Driven -Part 2
It was Wednesday before Chris was needed on set again and Jared found himself avoiding the man as much as he could. He spent most of the morning either in the makeup trailer or in his own, curled up between Harley and Sadie on the bed running through his lines alone. The dogs welcomed the attention, as they hardly saw Jared during the week.
He hadn’t tried texting or calling Jensen again since Saturday morning’s debacle. He knew when to leave well enough alone and apparently, so did Christian. He hadn’t sought Jared out at all either. Eventually, however, the two actors had to run a scene together and Jared found himself standing toe to toe with Jensen’s roommate.
“So…,” he started, looking down at the floor, hair sliding forward to obscure his face more.
“Hey, man. Haven’t seen you all day. You feelin’ alright?”
“Yeah, fine,” Jared said softly.
Chris rolled his eyes. “Cut the crap, Jay. Jensen is an idiot. A stubborn, scared idiot.”
Jared looked up sharply at the other man. “I didn’t…”
“Yeah, well, you think loud enough that I don’t even have to ask.” He cast a glance over at the director, who was still lining up the camera angle and gesturing to the boom operator. “That and the fact that you’ve been avoiding me all day and you look like someone kicked Sadie.”
The taller man carefully adjusted his hair so he didn’t require a touch up. “Well, the last time I talked to Jensen he was pretty clear that he didn’t want to pursue anything more than what happened. No need to beat a dead horse.”
Chris looked at him a moment before throwing his head back in laughter. “Dude was freaking out, Jay. You’re the first person he’s brought back to the apartment in probably a year and he’s been taken advantage of before. Like monumentally. Despite his demeanor Friday night he’s pretty shy. You peeling off the veneer and getting inside was a bit to take in.” He nodded as the boom operator came close to them, offering a smile. “Plus, he was hungover. Word to the wise? Don’t mess with Jensen when he hasn’t had a lot of sleep.”
Chris picked at a small piece of lint on his pant leg, moving closer to the taller man so he could speak in a low voice. His eyes scanned the set to make sure no one was paying them any attention before continuing. “Look. Jensen’s kind of complex and it’s not as simple as you’d like to think it is. He’d be okay with just letting you walk away and keeping that night a distant memory. But the fact is that you two are cut from the same cloth, man. I’ve never seen a pair of people so similar. Believe me when I say hanging out with y’all separately is sort of like déjà vu. And with the chemistry you two had the other night?” He waggled his eyebrows. “I could be so lucky to find someone like that.” He stood back, patting a palm on Jared’s shoulder. “Don’t let him get away. He’s a good guy who’s had a lot to deal with in the relationship department, but if anyone can get inside his inner sanctum and fix that? It’s you.” Jared looked unsure, but Chris didn’t let him speak up. “If nothing else call him until he agrees to see you again. Be just as stubborn as he is. You’d be surprised what he’ll do to keep from being irritated.”
“Alright, man. I will.” Jared started fidgeting on his feet. “Um….and I know this isn’t really a big deal or anything but it’s kind of a momento I’ve had for a while and…well…did he throw out my bracelet? I mean, I told him he could, but I was kind of hoping….”
The director called out to his assistant so they could start the scene, so Christian winked. As he walked to his mark, he called over his shoulder, “Jensen’s not the type to toss something that’s not his, even with permission. Call him back and ask him where your bracelet is. The answer might surprise you. And tell him I said he’s an idiot.”
Jared hid his smile as the director yelled “Action!”
Jensen felt the vibrations of his phone in his pocket while he was strumming out bridge chords at Steve’s studio. His fingers stuttered, causing him to play the wrong notes. Steve looked up from his mandolin in confusion. “You alright?” he asked, hands stilling.
Jensen nodded. “Damn phone buzzed me is all. Screwed me up.”
Steve tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and leaned over to switch off the recording equipment. “It’s cool. My fingers were starting to cramp anyway. Let’s take five so you can see who it was. Might be important.” When Jensen shrugged, he stood up to leave the room. “Want a soda or something?”
“Sure.” Jensen set his guitar down on the floor before linking his hands together and stretching his arms high above his head. A couple of his knuckles popped. He sighed at the sweet bliss. Finally, he fished his phone out of his pocket and looked at the missed call list. Jared’s number was at the top of the list. He frowned. Before he could make heads or tails of what he was seeing, the phone began buzzing again, Jared’s name flashing across the screen.
“Hello?”
“Jensen? Hey. It’s Jared.”
“Um…hey.”
“Did I catch you at a bad time? Because I called before and I chickened out and couldn’t leave a message because it’s kind of weird to leave a message on your phone, but Christian said I should - “
“Jared, stop,” Jensen interrupted. “It’s fine. I was in the studio with Steve…”
“Shit. I’m sorry. It is a bad time and you’re being polite. I’ll just….”
“No big, man. We’re on break right now. And Christian said you should what?”
There was a brief silence before Jared cleared his throat. “Uh, I know you said this wasn’t a good idea, but...” Jensen heard the click of Jared swallowing noisily. “But I think it is. And Christian thinks we should try it out. The dating thing. I think we could be good together and I hate to think that we aren’t going to try…”
“Jared, I just don’t know…”
“That’s the thing, though,” Jared barreled on. “Nobody knows when they’re starting out a relationship. You don’t know if the person’s going to be a total douchebag or a psycho stalker or some weird fetishist.”
“Fetishist?” Jensen found himself smiling despite himself. “What type of dates have you been on lately?”
Jared chuckled. “Not many - I’ve told you this already. But that’s not the point. The point is that I’m not going to give up on trying this with you. I think we could find out that we have more in common than our home state and the Cowboys and entertaining people. I feel like we have this chemistry together, something I haven’t had with anyone in a very long time. And we deserve the chance to see where this goes.”
“And if it goes south?”
“Then it goes south. I don’t know, but I’m willing to take the risk.”
Jensen sighed. “You’re taking a lot on chance seeing as we’ve only spent one night together and over half of that, we were smashed. How do you know we’ll even get along outside of sex?”
“How do you know we won’t? Come on, man. Give it a shot and come down to set tomorrow night for dinner. Please?”
Steve walked back into the studio, carrying two bottles of Coke. He handed one to Jensen and gestured to the door, asking silently if he should leave. Jensen waved at him to sit down. Steve sat, but turned his back on his friend, as if to give the illusion of full privacy. He fiddled with the microphone nearby as a distraction.
“Alright. Fine,” Jensen finally agreed, voice low. “What time?”
“Ummm…maybe around 7? We generally wrap for dinner around 6:30 so we can grab some food and a table at the tent without generating a huge crowd.” Jared sounded like he’d just won the lottery. Jensen couldn’t help smiling about that.
“7 o’clock. Okay. I’ll have Chris tell me how to get there.”
“Awesome! And Jensen?”
“Yeah?”
“Chris told me to ask you something else.”
“Yeah?”
“He said to ask you where my bracelet is.”
Jensen gulped in a breath, causing Steve to look over in alarm. He closed his eyes. “I didn’t throw it away if that’s what you want to know,” he admitted.
Jared laughed. “Okay. I’ll let you by with that answer for now.” There was a noise in the background and Jensen could make out Jared’s voice, muffled by a hand. “I’ve gotta head back to set. But I’m glad that you’re coming over tomorrow.”
“Sure.”
“Oh, and Jensen?”
“Yeah?”
“Chris says you’re an idiot.”
Jensen could hear Jared laughing as he hung up the phone. Jensen blew out a laugh of his own as he put his phone back in his pocket. Steve turned around, amused. “Important call, then?”
The other man picked up his guitar, thinking a moment. “Maybe. We’ll have to see.”
"An idiot, huh?"
Christian and Jared both looked up from their plates of food to see Jensen standing next to the table, hands crammed into his jean pockets. He smiled at Jared shyly, who returned the smile with a wide grin.
"I meant that in the most endearing way," Chris laughed, scooting over a chair so that Jensen could sit between the two seated men.
"Uh-huh. I bet."
"Well, with your track record of being as skittish as a colt..." Chris smirked, shoveling a forkful of what looked like shredded pork into his mouth.
"Shut it, man-whore."
Christian clasped a hand over his heart, feigning pain. "You wound me with your words, Ackles!" He winked at Jared and wiped his mouth with a paper napkin. "Even though that might be a true assessment..."
Jensen looked around the nearly empty craft services tent apprehensively. When he saw that no one paid their table any mind, he slid into the chair. "So, this place isn't very busy right now," he commented.
"You made it," Jared said, food forgotten on his styrofoam plate. His smile was softly pleased and his eyes glittered in the dim light.
"Sounds like you're surprised."
"Maybe a little. I mean, I was pretty sure you were gonna blow me off."
Jensen shifted uncomfortably. That statement would have been eerily accurate if anyone had asked about his plans for the evening even an hour ago. He had gone back and forth all day, sure of his decision at one time and then completely changing his mind the next moment. He'd thought of excuses to tell Jared and fantasized both good and bad scenarios. He'd changed shirts at least three times before he settled on something comfortable and he'd showered twice. He'd not been this nervous around someone since high school and that, in itself, made him more nervous. He coughed out a laugh and cast a quick glance at Chris, who patted him on the back.
"Nah, Jenny here was gonna show for sure. Food to be had, great company to keep...." He leaned forward on the small table, lowering his voice. "Plus, he'd have hell to pay if I got home and found out he stood you up."
Jensen's eyes grew round and he coughed harshly into his hand. “Really?” Jared pushed his water glass forward, offering it, but Jensen waved it away. “You’ve got an awful lot riding on this thing.”
Chris smirked, looking over his shoulder and catching the eye of the cook across the room. “Well, I do have fifty bucks bet against Tamara over there that you’d show.” He leaned closer to the table, whispering. “She doesn’t believe that Jared would be able to ask a friend to set for dinner.”
“Friend, huh?” Jared asked, wiping his fingers on his napkin. He looked over at Tamara, too, nodding and smiling at her. She looked completely confused before pointing at the pile of noodles under the warming lamp and gesturing that she’d make him another plate. “You want her to bring over some food? She can check out our friendliness from close up,” he teased. At Jensen’s apprehension, he laughed. “Just kidding, I’ll go grab you a plate myself. Make sure she doesn’t give you the crappy bits that have stayed under the warmer too long.”
Jensen sent another nervous glance around the tent before nodding in agreement. Jared jumped to his feet and strode over to Tamara, pointing and motioning towards several pans. Tamara began to fill a plate. Jensen turned to Chris, hand rubbing absently across his own nape. “Is that true? About the cook? You told her we were friends, right? No funny business…”
Chris finished draining his cup of iced tea and set it down on the table with a thunk. “Seriously? You really think I’d let on about you and Jared?” He cocked an eyebrow in irritation. “You have no faith in me, Ackles.”
“No, I do. I just….this isn’t really…I mean, Jared’s, well...Jared. But I’m not ready for the whole world to know about this - especially if there isn’t much of a this to speak of.”
“I know, I know. Stay low profile. Keep all of this out of the tabloids. Don’t mention it to the press. Avoid people at all costs.” Chris sighed, watching as Jared started back to the table carrying a food-laden plate. “I know what a nightmare it was with Tom, but again, I have to reiterate that Jared’s not Tom. He’s not going to pull that shit with you.”
Jared placed the plate in front of Jensen, a cold bottle of water set beside it. “What shit?” he asked, settling down in his chair again.
Jensen sighed. “Nothing.” He unwrapped his plastic fork and stared down at his plate. Bits of pork and vegetables topped wiry noodles and a thin brown sauce was drizzled over it all. “This looks amazing.” He took a bite of noodles, moaning a little at the taste. “Hell, yeah, that’s good.” Jared choked on the mouthful of food he’d just taken, eyes riveted to Jensen’s lips, which parted to allow his tongue to lick away stray drops of sauce.
“And on that note,” Christian teased, standing and stretching. “Y’all have a great evening. See you later tonight, Jen.” He gathered his trash and wandered out of the tent, calling out to a passerby. Jared’s face burned in embarrassment as he went back to eating.
The two men sat eating in silence for a few minutes. Around them were the muffled sounds of the crew heading back to set, Tamara cleaning up the rest of the food, and the clatter of lights and equipment being moved from stage to stage. Jensen closed his eyes briefly, taste of sauce still on his tongue, and felt a strange sense of nostalgia wash over him.
He'd only visited Tom on set a handful of times and never as anything but a friend of a friend. Tom kept up his appearances for the press: a beautiful girl by his side at events, always demure when answering relationship questions, never being definitive when probed for private information. Jensen was nearly always shuffled around behind the scenes, meeting bodyguards or Tom's cousins at parking garages out of the way, instead of coming near the actor himself where anyone could see. They stayed in random motels off the beaten path under aliases. They celebrated their year anniversary at Tom's brother's condo in Colorado with no one the wiser as to their whereabouts.
Jensen was asked by Tom's publicist to stay in the shadows, to be a ghost. Tom begged Jensen to be patient with him, to let him get things worked out within his career before he went public with everything. And Jensen had been patient. He'd kept all those private moments between them inside for months. He pined for the day he could tell his family about the guy he'd been seeing.
Tom had never made an announcement about them. He never acknowledged Jensen at all. In fact, two months after Jensen had come to Tom in tears, asking for the world to know that they were welcoming a child soon, he'd shut down completely. He stopped taking Jensen's calls. He had a mutual friend, Mike, come by the apartment to give Jensen a check to cover any expenses of an abortion, along with a hefty hush fee. Jensen had torn the check into confetti and sent Mike back to Tom with a black eye. It was a lucky thing he wasn’t torn limb from limb…
"Jensen?"
Jared's worried voice carried through his memories and Jensen took a sharp breath. "Sorry. Just....it's been awhile since I've been on a set. Bringing back some things I hadn't thought about in a while."
"Oh," Jared said, looking down at his now empty plate. "So, not really one who wants a tour, then, huh?"
Jensen smiled softly. "Maybe another time."
"Sure. Anytime." Jared put his hand on top of Jensen's. "You're welcome here anytime, Jen."
"Jen?"
"Oh, God....sorry...it just slipped out." Jared withdrew his hand, smacking himself on his forehead. "Jeez, I'm such a dork."
"Nah," Jensen interrupted, putting down his fork and smiling over at the taller man. "It's just...no one's called me Jen before...well, other than you the other night. It's usually J or Jenny. But for the love of God, do NOT call me Jenny. I allow it from Chris only because it's kind of a childhood nickname..."
Jared looked Jensen straight in the eye. "I'd never call you Jenny. Promise."
"Good."
Tamara had left the catering buffet area for parts unknown and Jared could make out the sounds of the crew reassembling and shouts of PAs to locate cast members. He gathered up his trash and Jensen's, depositing it in the nearby trashcan, then stood awkwardly next to the other man.
"So," he began, hands jammed deep into his jeans pockets. "They're gonna be looking for me soon. I'd better be getting back to the soundstage."
Jensen tucked his thumbs in his back pockets, trying for nonchalant. "Yeah. Sure. Um...thanks for inviting me here for the food. It was great. Give Tamara my compliments."
He turned to leave and found a strong hand wrapped around his bicep. When he looked back at Jared, his breath caught in his throat. The man was close enough he could smell the trace of makeup and subtle cologne. Woodsy and musky...
"Thanks for coming here," Jared said, voice low, but warm. He cast a quick glance around the tent, then leaned in to place a gentle kiss on the other man's lips. "Let's do it again sometime."
Jensen felt his heart flutter in his chest and he nodded dumbly, unable to form words. Jared gave him the brightest, biggest grin he'd ever seen before stepping back and ducking his head shyly.
"I'll call you, okay? Maybe tomorrow after shooting wraps. We can hang out. Play some COD or shoot some hoops...maybe watch a movie or something. I'm pretty laidback." He looked up at Jensen through his floppy bangs, hopeful.
Jensen smiled back and agreed. "That sounds...good. Yeah."
As he left the tent, Jared called over his shoulder, "Later, Jen!"
Jensen heard a startled shriek of laughter from a young girl just outside the tent. When he headed out, he saw that it was what appeared to be Jared's PA, who was slapping at his arm playfully. Both were giggling. Jared looked back one more time, waving at Jensen. The girl looked back, turned red, and laughed harder. "Oh my God, Jared....where do you find these people you hang out with? He's so hot!" Jensen heard her squeal. "Life as a peon is so unfair!"
Jared snorted and ducked his head. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he brought it out to look at the message.
*she’s not lying, you know….hot stuff, Ackles*
His face burned crimson and he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face for an hour.
Jared called Jensen the next day when he had a break from shooting to ask him to dinner for that Saturday. Jensen accepted on one condition: that they actually go somewhere that had solid walls and silverware. Jared feigned being offended, but promised to find a real restaurant this time.
Christian poked fun at the both of them. He snuck Post-Its with dirty limericks in Jared’s script pages Friday afternoon at the read-through for the next week. He left glossy magazine shots of Jared in Jensen’s shower stall Saturday morning with a bottle of dollar store conditioner placed strategically beneath.
By Saturday evening, both men were extremely nervous. Thankfully, Christian was nowhere to be found when Jared came to pick up Jensen. They made it to the dinner reservation on time, only to be interrupted by their waitress nearly knocking over their water glasses when she realized who she was serving.
"Jared Padalecki!" she breathed out excitedly. "As I live and breathe." Her voice had a southern twang and she swung her hand out to hang off her hip as she spoke. Jensen tensed across the table.
Both men looked up at her, Jared's face melting into a flushed, boyish expression. "Hi, there," he drawled, Texan accent coming out strong. "How are you tonight?"
The waitress twittered and fanned her face. Her blush was evident through the dimmed lights. "Oh, my God....I'm great....you?"
Jared winked. "I'm having a great time out tonight. But we're just looking to have a quiet evening....so if you could keep it down about us being here, that would be fantastic." His voice was syrup and honeybees. The waitress ate it up.
She glanced around the restaurant, nodding knowingly. "I understand. I'll keep it hush-hush." She leaned closer to him, covering the side of her mouth from view of the rest of the patrons. "But can I bother you for an autograph before you guys take off? Please?"
"Sure thing, sweetheart," he agreed. "Now, can you tell me what wine would go best with your sirloin?" His leg reached out beneath the table and bumped Jensen's. The other man started, trying to cover his surprise with a cough. The waitress paid him no mind. She took their orders and rushed off, face still red.
Jensen ran a hand through his hair. "That girl about creamed herself when she realized who you were. I'll be surprised if they don't bring you out a free dessert."
Jared laughed, taking a sip of water. "Perk of being on a television show, I guess. All the chocolate I can eat. But, she'll just have to back off because I'm here on a hot date." The toe of his shoe skated up Jensen's leg and tickled at his thigh. His upper body stayed still, though.
Jensen took a sharp breath. "Hot date, huh?"
"Yeah." His foot wormed its way between Jensen's legs. "And I'm hoping I get to take you out again." He leaned closer to Jensen, letting his foot caress the other man's groin softly. "Soon."
"Only if I get to share that dessert with you."
"Deal."
They spent the evening curled up on Jared's sofa, sharing the double chocolate cake the restaurant had given them on the house. Despite all forms of motivation, however, Jensen stayed firm in his decision to keep things slow. They shared a sweet kiss before he headed home, head in the clouds.
Jared stared at his phone, frowning at the message that had come across the screen. It had been two delightful weeks since their first official date and Jared and Jensen had been spending as much time as possible together. When one of them were at work and had a spare moment, they'd text each other. It was comfortable and sexy, even though they'd mutually decided to take things more slowly. This text, however, was anything but fun.
Chris waltzed over to the director's chair next to Jared's and lifted himself up into it. When he wasn't acknowledged right away, he waved a hand in front of Jared's phone.
"Earth to Jaybird," he said, smiling. "Jensen send you some racy pictures again?"
Jared blinked up at Christian, not seeing him completely. "Um, no. Jen's dad is in the hospital and he's gotta fly to Dallas immediately."
"What? Really?" Christian's phone buzzed in his pocket. He reached down and saw a message from Jensen, explaining that his dad had been taken to the hospital and could he float him some cash to get him on a plane tonight? "Shit," he said under his breath, running a hand through his hair.
"What? Did he send you more information? Is his dad okay?"
"No new news, I think. Just that he's been taken in. But he needs to fly out there and he's short on funds." Chris clicked over to his banking app on his phone and quickly ran numbers through his head. "I don't know if I can swing what he needs by tonight. Fuckin' fantastic friend I am."
Jared's head whipped up. "He needs a ticket home?"
"Yeah, but I can't get him the $200 right now. Bills just came due and I..."
Jared wasn't listening to him. He had his phone to his ear, hand scrabbling in his pocket for his wallet. "I need two tickets to Dallas on the next flight out. Wait, hold on. Let me...." He held a hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, wallet flopped open so he could grab out a credit card. "Christian, can you check with Kim and see if I can get cut loose for tonight and tomorrow? It's an emergency. I'll work extra long hours to make up for it when I get back."
Chris blinked at Jared for a long moment. "You're going with him?"
"Can you just ask him? I mean, I'm probably going to go anyway, but...Jensen shouldn't have to go by himself."
Jared was distractedly speaking into the phone again, rattling off numbers and answering questions. Chris smiled a small smile and headed off to find the director.
An hour later, Jensen found himself inside the darkened interior of Clif's SUV next to Jared. His bag had been stuffed quickly, having only been given twenty minutes notice that Clif was arriving to pick him up. It rested at his feet, a lump of canvas he barely recognized. His knee was bouncing a million miles an hour and he had to sit on his fingers so he didn't start chewing his nails.
Jared didn't look any more at ease. His hair was pulled haphazardly up into a ponytail, one wayward strand dangling across his face. He kept pushing it back behind his ear, but it continued to drift forward, just short enough to stay free of the band. His fingers tapped a rhythm on his jean-clad knee and his teeth worried his lower lip. His own duffle was shoved behind them in the hatchback section of the vehicle, rust orange and unassuming. Jensen wondered what exactly Jared had packed and how he'd come to decide to take this emergency trip in the first place.
"You guys alright back there?" Clif called back, eyes visible in the rearview mirror. "You're awful quiet."
"Fine," Jensen said flatly.
Jared passed a glance over at his travel companion before shrugging in Clif's direction. "Yeah, we're good."
"Okay," Clif said, sounding unsure. "Just let me know if you need something. This silent crap's kind of creeping me out. Especially coming from you, Padalecki."
Jensen huffed out a laugh and stared out the window. They were almost to LAX and he felt the anticipation of flying growing in leaps and bounds. He didn't dislike flying, exactly, but he definitely found it to be an unpleasant and expensive means to get where he needed to be. He would have preferred to drive himself, but it would have taken at least a day and a half to get home, not stopping much for sleeping. Besides, he couldn't lose out on precious minutes on his father if there was something serious going on.
He hadn't been able to get much information out of his mother, who was distracted by doctors and endless forms to fill out. Josh had been at work and hadn't returned his mother's message yet. Mack had sent him information via text as soon as she found out where their father had been taken and that he was being rushed into surgery, but that source dried up when she revealed that she would be unable to use her phone inside the hospital surgical area. It hadn't been long enough for surgery to be complete, so no one knew that Jensen was even arriving in Dallas within a few hours.
He felt a warm hand rest on his knee, causing it to stop bouncing with a jerk. Jared was looking at him with sad, sympathetic eyes. "It'll be okay," the other man said softly, hand lightly squeezing Jensen's knee. "I just have a feeling about this."
Jensen swallowed around the lump that had taken up residence in his throat and blinked hard. He refused to cry. "Yeah. Okay," he whispered. He felt another squeeze of Jared's large hand and he focused on it to distract him from the swell of emotion threatening to erupt.
Jared's hand was knobby knuckled and long fingered, tanned with a light dusting of light brown hair that ran upwards to his arm. Calluses scratched at Jensen's jeans, soft enough to prove that Jared didn't work with his hands heavily, but obviously lifted weights regularly or used a bar for pull-ups. There was a light white scar on the top of his index finger's knuckle, small enough to be overlooked by the casual observer but large enough to stand out with this careful scrutiny. Resting around his wrist was the thin dark strand of leather, braided and tied carefully together. Jensen bit his tongue as he remembered keeping the bracelet in his room and randomly finding himself taking it down off his bulletin board to run his fingers across it. He realized with sharp clarity that he had no idea why the bracelet was so important to Jared. He sat up straighter in the seat, turning to his travel companion.
"You never did tell me the story behind this bracelet. I mean, it seems like it's sort of important to you."
"Huh?" Jared pulled his attention away from the bustling activity on the freeway and looked down at his wrist. "Oh. My bracelet. Yeah." He paused, taking his hand back into his lap, and used his finger and thumb to adjust it so the knot holding it together was no longer visible.
"It's a souvenir from when I first came to L.A. I was young and dumb and starry eyed, not much cash to my name. First week in the big city, staying at a tiny skeevy motel and trying to find work at restaurants and bars nearby. I had landed a quick and dirty read-through audition for a teen drama by pure luck. Wandering around the streets, I just happened to bump into Chad Murray and I was just gaping at him like a fish. First celebrity I'd ever met - well, physically ran into that is - and I could barely talk. I mean, this guy's the same age as I was and he was in this ridiculous ball hat/sunglasses/windbreaker disguise and I guess I just watched way too much TV directed towards teenage girls because I recognized him. Sandy, my ex-fiancé, used to make me watch hours of the crap while she squealed and giggled." He looked over at Jensen and laughed. "The shit we do to get laid, eh?"
Jensen smiled, but nodded knowingly. He waited for Jared to continue.
"So, anyway, I'm standing on the sidewalk next to this stupid little Indian convenience store where I'd just applied to work as a cashier on the night shift, staring at Chad like he was God's gift and you know what that fucker said to me? He said, 'Oh, shit! Who let the moose out on the street?' And of course, I'm so completely spazzing out, blurting out that I was forced to watch every episode of his show and then, I start laughing like a lunatic and Chad starts laughing, too. Pretty soon, this blonde girl comes up to us and puts her hands on her hips and starts yelling at Chad to get his shit together because he has somewhere to be soon.
"Chad looks at her, still laughing, and tells her he just had a run-in with a wild moose and he can't possibly make it to the audition. Then he asks me what I have going on for the afternoon because he'd like to buy me a beer for running me over and making his day."
"Almost at the airport, boss," Clif interrupted, tone apologetic.
Jensen leaned closer to Jared, eyes curious. "And then what?"
Jared grinned. "We went to a little pub with the little blonde following us around and ragging on Chad every step because she was his handler and she was in charge of making sure he got where he was supposed to be going. We had a beer. Poked fun at his handler, who left pissed off shortly after we got there. Watched half a basketball game on the bar's TV and rooted for opposite teams as a drinking game. He said he liked me, even if I had watched every episode of Still Waters he'd ever been in. Then, he asked me how the hell I came to be in L.A., looked at my horribly thin portfolio that I dragged around everywhere, and called his agent, swearing he'd show up to the audition. That fucker took me instead and pushed me into the audition room cold turkey.
"The casting director hated my audition, partly because I looked like I'd just rolled off a Greyhound and smelled like beer, but she offered me a job as an extra on another show because Chad had sent me in and she was really looking to cast him in the show they were holding the auditions for. That little shit got the job, too, even after pulling that prank. But, after that extra job, things kind of snowballed career wise...and here I am with my own show."
"Wow."
"Yep."
Clif pulled the SUV up to the terminal drive and got out to open the hatchback for Jared. As they walked through to the desk, Jensen frowned.
"What the hell did any of that have to do with your bracelet?"
Jared snickered, handing his ticket over to the woman at the desk. "I may have went back to that Indian store a week after my audition and bought it as a keepsake."
He lugged his duffle bag over his shoulder, watched as Jensen got checked in, and then directed them towards the security station.
"So you keep it to remember your big break?"
Jared shook his head and walked closer to the shorter man so he could speak more quietly.
"It may sound stupid, but it's a reminder to me that there are such things as destiny and fate. That had I not been at that exact moment, my life could have been totally different."
"True," Jensen commented, placing his bag on the conveyor belt.
It wasn’t until after they were securely buckled into their seats on the plane that Jared poked Jensen in the ribcage with a smile. "If I hadn't been there that day, I'd never have been here with you today. Destiny, if you will.” He fingered the rope around his wrist, then took Jensen’s hand. “I’m a pretty firm believer in it.”
Jensen looked up, a sort of awed expression crossing his face. When Jared's eyes remained solid and honest, Jensen nudged him back with his elbow playfully.
"Yeah, yeah." Under his breath, he muttered, "you big softie."
Jared got the news as soon as his second flight of the day landed in San Antonio. Jensen’s father had had a mild heart attack, but would be back up and running in no time. Jared sighed happily, telling Jensen that he’d see him back in LA later in the week and to enjoy his family. The other man’s voice sounded so relieved that Jared found himself in desperate need of a celebratory hug. He scanned the airport and spotted his sister lounging against a wall, looking bored.
“MEGS!” he hollered, scooping her up with one arm and squeezing her tightly.
“Get OFF of me,” she shrieked, feigning embarrassment. Her broad grin and bright eyes told him that she was just as happy to see him. She whacked him playfully on the arm when he put her back on the ground. “Crazy time to come on a spur of the minute trip, huh? I mean, aren’t you supposed to be shooting right now?”
Jared ducked his head. “Yeah, well….a friend’s dad wasn’t doing so hot and he’s not good with flying alone. So I offered to fly down to Dallas with him and swing by here on the way back to LA.”
Megan gave him a quizzical expression. “Kind of a long trip for a friend.” Her voice held a hint of tease to it, so Jared nudged her with his arm.
“Shut up.” When she gave him a knowing smirk, he shoved his hands in his pockets and toed the ground. “It’s not a big thing yet. Don’t tell mom yet. I haven’t even said anything to John about it and its new, so….”
“Oh, my GOD! It’s Jared Padalecki!!!”
Both Jared and Megan turned to look at the small group of girls coming out of the baggage claim area. A perky redhead was staring and pointing at Jared and talking animatedly to her friends. The group began buzzing with the collective voices of the fans before they made their way over to Jared.
“Looks like duty calls.” He sent an apologetic glance over his shoulder and left his sister’s side to sign autographs and take selfies. It was almost an hour later before they pulled up to their childhood home, much to Megan’s disdain. She insisted that while fans were an important part of his fame that he didn’t have any requirements to bend to all their whims. Jared couldn’t help but silently agree with that, knowing that the network and his agent would be proud of him pleasing the group of girls. It was all part of the job…
He spent the remainder of the day filling up on his mama's home cooking and his daddy's financial tips. He tried to avoid Megan's inquiries about Jensen, but eventually gave up and told his family all about his best friend.
His parents were delighted that he'd made such a close friend in L.A. and they demanded that Jensen come down to stay sometime. Megan's eyebrow stayed quirked in suspicion, though, and Jared was fairly certain his mother had caught on as well. But he wasn't ready to officially explain their relationship to his family, so he kept mum.
When he had to go back to the airport, he hugged his mom goodbye, shook his dad's hand, and climbed back into Megan's car.
"You know, it's not a big deal if you've found someone to date," she said, not paying him much mind as she maneuvered in traffic. "Even if he's a guy."
Jared rubbed a hand over his forehead and sighed. "It's just not serious yet. No use getting mom all excited when it's still new."
"Fine. I'll give you that because she's still not completely forgiven you for Sandy. But have more faith in the fact that mom and dad would both be just as thrilled to see you happy. Gender is not an issue."
"And just how, dear sister, did you come to this conclusion?" Jared smirked at her and laughed when he saw her cheeks turn pink.
"I may be seeing someone in my classes....a girl."
"Aha!" Jared whooped, clapping his hands together. "I knew it! You being a softball player was an early indicator!"
Thankfully, they'd arrived at the airport, because she socked him in the arm with as much strength as she could. "See if I bring her to meet you the next time you're in town. Jerk."
He gathered her into his gangly arms and squeezed, laughing. "I'm happy for you, you know?"
"Shut up." She pushed him away, smiling. "I just wanted you to know that you could tell them if you wanted to."
"Thanks. I'll see what Jensen thinks about it."
Part 3
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