Chapter 11
Luna was watching a porn movie while eating popcorn. She never had shared that ‘bizarre’ hobby with anybody. Most people were always saying that they didn’t like porn movies and that they never watched them, but Luna loved them. For her, those movies were an inspiration for her fan fictions.
However, most of them were really bad, but from time to time Luna found a really good one. She was sure that anyone could learn a lot about sex just by watching those movies. None of them had a solid plot or story line, and the actors and actresses were really bad performers, but even on those occasions, she still managed to learn something new about the matter.
Luna was curious and even though she had a lot of experience, those movies always offered a new point of view to her. She couldn’t understand why sex had always been considered a taboo.
Luna had been really shocked the first time that she had watched a movie on TV and they had cut a sex scene. She remembered that when she had just moved to LA, she had seen that same old movie back at Spain, and they had aired it on TV without censoring the damned sex scene. Even in the TV shows when someone said a harsh word there was a beep covering it. Luna had laughed hard while watching an interview with Colin Farrell. That beep had been sounding over the entire interview.
Vin was sitting inside of his car, parked in front of Luna’s apartment building. He had been with a chick and after he left her at her place, he had come here. Vin couldn’t sleep and he figured that since Luna didn’t exactly have a working timetable, she could spend a few hours talking to him. At the end, that was supposed to be what friends were for. They had to be available almost 24/7 just in case someone might need them. Vin pulled out his cell phone and dialed Luna’s number.
Suddenly her cell phone rang, pulling Luna out of her own thoughts. She frowned deeply, glancing at her chrono. It was around two in the morning. Luna stared at the little screen while wondering who was calling her at that hour. After a moment, she answered.
“Hello?”
At the other side of the line there was a few seconds of complete silence, just someone breathing heavily. All of a sudden, Vin wasn’t sure if it had been a great idea to call her.
Luna narrowed her eyes in suspicion as soon as the idea of some perv calling in the middle of the night crossed her mind. Grinning devilishly, she dropped the tone of her voice and spoke.
“It’s your lucky day, man. I’m watching a porno right now and I’m horny as hell.” Luna purred sensually. Vin’s brow went up, shocked at her words.
“Really?!” As soon as Luna heard the deep sultry voice replying, she almost fell from the couch, cursing herself silently.
“Vin?!” She asked, swallowing hard.
“Yeah, sweetheart.” He replied, making himself comfortable in his seat, trying to stop himself from laughing. This was going to be fun after all. So, he decided to play along. “What are you wearing?” Vin asked, licking his bottom lip.
Luna’s eyes opened wide as she stared at her cell phone as if Vin was going to jump inside of her living room through the line.
“You’re not expecting me to answer that question, are you?” Luna replied as she lowered the volume of the TV. The sound of the couple’s senseless fucking was suddenly very distracting. Vin grinned wickedly.
“Nah. Not really.” He chuckled silently. “Listen. I’m calling you because I couldn’t sleep and I was wondering since obviously you are awake, how about we have breakfast together?” He was playing with the car keys between his fingers. Luna blinked, trying to get over the initial shock.
“Breakfast? Do you know what time it is, Diesel?” She asked as she pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up. “There are at least five empty hours until breakfast time, boy.” She added and took a long drag from her cigarette. Vin grinned like a loony.
“I never carry a watch. But I’ve got a few ideas to fill those empty hours, NJ.” He purred in his most sexy voice. “Come on, babe. I know a place a couple of hours from here.” Vin added, smiling broadly. Luna rolled her eyes, grinning.
At the end, she had been the one who offered him her friendship and she was not going to lose an opportunity to know him better. So, she took a deep breath and stood.
“Ok, I’ll see you in one hour.” She finally said as she stretched her back, making her spine crack. Vin grinned.
“I’m already here.” He retorted as he looked for a CD inside of the glove compartment. Luna’s eyes opened wide as she tensed. She was sure that he was calling her from his place. “Go put something decent on and come down, NJ.” Vin added, inserting the disc in the CD player.
“Are you really down there?” Luna asked as she headed toward her bedroom, grabbing her jeans. In response, Vin grinned wickedly, shaking his head.
“Yeah, babe, I’m parked in the parking lot in front of the building. The black SUV,” he explained her as he lit up a cigarette. “And, please, love, don’t make me wait forever. I know chicks lose track of time while dressing.” He added, teasing in a mocking tone. Luna rolled her eyes, chuckling.
“You maybe know a lot about chicks, Diesel, but you don’t know shit about women.” She teased and hung up the phone.
————–
Two months later
Luna rolled on her bed, groaning and grabbed her cell phone from the small table. “Hello?” She answered, her eyes half closed and her voice hoarse and sleepy.
At the other side of the line there was silence. She didn’t need to be told who was calling in the middle of the night. Luna grunted annoyed, clearing her throat.
“This is turning into a bad habit, Diesel.” She said louder, forcing her eyes open, blinking away her sleep.
“You weren’t sleeping, were you?” Vin’s voice finally answered. Luna’s eyes snapped open in seconds and she glanced at her clock table, trying to see the time.
“Well, Diesel. It’s…. Fuck!” Luna exclaimed, muttering obscenities under her breath, causing Vin to burst out laughing, when she realized what the time was. “It’s 2:47am.” She stated, and then continued talking. “Decent people used to sleep at this time of the night, you know?” Luna scolded him, pretending to sound annoyed, grinning wickedly.
“And since when are we decent people, N?” He retorted, laughing. Luna rolled her eyes, giggling.
“Ok, I’ll give you that,” she laughed softly.
That was true too. Both of them had discovered that they had a few hobbies in common that some ‘decent’ people would consider ‘improper’, for example, watching porno while eating popcorn like it was the most natural thing to do.
Luna was really impressed with Vin’s self-control. Not even once, that she had glanced at his crotch, did she see a hard on. Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder if he really had blood in his veins. But, what Luna didn’t know was that on several occasions Vin had been with more than just one of those porn actresses and that most of them were a bad memory in his book.
However, Vin was always more interested in Luna’s reaction and comments about the movies and less into the scenes playing on the screen. She was always talking about them as if they were a documentary from National Geographic. That was the reason why he almost managed to not let his body take control over his mind, even though he was always dressed in big cargoes and strategically sat in order to hide his erections.
It seemed after all that he didn’t have as much control over his own body reactions, and definitively there was blood running through his veins.
“Now, tell me what’s with you, man? I thought you were at home fucking the shit out of some chick.” Luna added as she pretended to sound bored, muffling a yawn with her hand.
She was getting really good at it. Luna was even starting to think about going on castings to become an actress instead of a scriptwriter.
“Just sent her back to her place. Now move your ass and open the door.” Vin replied, smiling broadly.
“What?! You’ve got to be fucking kidding, right?” Luna retorted raising her torso in one fast move, sitting on the bed. Vin laughed hard, shaking his head.
“Nope. I’m right here.” He answered, grinning.
“Go fuck yourself, Diesel. I love you, big guy, but you’re sick.” She groaned, yawning. He lowered the tone of his voice and his grin turned wicked.
“Come on, doll,” Vin growled sensually. “Let me in, mami.” He purred in his most sexy deep voice. Her brow went up. That did it. Luna rolled her eyes as she climbed off the bed, heading to the door.
Vin had discovered that if he talked to her like he was supposed to talk in her stories; she was going to follow his lead. She knew it too, but she couldn’t help it.
Luna was learning to deal with him like a friend and trying to get over the fact that Vin wasn’t “her Mark”. Even thought they had more things in common than she would have expected.
All things considered, Vin had a lot more bad characteristics than “Mark”. For starters he was a selfish guy with a big ego, but she couldn’t help it. It was a more difficult task than she had thought at the beginning.
“Are you high?”
“Nope.”
“Wasted?”
“Not a drop.”
“Hard as a rock?” Vin went silent. Luna narrowed her eyes, grinning evilly. “The Goddess of blow jobs is on vacation, Diesel.” She mocked, laughing. Vin growled softly.
“Yeah, I know that. But she has to come back sometime.” He retorted, laughing. “Now open the door or I’ll ring the bell non stop, waking up all your neighbours.” Vin growled, grinning like a loony. It was funny to come here in the middle of the night to look for her. “How about a trip in the Mercedes?” He offered. Luna rolled her eyes, shaking her head. He was like a big 38-year-old version of Peter Pan but dressed like a teenager and shaved like a cue ball.
“Fine, but I’ll drive,” she replied, reaching the door. “And I’ll choose the music,” she added as she opened it. Vin stood in front of her, smiling broadly. “And you’ll buy the breakfast.” She finished, looking at him but still talking on the phone.
Vin went motionless, staring at her body. Luna didn’t bother to grab a robe. She knew full well that Vin was always making jokes; he would never look at her like a real woman.
Luna was dressed in just a white tank top and white panties. The cool air from the hallway caused her nipples to stand erect, revealing them through the fabric of her top. Vin swallowed hard and after a moment he nodded ‘yes’.
“Anything for my girl.” He chuckled as he bent his head, kissing her cheek. Luna closed her eyes, sighing hard.
Your girl, my ass, she retorted silently. She was starting to be more than just tired of this game.
“Now go put something on and let’s roll.” Vin said as he let go of her, winking. “You look like shit, N.” He added, grinning.
“Fuck you, Diesel.” Luna retorted as she showed him her middle finger and turned on her heels, heading back to her bedroom.
“Promises, promises.” He murmured as he stared at her bottom, licking his lips. That’s a killer ass, woman, he added silently, grinning.
—————–
Vin had added this new routine to his life. Every time he felt upset, alone, bored or down, he used to come to look for her. But, those weren’t the only reasons. Vin really liked to share his free time with Luna. Mostly at nights when he was sure that there weren’t paparazzi around, taking pictures of both of them.
They were just friends, that was true, but Vin didn’t want to share that part of his life with the rest of the world. Their friendship was something that he wanted to keep for himself. Even though he had no other choice but share Luna with Renee and Valentino.
Luna never knew in advance when he was going to show up; not even once had he bothered to call her first to know if she could see him. Vin knew full well that Luna was always available for him. The fact that she didn’t have a timetable and that she could write at any hour during the day, only made it easier for him.
They used to spend almost six nights a week together talking about everything and anything. Some times they walked around the area where Luna lived, or they picked one of his cars, driving along the coast just listening to music in complete silence. Other times, he stayed at her place, watching TV shows or pornos and, even on a few occasions, he drove her back to his place and they both played basketball, billiards or videogames under the bored gaze of Roman. In any case, they always ended up having breakfast together. The only condition from Luna was that she didn’t want to look in his eyes and realize that he was high or drunk.
The first time that Vin called in the middle of the night, telling her that he needed to talk to someone, Luna had been so shocked that she had kept silent almost the whole night; just listening to him complaining about the Studio or about the budget and the locations for “Hannibal”. After the third night that Vin phoned her, telling her that he needed someone to talk to, she gave up and realized that she was fucked.
Neither of them said a single word about what had happened at Vin’s house during that weekend to anyone, nor did they mention it in their talks. In the end it was no ones’ business. That would be a secret that they were going to keep to themselves until the day they died. Just one person knew it, Delora, Vin’s mother, and she didn’t know who the woman was.
When Renee and Valentino asked what the hell was happening between them, Vin had just said that he had realized that Luna was a great woman and that she was really funny. He said that sooner rather than later he was going to have to find a real woman to marry and have kids with, just as Valentino had. Vin even made jokes saying that some day it had to happen and that he wouldn’t mind if the chick was someone like her. On the other hand, Luna said that she was very happy because at least she had his friendship and that she only needed time to get over her Vin Diesel fixation.
Renee and Valentino narrowed their eyes in suspicion, but kept silent. At the end Luna seemed happier than ever and Vin was acting more maturely lately. He even had quit with the coke, just keeping the joints that, on more than one occasion, he shared with Luna. But what neither of them knew was that Vin wasn’t lying completely about his plans for the future and that Luna wasn’t happy at all.
The first time that the four of them were out, hanging around LA, Vin had spent more time with Luna than with anyone else, introducing her to different people who he was sure were going to be useful for her professional career in the near future. At the beginning, Vin had been doing that because he felt guilty and he wanted to help her with her career as a scriptwriter. It was his way to say ‘thank you’ to Luna for her understanding and forgiveness.
It wasn’t the first time that Vin had a friend who was a woman, but Luna was different. It definitely was the first time that he didn’t miss Val’s friendship when he was hanging out with Renee, and that was the main reason why he needed her at his side. Vin could do with Luna almost the same things he did when he was with Val, even though sometimes Vin couldn’t help but try and get in Luna’s pants.
Vin hadn’t forgotten their one encounter at all and he was sure that neither had Luna. Nevertheless, they never talked about that night again, as if it never existed. The fact that Luna got her menstruation when it was supposed to made them both relax after what happened even though they didn’t say that aloud.
Luna was doing more than a damn fine job at pretending that she didn’t care about the chicks he was fucking though. Teasing him and making jokes at every word he said with a double meaning. Luna was always keeping him at a distance, playing her new role in Vin’s life.
Nevertheless, Luna’s eyes couldn’t hide or deny her real feelings 24/7. With every new “date” with Vin, it was getting more and more difficult to pretend, acting like an understanding friend. It was becoming more and more difficult to push aside her pain and anger, listening to how Vin was complaining about the chicks he was dating. It was turning out to be more and more difficult to be “his girl” like Vin used to refer to her.
On the other hand, Vin knew that Luna was in love with him and the fact that she was always available for him was turning out to be like a powerful addictive drug. Every time he called her and she answered, it was a new shot for his self-esteem. Vin knew that he was the central point of Luna’s life along with her professional career. But at the same time, sometimes, he was secretly starting to feel like shit around her unable to explain the reason why to himself.
Vin could talk with her about everything. Politics, religion, literature, art, music or movies were subjects frequently discussed between them. Aside from the cartoons, videogames and porn movies, in spite of the fact that they had grown up in different countries, they had received a similar education by their parents. They had watched the same kind of movies and shows on TV and had even listened almost the same music while they had been growing up. Vin had a lot of things in common with Luna and the fact that he was just four years older than her, only made their connection stronger.
Every time Vin talked with Luna about other women, she felt her heart breaking a little more, but she had made her decision. Luna had chosen their friendship over her feelings.
Love is overrated; friendship is essential.
Those were the words that Luna engraved, as if with molten red steel, in her mind, heart and soul, making of those few words her credo. Luna suspected that Vin was hiding something from her, but she hoped that with a little more time, he would finally be able to share it with her.
Vin had reached some kind of bizarre balance in his life. He had Luna covering all his affectionate needs. She was that person in his life who Vin could phone in the middle of the night to talk; she was that first person who he thought about when he wanted to share a success or a failure because he knew for sure that she was going to be as happy or upset as he was. She was more than just good at listening to him, patient and loyal. She was the only woman who had seen him crying with the exception of Renee and his own mother. She knew his weaknesses and fears, and she never, not even once, took advantage of them to hurt him. Each and every aspect of his life was already covered by Luna after only two months of close friendship with the exception of two. Sex and love.
But still, there was a part of him that he wanted to show her, but he was afraid. He wasn’t sure if Luna would be able to accept it. His wildest part. The one who loved partying and partying hard from time to time. On the other hand, there was a part of him growing unnoticed more and more, that felt relaxed and comfortable around her and that was something new for him. Vin loved Luna, but, he couldn’t help it, he wasn’t in love with her, was he? Vin never, not even once talked with Luna about his family or about his deepest feelings and emotions concerning them or him. She might be his best friend, but Vin didn’t trust her completely yet.
——————-
Vin had been talking with Marcela about Luna’s career. He wanted to have control over that matter. Luna had received an offer from HBO channel through the new agency; from the office located in New York. The TV channel was looking for scriptwriters for a new soap opera.
According to their secret deal, they contacted Marcela first in order to know if it was ok with her. In response, Marcela said that it was prefect as long as Luna would be able to work from LA; in no way was Vin going to let Luna move to New York. His control over Luna’s professional future was much more than she would be able to suspect. To the point that even Vin’s lawyers had revised Luna’s contract with HBO before she would be able to read it. Only after they had said that the conditions of the contract were really favorable to her, had the agency finally sent the legal documents to her.
Marcela’s instincts told her that Luna was going to mean business in Hollywood as a scriptwriter but she kept silent. Marcela considered that Luna wasn’t ready to face her own fate yet. Writing soap operas for HBO would be more than great training and she didn’t need to know who was making that possible. However, Marcela was starting to suspect that Vin was enjoying his power over Luna’s life too much, but who was she to complain? At the end and with only one strategic move, Marcela had been able to make both of them happy.
Luna had a unique opportunity in her professional career and Vin wasn’t going to lose his new best friend from his close sight.
That was the way business was made in Hollywood. Lies, vested interests, secrets and an endless chain of favors waiting to be repaid over the coming years.