The Method Experiment - Chapter 19
Hi my friends, I hope you're still enjoying this story, even though it's taking me about a month between chapters! I'm still enjoying writing it and exploring Stanathan through this setting. There will be a few more chapters to come. Probably at least 3, and then I'll see where it takes me after that, if I think it's time to wrap it up. In the meantime, enjoy chapter 19!
Peace and love,
Renee.
...
Nathan and Stana woke languidly the next morning, which was a nice change of pace compared to the early starts of the previous few mornings. .
Still wrapped in each other’s arms, Stana smiled as she inhaled Nathan’s masculine scent. He seemed to sense she was awake, even though he was still breathing rhythmically, indicating he remained asleep, he tightened his hold around her. Stana marvelled at how secure she felt, how safe.
The sex with him the night before had been sensational. Just like it was the day they drove to the cabin and stopped in at the motel in Fresno, and even better than it had been all those years ago when they were working together before. Stana supposed it was probably because, even though they were still trying to keep their relationship a secret, they were no longer cheating on anyone. It made Stana feel so free, as if she could give herself to Nathan without any reservations. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling, unparalleled to anything she’d ever felt with Kris. It was what made her sure that Nathan was really the love of her life.
And to add to that emotion, Nathan had gone out of his way to please her and make her feel cherished. Despite the fact that their lovemaking had been rushed, the way he held her and kissed her, even the way he looked at her, made her feel so special to him.
Stana had the irrepressible urge to do something extra nice for Nathan. She couldn’t hear anyone downstairs yet and so she decided if she was quick and sneaky enough, she might be able to rustle up some food and bring Nathan a little breakfast in bed.
She carefully disentangled herself from his arms, trying not to wake him, though he was sleeping so soundly that she needn’t have worried too much.
She crept down the stairs to the ground floor of the cabin and tip-toed over to the vintage refrigerator. There was plenty to eat as they’d had catering organized for the entire four week shoot, enough to feed five times the amount of people on set.
She pulled out a fruit platter and then some milk to make cereal and coffee, every so often glancing over at the door of Duncan and Tracy’s bedroom. When she’d assembled two bowls of cereal and fruit and two cups of coffee, she browsed the kitchen cupboards for a tray on which to carry everything upstairs. With her back turned to the front door of the cabin, she failed to notice Jill entering behind her and jumped when she turned back around, tray in hand, and saw her approaching.
“Oh! Jill, hi.”
“Good morning, Stana. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”, she whispered, giggling lightly. “Dunk and Trace still sleeping, huh?”
“Yes, so it would seem”, Stana nodded.
“Well, I’m not surprised, we stayed up for quite a while after you two went to bed.” There was something conspiratorial in Jill’s voice as she talked about Stana and Nathan going to bed.
“Mm”, Stana smiled politely.
Jill nodded. “Yeah. Well, I just came in because I started to get a little hungry.”
“Same”, Stana chuckled, motioning to the tray of food.
“Got some for Nathan too, I see. That’s nice of you.” The young lady was smiling, but Stana could tell there was a hint of suspicion in her voice, and maybe just a touch of...jealousy?
“Yeah, well I can’t eat in front of him, without offering him some too, I mean that’s just rude”, Stana gave her a sideways grin.
“Still, it’s sweet of you”, Jill’s eyelashes fluttered. “You know, I think the two of you are amazing.”
“Uh, how so?” Stana squinted her eyes at the young woman.
“Well, you two had a romantic relationship for some time, and even though it didn’t work out and the two of you moved on, you’ve still managed to keep this excellent friendship that’s clearly based on mutual respect for each other and for the work you do, and you even though it must be awkward at times, you obviously still care about each other a lot without letting your past dictate how close you choose to be now.” Jill shrugged. “I just think that’s very rare and special.”
Stana smiled thoughtfully at Jill. Perhaps this young woman was more mature and insightful than she’d initially given her credit for. “I agree”, Stana said to her and Jill’s face softened into a warm stare.
Stana pursed her lips. “Hey Jill.”
“Mm?” The two of them locked eyes for a moment before Stana turned around to spear a piece of fruit with her fork and held it out to Jill. “Try this mango, it’s delicious.”
Jill looked stunned for a moment, but then tilted her head forward to close her lips around Stana’s fork and sucking the cube of mango into her mouth. “Mm. Sweet...beautiful”, Jill said, almost sounding breathless.
Stana’s lip curled up and she raised her thumb to the young woman’s face, stroking her cheek for just a second before turning back to pick up her tray. “See you later”, she winked at Jill, who was now looking quite flustered. She cleared her throat. “See you later, Stana.”
Stana ascended the stairs again and balanced the tray carefully on her arm while she used her other hand to open the bedroom door. As she walked through, her eyes met Nathan’s and he grinned sleepily. “Mm, good morning.”
“Morning”, Stana smiled cutely back at him.
“What have we got here?” He asked her, sitting himself up in the bed and taking the tray from her when she lowered it to him.
“Just a little breakfast. I got hungry.” She rounded the end of the bed and shuffled in beside Nathan.
“Aw, well thank you for thinking of me too. That’s very nice of you”, he craned his neck to the right to kiss her. “You’re welcome”, she replied affectionately.
They set down the tray between them, resting it on their knees. “This looks great”, said Nathan, reaching for his spoon.
“Yeah”, Stana agreed, spearing a piece of honeydew. Before bringing the fruit to her mouth, she paused and said to Nathan, “I saw Jill downstairs.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm.” There was something about the moment she’d shared with the younger woman that made her want to share it with Nathan immediately.
“I think we might have had a...moment.” The idea of it was still kind of bizarre to Stana, but exciting at the same, knowing that Jill was most definitely interested in her.
Nathan’s eyebrows shot up instantly. “Really?” He asked, sounding amused, but also curious.
Stana nearly rolled her eyes at the clear excitement in his voice. “Yeah, and I probably initiated it.”
“Oh, you did?” Nathan laughed and Stana’s face turned scarlett.
Nathan could see she was becoming embarrassed, so he decided not to go on about it. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable.
“Well, good for you, hunny. It’s great to see you so carefree. It suits you”, he raised his cup of coffee to her and she picked hers up as well and clinked them together gently. “Thank you.”
They ate their breakfast in silence but before they were finished, they could hear chatter coming from downstairs.
“Sounds like Dunk and Tracy are up”, Nathan noted, drinking his last sip of coffee. “How adorable is Tracy going to think this is?” He smirked, referring to their breakfast in bed.
Stana chuckled. “Pretty darn.”
“Well, I think it’s pretty darn adorable too. Thank you, hunny”, he kissed her again and Stana smiled lovingly at him. “Gotta keep my man energized”, she drawled sexilly.
Nathan laughed in surprise. “I love you calling me your man.” He couldn’t help but steal another kiss from her lips.
Stana giggled and tapped on his chest. “Come on, we’d better go make an appearance downstairs. No doubt they’ll be wanting to start soon.”
When the two of them went downstairs, they discovered that the whole crew was now down there.
“Oh, everyone’s here”, Stana laughed nervously.
“I’m surprised you didn’t call us down earlier, it’s nearly ten o’clock”, Nathan said to the team.
Duncan smiled at him. “Well, we don’t really have a lot to shoot today, seeing as we now have to wait for the rain machine to be delivered to continue on with the new scene eleven, and besides, you two are so amazing that we’re actually running ahead of schedule, so I figured we could take things a little more leisurely today.”
“Works for me”, Nathan grinned. “When are we expecting the rain machine to arrive?”
“It’s due to be delivered tomorrow”, Tracy said, before turning her attention to the tray in Nathan’s hands. “Oh, have a little breakfast in bed, did you?”
Nathan and Stana knew there was no way she wasn’t going to notice it, or take the opportunity to bring it up.
“Yeah, my stomach couldn’t wait, and I thought I’d better bring him something too, you know, save him complaining”, Stana joked lightly.
“Such a kind-hearted person, she is”, Nathan played along, placing his hand on Stana’s shoulder.
Tracy laughed airily. Across the counter, Stana could see Jill staring at her intently.
“So, today I’d like to film the scene in Darryl’s shed, after Amelia makes the dress, and also just a few small shots for the montage of them getting closer”, Duncan explained to the crew and actors, who all nodded in understanding.
“Alright, we’ll go and set up in the shed and see you guys there when you’re ready”, Dan said to the others, pulling Dave by the arm to follow him.
“You wanna have a bath?” Stana asked Nathan and he lowered his head to whisper discreetly. “Together?”
Stana shook her head with a sideway smile. “Not today, cowboy. You go first, I’ll wash up after.”
“OK”, his eyes twinkled at her. He went to wash and get dressed into his costume. Stana offered to help Tracy with the dishes, but as usual, the older woman refused, so instead, Stana joined Jill, Duncan and Berndt in the living room.
Berndt and Duncan were deep in conversation about something quite foreign to Stana, so she just watched them talking, noticing their body language, which looked different to her now that she’d been told by Jill, they too were once romantic.
She sort of felt as if she and Nathan were a part of some sort of commune of modernistic, liberated people. It was a way of life she’d been exposed to in her life plenty of times, but not one she’d ever really been a part of. It felt as if this shoot was also a part of the experiment, though not just for her and Nathan to get closer, but for the two of them to be immersed in alternative lifestyles, while here at this isolated cabin with their crew. It suddenly dawned on Stana that there were probably no real rules or boundaries here. The thought shot a bolt of exhilaration through her.
When there was a lull in the conversation between the two older men, Stana leaned forward in her seat to talk to them. “So, I hear you two have some romantic history.”
Berndt and Duncan froze, both looking a bit shocked that Stana knew.
“It’s OK, no judgement here. I think it’s fabulous. I’d love to hear more about your relationship, as long as you’re all comfortable with that”, she included Tracy in her sentiment. The woman shrugged at Stana with a smile. “There are no secrets between us. I’m more than happy if you’d like to tell Stana, dear”, she looked at her husband, who looked tentative, but also proudly at his wife.
“Ah, well as Berndt told you the other day, we met in Stockholm when we were both nineteen. I was fortunate enough to have a gap year abroad. I know that you can appreciate the beauty of Europe, given your heritage.”
Stana’s face lit up. “Oh, absolutely.”
Duncan nodded. “It was nineteen-eighty-seven?” He looked to Berndt for affirmation and the Swede nodded. “We met at a film premiere. I was there simply because I was taking any opportunity I could get to mingle with like-minded people. Berndt was there because it was his partner’s film, which I did not know at the time.”
Berndt grinned coyly to himself.
“Anyway, we got to talking after the showing and I made a complete fool of myself by saying exactly what I had thought about the movie, most of which was not kind, by the way.”
Stana grimaced. “Oh no.”
“I know it sounds completely disastrous, right?” Duncan laughed.
Berndt slung his arm on the couch behind Duncan’s head. “But then I said, I agree, it’s absolutely terrible. I tried to tell my boyfriend so many times that the script was awful, the actors were dreadful and dull, and the lighting was far too dark throughout the whole thing, but he just kept on saying “I’m the director, and I know what is best for my film.”
Stana slapped a hand over her mouth as the men laughed. Duncan dried his eyes with his sleeve. “So that was how I found out not only was he in a relationship with a man, but also that man happened to be the director of the film that I’d just completely torn apart.”
Stana’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God.”
“So of course, he walks away, and I’m thinking, well that’s fair enough, not expecting to ever see him again, but then about half an hour later, he finds me again, and I’m about to just dissolve into the floor in humiliation when he says…” Duncan glanced at Berndt, letting him finish in his own words.
“I just broke up with my stupid boyfriend. Shall we get out of here, now?”
Stana screeched with laughter. “Did you really?!” She clapped her hands together. “That’s hilarious!”
“Yep, so I took him to a nightclub down the street and there we continued to slam the film, and when he told me about all the things he would have done differently, well, I agreed with every single one of his ideas. He was incredibly smart, it was very attractive, and you know, he was American, so he was even more glamorous.”
“Now, I had never been with a man, I’d never even conceived the idea of being with a man. I’d barely begun being with women”, Duncan laughed. “But Berndt here had such an alluring quality about him. We just clicked, but it wasn’t in a way that I’d ever connected with any of my pals back home. He invited me to stay with him and his place was a lot more appealing than the hostel I’d been at, so I accepted, and it took a few days, and a lot of new experiences before I grew enough balls to kiss him.”
Stana raised her eyebrow in surprise. “You kissed him first? Wow.”
Berndt patted Duncan on his knee. “It wasn’t hard to see that I was attracted to him, but I was terrified of making the first move, I didn’t know what he might do. As far as I was aware, he was perfectly straight and narrow and although I felt a spark there, I didn’t really expect that there would be anything more than friendship.”
“I was away from home, no parents around, completely free in an exciting city, I felt like there were no limitations, and I was really taken in by this guy. He made me feel so at ease and so comfortable. I don’t think I’d ever felt that with anyone before, male or female.”
“So naturally when he kissed me, I was ecstatic because I really liked him too. I’d been with a few women but leading up to this, it was mostly men who had my affections.”
“I learned many things from Bernie. Things I’d never even considered before”, Duncan laughed, looking shy.
The way the two of them spoke so openly about their relationships was eye-opening and transformative for Stana.
She turned to look at Tracy. “So, forgive me for being so intrusive, but, how did you come into the picture, Tracy?”
Duncan was first to answer Stana’s question. “Well, eventually I ran out of money so I couldn’t stay in Europe for too long. After about two months after meeting Berndt, I had to return to the States. It was crushing, but I kept his address and we wrote to each other for years afterwards. Of course, my family never would have approved of our real relationship, but they never got to see our letters, so that was OK.”
Stana smiled empathetically at the two men.
“Tracy and I met in ninety-four, and I absolutely fell in love with her, and I’m not lying about that. I thought she was absolutely stunning from the moment I saw her. Her intellect, her manner, everything was perfect to me.”
“He was very charming, and very handsome”, Tracy chipped in.
“What do you mean “was”?” Duncan asked her playfully, making the others laugh.
She came over and leaned on the back of the couch behind Stana. “Dunk told me everything about his time in Europe with Berndt. He was very hesitant, but I too had been involved in a couple of same-sex relationships so it wasn’t a big deal for me. We were in love and nothing else really mattered.”
Stana stared up at the woman with admiration in her eyes.
“We got married very quickly, and of course, that suitably pleased our parents. We were together for about five years before Berndt wrote that he was moving to California. Duncan wasn’t going to ask me, but I knew how much Berndt meant to him and so I suggested that he invite him to stay with us, at least until he got on his feet.”
Stana shook her head slowly. “What an amazing wife you are.”
Tracy gave Stana a wise smile. “When you love somebody like I love Dunk, you do whatever you can to make them happy, remembering that they have chosen you to walk beside them in life, but they remain their own person. Of course you have to compromise a bit now and then for things to work, but you don’t get to control them.”
Stana smiled back at her, thinking yet again about the reign that Kris had over her during their marriage, and in comparison, the freedom she felt with Nathan to make her own choices.
“That goes both ways, mind you”, Duncan said, reaching over to take his wife’s hand. “If Trace had told me at any point that she was unhappy with the situation, well then it would have ended.”
“Truth be told, it was not an entirely unpleasant thing to have two men to play with”, Tracy muttered to Stana, looking sly, and Stana laughed in surprise.
“So, the three of you formed this relationship, what happened when Berndt moved out?”
“We kept the relationship going, though it became a more casual one, based on convenience. We decided we enjoyed the dynamic of sometimes having another person with us, and so we started inviting others into our relationship. Sometimes men, sometimes women, sometimes both at the same time”, Duncan told Stana frankly.
“OK”, Stana nodded, no longer feeling shocked by each new bit of information.
“At the end of the day, you must have respect for each other, and your love for one another must be strong, if you’re going to have the kind of marriage where you invite others in”, Duncan explained to Stana.
“It works for us. Not for everyone. But we’re happy.”
“Well, I’m happy for you”, Stana told the three of them sincerely.
Jill, who had been sitting next to her, listening quietly, asked Stana, “Have you and your husband ever...had a spare?”
Stana’s breath caught in her throat. She shook her head. “Oh no, no. Our marriage has been very traditional, Kris is quite uh...vanilla.” She blinked, feeling as if she had probably said too much.
“You mean aside from Nathan?” Tracy asked her coyly.
“Ah, well that’s a little bit different. They were two very separate relationships”, Stana swallowed.
“But you were obviously keen to try other flavours, as well as just vanilla?” Berndt asked her in a low, dark voice which made Stana tingle.
Stana laughed anxiously.
“Ooh, are we talking favourite ice cream flavours? Mine’s maple walnut”, Nathan announced, strolling into the room, and breaking the tension.
Stana stood up from the couch and turned around, patting Nathan on his chest. “Great timing”, She whispered. “I’d better go get myself ready!” She announced out loud, before disappearing into the bathroom.
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the others. "What did I miss?"
"Take a seat, Mr. Fillion", Jill smiled up at him, motioning to the space on the couch next to herself.
…
After Nathan had been filled in on almost as much as Stana had been, Stana returned from the bathroom wearing her costume.
"Well that was very enlightening, thank you for sharing that very personal story with me." He swiveled around on the couch and saw Stana approaching. She was dressed in the pretty dress costume her character makes for herself.
"Well hello there. Breathtaking as ever, Miss Katic." He complimented Stana.
"Isn't she technically Mrs. Brkljac?" Tracy asked Nathan, careful not to grimace too hard.
"She never took his last name" "I never took his last name", Stana and Nathan answered in unison.
Tracy gasped, looking delighted. "Did I just witness a classic Stana/Nathan mind meld?"
The actors just smiled at her, not bothering to tell her that it was actually usually their characters that did that.
They all walked outside together and over to the shed where they would be filming the only scene that day with dialogue. Dan and Dave had the sound and lighting set up and ready to go.
Nathan's character Darryl was in his shed. In the script, Stana’s character was to walk up to the door and stand in front of it, waiting for Darryl to notice her. The camera caught Stana staring at Nathan in anticipation while he worked, then eventually sensed her presence and turned his head to gaze at her in astonishment. He looked her up and down wordlessly for a moment. “My word”, he finally exclaimed. “You are…”, he acted as if he was physically catching himself and correcting what he was going to say. “...Very skilled. That’s a very impressive transformation. The dress looks beautiful.”
Stana allowed her character her first true smile of the movie. "I thought you said this material didn't appeal to you."
"Well that's when it was bed sheets", Nathan said plainly, making the crew snicker and Stana bow her head looking a tad flustered.
“I have some more material, please feel free to make more clothes for yourself out of it. Anything you can find that you like.”
“You are incredibly kind, Mr. Brougham”, Stana delivered with a soft look.
Nathan stood from the small wooden stool he was seated on. "I uh, I wanted to ask you”, he took a moment to look hesitant. “Do you think it's still so urgent to get to where you were planning on going or do you think it was more the getting away from that was the real cause for haste?"
"Well now that I'm here and safe, I guess it was the getting away from that was the greater concern", Stana answered, ducking her head in a shy way.
A warmth filled Nathan's face, increasing both his smile and the shine in his eyes. "I'm glad you feel safe here."
Stana gave him a small hint of a smile as she shook her head. "It makes very little sense, I do not know you, but yes, I do feel safe here...somehow."
The two of them shared a lingering look of mutual contentment.
“I must get back to fixing this”, Nathan said eventually, pointing to the tools he’d been working with.
“Please”, Stana motioned to his work station politely. As he sat back down, she spoke again. “I’ll fix some lunch.” She smiled brighter than she had done thus far in the film and turned to walk back to the house, Nathan’s eyes following her as she left. The camera caught him smiling to himself as he returned to his task.
Duncan clapped his hands together. “Alright, beautiful. Then we’re going to fade to our montage of scenes showing the progression of the relationship. There’s going to be some instrumental overlay, it’s all going to be very cute.”
Tracy sighed deeply, looking blissful. “You two..”, she directed at Nathan and Stana who chuckled in response. “OK, so now we’re going to shoot those few little incidental scenes where we can see them falling for each other. Oh, I can’t wait. Get ready to make love with your eyes”, Tracy’s face was a picture of glee as she partially teased the actors.
“Don’t we always?” Stana joked back in a geeky tone of voice, blushing as she said it.
Everyone looked at her in surprise and she laughed. “I mean...on camera.” She shook her head and everyone else smiled knowingly.
The next few hours were spent filming the interim scenes. In some of the short scenes, it was Nathan’s character watching Stana do a simple thing like hang out clothes to dry or beat a rug. At one point she held out the stick she was using and pointed it at Nathan in a mock-threatening manner and he held up his hands in a surrender-like position, causing them both to laugh. It wasn’t written as such in the script, but Duncan and Tracy both loved it, so they kept it in.
In another scene, Amelia brings Darryl some lemonade out to his shed while he’s working and he looks up at her with a look of gratitude and burgeoning affection.
The next scene had Darryl coming inside and looking for something. He searches around hopelessly for a while when Amelia, who is at the kitchen bench, picks something up and taps him on his arm. He turns around and takes it from her, seeing that it’s exactly what he needs. Amelia returns her attention to the bench but Darryl gazes at her in wonderment for a few moments before leaving the room with a smile on his face.
They managed to finish filming all three sequences, while also squeezing in lunch, before dark. Tracy had prepared slow-cooked lamb shanks and vegetables during their lunch break, which they all devoured at dinner.
After they ate, the crew sat around the dining table drinking wine and relaxing. Duncan put on some old records and pulled Tracy up to dance with him. Everyone cheered for them before Stana decided to join in. She first took Jill’s hands to dance with her, and Jill was delighted, the two ladies giggling, slightly inebriated from the wine, trying their best at a lindy-hop.
Berndt offered Nathan his hand and Nathan laughed, “Why not!” Grabbing hold of the Swede and letting him lead him to the middle of the room and dancing together in a wide circle around the others. Dave and Dan soon joined in, feeling comfortable enough to dance together after seeing Nathan and Berndt doing so.
When the song changed, Tracy called out. “Now change your partner, dosey-doe”, and everyone laughed as they switched partners. Duncan went with Berndt, Tracy with Dan, Dave with Jill, which left Stana and Nathan to couple up. They shared a humored chuckle before embracing each other to dance.
Cole Porter’s “Just one of those things” was playing and as the pair danced, the words seemed quite true for them and their relationship in the past.
“It was just one of those things
Just one of those crazy flings
One of those bells that now and then rings
Just one of those things
It was just one of those nights
Just one of those fabulous flights
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
Just one of those things
If we'd thought a bit 'bout the end of it
When we started painting the town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
Was too hot not to cool down
So good bye, dear, and amen
Here's hoping we meet now and then
It was great fun
But it was just one of those things”
By the end of the song, everyone was in fits of laughter and breathless. The music for Lee Wiley’s version of “Someone to watch over me” began to play on the record player and Stana and Nathan stepped closer together, slow-dancing to the song, the words of which also held a lot of meaning for them.
Nathan held Stana tightly in his arms and she lay her head on his chest as they absorbed the words of the song.
“There's a saying old, says that love is blind
Still we're often told, seek and ye shall find
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb
There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could, always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man
Some girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me”
It wasn’t until the song had come to an end that Stana and Nathan realized they had drifted off together with their eyes closed. Stana blinked and looked around the room, her arms sliding away from Nathan’s neck. “Oh, we’re the only ones still dancing”, she laughed in embarrassment, casting her eyes around the room at everyone intently watching them.
“Oh”, Nathan chuckled as well. He cleared his throat, looking caught out. He gently stepped away from Stana, trying to be casual.
“Well, I think I’m about ready for bed”, Tracy announced, for once, acting cool, as if seeing Nathan and Stana dancing intimately together was not a big deal to her. The others took her lead and wished each other a good night before walking outside to their trailers.
“Sleep well, you two”, Tracy said to the actors before she and Duncan went to their room.
As Duncan closed the door behind them, Tracy flopped down on the edge of their bed.
“Hun? Are you OK?” Duncan asked her tentatively.
Tracy sighed deeply. “It’s just so sad”, she croaked.
“What?” Duncan asked nervously.
She sniffed. “They’re so in love but they’re not together!” Tracy’s voice raised in pitch as she spoke.
Duncan nodded his head in understanding. Even he could see the love and longing between Nathan and Stana tonight. “I know. Life’s not always fair, my darling.”
Nathan and Stana were still standing outside their door, in the living room. Nathan pursed his lips and Stana grimaced. “Gee, maybe we need to tell her.”
Nathan made a sound of mirth. “Yeah, maybe we should.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and she pressed her hand to his back as they climbed the stairs together.
“I mean, did we really think we were going to be any good at hiding this?” Stana asked him with a frown.
“Right? I mean, we couldn’t even hide it when there was nothing to hide!” Nathan threw back at her and he and Stana burst into quiet giggles as they entered their room.
Peace and love,
Renee.
...
Nathan and Stana woke languidly the next morning, which was a nice change of pace compared to the early starts of the previous few mornings. .
Still wrapped in each other’s arms, Stana smiled as she inhaled Nathan’s masculine scent. He seemed to sense she was awake, even though he was still breathing rhythmically, indicating he remained asleep, he tightened his hold around her. Stana marvelled at how secure she felt, how safe.
The sex with him the night before had been sensational. Just like it was the day they drove to the cabin and stopped in at the motel in Fresno, and even better than it had been all those years ago when they were working together before. Stana supposed it was probably because, even though they were still trying to keep their relationship a secret, they were no longer cheating on anyone. It made Stana feel so free, as if she could give herself to Nathan without any reservations. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling, unparalleled to anything she’d ever felt with Kris. It was what made her sure that Nathan was really the love of her life.
And to add to that emotion, Nathan had gone out of his way to please her and make her feel cherished. Despite the fact that their lovemaking had been rushed, the way he held her and kissed her, even the way he looked at her, made her feel so special to him.
Stana had the irrepressible urge to do something extra nice for Nathan. She couldn’t hear anyone downstairs yet and so she decided if she was quick and sneaky enough, she might be able to rustle up some food and bring Nathan a little breakfast in bed.
She carefully disentangled herself from his arms, trying not to wake him, though he was sleeping so soundly that she needn’t have worried too much.
She crept down the stairs to the ground floor of the cabin and tip-toed over to the vintage refrigerator. There was plenty to eat as they’d had catering organized for the entire four week shoot, enough to feed five times the amount of people on set.
She pulled out a fruit platter and then some milk to make cereal and coffee, every so often glancing over at the door of Duncan and Tracy’s bedroom. When she’d assembled two bowls of cereal and fruit and two cups of coffee, she browsed the kitchen cupboards for a tray on which to carry everything upstairs. With her back turned to the front door of the cabin, she failed to notice Jill entering behind her and jumped when she turned back around, tray in hand, and saw her approaching.
“Oh! Jill, hi.”
“Good morning, Stana. Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”, she whispered, giggling lightly. “Dunk and Trace still sleeping, huh?”
“Yes, so it would seem”, Stana nodded.
“Well, I’m not surprised, we stayed up for quite a while after you two went to bed.” There was something conspiratorial in Jill’s voice as she talked about Stana and Nathan going to bed.
“Mm”, Stana smiled politely.
Jill nodded. “Yeah. Well, I just came in because I started to get a little hungry.”
“Same”, Stana chuckled, motioning to the tray of food.
“Got some for Nathan too, I see. That’s nice of you.” The young lady was smiling, but Stana could tell there was a hint of suspicion in her voice, and maybe just a touch of...jealousy?
“Yeah, well I can’t eat in front of him, without offering him some too, I mean that’s just rude”, Stana gave her a sideways grin.
“Still, it’s sweet of you”, Jill’s eyelashes fluttered. “You know, I think the two of you are amazing.”
“Uh, how so?” Stana squinted her eyes at the young woman.
“Well, you two had a romantic relationship for some time, and even though it didn’t work out and the two of you moved on, you’ve still managed to keep this excellent friendship that’s clearly based on mutual respect for each other and for the work you do, and you even though it must be awkward at times, you obviously still care about each other a lot without letting your past dictate how close you choose to be now.” Jill shrugged. “I just think that’s very rare and special.”
Stana smiled thoughtfully at Jill. Perhaps this young woman was more mature and insightful than she’d initially given her credit for. “I agree”, Stana said to her and Jill’s face softened into a warm stare.
Stana pursed her lips. “Hey Jill.”
“Mm?” The two of them locked eyes for a moment before Stana turned around to spear a piece of fruit with her fork and held it out to Jill. “Try this mango, it’s delicious.”
Jill looked stunned for a moment, but then tilted her head forward to close her lips around Stana’s fork and sucking the cube of mango into her mouth. “Mm. Sweet...beautiful”, Jill said, almost sounding breathless.
Stana’s lip curled up and she raised her thumb to the young woman’s face, stroking her cheek for just a second before turning back to pick up her tray. “See you later”, she winked at Jill, who was now looking quite flustered. She cleared her throat. “See you later, Stana.”
Stana ascended the stairs again and balanced the tray carefully on her arm while she used her other hand to open the bedroom door. As she walked through, her eyes met Nathan’s and he grinned sleepily. “Mm, good morning.”
“Morning”, Stana smiled cutely back at him.
“What have we got here?” He asked her, sitting himself up in the bed and taking the tray from her when she lowered it to him.
“Just a little breakfast. I got hungry.” She rounded the end of the bed and shuffled in beside Nathan.
“Aw, well thank you for thinking of me too. That’s very nice of you”, he craned his neck to the right to kiss her. “You’re welcome”, she replied affectionately.
They set down the tray between them, resting it on their knees. “This looks great”, said Nathan, reaching for his spoon.
“Yeah”, Stana agreed, spearing a piece of honeydew. Before bringing the fruit to her mouth, she paused and said to Nathan, “I saw Jill downstairs.”
“Oh?”
“Mhm.” There was something about the moment she’d shared with the younger woman that made her want to share it with Nathan immediately.
“I think we might have had a...moment.” The idea of it was still kind of bizarre to Stana, but exciting at the same, knowing that Jill was most definitely interested in her.
Nathan’s eyebrows shot up instantly. “Really?” He asked, sounding amused, but also curious.
Stana nearly rolled her eyes at the clear excitement in his voice. “Yeah, and I probably initiated it.”
“Oh, you did?” Nathan laughed and Stana’s face turned scarlett.
Nathan could see she was becoming embarrassed, so he decided not to go on about it. The last thing he wanted to do was to make her feel uncomfortable.
“Well, good for you, hunny. It’s great to see you so carefree. It suits you”, he raised his cup of coffee to her and she picked hers up as well and clinked them together gently. “Thank you.”
They ate their breakfast in silence but before they were finished, they could hear chatter coming from downstairs.
“Sounds like Dunk and Tracy are up”, Nathan noted, drinking his last sip of coffee. “How adorable is Tracy going to think this is?” He smirked, referring to their breakfast in bed.
Stana chuckled. “Pretty darn.”
“Well, I think it’s pretty darn adorable too. Thank you, hunny”, he kissed her again and Stana smiled lovingly at him. “Gotta keep my man energized”, she drawled sexilly.
Nathan laughed in surprise. “I love you calling me your man.” He couldn’t help but steal another kiss from her lips.
Stana giggled and tapped on his chest. “Come on, we’d better go make an appearance downstairs. No doubt they’ll be wanting to start soon.”
When the two of them went downstairs, they discovered that the whole crew was now down there.
“Oh, everyone’s here”, Stana laughed nervously.
“I’m surprised you didn’t call us down earlier, it’s nearly ten o’clock”, Nathan said to the team.
Duncan smiled at him. “Well, we don’t really have a lot to shoot today, seeing as we now have to wait for the rain machine to be delivered to continue on with the new scene eleven, and besides, you two are so amazing that we’re actually running ahead of schedule, so I figured we could take things a little more leisurely today.”
“Works for me”, Nathan grinned. “When are we expecting the rain machine to arrive?”
“It’s due to be delivered tomorrow”, Tracy said, before turning her attention to the tray in Nathan’s hands. “Oh, have a little breakfast in bed, did you?”
Nathan and Stana knew there was no way she wasn’t going to notice it, or take the opportunity to bring it up.
“Yeah, my stomach couldn’t wait, and I thought I’d better bring him something too, you know, save him complaining”, Stana joked lightly.
“Such a kind-hearted person, she is”, Nathan played along, placing his hand on Stana’s shoulder.
Tracy laughed airily. Across the counter, Stana could see Jill staring at her intently.
“So, today I’d like to film the scene in Darryl’s shed, after Amelia makes the dress, and also just a few small shots for the montage of them getting closer”, Duncan explained to the crew and actors, who all nodded in understanding.
“Alright, we’ll go and set up in the shed and see you guys there when you’re ready”, Dan said to the others, pulling Dave by the arm to follow him.
“You wanna have a bath?” Stana asked Nathan and he lowered his head to whisper discreetly. “Together?”
Stana shook her head with a sideway smile. “Not today, cowboy. You go first, I’ll wash up after.”
“OK”, his eyes twinkled at her. He went to wash and get dressed into his costume. Stana offered to help Tracy with the dishes, but as usual, the older woman refused, so instead, Stana joined Jill, Duncan and Berndt in the living room.
Berndt and Duncan were deep in conversation about something quite foreign to Stana, so she just watched them talking, noticing their body language, which looked different to her now that she’d been told by Jill, they too were once romantic.
She sort of felt as if she and Nathan were a part of some sort of commune of modernistic, liberated people. It was a way of life she’d been exposed to in her life plenty of times, but not one she’d ever really been a part of. It felt as if this shoot was also a part of the experiment, though not just for her and Nathan to get closer, but for the two of them to be immersed in alternative lifestyles, while here at this isolated cabin with their crew. It suddenly dawned on Stana that there were probably no real rules or boundaries here. The thought shot a bolt of exhilaration through her.
When there was a lull in the conversation between the two older men, Stana leaned forward in her seat to talk to them. “So, I hear you two have some romantic history.”
Berndt and Duncan froze, both looking a bit shocked that Stana knew.
“It’s OK, no judgement here. I think it’s fabulous. I’d love to hear more about your relationship, as long as you’re all comfortable with that”, she included Tracy in her sentiment. The woman shrugged at Stana with a smile. “There are no secrets between us. I’m more than happy if you’d like to tell Stana, dear”, she looked at her husband, who looked tentative, but also proudly at his wife.
“Ah, well as Berndt told you the other day, we met in Stockholm when we were both nineteen. I was fortunate enough to have a gap year abroad. I know that you can appreciate the beauty of Europe, given your heritage.”
Stana’s face lit up. “Oh, absolutely.”
Duncan nodded. “It was nineteen-eighty-seven?” He looked to Berndt for affirmation and the Swede nodded. “We met at a film premiere. I was there simply because I was taking any opportunity I could get to mingle with like-minded people. Berndt was there because it was his partner’s film, which I did not know at the time.”
Berndt grinned coyly to himself.
“Anyway, we got to talking after the showing and I made a complete fool of myself by saying exactly what I had thought about the movie, most of which was not kind, by the way.”
Stana grimaced. “Oh no.”
“I know it sounds completely disastrous, right?” Duncan laughed.
Berndt slung his arm on the couch behind Duncan’s head. “But then I said, I agree, it’s absolutely terrible. I tried to tell my boyfriend so many times that the script was awful, the actors were dreadful and dull, and the lighting was far too dark throughout the whole thing, but he just kept on saying “I’m the director, and I know what is best for my film.”
Stana slapped a hand over her mouth as the men laughed. Duncan dried his eyes with his sleeve. “So that was how I found out not only was he in a relationship with a man, but also that man happened to be the director of the film that I’d just completely torn apart.”
Stana’s jaw dropped. “Oh my God.”
“So of course, he walks away, and I’m thinking, well that’s fair enough, not expecting to ever see him again, but then about half an hour later, he finds me again, and I’m about to just dissolve into the floor in humiliation when he says…” Duncan glanced at Berndt, letting him finish in his own words.
“I just broke up with my stupid boyfriend. Shall we get out of here, now?”
Stana screeched with laughter. “Did you really?!” She clapped her hands together. “That’s hilarious!”
“Yep, so I took him to a nightclub down the street and there we continued to slam the film, and when he told me about all the things he would have done differently, well, I agreed with every single one of his ideas. He was incredibly smart, it was very attractive, and you know, he was American, so he was even more glamorous.”
“Now, I had never been with a man, I’d never even conceived the idea of being with a man. I’d barely begun being with women”, Duncan laughed. “But Berndt here had such an alluring quality about him. We just clicked, but it wasn’t in a way that I’d ever connected with any of my pals back home. He invited me to stay with him and his place was a lot more appealing than the hostel I’d been at, so I accepted, and it took a few days, and a lot of new experiences before I grew enough balls to kiss him.”
Stana raised her eyebrow in surprise. “You kissed him first? Wow.”
Berndt patted Duncan on his knee. “It wasn’t hard to see that I was attracted to him, but I was terrified of making the first move, I didn’t know what he might do. As far as I was aware, he was perfectly straight and narrow and although I felt a spark there, I didn’t really expect that there would be anything more than friendship.”
“I was away from home, no parents around, completely free in an exciting city, I felt like there were no limitations, and I was really taken in by this guy. He made me feel so at ease and so comfortable. I don’t think I’d ever felt that with anyone before, male or female.”
“So naturally when he kissed me, I was ecstatic because I really liked him too. I’d been with a few women but leading up to this, it was mostly men who had my affections.”
“I learned many things from Bernie. Things I’d never even considered before”, Duncan laughed, looking shy.
The way the two of them spoke so openly about their relationships was eye-opening and transformative for Stana.
She turned to look at Tracy. “So, forgive me for being so intrusive, but, how did you come into the picture, Tracy?”
Duncan was first to answer Stana’s question. “Well, eventually I ran out of money so I couldn’t stay in Europe for too long. After about two months after meeting Berndt, I had to return to the States. It was crushing, but I kept his address and we wrote to each other for years afterwards. Of course, my family never would have approved of our real relationship, but they never got to see our letters, so that was OK.”
Stana smiled empathetically at the two men.
“Tracy and I met in ninety-four, and I absolutely fell in love with her, and I’m not lying about that. I thought she was absolutely stunning from the moment I saw her. Her intellect, her manner, everything was perfect to me.”
“He was very charming, and very handsome”, Tracy chipped in.
“What do you mean “was”?” Duncan asked her playfully, making the others laugh.
She came over and leaned on the back of the couch behind Stana. “Dunk told me everything about his time in Europe with Berndt. He was very hesitant, but I too had been involved in a couple of same-sex relationships so it wasn’t a big deal for me. We were in love and nothing else really mattered.”
Stana stared up at the woman with admiration in her eyes.
“We got married very quickly, and of course, that suitably pleased our parents. We were together for about five years before Berndt wrote that he was moving to California. Duncan wasn’t going to ask me, but I knew how much Berndt meant to him and so I suggested that he invite him to stay with us, at least until he got on his feet.”
Stana shook her head slowly. “What an amazing wife you are.”
Tracy gave Stana a wise smile. “When you love somebody like I love Dunk, you do whatever you can to make them happy, remembering that they have chosen you to walk beside them in life, but they remain their own person. Of course you have to compromise a bit now and then for things to work, but you don’t get to control them.”
Stana smiled back at her, thinking yet again about the reign that Kris had over her during their marriage, and in comparison, the freedom she felt with Nathan to make her own choices.
“That goes both ways, mind you”, Duncan said, reaching over to take his wife’s hand. “If Trace had told me at any point that she was unhappy with the situation, well then it would have ended.”
“Truth be told, it was not an entirely unpleasant thing to have two men to play with”, Tracy muttered to Stana, looking sly, and Stana laughed in surprise.
“So, the three of you formed this relationship, what happened when Berndt moved out?”
“We kept the relationship going, though it became a more casual one, based on convenience. We decided we enjoyed the dynamic of sometimes having another person with us, and so we started inviting others into our relationship. Sometimes men, sometimes women, sometimes both at the same time”, Duncan told Stana frankly.
“OK”, Stana nodded, no longer feeling shocked by each new bit of information.
“At the end of the day, you must have respect for each other, and your love for one another must be strong, if you’re going to have the kind of marriage where you invite others in”, Duncan explained to Stana.
“It works for us. Not for everyone. But we’re happy.”
“Well, I’m happy for you”, Stana told the three of them sincerely.
Jill, who had been sitting next to her, listening quietly, asked Stana, “Have you and your husband ever...had a spare?”
Stana’s breath caught in her throat. She shook her head. “Oh no, no. Our marriage has been very traditional, Kris is quite uh...vanilla.” She blinked, feeling as if she had probably said too much.
“You mean aside from Nathan?” Tracy asked her coyly.
“Ah, well that’s a little bit different. They were two very separate relationships”, Stana swallowed.
“But you were obviously keen to try other flavours, as well as just vanilla?” Berndt asked her in a low, dark voice which made Stana tingle.
Stana laughed anxiously.
“Ooh, are we talking favourite ice cream flavours? Mine’s maple walnut”, Nathan announced, strolling into the room, and breaking the tension.
Stana stood up from the couch and turned around, patting Nathan on his chest. “Great timing”, She whispered. “I’d better go get myself ready!” She announced out loud, before disappearing into the bathroom.
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the others. "What did I miss?"
"Take a seat, Mr. Fillion", Jill smiled up at him, motioning to the space on the couch next to herself.
…
After Nathan had been filled in on almost as much as Stana had been, Stana returned from the bathroom wearing her costume.
"Well that was very enlightening, thank you for sharing that very personal story with me." He swiveled around on the couch and saw Stana approaching. She was dressed in the pretty dress costume her character makes for herself.
"Well hello there. Breathtaking as ever, Miss Katic." He complimented Stana.
"Isn't she technically Mrs. Brkljac?" Tracy asked Nathan, careful not to grimace too hard.
"She never took his last name" "I never took his last name", Stana and Nathan answered in unison.
Tracy gasped, looking delighted. "Did I just witness a classic Stana/Nathan mind meld?"
The actors just smiled at her, not bothering to tell her that it was actually usually their characters that did that.
They all walked outside together and over to the shed where they would be filming the only scene that day with dialogue. Dan and Dave had the sound and lighting set up and ready to go.
Nathan's character Darryl was in his shed. In the script, Stana’s character was to walk up to the door and stand in front of it, waiting for Darryl to notice her. The camera caught Stana staring at Nathan in anticipation while he worked, then eventually sensed her presence and turned his head to gaze at her in astonishment. He looked her up and down wordlessly for a moment. “My word”, he finally exclaimed. “You are…”, he acted as if he was physically catching himself and correcting what he was going to say. “...Very skilled. That’s a very impressive transformation. The dress looks beautiful.”
Stana allowed her character her first true smile of the movie. "I thought you said this material didn't appeal to you."
"Well that's when it was bed sheets", Nathan said plainly, making the crew snicker and Stana bow her head looking a tad flustered.
“I have some more material, please feel free to make more clothes for yourself out of it. Anything you can find that you like.”
“You are incredibly kind, Mr. Brougham”, Stana delivered with a soft look.
Nathan stood from the small wooden stool he was seated on. "I uh, I wanted to ask you”, he took a moment to look hesitant. “Do you think it's still so urgent to get to where you were planning on going or do you think it was more the getting away from that was the real cause for haste?"
"Well now that I'm here and safe, I guess it was the getting away from that was the greater concern", Stana answered, ducking her head in a shy way.
A warmth filled Nathan's face, increasing both his smile and the shine in his eyes. "I'm glad you feel safe here."
Stana gave him a small hint of a smile as she shook her head. "It makes very little sense, I do not know you, but yes, I do feel safe here...somehow."
The two of them shared a lingering look of mutual contentment.
“I must get back to fixing this”, Nathan said eventually, pointing to the tools he’d been working with.
“Please”, Stana motioned to his work station politely. As he sat back down, she spoke again. “I’ll fix some lunch.” She smiled brighter than she had done thus far in the film and turned to walk back to the house, Nathan’s eyes following her as she left. The camera caught him smiling to himself as he returned to his task.
Duncan clapped his hands together. “Alright, beautiful. Then we’re going to fade to our montage of scenes showing the progression of the relationship. There’s going to be some instrumental overlay, it’s all going to be very cute.”
Tracy sighed deeply, looking blissful. “You two..”, she directed at Nathan and Stana who chuckled in response. “OK, so now we’re going to shoot those few little incidental scenes where we can see them falling for each other. Oh, I can’t wait. Get ready to make love with your eyes”, Tracy’s face was a picture of glee as she partially teased the actors.
“Don’t we always?” Stana joked back in a geeky tone of voice, blushing as she said it.
Everyone looked at her in surprise and she laughed. “I mean...on camera.” She shook her head and everyone else smiled knowingly.
The next few hours were spent filming the interim scenes. In some of the short scenes, it was Nathan’s character watching Stana do a simple thing like hang out clothes to dry or beat a rug. At one point she held out the stick she was using and pointed it at Nathan in a mock-threatening manner and he held up his hands in a surrender-like position, causing them both to laugh. It wasn’t written as such in the script, but Duncan and Tracy both loved it, so they kept it in.
In another scene, Amelia brings Darryl some lemonade out to his shed while he’s working and he looks up at her with a look of gratitude and burgeoning affection.
The next scene had Darryl coming inside and looking for something. He searches around hopelessly for a while when Amelia, who is at the kitchen bench, picks something up and taps him on his arm. He turns around and takes it from her, seeing that it’s exactly what he needs. Amelia returns her attention to the bench but Darryl gazes at her in wonderment for a few moments before leaving the room with a smile on his face.
They managed to finish filming all three sequences, while also squeezing in lunch, before dark. Tracy had prepared slow-cooked lamb shanks and vegetables during their lunch break, which they all devoured at dinner.
After they ate, the crew sat around the dining table drinking wine and relaxing. Duncan put on some old records and pulled Tracy up to dance with him. Everyone cheered for them before Stana decided to join in. She first took Jill’s hands to dance with her, and Jill was delighted, the two ladies giggling, slightly inebriated from the wine, trying their best at a lindy-hop.
Berndt offered Nathan his hand and Nathan laughed, “Why not!” Grabbing hold of the Swede and letting him lead him to the middle of the room and dancing together in a wide circle around the others. Dave and Dan soon joined in, feeling comfortable enough to dance together after seeing Nathan and Berndt doing so.
When the song changed, Tracy called out. “Now change your partner, dosey-doe”, and everyone laughed as they switched partners. Duncan went with Berndt, Tracy with Dan, Dave with Jill, which left Stana and Nathan to couple up. They shared a humored chuckle before embracing each other to dance.
Cole Porter’s “Just one of those things” was playing and as the pair danced, the words seemed quite true for them and their relationship in the past.
“It was just one of those things
Just one of those crazy flings
One of those bells that now and then rings
Just one of those things
It was just one of those nights
Just one of those fabulous flights
A trip to the moon on gossamer wings
Just one of those things
If we'd thought a bit 'bout the end of it
When we started painting the town
We'd have been aware that our love affair
Was too hot not to cool down
So good bye, dear, and amen
Here's hoping we meet now and then
It was great fun
But it was just one of those things”
By the end of the song, everyone was in fits of laughter and breathless. The music for Lee Wiley’s version of “Someone to watch over me” began to play on the record player and Stana and Nathan stepped closer together, slow-dancing to the song, the words of which also held a lot of meaning for them.
Nathan held Stana tightly in his arms and she lay her head on his chest as they absorbed the words of the song.
“There's a saying old, says that love is blind
Still we're often told, seek and ye shall find
So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind
Looking everywhere, haven't found him yet
He's the big affair I cannot forget
Only man I ever think of with regret
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb
There's a somebody I'm longin' to see
I hope that he turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me
I'm a little lamb who's lost in the wood
I know I could, always be good
To one who'll watch over me
Although he may not be the man
Some girls think of as handsome
To my heart he carries the key
Won't you tell him please to put on some speed
Follow my lead, oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me”
It wasn’t until the song had come to an end that Stana and Nathan realized they had drifted off together with their eyes closed. Stana blinked and looked around the room, her arms sliding away from Nathan’s neck. “Oh, we’re the only ones still dancing”, she laughed in embarrassment, casting her eyes around the room at everyone intently watching them.
“Oh”, Nathan chuckled as well. He cleared his throat, looking caught out. He gently stepped away from Stana, trying to be casual.
“Well, I think I’m about ready for bed”, Tracy announced, for once, acting cool, as if seeing Nathan and Stana dancing intimately together was not a big deal to her. The others took her lead and wished each other a good night before walking outside to their trailers.
“Sleep well, you two”, Tracy said to the actors before she and Duncan went to their room.
As Duncan closed the door behind them, Tracy flopped down on the edge of their bed.
“Hun? Are you OK?” Duncan asked her tentatively.
Tracy sighed deeply. “It’s just so sad”, she croaked.
“What?” Duncan asked nervously.
She sniffed. “They’re so in love but they’re not together!” Tracy’s voice raised in pitch as she spoke.
Duncan nodded his head in understanding. Even he could see the love and longing between Nathan and Stana tonight. “I know. Life’s not always fair, my darling.”
Nathan and Stana were still standing outside their door, in the living room. Nathan pursed his lips and Stana grimaced. “Gee, maybe we need to tell her.”
Nathan made a sound of mirth. “Yeah, maybe we should.” He wrapped his arm around her waist and she pressed her hand to his back as they climbed the stairs together.
“I mean, did we really think we were going to be any good at hiding this?” Stana asked him with a frown.
“Right? I mean, we couldn’t even hide it when there was nothing to hide!” Nathan threw back at her and he and Stana burst into quiet giggles as they entered their room.