| 21. Kiss Me, You Fool A month later� Wednesday, August 1, 2001 1:24 pm "The next shot after lunch's gonna be Meghan on the bed looking up at camera four! See you in thirty minutes!" That was the first thing he heard walking onto the set of Meg's new video, "Just For Tonight". He searched the crowd of people. Meg was nowhere in sight. That's weird. He found Rob and asked him if he'd seen her. "She just went to her trailer for lunch." He walked out into the parking lot of the studio and found the trailer and knocked on the door. "Gimme a sec!" After a minute, the door opened. "Paul! I didn't think you'd be here!" Meg hugged him. "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world! Besides, MTV's here. I'm here for my close up." She laughed, "Get in here, Sterling." Out of the blinding sunlight, Paul couldn't help but notice how exhausted and thin Meg looked. "Want anything?" Meg asked as she walked to the refrigerator. "Naw, I'm fine." "Good, cause I wouldn't give it to you anyway." She smiled, sitting down on the couch next to him and opening a bottle of water. "How do you feel?" �Well, I had a hysterectomy a few weeks ago, so obviously I can�t have kids, and frankly, that bites.� �I�m so sorry, Meg.� �It�s alright. Chemotherapy�s a witch, that's all I'm saying." "How do you do it?" "What? Chemo?" "No. How do you work and undergo treatment at the same time? I'd be a wreck." She laughed. "And what makes you think I'm not?" She smiled. "Aw, I'm okay. I lost that extra three pounds, finally." She said, patting her stomach. "Looks like you've lost more than three pounds." She shrugged. "About nine. The thing about chemo is you either become really fat or really skinny. I'm heading towards the latter." She paused. "Maybe that's a good thing." "Maybe." "So enough about me. What have you been up to for the past month?" "Well, I just went back home for a while. Tyler and Denise are getting married." "Really? When did he ask her?" "About two weeks ago. He took her to 'their' restaurant and asked her there." "Aw! Good for him! Send him my congratulations, alright?" "I will. I told him you'd sing at the wedding." She laughed. "Thanks for asking me first!" "Okay. I lied. Will you sing at the wedding?" "Only if you'll play piano with me." He smiled. "I will." "Then I will, too." She smiled. "I miss you, Paulie." "I miss you. I went crazy the week you were in the hospital." "Really?" "Yeah! I mean, why not? When your best friend is gone and you have no one to vent to...what do you do?" "Well, I'm here now. Let's make up for lost time. I've got a while before we film again. Vent away." He paused. "The only thing I could think of when you collapsed was that I might lose you, and not only would I lose my best friend, but I would lose someone I love more than anything. Someone who I think of every night before I close my eyes and can't imagine living without." He sighed nervously. "Wow, I can't believe I just said that." "No, don't feel bad. I'm glad you did." She sighed. "I guess I'll vent now." She paused. "When I was in the hospital and I would talk to you, I finally felt that someone cared for me and that...I was worth it�I was worth someone's time, for once. That was something I've never felt from anyone; not my mom whenever I messed up at an audition, not from Chad when I needed him most. But you, you didn't regard what I had done in the past or that I had messed up...you just cared unconditionally. And now, knowing that someone like you loves me just blows my mind." He smiled, then chuckled. "This is weird." "Quite. Listen, I think we're getting out of here at about eleven, as soon as we finish these next two or so shots. Wanna go somewhere and talk?" "Sure. I'll be waiting." She stood up and helped him up from the couch. "So will I." For a moment, neither said a thing. There was nothing to be said. Their faces were only inches away and they knew what the other was thinking and that it was the same thing. She couldn't say it. He couldn't say it. "Ya gonna hang around the set or do you have somewhere you need to be?" He grinned, "Are you kidding? And miss seeing my Meggie? I wouldn't think of it!" She laughed. "Good answer." He placed his hands on the small of her back, suddenly bold enough to relish what he'd longed to do for so long. "I love you, Meg." Before she could answer, he kissed her fully on the lips. He felt her hands travel around his neck to the back of his head, her fingers intertwine in his hair. It was the moment he'd been aching to feel for months: Meg in his arms. His arms tightened around her back, savoring the moment as they kissed passionately. Suddenly, a sharp knock came upon the door. She gasped as their lips separated. �Meg! You�re on in five!� There was silence as the two exchanged looks. �Now was that scary or what?� she exclaimed, laughing. �I�ll say! I thought we got caught for a second there!� he chuckled. �Come on, let�s go!� she half-whispered, as if they really had something to hide. As she started pulling him toward the door, he stopped her and pulled her to him. He grinned, �One more for the road?� She laughed, �Kiss me, you fool.� He did and soon after, she pulled him out of the trailer, laughing. |