She wasn’t really sure what he was asking. She was contractually obliged and there was no avoiding it. They had to spend time together sometime. Jennifer had never seen Nick as the bad guy, and in fact - he was someone she could easily take up with again were she feeling vulnerable and nostalgic and scared of the future. Nick had always been so good to her. The bad times were few and far between and the end had come suddenly, with sobs and snot and howls on the shoulder of everyone who mattered, Bradley included. She hadn’t been thinking of the future then, because there hadn’t been one. Moving on had come eventually, but she worried about the day she saw him again; if they were to get back together, would that be throwing it in the face of everyone who comforted her then? Would it be going backward? Was it even what she wanted?
When it came time to answer Bradley, she shrugged and gave him the only truth she knew. “I have to be okay with it. There’s no other option, it’s just something that has to happen. We have to move on and be able to work together. Things have to be fine, or they can’t… we can’t… I mean.” She was sure she sounded ridiculous. “It’s not my idea of a great time.”
Bradley knew that he was being very rash, throwing the question out there out of the blue- but this had to come up eventually, right? With them going off to different projects, still wanting to maintain this… friendship? Was that what this was now? Well, it was something else on his side entirely- but a label? He couldn’t put a finger on it. After American Hustle, he didn’t know when they were going to be able to easily hang out and work together again. He thought that he had every right to ask this question- and truth be told? Nicholas Hoult intimidated the fuck out of him. Let’s go down the list- for a long time, Jennifer was blissfully in love with him. He would swear it up and down no matter how many times Howard Stern threw gossip curveballs at him. There was no possible way he would ever want to taint her happiness. Also? There was the age thing. He kinda did screw things up in public, what with him being called a hypocrite- the publicity head not knowing really how to recover except with some lunch date with Rachel… who was just a really good friend!
“Of course. I totally get what you’re saying.” Professionalism was a large part of the job, no matter what history two actors had together, “Do you think you’ll consider… If he gave you the chance… if you wanted to get back together with him, would you?” He was trying to handle this carefully, not letting the uneasiness show on his face. It started as this queasy-feeling in the pit of his stomach- that ugly green monster keeping his conflicted frustration and jealously at bay.
Jennifer was quiet after he asked her, unsure of how to vocalize what she felt. It wasn’t absurd to think about. She and Nick hadn’t ended things on terrible terms and she loved him, would always love him in some way. If he gave her the chance. Jennifer wasn’t sure how to answer that part of the question, because it wasn’t like that. It was about the two of them not being able to make it work in a time in her life when she really needed it to. He had let her go, and she got to experience life without him for once. She got to experience falling in love with someone else, and the soul-crushing devastation when she realized he didn’t feel the same.
She shifted uncomfortabsly in her seat. “I don’t know,” she said finally, which was true. “We were really close once. He knows me better than anybody. I miss him a lot sometimes, but being professional comes first. I don’t even know what I would say to him, if I saw him tomorrow. I wouldn’t know what to do or… anything. I’m trying to avoid it for as long as possible, I guess.”
Bradley didn't know what he was expecting. Was he hoping that she'd know exactly what to say and move on? That uncertainty shook him. But what made him even more uncomfortable was the thought. Pain. Rejection. What the hell did he get himself into? This was what it was to unconditionally love someone, and to not say a word about it. It hurt, picturing Jen with Nick again, her arms encircled around him, looking at the guy with such love- a look he hoped would only be reserved for him. Downing the last of his tea, he flipped through the Netflix channels, a little nervous tick. "Can't avoid it forever." It wasn't that Bradley was always prepared for talking to people he was less enthused to- but there was always some semblance, some idea so he wouldn't get stuck in a room of awkwardness. But this moment, all questions. It sucked being in this position. He was hesitant to approach this in general- where were the boundary lines?
"We never know what life's going to throw at us, maybe this will be a time for you to put in perspective what you really want." He decided he should switch over to a lighter mood, "If he breaks your heart again, your brothers and I will team up and it's gonna get ugly, okay?" He bit the crust of his pizza, "I've seen the Rocky movies over and over again. I got some moves."
