Megan & Francisco - 6 - The Ex-Box (f, m)

[angora48]

Thank you so much!

On 8/26/2024 at 11:05 AM, Privatedancer said:

Love the update but……how could you leave us hanging 😅 ?  Dying for next installment;).

Okay, so I originally planned to write the whole ex-box scene in one chapter, but then it was soooooooo long that I wound up splitting it into a few parts. Sorry for the cliffhanger, but it just means that you're getting even more ex-box stuff!

On 8/26/2024 at 11:05 AM, Privatedancer said:

I also love how much these two care about each other and while I 100% understand why Meghan feels she is the lucky one in the relationship, I am sure Francisco feels that he is.  He is not the type to feel superior becuase of his celebrity status:)

This is exactly it. You know, at first, the only chapters in this series that were written from Francisco's perspective were out of necessity, i.e. they were chapters that Megan physically wasn't in (Francisco at a meeting, on set, etc.) But with "Two-Soup Love" and now "The Ex-Box," it's been really neat to write a bit more about their relationship from his perspective. I like discovering the sort of thoughts/reactions he has when he's in scenes with Megan. Yes, Francisco is a very open guy who has no trouble expressing himself, but it's still been interesting to learn where his head is in their relationship. Love them both!

Here's part 12!

 

The ex-box was slightly smaller than a shoebox, painted wood with bright swirling designs and a hinged lid. After blowing his nose and wiping off his hands, Francisco flipped it open to reveal a small collection of photos and mementos inside.

He pulled out the first photo, which showed a baby-faced teenage Francisco sitting on a short ledge. He’d pulled the girl beside him into a sideways bear hug. She had long shiny brown hair and an olive complexion, and she was dressed in clothes slightly too big for her elegant figure. He was beaming, she was laughing.

“This is by first girlfriend Carbed,” Francisco said, smiling fondly at the picture. “We started dating whed I was sih-- six-teeeed...” He buried a “hihhhhh-CHOOOO-ehhhhh!” in his shoulder.

“You had your first girlfriend at sixteed?” Megan asked in surprise. “You’re bade of charisma. How have you dot been dating since you were, like, twelve?”

Francisco laughed at that. “I guess I didded’t have addywud I wanted to date before that,” he replied. He sniffled and cleared his throat. “Carbed add I were very different. She was so quiet add shy. But I liked that. I always felt…I dod’t doh, peaceful whed we were together. hehhhhh-sshhhnnkkkhhhh!” He clamped his hand over his mouth.

“Salud,” Megan said, tsking softly at that hard-sounding stifle. She kissed his temple.

“She was a really good dancer,” Francisco went on. “Dot like id shows or addything—she was shy to dance id front of people, it was just for herself. But sobetibes we would go dance together. She liked to draw too. Here.” He took a small scrap of paper out of the ex-box and showed it to Megan, an intricate, dreamlike doodle of a sun. 

“P-pretty…” Megan remarked, quickly dropping the doodle in her lap to catch a “haaahhhh-chiahhhhh!” in the crook of her arm.

“Yeah,” Francisco agreed. “We broke up a little after--” he sniffled, “--after we graduated. Carbed was going away to udiversity, add I wanted to try acting, so it was just too cobplicated to stay together, you doh?”

Megan nodded. “Beed there,” she said. “It’s really hard whed you’re that age.”

Francisco wriggled his nose. “Yeah, like you’re bo-- both becobing dew-- peo…ple… AAHHHH-shooooo! hehhhhh-CHIUHHHHHH!” Megan could feel him tensing as he pressed his sneezes into the back of his hand. “Ay—you’re becobing dew people, add sobetibes you cad’t figure out how to keep sobewud frob your life before.”

The next photo showed a Francisco who was definitely an adult but still wildly young-looking. He was at a movie premiere, holding hands with a young woman with soulful brown eyes, light brown skin, and black hair in a nice updo. They were both dressed informally but stylishly.

“Oh, that’s the girl frob Louder Thad the Ocean, right?” Megan asked. She muffled a cough into her shoulder.

Francisco nodded, sniffling. “Baria. We bet filbing that bovie. It was the first big role for both of us, add, you doh, that bovie is so idtense, we just kide of fell idto a relationship.” He reached for his water and took a sip, clearing his throat. “We supported each other with the acting add everything, all that draba. Hehhhhh-uhhhhh…” He paused, his face freezing in a pre-sneeze expression. “...ehhhhhh-SHUHHHHHH! Mmb, add thed going to the festivals, that was so crazy.”

Megan rested her head on his shoulder. “I’be glad you had sobeone to go through that with.”

“Be too,” Francisco said. He cleared his throat again as he took a small, creased Sundance flier for Louder Than the Ocean out of the ex-box. In the foreground, it showed Maria’s bare feet on the beach, with a wave lapping over her toes, while a closeup of Francisco’s eyes stared off into the distance in the background.

“Baria was great,” he went on. “She dew all the best busic, very smbart add thoughtful, ad idcredible actress. I worked with her agaid od Will I Ever?, add she just surprises you with how good she is.”

Megan didn’t know how he did it, but the more Francisco talked about it, the more relaxed and reassured she felt. Even as he fondly praised his ex, it didn’t give her that creeping feeling of inadequacy bubbling up. Somehow, threaded through everything he said was an undercurrent of That great chapter of my life is separate from this one, and one doesn’t take away from the other. God, she loved him.

“H-hold od,” Megan said as her breath started to hitch. “ahhhh…hihhhhh…ehhhhhh-chuhhhhhh!” Rubbing her nose, she smiled sheepishly at Francisco and said, “Okay, I’be good.”

“Right,” Francisco said. “During that tibe, it was wodderful, but after is whed it got hard. I was getting bore famous faster thad she was—I dod’t doh why, she’s so talented—add that bade things, uh, tricky.” 

Ducking his head a little, he glanced at Megan. “I wasd’t a very good boyfriend,” he admitted, rubbing his nose. “I was, like, twedty, twedty-wud, and—I dod’t thidk I was cobpletely a jerk, but I was kide of ibbature add selfish. I didded’t give Baria the-huhhhhh…IHHHHH-shiooooo!” He turned, sneezing into the crook of his arm. “...The attedshud she deeded,” he said, sniffling hard. “I was looking too far ahead, add I wasd’t thidking about her.”

There was something so intimate about Francisco admitting how he’d messed up a relationship. Megan could see in his face that he still regretted how he’d acted back then—not because he was still hung up on Maria, but because he knew she hadn’t deserved that.

He sniffled again, and Megan offered him a tissue. “Thadks,” he said. Wiping his nose, he grabbed the next picture.

Francisco looked slightly older again—they were definitely going through the ex-box chronologically. He was standing in front of an impressive-looking bridge, wearing a thick winter coat, a scarf, and a hat with honest-to-goodness ear flaps. Beside him, arm around his waist, was a tall white man with floppy blond hair and hipster-looking glasses who was wearing just a light jacket.

Megan felt a confused smile forming on her face. “Who’s this?”

“That’s B-Baaahhhhh…” Francisco buried a hard “HAAHHHHH-chiooooooo!” in his shoulder. Sniffling, he said, “That’s Bastiad. He’s a director, so creative! I dod’t doh if you would doh addy of his filbs, he’s frob Gerbaddy. We bet at the Vedice Filb Festival. I was there for After Dark, and he was there for…” He frowned, rubbing his nose. “Well, I dod’t doh what the title is id Egglish, but it’s a beautiful filb about this guy who’s stuck id a house where there’s a different period of his life id every roob.”

Wait, was Francisco bi??? “Is, ub, is that what drew you to hib?” Megan asked. “His work?”

“Both of us to each other,” Francisco confirmed. “After seeing his filb, I saw hib at a bar add went up to tell hib how buch I…I lo-oved it…” His body tensed with a strong “HUHHHHH-ehhhh-shoooo! hehhhhh…ahhhhh-CHIUHHHHH!” He cleared his throat. “...Add I foud out he really loved After Dark too. We spent like four hours just talking about bovies. He was so smart add had such good, ub, good adalysis. For the rest of the festival, we--” he sniffled, “--we wedt to all the screedings together add talked about theb afterward.”

He had the same fond, reminiscent look he’d worn when he talked about Carmen and Maria—there was no mistaking Bastian’s place in the ex-box. It felt a little wild that this was how Megan was finding out Francisco was into guys, but something about it felt weirdly perfect.

“Dating was…tough,” Francisco continued. “Like, really, really long distance…ehhhhh-SHUHHHHH! Mmb—with a big tibe difference add ad ocead b-betweed us. hihhhhh-CHIOOOOO!” He sneezed again, into his shoulder. “Plus, I didded’t speak Gerbad add he didded’t speak Spadish, so the odly way we could talk to each other was id Egglish.”

Megan looked at him. “I should doh more Spadish,” she realized. It was a dumb realization because it was so obvious. But that didn’t make it any less true.

“Oh, this wasd’t the sabe thing!” Francisco rushed to assure her. “By Egglish is a lot better dow thad it was back thed,” he sniffled, “add it’s different whed both of you are speaking your secodd language. It’s like we were both reaching to beet--” he cleared his throat, “-- id the biddle, so if wud of us coulded’t thidk of a word, baybe the other coulded’t help hib out.”

“Still,” Megan said, “you shoulded’t be the odly wud reaching.” She snuggled up to him, kissing his temple.

Francisco smiled. Clearing his throat again, he took a drink of water, then reached into the ex-box and pulled out a disc with a hand-scrawled label. “Okay, this right here is kide of why we broke up,” he said. “Bastiad had idvited be to cobe stay with hib id Berlid for like six weeks–that’s where we are id the photo. He was directing a short filb add wanted be to be id it, b-buhhhh…” He paused, lifting his hand to his face, but it looked like the sneeze was stuck. “Ahhhhh…hehhhh…nnnn…”

Good lord, he was sexy. Megan barely breathed as Francisco tried in vain to hitch his way to a sneeze. At last, he gave an unmistakable sigh of denied release. “Aaahhh, it stopped,” he said, scrubbing at his nose with his finger.

“Addyway,” he went on, still wriggling his nose, “at first, the visit was great, but then baking the filb was wud big disaster. It was id Gerbad, of course, so I had to leard all by lides just by the soud of theb, add by acting wasd’t very good. Bastiad has very clear pictures of how he wadts his bovies to be, add I coulded’t give hib what he deeded. He’d get aggry add ibpatient with be od set, add thed we’d go back to his place add fight about it bore. By the tibe we were dud shooting, we were pretty buch over.”

“God, that s-- that sounds awful,” Megan remarked, stifling a few coughs into her fist. 

“It was bad,” Francisco agreed, sniffling. “I rebebber I flew back frob Berlid add got really sick as sood as I got hobe. For days, I was just id bed, sick add depressed about everything. I was mad at hib, buhh-hahhhhhh-CHIUHHHHHH!” The sneeze snuck up on him, and he rocked forward, catching it in his hand. “But I still bissed hib, you doh?” he finished, sniffling.

Megan was reeling from the mental image of a “really sick” Francisco curled up in bed after a tough breakup, but she managed to reply, “Yeah, I get it.” She kissed his neck. “I’be sorry you had to go through all that.”

Francisco reached for his water and took a drink. “It’s okay,” he said softly. “It was years ago.”

“So that’s the short filb?” Megan asked, nodding at the disc.

“Yeah,” Francisco said, grimacing. “We cad watch it sobetibe if you really wadt, but I’be dot that good id it. Plus, the subtitles are id Spadish. After all the post-productshud was fidished,” he sniffled, “Bastiad foud sobewud to subtitle it for be add sedt be a copy, so I thidk he felt bad about everything that happedd too.”

Next picture: Francisco at some kind of fancy event with…

“Oh by god, y-yooo…hihhhh-uhhhhh-chooooo!” Megan sneezed hastily into the back of her hand before asking, “You dated Carolida Rivera?”

It was definitely her. Statuesque and stylish, deep tanned complexion, flowing brown hair with blond highlights. Her expression said that all eyes were on her and she liked it that way. Carolina Rivera was a big name in the Mexican film industry and had crossed over to Hollywood in the mid-2010s. A fierce actress and wildly sexy.

“I did,” Francisco confirmed. “This wud wasd’t very good either.” He cleared his throat. “I thidk I got idto it too fast after Bastiad. Add I didded’t realize that I liked Carolida bore thad she liked be. For her, I thidk it was bore because I-I was a dew star id the id-- iddusttry…” He caught a strong “HAAAHHHHH-ehhhhh-shooooo!” in the crook of his arm. “Add we looked good together.” Clearing his throat again, he took a drink of water.

Megan winced. “That sucks.” She sniffled, rubbing her nose.

“We bet od the set of How to Get Over Luciada,” Francisco continued, reaching over to hand her a Kleenex. “Add thed after, we dated udtil baybe a bonth after the prebiere. She was older add bore fabous thad be. If I’d realized what sort of relashudship it was, I-I thidk I could ha-ave re…relaxed b-bore…” He cupped his hands over his mouth. “huhhhhh-CHIUHHHHH!” He sniffled. “...Add we could have just had fud. But idstead, I felt hurt. ehhhhhh…hihhhhh-SHOOOOO!” He grabbed a tissue and wiped his nose.

“It wasd’t really her fault,” he added. “She didded’t probise be addything that it wasd’t. Add it was just a bad tibe for be.” He took another sip of his water. “But oh by god, she was so glaborous. Whed we were together, she bought be lots of clothes add would show be how to wear theb right.” With a bemused grin, he said, “After dating her, I dressed a lot better!”

He took a folded piece of paper out of the ex-box. From the writing on it, it looked like it was originally the program from a gala or something, but it had been folded into an origami frog.

“Whed Carolida was bored, she liked t-to fold pa-aper…hihhhh-SHIAAHHHHH!” Francisco sneezed into his shoulder. Clearing his throat, he told Megan, “She was really good at it. She would watch videos od YouTube during breakfast to teach her different ways to do it. But if we were out sobewhere add she wadted to fold paper without–ub, without instructshuds, frogs were her favorite. It jumbps, see?”

He put the lid of the ex-box down and set the frog on top of it. He pressed his finger to the frog’s hind quarters, and when he let go, it sprang forward.

“That’s cute,” Megan said. It was impressive that Francisco still had good things to say about a relationship that hadn’t gone well for him.

He cleared his throat again, wincing as he swallowed the last of his water. “Shit, are you okay?” Megan asked. “I didn’t bean to make you talk so buch whed you have a sore throat.”

“I’be all right,” Francisco said, but the way he rubbed his throat didn’t inspire confidence.

Megan kissed his cheek. “Let be get you sobe more water,” she told him. “To be codtidued.”

“O-okay…” Francisco said, trailing off into an “ehhhhh-CHIOOOOO! uhhhhh-SHIUHHHHH!”

Megan gathered up all their empty glasses and carried them to the kitchen, where she refilled Francisco’s water. She rinsed out the smoothie glasses while she was at it, just to give him a slightly longer break from talking.

“All right,” Megan said, coming back into the bedroom. She rubbed Francisco’s shoulder as she handed his water back to him. “You sure you’re okay to keep going? We cad take a break if your throat hurts too buch.”

“Doh, I’be good,” Francisco said. “L-lehh…haahhhhh-ihhhh-SHUHHHHH! hehhhhh-CHOOOOO!” Smiling sheepishly, he grabbed himself a Kleenex. “...Let’s go.”

By the time Megan got back into bed, Francisco had blown his nose and taken a fresh drink of water. “Okay,” he murmured to himself, looking through the ex-box. “Who dext?”

[2SHY222]

This is so cute. Can't wait for more. Your writing is incredible 🥰

[Privatedancer]

Love this -  I tried looking up if Francisco’s movies were real because you do such a great job creating them I wanted to see the movies! 

[angora48]

On 8/29/2024 at 8:54 PM, 2SHY222 said:

This is so cute. Can't wait for more. Your writing is incredible 🥰

Aww, thanks! That's so sweet!

17 hours ago, Privatedancer said:

Love this -  I tried looking up if Francisco’s movies were real because you do such a great job creating them I wanted to see the movies! 

hehe, thanks! For the most part, anything Megan and Francisco watch is a real movie, and anything he's been in is fake. Likewise, I reference real actors (like when they were at the Oscars,) but typically anyone that Francisco is interacting with in a story is made up. Like, for the movie he was shooting in "Rule One of Hollywood," I referenced that Jason Bateman was playing the husband, but we only saw him shooting scenes with Rebecca Soczek.

I put some thought into the different actors I invent for this series, usually taking a real celebrity as a jumping-off point and then doing my own thing with them (i.e., here's someone with a Rosario Dawson vibe, I want somebody a bit Reese Witherspoon-esque,) and I usually at least make up a premise for the more recent films Francisco has worked on. But for his older movies, I basically just come up with a title and the odd vibe or detail. For writing the ex-box scene, I had to put all these fake movies in some kind of order too, chronological with the different exes!

Part 13. One more chapter to go after this one!

 

Francisco took out a picture of him with another ex. He was probably mid-20s now, and he stood outside on what looked like a hiking trail, taking a selfie in front of an expansive view. He was pressed in close to a woman with a round bespectacled face, a cool brown complexion, and thick brown hair in a ponytail. Francisco had a “wow!!” expression on his face while the woman looked at him and grinned.

“All right, this is Luz,” he said. “I bet her whed I was id Oaxaca shooting Forever Starts Dow. All those scedes outside id dature, you doh.” He sniffled. “She worked for a dational park, add so she helped us od location, baking sure everywud was safe add treated the ladd respectfully. She was ad artist too.”

Megan remembered Francisco saying he’d bought the ex-box in Oaxaca. “Did she bake…?” she started to ask, pointing at the box. She stifled a cough into her shoulder.

“Doh, dot like that,” Francisco replied. “She did Huichol. That’s a tribe id-- id Béh-héhhxico…ihhhh-SHIUHHHHH! Mmb–add they bake things with beads. Here.” He rubbed his nose as he took a replica of Darth Vader’s helmet, a little smaller than his fist, out of the ex-box. Every inch of it was covered in beads arranged in brightly colored patterns. “She bade that for be.”

“Oh by god, that’s so cool!” Megan exclaimed, taking the miniature helmet and examining it. “I love it.”

“Be too,” Francisco said, smiling. “Whed we were dating, she’d come to visit be sobetibes id Bexico City, but bostly I’d go add stay with her. Easier, you doh, because she had a regular job add—” He cut off abruptly, pausing for just a moment before he exploded with a “hehhhhh…ihhhhhh…hahhhhhh-CHIOOOOO! huhhhhh-SHIUHHHHHH!” He gave a stuffed-up little half-moan.

Tsking, Megan kissed his temple. “You all right?”

With a small smile, far below his usual wattage, Francisco said, “Yeah, it’s okay. Ub, I was saying that Luz had a regular job, add acting is bore od add off, so it was easier for be to visit her. For the weekedd, I would get up early to bake food for us, add we’d go to a park add spend the whole day just exploring add enjoying the beautiful world.”

“It sounds dice,” Megan remarked.

Francisco nodded. “Luz had a lot of passion for her work. She dew so buch about different plants add trees, add she was idvolved with ad orgadization to help the edvirodbent. By thed, I was fabous eduff that I could give attedshud to them just by talking about it od by Idstagrab or going to events. I still probote their work—they do such good things.” 

He paused as his breath started to hitch. Steepling his hands over his face, he sneezed a hard “AAAHHHHH-ihhhhhh-chiuhhhhh!” He sniffled. “How we broke up—well, Luz add Arturo dever really liked each other very buch, but wud day they got id a big fight. I dod’t eved rebebber dow what it was about.”

He took a sip of water, grimacing. “Add I always just wadt people to get along,” he explained, “so I thidk I pushed both of theb too hard. I coulded’t give theb tibe to calb dowd about it, or eved just to not like each other. They were both so ibportant to be, add I coulded’t leave it alode. For Luz, it just bade her bore aggry, add thed she didded’t wadt addything to do with Arturo at all.”

He sniffled. “Add, I bead, he’s by best friend since I was like thirteen. So I got upset, add thed she add I fought, add id the edd, things just didded’t work out.”

Megan nodded. “I get that. It’s tough whed there are people you really care about fr--” she coughed, “--from different parts of your life, add you just cad’t fit them together.”

The next picture was another selfie. Francisco was sitting on a couch, resting his head on the shoulder of a well-built Afro-Latino guy with a black buzzcut, warm brown skin, and a neatly trimmed beard. They both looked content.

“This ihhh-ihhhh…ahhhhh-SHOOOO-ehhhhh! Mmb—this is Dobingo,” Francisco said, wiping his nose. “He was, uh, a grip on set, for Hapless. God, he was such a nice guy, add so fuddy. I liked hib right away, but I didded’t ask hib out udtil after shooting was over. It was the sabe with Luz–it’s kide of sedsitive, you doh, whed you’re the leading actor.” 

He wriggled his nose (speaking of “sensitive!”) “If you’re idterested id sobebody od the crew,” he said, “you dod’t wadt theb to be ud-- udcobfortable, like afraid that they’ll get fired if th-they say doh t-to you…” The sneeze finally teased its way out. “HUHHHHHH-chiuhhhhhh!”

“Salud,” Megan said. “I’be glad you think about that stuff.”

“But he said yes, so it was all good!” Francisco said, pausing for a drink of water. “Being with Dobingo was great. I could talk to hib about addything, add he loved to try dew things, so od the weekedds we were always doing sobething dew add different.” 

Megan coughed into the back of her hand. She liked learning that not all of Francisco’s exes were actresses/actors. On the one hand, it was a cheeky bit of, Get over yourself, Megan—you’re not that special! But on the other, it was reassuring to know that, while their relationship was new territory for her, dating a non-celebrity was nothing new for Francisco.

Smiling, Francisco took a bottle cap out of the ex-box. “Dobingo used to take little things add hide theb sobewhere that I’d find theb,” he said, clearing his throat. “Like, I’d put by hadd id by pocket or put by coffee id by—ub, id the cup holder id by car, add there’d be a little thing like this, or a smball rock, or like a dice or sobething. Add he’d write sobething od it very smball.”

He turned over the bottle cap, and Megan could see some miniscule writing in a thin marker. “This wud just says, ‘Hey sexy,’” Francisco explained, grinning. “It was his way--” he sniffled, “--to say he was thidking of you.”

“That’s sweet,” Megan said. “hehhhhh-shiooooo!” She clapped her hand over her mouth. “What happened with you two?”

“He realized he wanted to get serious about a fabily add kids,” Francisco told her. “That was his dext dew advedture, add I wasd’t ready for that yet. It was sad, because we both really liked each other. But he’s barried dow, add they had a sod a few bonths ago, so I guess it was the right thing!”

There was one last picture in the ex-box. It was more recent, maybe just a couple years ago. Francisco was sitting on what looked like a restaurant patio, his arm slung casually around a woman who was kissing his cheek. The woman had light brown skin and impeccable cheekbones, and although she was dressed casually, with her long black hair pulled back in a messy bun, Megan still recognized her.

“Is that Valeria Canseco Lopez?” she asked. “Whed did you work with her?”

“I haved’t, sadly,” Francisco said. He cleared his throat. “She’s so good, ¿doh? I actually got together with Valeria a-a few ye-- years ago aa-aat…” He buried an “ehhhhh-CHUHHHHH!” into the back of his hand, the force of it making him rock forward. “Mmb…” He rubbed his nose. 

“There was a wobed’s barch id Bexico City,” he continued. “I was there with sobe friends to support, add she was there too. She gave ad abazing speech about her experience as ad actress id our iddustry. Afterwards, I DMed her, just to thadk her for sharing her words with everywud, add that how we started talking.”

“That’s cool,” Megan said. She didn’t actively follow Valeria Canseco Lopez’s career—so many movies, so little time—but whenever she popped up in something, Megan was impressed with her strong character work. She was an actress who wasn’t afraid of looking bad for a role, figuratively or literally, and it was neat to learn she was politically active too.

“This is a—how do you say, like a smball poster?—frob that wobed’s barch,” Francisco said, pulling a brightly colored flier out of the ex-box. He offered it to Megan, but she shook her head. She was dabbing at her nose with a Kleenex and didn’t want to mess up any of his ex-box stuff.

Francisco nodded and just held out the flier so Megan could get a good look at it. “Whed we dated, both of us were very social,” he said. “We were always going sobewhere, t-too-ooo…” He caught a hard “ihhhhhhh-SHOOOOO!” in the crook of his arm. “...To a party or ad event. We would have parties at by place where we would both cook. It was really fud.” 

It was more than just Francisco’s taste in movies that was eclectic. He liked to do all kinds of stuff: party, travel, cook, hike, watch movies, dance, and so on. There were a lot of different sides to him, and in a way, his exes were a reflection of that. There was something kind of cool about that.

“Valeria add I—well, it wasd’t like a break-up,” Francisco said. “We just coulded’t really do it addybore. She had three dogs,” he cleared his throat, “so it coulded’t work for the long terb.”

“You dod’t like dogs?” Megan asked in surprise. “I dever would have guessed that.” How could a man who was undeniably part golden retriever not like dogs?

“Doh, I love theb,” Francisco told her, reaching for his water. “Add they love be too, but I have aaa-ad allerg-- gy...” Quickly, he set the glass back on the nightstand and cupped his hands over his mouth. “hihhhhh-SHUHHHHH! EHHHHHH-chiooooo!”

Even though Francisco already had a cold—as evidenced by those stunning sneezes—this new information gave Megan a warm tickle of pleasure. A dog allergy, you say? This was the sort of thing that could be tricky for her to learn about someone. Filtered through the kinky lens of her brain, asking a boyfriend if he had any allergies felt so goddamn conspicuous that she could never bring herself to do it. That left her waiting for it to come up organically somehow, which could take a long time.

Francisco had retrieved his water and taken a drink, wincing. “I doh, it seebs fuddy,” he said. “To break up over ad allergy? But like, I coulded’t spedd a lot of tibe at her house, add I bostly just saw the dogs whed we were outside. You cad’t do that forever, add addyway, Valeria’s dogs are her fabily! Buch bore ibportant thad be.”

“It bight seem funny, but I’be sure it sucked to realize things wered’t going to work out because of it,” Megan said. “I bet it’s the sort of thing that feels like it wod’t be a big deal at first, but thed as time goes od, you start to realize that it’s actually a probleb.”

“That’s exactly right,” Francisco replied. “I thought it would be fide. It’s dot a really bad allergy, but eved whed I took bedicide, it would still bother be. Add I coulded’t just igdore these really ibportant pets id her life.”

Megan nodded. “I get it,” she said. “It still sucks.”

“Yeah,” Francisco agreed. He sniffled, rubbing his nose. “Okay, that’s the whole ex-box! Are you okay dow? Do you feel better, ‘eboshudally’?” His smile was tired-looking but sweet.

“Much better,” Megan told him, with absolute sincerity. “You doh how sobetimes, whed you imagine sobething, it’s way worse thad it actually tur…turds out t-to beee…ahhhh-shoooo-ehhhhh!” She grabbed a Kleenex. “Mmb—I let byself get id my head, thinking about how all your exes were gonna be prettier thad be, cooler than be, add all that. In by head, I couldn’t just let theb be people, you know? With good add bad qualities, like everybody else.”

“I’be sorry you felt so bad,” Francisco said, pulling Megan in for a hug and kissing her temple. “If that happeds agaid, please tell be, okay? I-I dod’t wadt y-you to…ahhhhh…huhhhhhh…” His eyes fluttered closed, and he raised his hand to his face. “hehhhhhhh-CHIOOOOOO!” He sniffled, clearing his throat. “I dod’t wadt you to be sad or adxious if there’s sobething I cad do to help.”

“I’ll work od that,” Megan promised. “And you did help—so buch.”

He really had. Megan had gone from feeling nervous and insecure about the ex-box to actually appreciating it. She felt like she’d gotten such an interesting glimpse of who Francisco had been with these different people. The good things he’d had to say about everyone were sweet, and it said a lot about him that he’d acknowledged his own role in the times when things had ended badly.

Not to mention, she’d learned she wasn’t the first below-the-line person Francisco had dated, or his first long-distance relationship with someone from another country (don’t make Bastian’s mistakes, Megan!) She’d learned that he dated both men and women, that he was allergic to dogs(!!), and that he knew he needed to be mindful of the power dynamic when it came to dating crew members.

And it was a comfort to know that, even if they broke up someday, Francisco would still remember Megan warmly and fondly. She wondered which of the pictures in his “Megan” frame he’d print to put in the ex-box, what memento he’d choose to keep. What would he tell some future man or woman about her?

This is Megan. She was a sound editor, so talented! She worked on Papi’s Stories from Sundown, and we met afterwards at the Oscars. I loved listening to her talking about sound in movies—she could tell you anything about it! And she always took the best care of me when I was sick…

Yeah, she wouldn’t mind being remembered that way.

[snowshie]

2 hours ago, angora48 said:

Yeah, she wouldn’t mind being remembered that way.

Awww, what a perfect line. I adore these two, your writing is fantastic and they're so sweet. ❤️ 

[angora48]

On 9/1/2024 at 11:53 AM, snowshie said:

Awww, what a perfect line. I adore these two, your writing is fantastic and they're so sweet. ❤️ 

Thank you so much, @snowshie! I knew that Megan (very understandably) would feel insecure about the ex-box, so over these last couple of chapters, it was a neat challenge to get her to a place where she'd really get why Francisco has it and start to appreciate it.

Here's Part 14, the end of "The Ex-Box." Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to everyone who left comments! I love Megan and Francisco, and it makes me feel so good to know that other people love them too! 💞

 

Francisco sat in bed with Megan, cuddling. He was glad she’d asked about the ex-box, especially if it had been bothering her so much. Now that they’d gone through it together, he felt even closer to her than before.

“What’s it like for you?” she asked. “Having the ex-box, I mead?”

“It’s good,” Francisco told her, sniffling hard. His nose felt really runny—he rubbed it with his finger. “Whed I’be dating sobewud, I always like having things id by house to bake be thidk of theb—you doh, pictures add different things like that. Usually, after I break up, it’s dot a good tibe to thidk about the ex-box right a-away…” A fresh itch flared in his nose, and he caught a “huhhhhh-CHIUHHHHH!” in his hand.

“Too sad, too aggry, whatever, you doh?” he went on, sniffling again as he reached for a tissue. “So I take everything add put it away sobewhere, just for a while. Thed later, I go through the stuff add pick sobething that I’ll always rebebber. Like, wud picture add wud other thing.”

“Do you thidk that helps you process the breakup?” Megan asked. She stifled a cough into her fist, and Francisco squeezed her shoulder.

“I thidk so,” Francisco agreed. He cleared his throat, wincing as he took a sip of water. “By the tibe I add sobething frob theb to the ex-box, I dod’t feel so bad about it, add I rebebber that eved sad things cad have sobething good id theb. Plus, whed I p-puhhhh…hehhhhhh…” His nose itched again, a teasing sort of tickle. “aaaahhhhh-SHUHHHHH! Mmb…” He accepted the tissue Megan offered him, smiling sheepishly.

“Whed I put theb id,” he repeated, wiping his nose, “I look through the ex-box at the other people too. It’s a good way to still thidk about theb add who I was whed I was with theb. A lot of people—it’s like they bury their exes, you doh? Dod’t wadt to talk about theb or thidk about theb, add whed they date sobewud dew, they kide of pretend they devver existed.”

Francisco shook his head. “But I dod’t like that. It feels disrespectful. Even though it didded’t work id the end, they were all important parts of by life wudce, add I wadt to…I dod’t doh, to honor that. Does that bake sense?” He cleared his throat.

“Yeah,” Megan said. “Honestly? I thidk it’s kide of awesome.” From her tone, Francisco didn’t doubt it.

He felt worn out and his head ached, but Francisco smiled. “Thadk you,” he said. “I’be glad y-you feel better a-- about it…”

He trailed off, cupping his hands over his mouth. “huhhhhh-CHUHHHHHHH! EHHHHH-shiuhhhhhh! ahhhhh…hehhhhhh…ihhhhh-CHIOOOOO! Ay…” He let out a tired sigh.

Megan tsked softly, leaning in to kiss his cheek. “Salud,” she said. “Thadk you for telling be all that even though you’re feeling crappy.” She felt his forehead with the back of her hand.

“Doh, I’be okay,” Francisco assured her, rubbing his nose.

“Sure you are,” Megan replied, lightly teasing. 

Francisco supposed she could tell he felt flushed. He probably had a low fever, and it felt like his sore throat was getting worse.

“Now,” Megan said, “I was thidking we ought to do The Book of Life for our dext movie. What do you thidk?”

Francisco smiled. “That souds great,” he said. “You’re sure?”

“A-aaahhh-huhhhh-chooooo!” Megan sneezed into her hands. “Absolutely,” she said. “I appreciate you taking the tibe to go through your whole ex-box with me, so I wadt to watch sobething that I already know you love. Besides, it’s just a great bovie—win-wid!”

“Thed yes!” Francisco replied, planting a kiss on her cheek. 

He climbed out of bed and carried the ex-box back to its shelf. “It’s Diego Luda add Zoe Saldaña id that bovie, you doh,” he pointed out, “the sabe as Baya add the Three.”

“Oh wow, that’s right,” Megan replied. “That’s cool.” She grabbed both of their pillows and joined Francisco by the bedroom door. “I thidk The Book of Life sounds perfect right dow.”

Francisco gave Megan a tired grin. Softly kissing her temple as she handed him his pillow, he took her hand and said, “Cobe od.”

The throw blanket was still draped over the back of the couch from yesterday, and Francisco pulled it onto his lap as he sat down. Once Megan settled in beside him, he pulled up his Disney Plus and they started their second Jorge R. Gutiérrez project in two days.

Francisco’s itchy nose was really bothering him, and within the first few minutes of the movie, he’d probably sneezed about five times. “Are you all right?” Megan asked as he buried his latest “hihhhhh-uhhhhh-SHOOOOO!” in a tissue.

He sniffled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Yeah,” he replied, sighing a little. “Just tired, add sdeezing a lot.”

“You sound kinda biserable,” Megan said sympathetically, rubbing his shoulder. “You cad lie dowd if you want.”

Francisco shook his head. “I’be okay for the bovie,” he said. 

His cold was definitely worse today. But it was sweet of Megan to pick a movie for him when it was her turn to choose, and Francisco didn’t want to mess that up by being too sick to watch it. 

“Doh, I meant here od the couch,” Megan explained. She stifled a small cough. “Get cobfortable.” 

“Oh,” Francisco said. “I-ehhhhh…” He turned his head, catching a hard “hehhhhh-CHIUHHHHH!” in his hand. “Yeah, I thidk that might be good.”

After taking a drink of water, he rearranged himself, curling up on the couch with his head in Megan’s lap. “It’s okay like this?” he asked, sniffling. “It wod’t bother you?”

“No, I–I’be good,” Megan said. She brushed his hair back from his forehead, which was a bit damp with sweat. “How ‘bout you?”

“aaahhhhh-SHIOOOOO!” Francisco sneezed again. “Mbb—yeah,” he said, pulling the throw blanket around himself. Megan bent down to kiss his temple and gave his shoulder a squeeze. Sniffling, he caught her hand and kissed it.

Francisco knew how hard it could be to admit your insecurities, nerve-wracking or embarrassing, but he hoped Megan would always tell him when something was making her worry. In his experience, opening up about something usually made it better, and he wanted to be that “better” for her whenever he could.

And from the way she gently rubbed his temple—was it obvious that his head was aching, or had she just guessed?—and handed him a tissue after his next “huhhhhh-CHIOOOOO! IHHHHH-shiahhhhh!”, Megan wanted to do the same for Francisco. Comfort him when he felt stuffed up and feverish, like he’d comforted her when she felt anxious and insecure. He really loved the symmetry of that.

“Dod’t let be sleep, okay?” Francisco said to Megan, clearing his throat. “Dot while th-the bovie is-- od…hihhhhh-SHOOOO-ehhhhhh!”

Megan sniffled. “I wod’t,” she promised. 

She wouldn’t—he could trust that. As he lay on the couch, watching a movie he loved while he rested his head in his girlfriend’s lap, Francisco knew he would be perfectly looked after.

[Privatedancer]

Such a sweet chapter . I love when Meghan takes care of Francisco and how much he appreciates it and feels loved and comforted.

[Bloogap]

I nice and sweet story. Always a sucker for caretaking fluff haha.

The Ex-Box is a interesting concept, and looks to be a rather healthy, or at least interesting, way to view past relationships.

[ichixshiro14]

I love the way you went through the ex-box, that was an amazing and refreshing concept and it fleshed out Francisco so much. What an amazing story!! ❤️❤️❤️

[SneezyAsh447]

I’ve been a long-time lurker on the forum (like….13 years lurking) and this series had me so invested that I read every part of every story in one five-hour stretch when I should have been asleep 🤣 Was I so tired in the morning that I was an hour late for work? Yep. Would I do it again? Sure would! I just had to end the years-long lurk to tell you how much I love your writing style and the world that you’ve created with these characters. I hope there’s more in store for these two and I can’t wait to read it!

[angora48]

On 9/4/2024 at 8:38 PM, Privatedancer said:

Such a sweet chapter . I love when Meghan takes care of Francisco and how much he appreciates it and feels loved and comforted.

Thank you! I originally wrote the last chapter from Megan's perspective, but at the last minute, I decided to edit it to be from Francisco's point-of-view, and I really like how it turned out. It was lovely to write his reactions to her caretaking at a time when his cold has gotten worse and he's feeling pretty wiped out.

On 9/5/2024 at 3:28 AM, Bloogap said:

I nice and sweet story. Always a sucker for caretaking fluff haha.

The Ex-Box is a interesting concept, and looks to be a rather healthy, or at least interesting, way to view past relationships.

Aww, thanks! I came up with it as a good way to give us (and Megan) a little more history/detail on Francisco, but as I thought more about why he has the ex-box and what it means to him, the whole concept became sort of reflective of who he is as a character.

On 9/8/2024 at 7:24 PM, ichixshiro14 said:

I love the way you went through the ex-box, that was an amazing and refreshing concept and it fleshed out Francisco so much. What an amazing story!! ❤️❤️❤️

Thanks! 😊It was fun to come up with the different exes, especially figuring out what new information each one would tell us about Francisco. At some point, I might play around with some "Tales from the Ex-Box" stories from Francisco's past, like getting sick after breaking up with Bastian or trying to deal with his dog allergy while dating Valeria.

On 9/13/2024 at 9:10 PM, SneezyAsh447 said:

I’ve been a long-time lurker on the forum (like….13 years lurking) and this series had me so invested that I read every part of every story in one five-hour stretch when I should have been asleep 🤣 Was I so tired in the morning that I was an hour late for work? Yep. Would I do it again? Sure would! I just had to end the years-long lurk to tell you how much I love your writing style and the world that you’ve created with these characters. I hope there’s more in store for these two and I can’t wait to read it!

Wow, thank you!! That means a lot to me! I love these characters, and I'm so glad other people do too. I'm not working on another Megan & Francisco story at the moment--after posting two in a row, I wanted to write about somebody else for a bit--but I have plenty of ideas for these two/this world. I've made an effort this year to make more time for "fun" writing, so I hope to be back to them before long.