Hollywood Royalty

Standing this close to him she could smell the faint scent of cologne that smelled of spice and pinewood, it was a comforting smell because for once she wasn’t immediately reminded of Tom. It was dark when they left the restaurant, nearly ten in the evening, but Pedro seemed to know his way around the city. She let him take the lead and prayed that she would be able to get to her apartment soon enough. Grace prayed that she wouldn’t get caught by the paparazzi in her completely innocent dinner date with Pedro. She could just see the headlines now… ‘Hollywood Princess Rebounds with Costar in Aftermath of Divorce and Betrayal’. It would be terribly humiliating if the tabloids got the wrong idea about her. If there was anything she was trying to do, it was avoiding the spotlight and staying out of the press. It might’ve made good publicity for the new film but Grace’s reputation wasn’t worth the inevitable problems that would arise.

When they arrived at the bar that Pedro seemed to frequent, she was surprised to say the least. It didn’t look too different from the pubs back home in London. With all the alcohol displayed behind the counter as well as the dim lighting that went along with it, the bar was nearly a perfect match. It didn’t seem as modern or new aged as she would’ve thought a New York bar would look like. A couple of the tvs were on, playing some sports game a few Americans in the bar seemed focused on. Grace was never really a fan of sports… Even British sports. Pedro led her to the long counter and helped her into the seat, politely and in an almost gentlemanly fashion. Grace thanked him kindly, happy that the dim lighting would keep him from seeing the blush on her face.

“I’ll have a shot of whisky, Ethan.” Pedro told the bartender who seemed to know Pedro quite well, given the fact that he gave him a knowing nod before going to get his drink ready. Pedro glanced at the blonde sitting next to him at the bar. “What do you want?”

“I’ll just have a glass of water?” Grace told the youngish bartender softly, her kind smile charming the bartender. Pedro looked at her in disbelief, ignoring the cute way she pronounced ‘water’.

“I thought you Brits liked your alcohol? Come on… I took you here so we could bond over some drinking.” Grace just shrugged.

“That’s a stereotype… I only like drinking wine in the comfort of my own apartment.” Pedro just stared at her before turning to the bartender.

“She’ll have a rum and coke.” The bartender immediately went to work on getting Grace’s drink ready, leaving Grace to glare at her new costar playfully.

“I can order for myself.” Pedro only smirked at her.

“It’s no fun if I’m the only one drinking.” Grace rolled her eyes.

“I have to warn you… I don’t tend to hold my alcohol very well. It’s why I got all the drinking alcohol in public places out of my system when I was eighteen.” Pedro raised a brow curiously.

“Eighteen?” Grace widened her eyes as she remembered a very important detail about American drinking laws.

“That’s right! I almost forgot that Americans can’t drink until they’re twenty one, in the UK the legal drinking age is eighteen.” Pedro just shook his head in disbelief.

“God, how is America the best country on earth if you can’t even start drinking until you’re twenty one?” Grace only shrugged.

“Oh, you know… Just because America has freedom, Jamba Juice, and Kevin Costner.” Pedro laughed because he couldn’t help it. Grace Gallagher having a sense of humor was the last thing that he would’ve expected but it was a delightful surprise.

“Why Kevin Costner? Why not Harrison Ford, Matthew McConaughey, or Mark Wahlburg?” Grace just smiled sheepishly.

“I don’t really know myself… There’s just something about Mr. Costner that intrigues me. Have you not seen ‘The Body Guard’? ‘Robin Hood’? ‘Dances with Wolves’?” He chuckled.

“Yes, I have… Well, except ‘The Body Guard’.” Grace grew quiet, her eyes widening in surprise as if Pedro just told her that he was Jim Morrison’s long lost son.

“How could you have never seen ‘The Body Guard’? That’s his best movie.” He only gave her an amused look.

“I’m sure a lot of people would disagree with you.” Grace just looked at him.

“I’m being completely sincere. I love that movie… Whitney’s also in it as well so there’s that.”

“Well, I guess I’ll finally have to watch it.” He paused for a moment as the bartender brought them their drinks, briskly setting them on the wooden bar. “So speaking of body guards… Do you have your own body guard?” Grace looked at him suspiciously before taking a brief sip of her rum and coke. It warmed her up slightly, giving her a bit of a surprise since it had been so long since she had any hard liquor to drink even if it was watered down with coke.

“Sometimes I suppose.” Pedro smirked.

“Really? So you have your very own Kevin Costner?” Grace rolled her eyes playfully.

“Not like that! I just mean sometimes I’m assigned a bodyguard.” It was at that point when Pedro started getting a little curious about the lifestyle of a Hollywood royal. He was much older than the young actress but was very much inexperienced in the way of Hollywood. Grace Gallagher had been in the business since she was a teenager. Pedro might have been auditioning for parts for twenty years but he was new to the role of a leading man. Grace had starred in many big productions in both movies and television for nearly ten years. He was interested in working alongside an actress, while much younger than him, that had a huge amount of experience in Hollywood as one of the most in demand actresses in the business. Her popularity was somewhere in between the likes of Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone.

“Do you have one all the time? Is there one that’s been tailing us this whole time?” He looked suspiciously around the bar for comedic effect and Grace laughed. She decided that it wasn’t going to be difficult to work with Pedro. He had a hilarious sense of humor that seemed to turn into a sort of fun banter when paired against Grace’s quick wit and sarcasm. She didn’t know what she exactly expected of him prior to meeting Pedro. Maybe she thought he was going to be extremely serious as well as the no nonsense type given his age. Usually older actors tended to look down at her, just labeling her off as another dumb blonde, twenty something actress but that clearly wasn’t going to be the case with Pedro. Grace was glad about that.

“No, there’s no one tailing us so don’t worry. I actually don’t hire any body guards so I typically don’t have any. I mean… It’s not like I’m Justin Bieber or anything.”

“But you do have one sometimes?” Grace shrugged.

“Only when the production company hires one for me. Usually it’s just for public events like award shows so it’s not that often and not for a long time.” Pedro nodded because he kind of understood why Grace would need security for events like that. She may not be Justin Bieber with thousands of screaming, hormonal teenaged girl fans but Grace was an incredibly famous actress who you had to live under rock to not have heard of. Plus, she probably had a lot of Harry Potter fans from her days as Luna Lovegood in the international, beloved movie franchise.

Pedro had to admit that the young actress had become the subject of his curiosity ever since he was casted in the film in which he would play Grace Gallagher’s love interest. He always knew who the actress was but to be honest he hadn’t watched many of her films aside from the independent films that he felt were her best work. It was only recently that he had even watched the Harry Potter franchise. Harry Potter wasn’t a part of his childhood, coming out way after his time as a youth. Now that he had watched the movies, which took close to a week for him, he had to admit that he was a fan. He paid closer attention to the movies when Grace Gallagher made her first appearance in the fifth film as the quirky but mysterious Luna Lovegood. It filled him with fascination to know that this was Grace’s first movie as well as first acting gig. The actress appeared to be a natural on screen, no one would’ve guessed that Grace was new to acting unless they personally googled her. He thought that maybe talent like that was genetic since she was the granddaughter of a Hollywood legend and it wasn’t an uncommon ideal. Just look at Kirk Douglas and Michael Douglas, Goldie Hawn and Kate Hudson, or even Stellan Skarsgaard and Alexander Skarsgaard.

It was a little embarrassing to admit, as a grown man, that he had watched ‘Cinderella’ by himself. He told himself that it was just convenient since his soon to be costar along with a ‘Game of Thrones’ alumni both starred in it. That was an excuse he seemed to use all too often but he couldn’t possibly find an excuse to explain why he had enjoyed it so much. It was probably the film where Grace looked the most like her namesake but Pedro couldn’t be sure. He watched a couple of Grace Kelly films when he was in his twenties in the midst of a phase where he had to watch all of the old Hollywood style of films. To be honest he only watched the Alfred Hitchcock films she did.
There was something about the way the light shone over Grace in ‘Cinderella’ that made her look almost identical to Grace Kelly in ‘Rear Window’. It became clear to Pedro that Grace Gallagher had something different about her than any other actress today when it came to screen presence. She was the classic kind of beauty that took your breath away in almost every film she did. Yes, she looked just like her grandmother but there was more to the actress than just that. Films like ‘Ruby Sparks’, ‘The Descendants’, and even ‘Gangster Squad’ proved that she was much more than a Grace Kelly look alike.

“Have you ever had a bodyguard?” Grace inquired curiously, bringing Pedro out of his musings. He only smiled kindly at her before shaking his head in response.

“No, I don’t think I’m that important.” He said jokingly and Grace laughed.

“I’m sure you are. Truth be told it’s a little weird having someone watch your every move but none of it was bad as when I was filming Harry Potter. I used to have body guards following me around all the time when I went to school. It was so embarrassing. I think it’s more preferable to just not have any whatsoever.” Pedro chuckled as he imagined a teenaged Grace, books tucked under her arm, as she made her way through the hallways of school whilst two burly, grown men followed behind her. It was an amusing sight to picture in your head. Some of it may have been a little sad since Grace must have been so young at the time. It didn’t seem like the most normal of childhoods but then again Grace was the daughter of a princess so how normal of a childhood could hers have been?

“Wouldn’t that be cool instead? Kind of like you’re the president’s daughter… I’m sorry… The King’s daughter.” Grace’s smile wasn’t the least bit forced as she bit the inside of her cheek to stop from laughing.

“You would think so but it’s actually quite the opposite.” Pedro wasn’t a stranger to British accents, he was very good friends with Lena Headey, but Grace’s accent was a lot different… Almost a posh sort of accent actually. It was the same accent she had in ‘Cinderella’ which was kind of fitting since Grace played a Disney princess in that film. Her accent somehow put him at ease, easily giving him peace of mind despite only knowing her for a couple of hours. Pedro drank his shot of whisky without missing a beat and Grace could only watch him curiously. She was never one for drinking hard liquor, more interested in wine than anything else. Grace had even winced a little when she drank her rum and coke which also burned the inside of her throat just a bit.

They spent the rest of the evening talking about everything except the upcoming film. It seemed that the meeting at the restaurant took care of the professional side of their relationship while the bar seemed to be the point of getting to know each other. They talked about where they were originally from, Grace was extremely interested in his time in Texas since she had never been and Pedro was interested in London which he had been to numerous times but hadn’t had much time to explore. It was quite the sight to behold, Grace’s eyes filled with both excitement and sadness as she described her favorite places in London to him. She seemed very keen on a place called Covenant Garden but he could tell that she missed home a lot.

The pair also talked about projects that they had recently worked on. For Grace it hadn’t been a lot but she had been a bit preoccupied with personal matters so it made sense. She just told Pedro that she was too busy with the move to New York that she hadn’t been able to film anything since she filmed 'La La Land' nearly a year earlier. Pedro, as it turned out, was incredibly busy the past several months with filming a couple of block buster type of films along with the second season of 'Narcos'. They both expressed their excitement for each other’s upcoming projects. Grace for the second season of 'Narcos' and Pedro for 'La La Land'. He turned out to be quite a fan of Grace and Ryan Gosling’s somewhat popular onscreen chemistry.

If Grace was being completely honest then she had to say that she had a very good feeling about working with Pedro. They had only known each other for a couple of hours yet they were already getting along wonderfully despite such a large age gap. She had worried about the age difference before, concerned that such an older and more experienced actor would look down his nose at her… It certainly wouldn’t be the first time. Thankfully Grace was proved wrong as she spent the evening laughing and talking with the older actor. She had always gotten along well enough with male leads in the past but Ryan had been the only person she kept in contact with. It had always been incredibly easy talking to him, even when she had only known him for a few hours, but she was starting to get that same feeling with Pedro. It was too soon to know for sure but Grace hoped that she could get along with Pedro as she did with Ryan.

Time flew by as they spent the night in each other’s company within the quiet, cozy bar. It wasn’t long before it was nearly one in the morning much to Grace’s amazement. She never stayed out that late, not even with friends, but for the first time ever she didn’t feel any shame or panic as she usually did. Pedro didn’t seem the least bit concerned but Grace was almost certain that staying out this late was a usual occurrence for him. She was a couple of rum and cokes in so she knew she was more than a little bit tipsy. Grace had just declared it time to head home so Pedro kindly paid the bill, much to Grace’s displeasure, and she tried to get down form the bar stool only to lose her balance and almost fall to the floor if it hadn’t been for Pedro. He had caught her quite easily, his hands place on either side of her as he steadied her. She was thankful for the dim lighting of the bar which hid the vibrant blush from her cheeks. Pedro stared at her intently with an amused smirk on his face as he steadied her and Grace immediately shifted her gaze to an empty beer bottle on the countertop.

“Thank you.” She told him politely. The warmth seemed to fade from her as he removed his hands from her arms. Pedro only nodded as she focused on not falling over, she knew drinking only ever caused her more harm than good but it was fun while it lasted. It definitely allowed her to open up more than she normally would. Former costars had called her cold and aloof but it was only really her shyness that gave them that impression.

“Do you need a ride back to your apartment or something?” Pedro inquired as they left the bar. Grace observed the vibrant, loud New York street still amazed by the amount of people littering the outside nightlife.

“I have an Uber coming that should be here in a few minutes.” Grace told him, waving her iPhone in her hand for emphasis and Pedro gave her a surprised look.

“You use Uber?” He questioned and Grace raised a brow.

“Well, yes. Having a car in this city doesn’t seem very practical.”

“I just never imagined Grace Gallagher taking an Uber. I was thinking more of a horse drawn carriage if I’m being honest.” Grace only gave him an amused smile as they walked alongside each other across the busy, city street.

“It’s very convenient.” She told him simply. “And how does Pedro Pascal get home from a late night in the city?”

“It’s actually only a ten minute walk.” He told her, fully aware that she was teasing him. “If it’s anything further then I call a cab like any good New Yorker. I have lived in the city for about twenty years now.” He paused briefly. “You know… Uber hadn’t always been around.” While Pedro was kidding, he was also reminding himself of just how young Grace was. It had been so easy to forget spending the past few hours with her because Grace seemed classy and intelligent. Her questions were always genuinely curious and her answers were thoughtfully given.

“I’m fully aware of that but you have to admit that Uber is extremely dependable. It’s there when you need it unlike a lot of people.” Pedro laughed at the way her eyebrows scrunched up in annoyance as she uttered the last sentence. He could tell that she was a little tipsy given her once shy demeanor was seemingly gone and was replaced with a slightly more bold one.

“Easy there, Gallagher, if I didn’t know any better I’d say that you’re unbelievably drunk.” She glared at him.

“It’s called being sloshed from where I’m from, Pascal.” Pedro smiled because he knew in that moment that he was seeing a different side of Grace Gallagher. She was looking less like the elegant movie star she was portrayed as in the media and Pedro was loving every minute of it. It was in that moment that a car pulled up alongside where they were standing and a notification alert rang on Grace’s phone, alerting her that her Uber driver had arrived. The Uber driver quickly hopped out the car to open the back door for Grace. Pedro eyed the young man suspiciously before looking back to Grace.

“Are you sure you’ll be okay? You don’t want me to ride with you back to your apartment? I mean for safety reasons. I didn’t mean that I would go up or anything…” Pedro said worriedly, not knowing what he was saying as the offer seemed to fall out of his mouth. Grace only looked at him with an amused smile.

“It’s okay, I know what you meant. But to answer your question… I’ll be fine, no need to worry.” Grace told him reassuringly although she was also very touched by his concern. It was very sweet of him to worry especially since he hadn’t known her for long. She decided that Pedro was an extremely nice person and filming was going to be easy.

“I may be from England but I grew up in London and am very much a city girl. I can more than take care of myself.” Grace added. Pedro nodded, feeling slightly ridiculous for worrying like that. She was probably annoyed that he thought she was a child or something and he couldn’t blame her. Grace was a grown woman for Christ’s sake.

“Right, well, maybe you should have my number just in case.” Pedro suggested and faltered slightly when he saw Grace’s puzzled look. “For safety reasons of course.” He added hastily and Grace nodded slowly in agreement, taking her phone out of her pocket.

“Just for safety reasons… Maybe work related reasons too since we’re scheduled to start filming in a week.” She unlocked the screen of her iPhone and brought up her contacts, opening up the new contact page. Grace then handed the phone over to Pedro who quickly entered his phone number into her phone before exiting the app. He glanced at her wallpaper momentarily which showed a very fierce looking German Shepard sleeping on the edge of a bed. Pedro removed his gaze from the picture, handing the phone back to Grace who pocketed it inside her purse.

“Cute dog.” Grace gave him a confused look.

“What?”

“Sorry, I caught glimpse of your wallpaper.” Pedro said and she immediately knew what he meant. Grace smiled shyly, her blue eyes lighting up with something akin to excitement. It was obvious that Grace was extremely fond of her dog.

“His name is Ash. He’s a little worse for wear but he’s doing fine.” Grace told him and Pedro nodded. She glanced back at the Uber driver who seemed to be getting a little impatient so Grace thought it was time to finally bid her goodbyes to her new friend. “Speaking of Ash… I should actually be getting back to him.”

“Of course.” Grace started walking towards the car but Pedro’s voice briefly stopped her. “Could you maybe text me when you get back to your apartment?” Grace paused, raising an eyebrow questioningly.“I mean… For-“

“Safety reasons?” Grace interrupted, amused and touched by his concern. Pedro laughed before nodding in agreement.

“Yes, for safety reasons.” Pedro told himself that he was so concerned for her because she had earlier mentioned that most of her friends didn’t live in New York and instead lived in London and LA. Deep down he wasn’t so sure that was really the reason why.

“Yeah, I’ll text you.” She told him as she seated herself in the backseat of the car. Pedro nodded at the Uber driver, telling him that he had this. The driver quickly made his way to the front of the car as well as the driver’s side. “I guess I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Yeah, see you then. Have a safe drive, Miss Gallagher, hopefully this car won’t turn into a pumpkin on your way home.” Grace laughed at his ‘Cinderella’ joke. She honestly could say that she had never heard that one before.

“Very funny.” She told him before becoming serious and smiling at the older man kindly. “Goodnight, Mr. Pascal.” He smiled in reply.

“Goodnight.” He said before gently shutting the car door. The Uber driver didn’t waste any time taking off so with that Pedro became a small figure in the driver’s review mirror. For the first time in several hours Grace was left alone with her thoughts but for the first time in months she didn’t think it was a bad thing. Pedro certainly defied all expectations that she had of him but it was a delightful surprise as supposed to a disappointing one. She soon found herself looking forward to going to LA and if Grace was being truthful it wasn’t just for the work.