The street was filled with warmth, caught in that moment between day and evening when the sunlight hasn't yet started to fade and the strength of the rays lends an expectant glow to the stone buildings. While Mimi could quite truthfully be called a creature of the night, she couldn't resist leaning against the railing of the fire escape for many minutes without moving, content to simply exist. Lowering her gaze to the street below, she idly watched the shifting dance of deep shadows as people walked past. A light breeze appeared, rustling dried leaves and causing Mimi to shiver at the reminder that summer had slipped away. Suddenly her solitary watch didn't seem quite so appealing, and before she could let herself think too much about it, she turned and ran lightly up the fire escape to knock at the window of the loft above.
Pushing the smeared, dusty window open, she glanced inside to see Roger just rising from the couch. Smiling, she slipped inside and ran quickly into his arms, causing him to stagger backwards and nearly drop his guitar.
"Whoa!" he said, laughing a little. "What's this for?"
"Oh, nothing," she said, her eyes shining up at him. "I just like knowing you're here, that's all."
She reached for his hand with a playful look. "Come on, let's go for a walk," she said, pulling him toward the open window.
"Now? But it's going to get dark--"
She pressed her fingers against his lips. "Shh! Just come on."
"Your hands are like ice, won't you get even colder out there?" he tried again.
This time, she silenced him with a soft kiss, and he had to admit her lips were much warmer than her fingers had been.
"We can keep each other warm, silly. Now come on!"
Laughing, he gave in, pausing just long enough to grab a thick blanket before allowing himself to be tugged outside and down to the street.
Wrapping the blanket around Mimi's shoulders, Roger shoved his hands in his jacket pockets as they began to walk. Their conversation drifted along with their steps, as neither of them really paid much attention to where they were going. They were definitely more interested in each other as they walked, and full darkness had tiptoed down to surround them before Roger was jolted into awareness by someone stumbling into him.
Looking up, he saw that the street ahead had been blocked off by what appeared to be a small film crew with cameras and bright lights.
"Hey, let's get closer," Mimi whispered, and paying no mind to the barriers, she walked up near the cameras.
Shaking his head and trying not to laugh, Roger followed, and they stood watching crew members setting up equipment, then seeming to stand around and wait for something. Or someone. Suddenly, a short and very fat man appeared, his face red and his expression hard.
"Ok, are we ready to do this? God only knows why they wanted a scene shot at night. Can't see a damn thing out here. Where are the extras?"
The crew glanced around, shaking their heads.
"Oh, hell, can't they even be bothered to show up? I'll be damned if I'll stand around all night waiting for a couple of half-assed movie-star wannabes to make a grand entrance."
"Easy, chief, it's just a commercial," a cameraman said.
"I don't care if it's a fucking commercial, we're getting paid to do a job and we're gonna do it!"
Looking as though he could explode at any moment, the man looked around wildly. Spotting Mimi and Roger behind the camera, he pointed.
"You two! Get over here. Who the hell are you?"
Startled, the two looked at each other.
"Shit," said Roger, "he's going to turn on us next."
The fat man stalked over to them. "Get over there, where the lighting's good. I wanna get this damn thing done so I can go to bed. Look, it's easy, all you gotta do is walk up the street looking like you're in love."
Pausing for a moment, he regarded Roger and Mimi, who were by now sharing the blanket.
"Yeah, that'll be easy enough for you two. Look, a couple hundred bucks each, right? All you gotta do is walk."
Shrugging, Roger's expression said, "Why not?", so he and Mimi walked over to stand beneath the lights.
"Are we ready?" the man barked at his crew. "Let's go then. You two, just start walking towards the camera--slowly, slowly! That's it. Just like we're not here. Just two lovers taking a stroll in the moonlight."
Suddenly Roger's mind flashed back to that first meeting: Mimi in the darkness of his loft, moonlight shimmering in her long dark hair. Remembering his words to her, he smiled tenderly at seeing how beautiful she looked in the startlingly bright lights around them now. Forgetting the cameras, forgetting the crew and everyone around them, he came to a stop and pulled her to him. Looking down into her eyes, he found himself for an instant unable to say a word. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, he rested his head against hers and simply held her.
"Who needs moonlight, anyway?" he whispered.