Imperfectpictures

1/27/2020

Episode One-hundred-twenty-two: Watching

Read Now

Episode One-hundred-twenty-two: Watching

“And that’s a wrap!” Someone shouted after Rob, the director, called cut on the final scene. The entire building went insane with sound, clapping and whooping echoing loudly around us. Bashfully, Edward and Sarah stood beside each other in the middle of the set that was supposed to be her bedroom. It looked like something for a very young teenager. The last shot was of him kissing the top of her fist before saying goodbye and disappearing into the night. It was a perfect one to end on. The whole sound stage was so quiet as they filmed.

I saw Sarah draw in a quick breath, her chest heaving a little. Sniffling loudly, her bottom lip quivered before she began to cry. Edward quickly scooped her up in his arms, hugging her to him comfortingly. It reminded me of how he handled his nieces. Sarah’s feet kicked back in the air as her hands clasped onto the back of his neck. Burying her face in his shirt, she wept softly. Speaking in her ear, he whispered encouraging words as he smoothed his fingers up and down her spine. She kept nodding. All the while, the applause continued around them. They were too wrapped up in their own world to notice.

“They really do like each other,” Jasper mused to me lightly as we stood back and watched from behind the crowd. It was almost uncomfortable to observe the pair having this obvious bonding moment. They probably needed to sit down and have a cup of coffee in private to unwind it all. Or maybe a poke bowl. Finally, I nodded my head in answer and smiled a little. “That’s good. He needs a lot of friends. He always has.”

Rubbing my forearm, I continued to watch. “I like her, too,” I admitted, glancing over at him for a moment. “But you two need to chill, though. Seriously. She’ll figure it out so fast. She saw through Eddie in a week,” I spoke so softly that I knew no one else could hear me but him. “Sarah’s too smart and in-the-know not to realize.”

He quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing brightly. “We’re not! We did this all the time in-” I snorted loudly, interrupting him. Jasper sighed dramatically before blowing out a raspberry. “Yeah. Okay. Maybe.”

“You’re so cute,” I breathed as I shook my head. Biting my lip for a second, I peeked at him from the corner of my eye. “I love watching you together. It’s so fun to see it bubbling under the surface. It’s been there for so long. You two look like you’re just about to jump each other at any moment.”

He put his muscular arm around me, squeezing me tightly to his side. I leaned into him, putting my head on his shoulder. Lightly, he pressed a kiss to the top of my curls. “I could barely keep it in before. We’re doomed,” he whispered.

I giggled in response. “Yes, but he might be worse.”

Finally, Edward rushed over to us. His makeup was all smudged from hugging the watery Sarah. First, he picked me up and spun me around before kissing me furiously. I could taste the salt from her tears on his skin. Smiling against his lips, I held onto his hair.

“We did it,” he breathed in a hushed emotional whimper.

“I’m so proud of you, sweet man,” I simpered into his ear, giddy with my own emotions. “You are so talented and funny. It’ll be a wonderful movie. I can’t wait to see it.”

He pushed his nose against my cheek, taking in my scent. He pecked a little kiss there. “Thank you,” he sniffled. “I can’t wait to watch it with you both.”

Putting me down to my feet, he looked to Jasper and opened his arms. There was a moment of hesitation, he was unsure what to do. But he couldn’t resist him. His smile grew wider, quickly going to him. They embraced tightly and whispered so softly that not even I could hear it. But I saw him mouth the words he loved him and always would, though.

“You will always be my best friend,” Edward promised him when he finally pulled away from his tight grip. He touched his shoulder, making sure that he was looking into his eyes. “Above all else.”

His breath caught for a moment before he nodded quickly. “Mine too, darling.”

“Bella!” Sarah shrieked, still crying openly. She threw herself at me, her tiny arms curling around my neck as tightly as she could. “I’m so glad we will see each other next week,” she practically yelled into my hair. “I don’t want it to be over!”

“And tonight!” I reminded her as I gently patted her shoulder. I think she needed the comfort. No one wanted the movie to be over. Everyone had grown close, and they were having a lot of fun. “Don’t forget, we get to party together!”

“Oh, let’s see if I even remember tonight.” She made a face as she pulled back. “I plan on having a good time. I definitely need a drink.”

Grimacing, I touched her cheek. “Okay, but I’ll make sure you have some water,” I muttered, teasing her as I played with her hair just a little. Moving the sticky strands away from her temple, I pouted a bit at her red eyes and tears. Gently, I tucked it behind her ear. “It’s fine. We’re friends now. I promise. We will see each other a lot.” Sarah nodded her head vigorously and then laid it on my shoulder. “And hopefully you and Eddie can make a ton more movies together,” I continued as I patted her back.

“Oh, yes! I hope so,” he agreed in a very cheerful tone. She gave him a watery smile, and he winked at her charmingly. Leaning over, he planted a large, tender kiss on her splotchy cheek. “Thank you for being my co-star. I’m so glad you were my first.”

She angled into his touch. “That sounds dirty,” she laughed, making him roll his eyes a little. “Me too, Eddie,” she said more sincerely as she touched his arm.

It was before four in the afternoon when they finished. The party wouldn’t start until nine o’clock that night. Edward had already gathered his things the day before and ‘stolen’ the items from the set that he wanted. They were also giving him most of his back-up suits because they were tailored for him and in perfect condition. They kept the main ones for any possible reshoots. Apparently, there were a dozen altogether, and they were all exactly the same. It was a part of his contract.

For the last time, we were taken home by his studio driver. He gave her a large tip in a crisp cream-colored envelope, shaking her hand and thanking her for getting him everywhere safely. It was ten, very stiff one-hundred-dollar bills. Grateful, she cried and hugged him. He wasn’t expecting it, but he returned it gently and smiled. She told him he was her favorite that she ever worked with.

He was silent as we went inside.

Edward put his box in his office, just staring at it. I rubbed his shoulders, pushing my face into his back. Everything was still for a moment except for his labored breathing.

“That was incredible. I didn’t know acting could be like that,” he sputtered out in a quiet rush. “I can’t believe it’s already over. It went by so quickly.”

“Are you happy?” I inquired gently. He nodded, but he wasn’t looking at me. Edward toyed with something in the box. I put my arms around his waist and squeezed it, my hands flat on his belly. There was just a slight tremor to his breathing as it sped up.

“This has been the very best week of my life. Thank you both,” he whimpered, moving his palms over the top of mine. Pausing, he twisted our fingers together. “God, it’s so hard not to cry. I wanted to so badly there.”

Jasper came behind me and put his arms around both of us. I giggled as he pushed me into Edward. All of our fingers tangled together at his waist. It was wonderfully warm, and I felt so secure. Their heartbeats surrounded me.

We were quiet for a long time, just holding each other.

“Squish me,” I murmured absently against his spine. They both rumbled slightly with laughter. Jasper squeezed harder. “Oh, yes. Just like that.” It pinned me between the tightest ass and the most muscular hips that I had ever seen on men. Neither skipped leg day.

“So, we have a few hours before we really need to get ready to go. What shall we do until then?” Edward asked, his voice a little lighter with his chuckles though it was thick with his emotions. “Nap, maybe? I don’t know if I could even relax enough to try.”

“We should eat, so we don’t get trashed tonight,” Jasper interjected. I nodded in agreement. “Smoke, order dinner, fuck again in the shower until we have to get dressed?”

I laughed loudly. “Sounds perfect,” our boyfriend agreed. I nodded once more before pushing my nose into his spine. Finally, Jasper let me go, so I released Edward. He turned around to face me. His eyes were still red-rimmed. “Why don’t you two go get some wine and the weed, hm? I’m going to run to the loo first. I’ll be right back.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. We watched him go quickly, his back to us. I pouted at Jasper, and he shrugged a little before sighing, tilting his head to the side. “Just… Give him a minute. He’ll be fine. Tony gets like this sometimes. He’s a bit overwhelmed.”

“I wish he didn’t feel bad about being emotional around us,” I whispered as I rubbed my hand over my forearm. “We only want to help.”

“He already feels weird enough about crying when he got home last night,” he chuckled before touching my hip. “He’s so tired. It makes Tony weepy. It always has. He really is happy, don’t worry.” Comfortingly, he put his arms around my waist and pulled me to his chest for a quick kiss. “Go get us some wine, dove.”

“Red or white?” I questioned as I rubbed my nose against his.

“White,” he replied, giving me another swift peck. I tried to pull away, but his arms didn’t move. “Wait, first, let me kiss you properly. I haven’t done so all day.”

He tilted me backward, one of his hands on the back of my neck while the other rested on my thigh. I squeaked against his mouth, making him chuckle. Melting into him completely, my arms went around him tightly. When he brought me to my feet again, he did so with enough force to make my hair fan around us. It left us both breathless and panting. He chuckled a little charmingly. “That’s better. Off you pop now.”

I wandered out of the office in a daze. As I did, he swatted my ass with a sharp blow. I couldn’t help but giggle. Jasper winked at me when I glanced back.

By the time we had the cups filled and the joint lit, Edward returned with a clean face. He had changed into a pair of sleep pants and a white tank top. I was sitting on the loveseat already, my feet pulled underneath me. I wiggled my fingers at him in greeting with a tiny grin.

“There you are, darling,” Jasper purred pleasantly, standing up to welcome him with a kiss. He held his chin, taking his time to savor his lips. Edward’s hands moved to his shoulders, slowly sliding up to his neck until he was holding his jaw as his eyes sank closed. “Go sit down and relax, hm? I’ll make you a glass,” he suggested when he pulled away from his lovely pink mouth. Nodding, he gave him one more kiss. Then another and another. Finally, he pushed him away with a laugh.

Relenting, Edward plopped down onto the cushion beside me with a huff. Looking over, he smirked a little before he yanked me onto his lap a bit roughly. Jasper took my spot, tugging my legs onto his own after giving him one of the stemless glasses. It was perfect.

Lighting the joint, I took a drag before holding it for Eddie. He sucked in a long pull, his head falling back against the pillow as he held it. When he let it out, a lot of the tension in his body went away.

He blew out a slow breath. “I’m looking forward to hanging out with Sarah, but I honestly wish we could stay home,” he admitted suddenly, this chin still in the air. “I don’t feel like being anyone but myself tonight. I don’t want to take pictures or pose. And I don’t want to have to pretend like I don’t want to hug and kiss you both tonight. I’m ready for a break.”

“You can hug and kiss her all you wish,” Jasper promised as he ran his hand up my calf. “It won’t make me jealous,” he teased, biting his bottom lip seductively. “I love watching you, especially in public. It’s like a little show just for me.”

“Yes. But I want to watch you two kiss. And I wanna kiss you and grab your ass,” Edward sulked a bit, making me giggle. I took another hit. “At least you can dance with him without it being too weird.”

“I’ll have to hide my hard-on all night,” he said with a laugh. I winked at him as I ran my toe over his thigh.

“And I’m not?” He demanded before rolling his eyes.

“We’ll just have to suffer, darling. But think about what we’ll do when we get home, though. Besides, I plan on giving you both something to hold you over until we get back.”

“What are you going to give me?” I asked with a funny smile as I rubbed my bare foot against his thigh again. Slowly, I dipped my toe lower. His hand smoothed over the top of it.

“At least…” he hummed, thinking about what he wanted to say as he picked up the joint for himself, “four mind-blowing orgasms. I’d say more, but we have to get ready, eventually.” I snorted, shaking my head. “You don’t believe me, little dove?”

“That’s it?” I joked, cocking it to the side as I took another drag.

He took one hit, too. “That’s it?!” Jasper repeated in a high-pitched voice. “I can’t hog them all! He probably wants a couple.”

Edward laughed, taking the joint next. He nodded playfully, blowing the smoke in the air as he continued to become more relaxed. I eased back against him, enjoying the warm late April breeze as it tickled my skin.

I realized in that second that this was everyone’s perfect moment. Edward had the people he loved around him, and he got to do the work he adored. Jasper was finally where he always should have been in the first place, at his best friend’s side. And I had the idyllic spot between two of the most doting, gentle, loving men in the world that made me feel absolutely worshiped.

This was our heaven, and it was only the second day of many more.

Back

Thanks to Gina for proofreading this episode!

Click to download the epub of this Episode!!

Click to download the pdf of this Episode!!