleasing to my senses. Part of me panics at anyone who might be watching, but I didn't see anyone previously, and I didn't want to ruin this moment for her. My arms wrap around her waist just as tightly and that's when I feel the subtle shake of her sobs as we rock back and forth.

We hold this embrace for a few moments before she pulls back, her eyes and cheeks glossy with happy tears. Her smile is taking up her whole face, and mine matches out of pure happiness for her. Joy was such a pretty look on her, and I decided here and now that I was dedicated to making sure she experienced it as much as she could.

"Okay, so-" She stops abruptly and eyes me intently. "Wait a minute. How long have you known about this?" I give her a wincing look before responding.

"Okay, before I answer, just remember how happy you are right now." Her face contorts into suspicion, the smile still plastered on her face nonetheless. "They chose you the day after you sent in your tape. I had this date planned already and thought this would be the perfect cherry on top, so I told them I wanted to be the one to tell you. Please don't hate me." I wince again when she smacks my arm lightly.

"You little fucker! You mean I've been stressing for no reason!?" Her voice raises, but she's not the slightest bit upset given how she's laughing her words out.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry! I've been bursting at the seams trying not to tell you. I just thought this would be the perfect moment. Are you upset?" I suddenly feel terribly selfish for my decision, but her gaze softens on me and she grabs my free hand, shooting sparks through my arm at the contact.

"I'm not upset. This is the perfect moment." She gives my hand a squeeze and my heart swells with how beautiful she looks in this light. "But don't you ever do that again." She smacks my arm again, which earns a laugh from both of us. She takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"So like- now what? When do we leave? What do I do? I don't even know what to do with myself right now." She's talking a mile a minute which makes me laugh even more, and her use of the word "we" makes the butterflies come alive once again. We're really doing this, together.

"We leave in 2 weeks. Matt and Tyler have everything arranged for you, which they'll go over in a call. Most likely tomorrow."

"Two weeks? Holy fuck. This is all happening so fast." She takes another deep breath and moves her hands to her head.

"It's quite the whirlwind, isn't it?" I say, reminiscing on landing my first big role.

"That's an understatement. I am so excited I can't contain myself."

"I'm so excited for you. And so proud of you." I flash her a warm smile.

"Thank you, Jenna. I literally couldn't have done it without you." Her expression is one of gratitude as tears threaten to fall again.

I shake my head and bow as if I'm worshipping her. Which I am. "The hardest part was all you. I told you, you have what it takes." A moment of silence falls between us as we take in this moment, the lamps cascading over us in a blanket of pure beauty and bliss.

"I don't want this night to end." Y/n finally breaks the silence in a soft, dreamy tone.

I sigh. "Me neither, but it has to. We have a movie to shoot." Our smiles spread to our ears once again and she comes in for another embrace, to which I gladly return, not caring who may be watching.

AUTHOR'S NOTE - there will be drama/angst eventually, for those who may find this too fluffy... just wait :))