Chapter 3

Jesse finally arrived at Mark’s open door and knocked lightly on the frame.

“Yeah?” Mark called over his shoulder as he busily typed away at his desktop.

“Hey,” Jesse said softly as she breezed into the office, sitting down at one of the chairs near his desk.

“Hey,” he answered her. “What’s up with you?”

“Not much,” Jesse answered quietly.

“What did Elaine call you into her office for?” Mark asked, still typing away.

“She gave me a piece,” Jesse answered, feeling numb.

“Really? That’s great!” Mark said excitedly, shooting her a quick smile. “Over what?”

“Hal Roberts,” Jesse answered. Mark stopped typing and swiveled in his chair to look at her, his expression sober.

“Hal Roberts?” he asked, his brows knitted together in a frown. “The Hal Roberts?”

“The very one,” Jesse confirmed, and Mark gasped aloud.

“What’s the piece over?” Mark insisted, moving to sit closer to her.

“The movie,” Jesse answered, trying to sound low-key.

“Oh, my God!” Mark cried out with excitement, grabbing Jesse by the shoulders. “He’s never talked about that movie!”

“I know,” Jesse laughed lightly.

“Jesse,” Mark said seriously. “This is going to make your career.”

Jesse said nothing, but her stomach fluttered. She knew very well the impact that this interview could have on her career.

“This is great!” Mark laughed aloud.

“Yeah, you’re right,” Jesse laughed a little herself. “Elaine wants me to send her a list of interview questions, and she said she might add in a few of her own.”

“Well, that won’t be hard at all.” Mark laughed. “Honestly, I was really expecting you to be more excited about news like this.”

“I mean I am,” Jesse said hastily. “It’s just … I don’t know, it all seems so sudden.”

“Well, success doesn’t always move at a leisurely pace.” Mark shrugged. “Have you started working on the questions?”

“No,” Jesse answered, shaking her head. “I want to watch the movie first.”

“Good idea.” Mark nodded. “You want me to run a quick search for ticket prices for you?”

“No need.” Jesse smiled slowly and pulled out the disk from her backpack. A bright smile spread across Mark’s face.

“I was thinking we could watch it tonight at my place,” Jesse said, slipping the movie back into her bag.

“Hello? Yeah!” Mark said as if she hadn’t needed to ask a question like that in the first place. Jesse laughed and shook her head.

“Okay.” Mark clapped his hands together. “Let me just wrap up what I’m doing here. Then we can go out and get some popcorn and wine and whatever else we need.”

“Sounds good.” Jesse nodded. “I’m going to get all my stuff and then I’ll come back here, and we can leave whenever you’re ready.”

“Okay! See you soon!” Mark said cheerily and turned back to his computer, once again typing to beat the band.

Jesse moved back through the building toward her desk. Her nerves were finally beginning to subside, and she felt excitement bubbling up inside at the prospect of her assignment. She returned to her desk, hurried to collect all of her personal items and then made the trip across the building back to Mark’s apartment.

“Just got finished,” Mark said as he began the process of shutting down his desktop. “Just let me put my things together.”

Jesse nodded and waited for him as he gathered some things off his desk and put them in his satchel.

“Okay!” he smiled brightly as he finished. “Let’s get out of here!”

Mark enthusiastically linked arms with her and allowed the door of his office to close. Jesse was glad to see that her good news had served to lift his spirits a little. She knew that her two friends would stop fighting soon, if only because Mark wouldn’t be able to keep from telling Tony about Jesse’s good news.

It didn’t take long for Jesse and Mark to exit the office. Once outside, they immediately headed toward their apartment. On the way, they stopped at a small grocery store and picked out a bottle of wine, some crackers, cheese, and popcorn.

Jesse could tell that Mark was excited for their night in, and she couldn’t help feeling excited as well. She was interested to see the movie that had garnered so much critical attention, and she was excited to get to work on her interview questions.

After the two friends left the store, it did not take them long to arrive at their apartment building. They hurried toward the elevator and got in, allowing it to take them up to their floor. Once there, Jesse led the way down the hall to her door, digging in her bag for her key.

She quickly found it and turned the key in the lock, noticing Mark looking over at his own door. Jesse knew that he was thinking about Tony, and her heart rang a little in sympathy. She got the door open and stepped inside.

“You coming?” she asked gently, leaving room for him to opt out and just go home.

“Yeah!” Mark said, instantly looking over at her and shooting her a smile as he moved into her apartment.

The place was small but very cozy. The living room was home to a large, flat screen television that sat on a short bookshelf. There was a large, soft couch that Jesse had bought from another friend, as well as a couple of chairs. One wall was occupied by a large window that led out to a small balcony that overlooked some of the city. Her kitchen was modest, with a few dishes in the sink at all times and a tea kettle always on one burner of the stove. The bedroom was small and tidy, with a full size, metal frame bed and nightstand.

It was certainly small, but after living there for so long, it definitely felt like home. Jesse closed and locked the door behind them as they moved into the room, and she set her bag down on the counter of her kitchen as she entered. She yawned and rubbed her eyes, feeling a little exhausted from her surprisingly eventful day.

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me,” Mark called to her from the living room.

“I’m good.” Jesse waved him off. She reached into one of her cabinets, took down two wine glasses and the wine opener from a drawer, then moved into the living room with Mark.

“Do you have the movie?” Mark asked.

“Oh,” Jesse blinked. “Yeah, I’ll go grab it; you pour the wine.”

Mark nodded, took the items from her and set to work as she moved back across the room to get into her bag. She took out the small sleeve, returned to her television and slid the disk into the DVD player before being greeted by a menu screen.

“Here, come sit down!” Mark said excitedly from behind her. He had obviously been busy, as all the food they had bought was already neatly arranged on the coffee table in front of them.

“I’ll go make the popcorn real quick,” he said.

As Mark went about his task in the kitchen, Jesse went ahead and sat down in the living room, grabbing the blanket she kept thrown over the back of the couch. She wrapped it about herself and snuggled into the couch, waiting patiently for Mark to return.

He did so in short order, returning with a bowl full of popcorn. The scent rose up through the air and filled Jesse’s nostrils. She sat up and immediately took a handful out of the bowl.

“Hey,” Mark scolded her, frowning. “Don’t eat it all before the movie even starts!”

“Well, start the movie then!” she countered, throwing a piece of the popcorn at him. Mark swatted at her playfully, but then picked up the remote and pressed the play button.