Chapter 2: The Night We Meant
Writer's Note: Ok here is chapter 2. Sorry it took so long. Everything in bold and italics is a flashback.
"It was January 20, 2009 at the creative coalition in Washington, D.C. She was wearing this long off the shoulder sequins black and royal blue stripe dress with a long spilt on the right side. "
"And you just wore a plain tux, like always."
"Yeah, I just wore tux, nothing fancy." Tony said smiling. The interview had just got finish talking to me about the reason why I was there. Once I was done I started walking. Someone called my name, I turned to say hi, still walking backwards and bump into Kerry."
"Literally." Kerry said smiling.
"You weren't looking either Ms. Lady. You were reading your notes."
"Well, it was almost time to go on the stage, I was preparing for it."
"Anyway I bump into her…"
Flashback, Jan. 20, 2009
"I'm sorry." Tony said turning around after bump into Kerry. "Hi." He said after seeing her face.
"Hi." Kerry said back upon seeing his.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to …"
"It's ok."
"My name is Tony…"
"Goldwyn." Kerry said blushing. "I know who you are I seen all of your movies. You're funny looking but I always admire your work."
"Well, you're beautiful; Kerry Marisa Washington and I admire your work too. I've seen all your movies and you played characters that are so rich and diverse, it's just amazing. I went to few of your Broadway plays too, if it was my day off. We manage to be on Broadway at the same time." He said smiling.
Back to Ellen
"Wait, she said, 'You're funny looking.'" Ellen asked.
"Yes."
"You said that Kerry."
"Yes, I actually said that, I…" She bites her bottom lip. "I…I…" She begins to struggle with her words.
"Jokes people when she's nervous or trying to hide her true feelings. She usually jokes me."
"Then stop making her nervous." Ellen said.
"I don't make her nervous, she's just tried to hide her feelings for me, and she has been trying for years."
"Well, I am not hiding anymore."
"Well, thank God." Tony said, pulling her to him and kissing her on top of her forehead.
"Wait." Kerry sat straight up and looked at him. "How did you know that? I never told you that. And when did you notice it."
"When you said I I'm not good to look at in a tv guide interview in 2013. And it kept going. The first time you gave me a hard way to go when I was directing you, but you never gave anyone else a hard time. And I notice all in between, usually during interviews when you are asked a question about me, or whenever we are getting interview together, if other people around you can't go a minute without joking me. But if it just you and me or if we were in a moment when it felt like it was just you and me, you don't. You just let all of your feelings show."
"Name one time when it were you and me and I felt like it was and let my feelings show."
"That's time when you were on Live with Kelly and Ryan, and you invited Tony to come and play the win lose and draw type of game with you. You said that he is strong, smart, and creative. Kelly and Ryan were around a long with several other strangers, but you two kept whispering to each and saying things to each other, that everyone heard, but not clearly, etc. Your feelings Kerry was all out there then. Or when ya'll did that Yoga section together on Instagram live, and you said you are giggling like a teenaged girl, it was out there then. All those times Bellamy was flirting with Tony and you got mad, your feelings were out there. When you said you had a date with Tony Goldwyn, a public Instagram date, but still you said a date and that you gotten all pretty for him and wore the TGIT shirt which means "Thanks Goodness it's Thursday you said It could mean Thank goodness it's Tony. And that time at the end of one of your Yoga classes you told your fans to asked you anything, like 'what it like to kiss Tony Goldwyn, and the time…"
"Ok. I get it, Ellen." Kerry said laughing. "You sound like a Terry's fan."
"Kerry, Tony isn't the only one that wears his heart on his sleeve, you do too. Oh, After Portia got killed on your show, that weekend was her birthday. I gave her a party. She invited the cast of Scandal, and you two were inseparable all night and your spouses were nowhere to be found. Everyone else's spouses were."
"Are you finish?" Kerry asked knowing where she was going with it.
"Yes. Sorry. Go on with your story."
That night (continued)
"Hi." I said coming to the table.
Tony's face lit up. "Hi." He replied immediately getting up and walking over to my chair.
"Why are you here?" His date asked.
"It look as if this is my table. I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to be sorry about." Tony said as he pulled out my chair so I can sit down.
Tony: "Caroline was talking to me; whispering inappropriate things in my ears; trying hard to kiss me in the lips, among other things."
Kerry: "But the whole time he kept staring at me."
Ellen wanted to asked who Caroline was, but being they were running out of time and she wanted them to finish the story, she didn't interrupt. Tony: "You were the most beautiful woman in there, how could I take my eyes off of you?"
They stare at each other for a moment. Ellen smiled. "I wish Portia and I still had that connection." She whispers.
Kerry looks at her. "I'm sorry." She said referring to what Ellen said about her and Portia, but didn't push the issue.
Ellen: What happen after that?
Kerry: "Peter from the Innocence project pull Tony away."
"Can I talk to you a minute?"
"Peter what are you doing here? This is not your thing."
"I'm trying to find some more ambassadors for the Innocence Project, maybe get some donations. Can we talk privately for a minute please?"
"Sure." He said getting up. "Excuse me ladies."
Caroline look to make sure he was gone. "Ok, let's get one thing straight, slut. I heard about you and Chris Rock and if you think I am going to sit back and let you steal my man, like you did Chris Rock's wife, you got another thing coming. I will whip your ugly ass all up and down this motherfucking place."
"First of all, not that it's any of your damn business, but nothing ever happen between me and Chris Rock. Second, your husband keeps staring at me. So don't get mad at me if you can't keep your husband happy." I said and I stormed off.
Meanwhile, Tony's mind was not on what Kerry was saying, instead he was thinking about the conversion he had with Peter that night. "We were wondering in another four years, you can run for president."
"President of what, The Innocent Project."
"No, I'm not giving you my job. I mean the President Of the United States."
"You say that as if Obama is not going to run again. And I supported him, I can't run against him."
"There's no guarantee he would run again."
Tony laughed sarcastically. "How many men that you know that were president were able to just walk away from that type of power after four years?"
"Ok, you have a point there, what about 2016?"
"What?"
"By that time his second term would be over and you would have time to prepare for your campaign in 2015."
"No."
"Come on Tony, don't tell me you never thought about it. That you don't want a chance to rule the world."
"Yes, I thought about it. But you know what power does to me. If I run and win, I may become the man I use to be and it was a miserable place, I don't want to go back there. Furthermore, Jane hates the spotlight, she would have to walk beside me and show us in a loving, committed relationship, which is far from who we are."
"You're an actor, you can do it."
"Jane can't. She doesn't want to come to places like this with me, I know she is not going want to be in the public eye as the First Lady. No. No matter how bad I want it, I can't do that to her. And like I said I can't take that chance turning back into that man, I used to be, Jane deserves better."
"I thought her current boyfriend is better than you."
"Where the fuck did you find that out from?"
"So it's true, you two do have an open relationship. You just haven't found anyone you want to fuck yet? Have you?"
"This conversion is over. And my answer is still no."
"What happen when you came back and seen Kerry was gone?"
"What?" Tony said as Ellen snapped him out of his daydreaming.
"Kerry said that Caroline said some mean things to her while you were gone. She left the table. What happen when you came back and seen that Kerry wasn't there?"
"Oh, I said what happen to Kerry? She said she was called backstage and that I better get there too, they are about to start. I did. I saw Kerry and was about to approach her, but I was pulled away by another actress who apparently I was supposed to do a quote with. I didn't see her until we were all on stage and they had us in order of appearance. I was several people away from her. I kept looking, but didn't approach her, until it was done and we all left the stage. We looked at each other and I was about to go to her, but…"
"You did wonderful." Caroline said pulling me away. I looked at Kerry, she looked at me and we both walked in the opposite directions.
Caroline and I sat down at the table, in which Kerry never came back too. I kept scanning the room for her, but couldn't find her anywhere. After Caroline and I ate dinner, a fellow actor came up to her. He asked her to dance. I told her it was fine and as soon as she was focus on who she was dancing with I went looking for Kerry. I finally found her on the roof of the hotel.
"Hi." I said.
"For your information I am not a whore. I don't deliberately go around and steal other women's men. Yes, I made some mistakes, but that's does not make me a whore, ok. So if that what you think I am, if you're just looking for a one stand than am not the one." She said fighting her tears.
"Ok, I am attracted to you, but if…"
"You're married, Tony. If you would flirt openly with another woman in front of your wife, than there is no telling what you will do behind her back!"
"Ok, wait. Jane is not here."
"What the hell do you mean she's not here? She was your date, asshole!"
"Caroline?"
"Who is Caroline one of your mistress?"
"No. it is the woman that I came here tonight with. Unless you seen…" I pulled my phone out and show her a picture. "…her, than you did not see my wife!" As Tony was telling the story to Ellen, Kerry thought back to what happen that night. She did see a woman, that looks like that, but she had on makeup, jewelry and was laughing and kissing another man, when she came up to the roof. When the couple turned around, they both seen her, but were too busy into each other they did not seem to notice her and walked back inside. Kerry paused for a moment. "Did you see her?"
"No." She quickly said. "Caroline, the woman you came with is the one that told me…" Kerry swallowed. "She told me that she is your wife. That she is Jane. And she would kick my ass all around this hotel if I don't stay away from you."
"She's not Jane. She is a friend of Jane's. And if Jane knew she was all over me, tonight they wouldn't be friends anymore."
"Why isn't Jane here?" I lean against the rail, some scotch on the rocks in my hand and I took a sip. "Jane doesn't like dressing up, with the fancy dresses, makeup, heels and hair. Plus she doesn't like the pizzazz. This is not her thing, its mines. So she rarely comes to events like this."
"I'm sorry."
"Why? She is who she is. She always was that way. It's just something I have to learn to accept." I took her hand. "Look, I am sorry for the way, Caroline treated you. She had no right to lie to you like that." He looked at her. "Can we dance?"
"You're married."
"It's just a dance." He commented. So I took her hand and we dance to…"
Tony stood up. "What day is this? And in what month?" He offers his hand and Kerry takes it and stand up too. "This clock never seemed so alive, I can't keep up, and I can't back down, I've been losing so much time." Ellen motion her staff to play the song, but just the music as Tony and Kerry dance, while Tony sings to her. "'Cause it's you and me, And all of the people with nothing to do; Nothing to lose. And it's you and me; And all of the people; And I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you. What are the things that I want to say just aren't coming out right? I'm tripping on words, you got my head spinning, I don't know where to go from here. 'Cause it's you and me," He pulls her close to him and wraps his arms around her waist. Kerry had her hands on his chest looking up at him. "and all of the people with nothing to do; nothing to prove." Their foreheads touch. "And it's you and me and all of the people and I don't know why I can't keep my eyes off of you." Music They dance as they stared into each other eyes, neither one of them saying anything, both of them forgetting that they were on live tv on Ellen. Instead they were transformed back to the party on the roof, just them, no one else, dancing. "There's something about you that now that I can't quite figure out. Everything she does is beautiful, everything she does is right. 'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do; nothing to prove. It's you and me and all of the people and I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you." Suddenly Tony stops and kisses her in the lips as Kerry kisses him back. (Song by Lifehouse "You and Me". Lyrics from Lyrics find)
Kerry closed her eyes and enjoyed the kiss as it deepens, for a moment she lose herself in him. For a moment, she forgot who she was. For a moment, she just…. Suddenly she pulled away. "I got to go. Bye." She said and runs away.
"Kerry wait. Please, I'm sorry." He said meeting her on the stairs. Kerry looked at him with tears in her eyes.
"You're married. This would never work. I'm sorry. Please go home to your wife. Please don't follow me. Please." She said and continue down the steps.
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