"Johnny?"

"Yes, Hy?"

They were sitting on a bench at a park, next to the beach, waiting for the lights to be reset. John looked at his costar, but all he could see was Clementine, waking up naked in his bed that morning, looking glorious and happy.

Hyacinth smiled hopefully at him. "Would you like to come over tonight? We could watch a movie, order a pizza, you know, nothing crazy, just low key—" she let the sentence hang there.

John already knew that Clementine wasn't going to be invited; she had a paper due the next day and she'd be spending the evening with Kim, working to finish it.

"Okay, sure," he said with a smile of his own and a nod. It would do him good to spend some time bonding with Hy, it could only help the movie. And he couldn't see Clem anyway...

"Super!" Hyacinth clapped, a pretty gesture. "I'm so looking forward to it."

"Me as well," John assured her.

It was only as Hy turned to gaze out over the Pacific Ocean that John realized his mistake.

Hyacinth was probably thinking he, John, was going to make a move on her tonight. In fact, she probably considered tonight to be a date.

Shit.

For the rest of the afternoon, John considered cancelling, but he already knew he couldn't do that to her. Her mood had brightened noticeably as the afternoon wore on, and John knew it was because of their plans that night.

No, he'd have to man up and go through with it.

"So, pretty great about Clem and her burgeoning clothing business, don't you think?" John asked. They were down to the last shot of the day, to be filmed as the sun was setting into the water. John knew he was getting into dangerous territory, talking about Clem so much, but it felt nice to talk to someone about her, someone who loved her like he did. He'd heard it called "mentionitis," though he couldn't remember where. If he couldn't be with her, he wanted to at least talk about her.

"Her what?" Hyacinth was looking at him inquisitively.

"You know, with the jackets for Anastasia Ruiz? And Bea and her friends?" John blinked at Hy.

"Well, sure, it's nice that Clem has a hobby to occupy herself, but I don't think it will ever be more than that, do you?" And John could tell that the question was almost rhetorical.

"Oh, no, I definitely see this as a beginning for her, if she could only have a little confidence in herself," John disagreed, shaking his head for emphasis.

"I don't know," Hy said musingly. "I guess I've just never thought of quiet, shy Clementine as anything other than a starving student."

"She's incredibly talented, though," John pointed out. "Her drawings are simply lovely, and she has real skill with clothes design."

"When did you see her drawings?" Hyacinth asked. "She doesn't usually like to show them to people."

"She showed me some when we went to the Getty," John managed, thinking fast.

"Oh." Hy seemed satisfied with John's answer, and John drew a mental breath of relief. "Well, I just hope she doesn't expect too much to come of the whole Anastasia Ruiz business. I mean, it's one thing to have a quirky artist like your home made jacket, but it's a whole other ballgame to go from that to being a designer or whatever."

John wanted to come to Clementine's defense, but he knew he couldn't speak up so vociferously and not arouse Hyacinth's suspicions. So he kept his mouth shut.

The finally got the final shot in the can, and were released for the day.

"So you want to follow me in your car?" Hyacinth asked. "Or do you want me to drive you back here later?"

"I can just follow you," John responded. He drove behind Hy's convertible up into the Hollywood Hills in the growing dusk, wondering what Clem was doing. Was she already at Kim's? Were they studying hard? He loved to watch Clementine study, how she just lost herself in her reading. She flipped her pen or pencil across the top of her hand, a neat trick that John had yet to master, as she read, occasionally making a note in the margin or on her tablet or whatever.

In front of him, Hyacinth braked suddenly, and John had to stop quickly as well.

"Jesus, John, you've got it bad, haven't you?" He shook his head at himself, smiling.

They arrived at Hyacinth's house without further incident, and John pulled up behind her in the by now nearly complete darkness. Even in December the Los Angeles air had a hint of warmth to it.

"Come in, come in, and welcome," Hyacinth said with a little laugh. "I think it's actually the first time you've ever been in my house, isn't it?"

"I think you're right," John agreed, looking around. There were a few sketches on the walls that he could tell immediately were Clem's. "It's a lovely home," he assured Hy.

"So I'm going to order the pizza, then do you mind if I grab a quick shower?" Hyacinth asked, phone in her hand. "I'd like to wash off the day and get into something more comfortable, if that doesn't sound too cliche."

"No, by all means, be comfortable," John assured her, hoping that she wouldn't come out in sexy lingerie or anything.

"Do you want a shower?" Hy offered. "There's another bathroom just down there—"

"No, I'm fine, thanks," John responded, unable to get the lingerie scenario out of his mind.

He worried about this for the next twenty minutes, but thankfully Hyacinth emerged in sweat pants and a T-shirt, long hair in a messy bun.

"Did the pizza come yet? I'm starving," she announced. "Oh, can you open the wine?"

"Sure." John deftly inserted the corkscrew and popped it open, resolving not to drink very much.

Just then the pizza arrived, and John poured them each a glass while Hy got plates.

John unthinkingly sat on the sofa, practically inviting Hy to join him, instead of sitting in the armchair, which would've been the smart thing to do.

So of course she did, not sitting close to him, exactly, but not sitting far away, either. He could smell whatever she'd used in the shower from that distance, something perfumy, not fresh and floral like his Clem.

"So, this is nice," Hyacinth said, smiling at John. "We should've done this before, don't you think?"

"Yeah, don't know why we haven't until now," John replied, settling back on the sofa.

"What movie would you like to watch?" Hyacinth began clicking through the movies that were available.

They agreed on a Bruce Willis action picture, and John leaned back even more, expanding the space between him and Hy.

Next to him, Hyacinth gave a small sigh and reached for another slice.

The movie was about half over when Hy sat up and opened the top of the end table, lifting out a crocheted afghan.

"That's nice, then, did Clem make it?" John asked.

Hyacinth nodded as she spread it over her lap. She lifted one end invitingly. "You want some, it's a little chilly in here."

John shook his head, knowing Hy wanted to cover him and scoot in closer.

Hyacinth shrugged acquiescence and settled back, though John could feel her disappointment.

They continued to watch the movie in this way, the atmosphere growing more and more charged and uncomfortable.

Finally Hyacinth just paused the movie and turned to John. "Am I doing something wrong?" she asked, a hint of desperation in her voice.

John bit his lips together and turned to look at her.

Hyacinth was almost ethereally lovely, heavy blond hair backlit from the lamp, face devoid of make up. John could really see her resemblance to Clementine, in spite of the difference in their coloring.

"What do you mean?" he responded, trying to buy a little time.

"You must know, I mean, you can't not know how much I like you," Hy continued in a small voice. "I think I've made it pretty plain, don't you?" She swallowed and shook her head slightly. "And I don't even remember the last time a guy wasn't into me, so yeah, am I doing something wrong?"

Johnny sighed inwardly while keeping his face composed. "No, Hy, you aren't doing anything wrong, you're a perfectly lovely girl, honestly."

"Then what?" Hy's voice rose in pitch a little. "Why haven't you made a move?" She gestured toward the empty wine bottle. "Sorry, but wine makes me a little blunt."

And now Johnny did smile.

"I'm seeing someone," he finally said, watching to see the effect of his words. It was only a half-truth, he knew, but it was all he had.

Hyacinth sat back, absorbing this new information. "You're seeing someone," she finally repeated wonderingly.

Johnny nodded. "And it's pretty serious," he added. "I'm in love with her."

"And for obvious reasons you don't want anyone to know who she is," Hyacinth added. "I've heard how secretive you are about your personal life, and I totally understand. You know, though, that I wouldn't tell anyone, right?" She put her hand on Johnny's arm for emphasis.

"I do know that," John assured her, nodding. "But we haven't told anyone yet. She hasn't even told her family."

"So all those nights when you rushed off the set, you were going to see her?" Hyacinth probed.

John laughed. "Maybe not all of the nights," he corrected. "But yeah, our schedules are mad, as you know, so I have to see her when I can."

Hyacinth sighed and sat back. "Well, that's that, I suppose. I just wish I'd known. I mean, I've been wondering what's wrong with me for, like, ever, you know?"

"Rest assured there's nothing wrong with you," John said reassuringly. "You're perfectly delightful, and if I weren't all sewn up with this other person, you'd definitely be on my radar, yeah?"

"And you definitely don't want to tell me who she is?"

John shook his head. "Believe me, though when we tell, you'll be the first to know."

"I guess I'll just have to live with that," Hy replied with a laugh. "So do you want to watch the end of this movie or not?"

"Course, it's one of my favorites."

So they sat together, the silence companionable this time, and finished the movie, with John absentmindedly grabbing another slice of pizza.

As the credits rolled, John stretched, elongating his lean frame. He wondered again what Clementine was doing, and wished he could see her.

"Thanks for coming tonight, John," Hyacinth was saying as she folded up the blanket. "I'm glad we cleared the air. And sorry for all the mixed signals."

"Not at all, I'm sorry I wasn't more forthright with you from the start," John responded as he rose.

He called Clementine while he was driving home.

"Is this a bad time?" he asked.

"No, I could use a break right about now," her voice came back, filling the car. "I'm over half way through, so I might even get some sleep tonight. Kim's taking a power up shower to wake herself up. What did you do?"

"I went to your sister's house and watched a movie. And she finally just asked me, right out, why I wasn't interested in her, so I told her I was seeing someone."

"Johnny you didn't!"

"I had no choice, what else was I supposed to do?" He changed lanes and began heading north on the PCH.

"She didn't want to know who it was?"

"Well, naturally, she did, but I told her I wanted to keep it under wraps for now, and she understood."

He could hear Clementine sigh, and imagined her twirling her hair like she did when she got nervous. "I guess I'm going to have to talk to her," she said resignedly.

"I guess you are," John agreed. "Look, I'm home, I need to get to bed, but I just wanted to hear your voice for a bit. Good night, darling, I love you."

"Love you back, Johnny."