**Chapter 41: Heartbeat Like a Drum**

"Cut!"

The filming was finally over.

"Thank you!"

"Thank you..."

Led by David Schwimmer, the main cast members held hands and moved to the front of the set, bowing to the audience like they were taking a curtain call at a theater.

From morning until afternoon, the live audience had been there the entire time. The actors and crew could move around a bit, but the audience had to sit still, only allowed to leave for bathroom breaks. Otherwise, they had to remain in their seats.

Anyone who's been in a school classroom can deeply relate to that experience.

But.

Despite the exhaustion, the back pain, the audience was still excited, cheering enthusiastically.

With the loudest applause and whistles, they celebrated all the actors and crew.

And then.

The filming officially came to an end.

The crew began organizing the audience—

The event wasn't over yet.

The reason why attending a live filming was so popular wasn't just because fans could see their favorite characters and watch the show being made. The biggest draw was the meet-and-greet afterward.

The chance to interact closely with the cast of "Friends."

You can imagine how precious this time is for fans.

Of course, not all the actors participated.

Since filming happened weekly and there was a meet-and-greet each time, handling 150 fans was no easy task. Plus, comparing popularity could be unfair to the actors, so the cast took turns.

Each of the six main actors took a week to host, rotating throughout the season. Finally, for the season finale, all six would appear together.

This week, the meet-and-greet host was Jennifer Aniston.

Undoubtedly the queen of popularity.

"Wow."

Looking at the long, winding line in front of him, Anson couldn't help but be amazed. Earlier, he had thought 150 people wasn't that many—it was just a small group in the audience. But now, seeing them lined up, the number felt overwhelming.

During filming, the audience had to stay quiet and composed, so it wasn't that noticeable. But now that filming was over, their emotions were beginning to show. You couldn't feel any fatigue from a full day of shooting; instead, they seemed eager, with their excitement slowly heating up the atmosphere.

Sight, sound, smell, touch—every sense could feel the rolling wave of heat.

Anson couldn't help but be impressed.

Just as he voiced his thoughts, he noticed two pairs of eyes on him—

One belonged to Jennifer, the other to James Michael Tyler.

James played Gunther, the coffee shop owner who had a crush on Rachel in "Friends." Rachel never reciprocated his feelings, but he was a regular character, always in the coffee shop, one of the few recurring supporting roles in the series.

Although not a main character, Gunther had his own storylines and was often on screen, creating plenty of laughs. He was a fan favorite.

If the last scene of the day was set in Central Perk and James was present, he usually stayed for the meet-and-greet.

Today was one of those days.

Also staying behind was guest star Anson.

Noticing their gazes, Anson shrugged lightly, completely unbothered. "Did I mention this is my first gig?"

The unspoken message: I'm new here, please bear with me.

The light-hearted banter made Jennifer's lips curl into a smile as she carefully observed, "Yes, I know, even now, I'm still trying to digest the news."

Obviously, Jennifer didn't believe it.

"Haha," Anson laughed.

James looked at Anson, speaking with a serious expression, "Maybe you should leave now, before you get hurt."

After saying that, James turned to look at the audience queuing in front of them, signaling with his eyes—

The audience might not even recognize Anson, leaving him neglected and forcing him to sneak back to the locker room and cry in the shower.

Anson's eyes widened, "From the audience, or from you?"

And Anson's response was, Are you jealous? So, are you crazy with jealousy now?

James: ...

He was stunned for a moment, then clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it into his left palm, his face full of frustration, "Damn, you saw right through me."

A joke, it was all a joke.

In the back-and-forth exchange, Jennifer could no longer hold back and burst into laughter, repeatedly patting Anson's shoulder, "You really are an alien."

The atmosphere was lively and joyful.

The small meet-and-greet soon began.

Without a doubt, Jennifer was the absolute center of attention, and James also won the unanimous affection of the fans. But surprisingly, yet unsurprisingly:

The audience didn't mind stopping in front of Anson either.

Whether it was out of politeness or convenience, not a single person ignored Anson, offering handshakes and compliments with smiles that couldn't lie.

Then.

Someone suddenly stepped forward, unable to wait any longer, reaching out both hands toward Anson. But as they got closer, they grew shy, retracting their hands, lowering their eyes nervously, their shoulders shrinking, carefully concealing their excitement.

Unexpectedly, Anson confidently took hold of those hands—

Gloria felt like she was about to stop breathing.

Thump. Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Her heart, which had been pounding wildly a moment ago, began to beat faster and harder, as if it were about to burst out. But in this moment, it miraculously slowed down.

Thump. Thump... thump...

Everything slowed down tenfold, as if her heart was about to stop beating.

She suddenly looked up, and Gloria felt like Alice falling into the rabbit hole, tumbling into a deep, clear blue that sparkled with a gentle smile.

And then, Gloria forgot to breathe.

Gloria felt like she must have gone mad. She was on the set of "Friends," and her favorite Rachel was standing right in front of her, but she couldn't even focus on that. She couldn't remember what she had just said to Jennifer Aniston; her mind kept drifting forward.

Her heart and mind were filled with that figure.

It wasn't until the person held her hands, the warmth of their palms wrapping around her cold hands, that Gloria realized her hands were freezing.

Startled.

Gloria's hands began to tremble slightly—damn hand tremors.

Gloria didn't want to reveal her vulnerability and tried to pull her hands back, but her wrists and forearms felt like cotton, utterly devoid of strength.

She stood there like a fool, quietly staring into those eyes, and then saw the thin lips curve into a breathtaking smile. Her heart soared with it, that joy and happiness so pure and simple.

In that moment, everything seemed to make sense.

There was only one thought in her mind, breaking through like a spring shoot and rushing out.

"What's your name?" Gloria asked.