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 is purely coincidental.
Paul and Josh ch4:
It had been a busy couple of days since Paul had showed Josh around in New York city. He had several meetings with various people working on the movie. He had put a lot of energy in studying the script...learning his lines and rehearsing them for himself. The filming would start the next day and it had taken a great effort to get ready for tomorrow, but this afternoon he finally reached the point where he felt he was ready.
He put the script away and fell in the sofa. He started thinking about Josh again. He had been doing that a lot to the last couple of days. It had been since Wednesday he had seen Josh. Both guys were incredibly busy people so they hadn't had the time to meet the past three and a half days. Paul for one really wanted to meet the guy again. Suddenly his eyes lit up as he thought of something. he walked to the phone, dialed a number and waited for a response.
"Hello"...he heard on the other end.
"Hey Josh...It's Paul" He spoke.
"Hey buddy...long time no see." Josh said enthusiastically.
"I Know..." Paul agreed, "hey I just wanted to ask you if you had any plans tonight." he continued.
"No...not really...why?" Josh asked.
"Well I was thinking...if you weren't doing anything tonight...Maybe you'd like to come over to my place...and watch some TV." Paul said. His tone of voice revealed he was up to something. Josh noticed to.
"Watch some TV?...what are you up to boy?" He asked laughingly.
"You're just going to have to wait and see." Paul answered.
"Ok...What time should I come by?" Josh asked.
"A little before eight...and don't be late." Paul answered.
"I won't.. I won't" Josh said, "I'll be there."
With that the conversation ended. Paul was anxious to see if Josh would like the surprise he had in mind. If his impression of Josh was right he thought it would be. He looked at the clock. It was 5.06 pm. "Just enough time" Paul thought. He quickly gathered his stuff and left the apartment.
When he arrived back at his apartment about one hour and a half later he was carrying four bags filled with chips, beer and I don't know what other snacks and drinks. "In a little over an hour Josh is going to be here" he thought. He put his groceries away, took a quick shower and changed into a pair of blue-jeans and a black shirt. After he had applied some gel to his hair he headed to the kitchen and opened himself a cold one awaiting the arrival of Josh.
Five minutes later he heard the sound of the doorbell ringing. He told Josh to come on up as he unlocked the door. When Josh entered the apartment he immediately noticed Paul had everything ready for a night of watching...something. There were dozens of snacks set ready on the table in front of the TV. Meanwhile Paul took his time to admire Josh's appearance. He was wearing a white sweater that contrasted beautifully with his dark hair and his black jeans. At the same time, Paul noticed, it accentuated Josh's smile brilliantly. There was no gel applied in his hair this time so it looked lighter and softer. It definitely made him look very cute, Paul thought.
"Man...you haven't been trying to save a buck." Josh smiled as he nodded at all the snacks on the table.
Paul smiled as he replied: "Yeah...you know...I didn't know what you like to eat while watching TV, so I made sure there was a bit of everything."
Josh smiled when he heard this.
"So what are we watching?" He asked.
"You'll see...?" Paul laughed. "As a matter of fact..." He continued, "I think it's about Showtime."
Both guys sat down next to each other on the sofa in front of the TV. Paul reached for the remote-control and turned on the TV. At first there was a black screen for about two minutes but then the program started. Josh was curious to see what it was Paul had invited him to see, but he didn't recognize the intro of the show. Suddenly he heard a commentator say:
"Ladies and gentleman...we are live from the sold out Madison square garden in New York city...Welcome to the greatest event of all time...welcome to Wrestlemania XX!"
"Wrestlemania" Josh said surprised, his eyes were shining and the excitement in his voice was obvious, "you ordered the ppv?"
"Sure did" Paul said. he was glad Josh was surprised. he had noticed a couple of days ago the guy was a huge sports-fan and since he was a wrestling-fan himself he put two and two together.
"Thanks man...this is great!" Josh said and without hesitation he grabbed Paul in a close hug as to thank him even more.
Paul was taken aback by this as a wave of electricity ran through his body. He didn't think anything of it but he was very happy that Josh was obviously very comfortable around him. They both enjoyed the program very much. They would cheer their favorites on as if they were in the arena themselves. They had a great time. Paul noticed Josh was growing even more comfortable around him. From time to time he would jokingly hit Paul in the shoulder when they disagreed about to outcome of a match or he would playfully put his arm around Paul. This off course drove Paul nuts. He had a really hard time not getting carried away. In a matter of days they had become best friends and they were both having a great time.
Suddenly a huge pyro exploded on the TV-screen. A wrestler named 'Kane' made his entrance.
"Great...I've been waiting for this all night" Paul said. he was obviously very excited.
"What?" Josh asked.
"You know what's going to happen next...don't you?" Paul asked.
"I have o idea" Josh answered, "I haven't had the chance to follow the program the last couple of moths".
"Just sit back and watch...This is going to be great!" Paul said.
Josh was very curious as to hat was going to happen next so he watched the screen with great attention. Suddenly the arena went completely dark and a high voice sounded through Madison square garden "OOOH YEEESSS!!!" it yelled.
"No way!..." Josh reacted "No way this is what i think it is!"
"I think it IS!" Paul laughed.
"Man I'm like twelve years old again!" Josh said excited as he watched 'the undertaker' make his already legendary entrance. "This is so cool!" Josh said, "I've got Goosebumps...this brings back so many memories."
Paul laughed at josh's enthusiasm. Josh put his hand on Paul's shoulder and looked at him. "I'm having such a great time tonight...Thank you so much for this" He said. Paul smiled, but didn't really know how to react. He definitely liked to feel Josh's hand on his shoulder.
"No problem" He simply replied.
They both watched the program till the end. When the show was over Paul turned of the TV. Both guys fell back in the sofa. Paul offered Josh another drink and both guys just lay there against the sofa, their feet on the table, relaxing a while. Finally Josh broke the silence.
"Man it is really late." he said as he pointed to the clock. It was already past 2 o' clock in the morning. "Man I'm really not going to get any sleep tonight." he continued "and I still have to walk all the way back to the hotel." "What a way to start a first day of filming..ey" he smiled.
"Well..." Paul spoke. he hesitated a bit while speaking cause he was nervous about how josh would react to what he was going to say. He continued: "If you want to...you can stay here for the night...there's a guest-room over there..." He pointed to the door behind the kitchen. "I can drive by your hotel in the morning so you can get your stuff...if that helps off course."
"That would be great..." Josh replied, "you're sure it's no trouble cause I wouldn't want to impose myself."
"No problem..." Paul replied, "That's what it's there for" he said, referring to the guest room.
Josh agreed with Paul's idea since it would really help him out. He really didn't want to walk for an hour to the dark streets of NY and since the movie was starting the next day he needed all the sleep he could get. Paul was happy Josh was comfortable enough with him to stay at his apartment. He didn't mean anything with the suggestion, but he was happy knowing they were becoming such good friends. After chatting a bit longer they both agreed it was best to get some sleep. Josh made his way to the guest room, thanking Paul again for his hospitality. Paul stayed behind to turn of the TV and the lights. After he did so he walked up on the terrace for one last smoke. He needed some time to get his thoughts together. As he stood there, leaning against the balcony, inhaling the smoke of the cigarette, he thought about the evening he had just experienced. Even though he knew it was a bad idea he couldn't help his feelings for Josh. He realized he was falling in love with the guy. During the evening he had been drawn to the guy. Especially when Josh would put his arm around him or would flash his beautiful smile. His heart was heavy cause he knew there was no way anything was going to happen.
"I didn't knew you smoked." He heard a voice say behind him.
He turned around and saw Josh stand in the doorway.
"Uh...normally I don't" Paul said, surprised by the fact Josh was standing behind him "I only smoke when I'm nervous or upset about something."
"So which one are you?" Josh asked.
Paul smiled nervously, not wanting to answer Josh's question. Josh noticed Paul was uncomfortable with the question, but he also noticed something was bothering Paul. He decided not to push the question. Instead he put his hand on Paul's shoulder and said: "Hey if there's anything wrong...I'm here for you." The concern in his voice was obvious.
"Thanks" Paul replied, "but it's nothing...let's go get some sleep."
Both guys went to their beds for a few hours of sleep.
...
The first days of shooting the film went as well as could have been expected. Paul and Josh had a great chemistry on the screen and the director was very pleased with their performances. The work was hard but both guys were proud to be able to work on the project. Because of the huge amount of work involved they hadn't had the chance to socialize after the filming but they saw each-other every day on the set. Both guys were impressed with the other ones talent and working together only fortified their bond. When Paul would drive home in the evening he was already looking forward to the next day cause he had such a good time working with Josh. Now that his mind was focused on the movie his feelings for Josh were put aside, but when he was alone at his apartment at night he couldn't ignore them. He had a difficult time cause in his mind there was no chance his love for Josh would ever be answered.
Thursday morning Paul walked into the movie studio, his usual cheerful self. He looked around for a while, trying to find Josh. After a while he found him in one of the cafeteria. From the first moment he saw Josh, Paul knew something was wrong. Josh was sitting behind a table, supporting his head with both hands. he didn't even notice Paul coming in.
"What's wrong?" Paul asked concerned.
Josh nodded to the paper lying on the table. Paul grabbed it and started to read the page. He was genuinely shocked when he read the article Josh was referring to. The paper was a tabloid, and from what Paul could read one of the filthiest kind. There was an article in which they said Josh was a money-driven ego-maniac that was impossible to work with. Someone who had the most extravagant demands before he would work on anything. There was a lot of stuff in there that made no sense or was completely ripped out of it's context. The article painted a real bad picture of Josh. Paul was outraged when he read the filth, but was more concerned with Josh who was taking this really personal. He looked at Josh and put his hand on his shoulder. Josh looked up.
"Hey man..." Paul spoke, "don't let these vultures get to you. These are people with no morals trying to make a buck spreading lies...Don't let them upset you. They don't know you...and believe me...if they knew...if they knew you at all... then one by one they would come in here to apologize for this filth." He was trying his best to make Josh feel a bit better. It worked a little cause a shy smile appeared on Josh's face.
"Listen..." Paul continued "I've only known you for a week and I know this is crap! You are funny, bright, caring and one of the best friends I have. Don't let this bother you."
Josh smiled as he heard Paul's words. he was thankful the guy was there for him and cared enough to talk with him now that he needed the support. He smiled at Paul and thanked him for his kind words. Paul tapped him on the shoulder again and told him: "No problem...any time man...any time".
Meanwhile the news had spread around the movie studio and different people whether it were camera men of assistant directors, they all were shocked by what they had read and were unanimous in their support for Josh. When the director heard about the story in the tabloid he immediately decided to postpone the filming for the day to allow Josh to regroup after this experience. The director had enough experience to know he couldn't ask Josh to perform up to his normal level today so he decided it was best to cancel the filming for the day.
Both guys left the studio together. Josh didn't say much. He was still struggling with what had happened today. Paul noticed Josh was still upset so he said: "You need a drink...come on I'm not going to leave you like this."
Josh smiled at Paul's concern. He was happy Paul cared that much about him. They made their way to a bar not too far from the studio. They made their way to the corner of the bar were they could talk privately. After they both ordered their drinks Paul asked Josh again if he was going to be allright.
"Yeah..." Josh replied, "It's just hard to believe people would attack me in that manner." The hurt in his voice was obvious. "I mean...they were talking about how I demand a new bed in every hotel...I mean" he was struggling for words now, "I needed a special mattress a few weeks after I injured my back filming 'Pearl harbor'...It's not like I demand outrageous stuff everywhere I go, but they make it seem that way..." His words trailed off. he was biting his lip trying to keep his emotions under control.
Paul really felt for Josh at this moment. As an actor he knew how brutal the press could be at times. He looked Josh right in his eyes and spoke softly: "Hey, nobody is buying that stuff...don't worry about what some strangers think...You know the people who know you are behind you. You saw it a few minutes ago...the whole crew was with you on this one...and I am with you always"
This brought a smile on Josh's face. "Thank you man..." He said, "thank you for being here for me."
"Any time man..." Paul answered.
They stayed in the bar for a while. They talked some more and after a while Josh began feeling better. They drank another round before they decided to head home.
"Hey, you want to come over later today to rehears tomorrows scenes?" Paul asked.
"I think that would be a good idea since were shooting a key-scene tomorrow...and boy it's a difficult one." Josh replied.
"I know..." Paul agreed. "It's hard to get it right".
They agreed to meet later in the day. Josh wanted to get back to his hotel first to finish some other work first. After they had both said their goodbyes they left the bar.
Josh entered his hotel room. He decided to order some second breakfast since he hadn't eaten much this morning. After he had eaten he cleaned up his room as good as possible. He decided to take a shower before starting rehearsing his lines. He opened his suitcase and grabbed a few towels, soap and some shaving-stuff. In the bathroom he quickly took of his clothes and stepped into the shower. It took him some time to get the water just at the right temperature but once he got it right he let the water fall over his naked body. It felt like the water was washing away the troubles that were bothering him earlier today. The cold water didn't just refresh his body but it seemed it refreshed his mind as well. He washed his hair first and then soaped up the rest of his body. Unintentionally his hand moved over his crotch. His dick reacted immediately but Josh didn't feel like jacking' off right now so he ignored his growing erection and after a while the cold water made his dick go down again.
After he had showered and had changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a matching shirt he walked over to the stereo. He threw in the first cd he got in his hands without even looking which one it was. When the music began to play he fell on the bed and started studying the script. He kept reading the script for a while, trying to memorize the lines and trying to figure out how to perform them. Suddenly he dropped his script. He looked over to the stereo. There was a look of surprise and confusion on his face. He walked over to the stereo and skipped the last track that was playing back. He listened intense to the song that was playing. Again he was confused when he heard the chorus play. He grabbed the cd- case and saw it was, who else could it be, Melissa Etheridge. He took the cd-case as he went to sit on the bed. he listened to the track several times. Especially the chorus got his attention for some reason.
"Angels, never came down... there's no one here they'd like to hang around... but if they knew...if they knew you at all... then one by one the angels would fall."
Josh was confused. he had heard this before, but where? Suddenly it hit him. He thought back to this morning in the movie studio. He remembered the talk he had with Paul. "What was it he said?" Josh thought to himself. He remembered the words exactly.
"...Don't let them upset you. They don't know you...and believe me...if they knew...if they knew you at all... then one by one they would come in here to apologize for this filth."
Those were Paul's exact words earlier this morning. He listened to the song chorus again and then repeated Paul's words again in his head:
Don't let them upset you. They don't know you...and believe me...IF THEY KNEW...IF THEY KNEW YOU AT ALL... THEN ONE BY ONE they would come in here to apologize for this filth."
Josh was confused by this. His mind told him this was just a weird coincidence but he had a gut feeling there was more to it. He just didn't know what. He kept thinking about it for a while and after a while more things started coming back to him. He remembered what Paul had said when they were in that pizza-place about a week ago:
"I often wondered what true love looks like or feels like...Her music answered that question in a way."
Josh felt this meant something. He could feel it in his guts this was more then just a coincidence but he had no idea what. He kept trying to figure it out. Suddenly his eyes widened.
"He couldn't..." Josh whispered to himself, "would he...?" He tried to tell himself that the idea that had just entered his thoughts was to ridiculous for words and this was all just a strange coincidence, but he couldn't convince himself. His intuition told him this meant something. "But I can't be THAT..." Josh thought. He looked to the stereo again where the song was still playing.
"Angels, never came down... there's no one here they'd like to hang around... but if they knew...if they knew you at all... then one by one the angels would fall."
...
- to be continued -