***This is a work of fiction and in no way is it meant to imply anything about the sexuality of Ryan Phillippe or anyone else mentioned.
It had been an incredibly long day. Most people couldn't even begin to realize how hard it was to write for a television show, especially one that was constantly under scrutiny from the media. I had been very lucky, though, to land a job so soon after arriving in California, and I wasn't about to start complaining. Not many 21 year olds who'd left college to pursue their dreams were as lucky as I had been so far.
Still, I was exhausted and looking forward to some peace and quiet that night back at my apartment. About ten minutes after I walked through the door the phone rang. Sighing, I answered it in my 'please leave me alone' voice.
"Seth?" The voice that came across the line was ultra-hyper and very cheerful. I sighed again, seeing any chances for a peaceful night fade. Still, I couldn't help but smile.
"Yes Ashley?" I asked. Ashley was one of the first people I'd met in California and she'd taken it upon herself to get me into the club life and introduce me around.
"Glad your home! You and I are heading to that new club tonight!"
"Are we? Did you know that WE just worked an incredibly long day with a very demanding executive producer breathing down OUR neck about rewrites?" I asked.
"All the more reason to get out and have some fun! I'll be there in an hour!" Ashley hung up the phone before I could respond any further.
I shook my head, partly in irritation, but mostly in amusement. Ashley was a person you just couldn't say no to. Going into my bedroom, I took a look at myself in the mirror. The face that stared back was too boyish. One of the things that had always irritated me was my baby face. Still, I was proud of my good looks and I'd worked hard to maintain a body that made up for having a face that belonged on a 16 year old. Running my hands through my short blonde hair, I wondered if tonight would be any different from the other nights I'd gone to clubs with Ashley. Would I meet a guy this time?
An hour later I was standing in a large, poorly light club, lost in a crowd of people dancing, talking, and laughing. Ashley had ordered me to have fun and had quickly set her sights on a guy at the bar. I wandered around the club, looking for someone to dance with. There were a lot of very good looking guys in the club, but that was nothing unusual. Good looking guys were everywhere in L.A. The only person i'd made eye contact with so far was a short blonde woman who looked vaguely familiar though I wasn't sure where I'd seen her before. Having no interest in her, I'd just smiled and started to turn away when suddenly someone ran into me from behind and I felt myself falling.
As I hit the floor, whoever had knocked me down stepped on my head and fell over, landing squarely on top of me. I struggled to free myself from his weight, my head ringing. The guy on top of me quickly stood up and extended a hand to me, helping me up.
"Man, I am so sorry. Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, one hand on my head to make sure it was all in one piece.
"I totally wasn't watching where I was going, man. Can I buy you a drink to make up for it?" he asked. I started to say that wasn't necessary, but then I looked into his face for the first time and my heart almost stopped.
Okay, so it's L.A. and I work in the entertainment industry. I should be used to seeing celebrities that I drooled over from afar just a few months ago, right? But I had never before come face to face with my ultimate celebrity crush, Ryan Phillippe.
"Thanks. That would be fine," I smiled, my heart pounding. Ryan nodded and started to make his way through the crowd towards the bar, with me right behind him. My eyes were on his ass as he walked in front of me, so I almost ran into him when he stopped short. Looking up quickly I realized we'd reached the blonde girl I'd made eye contact with before Ryan ran into me. My heart sank as seeing them together made me recall who she was- Reese Witherspoon, his girlfriend.
"Good going Ryan! I can see the tabloid headlines now. "Movie Star Tramples Unsuspecting Club Goer." Reese laughed.
"Yeah. Then the story would grow and say it had been a fight over you, Ree," Ryan laughed. The three of us made our way to the bar without another word. Ryan got three drinks and motioned for us to follow him to a quieter section of the club.
"Hi. I'm Ryan and this is Reese," he said once we'd sat down at a table. I said hello to both of them and took a sip of beer, still unable to believe I was sitting with Ryan Phillippe.
"Are you sure your okay?" Ryan asked. I nodded yes again.
"Don't talk much, do you?" Reese asked. "Or are you just star struck?"
"Ree. The guy probably doesn't even know who we are, much less care." Ryan chastised. Reese shrugged and looked out towards the dance floor.
"Oh, I do know who you guys are. I'm Seth Barnes, by the way. And thanks for the drink," I said, giving Ryan what I hoped was a melting smile. Sure, he was there with his girlfriend, but I knew I'd probably never be sitting with down with him again, so I decided to take my chances.
"Nice to meet you Seth. You an actor?" Ryan asked. Reese turned her eyes towards me again, waiting for my answer. I stared back into Ryan's eyes and smiled.
"No. I couldn't act to save my life. I'm a writer," I said. Reese lost interest again and looked back out to the floor.
"Really? Have you written anything I might have heard of?" Ryan asked. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but he seemed to be more interested than the situation warranted. It was as if he really wanted to know about me. Even better, he'd hadn't broken eye contact at all, staring back into my eyes with his own gorgeous blue eyes.
I told Ryan which show I worked on and he seemed impressed. "I've been hearing a lot about it lately. You seem kind of young, though. Did you go to college?" he asked. Before I could reply, Reese stood up and looked at Ryan, her lips pouting.
"I want to dance. I didn't come to sit at a table all night," she said. Ryan rolled his eyes. "Ree, there are plenty of people to dance with. Go ahead," he said. Reese flounced off, obviously not pleased.
As happy as I was at this turn of events, I had to say the polite thing. "You really don't have to sit here with me all night if you want to go and dance with your girlfriend." Ryan smiled and I held my breath, waiting for his reply.
"That's okay. I really don't like hitting the clubs with her all that much anyway. This was kind of a publicity thing," he said. I nodded, wondering if maybe his whole relationship with her might be 'a publicity thing.' It seemed too much to hope for.
For the next few hours, Ryan and I sat and talked. I told him about leaving college to follow my dreams and about working on the show. We talked about the business as a whole, and about certain stories making the gossip round in town at the moment. He told me about his own career and how he'd gotten started. It seemed only minutes since we'd sat down, but soon the crowd in the club started to thin out as people left for the night. Looking at my watch, I was stunned to see it was already two in the morning. I looked around the club, wondering where Ashley was since we'd come in the same car.
"Looking for someone in particular?" Ryan asked with his killer smile.
"Well, my ride actually. I came with a friend but I don't see her anywhere."
"Ryan!" Reese suddenly stumbled up to the table, feeling no pain. "Sweetheart angel, let's go back to my place," Reese slurred her words. Ryan sighed and stood up, putting one hand on Reese's arm to steady her.
"Well, Seth, it's been great talking to you. I'm sorry about knocking you down and stepping on your head, man," Ryan grinned. I smiled back, but inside I was suddenly sad. This was it. I was never going to see Ryan again. He was no longer just a sexy movie star, not after all the hours I'd spent talking with him. He was someone I felt I could really fall for.
"Well, I can always say I've been stepped on by greatness, right?" I smiled, looking into his eyes once again, trying to convey what I felt.
"If you say so," Ryan laughed, putting out his hand for me to shake it. As our hands touched, I felt electrified. Our eyes met and this time I knew that we must be thinking the same thoughts.
"Ryyyyyyaaaaannnn........I wanna go." Reese whined, her head resting on his shoulder. Ryan rolled his eyes again and waved goodbye to me as he and Reese started to head towards the exit. I began to walk around the club, looking for Ashley. It only took about ten minutes to realize that she wasn't in the club any more. I suddenly felt very exhausted as I went to the pay phone to call a cab.
Waiting outside the club ten minutes later for my taxi, my mind went back over every word Ryan and I had said to each other, every smile that had lit up his face, the way his eyes had sparkled when he laughed. I felt a wave of loneliness as I waited, wondering if I'd ever meet someone as wonderful as Ryan who was meant for me.
A hand touched my shoulder and I jumped. Turning, I was surprised to see Ryan standing on the sidewalk behind me.
"Ryan? I thought you left?"
"I did. I took Reese home. But I just.... I had to..... I mean..." Ryan was suddenly at a loss for words. I stared at him, wondering what he could be trying to say, and hoping it was what I though it was.
"Do you need a ride?" Ryan finally asked.
"I'd love one," I smiled. Ryan motioned with him head towards his Jaguar and we started walking towards it. As soon as we were inside I turned to Ryan.
"I live-" I started to give him directions, but was cut off when he leaned forward and grabbed my face, pulling me into a kiss. I was stunned at first as Ryan's tongue danced around my mouth, but I soon began to kiss back with passion. We broke the kiss only when we needed to catch our breath.
"I wanted to do that all night," Ryan smiled, and I felt my heart jump. "Me too." I said softly. "Would you like to go back to my place?" Ryan asked, looking intently into my eyes. Every nerve in my body suddenly tingled and I nodded my head.
"But what about Reese?" I asked. Ryan leaned closer, brushing his hand against my cheek.
"Seth, I'm gay. I have no interest in Reese. It's just for appearance sake. My manager and agent suggested it. I like guys. I like YOU," Ryan smiled as he leaned in for another kiss. This time his hands searched their way down my back as his tongue searched my mouth. I ran my hands through his hair, not sure if I was dreaming this or not.
When he finally pulled away and started the car he put his hand on my thigh as he sped off into the night. If this was a dream, I knew I never wanted to wake up.
***To Be Continued? Please send comments or suggestions to justins_boy@hotmail.com- I would really appreciate some feedback.