Author Note: These two scenes from NBC's This is Us just blew me away. I knew that after I watched it, I had to continue the scene even without even knowing how it ends. Justin Hartley is just superb (and pretty fine to look at!)
Three Sentences
(Preface from the show and the author paraphrased a bit)
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Toby leaned against the glass banister and looked out at the sunshine glinting off the traffic. "Let me Let me see if I got this. You had two amazing women, and you let them both go?" He turned his head to look at his girlfriend's fraternal twin brother.
Kevin leaned back against the glass, "Yeah. I already know that much, thank you."
Toby smiled that self-assured grin that always worked for him, "Well, lucky for you, I am the king of romantic grand gestures."
Kevin conferred, "You really kind of are.
Toby glanced at the well-constructed suit Kevin wore and thoughtfully confessed, "Mm-hmm. Yeah. See, while you were out seducing women with your master race bone structure and your perfect man-bod, I was logging two solid decades of actually doing nice things for women so that they fall for me. And on top of that, and I'm not exaggerating here I have seen every romantic comedy ever made. So you just need to pick a girl, and I'm gonna help you win her back.
Kevin seemed a little bewildered by that oration. " Okay, I - I pick, um - yeah? I mean, they're both great."
Toby exhaled impatiently at the younger man, " I-I okay, okay, Kevin, Kevin, Kevin, look at me. A romantic gesture of this magnitude is only effective if it is directed at the love of your life. All right, the end of Notting Hill completely falls apart if Hugh Grant thinks that Julia Roberts is just kinda a'ight. All right? Then he's just kind of annoying her at a press conference, right?"
Kevin admitted regretfully, "I've never seen that movie."
What? Toby couldn't believe what he just heard, " Shut up."
Kevin defended his position, " What? Never." He was an actor – he wasn't going to go check out Hugh Grant movies without a good reason!
Toby still couldn't believe it, but he did want to help the boy. "What?! Alright, Kevin, close your eyes."
Kevin asked suspiciously, " What are you gonna do?"
Patiently, Toby gave the instructions, " Close your eyes. All right, now, I want you to picture the love of your life. Imagine that you have 30 seconds to win her back. One shot, three sentences. What are those sentences, and who are you saying them to? There it is."
Kevin's eyes were still closed but he replied, "I got it. I got all right."
Excitedly Toby confirmed, " We're doing this."
Kevin grinned, " Okay. Toby, you're a stud."
Tugging on the lapels of his suit, Toby replied, "You know that? - That's what I've been trying…. Oh, we're moving? Okay."
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Kevin bounded out of the cab and up the steps to the black door. He exhaled loudly and knocked four times before it opened. "Hi" he greeted the occupant.
The soft voice seemed shocked as she answered, "Kevin".
Kevin had the feeling that the door was going to be slammed in his face so he decided to go balls in and do what Toby had suggested – the One Shot/3 Sentences and he launched with, "I before you say anything, there's three sentences I need to say to you, okay?"
He was getting nervous.
Kevin continued, "What? - I was head-over-heels in love with you the moment that I saw you. I never should've let you get away. And, uh It's like, you were part of me, you know, like you were my arm, and when I lost you, it's like, I lost my arm. Dot, dot, dot. It's like I've been walking around without an arm for over a decade, you know, and, uh comma, I really want my arm back. You know, 'cause I never stopped thinking about it, comma, not ever. Parentheses, you look amazing. By the way. End parentheses. Period. You gonna say anything, at all?" He was completely out of breath.
She sighed sadly, "Kevin."
Kevin waited, rocking side to side to offset his nervousness. She blinked and tried to sound ironic. "Yeah. My ex-husband who I haven't seen in 12 years just shows up at my doorstep unannounced. You know, I'm not exactly sure what you want me to say."
Kevin, sounding hopeful answered, "Okay. Um say, um s-say I can come in." He said it. All she had to do was open the door a little wider.
"I can't say that." She answered
Nonplussed, Kevin replied with a new tactic, "Okay. Can you say you'll think about meeting up with me? Maybe we can have a conversation, just I want to talk to you."
She scoffed. "Okay." She smiled, "You always have to go big, don't you, Pearson?"
Kevin grinned, "For you, Sophie always."
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It was just coffee. A simple little bistro table at a Starbucks down the street from her townhouse. Kevin wore sunglasses so he wouldn't be recognized, thusly ruining what could be a wonderful coffee date. As he pulled out Sofie's chair, he glanced at her ring finger and was pleased to find that it was empty. That meant she never remarried, or at least he hoped it did!
Sofie opened a packet of Sugar in the Raw and emptied it into her cup. Kevin moved into the seat across from her. "Looking good." He began and then wanted to face palm himself because his ex-wife always looked good.
She looked up, her dark hair falling from her shoulder. "How is your mom?"
Kevin rubbed his fingers under his eyes. "Good. She's good. Saw her at Christmas – we stayed at Randall's."
"How is your brother?" Sofie asked. Randall was just as much a triplet as Kate, the middle sister.
"He's good. Found his birth father and here's the kicker. He's gay."
Sofie stirred her coffee again. "Well good for him."
"Good for who? Randall or Walter the birth dad?" Kevin was confused. "Jack was our dad – this Walter, well….."
"Jack's dead." Sofie reminded her ex-husband. "If your brother needs to reconnect with a father figure….it's none of your business."
Kevin bit his lip. Sofie was right – she was always right about his crazy family, but that didn't mean that Jack Pearson's death effected the triplets in the same way. God, he missed his dad sometimes. Sofie's soft hand covered Kevin's. "Kev….sometimes you just have to let go."
Kevin inhaled. Sofie was trying to convey that letting go meant more than just obsessing about his father's death but also about his failed marriage. Clearly, Sofie was the adult in the ex-relationship. He sipped his coffee and thought about his sister trying to let go on some Fat Farm and Randall trying to let go with his cancer ridden birth dad. What was Kevin trying to let go of?
"….anyways, the coffee was nice and next time Kevin, please don't just show up okay? I've been trying to have a life without you." Sofie stood up as Kevin started to scoot out of his chair. "No, I've got this. I think a nice walk in the sunshine will do me good.
Kevin scoffed. "Okay." He smiled, "You always have to go big, don't you, Pearson?"
Sofie grinned, "For you, Kevin always."
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AN: Okay, this was my first fanfiction foray into this wonderful show. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a review and let me know?
Thanks!
PS: I own nothing. NBC owns all rights to the characters and the wonderful series, "This is Us"