DISCLAIMER: The following story is completely FICTIONAL is does not imply anything concerning the private life of Paul walker or Josh Hartnett. I don't know them and I don't know anything about their lives. This story is only meant as fiction an does in no way describe real occurrences, situations or facts. All other persons mentioned in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to an existing person, company or business is coincidental.
Paul and Josh: chapter 2
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When the show was over he looked at the clock was almost 7.30 pm. "I better get ready cause he'll be here soon." Paul thought. He changed into an outfit he thought he looked better in, made sure there was no mess in the apartment. After that he went out on the terrace for a quick smoke before Josh arrived. As he walked back into his apartment the doorbell rang...
...
Paul felt his heart skipping beginning to race when the sound of the doorbell sounded through the apartment. He knew who was waiting outside. His nerves were killing him so he took a deep breath to calm himself down. He answered the doorbell over the intercom and sure enough it was Josh. He unlocked the door and told his guest to come right up. Half a minute later there was a soft knocking on his door. He opened the door...
Paul's heart skipped a beat when he saw Josh. He knew the guy was cute but nothing could have prepared him for what he saw when he opened the door. Josh was wearing a pair of night-black jeans and a black leather jacket that completely matched whit his ink-black hair. There was a little bit of hair gel run through his hair causing the little light there was in the hallway to reflect in Josh's hair. The wet-look made him look even more beautiful then he already did. Under his open jacket he was wearing a white shirt, tight enough to give a hint of his perfectly sculpted torso. Paul was completely taken aback by the stunning good looks of the guy standing in front of him. Lucky for him he hid it well enough for Josh not to notice.
"Come in..." Paul said, still quite impressed by Josh's appearance.
"Thanks" Josh replied as he entered Paul's apartment.
Paul showed his guest to the sofa and offered him a seat. After getting him and Josh a drink from the fridge (two corona's to be precise) he took a seat opposite to Josh. Paul wasn't sure how to start a conversation with the guy in front of him. Dozens of subjects and openers ran through his head but each one, he thought, made him look stupider then the last one. Fortunately for him Josh started the conversation.
"This is a real nice place you got here" Josh complimented.
"Thanks" Paul said, "I've lived here for quite a while so I've tried to give it kind of a homey feeling, you know? I'm glad to come home after a days work."
"Yeah...I know what you mean." Josh replied "I'm always on the move from one hotel to the other. Not exactly the best circumstances to deliver good performances, but I can cope."
"So...you read the script already?" Paul asked. Talking about the movie was the only thing he could think of to keep the conversation going. He had never been a smooth operator that could just waltz into any company and join a conversation, let alone start one.
"I did...I thought it was awesome. I mean some of the dialogues are so good it's almost freighting. That was one of the deciding factors in my decision to do the movie, the fact that it was so well written. I can't wait to perform it. That's going to be a real challenge creatively." Josh replied.
"I hear you" Paul said, "I've read the script about three times by now and it's just amazing to think I'll be bringing some of that stuff to life."
"My thoughts exactly." Josh agreed.
With that another silence fell. Sometimes it takes a while for two strangers to get accustomed to each other and before that happens they might be hesitating in each others company.
"So...are we still going somewhere?" Josh asked.
"Yeah sure" Paul answered. There's this really great bar a couple of blocks from here. Let me just get a few things and we'll be one our way."
Paul gathered his cell-phone, his wallet and a few other things, put on his shoes and together they left the apartment. It was quite a could day in NY this time of year. The wind seemed like it could cut through anything with its freezing breath. Nonetheless the streets of the city were busy, crowded and alive. Tourists walked the sidewalks looking for the famous NY sites. From time to time they passed a street –musician still playing his songs. There were people selling roasted chestnuts. The atmosphere of the evening-city was quite a picture onto itself. Nothing much was said during the walk to the bar. For Josh this was the first time he experienced the real NY. Sure he had stood on the statue of liberty once, a long time ago, but most of the time when he visited a city the experience was limited to his hotel-room and a movie-studio. He had immediately fallen in love with the beauty and the character of this vibrant city so he inhaled its atmosphere as if it were some reviving drug. >From time to time he would ask Paul about the things he saw on those streets. Whether it was regular tourist- information or more specific details about the way people were acting, Paul was happy to give all the explanation he could give. He too loved this city and he was happy Josh could appreciate it to. It was funny to see how these seemingly pointless conversations began to break down some of the walls between them. They had broken the ice as they say.
Suddenly Paul said: "Well here it is." As he pointed to the building in front of them.
They were standing in front of a bar that, from the outside at least, looked very inviting. The decorations on the outside immediately gave away the country & western –theme this bar was focussing on. Josh was amazed by the location of this seemingly very entertaining bar. He asked Paul about it.
"You know, if it wasn't for you bringing me here I would have probably never found this place, and even if, by coincidence I would have walked down this street I still wouldn't have noticed it." He said.
"That's the whole point." Paul explained, "We could have gone to `times square' or something like that but believe me, when you live in NY you're happy there are placed not overrun by tourists. Only people familiar with the city will know of this place, and since it's Tuesday it probably won't be that crowded either...so let's go in. It's freezing out here."
With that said they entered the bar. Paul was right. Beside a few regular costumers the place was nearly empty. They made their way to the back of the bar where they sat down in a booth, well hidden from most of the people in the bar. Even though they both enjoyed and appreciated their fan base, this was one of those times they preferred not to be bothered for autographs or pictures. Josh overlooked the bar. Paul was right: this really was THE place. There were many ornaments and decorations referring to the bars western theme but they were obviously carefully put together so the whole thing didn't seem overdone or ridiculous. There were some familiar country tunes coming out of the speakers, adding to the relaxed and toned down atmosphere of the bar.
"So what do you want to drink?" Paul asked. He couldn't help but notice Josh looked even better now that the red and yellow lighting of the bar was reflecting in his hair and his jacket. There was something almost angelic about his appearance. Also Paul had noticed Josh had the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. From time to time Josh would flash it and it just cut through Paul's heart when he did. He couldn't help but think "God! I want this guy!" He was pulled out of his thoughts by Josh answering his question.
"I'll have whatever you have!" Josh answered to Paul's question what he wanted to drink.
Paul ordered two Coronas. "You can drink whatever beer you want, as long as it's a Corona." Paul smiled.
"The fast and the furious" Josh said.
"What?" Paul asked a bit confused.
"Wasn't that Vin Diesels line in `the fast and the furious'?" Josh asked.
"Yeah it was." Paul answered "but that's my line. I say that all the time. One time the director heard it and put it in Vin's dialogue. But it's a patented Paul Walker Catch-phrase!"
Both guys laughed at Paul's last comment.
"You know I could come to this bar just for the music they play." Paul said. He felt the conversation was drying out a bit and talking music, he had learned is always one of the best ways to revive a conversation. He was right again.
"Yeah it's pretty cool" Josh agreed. "So you're a country fan then?" He asked.
"I like all sorts of music, country being one of them." Paul replied. "So what have you been listening to lately?" He asked.
"I've been listening to some of the music mentioned in the movie actually" Josh answered, "apparently my character is a big Melissa Etheridge mark so I've been listening to her quite a bit lately."
"She's one of my favourites.." Paul said. Immediately he wondered whether that was a good idea. He often worried it would be little things like that that would give him away. He knew the singer had a big gay following but he wasn't completely insecure so he quickly dismissed the thought. "She's a class act all the way." He continued.
"There was this one song I thought was awesome." Josh said, "I can't remember the name but I went something like..."
Suddenly softly began singing the song.
"I would dial the numbers just to listen to your breath. And I would stand inside my hell and hold the hand of death..."
"Come to my window" Paul spoke "I love that song. That's one of my favourites". Paul was amazed how good Josh's singing sounded. Even though it was very quit it still sounded amazing. He knew Josh was a great actor but he never thought the guy could sing as well.
"Or how about her latest tune." Josh continued.
Suddenly and without warning he sang as loud as he could: "Ooh it only hurts when I breathe..." He even imitated the guitar-chords from the song. The entire bar looked at them for a few seconds, but neither guy could care cause they were both laughing at Josh's sudden performance.
"I think they heard you at Liberty Island!" Paul laughed.
"Hey...when you're in the mood you gotta go with it!" Josh defended himself, still laughing.
With that the ice between the two guys was completely broken. They talked all night about everything that came to mind: the movie obviously but they were comfortable enough to talk about their own lives, their careers, their general interests...anything that came to mind. As the evening progressed Paul was drawn more and more to the guy he had just met today. Not only did he definitely appreciate the guys' handsome features but also he really enjoyed being around josh. The guy was funny, easy to talk to, friendly but also very bright and intelligent. >From time to time he would find himself lost in Josh's beautiful dark eyes and bright million-dollar smile. He had a really hard time not to let his guard down. They were hitting it of so well he didn't want to ruin anything by being caught staring at Josh in a way that would completely give him away. After a while the conversation came back to the movie about to start next week.
"So you're ready to begin the movie next week?" Paul asked.
"Yeah I am" Josh replied, "Only...". He seemed to hesitate a bit as he continued. "I feel a bit uncomfortable with those nude-scenes in the script." He said.
"I know what you mean" Paul agreed. He couldn't help but picturing the filming of those scenes, and more importantly he couldn't help picturing Josh naked. Again he found himself trying to keep a straight face, as to not give himself away. He hated situations like this, but what other alternative did he have?
"You know...we could get them cut if we both position ourselves against it." Josh continued.
"Yeah we could..." Paul agreed, "but I don't think we should. They are a vital part of the script. Cutting them out I think would ruin the plot."
Even though it might seem that way, Paul wasn't trying to keep the possibility of seeing Josh naked open. What he said was sincere. Those scenes were a key element in the script and cutting them would probably ruin the movie.
"Yeah you're right" Josh agreed, "It's to good a movie to be ruined by pride or shyness."
They ordered another drink as they continued their conversation. Finally Josh spoke the words Paul had been hoping not to hear.
"You know...It's getting really late...I think it's best to start going home." Josh said.
"I think you're right" Paul agreed, even though he hated doing so. He wished this evening could last forever but not even dreams last forever, let alone a pleasant evening.
They stood up and left the bar after having paid their bill. The greeted the waitress as they went out the door. Back outside they started to say their goodbyes to each- other. Paul had a heavy feeling in his stomach. He didn't want to end the night because he knew their might never be a chance to repeat it. Suddenly Josh ended his worries with a simple question." "Hey...you weren't doing anything tomorrow were you?" He asked.
Paul's eyes lit right up. "No why?" He answered.
"Well...I was planning to visit the city tomorrow...you know the tourist thing...See all the landmarks NY is famous for...if you're not doing anything I would like your company." Josh spoke.
"Yeah...count me in" Paul accepted the invitation. Though he played it down in front of Josh his heart was jumping at the idea of spending another day with Josh.
They talked a bit more, set the time and the place where they would meet each other tomorrow and then said their goodbyes. Paul watched as Josh walked back to his hotel. Before turning the corner Josh raised his arm as a final goodbye.
Paul walked through the cold streets of the city back to his apartment. Though it was freezing there was an entirely different coldness plaguing him. He had a very good evening tonight and Josh was a fantastic guy to be around, but with that came the realisation Josh was all he could want in this life and at the same time the one thing he would never have. Paul didn't even consider the small chance Josh could be interested in him. "There's no way he could be gay" he told himself. His mood started to shift as he became more and more saddened over the fact his chances of happiness were little to none.
When he had arrived at his apartment he immediately went to his stereo. Pulled a CD out of its case and, at a low volume, let the song play. He softly sang along as he went to the fridge for on last drink.
"I would dial the numbers just to listen to your breath..."
When the song had finished and his glass was empty he went to bed. Sad about his life but happy with the idea he would spend another day with Josh tomorrow.
- To be continued –
Hey that's all for chapter 2. I'll do my best to get the next chapter finished as soon as possible. Please keep letting me know what you think of the story so far. I know it seems as though nothing much has happened yet and most of the time they're having (seemingly) pointless conversations about music and movies but believe me this is all going somewhere. I have a lot of storylines planned for this story and some of them are already taking staring to line out in these two chapters. Anyway, next chapter will be up soon...might write it tonight if I'm up to it. Let me know what ya think Beer4myhorses@hotmail.com