The studio provides Rachel with her own little apartment to live in for the five months she'll spend filming the movie. It's cozy and completely furnished, decorated in warm earth tones, and the building itself is quiet and peaceful. It's pretty much the complete opposite of her place in New York, and she finds the change a little unsettling. When she's finished unpacking her clothes and the various little items she brought along with her, she finds herself sitting on the couch, unsure about what to do next. It's only two in the afternoon, and she's alone in a city that's now her home for the next twenty weeks. Ideally, she wants to spend some time with someone, but the only person she really knows here is Noah, and they haven't spoken to each other since that day at his house. After all of that unnecessary drama, she doesn't think that calling the man who hates her is a very good idea.
It was sad, saying goodbye to Nathan, Kurt, and all her friends back in the city. She'd cried at both the little leaving party her friends had thrown in her honor, and also at the airport when her boyfriend and her best friend had come to say goodbye. Nathan had seemed amused at her tears, but Rachel always cries, so it wasn't anything unusual. She'd made both men promise to visit her (though Kurt seemed more excited about the thought of meeting Leon than visiting her in LA), and they'd faithfully reassured her that they'd call her all the time. So she'd gotten on the plane with a watery, nervous smile, and had stepped off the plane to sunlight and excitement. The company had sent a limousine just to pick her up from the airport, which she'd been thrilled about. She's ridden limos before, of course, but it's still a novelty to her, and she loves the feeling of self-importance that comes with riding in one. It means that she's successful.
Right now though, all she feels is restless. Her first read-through isn't until tomorrow at noon, and she has absolutely nothing to do until then, no one to welcome her to Hollywood. Desperate for something to keep her occupied, Rachel walks over to the refrigerator, but sighs when she opens the door to find it completely empty. She could go grocery shopping, she supposes, but the idea doesn't sound very fun. Grumbling quietly to herself, she pulls her Blackberry from her pocket, and dials Kurt number. He answers almost immediately, his voice bright and enthusiastic.
"Hey, diva! How's Hollywood?"
"Boring," Rachel whines childishly, and she frowns when she hears him bark out an amused laugh.
"Rachel, you've only been there one day."
"But there's nothing to do!" She sighs as she hears Kurt cluck his tongue disapprovingly, and she collapses onto a kitchen chair. "What?"
"Sweetie, where are you?"
"In my apartment."
"In your apartment where?"
She's confused. "In my apartment in Los Angeles?"
"And what is there in Los Angeles?"
"Um, famous people?"
She can tell he's smiling when he answers. "Yes. But no, wrong answer."
"Girls who dress their dogs in obnoxious little outfits?"
"Yes. But no, wrong answer again."
"Smoothie bars and-"
"Rachel, it's not a difficult question! Stores! There are stores in Los Angeles." He sounds exasperated, and she groans sadly.
"Yes, I suppose I do need to do some grocery shopping. The fridge is completely empty, and I could kill for a bagel with cream cheese right now."
"Dear lord. Rachel, have all the plastic airheads in LA made you stupid already? I don't mean grocery stores! I'm talking about Rodeo Drive!"
"Oh!That does sound fun!" Rachel ignores the insult and giggles instead, jumping up from the chair, suddenly excited.
"Exactly. And I think you deserve to spoil yourself a little." Kurt is definitely grinning on the other end of the phone. She vaguely hears someone say his name in the background, but she's only half listening now. Her mind has suddenly been consumed with thoughts of gorgeous new summer dresses, maybe even a pair of Christian Louboutin heels...
"I have to run, diva. My expertise is needed yet again."
"When is it not?" She smiles into the phone, heading into her bedroom and looking for her flats. "Thanks, Kurt."
"No problem, sweetie! Have fun, okay? And if you feel the need to buy your bestest friend a sweater from Gucci, then he'd be perfectly okay with that."
Rachel laughs. "Goodbye, Kurt."
"Love you!" The line goes dead, and Rachel puts her phone away with an amused little smile. Fifteen minutes later, she's in a cab on her way to one of the most famous streets in the world, her debit card waiting impatiently in her pocket, ready to be used.
… … …
Puck spends the day before the first read-through having breakfast at this little cafe by the beach, surfing (turns out he's actually pretty decent at it), and later going out for a drink with this hot upcoming actress. She mainly wants to be seen with him for publicity reasons, but whatever. They end up back at her apartment anyway, and she gives him a striptease and then an amazing blow job, so yeah, he's not gonna complain.
He drives back to his place relaxed and excited for the work ahead of him. He loves it, seeing the thing that everyone works so hard on coming together right in front of his eyes. It's the best feeling, knowing that your hard work and creativity is actually paying off, and although filming won't officially begin for another week, he can't wait to get started. The script is amazing – creepy, but still sexy and funny, and he's happy with the cast, though he doesn't want to admit it.
Tomorrow he'll see Rachel, have to sit at the same table with her as she reads over her lines. The thought of even seeing her annoys him a little, makes him want to have a conversation that he doesn't feel ready for, and he sighs as he steps into the shower. Whatever. He'll just have to find a way to deal with it.
… … …
Rachel, to the surprise of pretty much no-one, is the first cast member to arrive for the read-through. Puck, Ben, Nick, the script-writer Joanne, and a few other members of the crew, have all been there for an hour already, making some final decisions about settings and working on the production schedule itself, but the energy in the room immediately triples as Rachel practically skips through the door. She's wearing a huge smile and a ridiculously long, floaty dress. Puck rolls his eyes as everyone greets her warmly.
"Good afternoon!" She chirps way too brightly, dropping her bag onto the seat reserved for her.
"Rachel, it's great to see you," Ben says, getting to his feet and kissing her on the cheek. "How are you?"
"I'm wonderful, Ben, thank you. How about you?" She squeezes his hand excitedly and Puck tries not to throw up, as he watches her from his seat with narrowed eyes. How is she so goddamn happy all the time? It's not freaking normal.
"I'm good! Let me introduce you to everyone. This is Paul, he's our location-"
"Oh, no, wait," Rachel says, and hurriedly dives through her bag until she pulls out a roll of "Hello, my name is..." stickers and a purple marker. Everyone laughs and she smiles and flushes pink. "I just have so many names to remember and I figured this would make it easier, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd love for you all to wear one of these stickers for me!"
And because everyone's pretty much in love with her already, his stupid co-workers grab a sticker and begin filling them in. Puck scoffs but takes one anyway as they're passed around, and quickly scrawls in his details before sticking it to his chest. Rachel walks around the table with Ben, smiling and chatting and shaking everyone's hand, and when she reaches him she sighs at what he's written on his name tag.
"Hello, my name is Puck, captain of awesome," She reads out loud, and it earns a laugh from rest of the table. Puck smirks.
"Yup," He pops his 'p', and remains sitting, looking up at Rachel. She shakes her head slightly, in a disapproving manner.
"How are you, Noah?"
"M'good." He doesn't ask how she is and she doesn't offer. Without saying another word, Rachel moves on to hug Nick, who practically worships the ground Rachel walks on, and looks like he's about to pass out because she's actually touching him. Idiot. Puck notices Ben shooting him a look out of the corner of his eye but ignores it, and simply sends one of the assistants to get him some Coke.
… … …
An hour and a half into the read-through of the script, Rachel is ready to kill Noah. Of course, she keeps perfectly in character, and smiles brightly when she isn't, but there's a little part of her that wonders if she can maybe get away with kicking him hard under the table.
He keeps criticizing her. It's only the read-through, where Joanne, Ben, and the producers find out which lines work and which ones don't, and it definitely isn't where Noah should be commenting on her expression. He does it in a way that no one really questions him, no one can see that he's trying to be annoying on purpose. He's extremely sly about it, and it frustrates her.
"Scene opens with Cassandra and Leon sitting across from each other. Cassandra is sipping coffee and Leon is rubbing his temples. Cut to close-up of Cassandra sliding her foot slowly up and down Leon's leg. Back to medium shot of the two of them. Leon looks tortured, Cassandra is calm," Nick narrates the scene, and Rachel breathes out quietly, channeling her character.
"I can't believe this. I can't believe you," Leon speaks as Zachary, a nervous edge to his voice. Rachel glances at him. "You're going to be locked up. Shit, Cassandra!"
"Only if you tell," Rachel says with a smirk, a hint of intimidation in her voice. "You won't tell Zac, will you?"
"Hold on," Noah cuts in yet again, and Rachel tries not to glare at him. Instead she puts on her most interested expression and looks over at the man with a tight smile.
"Yes, Noah?"
Noah smiles pleasantly at her, but she knows him well enough to know he's not being sincere.
"Shouldn't we make that line a little more sexy?" He says easily, talking to no one in particular. He gestures to the script in front of him. "I mean, Cassandra knows Zac is infatuated with her, or whatever. Shouldn't she work that to her advantage instead of going with the usual intimidation shit?"
Joanne nods slowly and Ben claps his hands together. "I like that. Rachel, can you read the line more seductively?
"Sure thing," She flashes a bright smile at them and tosses her hair back over her shoulder as she turns to Leon. Her voice is low and smooth when she next speaks, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees Nick nodding his head. "Only if you tell. You won't tell Zac, wi-"
"Too much," Noah interrupts, and Rachel huffs under her breath. "Don't be too obvious, Rachel."
Rachel nods and repeats the line once more, her voice confident and slightly breathy. She doesn't emphasize the seductive tone, and when Leon moves on to his next line without any interruptions from Noah, she knows that she nailed it. Thank goodness.
… … …
He's yawning as he leaves the table, raising his arms and stretching hugely. He's been in the room for close to five hours and Puck feels like he's been pretty damn productive today. The read-through went well, he and Nick made some pretty important decisions earlier, and he feels like he's earned the right to maybe grab a pizza on the way home and watch a game. Or maybe he'll go for a run down the beach or something – he kind of loves the way the hot chicks in bikinis openly check him out as he jogs past. He smirks at the thought, shoving his iPhone in his pocket as he heads for the door.
"Noah, wait!" A familiar voice calls from behind him, and he stops reluctantly to let Rachel catch up. She falls into step beside him as they make their way down the hallway to the exit.
"Yeah?" He says impatiently, and Rachel glares , stepping in front and stopping him in his tracks.
"Are you going to be that annoying every day for the next five months?" She says in annoyance, and Puck grins, weirdly proud of the way he's managed to get on her nerves.
"Wasn't being annoying. Just making sure my movie's as good as it can be," He replies self-righteously, and he puts his hands on her bare shoulders, guiding her to the side of the corridor so that he can start walking again. He hears Rachel splutter behind him and the squeaking of her flip flops as she hurries to catch up with him.
"You didn't stop anybody else!" She says angrily, and he resists the urge to laugh. She's never taken constructive criticism well, he remembers that from ten years ago. "Out of all the actors in that room, you only felt the urge to criticize me every five minutes!"
He turns to look at her as he walks, sending her a sympathetic smile. "Well, maybe you need a little more work to improve on your skills, darlin'."
Puck's totally lying, of course. She was fine today, and most of his comments weren't even necessary, but whatever. It's fun, getting under her skin.
He can't contain his amusement when he hears a shocked gasp from behind him, and he barks out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I'll have you know, Noah Puckerman, that I'm extraordinarily talented, and even Nick told me I wasn't to listen to a word you said, that I did a wonderful job."
"That's only because Nick wants to fuck you," He calls over his shoulder, and Rachel lets out an audible squeak.
"He most certainly does not!" She protests, her hurried steps struggling to keep up with his long strides. "And I must insist that you refrain from using that language around me, Noah. It's repulsive."
"Deal with it, Berry." He rolls his eyes. It's like she thinks she's better than him, just because she doesn't swear and is a hundred times more talented. And yeah, okay, so maybe there's a little part of his brain telling him that Rachel isn't like that at all, but whatever. "It's my movie set, I can swear if I want. Fuck. Shit. Ass. Dick."
"You are such a child," She says disgustedly. "And it's my movie set too!"
"Nope," He pops his 'p' and walks faster, eager to get away from her. She's really starting to piss him off and he doesn't want to argue with her. He just wants pizza. They've reached the exit now, and he doesn't bother holding the door open for her, simply because he doesn't want to.
"S'my movie set. You just work on it."
"Noah, that is completely-"
He interrupts her as he spots his car, lifting up his hand in a wave, not even bothering turning to look at the girl. "Bye, Rachel."
He doesn't wait for a reply, simply keeps walking, knowing all too well that she hates being ignored like that.
… … …
Rachel is absolutely furious when she gets back to her little apartment, and the first thing she does is kick off her flip flops and pour herself a glass of wine. She wants to call Nathan, but she needs to talk to Kurt first, needs to rant about how rude Noah acted today.
He takes a while to pick up, and when he finally does, Rachel explodes before the man can even say a word in greeting.
"Kurt! You will never believe what happened today! Actually, you probably will believe it because he's always been a complete...complete asshole, and that shows you just how angry I am because I very rarely use that word!"
"Hello, Rachel." Kurt says brightly, and Rachel sighs into the phone.
"Hi."
"Let me guess. You're talking about the very attractive, movie-producing womanizer you once dated?"
"He is not attractive! He's a jerk!"
"Oh come on, Rachel. He's totally gorgeous."
"Only a little bit." She's almost growling, and not even the sound of Kurt's tinkling laugh through the phone can make her smile. "Would you stop? I want to tell you how mean he is."
He giggles a little, and she throws herself onto her bed with a frustrated sigh. "Okay, sweetie. How mean is Noah Puckerman?"
The words burst from her mouth quickly and furiously. "So mean! He criticized my abilities as an actress, can you believe it? He stopped me at every second line and told me I was saying it wrong, like there's absolutely no room for my interpretation! What does he know about acting, anyway? Nothing! We all saw Run Joey Run back in high school, didn't we? But the most enraging part is that he didn't fault anyone else! He was picking on me, Kurt, just to be mean! And I tried to talk to him afterwards, but he completely brushed me off! He pretty much told me that it was his movie, and I have to do as he says!"
She takes a deep, unsteady breath, and closes her eyes. There's no reply.
"Kurt?"
"Are you finished?" She can't be sure, but he sounds like he's smiling.
"Yes."
"He's getting under your skin," Kurt says instantly. "Stop letting him."
Rachel hates that, and she frowns, scrambling to sit up against her pillows. She tucks the phone between her neck and her ear and she plays with her dress as she talks, tracing the intricate floral design on the skirt with her index finger. "I'm not letting him do anything! He's just... He's just not very nice! You'd be mad too."
"Rachel, he's obviously trying to get you to feel something. The more you react, the more he'll try. Dear lord, you two are like a pair of kindergartners!"
Rachel thinks about that for a second, and she's suddenly embarrassed at the way she acted, calling Kurt and whining like a child. She sighs heavily and plays with her fingers. "Urgh. You're right, aren't you?"
"I'm always right," He says importantly, and Rachel giggles. "I'm merely stating that if you let Puck torment you the entire time you're in LA, then you're not going to have very much fun. You love this character Rachel, and Puck is good at what he does, you know that. So don't turn this into a childish game of who can annoy the other most, and instead focus on the movie."
"You're right, you're right," She agrees grumpily, though she's smiling a little. "I'm sorry for calling you to complain."
"Don't be! I want to know all the gossip! How was Leon today?"
"Kurt, you do know he's married and isn't gay, right?"
"Minor problems," Kurt says breezily. "I'll make him love me."
She can hear Henry's protests in the background and Rachel laughs.
"Go reassure your boyfriend," She orders, and she gets off the bed and pads quietly through to the living room. "I'm going to make dinner and call Nate."
"Okay, sweetie. Have a nice night."
"You too!"
She hangs up and stares at the phone, pursing her lips slightly. Kurt's pep-talk definitely motivated her, and she immediately makes a promise to herself to not stoop to Noah's level. He's immature and pathetic, and she doesn't want to be associated with that childish behavior during the filming of her first movie. If he's going to act like that for the entire time, then she'll just stay out of his way unless it's completely necessary. This film industry is a competitive one, and she needs to be the best, needs to prove to everyone that she's made for this. She doesn't have time to worry about Noah.
… … …
Puck works out today's frustration by fucking this gorgeous Latina he met whilst he was running on the beach. Together they jog back to his house for a drink, and his lips are on hers the second she's through the door. She's naked before they reach his bedroom, and he gets her off twice before they even reach the bed. He skillfully manages to get her to leave afterwards, by telling her he has to get up early for meetings and shit the following morning, and she doesn't argue. Instead, she writes her number down on a piece of paper and leaves it on the table in a hall with a wink as she slips out of the front door, though Puck throws it away pretty much the second the door closes. The chick seemed pretty interested in dating him or whatever, but he's supposed to be seeing that actress, Elle, so he doesn't want the stressful nightmare that comes with bad publicity. Besides, he hates the whole dating shit. It's pointless, really.
He doesn't even feel bad about putting the number in the trash. Why should he? He's young, sexy, successful and rich, and it would almost be a crime to not take advantage of that. Women want him because it's no secret that he's a good fuck, and he aims to please those women. Why stick with the one chick when there's thousands of others out there?
… … …
Rachel dreams about Noah, and she hates herself for it. The dream isn't exactly appropriate, and she tries hard to forget about it when she wakes up sweaty and turned on. She feels guilty too, because she knows that she should be having these dreams about Nate, or even Taye Diggs, who's she's had a crush on since she was a teenager. Not Noah Puckerman, her ex-boyfriend, and the man who apparently wants to torture her.
Rachel hasn't told Nathan that Noah is her high-school ex. He wouldn't like the fact that she's working on a movie with an old flame one little bit, and she hates it when he's mad at her. Nibbling anxiously on her lower lip, she turns to look at the clock next to her bed, frowning slightly.
It's only 6am, and she doesn't have to get up for a costume fitting for another two hours. Calculating quickly in her head, she realizes that it's 9am in New York, and to settle her guilt a little, she sends a quick text to Nate, wishing him a wonderful day. He texts back almost instantly with 'You too. I love you. xxx', and she smiles a little, sitting her phone back on her nightstand and falling into a light sleep.
… … …
When Puck sees Rachel on the movie set the following week, she pretty much basically ignores him, and it bugs him a little, though he hates to admit it. He can't even figure out why he cares so much, and it pisses him off. He's used to not caring about shit, and then she comes along and actually makes him think about stuff. It's just weird. Whatever.
… … …
Later that day, Ben asks Puck to give the stylist the sheets with the costume outlines he was looking over. Puck does him the favor, simply because he'd totally rather flirt with the chicks in the make-up trailer as opposed to arguing with the lighting guy.
They're thrilled to see him, and he knows it. So he high-fives Kelly, and winks at Lily, and they blush and giggle and thank him as he hands them the sketches.
It's then he notices Rachel sitting in front of a mirror, watching their interactions closely through the reflection. His eyes meet hers and she looks away, back to her fingernails, which are painted deep red obviously to go with the whole Film Noir theme.
She's not in her first costume yet, just sitting in a white tank top and light purple shorts, her hair damp and wavy down her back. She looks hot, is the first thing he thinks, and he moves to stand beside her, leaning against the counter and picking up some silver thing that looks kinda like a pair of scissors but not really. He turns it over in his hands, examining it closely. Rachel looks up at him.
"You look hot," He tells her and she scoffs.
"Is everything about appearances to you?" She retorts easily, and he leers at her, throwing the thing up in the air and catching it casually.
"Not everything, but it totally helps," He replies, and he's just being honest, but she sighs and holds out her hand bossily. He really fucking hates her holier-than-thou attitude.
"You're a pig. Can I have the eyelash curler back?"
"Why you gotta hurt me like that, baby?" He says, and he hears one of the girls giggle behind him. He grins, enjoying the fact that they find him funny.
Rachel, on the other hand, doesn't look amused.
"Don't call me that. And give me it back."
"What's wrong with baby?"
"It's degrading. Noah, stop being annoying."
He throws the eyelash curler up in the air again and grabs it just before it falls into Rachel's palm. She groans impatiently, and Puck winks at her.
"Annoying? Me?"
"Urgh, go away."
"Best comeback ever."
She sends him a murderous look and he laughs, tossing the thing up in the air once more, but not bothering to catch it this time. She catches it perfectly without her eyes ever leaving his, and she continues to glare at him like she wants to burn a hole straight through his body. "Go. Away."
"You go away," He replies with his most charming grin, and he swears, she fucking growls, or something. S'pretty sexy, actually. He's not gonna lie.
"Noah!"
"Alright, fuck, m'going," He holds up his hands in surrender, though leans directly over her and grabs a cookie from the snack tray in front of her before leaving. He catches the ssmell of her perfume, and she smells fucking amazing. He'd totally stay there for a few seconds longer, just to inhale the scent, but she pushes at his chest, and he laughs at her complete lack of strength before leaving the trailer.
He might actually enjoy it, working with her. Or against her, really. He just likes to annoy the girl. She spends far too much time with her head up her own ass, and he thinks it's up to him to fix that.