“Yeah! Fine.” She turned back to her script, ostensibly to close it, but Hugh noticed her shoulders tense as she turned, and waited for her to turn back around. There it was.
“Something’s wrong.”
“Oh—Hugh honestly, it’s nothing. Are toi guys done for the day?” She asked, trying to lighten the mood. When he didn’t answer right away she turned around again to turn off the lamp on her desk. Before she could reach the switch, she realized that he had gotten up and was standing behind her, resting his arms on the back of her chair. “Yes?”
“It’s nothing? What’s nothing?”
Lisa sighed and turned around, looking up at him and leaning back in her chair. Hugh crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. Just like I said. toi going to answer my question? Because if you’re not done for the jour they’re going to be calling for toi any time now.”
“We’re done. The suivant time anyone calls for me will be Monday morning, and they’ll be calling for toi too.” Lisa scoffed. “Ok, what was that?”
“Nothing, Hugh, just—I Lost track of time, I really should’ve been gone an heure ago. I’m meeting James for dîner if he hasn’t donné up on me already and—”
“James is out of town, toi are not meeting anyone for dinner, now talk.” Hugh retreated to the canapé again. “I’m waiting.”
Lisa gritted her teeth and looked at him again, then walked herself over to the end table, tableau suivant to the couch, still sitting in her bureau chair. She grabbed the magazine that was sitting on the table, tableau and tossed it to him, sitting back again and crossing her jean-clad legs, folding her hands over her stomach as he flipped through the pages and trying to decipher what was upsetting her.
“House article?” He asked, looking up to see her slight nod in confirmation. “Ok, so? Picture… Hugh Laurie and co-star Lisa Edelstein—” Suddenly he looked up to see her working her jaw and looking off to the side, not meeting his eye. “I really don’t understand this. What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
“You really aren’t going to let this go?” Hugh didn’t even bother to answer. “Ok. But I told you, it’s completely pathetic. I was just—it just all of a sudden occurred to me, that title. Co-star. I don’t know, I just—you do so much plus work than I do, I’m not—I barely montrer up from one episode to the next, and it’s not an ego thing, I swear, it’s not a cry for plus screentime, it’s—why am I a—” she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers—“co-star? I barely make a difference, I just slow things down, I just—”
“Ok, ok, stop right there.” Hugh leaned vers l'avant, vers l’avant and rested his elbows on his knees, looking into her eyes. “That is ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Her eyes were empty as she met his gaze. “I know this sounds completely stupid, but it just feels like—I don’t know, I guess I’m just kind of down today and things are bugging me. That’s all, par tomorrow I’ll be just fine again. Which is why I wasn’t going to tell toi anything.” She said, glaring at him through her eyelashes.
“Fine. But can I just say something?” Hugh asked, taking one of her hands in both of his. She inclined her head slightly, waiting for him to continue. “You are one of the greatest things about working on this show, and not just for me. Everybody thinks so. The whole tone of the set changes when you’re here, which, par the way, is not nearly enough. I have always a dit that Cuddy should be around more—”
“Oh, Hugh, I know toi do—”
“—and I am still not finished, so please be quiet.” He smiled to soften the blow, and Lisa managed to grin wryly at his words, looking down at their hands as he went on. “You deserve every good thing that anyone has ever a dit about your work here, and I don’t want to hear toi doubting yourself anymore. Ok?”
Lisa smiled and met his eyes. “Ok,” she whispered.
“There toi go.” Hugh raised her hand to his lips and kissed it quickly before releasing it and standing up. “Let’s get out of here before people start talking.”
“Oh please, like anyone’s paying any attention.” Lisa rolled her eyes and turned off the lights, grabbing her bourse, sac à main on her way out the door. “Who could possibly be that interested in us?”
“Something’s wrong.”
“Oh—Hugh honestly, it’s nothing. Are toi guys done for the day?” She asked, trying to lighten the mood. When he didn’t answer right away she turned around again to turn off the lamp on her desk. Before she could reach the switch, she realized that he had gotten up and was standing behind her, resting his arms on the back of her chair. “Yes?”
“It’s nothing? What’s nothing?”
Lisa sighed and turned around, looking up at him and leaning back in her chair. Hugh crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow.
“Nothing. Just like I said. toi going to answer my question? Because if you’re not done for the jour they’re going to be calling for toi any time now.”
“We’re done. The suivant time anyone calls for me will be Monday morning, and they’ll be calling for toi too.” Lisa scoffed. “Ok, what was that?”
“Nothing, Hugh, just—I Lost track of time, I really should’ve been gone an heure ago. I’m meeting James for dîner if he hasn’t donné up on me already and—”
“James is out of town, toi are not meeting anyone for dinner, now talk.” Hugh retreated to the canapé again. “I’m waiting.”
Lisa gritted her teeth and looked at him again, then walked herself over to the end table, tableau suivant to the couch, still sitting in her bureau chair. She grabbed the magazine that was sitting on the table, tableau and tossed it to him, sitting back again and crossing her jean-clad legs, folding her hands over her stomach as he flipped through the pages and trying to decipher what was upsetting her.
“House article?” He asked, looking up to see her slight nod in confirmation. “Ok, so? Picture… Hugh Laurie and co-star Lisa Edelstein—” Suddenly he looked up to see her working her jaw and looking off to the side, not meeting his eye. “I really don’t understand this. What exactly am I supposed to be looking at?”
“You really aren’t going to let this go?” Hugh didn’t even bother to answer. “Ok. But I told you, it’s completely pathetic. I was just—it just all of a sudden occurred to me, that title. Co-star. I don’t know, I just—you do so much plus work than I do, I’m not—I barely montrer up from one episode to the next, and it’s not an ego thing, I swear, it’s not a cry for plus screentime, it’s—why am I a—” she made quotation marks in the air with her fingers—“co-star? I barely make a difference, I just slow things down, I just—”
“Ok, ok, stop right there.” Hugh leaned vers l'avant, vers l’avant and rested his elbows on his knees, looking into her eyes. “That is ridiculous.”
“Is it?” Her eyes were empty as she met his gaze. “I know this sounds completely stupid, but it just feels like—I don’t know, I guess I’m just kind of down today and things are bugging me. That’s all, par tomorrow I’ll be just fine again. Which is why I wasn’t going to tell toi anything.” She said, glaring at him through her eyelashes.
“Fine. But can I just say something?” Hugh asked, taking one of her hands in both of his. She inclined her head slightly, waiting for him to continue. “You are one of the greatest things about working on this show, and not just for me. Everybody thinks so. The whole tone of the set changes when you’re here, which, par the way, is not nearly enough. I have always a dit that Cuddy should be around more—”
“Oh, Hugh, I know toi do—”
“—and I am still not finished, so please be quiet.” He smiled to soften the blow, and Lisa managed to grin wryly at his words, looking down at their hands as he went on. “You deserve every good thing that anyone has ever a dit about your work here, and I don’t want to hear toi doubting yourself anymore. Ok?”
Lisa smiled and met his eyes. “Ok,” she whispered.
“There toi go.” Hugh raised her hand to his lips and kissed it quickly before releasing it and standing up. “Let’s get out of here before people start talking.”
“Oh please, like anyone’s paying any attention.” Lisa rolled her eyes and turned off the lights, grabbing her bourse, sac à main on her way out the door. “Who could possibly be that interested in us?”
