There isn't really much for me to say. Other than I hope you enjoy what I have written, and that I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Sidenote: This is rated M for a reason. Adult situations do in fact come up later on. You have been warned.
As Judith trudged up the steps leading to the auditorium, she found herself both annoyed and curious, in regards to the meeting their professor had decided to schedule. She was annoyed, because of how last minute it was for being mandatory, but curious because he had informed everyone there would be a special guest visiting them. Just who could this mystery person be?
Walking through the double doors, she was greeted to the site of only a few of her fellow classmates already there, and realized she was a bit earlier than she thought she was. "Hey Jude," Gregory greeted her with a warm smile. Having grown up together, over the years he became her best friend, and one of the few people she felt she could be completely honest with.
"And how is Greg this divine afternoon?" she asked as she sat in the seat next to his.
"Just lovely. Although, I must admit I was rather let down at not being able to see you until now," he commented, giving a slight pout at this last part.
"I know, babe, and I'm sorry for that. You can thank my class schedule for the lack of a social life I have this semester," she said dryly, her comment making him laugh.
"Well, I mean even if we have to include homework in what we do, you know getting to see you is better than nothing at all," he replied, his tone letting her know how serious he was. She felt a twinge of guilt when he said this. After losing his long-time boyfriend, and making it known to her how homesick he was feeling, she knew he needed a friend badly.
"I guess I'm doing a rather horrid job at being a friend, huh?" she commented, taking his hand in hers. "I have to work on my paper, but if you want to come over tomorrow night, we can order some take-out, and shoot the shit like old days. How does that sound?"
A smile lit up his face. "You're amazing," was all he said, and gave her hand a squeeze when she smiled back. "So, have you heard who this special guest speaker is?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I'm not one to ask around, so I do not have the slightest clue. Why, do you know?"
"Not the least bit. I just thought I would ask, that is all."
Just then, their professor walked into the room. "Maybe he will tell us," Judith said in a low tone, and added louder, "Dr. Harrison, may I ask you a question?"
"You may, Miss Nelson," he said as he sat down his messenger bag, and brought his full attention to her, his gaze making her insides quake. No one knew just how attractive she found him to be, and she planned on keeping it that way.
"Who is this guest speaker you are supposedly having come in?"
"You want me to tell you, and ruin the surprise?" he commented teasingly.
"That is exactly what I would like for you to do. I know, I'm no fun," she replied.
Dr. Harrison laughed at this, his smile making her warm all over. "I'm sorry, Jude, but you will just have to wait a little bit longer," he replied, and before she could say anything else walked back out of the room.
"Did you really think he would tell?" Gregory asked.
"Hey, it was worth a shot," Judith replied with a shrug, making Gregory chuckle.
The two of them proceeded to make idle conversation as more students trickled into the room. When they saw Dr. Harrison taking his place at the podium in from of the room, they quickly grew quiet and brought their full attention on him. "Before we get started, I want to thank you all for actually coming to this meeting. I realize it was short notice, and I am sure some of you had to compromise your schedules to be able to show up, and I promise you, you will not regret it. Now, I know I said this would be like a normal class period. Well, I lied. I would have made this on a normal class period, but the only way it would work was to have it this weekend. As my way of showing you how much I appreciate all the hard work you have been putting into this particular assignment, I decided to bring in a guest speaker, as some of you already know. He is here to help all of you, so feel free to ask him any questions you have. Just don't make them too crude or personal," Dr. Harrison said, his last comment making everyone laugh, and escorted in this mysterious unknown person.
Judith looked around at everyone when they began applauding, and half-heartedly clapped along as she looked back at the person Dr. Harrison brought in. Apparently, he was rather well-known, but she was completely clueless as to whom he was. "I can't believe Dr. Harrison was able to get him to come here!" Gregory whispered to her, his gaze glued on this man.
"Who is he?" she whispered.
"Are you kidding?" She shook her head. "That's Alan Rickman!" When he saw the blank stare she gave him, he rolled his eyes and added, "He's an actor. A pretty well known one, for that matter."
"Okay," she replied simply, and once more looked up at him. Being in the front row, she was able to get a rather good view of him, and was unable to not notice how good-looking he was. He was tall, and had a lean build. His facial features were strong and masculine, except for his mouth, which had a soft, sensuous appearance. She noted how gorgeous his collar-length light brown hair was, and how each strand seemed to fall perfectly in place. What really drew her in, though, were his eyes. They were uniquely shaped, and held deep, genuine warmth within them. To her, they looked to be a shade of green, but something told her that was not right.
"Thank you so much for that wonderful welcome," he finally said, his voice immediately making her melt inside and shivers run up her spine. It seemed wrong at how sumptuous it was. "For those of you who do not know, my name is Alan Rickman, and it is an honor to be here, speaking with all of you. I always enjoy talking to younger generations, and I hope what I say today can prove to be some form of inspiration for all of you. Now – who would like to start with the questions?" he asked, and immediately hands shot up. He smirked at this, and pointed to one of the students in the back.
As Alan patiently listened to each question, and thoroughly answered each one, Judith simply watched him, intrigued by this older gentleman. The kindness and wisdom he bestowed upon each student impressed her, considering he was supposedly someone so well known. She had expected him to show no interest, and rush through each answer in order to hurry up and get this over with, but so far that had not been the case. At one point, he brought up directing, which immediately caught her attention, and once he finished what he had to say, she raised her hand, hoping she would be the one he called on next.
Alan scanned through the raised hands, when his gaze fell on the young woman sitting directly in front of him. He was immediately drawn in to her presence, her large bright eyes hypnotizing him. "I bet Jim has trouble keeping a level head with this one," he thought amusedly. "Yes, you here in front," he finally managed to get out, and flashed a small smile as he pointed at her.
When she pointed at herself, his smile widened and he nodded. "Sorry, I was just making sure," she said sheepishly, and asked, "You mentioned you have done directing, correct?" Alan nodded. "Do you have any advice for those of us looking into that profession?"
"Well, first of all take any advice given to you to heart, and I don't say that to seem as though I'm trying to discreetly avoid answering your question," he started, and smirked when she gave a small giggle at this, her smile dazzlingly beautiful. "I would also say, keeping an open mind, and learning to see criticism in a positive light will really help you as well. I'm not trying to put you off to the idea of getting into this profession, or anything, but it is a very cutthroat business. Then again, the entertainment industry in general can be very harsh, so don't take anything personally. Usually what you are told has at least a grain of good intentions within it. And lastly, always keep in mind that, no matter how swell you think your work is, there is always room for improvement, and I mean always." She smiled as she thanked him, and he smiled back as he gave her a slight nod, and went on to answering the next question someone may have had for him.
After what seemed like only a few minutes, Dr. Harrison was suddenly informing them they could leave at their leisure. Judith smirked at the rush of students who immediately went up to Alan in an attempt to get in one last question or comment. She was about to exit the room, when she heard someone call out her name. She looked around, and smiled when she saw it was Denise, one of her fellow classmates. "Um…Judith, can I talk to you for a second?" Denise asked, her books clutched tightly to her chest as she averted her gaze to the floor. Judith had immediately noticed how painfully shy Denise was, and always tried her best to make her feel more comfortable.
"Denise, hon, you know you don't have to call me by my full name. It makes me feel so old. Jude is perfectly fine." Denise simply nodded. "Now what would you like to talk about?"
"I have a question about the musical," Denise began as she got out her script, and Judith listened intently as she proceeded to discuss how she felt on a particular part.
As Alan finished speaking with the last student who had walked up to him, he glanced over and noticed the same girl from earlier was still there, talking with one of the other female students. Her head was cocked slightly, telling others her full attention was on what this girl had to say, and the light smile on her face gave her a kind and inviting appearance. He was not sure why, but he found this girl highly intriguing. With a laugh, she touched the girl's shoulder before giving her farewell. She was just about to head out of the room as well, when Jim suddenly commented, "I thought you were going into writing, Jude."
She glanced at Jim, then Alan, and back at Jim. "Pardon?" she asked, unsure as to who had said her name.
"I said, I thought you were going into writing," Jim repeated as he gathered up his own items.
She frowned. "I am. Why?"
"Well, you showing such an interest in directing made me wonder if you changed majors."
"Oh, no, no I haven't." With a smirk, she added, "What can I say? I just want to be able to do it all."
"Apparently," Jim said with a chuckle. "Sorry for prodding."
"No need to apologize," she reassured him, and said her farewell to them both before finally leaving.
"Thank you again for agreeing to do this," Jim commented as the two of them walked out to his vehicle. "I can tell the students enjoyed the break."
"You're quite welcome. I always take pleasure in talking with younger generations," Alan replied, and added as he slid into the passenger seat, "I must admit, the young girl you spoke to seems to be quite the ambitious one."
"Judith? Yes, she is an extremely motivated individual, not to mention one of the best students I have come across in all my years of teaching." Uncomfortable with discussing the one student he had gained feelings for, Jim added, "Do you need to get back to the hotel for anything?"
"Not that I am aware of. Why?"
"Well, if you weren't opposed to it, I thought perhaps we could catch up on each other's lives over dinner? Maybe grab a couple of drinks as well?"
"That would be great, actually. I have not had a proper meal since I got here this morning."
"Great! There is this new restaurant I have wanted to try out. Unless, of course, there was somewhere in particular you had in mind?"
"No, no, I am willing to go anywhere, just as long as the food is good," Alan replied, and both men chuckled at this as Jim headed in the direction of their destination.