So Two Years Ago
Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two:
((Tessa’s POV))
By about 11:30am, I’d begun to worry that Jack was coming in late just to avoid me as best he could without totally taking the day off. Turns out I was just being a little self-involved, as he announced when he finally arrived at exactly 12:00pm that he’d been at a dentist appointment, “stuck in the waiting room for 45 minutes with nothing but Oprah’s magazine to read.” In spite of that excuse, I still felt awkward going to talk to him to make sure he knew that he had an appointment set up at 12:30pm with some potential clients.
“You’re the one who spoke to them when they called?” he asked, casually.
“Uh, yea. It’s a band that wants to make a documentary type thing.”
“And the whole band’s coming in?”
“Yep.”
“And their manager?”
“Um, I’m not sure about that. They didn’t say.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Well, he was pleasant enough. Maybe I really was just being full of myself, thinking that he’d feel uncomfortable around me. It was a relief, though, I must admit.
However, the pressure wasn’t off, entirely; Andy would be coming in less than 30 minutes, and who knows how that could change the situation. Of course, it would only affect things if Jack found out that this Andy was that Andy, too. From that moment, until the guys arrived, I hoped that they’d play it cool, like they didn’t know me.
However, I couldn’t be that lucky. The moment the guys walked in, Pete had to practically announce that we knew each other. “Hey Tessa!” He waved from almost the opposite end of the room. I waved back with one hand while slapping my forehead with the other.
I glanced back at them in time to catch Andy reprimanding him. “Dude, remember the plan? You know, to not make it painfully obvious that Tessa’s our friend?”
“Shit, sorry,” he said, turning toward me, silently sending his apology in my direction, as well. “But, if we pretend we don’t know her, why would it make any sense for usto want her, specifically to come with us?”
He had a point, there. I waved them over to my desk before they could get too close to Jack’s office; it was my job to “present” him with his visitors, anyway.
“Yes…, stranger?” Pete asked, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be inconspicuous or just trying to be a smartass.
“Look, Pete’s right--”
“That’s a first.,” I was interrupted.
“Shut up, Trohman,” Pete shoved him before I cleared my through to regain their attention.
Anyway… it doesn’t make any sense to tell Jack that you don’t know me.”
“Well, then how do we make sure he doesn’t refuse to let you go because of me?” Andy asked while obviously trying to think of an answer to his own question.
“I guess we can just hope he’s not going to be a jerk about it…. And, maybe you guys should just be really nice to him.”
I led them to Jack’s office and knocked on the door. After hearing a muffled “come in,” I did as I was told and let the guys in. “Jack, these guys are here for your 12:30 appointment.”
“Oh, right, of course. Hey guys, how are you?” He stood from his desk to shake their hands. “Thanks, Tessa,” he said, motioning for the guys to sit in the chairs that were positioned around his desk, and I took that as my cue to leave.
((Andy’s POV))
Tessa left the room as the four of us took seats across from Jack, and we immediately got down to business, beginning by introducing ourselves.
“So, what exactly brings you guys into my office, today?” He seemed professional, but not too stuffy; he was obviously a pretty young dude trying to relate to a bunch of other young dudes, but still a businessman, in the end.
“Well, Mr. Williams--” Pete began.
“No, no, no. Call me Jack, please,” he insisted.
“Alright, Jack, we’re thinking about documenting our upcoming tour to make a live DVD type thing, and we heard about your company through a friend of ours, so we decided to come see you.”
“Ah, I see. A friend of yours works for me?” We all nodded. “Who, if it’s alright for me to ask?”
“Actually, that’s one thing we had planned to discuss with you,” I spoke up, beginning to imagine what his reaction might be to our request. “The four of us had in mind a particular employee of yours join us on tour and take all the footage for the DVD. The only problem-- possible problem-- is that this person doesn’t work for you as a filmmaker. She’s here in the office.”
“Tessa Lane?” He asked quite knowingly, which took me a little by surprise.
“Uh, yea, that’s right. How’d you know?”
“Well, unless I’m mistaken, your name’s Andy.”
“Yea,” I said uneasily as the other three guys peered toward me hoping I hadn’t just blown it for us.
“And that’s the name of Tessa’s boyfriend. I just put two and two together and assumed that you were that Andy. Excuse me if I’m making the wrong assumption, though,” he spoke with no less friendly or casual of a tone than before, to my relief, giving me no reason to think that things were taking a bad turn.
“Well, yea, you’re right. Um, that’s me-- but, I mean, that’s not the only reason we want Tessa to help make our DVD. Don’t think that I’m just trying to get my girlfriend into the tour bus by any means possible. We want the final product to have a comfortable, intimate feeling, so we thought it made sense to have a friend do the filming. You know, try to eliminate that awkwardness that usually accompanies interaction with a stranger, so the fans will feel like they’re getting a look at who we really are, not just who we are in front of a camera.”
“I understand,” Jack began once I’d stopped rambling.
“You do?” Pete asked, hoping, as the rest of us were, that he was on the verge of approving our request.
“Sure. Makes perfect sense to me.” That’s a relief. “Now, I usually wouldn’t send one of my office employees out with a camera. I mean, I’ve never done it before-- that’s what I’ve got a reliable list of filmmakers for, right?” Or was it a relief? “But,” (yes!) “since you made a specific request, perhaps it’s about time I give one of them a chance. Maybe I should get Tessa from behind her desk to see what she’s got. You’ve got a deal, gentlemen.”
((Tessa’s POV))
By about 11:30am, I’d begun to worry that Jack was coming in late just to avoid me as best he could without totally taking the day off. Turns out I was just being a little self-involved, as he announced when he finally arrived at exactly 12:00pm that he’d been at a dentist appointment, “stuck in the waiting room for 45 minutes with nothing but Oprah’s magazine to read.” In spite of that excuse, I still felt awkward going to talk to him to make sure he knew that he had an appointment set up at 12:30pm with some potential clients.
“You’re the one who spoke to them when they called?” he asked, casually.
“Uh, yea. It’s a band that wants to make a documentary type thing.”
“And the whole band’s coming in?”
“Yep.”
“And their manager?”
“Um, I’m not sure about that. They didn’t say.”
“Alright, thanks.”
Well, he was pleasant enough. Maybe I really was just being full of myself, thinking that he’d feel uncomfortable around me. It was a relief, though, I must admit.
However, the pressure wasn’t off, entirely; Andy would be coming in less than 30 minutes, and who knows how that could change the situation. Of course, it would only affect things if Jack found out that this Andy was that Andy, too. From that moment, until the guys arrived, I hoped that they’d play it cool, like they didn’t know me.
However, I couldn’t be that lucky. The moment the guys walked in, Pete had to practically announce that we knew each other. “Hey Tessa!” He waved from almost the opposite end of the room. I waved back with one hand while slapping my forehead with the other.
I glanced back at them in time to catch Andy reprimanding him. “Dude, remember the plan? You know, to not make it painfully obvious that Tessa’s our friend?”
“Shit, sorry,” he said, turning toward me, silently sending his apology in my direction, as well. “But, if we pretend we don’t know her, why would it make any sense for usto want her, specifically to come with us?”
He had a point, there. I waved them over to my desk before they could get too close to Jack’s office; it was my job to “present” him with his visitors, anyway.
“Yes…, stranger?” Pete asked, and I couldn’t tell if he was trying to be inconspicuous or just trying to be a smartass.
“Look, Pete’s right--”
“That’s a first.,” I was interrupted.
“Shut up, Trohman,” Pete shoved him before I cleared my through to regain their attention.
Anyway… it doesn’t make any sense to tell Jack that you don’t know me.”
“Well, then how do we make sure he doesn’t refuse to let you go because of me?” Andy asked while obviously trying to think of an answer to his own question.
“I guess we can just hope he’s not going to be a jerk about it…. And, maybe you guys should just be really nice to him.”
I led them to Jack’s office and knocked on the door. After hearing a muffled “come in,” I did as I was told and let the guys in. “Jack, these guys are here for your 12:30 appointment.”
“Oh, right, of course. Hey guys, how are you?” He stood from his desk to shake their hands. “Thanks, Tessa,” he said, motioning for the guys to sit in the chairs that were positioned around his desk, and I took that as my cue to leave.
((Andy’s POV))
Tessa left the room as the four of us took seats across from Jack, and we immediately got down to business, beginning by introducing ourselves.
“So, what exactly brings you guys into my office, today?” He seemed professional, but not too stuffy; he was obviously a pretty young dude trying to relate to a bunch of other young dudes, but still a businessman, in the end.
“Well, Mr. Williams--” Pete began.
“No, no, no. Call me Jack, please,” he insisted.
“Alright, Jack, we’re thinking about documenting our upcoming tour to make a live DVD type thing, and we heard about your company through a friend of ours, so we decided to come see you.”
“Ah, I see. A friend of yours works for me?” We all nodded. “Who, if it’s alright for me to ask?”
“Actually, that’s one thing we had planned to discuss with you,” I spoke up, beginning to imagine what his reaction might be to our request. “The four of us had in mind a particular employee of yours join us on tour and take all the footage for the DVD. The only problem-- possible problem-- is that this person doesn’t work for you as a filmmaker. She’s here in the office.”
“Tessa Lane?” He asked quite knowingly, which took me a little by surprise.
“Uh, yea, that’s right. How’d you know?”
“Well, unless I’m mistaken, your name’s Andy.”
“Yea,” I said uneasily as the other three guys peered toward me hoping I hadn’t just blown it for us.
“And that’s the name of Tessa’s boyfriend. I just put two and two together and assumed that you were that Andy. Excuse me if I’m making the wrong assumption, though,” he spoke with no less friendly or casual of a tone than before, to my relief, giving me no reason to think that things were taking a bad turn.
“Well, yea, you’re right. Um, that’s me-- but, I mean, that’s not the only reason we want Tessa to help make our DVD. Don’t think that I’m just trying to get my girlfriend into the tour bus by any means possible. We want the final product to have a comfortable, intimate feeling, so we thought it made sense to have a friend do the filming. You know, try to eliminate that awkwardness that usually accompanies interaction with a stranger, so the fans will feel like they’re getting a look at who we really are, not just who we are in front of a camera.”
“I understand,” Jack began once I’d stopped rambling.
“You do?” Pete asked, hoping, as the rest of us were, that he was on the verge of approving our request.
“Sure. Makes perfect sense to me.” That’s a relief. “Now, I usually wouldn’t send one of my office employees out with a camera. I mean, I’ve never done it before-- that’s what I’ve got a reliable list of filmmakers for, right?” Or was it a relief? “But,” (yes!) “since you made a specific request, perhaps it’s about time I give one of them a chance. Maybe I should get Tessa from behind her desk to see what she’s got. You’ve got a deal, gentlemen.”