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Writer's Block (2AM_Club and Josu_T)

"Yeah being sick would definitely put a damper on things." She shrugged. "Is anything good in that shopping magazine. I sometimes look at all the crazy stuff people come up with. I wish I could be that creative." She sighed. "But I'm just stuck working for creative people." She realized what she said. She honestly loved her job; it wasn't a burden or anything. She also didn't want to make it seem like she worked for snobs. "I--I didn't that the way it came out," she said turning red from embarrassment.
 
Drew nodded. Then as she asked about the magazing he shrugged. Her comment about being stuck working with creative people surprised him a little, but not as much as her reaction to her own comment. He smiled at her. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure anyone that works for other people has times when they don't really like working for them. Also, I think you may not be creative in writing, but I'm sure you have creative abilities in other areas."
 
Veronica wondered if there was any topic she could bring up that would allow Drew to talk. Every time she opened her mouth to say something she felt it ended up making her sound completely stupid. But she also couldn't stand to bear the silence between them. It was like a bad first date with no end in sight and absolutely no chance of getting laid. "Well, it is only sometimes," she insisted. She didn't want to sound like a brat. She raised her eyebrow at his statement: I think you may not be creative in writing. Was he simply agreeing with her or giving his own personal opinion of what she was capable of. She bit her bottom lip. "Yeah...I guess..maybe.."
 
Drew didn't like Veronica's response. He frowned at her. "Hey, I am not sure what your writing ability is, but by saying you are stuck working with creative people all the time, that tells me that maybe you are not as creative in writing. That is only novels though. Have you ever tried poems or short stories. Even if not that, there is music and art. Anyway, to do your job you need to do problems solving. You have to be creative there too. You think outside the box all the time. I'm sure of it. You are creative. Don't be so negative." He stared at her, hoping she would listen and realise that she was creative too.
 
Veronica frowned back. "Just because I said I was stuck working with creative people doesn't necessarily mean I'm not as creative in writing. Maybe I just like helping people. I do what my passion is. I didn't say I wasn't entirely uncreative. I'm not being negative. I just said my job is to work for people more creative than I am." She shrugged and puling a magazine out of the back of the seat and began to flip through it. She turned her attention to it, not having anything else to say.
 
Drew sighed. He had heard what sounded to him like negative thoughts. He had tried to be nice and encourage her. Apparently she didn't understand that. He turned away and stared out the window. He watched the ground pass below them far beneath the plane. It was apparent that talking to Veronica would lead to only more friction between them.
 
After a few minutes, Veronica looked over at Drew. His attention was focused out of the window and his body was turned away from her. She tried not to sigh audibly. What had she gotten herself into? Things were falling apart and they hadn't even started yet. It was beginning to look like a bad idea for her to help him. And besides, what could she really do? If he was unhappy with his writing then there was no way she could change that. She was happy that the flight was short because she was getting anxious to get off. There were in such tight quarters, there was nowhere she could go. She was stuck next to him on the plane; forced to endure the silence.
 
Drew closed his eyes and within a few minutes was asleep. He slept until the plane dipped down a little. He woke just in time to hear the announcement that they were preparing for landing. He relaxed in his seat and just waited. It was still a few minutes before touch down, but once the plane was on the ground he smiled. He was home, where he grew up. The plane taxied into the small airport and finally came to a stop. Drew waited for people ahead of them to get up, get their things, and leave the plane. Then he waited for Veronica to get up.
 
Before long, Drew was asleep. Veronica envied him, wishing that she could have caught a quick nap in spite of her anxiety. It wasn't until the plane was about to land that she finally started to nod off. It was actually a good thing, because she missed the initial impact of landing that had always startled her. She stretched, still in her seat, hoping that things would start getting better between the two of them.

Once the aisle cleared, Veronica stepped out and grabbed her bag from the overhead compartment. She walked down the tunnel into the concourse; here she slowed and let Drew catch up and overtake her. She had no idea where she was going so he would have to guide her.
 
Drew followed Veronica out of the plane and into the airport concourse. It was a small airport with only a few gates. So getting out was easy. He turned to the right and followed the other passengers. The small line of people was soon at the baggage claim. Drew looked over at Veronica. He had a feeling that she wasn't happy with him. From what she had said earlier and the tension that he felt. He went over to a bench and sat, leaving space for her if she wanted to sit.

He cleared his throat before speaking. "Hey, if anything I said upset you, I'm sorry. I know it is no excuse, but I'm a writer. I spend a lot of time alone in a room making up fake conversations between fictional character, not having real conversations with real people. Anyway, I am sorry if I said anything wrong. I didn't mean to hurt or offend you in any way."
 
Veronica followed Drew to the baggage claim. A small crowd had already formed, but the bags hadn't started coming out yet. She was content to stand and wait, but she noticed Drew walk over to a bench and sit down. She decided to sit next to him for no other reason than she didn't want to look awkward standing by herself.

Her attention was turned toward the luggage rack and away from him when he started speaking. She looked over at him, a little surprised by what he was saying. She thought carefully about what he said. Truthfully, she was relieved that he had apologized. She knew she needed to also for over-reacting, but it was good to know what kind of man Drew really was.

"No--I understand. I'm sorry, too. I shouldn't have been so sensitive about what you said. You really were trying to help. I shouldn't have snapped at you. I think we're both a little edgy right now. We're embarking on a pretty important adventure right now to get your writing spark back so your career doesn't end." She gave him a small smile. "How about we just try to start fresh now?"
 
Drew was happy as Veronica accepted his appology and then appologised herself. He nodded slightly. "That sounds great. Let's get our bags now." He noticed the bags coming around the carousel. He got up and went over. He watched until he saw his bags. He grabbed them and pulled them off. He stepped back and waited until Veronica had her things as well.
 
Veronica smiled and stood up. She watched Drew get his bags then grabbed her own. "How are we getting to the hotel?" she asked. The whole entire trip seemed pretty spontaneous. Veronica was usually very organized. She was the kind of person who went on vacation and scheduled activities instead of just letting things happen. Not knowing exactly what was going on and having somebody else in control of the details was a knew experience for her. It meant she had to trust Drew that much more.
 
Drew smiled at her question. It was valid. "I contacted a fan that lives here. They will be giving us a ride from here to the hotel. It is not that far though." He picked up his things again and led her toward the exit of the airport. When they finally got out to the pick-up area he looked around for the person who was supposed to be picking them up. When he saw her he waved and led Veronica over to the car.
 
Veronica was barely able to hide her surprise when Drew told her that they would be picked up by a fan. It had never occurred to her to have a fan help out. She wondered what kind of relationship he had with the person. Clearly he trusted them enough to not be a crazy kidnapper or something. She simply nodded and pretended to focus her attention on getting her bags and following Drew outside. She debated whether the fan was man or female but once Drew waved, she got her answer. Again, she tried to keep her face blank as they approached the woman at the car. Veronica felt oddly jealous and protective as though she was the only person who could be Drew's fan and the only person who could help him. It was stupid and she knew it so she did her best to shake it off and act natural.
 
While Drew couldn't see any visible surprise or anything else in Veronica's face, he knew that she was feeling something because of the fact he had a female fan picking them up. As they got to the car, the fan had the trunk open and ready for their bags. Drew tossed his things into it and then smiled at the woman. "Hi Emily. Thank you so much for coming to pick us up." He hugged her happily as she whispered something to him. He laughed. "No, no, this is not a girlfriend or lover. This is Veronica. She is from the production company. She is here to help me." He smiled and kissed her cheek.

He stepped back and looked over at Veronica with a smile. "Well, shall we get going?" He opened a door for Veronica and let her get in before getting in himself. Emily got in behind the driver's seat and got the car started. It was only a short drive to the hotel. When they arrived Drew got a bellboy to put their things on a cart and then went to check in. Emily joined them inside as they checked in. Once they had the keys he thanked her once more, hugged her, and let her go home. With a wave he joined the bellboy waiting for the elevator and glanced over at Veronica.
 
Veronica trailed behind Drew as they approached the car. She felt anxious and didn't like that feeling. She was feeling intimidated by the fan simply because she was another woman. She glanced at the woman but avoided direct eye contact when she put her bag inside. She swallowed the growing lump in her throat while she watched the two interact. She blushed red and looked away when he made it very clear that she wasn't a romantic interest. She gave Emily a slight wave to say hello but she wished she could disappear into the ground.

She tried to return Drew's smile, but she felt incredibly out of place. Why didn't he just have Emily help him? Clearly he liked her and enjoyed her company a lot more than he did Veronica's. She climbed inside and remained silent during the ride, focusing on the passing scenery. Veronica stood around awkwardly while Drew checked in. She couldn't think of anything to say to Emily. Every time she opened her mouth to try it came out as a cough. When she left, Veronica muttered a goodbye and sullenly returned to Drew. "Did you get the rooms worked out? Am I getting my own?" she asked. She also wondered how much more of Emily they would be seeing while they were there. If she would be around a lot, it would make her anxious to leave.
 
Drew thought for a moment about what to say to Veronica. "Uh, well, sort of. They didn't have any extra regular rooms. So, what I did was get an upgrade to their remaining suite. It has two rooms. One with only a couch, which I will take. You can have the bedroom. It was the best they could do for us, but is is essentially two rooms. It is better than having numerous floors between us and one of us having a much better room than the other. It also means we have a nice room to relax in without having to sit on a bed or in uncomfortable chairs."

The elevator took them up to the higher floors and stopped at theirs. The bellboy took them to the room and Drew used the key to open it. It was a very nice room. He stepped inside and smiled. For a small hotel, they really knew how to make a place comfortable. He tipped the young bellboy and let him go.
 
Veronica just nodded at Drew's decision. From the way he explained it, that seemed to be the best move. "We can always switch back and forth," she assured him. "I don't have to always have the bedroom..." She trailed off as the elevator took them up to their floor. She chewed her lip while thinking about the fan. She had so many questions about who she was and her relationship with Drew, but she knew better than to ask such intrusive questions.

She walked inside and surveyed the room. "This is really nice," she commented as the bellboy left. "How much do I owe you for all of this?" she asked awkwardly, gesturing around the suite.
 
Drew smiled and chuckled. "You don't owe me anything. I got a great deal on the room. They gave me a large discount. The reason is that they gave me the key to the city years ago and because of that, everything here is a lot cheaper. People give me big discounts if they know who I am." He looked at her and saw that something else was on her mind. He smiled. "About Emily. She was one of my first fans. I met her a long time ago. She became a good friend. Apparently my books saved her marriage. I won't go into details about how. In any case, she is happily married to a great man. She is always happy to help if she can though."
 
She shook her head. "I have to owe you something. I can pay for all the meals or something," she offered. She always wondered why they didn't just give Drew things for free. Maybe they couldn't; at least not major things. He probably was a bigger celebrity in his hometown. She blushed when he mentioned Emily. She was being incredibly transparent. "Oh. Right. Of course," she said, looking down at the floor, clearly embarrassed. She didn't want Drew to think he had to explain himself; especially since he didn't have too. "Well, then, that's awfully nice of her." She tried not to show her relief to learn that Emily was not only married, but happily so. It was foolish of Veronica to think of her as romantic competition but being the big fan of Drew like she was, she had often fantasized about having a relationship with him.
 
Drew laughed. "No, you don't owe me anything. i still get big royalty checks for my past books. I have plenty of money. You are paying me with your help. I don't trust myself to focus on writing. I am relying on you to keep me focused. You just need to do whatever you think it takes to get my head in the right space. No matter what the cost or crazy idea you might have. Just do it." He gave her a smile. She seemed to be more comfortable now that she knew about Emily. He wondered what was going through her mind.
 
Veronica nodded to show that she understood what Drew was saying. "Oh, yeah, that makes sense." She smiled back. "I'll do what I can, Drew. You know--to help you or whatever." She tried not to blush and looked around. "Ok, so what should we do first? Is there anyplace you'd like to get started? How do you normally start to write? Do you have a routine that you do every time or anything?"
 
Drew smiled and nodded. He was happy she was there to help him out. Out of all the people he knew, she was probably the most qualified and best suited to help him. He knew that they'd had a rough start, but he hoped that they could be good friends. It would help a lot.

She asked about his routine for starting novels. He thought for a moment and shrugged. "Sorry, there is not ritual or anything like that. I jsut get inspiration and I write. So I guess the best thing to do is just experience the town and hope that something comes to me. Unless you have any other ideas that I could try, expecially since my method has not really been working for me lately.
 
Veronica shook her head. She didn't really have any concrete ideas. She'd taken a creative writing class in college and learned that some writers had a set routine that they had to follow in order to write. Since Drew didn't have one, she had to try another tactic. "So you carry around a journal or something? So you can get stuff down when you get inspired?" A hand reached around to the back of her neck as scratched a small area thoughtfully.

"Hm. Maybe we should just go out and experience the town and see what happens. I mean, it sounds like you're having more a problem when it comes to the actual writing and not coming up with ideas."
 
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