@W&KF - This line: <<On the red carpet, immediately everybody notices the ring on her finger but she decides to not comment on it when asked the question.>> just made me 'AWWWW' out loud. LOL.
So I watched TBG, start to finish and NOT on cable lol, a few days ago for the first time in probably 3 years. I was determined not to get sad, and it wasn't a *total* success (lol) but I *did* manage not to cry, so at least that much is a win!
But what I noticed a lot (and not for the first time, of course) is just how sexy and fiery these two were as a couple. We had talked on here before about this photo:
And so, from these inspirations (and my own liberties as always, lol), the following little one-shot was born. This is meant for nothing other than lighthearted fun (
), and it made me smile while I was writing it... always a plus. Enjoy!
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Gun Shy (one-shot)
Hollywood, CA
March 1992
Pulling the white sheet up under her arms, Whitney smiled mischievously at Kevin as he pulled his pants on, the late day sunlight streaming through the open miniblinds above the bed. A couple of stragglers from the crew were still packing up equipment; the rest had already gone. Any innocent onlooker would think that something intimate had just happened in that bed, and in some ways it had. But at the end of the day it was all, unfortunately to Whitney, just for the film.
Kevin, always a professional, had been a total gentleman for the past few months. He seemed to alternate between ignoring her subtle flirting and assuming that she was doing it while still in character. She wasn't. Whitney was accustomed to men,
gorgeous men, tripping over themselves just to talk to her. Kevin's contrasting behavior only added fuel to her fire for him.
It was somewhat charming how much he got into his character, and she definitely appreciated the extra rehearsal time. But as they spent more and more time together outside of filming, she'd discovered that they actually got along quite well, and had developed a growing attraction to him. It wasn't love; nothing that serious. Just a simple boy-girl magnetism, paired with the desire to get to know him better. If that took their friendship to the next level, well, who was she to fight it?
Surprisingly, Kevin was usually reserved and rather shy around her. There were times she could get him talking -- times he'd really open up to her on a personal level,
almost being flirty with her -- but then, like a light switch flipping off, he'd clam up. Once, she had noticed him blatantly checking her out during a scene when only she and her character's son were on camera. As soon as she'd caught his eyes again after the camera stopped rolling, he had quickly looked away, burying his face in a script. Whitney wasn't easily discouraged, though; their subtle game of give-and-take intrigued her.
He turned around to look at her, the sheet tight around her torso, as he buttoned up his shirt. She could swear she saw a flicker of desire in his eyes, but it was gone in a split second.
"We're finished, Whitney; you're free to go for now." He smiled sweetly, then looked off to the side as the last cameraman left the room. She had to admit she'd become a bit of a sucker for that smile lately.
"Oh. Okay." She coyly raised a brow, dark eyes sparkling. "Are you
sure you don't want to rehearse this part again?"
It was a brazen come-on, much more so than any of her earlier attempts. She cringed inwardly the second the words escaped her lips, sure that she would be met with more rejection. His blue eyes moved slowly down the covered shape of her body, and she saw him swallow as they quickly moved back up to her face.
"Yeah. They got what they needed from us. The whole thing's a wrap now; just has to go to editing." He slipped his belt into its loops, buckling it in the front. "Thanks again, for... today. I know you didn't want to do these scenes, but I think they went well. I really appreciate you stepping up to the plate like that." Another sweet schoolboy smile.
There was definitely a time when she hadn't wanted to do the love scenes; a morning during pre-production that she'd thrown a fit and flat-out refused. Kevin had been very accommodating, even showing her several photos to let her choose her own body double. That all seemed so long ago now. As she looked at him standing in front of her, a total knockout, she wondered what the big deal had been to her in the first place.
It's not like the past three hours had been torture, exactly. They had both gotten skin-toned undergarments to wear; they weren't fully nude like she was afraid they'd be. That had been her only fear that morning as she phoned her double, pretending to be the director's assistant, and told her they weren't in need of her services after all. When the girl then didn't show, Whitney politely volunteered to film the scenes herself. Kevin had appeared unfazed by the change, taking everything in stride as always.
It wasn't a purely selfish move, though. Whitney was certain that the onscreen chemistry between the two of them had come across much stronger than it would have with another actress. The scenes had honestly gotten pretty hot. He was a good kisser; a
great one during the moments that he seemed to forget his inhibitions and play it up naturally. She'd loved the feeling of running her hands down his back, even gently digging her fingernails into him once before he'd politely asked her to stop. She had behaved herself after that, albeit while sulking slightly. It had still been enjoyable, if not a little frustrating for her.
She paused for a few seconds, trying not to have hurt feelings, before responding to his gratitude. Her mind was working overtime for an excuse,
any excuse, to get him to stay a little longer.
"You're welcome. Hey... could you wait just a minute while I get dressed? I thought we might talk about the order of the songs for the soundtrack." Whitney slipped out from under the sheet, watching as Kevin respectfully turned his head. She grabbed her sweater, suddenly embarrassed, and tugged it on.
"Actually the soundtrack is out of my hands now, and I trust whatever they come up with. I'll see you tonight for the photo shoot?" He spoke quickly, walking toward the door, as though saying a casual goodbye to an acquaintance.
"Yeah. Sure. See you then."
She tried to mask the disappointment in her voice that he simply wasn't attracted to her, even after all of her attempts. Quick, intense glances between takes. Lingering longer than necessary during their kisses. Being touchy-feely with him, even when the cameras weren't rolling. And today, her boldest attempt of all, was once again shot down. It bothered her to think that their real-life chemistry must have been only in her mind this entire time. She sighed, picking her jeans up off the floor, feeling like she'd just made a complete fool of herself.
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Three hours later
Burbank, CA
Whitney walked into the small photography studio, setting her bag down in a corner. She wasn't in the best mood, especially after the way Kevin had run off earlier as though he'd rather be anywhere else but with her.
"Evening, Whitney," he said cordially, placing his prop gun in the holster on his belt.
"Hi," she replied. The tension between them was palpable to her, though nobody else seemed to notice as they set up their lights and cameras. She tried not to dwell on it. They had both worked hard on the movie, and still needed to get some good publicity photos out of this session before putting the entire project in the books.
The first few minutes of the shoot were routine. They took some photos of Whitney alone, then only of Kevin while she changed into a different costume; the cream and gold dress from the Oscars scenes. Walking out from behind a curtain, she saw him look at her almost dismissively, then turn his face back to the camera.
She walked up to stand next to him, pushing the distraction from her mind, determined to get into character one last time. She felt him come around behind her, wrapping his arms tentatively around her waist, like it was a cheesy prom photo. She sighed aloud in frustration.
"You're allowed to put your
hands on me, you know?" she whispered.
"Oh,
am I?" he laughed dryly. "Thanks for the permission."
The ambient noise in the room was loud enough that nobody else heard the exchange. As though to placate her, he squeezed her tightly, pushing some of the air from her lungs. She leaned her head back until her temple was touching his chin, and he moved one arm up to pose with the gun at chest level. She couldn't help but feel herself heat up, slightly irritated that he always had that effect on her.
"That's
gorgeous," the photographer raved. "Really stunning. Let's get a couple more from there, and then I need you to kiss her."
Kevin sighed softly, but something changed between them just then. Whitney could feel him relax, which led to her loosening up as well. The tension dissipated as he spun her around, pulling her close and leaning down toward her mouth. She briefly thought that he had broken character, and that he must have shared at least some of the attraction she felt.
"Okay, stop... just hold her there for a minute, Kevin. Beautiful."
A series of bright flashes and the soft clicking of shutters filled the room. Whitney could feel his hot breath on her lips, and the anticipation of kissing him was making her crazy. She tried to put it from her mind; tried to think as Rachel would think after she'd been spurned by Frank, and failed. She'd kissed him numerous times for the movie, but it hadn't felt quite like this, not even during the love scenes earlier that day. This was an unfamiliar combination of pure lust and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. They held the position for what felt like hours, but must have been only seconds.
"That's good, guys. I think that's better than an actual kiss. Now go around behind her again." The photographer spoke matter-of-factly.
He released her immediately as though the intense moment between them had never occurred. She didn't realize until then that she'd been holding her breath, waiting for a kiss that didn't even happen.
"
Are you kidding me?" she spoke, soft enough for only him to hear.
Kevin, silent, seemed amused at the situation. He moved behind her, wrapping his arms strongly around her once again. She jumped, startled, as she felt something firm pressing against her thigh.
"It's just the
gun, Whitney...get your mind out of the gutter," he whispered into her ear breathily.
She finished the session on autopilot, slightly annoyed with Kevin, but extremely annoyed with herself for letting her crush on him get so out of hand. They were completely finished with everything after tonight, and it was time to part ways and get back to her life.
After the final photo was taken, Whitney changed back into her street clothes, then waited patiently off to the side until everyone else had left the studio. She was finally tired of the games, of the tension, and of always worrying about what he was thinking. He was a colleague -- one who'd really gone out on a limb in casting her -- and he'd been nothing short of wonderful, even if he wasn't interested in her outside of the role as she'd hoped. She caught him just before he left the room.
"Kevin?" she asked softly.
"Yeah?" He spun around, showing a flash of a genuine smile as he saw that she was still there.
"I just...I wanted to say thank you, for giving me this opportunity. I really appreciate it." She smiled politely.
"Oh, of course. Thank you for taking it. You were great, really." He set his bag down, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Thanks. I had a lot of fun," she spoke, her breath catching in her throat as he looked at her. The words sounded almost defeated.
"Me too, I really did," he replied. "I think it's gonna turn out well." He smiled briefly, turning away, then back again to face her almost as an afterthought. "Anything else, Whitney?"
"No, I don't think so?"
"So you're finished trying to seduce me, then?" He raised an eyebrow, his face not giving anything away.
She felt a hot blush creep into her cheeks. "I...don't know what you're talking about."
"Sure you do. I mean, you're pretty good at it, really. I always managed to stay one step ahead of you, but even
that was hard to do sometimes. Doing the love scenes yourself was definitely not something I was expecting...what a checkmate
that was." He grinned, and Whitney felt like sinking into the floor.
"I don't know if you... well, I'm
sure it's not the same for a girl, but being really turned on in front of a room full of people is actually pretty awkward, believe it or not, Miss '
Wouldnt It Be Cute To Run My Nails Down His Back'!" He laughed softly, shaking his head. "Nice move, by the way. I almost totally lost it at that point... almost kicked everyone else out of the room."
Her eyes widened in disbelief as he continued.
"I mean, God, it was hard to pretend not to want you. Much harder than my actual role. I still can't believe I pulled it off. Do you have any idea how many cold showers I've taken lately? Sorry... overshare, but it's true. And I have to say, I'm flattered at how you've continued to push the issue. I figure a girl, a
woman... like you can probably have any guy you want, right?"
She blinked twice before her mouth curved into an embarrassed smile. "Usually, yes." She laughed. "Wow, that sounds terrible! I promise I'm not full of myself."
"So, why me, then?" he asked softly. A few seconds went by in silence as she pondered her answer.
"You've treated me with so much respect, I guess, is the main thing. I mean, you waited a year for me. You took the time to run lines with me every single night. You've helped me through all of this with patience and kindness... and it's really refreshing to me." Whitney paused, smiling shyly. "Plus, you know, you're
hot." She laughed softly at the last word.
He smiled back at her, keeping the eye contact, then crossed the few steps between them, lifting her chin up to his, the exact way they had been earlier for the photos. Her heart was racing, and she was sure he could feel it.
"I'm going to ask you one more time, Whitney. Are you trying to seduce me? Because now that we're finished... I don't have to say no anymore." His voice was low, almost pleading.
She leaned up to meet him, kissing him softly until she could feel what was left of her faux resolve weakening.
"Yeah, I am. If you think you can
handle it, that is?" She raised an eyebrow.
He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist and leading her out of the studio. She leaned her head against his shoulder, wondering what the world was going to think of them. It wasn't until they got outside, several steps into the chilly night, that she decided she wasn't even going to worry about it.