As Anna, Alexis, and Rebel stand up to get ready to leave, Skylar notices that a few other patrons begin to recognize them and start pointing in their direction. There's a table of guys a few feet away from Anna and one of them gets up and walks over to her. He's very tall, muscular, and looks a few years younger than Skylar.
"Hey there gorgeous," he says to Anna, his voice thick with alcohol, "I'd like to take your sweet ass home with me." And he slaps Anna quickly on her rear. She spins around to face him, and he towers over her.
"Back off, buddy," she warns.
Skylar crosses the room in two seconds flat. "Why don't you just get out of here, man," he says to the guy.
The guy laughs loudly, pulling Anna into his chest with one arm, "Why don't you make me, pretty boy?" he scoffs.
Anna is looking at Skylar, her expression a mixture of fear and warning. She doesn't want him to get hurt, and he won't be able to film if he ends up injured or with a black eye. She's shaking her head at him as if to say, "Don't."
Ben has come up behind him, and taken Rebel and Alexis off to the side so they won't be in the middle of this. "Hey asshole!" Ben shouts at the guy, getting him to turn away from Skylar, and in that instant, Skylar punches him as hard as he can in the stomach. The guy bends over in pain, and Skylar takes the opportunity to take Anna by the hand and pull her away from him.
"Are you ok?" he asks quickly, and she nods at him. He puts his arm around her and ushers her out of the place as quickly as he can. "I'm taking her back to the hotel," he shouts over his shoulder at the others.
He walks them over to his rental car, opens the passenger side door, and closes it once she's safely in the seat. He gets in the driver's side, grateful that he's only had a few sips of beer tonight after all that's happened, and starts the engine. They're on the road for a few minutes and she still hasn't said anything.
"You sure you're alright?" he asks her again.
"Yeah," she replies quietly, "Just a little freaked out is all."
"So that's never happened to you before?" he wonders.
"No," she answers, "I mean I've been recognized before by fans, and people have swarmed me for autographs, but usually people are nice. I've never been manhandled like that."
"Well that's good I guess," he says. "You know before Pitch Perfect, nobody knew who I was outside of Broadway, and now people recognize me all the time. In a way, it's kind of cool. And in other ways, I wish I could go back to the days when I could go out somewhere and just be me, you know?"
"Yeah, I know," she answers. "So what made you want to be an actor?"
"I was always interested in performing," he tells her, "I used to sing all the time, and then when someone pointed out that I might have talent, I started taking lessons. And then I got involved in the drama groups as school and it kind of took off from there. How about you?"
"When I was little I always wanted to be in movies. My brother and I loved movies and would talk about acting. So one day we begged my parents to let us follow our dreams. We wanted to go to New York and audition for anything we could, and they actually said yes. So they used to put us on a bus together and we'd audition, and then we'd go back to Portland. The first thing I got was a role in High Society when I was twelve, and then I was completely hooked after that."
"So your parents just let you ride the bus when you were that young?" he asks.
"Yeah," she replies, "I know it sounds crazy, but they both worked, and they wanted us to be happy. I think it's really awesome that they were so supportive of us."
"I do too," he agrees, smiling at her.
"Thank you for helping me back there," she tells him. "Seriously, I don't know what I would have done if you weren't there."
"You would have kicked him in the balls," he replies, "After all, they were practically eye-level for you," he adds, laughing.
"Shut up," she answers, but she's laughing too.
They're quiet for a moment, just listening to the radio, when much to her chagrin her song Cups comes on the radio station. She groans, while he starts singing along and drumming out the beat on the steering wheel. "Who knew this song would get so big?" she says.
"It's because it's different," he answers, "And people love doing that cup trick to it. I mean, with all the over-produced, auto-tuned stuff out there, this is folky and wholesome and simple. That's why people love it. That and it's you," he adds with a wink.
"Oh stop," she replies, shoving him playfully.
"Hey, I'm driving here!" he retorts, and they're both laughing again. It's just so easy being together, they both think.
He pulls up at the hotel and parks the car. They're enjoying each other so much that they fail to notice that a few people are loitering outside the hotel lobby. As they get out of the car they hear the distant shouts of, "Hey, there's Anna Kendrick and Skylar Astin!"
"Shit," she whispers under her breath. The last thing she wanted was for the paparazzi to see them together. He and Camp just broke up today and she doesn't want this to look bad. They were only having a friendly dinner with their cast mates. She holds her hand up over her face, shielding herself as he ushers her through the lobby and into the hotel. Luckily, the paparazzi can't follow them. They rush into the elevator and are relieved when the doors close behind them.
"What a night," he sighs as she presses the button for her floor. "Top floor?" he asks.
She nods. And before he realizes it, they pass his floor on the way to hers.
"Guess I've gotten you this far, might as well take you the rest of the way," he tells her.
They step out of the elevator and reach her door. She slides in the key card and opens it to reveal a massive suite.
"Wow!" he exclaims, glancing in, "They really pulled out all the stops for you."
"It was part of my contract," she explains, "You know, because I was playing hard to get."
"Right," he says, still looking past her.
Noticing his curiosity, she says, "Want to come in and have a look around?"
"You wouldn't mind?" he asks, and she shakes her head. He enters and she gives him a quick tour of the suite. She has fruit baskets, wine, and a bunch of other royalties from the hotel that are noticeably absent from his own room.
She looks embarrassed, "It's a bit much," she says.
"I think it's kind of awesome," he says with a smile. "I mean look at you, big star."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," she replies.
He looks at his watch, and after realizing how late it is, knows he should be going. He moves over to the door. "So I'll see you tomorrow," he says, "Thanks for letting me see your room."
"It was the least I could do after you saved me today, three times," she clarifies. "Goodnight Skylar."
"Goodnight Anna."
That night, she is dreaming of him when she hears a loud pounding on her door. She opens her eyes and sees it's already morning. She shuffles over to the door in her pajamas, looks through the peephole, and is met with the contorted images of Rebel, Alexis, and Brittany. Reluctantly, she opens the door. The three women rush past her, and as she closes and locks the door they all turn around to face her.
"So spill already!" Brittany demands.
"Spill what?" Anna wonders.
"Oh come on!" Alexis interjects, "We all know you left with Skylar last night. You danced with Skylar last night. And he was staring at you all night. So? What happened?"
"He was being a friend, that's all," Anna explains. "He just broke up with Camp and needed a pal, that's all."
"Do you think we're stupid?" Rebel interrupts. "You two are not just friends. Friends don't look at each other that way."
Anna rolls her eyes, "Look, I don't know what you want me to say. Yes, I'm interested in him. And yes he just got out of a long relationship. We're just trying to get to know each other right now. Is that ok with all of you?"
"We just don't want you to get hurt," Brittany says. "We all love Camp too, and don't get me wrong, Skylar's a great guy."
"But?" Anna questions.
"But you're right, he just got out of a long relationship. And then there's the media circus that will ensue, and I just want to make sure you're ready for all that," Brittany clarifies.
"Just be careful," Alexis warns.
"Do you think Camp is going to hate me?" Anna asks them.
"Not at all," Brittany replies, "In fact, I think you're the one she thinks Skylar has a thing for."
"You're kidding," Anna gasps.
"No," Rebel answers, "But she's cool with it. Really. They weren't working anymore and she knows that. She said she just wants him to be happy."
"So is he a good kisser?" Brittany asks.
"I've only ever kissed him on set," Anna explains, "And yes. Yes he is."
She blushes, which earns an "Aww" from her girlfriends. "So what's on the agenda for today?"
They all look, and it turns out the next week is going to be a cappella boot camp, but at least she'll get a break from all those romantic moments with Skylar.
At least on set…