tastes like strawberries

@larisms​.

The Wilting Flower’s production had wrapped months ago, but its cast and crew were afoot once more as they sought their chances for the imminent awards season. Olivia didn’t mind working the additional publicity; however, wanting no additional expenses, she had requested that no producer fly out from Los Angeles. Of course, that meant having to work with the team based in New York—the principal cast member of which was none other than Lara Sawyer, who now sat with her on some film magazine’s board room. 

A year and a half ago, Liv would’ve been enthused at the mere prospects of working with her. Now, she’d turn positively twitchy around her presence, let alone manage a full conversation with the esteemed actress. It normally wouldn’t be a problem, seeing how she’s usually surrounded by more important people, but with the key producers away and Lara’s interviewer still stuck on a meeting, the problem had come in full display. Still, Liv wanted to keep things professional. “So,” she began, taking a sip of the coffee that the increasingly apologetic intern had prepared for them, “how long do you think until the interviewer shows up? I’m getting kinda antsy just… waiting.” She added, finding the best justification for her increasing nerves.   

The Wilting Flower. Lara’s most recent project and one of her dearest roles, it so happened to be. A story of longing, remorse, sorrow. Her character, the heroine of the story, had taken Lara on a journey the blonde actress’d never forget. She had never felt more for a character, who had in return taken her and the crew to Spain, to a wonderful filming location. A labyrinth of flowers, the most beautiful and inspiring garden complex Lara’d ever seen. The movie had been acclaimed by both critics and the public and certain whispers had reached even Lara about it being a good contender for awards. So it didn’t come as a surprise when an eminent magazine had reached out and the actress was reunited with one of the producers. To Lara, the reunion was above all else a pleasant one; with Liv’s signature perfume filling her nostrils, she could close her eyes and pretend they were back in sunny Spain. However, due to some most recent events, there was tension rising in the air between them. Lara, had no clue whatsoever how she should act, what was allowed and what wasn’t. So she was seated next to a small sculpture-- had Liv not addressed her, she probably would’ve initiated the conversation with the work of art. “Shouldn’t be too long, they’re probably gathering the props for the game they’ll make us play,” she stated, a snicker escaping her lips at the thought. A moment of silence passed before she casually looked over at Liv, biting the inside of her cheek. “Why, though?” Of course she had to ask. “Are you... In some kind of hurry? Have a flight I don’t know about? To LA? Someplace exotic, maybe?”

“Gaaaabe, please,” the blonde deadpanned as she dragged the man by his arm inside the warmth of the organization’s headquarters. “Someone literally set our Santa on fire and the poor man will be alright but he has to spend the night at the hospital and I have to find a replacement and honestly, I always thought red looked good on you,” especially when we were high. All frantic in her movements, Lara finally came to a halt to take a breath, putting hands to her reddened cheeks to cool them, offering Gabe a sheepish smile. “It would mean a world to me and I would, I don’t know, hire someone to serenade you in return. Will you do it? Do you think you could handle the pressure?”

Noelle closed her eyes momentarily, wishing she didn’t overhear the previous conversation and sighed softly, opening her eyes again. “I’m sorry about it”, she said. “But, I hope that everything will turn out to be okay”, she smiled shyly at her. She was unable to find the right words to comfort the other woman and at the same time not intrude in her situation. “Can I…try to make your day in any way?”, she asked, leaning in slightly.

Lara’s words, although challenging and playful, hid a truth to them and this is something they both knew; a few marks on his body made it painfully aware to the two of them, a truth that somehow made him strangely proud when it came from the blonde’s lips. He had tried pessimism before, right about the time he found himself alone. He had tried to change his mind about people; about hope in general. He had succeeded for a while even, going as far as to claim everything was lost, including himself and it took him a while to realize his arguments were based off spite and anger, a sentiment he could instead use as fuel to try and make the world a place where those he knew and love could be happy and safe. If not for anyone, for his mother and now, for the woman who made him believe more than ever that everything would be okay, that he could be a better man; that genuinely brought out the best of him. His lips twitched up at both realizations. “Some see the world burn and do nothing until the flames reach them and then wonder why, if being called a fool is the worst they can do then I’ll take it” and just like that, the act was over. A shiver ran down his spine at the feeling of her tongue grazing his lips, hands instinctively reaching for her leg; helping her interlock them around his hips in an attempt to get their bodies as close as possible while chewing his lower lip ”I think we can get a little closer” the agent whispered as he planted a gentle kiss on his girlfriend’s neck, a chuckle escaping his lips upon hearing her next couple questions. “Well, I got here about an hour ago, a little more a little less. As for your questions,” he paused, considering it for a few moments as his fingers danced freely along her legs absentmindedly, lips curling up. He truly loved being able to help his girlfriend do research for her newest role; seeing her shape the little pieces of information she could get was truly mesmerizing, seeing her master her craft truly made him giddy. “Well, it depends on what I’m set to do, but of course we have rules. Mostly don’t get caught, or don’t get involved. But— there are gray areas when it comes to undercover jobs, rules, and morals. You are dealing with criminals who expect you to do what they are doing and won’t accept an excuse” he shrugged lightly, although he doubted that matter as much when the script marked what she was supposed to do, he figured having an intel on the psyche could potentially help. “It can shatter you, if your beliefs are slightly fractured. 90% of getting through it is morals, the 10% left is clear-headedness” then, another chuckle. “Are you thinking on keeping yours there?” the agent questioned, mirroring her actions and bringing his hands to her behind with a rose brow. “Sometimes you carry guns and sometimes you can’t and you have to rely on combat skills, depends on the operation but when we do, we mostly rely on in the waist bands, they are easy to secure on belts and jeans. I imagine during the Cold War era they’d have some version of those, but I can’t imagine it would be easy to hide wearing a uniform, no matter how nice it looks on you” again— his eyes traveled to see her costume, a personal indulgence of sorts. “How big is this gun we’re talking about?”

Her concern proportionally grew with her love for the man, which, as she was told, was completely normal so every reassuring text at the end of the day (or a mission) was greatly appreciated. However, there was no point in denying Lara was attracted to the heroic in him. Even as kids, she hadn’t know what it was called but the young girl liked it most when he’d emerge from the bushes, mid-tea party orchestrated by Margaret and help her run away to get lost with him. And now, the expressions of people and children he’d helped, whose lives he’d changed for the better made her heart skip a beat. So as soon as the man dropped his act and it was Xander standing before her, she closed the distance between their lips. Her fool. Eyes fluttered closed as a shuddering sigh escaped her, fingers finding their way into curls on the back of his neck. “How was your day?” Another thing her committed relationship had taught her was usually empty questions weren’t so empty when you genuinely cared for the other person and when a bit, the tiniest bit of their world could keep you grounded and help you forget all about a rough day. All the information he shared from real life truly helped her get into character, helped her be believable and convince the viewers her character was as real as they needed her to be. The theoretic aspect of it was clear-- maintain a clear head, don’t get caught, do whatever you need to make them believe you. However, even an amateur who had been doing a research for a role was aware it couldn’t be that simple. “And have you ever... Gotten too involved?” Lara questioned, lazily twirling one of the curls around her finger. “Well, they offered me a dagger to strap around my thigh at first but...” leaning her chest against his, she threw her head back to look up at him, a bright smile adorning her lips. ”You know how distracting a cold blade against bare skin can be for me.”