Her laughter fills the pub with joy and joviality. Emilia is the sun itself. She glows whenever she enters any room.
And Oh God! Was he going to miss her!
A slight sadness bothers the back of his stomach every time he remember that this is the last night with her for a long time. Their characters are going to be separated for the first time, and that means that they also will be far from each other. Although it is a joy and a great opportunity as an actor to act with other people, he would miss her.
She looks at him from across the table.
She smiles, but maybe something in her expression shows she feeling the same as him.
Perhaps. He has a very creative mind and it is possible that he is just overreacting.
It has been a long journey until here. Being away from home, in an strange country, shooting for 25 days straight, dealing with your character's emotions while trying not to feel your own.
He returns the look and smile, raises his glass to her and to the other three co-workers at the table, seizing the moment for a toast.
"It was great to finish another season of hard work and friendship. I'll miss you". He raises the glass toward his cast mates but specially towards her"
Months without filming.
A large hiatus lies ahead.
Holidays, family, places to visit, other people.
His mind does not want to deal with her absence.
She reciprocates affectionately. "I'm not ready to let you go yet" She reaches out a hand to him grabs his fingers interlacing with hers.
A brief touch.
She let go of his hand.
He drinks the rest of the whiskey at once.
It's his second glass. He has a feeling he's going to need more than that.
He wished she wasn't so kind and beautiful, maybe then it wouldn't be so hard.
Peter risks a joke, something like "Will it be the end of this friendzone?". And for some reason he does not know why Emilia releases one of her laughter and all he can do is smile shyly while admitting his ignorance.
"Too old to understand this new vocabulary of yours."
"Just Dothraki, hm?"
More laughter and Nathalie comes to rescue him. "Friendzone is when you like someone ... romantically ... but they only like you/see you as a friend"
"Oh! There is no hope for me then. "
She does not say anything even when he insists on looking up at her eyes for confirmation. Nothing. No hope, no mercy to end his suffering.
She feels exposed and invaded. Of course he does not do it on purpose ... but his eyes always find hers, catching her by surprise ... making her lose the power of speech. Her, of all people ...
" Sorry my friend, but apparently you're still in the friendzone " Peter puts an hand on his shoulder and he gives up. Well, apparently that's it then...
...
He's smoking outside when she appears out of nowhere and stand by his side letting out a long sigh.
"I think there is, you know..." her voice is almost a whisper.
His confused face is the evidence he has no idea what she is talking about once again.
She touches his arm and clarifies his doubts. "Hope... I think there's hope... I mean... I do believe there is hope for them (Jorah and Daenerys)".
There's a feeling of distress within him, but he doesn't know how it go there. Anyway he knows it's wrong to feel it. "I hope so. I wish I had the chance to ... The moment was interrupted by the others as they were leaving the pub together.
"Have you called for a taxi yet?"
...
The night ends with everyone back at the hotel. He is lucky that his room is in the same corridor as hers, that way he can ask what he wanted to ask before he got interrupted.
"Emilia!" he calls her out as she passes by him in the hallway.
Just for a second her eyes sweep over his body, from head to toe as she waits for him to speak but he remains silent. She takes the initiative. "Well then, you wish you had the chance to do what?"
He wraps his hand around her arm and pulls her towards him. She opens her mouth and loses herself in the moment. He strokes her hair while holding her neck and she can feel his desire growing near her body. She grabs him by the shirt with such violence, she almost rips it. She didn't even know that she needed this, needed him, so much until now.
He is the first to break the kiss because he knows someone has to be the grown up in this situation and do the right thing. It is for their own good to not go through with this. Her face is so expressive she can not hide the disappointment as he moves away from her... thousands of questions start popping up in her head. His face, however, looks pained, mournful, his eyes silently asking for forgiveness.
He goes back to his room but she remains in the hallway, in the middle of the aisle, thinking about what just happened. She only came to her senses after the lights went out. A smile appears on her and finally goes back to her room.
There is hope afterall.