The Elephant in the Room

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Flirting is the thesis of their daily banters. Batting eyes at each other, lacing one's arm to another's hips to pull them closer, sitting next to one another as if it was a spoken rule—those things. That's the core of their friendship. Folks surrounding them gotten used to it. It's just how y/n and Taika's relationship works.

"Wait, are you guys together or something?" the unknown actress their auditioning together quips.

The casting for Taika's new film "Jojo Rabbit" began. And since then, strangers who were never acquainted with the director-assistant director duo often jumped into conclusions on what their relationship might be. Most of the time, the duo bursts out laughing at the absurd thought. They shake it together and blurt their "nos," "he/she wishes" and "we're filing a divorce soon."

This time around, y/n found herself alone on the "no" wagon. Every time this was brought up, Taika clams up and says nothing.

"Okay, from the top again. Thanks Kiara," Taika dismisses the actress' notion. This prompts y/n to shoot a look at the Kiwi director, her partner-in-crime for six years. He looks up at her briefly and says nothing. Suddenly, there's an icy cold tension in the room. And the metaphorical distance between them is the iciest of them all.

Kiara goes back to her rehearsed dialogue. As for the duo, they remain quiet as if they were strangers. They maintain professionalism throughout. And both of them are uncomfortable as fuck.

When lunch came along, y/n masks her confusion with dry wit and pep. "Man, my stomach's making a beat up in this gig" she chuckles to herself as she stands up from her seat. Without missing a beat, she places her hand on his shoulder and leans down to his level. "You coming?" she asks him. He turns to face her. In an instant, their faces are inches away from each other.

There she is again. Her brown pools gazing back at his tired hazel ones. That shy smile is there to accompany it. Her short, Comme des Garcons-esque bob frames her face just right. "It's her kind of perfect," he thinks to himself.

All she sees is her friend's cheeks turning from pink to deep red in an instant. It only fuels her confusion more. "Well, you definitely need to eat by the looks of it." she states. "Did you even eat breakfast?" she asks, a little bit worried. "Uhm, yup. Lunch. Most important meal of the day," he adverts his gaze and gets up. "Tai, you mean breakfast," she clarifies in a deadpan tone. "Yup, that too." he says as-a-matter-of-factly. She dismisses his weird antics and runs to his side.

"Munch, munch, motherfucker," she holds his hand and starts running to catering. He slows her down by picking her up and carrying her onto his shoulder. She shouts for him to drop her, but he only chuckles, refusing her cries for help.

——

Pasta. Dr. Pepper Cherry. Bread.

Meat on meat on meat. Corn salsa. Cold brew.

It's their usual Postmates' combo. They sat side by side as they do. Taika twirls some alfredo from her plate, while y/n takes a sip of his cold brew. For a while, they sat together in silence. It's 80 percent from hunger, 20 percent from the obvious elephant in the room. Once again, they were coined as a couple by a stranger. It's an occurrence so usual that y/n has gotten used to it.

Unfortunately, this time around, Taika didn't take it as a joke. If y/n didn't know any better, he was a bit hurt when she dismissed the stranger's notion way too early.

"That was awkward, huh?" y/n points out the elephant in the room. Taika didn't say anything and continues eating his meal. She lifts her gaze up, away from her meal. "I meant the girl from casting earlier," she points out. He drinks some of his cold brew and gulps. "Oh, that one," he responds in a flat tone. "Fucking weirdo. That one," he continues before eating some more.

She laughs at him awkwardly, unsure what the next move is. "Are you okay?" she can't help but ask. Taika gives up and sighs. "Dunno," he huffs. "Maybe, I'm just tired of being not good enough for your standards. Meh, who knows?" He says his piece without missing a beat. Her eyes narrowed as he pouts after leaving a passive aggressive comment.

She sighs and grabs his cold brew. After grasping the cup, he catches her wrist. "Hey!" she yelps and shoots him a look. What caught of her guard was his intense stare. "Don't you like me?" he asks in a straightforward manner. "W-what?" she asks, confused as her cheeks starts to become rosy. "Does the idea of being with me make you that sick?" he asks, his tone sounds a bit hurt.

He starts to loosen his grip, letting her take a sip from his drink. "We're just friends, right?" she asks him, unsure on where this conversation will lead. "We're just sweet on one another and we're sarcasm soulmates," she explains further.

The gravity of her words was lost on her. For Taika, it feels like he watched her rip apart his heart from his rib cage. She ripped it into pieces, placed it on her alfredo and ate it in front him as she watched his body fall as it kept bleeding from the ground. He watches the scene unfold in his mind. While in reality, he was staring at her for a concerning amount of time.

"Tai," she calls him. She shakes him by the shoulder, dragging him back to reality with her. He smiles at her weakly and slowly grabbed her unopened soda can. "Here," he pushes the can to her direction while getting back his own drink. He takes a sip and says: "I don't know why you order that thing if you keep getting my coffee."

She chuckles to minimize the tension between them. "Yours taste better, what can I say?" she bats her eyes jokingly. He stares back at her. "You sure?" he asks. She nods in response. "I better check," he cups her face and leans to her level to press his lips against hers. Her eyes widens, unsure if she should push him back or pull him away.

After all the inside jokes, the laughter shared, and the fake flirting—maybe it was all leading up to this. The sleepless nights working together, celebrating Taika's ups and downs, and finding rest in each others arms as they do quick naps in random places has lead to a single kiss of confirmation. A confirmation she didn't know she needs in the first place.

She pulls him into a deeper kiss with more intensity before he tries to pull away. Rustling her fingers through his salt and pepper locks, tugging his lower lip with her teeth, while enjoying the textures of his beard grazing her cheeks. He's having is own fun too. In the middle of it all, he moves closer to her, cupping her face with both hands as if she was fragile porcelain, trying to find a perfect balance between gentle and rough while making out with her.

It's this pent up tension that bothered him. This raw, yet powerful energy that's obvious. It goes beyond their creative forces working together. It's the inside jokes and these nights spent together. But it's also how she took care of him when no one else was there, how she became his everything without her knowing and the fact she's the only one that keeps him sane as they navigate the crazy world of Hollywood life together.

As they slowly let go of one another, they look at each other with a renewed light. No more barriers or elephants in the fucking room between them. This is the most honest they've ever been with one another. After catching their breaths, they share a light laugh together.

"Didn't know you ordered dessert" she makes a lame attempt on a joke. He laughs at her attempt to break the ice. Unable to break his gaze away from her, he tucks her hair behind her ear unconsciously. He observes her features a while longer, trying to contain his urge to lift her to the green room and prove to her how much he wants her, how long he waited for this.

"We have to go to work," she tries to reel them both back to reality. "Fuck work," he murmurs as he leans down once again to kiss her cheek, trailing his kisses down to the nape of her neck. "Taika, this is counter-productive," she resists her urge to moan while he gives her a peck on her weak spot. She pushes her away gently causing him to pout in response. She sighs and gets up. "You're lucky you're cute," she huffs and hits his shoulder lightly.

"Why are you so fucking needy?" she asks before walking away to the casting room. Like a helpless puppy, he gets up and follows her right after.