between the lines//MGG

3

a/n: this photo made me laugh. 

the next few days pass uneventfully. we get ready to shoot the show, and my days are swallowed up with character work and memorizing lines. I almost forgot that being on a TV show isn't just about meeting people and drinking wine with castmates.

Eryn's been kind enough to put me up in a tiny apartment about fifteen minutes from the studio. it's kind of far, but it's already expensive to live in LA and I'm not exactly inclined to complain. I had resigned myself to existing within a hotel for at least another two months.

I'm stringing up little pumpkin lights around the living room when my phone buzzes. I hastily finish up the strand I've been working on and answer.

"hello?" I'm slightly breathless from running around so much this afternoon. I've only just started decorating, what with all the other work stuff, and I was hoping to squeeze in time to online shop for a costume. I feel hopelessly behind.

"hey, you. what are you up to?" Paget asks cheerfully. I glance at the huge box of decorations sitting on the counter.

"decorating my apartment for Halloween. What's up?"

"oh, nothing. I'm just sick of working. You need any help?"

...

"how was that shadow puppet thing, by the way? it sounded... interesting." Paget smirks as she helps to unroll yet another string of pumpkin lights. I'm standing on a chair with some sticky hooks in one hand. my arms are getting tired, but I don't mind too much.

"super fun. Matthew and I both love Halloween, apparently."

"I can see that." she looks around the room and laughs.

"I need ideas for what to dress up as." I get down and move the chair farther down the wall. I'm making good progress.

"maybe you and the girls and I can dress up as something. like a group costume." she suggests, and I turn to her with a devilish smile.

"I would love that. but we have to pick an actually good group."

"Spice Girls?"

"that was fast." I chuckle. she's hiding a smile.

"I might have already thought about it." she's pretty when she smiles, revealing a set of straight, white teeth and gentle laugh lines. I finish up the lights and hop down, setting the sticky hooks on the counter and going to grab us two glasses from the cupboard.

"I'm surprised you guys wanna hang out with such a newbie like me. iced tea?" I offer, peeking into the fridge.

"sure. and you keep me young, darling!" she jokes.

"you have a daughter, right?" I pour the pitcher of iced tea into the glasses and she takes it with a smile.

"yeah. she lives with her dad." the words don't sound forced or bitter at all. like enough time has passed for her to have come to terms with it.

"oh. sorry. didn't mean to pry." I apologize, worried that she'll clam up. i have a tendency to say the wrong thing quite often, apparently.

"you're not prying. she likes spending time at her dad's more. she says I 'don't have time for her,' so she refuses to make time for me." she explains before taking a long sip of tea. I nod, not really knowing what to say. I was wondering why a woman her age and with a daughter would call up her 25-year-old coworker to hang out when she got sick of working.

"how old is she?" my voice comes out softly. I've been lucky enough to have both parents, but if I were her daughter, I'd probably put up walls when really all I'd want would be for someone to break them down.