Disclaimer: I don't own "Lizzie McGuire" or any of the characters you recognize from the show.
Ocean Front
Chapter 7: Could it be?
Lizzie hung up the phone and looked around the lavish suite.
"How I love company-paid trips," she sighed. Then her eyes fell on a full-length mirror on the wall. "Too bad I can't enjoy it fully." She grabbed one of her suitcases.
********
Miranda groaned when she saw all the bills lying on the table.
"Rent, phone- how the hell is my visa bill so huge?" she exclaimed. She quickly calculated some figures in her head. At this rate, she would be broke in two months. Miranda paced worriedly around her apartment. An idea struck her. She quickly grabbed her purse and dumped out the contents. Miranda found the small white business card Lizzie had given to her yesterday.
"Matthew-" Miranda squinted her eyes, trying to make out the last name. Water had gotten on it, making part of the card blurry. She shrugged her shoulders and dialed the number. After a few rings, a woman picked up.
"Thank you for calling Abe and Lincoln Advertising, how may I direct your call?"
"Um, I would like to apply for the secretarial position for Matthew…" Miranda trailed off. But the woman seemed to know what she was talking about.
"Yes, he's available tomorrow morning. After that, he's not free for another week."
"Yes, I'd like to meet him then," Miranda said quickly, scribbling down the details the woman had told her.
********
Lizzie looked at herself critically in the mirror. She was no longer Lizzie McGuire. She had magically morphed into Brooke McIntire. Lizzie ran her hands through the red hair disgustedly.
"Well, there's one hair color I know I'll never try again," she groaned.
A while later, Lizzie parked along the street and walked to the restaurant. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. A breeze blew by and she felt the wig shift a little. Lizzie nervously held a hand to her head, praying that nothing had really gotten messed up.
********
David rubbed his jaw. His mouth was still feeling a little numb from the Novocain. He mentally searched for the name of the next reporter.
"Brittany, B-something," he muttered to himself. "Brooke?"
As he approached the restaurant, a young, redheaded woman sitting at a small table outside stood up to greet him.
"Hello, Mr. Gordon."
"Hi, call me David, please. Sorry I'm late, I was getting a cavity filled," he said, smiling apologetically. He couldn't tell what she was thinking, since dark sunglasses shaded her eyes.
"It's fine," the woman replied softly. "Brooke McIntire." They shook hands. David was startled. There was something about her that was familiar, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I'm- I'm sorry, but have we talked before? Maybe an earlier interview? I feel like I've met you before," David said, looking at her thoughtfully. Her cheeks turned slightly pink.
"Um, no, I don't think so," she replied.
********
Lizzie's heart skipped a beat as she saw his familiar figure near.
"Hi, sorry I'm late, I was getting a cavity filled," David said with a smile. Lizzie felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. Oh, god, that smile, she thought, forgetting for a moment the awful things that he did to her. Lizzie cast her thoughts aside when she realized that he was still waiting for an answer.
"It's fine," Lizzie finally answered. "Brooke McIntire." When they shook hands, Lizzie quickly suppressed a gasp as she felt his skin again- the skin that she had caressed and kissed so often before.
"I'm- I'm sorry, but have we talked before? Maybe an earlier interview? I feel like I've met you before." Lizzie froze. She felt her cheeks flush. She quickly denied it and sat back down.
"Oh, hey, why don't we go inside? I hear they've got a great sushi boat," David suggested.
"Oh, uh," Lizzie stammered, but before she knew it, he was leading her inside. In addition to being dizzy from the quick transition from the bright sun to a dark room, Lizzie was still wearing her sunglasses. She tripped over a chair and was about to fall headfirst when David caught her.
***
"Watch it!" David said, a moment too late. He reached out and instinctively grabbed Brooke's arm. A second later, he almost dropped her. Her sunglasses had slipped off when she tripped. Although she had swiftly put them back on, David caught a glimpse of her eyes.
"Yeah, you might want to take off your sunglasses when you're inside," he told her, his mind reeling. There was no way he could have mistaken that face and those gorgeous eyes.
"Uh, I have an eye problem," she said, a little too quickly. "Yeah, um, my eyes hurt when it's too bright."
David nodded, still gaping as they sat down. He realized his mouth was open and quickly shut it. Why in the world was Lizzie dressed up like that?
Because, a small voice in his head answered, she never wants to speak to you again, after all that you did to her.
So, she wants to play it that way, thought David. Fine.
********
Lizzie avoided David's eyes. Her heart was pounding. She looked down into her bag and pulled out her tape recorder and her notebook. She finally dared to look up and found David busily eating some sushi. She took the opportunity to change the subject and start the interview.
"Ok, so Mr. Gordon, if you don't mind, I'd like to begin the interview," she said, pretending to be engrossed in her notes. "Your new movie, the one starring Kate Sanders, is opening this week. What is it about?"
"Well, Ocean Front is a story about fate- it's about two ex-lovers who have broken up and haven't seen each other in years. When they're finally brought together again, they realize they still have feelings for each other."
Lizzie's suddenly found herself staring into David's piercing blue eyes. After a moment of awkward silence, David cleared his throat and continued.
"So the story basically tells of their journey to discovery, finding out how special their love is."
"Where did you come up with the idea?" Lizzie asked curiously. There was a pregnant pause.
"It's based on a personal experience," David answered, taking a drink of his tea. "I'd been having some dreams about it. You see, a long time ago, there was this girl that I loved as much as life itself. Maybe more. But I was the worst person in the world, and I hurt her so much that it still haunts me. And I still wonder if she ever thinks about me at all, or if she can somehow find it in her heart to forgive me."
A lump formed in her throat and Lizzie was finding it hard to swallow. She hoped that her tears weren't visible from underneath her sunglasses. While David was staring into space, Lizzie took the opportunity to quickly wipe her eyes. She quickly composed herself and went back to her questions.
"What inspired you to become a movie director?"
"Well, I had best friends in my childhood that always told me to follow my dreams. I'd always known I wanted to be a director. It was just something I knew I wanted to pursue." Lizzie looked at the next item on her checklist.
"About your relationship with Kate Sanders…"
"Yes, Kate is a wonderful person," David said, with some flatness, Lizzie was happy to observe.
*******
David played with his napkin. He had lost his appetite.
"How did you two get together?" she asked. David watched as she clumsily tried to pick up some rice with her chopsticks.
"We met on the set of Ocean Front," David answered numbly, still watching "Brooke" eat. "And then- oh my god, forget it!" David suddenly snapped. "Lizzie, why are you doing this? I know it's you and you know it's me!"
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A/N: Thanks to all the readers, and to James for helping me sooo much! Next chapter should be up soon, since I'm already in the process of writing it! Please review!