A Jesse Eisenberg x Reader Story

The Spotlight //You Hang Out More//

((Warning! ⚠ The Spotlight is a made up play production. It's not a real play so I own it!))

This time, you and Jesse were actually better at keeping in touch, texting once in awhile, asking where the other was in the world right now and what the two of you were doing. And if the two of you ended up in close range of each other, you'd come and meet up for coffee or lunch.

He was the one to encourage you to try out for the play he was in, and sure enough, you got a part!

"I'm starting to see a pattern here," He chuckles when you both meet up in New York for coffee before you had to get to the practice area.

You're both in a realistic play where the main character, you, gets a male sex change so Jesse is your double and you both have to wear the same costume. A white shirt, jeans, sneakers, and a purple hoodie, so the audience would always know that you both are the same person, but you wouldn't be on the same stage together.

"Hold up. You've NEVER seen Harry Potter?"

Jesse sets down the mug of coffee he was sipping on, squinting for a moment and shaking his head, looking around slightly to see if anyone in the café heard you.

"Not even read the books?" Your eyes widen in complete shock.

He shyly scrunches his shoulders, sinking further into his seat with a nervous smile and a blush, "Is that a bad thing...?"

You nearly choked on your coffee, "One of these late nights after rehearsal, I'm going to sit you down and we're going to watch a marathon and you're going to enjoy it."

He chuckles, staring down at his coffee when he trails off, "If you say so..."

You blush as your nerd side escaped for a moment and you clear your throat from your tiny ramble, "Well, if you haven't even acknowledged one of the most popular franchises of all time, than what do you like to watch television and movie wise?"

"Um, not much, actually." He finally looks up at you and smiles, "I'm more of a Broadway, on stage nerd than anything."

"I do like a good Broadway production every once in awhile," you smiled, "Maybe we can go to one sometime?"

"Sounds like a plan!"

And so that continues on the whole time the both of you are practicing for your production. Morning routines start by the two of you waking up and getting out of your trailers to meet for a quick coffee date, than afterwards a quick rehearsal before lunch, than you and Jesse bike to his place nearby in New York. There, he's the perfect host and always has lunch ready to be made when you visit. After you eat, you both go over your lines, reading off your script hundreds of times before it's finally like second nature to you and you're ready to perform. After you've had a quick briefing with each other's acting, you go back to the theatre for late night rehearsals. When that ends around midnight, you drag Jesse to your trailer and the two of you sit and chat or watch movies that Jesse has never seen before. And Jesse loves it, he feels like you've introduced him to a whole different life. A world he's never really seen before outside of his mom being a theatre geek and working as a part time clown when he was a kid. You definitely taught him to be braver and do things outside of his awkward little comfort zone.

The production opened a week later, and it became a big deal. One of the last performances one night was the most exquisite. During roll call after the play, while the audience are standing up and cheering, Jesse takes the center stage as the main character for most of the acts. He bows then waves you out with a huge smile from back stage and you enter, getting loud whistles and cheers since you were the lead role in the first couple parts of the play. Both of you wearing matching shirts, pants, shoes and jackets, take each other's hands and look to opposite sides of the stage, waving the rest of the cast and crew to come on out. After the other forty members are out, you all take hands and bow as the cheering continues, and then the lights go out once and for all.

After you have changed back into your everyday clothes and make-up, you and Jesse exit the theatre from the back door, laughing and acting silly when coming up with the idea of going to a bar to celebrate.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" You exclaim while taking his hand and leading him away, clearly hyper and full of adrenaline from your big night.

He laughs loudly at how giddy you were. Despite him not getting out much, he lets you drag him to a nearby bar and you sit down at a booth, you order a sweetened alcoholic drink while he orders a Hot Toddy, which is tea and whiskey. During your drinks, you both laugh and joke until the conversation turns to a discussion about emojis.

"I don't use emojis," Jesse explains, "They're so odd. I like it when other people use them, but not me. I go crazy if there's like a letter misplaced or the grammar wasn't correct. I guess that's the curse of being a professor's son."

"I send emojis so people know what I'm feeling," your reply, "That way they know I'm not being mean when I'm teasing them or something. The emojis help, because some people might take a text the wrong way these days."

Jesse pauses for a moment at some realization and grins slightly while holding up his phone, "I guess that explains all the laughing and winking emojis you've been sending me whenever you tease me."

You laugh, staring down at your drink and tucking some hair behind your ear, "Yeah, because I never want you to feel like I'm being cruel to you."

"Never. Not in my eyes." He quickly defends, not even blinking as he said it. And he was telling the truth. He has never thought you to be rude or cruel, but cunning and honest. You are loyal to him and give your honest opinion, all the while showing him the latest #1 Show or Movie, and that's all the things he admired about you as a friend.

You've always been introducing him to new things, even in the most awkward of circumstances, like performing a play about a sex change and the two of you are technically the same person.

((Just a quick update to prove I'm not dead and that I haven't forgotten this book!))