"but luna-"

"nah-ah, no buts. i've been trying to get you two to meet for ages!" she says, "and today it will finally happen."

"okay."

"okay?" she asks joyously, slightly bouncing in her seat.

"yes, fine." i answer, tempted to pretend rolling my eyes at the woman beside me but instead a grin makes its way onto my face. luna's delight is contagious and i immediately find myself in a way better mood than earlier.

"we're nearly there." the driver informs us.

"i hear there are a few camerapeople already waiting in the street." jesse states, looking up from his phone and turning his head to face us, "but i think they're there for someone else."

"supposedly we won't be going anywhere without them in our proximity today but it's okay, we're going to let them take a few pictures of you to satisfy them if they approach us and hopefully most of them will move on quickly." luna decides.

"sounds good." i agree, hoping that the day won't be as stressful as usual.

"so where are we even going?", i ask and luna looks up at me from typing on her phone.

"joan's on third for lunch. we've been there before, do you remember?"

"oh yes."

"okay, we're here." the driver says and i thank him.

"don't you want to come with us devon?" luna asks and i nod, inviting him along as well.

all of us step out of the car and luna's phone vibrates loudly, signalling a new message.

"okay, we already have a table inside, come on." she smiles at me, puts away her phone and the four of us get inside the venue.

we are shown to two small tables beside one another because the restaurant is packed.

when we reach the place, i lock eyes with a man who i assume is in his mid-twenties- this must be dan.

a tight-lipped, nervous smile is painted on his face and his brown eyes twinkle in the many yellow lights of the restaurant.

luna moves to sit beside him on the wall side of the table where there were couch-like seats and i take in the seat at the opposite side in a wooden chair.
jesse and devon sit down to our right at the other table, the latter's leg nearly meeting luna's on the couch, while jesse sits nearly beside me.

my manager is introducing dan to everyone, landing on me at last, "and this is phil."

"hi," he smiles and i can't help but smile back broadly, "i'm glad we finally get to meet, i've heard lots about you."

"well, i'm sure you've heard only the worst." i joke, tilting my head to the side and eyeing luna accusingly.

dan, jesse and devon laugh while luna just dryly speaks "ha-ha-ha," but after a few second she cracks a smile too.

a waitress comes to our table and gives us the menu to choose from, leaving shortly after to give us time to choose. we read through the pages and dan and i's gazes meet a few times which resulted in either me or him quickly looking into the bill of fare again. we manage to have a bit of small talk before the waitress returns to take our orders.

"so dan, luna mentioned you are a director and screenwriter?" i address him, giving him all my attention now.

"oh, you surprise me phil!" luna smiles, "i thought you weren't listening."

i act offended, bringing a hand to my chest, "you wound me, luna."

dan brings up a hand to quickly comb through his brown curls with his fingers before answering my question, "well, i suppose you could say so, yes- i mean, i haven't done anything widely known yet, but hopefully i'll be able to realise some projects soon."

"aw, dan, don't be so modest!" luna pats his shoulder before leaning a bit over the table to whisper-shout in my direction, "he has won tons of short-film competitions and rightly so! his ideas are amazing!"

"i'm sure luna's right, dan. don't be so hard on yourself- i'd really like to look at your work."

"i think he wishes he could say the same but he would be lying because he has seen every movie you're in at least twice." luna states forthrightly, giggling at dan, whose cheeks blush a deep red.

"pffft no, that's totally not true." he lies, his eyes tightly closed and his lips pressed together.