We Kept Missing Each Other
Caleb McLaughlin x Actress!reader
~ angst - fluff
— — — — — — —
It started slowly, both of our schedules filled to the brim, but we still found time within each other’s schedule.
Eating dinner together, riding in the car together while on the way to work, scenes together, and even showing up back at home together.
It had only gotten worse as the filming of Stranger Things season 5 episodes came to an end.
That meant later nights, earlier filming mornings, and the worse of all Caleb and I being separated.
We tried to make it work. We’d attempt to wait up for each other in the trailers, try and get coffee together, try and steal each other between takes, or hope and pray we’d be together for hair and makeup.
But that couldn’t happen when I had the earliest call time and he had the latest.
— — — — — —
Time ~ 5:21am
I had just walked out of hair and makeup, on my way to my trailer to change into wren’s clothes.
When I walked into my trailer I could smell the faint smell of Caleb’s cologne, that could only mean not to long ago he was in my trailer.
I made my way to the bathroom to freshen up and get changed when I suddenly saw a note on my mirror ‘Try not to miss me to much love, I love you’ I read aloud what Caleb wrote with a smile forming on your face.
I quickly realize you have to start getting ready to film.
— — — — — — —
Time ~ 6:37pm
Filming wrapped a little over thirty minutes ago but I’ve been running around trying to find my things so I can pack up, bring wren’s outfit back to the dressing rooms, and writing notes and leaving treats in Caleb’s trailer just like he’s been doing for me.
I also purposely took my time so hopefully I could run into Caleb, but by the time I got into my car to drive back home he was no where to be found.
— — — — — —
That was almost 2 weeks ago and ever since then it’s gotten worse and I don’t even know how.
No more notes, no more glances or little conversation in bed before I get up or before he goes to sleep, no more anything.
It’s almost like he doesn’t exist anymore or worse our relationship doesn’t exist anymore.
I’ve tried to stay up and see him, tried to stay after work and catch him before he started filming. I tried everything yet nothing worked, so I decided to text him and let him know how I feel and how I missed being with him.
My Love🩷
‘Hey… I’ve been sitting here thinking and I just miss you. Not in a dramatic way, just in a real way that I can’t ignore anymore. It feels like we keep catching each other in pieces instead of whole moments. I know you are busy and I am too, but I miss how it used to feel when we actually had time to talk and just exist together. Lately it feels like we are always out of sync and I hate that I am starting to get used to it. I just needed to tell you because I do not want to keep pretending I am okay when I am not.’
I sent that message over thirty minutes ago, so I’ve been sat in the same spot trying to take my mind off of it by watching a show, but I kept thinking about it, and it just got later, and later, and later until.
My Love🩷
“Hey baby, sorry I’ve been busy on set, but I’ll read that when I get a chance.”
I just read the message I don’t react to it, I don’t heart the message I just leave him on read.
Don’t get me wrong I understand it’s not his fault that our schedules are clashing, but I’m making an effort to try and see him, he won’t even read a message.
After about an hour I just go to sleep realizing that’s the only peace I’ll get.
— — — — — — —
Time ~ 7:24am
I was able to get a quick break from filming my scenes. I’ve been so incredibly stressed that I just needed a moment alone.
I walked into my trailer seeing a cup of coffee with a note on top of it.
“I hope this makes your day a little lighter.” I smile to myself as I read it knowing he’s still trying.
But the realization quickly sat in, he got off of work at 1 in the morning the coffee had to be every bit of cold, so I decided to taste it.
And just as I expected it was. Don’t get me wrong I adore the face he’s trying and at least thought of me while he’s filming, but it proved the point I’ve been making. We haven’t seen each other, or haven’t talked to each other in weeks going on a month.
We used to sit down in each other’s trailer drinking coffee while reading lines , but now that was just a memory.
I couldn’t help but get emotional of the fact that those memories we shared are all becoming a blur. I just wanted everything back to normal. The morning walks around set, taking turns on lines, movie nights, or even dinner.
I just sit there on the couch in my trailer and let a few tears spill before quickly freshening up and heading out to go back to filming.
— — — — — —
Time ~ 5:44pm
The rest of filming was motionless . It was like I was in derealization the whole time.
I decided to return the favor by putting a nice note in Caleb’s trailer. I left him one of his favorite snacks and a note.
— — — — — —
Time ~ 6:28pm
It’s been a month now everything has just been a blur. I finally got a whole day to myself, and Caleb’s call time was wrapping early so he asked if we could go out somewhere casual.
I spent about thirty minutes on my makeup and thirty minutes on my hair.
I picked out the perfect dinner - casual outfit and made sure everything was perfect since it’ll be the first time in weeks since we’ve hung out.
He’s thirty minutes late. I figured I just got the call time late, so I just kick my heels off and head to my room to watch a show with hope that he’ll show up
Then an hour goes by. I thought to myself that he’s in traffic there’s been a lot of traffic this week right? Right?
It had just hit the two hours and thirty minute mark all hope I had officially washed away. I started to tear up realizing the causal date I “thought” was gonna happen never came, so I decided to just lay down makeup half smudged, outfit getting a little wrinkly, and perfume wearing off, so I just decided to sleep it off once again.
— — — — — — —
Time ~ 1:42am
The bedroom door slightly creeks open “baby” Caleb says walking in slowly seeing if I was still awake.
He slowly approaches the bed taking a seat right beside me “baby I’m home”
I start moving in my sleep a little, feeling the bed dip and someone stroking my face.
I open my eyes vision blurry at first, but after a while I see it’s Caleb.
“Hey sleepy head” he doesn’t even notice my wrinkled clothes, or smudged makeup.
“Where were you” I say looking at him half lidded eyes.
“Filming took longer than expected.”
I fully look at him “so you couldn’t have texted me.” I can feel tears brewing in my eyes “I sat here waiting for you for hours telling myself I got the call time wrong, or that it was just traffic, but it wasn’t you had to stay back, but the least you could’ve did was text your fucking girlfriend.” I say finally snapping not really wanting to snap at him but I was fed up.
Caleb lets out a slow breath, running a hand over his face before looking back at me.
“You think I don’t know that?” he asks, his voice quieter than mines. “You think I didn’t spend the whole drive home thinking about how I should’ve texted you?”
He shakes his head.
“You’re right. I should have. I should’ve picked up my phone and sent one damn message. I’m not gonna sit here and pretend I couldn’t have done that.”
His jaw tightens slightly.
“But stop acting like I just didn’t care enough to come home. I wanted to be here. I wanted tonight just as much as you did.”
He leans in closer.
“I messed up. I know I did. But don’t sit there and make it sound like I chose work over you because that’s not what happened.”
“Then why does it keep feeling like that’s exactly what’s happening” tears already began to flow down from my eyes.
Then the room goes quiet.
Caleb opens his mouth to answer, but nothing comes out.
I laugh, but it sounds more broken than amused.
“See? That’s what I’m talking about.” I say genuinely looking at him.
“That’s not fair.”
“No what’s not fair is me sitting here waiting for you every night wondering if you’re actually coming home when you said you would” I get up from the laying position I’m in and start pacing around the room
“baby…”
“No, let me finish because every time I try to bring this up, something comes up. A scene comes up, a meeting comes up, another schedule comes up.”
The tears I thought were done continue to spill out.
“I miss you.”
The words come out smaller than I intended.
Not angry.
Just honest.
“I miss you, and you’re right there.”
Caleb’s expression immediately softens.
“love…”
“I miss talking to you, I miss eating with you, I miss watching stupid movies with you and falling asleep halfway through because we’re both exhausted.” My voice cracks. “I miss us.”
For the first time all night, Caleb doesn’t try to argue.
He just sits there listening.
“I feel like we’re slipping.” I whisper. “And that’s scary I don’t think either of us noticed until now.”
A look passes over his face.
The kind that finally tells me he finally understands what I’ve been trying to say.
“You think I don’t miss you too?” He ask quietly.
I wipe my eyes softly but it doesn’t matter.
“I do.”
His voice is firm this time.
“I hate this too.”
He looks away for a second before continuing.
“Everyday I tell myself it’s temporary. One more shoot, one more week, one more late night.”
He lets out a breath.
“And then somehow a month goes by.”
The anger I’d been carrying starts to crack.
Because for the first time tonight, he isn’t defending himself.
He’s just being honest.
“I answered everyone else’s messages today,” he says. “Production, my managers, everyone’s.”
His eyes meet mines.
“And the one text I should’ve answered was yours.”
The room feels smaller.
Quieter.
Neither of us say anything for a few seconds.
Then Caleb closes the space between us.
I don’t move.
Not because I’m still angry.
Because I’m tired.
So tired.
He gently reaches for my hands.
“I need you to stop doing one thing for me.”
“What?” I look up at him with puffy red-shot eyes.
“Stop convincing yourself I’m halfway out the door.”
The tears start again.
Because that exactly what I’ve been afraid of.
His grip tightens around my hands.
“I’m still here.”
My lip trembles.
“Then why does it feel like you’re not.”
The question comes out barely above a whisper.
Caleb’s face falls.
Then without another word, he pulls me into his arms.
The second he does, I break.
Weeks of frustration, loneliness, disappointment, all of it crashes into me at once.
I bury my face into his shoulder and cry.
And for the first time in what feels like forever, he doesn’t have somewhere else to be.
He just holds me.
“I’m sorry.” He whispers into my hair.
I shake my head.
“I’m sorry too.”
“No.”
His arms tighten around me.
“We’re not doing that. This isn’t just on you.”
I let out a shaky laugh through my tears.
“We really suck at this right now.”
That earns the smallest smile from him.
“Yeah,” he says softly. “We do”
For a moment neither of us speak.
Then Caleb presses a kiss on my forehead.
“We’re gonna fix it.”
I look up at him.
“How?”
“We’re gonna stop saying tomorrow.”
I blink.
“What?”
“We’ll stop saying we’ll make time tomorrow. Or next week. Or when things calm down,” he brushes a tear from my cheek. “We make time.”
For the first time all night I feel something other than hurt.
Hope.
Small, fragile hope.
“Okay.” I whisper
“Okay” then after that he grabs both side of my face and kisses me.
At first we just sit there but then I feel his tongue glide across my bottom lip asking for an entrance.
What was a kiss turned into a heated make out, with him pulling me onto the bed and him on top of me.
He starts to make his way from lips down to my neck leaving love bites and wet kisses that tickle.
He finally comes up towards my face planting one kiss on my mouth “I love you.” he says pulling me onto his lap, and kissing all over my face.
“I love you more.”
And for the rest of the night neither of us touch our phones.