How's everyone's quarantine going? Stay safe.
Friday morning, true to her word, Kara sent Nia shopping almost the moment they arrived on set. Since everything was still set up from the day before, they were up and running at full capacity not even twenty minutes after call. Sam stayed on set making sure everything stayed beautiful, Nia hit the store, and Kara worked on a little paperwork while things were still calm.
Nia showed up about a half hour later with just the stuff Kara needed to make the pass-around, handed the groceries off to her, then went back to the store for the rest of the groceries they needed.
Kara made frittatas for the morning snack, and people loved them. Even Andrea asked for a second piece, and that made Kara feel good.
So far, the cast had been great—for the most part, that was. Jack was delightful to be around, always took what Kara offered him, and made sure he found her later to tell her how much he enjoyed it. Eddie Thawne, while not nearly as kind, was still a gentleman. When he didn't want something he politely declined, and when he did take something, he always said thank you. And Lena—well, of course Kara thought she was amazing, but she was also biased.
Yet there always had to be one member of cast who had to be a little…Extra. On this show it was Andrea Rojas. She was never satisfied with anything. Kara learned from the caterers that Andrea sent back her breakfast order every morning, often multiple times on the same day. She was also a vegetarian, which wasn't a problem. Kara always made sure she had a vegetarian option with the pass-around if it wasn't already vegetarian to begin with. But Andrea didn't always like what Kara was passing around. She would demand Kara make her a special snack all her own. It started out easy enough, stuff like a plate with veggies and hummus or a cup of veggie soup from a can. But then she started getting more demanding, wanting an omelet or a sandwich or some other thing that forced Kara to stop what she was doing—stop feeding the whole crew—just to go run and make something special for Andrea. Because even though Kara had a vegetarian option ready for her, it was never good enough.
It began as mildly annoying, escalating quickly into just fucking obnoxious. Kara went from somewhat disliking Andrea to full-blown hating her by the end of week three. Every time she wrinkled her nose at something Kara tried to give her, the blonde's shoulders fell. Because she knew in a couple of minutes, she was going to be called to channel two by a PA—probably the increasingly irritating Eve—and be asked to make something for Andrea. And yeah, that was her job, to feed people. But Andrea didn't have to make it so fucking difficult.
She was also one of those people who was sickeningly sweet to your face but would talk shit the moment your back was turned. Andrea never once said a harsh word to Kara. She would just do that stupid nose wrinkle thing, look up at Kara from her seat with a head shake, and say, "No thank you," in an overly chipper voice… And Kara would get the order a couple of minutes later.
Then Mike told her Andrea said her food needs weren't being met, and she almost lost it. She'd been bending over backwards to try to please the actress, and she wasn't even one of the stars. If this was Lena or Jack asking it would have been different. They were the leads. They had every right to be demanding. But they weren't. That was the fucking point. If the main characters weren't asking her for shit, where did this minor character get off acting like she was a gift from the heavens? She needed to fucking chill.
Which was why Kara was so happy when she was not only satisfied with the frittata, but apparently enjoyed it. That kept her mood from dropping, and a moment later it only got better because then she got to Lena's chair. The brunette gave her a fond smile as Kara handed her the plate, and she made sure that their fingers brushed and lingered a moment too long when she grabbed it.
Then once the pass-around was done she got back to the trailer to see Nia had returned with a whole carload of groceries, and she breathed a sigh of relief. While the tables were stocked completely, they hadn't had any back stock. So, if they ran out of something, they were going to just be out. And if someone asked where something was, "We don't have any," wasn't the answer she'd been taught to give.
They were able to put away everything neatly, and then Nia shooed Kara out of the trailer so she could get some cleaning done without the blonde in the way or slowing her down. Kara didn't argue because if she didn't have to clean, she was happy with that. Instead she grabbed some of the new snacks Nia had bought and brought them to set. Sam was at the setup, pouring some coffee into one of the air pots when Kara walked up with the box of goodies.
"Please tell me there's gum in there," Sam said, glancing over her shoulder as Kara set down the box. "The basket was full this morning, but we're almost out."
"People need to stop taking whole packs and sticking them in their pockets," Kara told her, but she pulled out a few packs of gum from the box regardless and held them up to show her coworker. "But that's never gonna happen, so thankfully, Nia's smart and got more."
"You need to send me shopping next time," Sam said with a whine, setting the glass carafe back in its place. "I wanna leave set, too, sometimes."
"Sam, you drive a VW bug," Kara said, frowning. "And you have your daughter's car seat in the backseat. The fuck you gonna fit in that?"
Sam narrowed her eyes. "Shut up, bitch."
Kara laughed out loud until they called out that they were rolling, the bell rang, and she was literally forced to be quiet in order to not blow the take.
Despite the way Kara and Sam spoke to each other, their friendship was growing every day. Their insults were never serious, the deliverance of them always playful. As the weeks wore on, they fell into an easy rhythm. While Nia usually skipped lunch, Kara and Sam always made sure to go together. Honestly, they did most things together if they could.
Nia was a little more independent, roaming wherever she did—half the time Kara honestly had no idea where she was—but Sam stuck to Kara like glue when she could. And while when Siobhan wanting to do everything together was irritating because it slowed her down, that wasn't the case with Sam. They didn't need to divide and conquer just to barely keep their heads afloat. Things were going so well that they could do everything together. And Kara had to admit, making coffee and filling coolers was a lot more fun when she had someone there with her to shoot the shit.
After lunch once things slowed down, Nia stayed on set while Sam went back to the trailer to help Kara. While the blonde started on the next pass-around to get ahead of the game, Sam went to work emptying out the fridge and packing its contents into coolers so that they could be ready to move the trailer at the end of the day. The location for the following Monday was a grocery store about a ten-minute drive from Kara's house—which was great for her commute, but it sucked that they had to move again.
Kara had decided to do a chicken noodle soup, having made sure to tell Nia to pick up a couple of the precooked rotisserie chickens from the store to make it easier. As Sam cleaned, Kara put on a pair of gloves and broke down the chicken while the chicken stock she set on the stove heated. She also chopped up carrots, onions, garlic, and celery to add to the mix. Once the stock was at a rolling boil, she added everything to the pot, seasoned it, and put the lid on so it could cook. Then she made a similar one without chicken, using veggie stock instead. She also added some beans for protein, and if Andrea didn't want it, Kara knew it would take everything in her not to throw it in her face. She'd been eating veggie soup that came from a can. If she didn't like her homemade one, there was going to be an issue.
But thankfully she did, and so did everyone else on crew. It was oddly rewarding and satisfying—making something that people not only liked, but actively sought her out for. She loved when people went around set looking for her, proclaiming upon finding her that they had to try whatever she had because everyone else said how good it was. Sure, she knew how to cook a little when she started working with Clark. But she'd grown so much over the years, and to be able to see that new knowledge put into play and get met with praise for it was one of the most uplifting parts of her day.
She was practically bouncing with happiness by the time she got back to the trailer, and when she was able to check her phone, her heart nearly burst out of her chest because of how fast it started beating. She had a text from Lena, asking if she wanted to do anything that night. Of course she did. How was that even a question? But she tried to play it cool over text.
Kara: Sure. Want to come over again?
She waited for a few moments, staring at her phone screen in hopes that Lena would be near it. She'd just seen her at her chair, and she hadn't heard them say over the walkie that they were rolling yet. Part of her wished she had an iPhone instead of an Android simply so she could see those little dots that appeared when someone was typing a response. But since she didn't, she had no idea if Lena even saw the message yet.
Just when she was about to dejectedly put her phone back in her pocket, though, it vibrated in her hand and lit up with a response.
Lena: Yes. And I'll bring your clothes back.
Kara scrunched up her nose for a second as she tried to think of what clothes Lena was talking about, but then she remembered that she'd loaned the star a clean outfit to go home in on Sunday. Lena had promised to wash them, and they'd no doubt been sitting in her penthouse all week. When Kara finally got them back, they would probably smell of nothing but Lena. And because of that Kara most likely wouldn't wear them again until she either missed Lena too much and needed to be surrounded by her scent, or until the scent wore off completely. Either way, the very idea sent her heart aflutter all over again.
Kara: Totally forgot you even had them lol. But sounds good.
After that she put her phone away and helped Sam finish cleaning up, which was mostly just the dishes she'd made during cooking since Nia had done a great deal of cleaning and organizing earlier. But they also had to prep the trailer to move, so that meant strapping in anything that could fall over and hooking up the truck so Kara could just drive away with the rig at the end of the day. Once that was all done, they grabbed a couple of waters from a cooler outside the trailer and went inside to enjoy the air conditioning—no matter how weak the trailer's unit was, it was better than the sweltering heat outside.
"So," Kara started, leaning against the prep table, "have you heard from Nate?"
Over the past couple weeks as Sam and Kara had gotten closer, Sam had started telling her about this guy she was seeing named Nate. Apparently, he worked in film, too, as a stuntman. Kara had never heard of him or met him, but Sam had worked with him on her last show. They'd flirted a bit, eventually meeting outside of work for drinks. Sam had given her a few details here and there, not very much. But from what she knew, Nate was horrible at texting. Sam said he was never on his phone, didn't even have social media, so it wasn't abnormal. But when Kara prodded further, the brunette divulged that any time they got together, she was the one who had to initiate the encounter. So, Kara, who'd been involved with someone like that before, told Sam to stop texting him first and see what happened. That had been on Monday, and she hadn't heard anything about Nate since.
"No, he hasn't," Sam said, a frown suddenly appearing on her face. "I'm about to block him. I'm not playing anymore."
"I mean, that's a little drastic, but you do you," Kara said with a smirk.
Sam let out a deep sigh, her shoulders falling. She set her bottle of water on the table and turned to face Kara fully. "Can I tell you something without you judging me?"
"For the record, I'm pretty open-minded, but shoot," the blonde said, setting down her water as well and crossing her arms over her chest.
The brunette searched her face for a moment, and once she seemed to decide it was okay, she said, "Nate and I aren't really dating. We're kind of just friends with benefits."
"I figured," Kara said with a small nod. "And I honestly don't see a problem with it."
"Really?" Sam raised her eyebrows.
"Why would I?" Kara shrugged. "You're both consenting adults, and sex is a natural part of the human experience. Besides, you have a fucking kid. It's not like I thought you were a virgin." She gave a playful grin, earning a laugh and a shove in the shoulder from Sam. "Seriously, it's not a big deal. People try to make it out to be. But if you're smart and safe, who cares?"
"Not everyone sees it that way," Sam said, rolling her eyes.
"Not everyone's as smart as I am," Kara shot back.
"I wouldn't go that far," Sam responded in a joking manner, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm a genius, fuck you," the blonde said with a laugh, uncrossing her arms and flipping off the younger woman quickly before dropping her hands to her sides. "But really, Sam, it's fine. Men have this sex drive that everyone acknowledges and accepts, yet when it comes to women, we're expected to be all chaste and shit? No, we have needs, too."
"Thank you!" Sam exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I was with my baby daddy for nearly five years. I got used to having sex. I finally dumped his loser ass, and now that I've got my body back, it has needs." She sighed, putting down her hands and placing them on her hips instead. "And that's what Nate was, at first. Someone to fill that need. I didn't expect feelings to grow, but…" she trailed off, glancing at the ground.
"They did?" Kara guessed, and when Sam looked back up, the blonde noted there was a hint of sadness behind the other woman's brown eyes.
"Yeah, and now I don't know what I'm supposed to do," Sam said with a nod. "I dated the same person for so long that I forgot how to do all of this shit. And now there's this guy, who is nice and really hot, but he doesn't pay enough attention to me. And as much as I need sex, I don't know if I can keep doing this with him."
"So don't," Kara said. "If you can't keep sleeping with him without falling harder, you probably shouldn't be sleeping with him. I know you have needs, but if you get your heart broken in the process, is it really worth it?"
Sam stared at her for a moment. "I'm just gonna block him."
"No!" Kara said, stopping the younger women when she started to go into her back pocket for her phone. "What if you see him on set sometime? That's gonna be awkward as hell."
"What the fuck am I supposed to do then?"
"You have to talk to him, I guess," Kara supplied, giving a small shrug.
"And say what exactly?" Sam demanded.
"I don't know," Kara admitted. "I can't tell you what to say. But here's what I'm seeing—this guy doesn't talk to you unless you reach out to him first. You've had radio silence from him all week. If he liked you, wouldn't you—I don't know—be on his mind? Like, I know I'm not a guy and I don't even date guys, so I don't know what they're like romantically, but when there's a girl I really like, I make an effort to talk to her. At least a little bit. To me that just shows they were thinking about you. And if they were thinking about you, then they probably like you."
Sam chewed her lip as she mulled over Kara's words. "So how do I find out if he really likes me or not?" she asked.
Kara gaped at her. "Sam, you ask him."
The brunette looked at her like she'd grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead. "Are you fucking insane? I am not doing that."
"You asked me how you find out if he likes you, that's how!" Kara let out an exasperated sigh. "Look, I know it fucking sucks, and being vulnerable isn't easy, but until you just flat-out ask him, you're going to be sitting here wondering. And if it's hurting now, it's going to keep hurting if you continue on like this. If you don't stop sleeping with him, you're just going to keep falling harder, and then later if it's true that he really doesn't like you, then you're going to be devastated when things end. At least if you do it sooner you can get it over with now, before you start liking him too much."
"But what if he doesn't like me back?" Sam asked in a small voice, her face soft. It was a side to her Kara hadn't seen much, only brief flashes of this tender side of her coming out when Sam forgot for five seconds to let her guard down. She had a hard exterior, and she carried herself with an air of confidence. Her grin was usually cocky, and Kara knew if she batted those big brown eyes at a guy, she could probably get him to do just about anything. Yet now she seemed afraid. "What do I do then?"
"Then you end things and move on, I guess," Kara told her. "What do you want, someone just to fuck? Or do you want a boyfriend?"
"I want a boyfriend," Sam answered instantly. "I didn't right after the breakup, and Ruby, but being with him, it just—"
"Reminded you how nice it was to be with someone," Kara finished for her, her voice soft and her eyes falling to her feet. She knew that feeling all too well. Before Lena she forgot how much she missed having someone whose texts she awaited, someone she looked forward to seeing at the end of a long week, someone she daydreamed about a future with.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "It may be dumb, but I want a husband and a family." She frowned, her mouth becoming a thin, white line. "I never planned on being a single mom, but that's how it is. But I don't want to be a single mom forever. I don't want Ruby to be an only child. Like, I know some people think family life is dumb, but that's just something I've always wanted."
"I don't think it's dumb. I want a wife and kids someday, too," Kara told her. "It's valid to want those things. But if Nate doesn't want those things, too, then he's wasting your time. Because all your effort and thoughts and free time are going to him when it could be going to someone else who wants the same things as you. Someone who wants you forever and always, not just to warm his bed for a few hours every other weekend."
Sam stared at Kara blankly for a few seconds before smacking her hand atop the prep table so suddenly that it started her boss. "God dammit. I hate that I know you're right, but you're fucking right."
Kara let out a small laugh. "Look, Sam, you're awesome, alright? And if he doesn't see that or want you—all of you—then he's a fucking idiot." She put her hands on the younger woman's shoulders so she could hold her gaze. "You're gorgeous, funny, and you have so much going for you. You're a great person, and you deserve someone who is going to be all about you, not someone who treats you like an afterthought. I want more than that for you, and I want you to want more than that for yourself. I'm not going to tell you what to do, but I think you owe it to yourself to at least try to talk to him. Because until you do, you're just going to keep hurting. And that's not okay."
Sam's eyes didn't show any tears, but she sniffled as Kara squeezed her shoulders. "Thanks, sis," she said softly. "I'll think about it."
"Good," Kara said, letting go of the slim woman.
They started making their way back to set after that. Sam's mood seemed to turn around pretty quickly, because she bumped hips with Kara playfully as they walked towards the stage.
She smiled as they walked, and there was a familiar twinkle in her eyes. "Kara, we're homies for real."
Kara threw her head back and laughed at that, even snorted a little bit. "Why do you sound so surprised about that?"
"I didn't expect to like you," Sam said with a shrug.
Kara looked at her, eyes wide, though a smile tugged at her lips. "Sam. What the fuck?"
"I don't usually like the people I work with, okay?" the brunette said defensively, lowering her voice when Kara opened the door to the building for them to walk through it. They weren't currently rolling, but that didn't mean they could go around yelling. "And I don't have that many friends, so it's been nice to have someone to talk to other than my mom for a change."
Kara frowned, though all the lights were off so no one could see. They had to been when they were working. The only lights were a few work lights scattered throughout the building. There was one at their setup, and as they got closer, Kara could see Nia starting to put food in boxes.
"Well, you've got me," Kara said in a low voice right before they got to the table. Sam simply smiled appreciatively in response.
"Good news," Nia said when they reached her. "We're wrapping in the next hour, so no second meal." She beamed, obviously pleased with the news. "I started packing up to get us a head start."
"Good girl," Kara said with a proud smile. The last thing she wanted was to be there late wrapping out. Not on a Friday night, not when she had the promise of time with Lena ahead of her. "Yeah, let's consolidate to one table and the coffee cart and get ready to get the hell out of here."
"Copy that, sis," Sam said, immediately going over to help Nia, Kara quickly joining the efforts as well.
Lena was never one to worry about what time production would wrap. Some days on set were short for her, depending on how many scenes she had to do or simply how much they had to film. She'd been on set for as little as four hours before but had also been on set as long as twenty. Those days sucked, but despite how awful they were, she never complained. She was getting paid to do a job, she was a professional, and she would go home when she was done like everyone else.
But that Friday when they wrapped at around ten and a half hours, she was incredibly thankful. Normally she wouldn't have cared because the arrival of a weekend just meant time for her to spend in solitude in her loft. Which had never bothered her too much before. Yet with the addition of Kara to her life, every night spent in her bed alone felt hollow and empty. She'd spent all week tossing and turning, barely getting any sleep because of this.
By the time she finally left set that night, she could barely keep her eyes open in Jess's car on the way back to her building. But as she climbed out of the SUV and bid her assistant goodnight, she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips as she walked into her building.
Kara had texted her that she was leaving set not long after Lena did, so that meant soon the blonde would be home. Then she was going to venture out across the city again to pick up Lena. And as tired as she was, there was something about that knowledge that seemed to give her a small jolt of energy—enough to make it up to the top floor and climb into the shower, at least.
Yet while sometimes showering woke her up, this time it just made her more relaxed and ready to go to sleep. She grumbled the whole time she pulled on a sweatshirt and jeans in order to be ready for when Kara arrived. The blonde had texted her that she was home right before Lena got in the shower, but she knew Kara had to shower as well. But that probably wouldn't take long, and she would be leaving soon.
Lena didn't want to be scrambling around for her stuff when Kara got there, so she quickly started packing a bag. She threw in a couple of outfits fit for lounging around the house, underwear, and a few things to sleep in… though she hoped spending the night with Kara meant she wouldn't need clothes to sleep in. When she was done, she checked her phone again, and sure enough, Kara had texted her that she was on the way.
She went out to the living room, spotting the outfit Kara had loaned her the previous weekend perched on the arm of the couch. She grabbed that too and tossed it into the bag before running back to the bedroom to grab the phone charger she nearly forgot, not wanting to have a repeat of the previous weekend. Her phone was nearly dead as it was, and she didn't know how long she was going to be at Kara's. They hadn't spoken about whether she was just spending the night or the whole weekend again. Lena didn't want to assume, but she also didn't want to ask. But something inside her knew that on Saturday if Kara didn't offer to bring her home then she probably wouldn't ask her to.
Since she wasn't with Kara and the blonde didn't have a key card to the garage, she'd be picking up Lena out front. It was risky, but it would have to do for that weekend. When she went down to wait, Roy was at the desk, and when she asked if she could get a second key card, he simply smiled brightly, reached into a desk drawer, pulled one out, and handed it to her. She thanked him as she slipped it into her jean pocket, then scurried to the front exit when she saw the headlight of Kara's Jeep pull up in front of the building.
She put up the hood of her sweatshirt in an attempt to conceal her identity somewhat and rushed out the door, running right past the door man and climbing into the Jeep. Kara looked at her curiously for a moment until Lena peaked at her from under the hood.
"Drive," she instructed, throwing her bag at her feet and scooting down in her seat in case there were any paparazzi outside.
Kara didn't question her, just threw the car in gear and pulled out into traffic again. Lena waited until they were a couple of blocks away to remove her hood, smiling apologetically at Kara.
"Sorry about that," she said. "I just didn't know if there were paparazzi outside."
"It's fine," Kara said, tossing an easy smile Lena's way. "It was kind of cool. You just jumped in my car with a bag and told me to start driving. I felt like I was part of a heist or something."
Lena laughed at that, and she reached into her pocket and pulled out the new key card. "Here," she said, putting it in the cup holder. "Next time just use that, and you can get into the garage."
Kara glanced down at it, then up to Lena, her cheeks going a little pink. "Thanks."
Lena bit her lip and nodded in response. She gazed over at Kara, taking her in. Her hair was damp and hanging over her shoulders loosely. She was wearing another old t-shirt with the sleeves cut off, and Lena was able to see through the armhole that Kara—like herself—had forgone a bra that evening. And of course, the basketball shorts. Even in the dark car she could see that.
Then Kara glanced at her, caught her staring, and sent her another smile. The older woman reached across the center console and took Lena's hand, threading their fingers together. "I missed you," she admitted in a soft voice.
Lena stared at her for a moment, chewing her lip. They'd seen each other all week, but only in brief snippets. And while it was nice to spend whatever kind of time with Kara that she could, it wasn't the same as when they were alone together. She thought she'd been dumb to ache when Kara passed by with food and not be able to keep her there for a moment to just be with her. That impatiently waiting for the weekend so they could retreat into their hole of bliss was foolish. Yet if Kara was admitting she'd missed her despite their constant close proximity, maybe her own longing wasn't invalid.
"I missed you, too," the brunette said, lifting Kara's hand to her mouth and kissing the back of it.
Once they got to Kara's of course the blonde announced that she was starving, so they ordered a pizza, and twenty minutes later they were sitting on the couch in Kara's living room eating it right out of the box. Kara ate about half the pizza in one sitting, while Lena stuck with only two slices. And even after Kara put the rest of the pizza away, she was rummaging around in the freezer for ice cream.
Lena told her she was going to make herself sick, and the other woman just waved off the comment. But then Lena watched her fixed herself a bowl with sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream, and she had to admit it looked good. Kara must have seen the longing on her face, because she just laughed, handed the bowl and a spoon to Lena, and started making a second for herself without a word.
They ate the ice cream at the table, and Lena thought briefly about how much weight Kara was going to cause her to gain. But then the blonde got whipped cream on her lip, and her tongue darting out to lick it off was enough to make her forget the calories for a moment.
When they were done, they rinsed off their bowls and put them in the dishwasher before retreating back into the living room. They turned on the unsolved mysteries show Kara had showed Lena, and for a while they watched with interest. But then Kara started yawning, an obvious sign that she was crashing from the sugar she'd ingested and the long week she'd had. And the moment she started yawning, Lena started yawning too, her eyelids becoming increasingly heavy.
While Lena couldn't wait to get Kara alone, now that they were, she had no energy to do anything about it. It was like some cruel twist of fate. But as she slid out of her jeans and crawled into bed next to the blonde, she remembered that they had the whole next day. And maybe possibly the night and following day as well. And then there was the next weekend, and the weekend after that. It wasn't like her time with Kara was going to be over in the morning—like it had been in the past with other partners. She didn't need to push through her exhaustion just to have sex because she didn't know the next opportunity she'd get to. Kara was going to be there in the foreseeable future.
Something about that was oddly comforting, and as strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close, she felt an ease wash over her. She rested her head on Kara's chest, heard the rhythmic beating of her heart. The blonde placed a kiss on the crown of the actress's head and began to absentmindedly trace patterns across Lena's back with her fingers. It was all so soothing, and she'd been so tired before getting picked up, so it was no wonder when Lena's eyelids closed involuntarily almost immediately. But even as she drifted off, she clung to Kara in turn, arm locked across her waist, tucked into the warmth radiating from the woman next to her.
It was the best sleep she got all week.
Well until next time.
-DF