Fan Fiction |
by distant origin
She had already finished eating the chicken and was more than halfway through her dessert, but Jerry was still talking about the TNMA.
Liz had to admire him for being so focused and dedicated to his work. But she also couldn’t help but feel sympathy for him for being so uptight. He didn’t always have to be concerned about his job after all. There were a lot of other things they could talk about, like how she looked. She frowned when she remembered that unlike most guys, HE didn’t say anything at all about her appearance when she walked in, which was too bad, because SHE already had a few compliments for him in mind.
“Well?” Jerry asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“I think the curtains go down after that,” she answered his question.
“You think, you mean you’re not sure?”
She shrugged as she took another bite of the cheesecake she ordered for dessert.
“I thought everything was clear at the meeting?” he persisted.
“Look, the rehearsals are tomorrow, why don’t you just ask the producers then?” she said.
“Because when you’re at a rehearsal, you’re supposed to already know exactly what to do,” he told her pointedly.
Liz shook her head. “No you’re not,” she disagreed. “Rehearsals mean that not everything’s final and that there’s still room for change. You can even show up not knowing anything.”
Jerry rolled his eyes. “Yeah, maybe in your unprofessional world,” he muttered.
Liz raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I’m unprofessional?” she asked, not really offended, but not at all flattered either.
“Well, you’re late all the time, aren’t you?” he said. “And you obviously prioritize everything else over work. You were more concerned about what’s good on the menu than the purpose of this whole meeting.”
“The purpose of this meeting was so we could eat while talking about the TNMA,” she said. “So what’s on the menu is pretty important too. Besides,” she continued. “I wasn’t the one who fell asleep at the hall at the real meeting 2 days ago,” she pointed out.
Jerry opened his mouth to say something, but closed it before any words came out. She had a point after all, even if it was also her tardiness that caused him to fall asleep in the first place. He sighed, letting it go as he looked at her plate and saw the cheesecake was already gone. He looked up at her, licking the fork where the last piece of cheesecake had been, and wondered how she could keep her great figure when she seemed to eat even more than him during meals. He shook his head to dismiss it and raised his hand. “I’m getting the bill,” he said.
“Wait,” Liz said, reaching for his hand to put it down.
Jerry pulled his hand back right away. “What?” he asked irritably.
“Why are you in such a hurry to leave? You’re not scheduled to do anything else,” she said. “Don’t you want to just sit and talk for a while?”
“For what?” he asked. “There’s nothing else to talk about. You’ve already said everything I need to know about the TNMA, right?”
Liz raised her eyebrows again. He was still thinking about that? “Are you really always this uptight?” she asked, almost laughing. “'There’s nothing else to talk about the TNMA',” she said as she moved her head and imitated Jerry’s voice.
Jerry raised an eyebrow at her too. “Are you mocking me?”
“So what? YOU called me unprofessional,” she said, teasing.
He rolled his eyes. “Look I’m sorry I said that okay, now can I just get the bill and go? I’m not in the mood.”
Liz was puzzled. “Not in the mood to what? To relax?”
“To flirt,” he replied.
Liz looked at him as if a plant had sprouted from his head. “Who said anything about flirting?” she said, starting to chuckle. “You think I’m flirting with you?” she was already laughing this time. How ridiculous could he get? She was just trying to get along with her co-host.
“Aren’t you?” he asked.
She was taken aback, realizing he was serious and suddenly felt offended. She moved her chair back and stood up.
And then she walked away.
Jerry watched her leave, without any intention of following her. He’d already gotten what he needed anyway. He saw her slip past the door more gracefully than anyone and suddenly felt somewhat guilty for offending her. He shook his head to clear the thought. He didn’t need to make up with her. It wasn’t like they were friends or anything anyway.