Counting Stars

by Renee Porter

  Synopsis

  Ryan Stark grew up in the glitz and glamor of Hollywood. After a dramatic turn of events, she secluded herself from that life, fully engrossing herself in her work of keeping young LGBTQ youths off of the street. Even though her love life leaves much to the imagination, Ryan depends on her loving yet quirky best friends to get her through without fully diving into the life of a hermit.

  A chanced blind date gone wrong leads her to meet the stunningly beautiful Charlie. With a mysterious grin and shy smile, Ryan soon develops a friendship with Charlie that surpasses any relationship that she had ever had with any one person in her life. But she soon finds out that Charlie is very much off limits, since her career of choice would land her directly into the life that she had tried so desperately to remove herself from.

  Set in the same world as Gravity, watch as these two women attempt to traverse the dramatic events that life always seems to bring. And with a little help from Maddie and B, maybe these two women can find the happiness that they both deserve.

  Chapter 1

  “What are you doing Friday night?”

  “Holy shit, Katie!” Ryan Stark held her hand over chest, trying to still the rapid beating of her heart. “When did you even come in?” Her friend’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

  “I’m sneaky. So?” Katie was waiting for an answer, but Ryan stared back blankly, waiting for an explanation instead.

  “So?” Ryan asked back. It was never a good thing when Katie Jackson was asking a question like that and Ryan knew very well what she was already asking.

  “What are you doing Friday night?” The thin, wiry haired brunette sat on the edge of Ryan’s desk. Ryan sat back with a squeak of her chair, eyeing her friend hesitantly.

  “I’m busy.” Ryan gripped her fingers in front of her mouth, a move that Katie knew all too well. She had Ryan already backed into a corner.

  “That’s right you are. Because my brother’s, best friend’s, sister’s, roommate’s, sister is in town.” Ryan squinted, her brows ruffling together trying to follow the bread trail.

  “And what does that have to do with me, exactly?”

  “She’s pretty.” Katie shrugged, her face cracking in a wide smile.

  “Well, good for her?”

  “And you’re pretty.”

  “Don’t even think about it.”

  “And she happens to be bisexual…”

  “Katie. Don’t. Even…”

  “And you happen to be a lesbian.” Ryan stood quickly covering her friend’s mouth with the palm of her hand.

  “Katie Jackson. I am not, and I repeat, not, going out with your brother’s, best friend’s, sister’s, brother’s, sister...” Ryan furrowed her brows again and shook her head. “Whatever, however you know this woman. I am not going out on a blind date with her.” Katie’s eyes widened as she started to speak behind the palm. Her voice was muffled and Ryan removed her hand as her friend’s words came in rapid succession.

  “What?”

  “I said…” Ryan waited as Katie took a deep breath, “my brother’s best friend’s, sister’s, roommate’s, sister. It’s not that hard to follow, Ryan. And plus, she’s nice. And really pretty. You like femme’s right? Cause she is definitely femme.” Ryan had to chuckle as her friend’s eyebrows wiggled up and down.

  “Katie, you know how I feel about blind dates.”

  “Uh, not just blind dates. Any dates. Seriously, Ryan. When was the last time you went out on a date, like a real one?” Ryan opened her mouth, one finger pointed in the air, and then her mouth closed.

  “Mhmm, my point exactly.” Katie folded her arms in front of her chest and crossed her ankles with a smug look.

  “There was Mary. I went on a date with her.”

  “Mary? The girl that Jonathan set you up with? The ventriloquist?” Ryan nodded her head. “Didn’t she bring out her puppet half way during the date and order dinner for it?” Ryan winced at the memory.

  “Yeah, and I got stuck paying the bill. She did have some good knock, knock jokes though.” Ryan stared off, remembering the date.

  “Well, any woman that tells knock, knock jokes on a date has some serious issues.”

  “No, not Mary. The puppet. It was really funny,” Ryan chuckled as Katie rolled her eyes.

  “Come on. Really, Ryan. This girl is nice. She is really pretty and she likes to read.” Ryan’s interest peaked slightly at her friend’s last words.

  “Oh yeah? What does she read?”

  Katie shrugged her shoulders. “Not sure exactly. But I know how much of a bookworm you are. And plus, I already spoke to Jonathan and he said that if you don’t go, your weekly dinners are cancelled.”

  “He can’t do that!” Katie smiled at Ryan’s outburst.

  “Oh he can. And he will.” Ryan grunted as she flopped back down in her chair.

  “You both are blackmailing me.”

  “Look, if you really don’t want to go you don’t have to. I just worry about you, Ry.” Ryan looked up at the sincerity in her friend’s chocolate brown eyes. She bit her bottom lip, her anxiety already starting to peak.

  “I know. But you don’t have to worry, Katie. I’m 25 years old. I’m a big girl.”

  “Yes, you are. But you live for this place and not for yourself. You’re so selfless when it comes to anyone but you. You deserve to have some fun, you know.”

  “I do have fun.”

  “I mean away from work.”

  Ryan sighed. She knew that Katie was telling the truth. Ryan successfully ran a charity that catered towards LGBT homeless youths. She remembered how difficult it was to start her business five years ago and at that time in her life it took a lot out of her. Now, though, the budding startup was thriving and she really didn’t have to work so hard to keep the doors open. But still, so many people depended on her, and she loved what she did.

  “He really said that he would cancel our dinners?”

  Katie’s lips pursed in a knowing smile. With a simple nod of her head Ryan rolled her eyes. “Text me the time and place. I’ll be there.”

  “Excellent! Who knows, Ry? Maybe this one date will change your life.” Katie smiled as she exited Ryan’s office. The hopeful tone in Katie’s voice almost sparked something within Ryan but she knew better than to hope on love. Ryan sighed as she shook her head.

  ***

  “No, no, no, no…” Ryan’s fingers drummed nervously on her steering wheel. ”Why does there have to be traffic now? There’s never traffic on this street every other day!” Ryan sobbed dramatically as her foot hit the break. She eyed the clock. If she could get to the cafe at this exact moment she would only be five minutes late. But she was at least two miles away, and at this rate it would take her at least ten more minutes to get there. If it was one thing that Ryan hated it was being late. The moment her foot released the break to slowly crawl her car forward, the ringtone of her phone started to blare.

  “Hello?”

  “Don’t take Sherman Way, there’s an accident.” Jonathan’s voice rang over the speaker and Ryan rolled her eyes.

  “Thank you, Captain Obvious.”

  “Well, aren’t we just Holly Go Lightly today!”

  “Shove it, Jon. If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t be stressing right now. I would already be at home, snuggled in my bed and reading. But no, you had to go and threaten me into accepting this shitty date.”

  “Why is it that when you get nervous you curse like a sailor?”

  “Fuck if I know.” Ryan smirked as she heard Jonathan chuckle over the phone.

  “You’re such a lady. And you don’t have to be nervous, Ryan. It’s just a date. One hour of your life. Or a whole night if it goes well.”

  Ryan rolled her eyes. “Oh, sex on the
first date. How do you know me so well?” Jonathan laughed again.

  “You’re going to have fun, Ryan.”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  “Say it.”

  “I’m not doing this with you, Jonathan.”

  “Just say it.” Jonathan waited for a moment but when Ryan didn’t take the bait he sighed. “Fine, just promise me you won’t ramble.”

  “I don’t ramble.” Ryan barked defensively. Jonathan scoffed and Ryan rolled her eyes over the phone.

  “You do when you’re nervous.”

  “No I don’t!”

  Jonathan bit his tongue to say ‘yes you do’ but decided that arguing with Ryan when she was stressed was a lost cause.

  “Just remember, Ry. She doesn’t have to be your Ms. Right. But she could be your Ms. Right Now.”

  “Or she could be my Ms. Right Never if I don’t get there on time.” Ryan huffed out as she pulled up to another long line of cars behind a red light.

  “Just have fun. No one says you need to marry this girl.”

  “Thanks for the bout of confidence,” Ryan stated between clenched teeth. He held out another long breath and mumbled something incoherent.

  “What was that?” Ryan asked as she pressed on the gas pedal and then the brake.

  “Nothing, just in the same traffic as you I think. My cousin’s flight got in earlier than she thought so she’s waiting for me to pick her up. I’m still a half hour away.”

  Ryan chuckled as she heard a honk over the phone. Jonathan yelled an obscenity and Ryan winced as she rolled up her window. She didn’t need the rest of Los Angeles to hear her crazy conversation with her crazy best friend.

  “Just text her and let her know you’ll be another hour because this city fucking sucks.” Ryan fought the urge to honk her horn at the slowest moving driver in front of her.

  “Hey, maybe you’ll end up marrying this chick and you can move to a small town where the only traffic is waiting for a herd of cows to cross the road.”

  “Does that even happen in real life?” Ryan asked as she finally saw the café come into view. She had half a block to go and the time on the clock told her she would only be fifteen minutes late. Not that bad.

  “Honey, it does and I grew up there. Custer, South Dakota. Population three thousand bigots, five hundred chickens and two gays.”

  “Two? I thought you were the only one?” Ryan teased as she heard Jonathan laugh heartily over the phone.

  “Well, one out and proud,” he stated mysteriously. Ryan rolled her eyes as she imagined Jonathan coaxing some young jock back in high school out of the closet.

  “Another time for that story, Jon. I just pulled up. Wish me luck, I’m going to need it.”

  “No you’re not. You’re funny and bright and beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to have a date with you.” Ryan forced herself not to roll her eyes.

  “Thanks, I guess. I’ll text you later to let you know how it went. Good luck with picking up your cousin.” Ryan said as she went to hang up the phone. Before Jonathan said goodbye, however, she heard, “Don’t ramble!”

  “I don’t!” Ryan said one more time before she hung up. She got out of the car, miraculously finding a spot near the café and breathed in deeply. She closed her eyes as she whispered to herself, ‘don’t ramble.’

  ***

  Ryan rushed into the small restaurant, trying to compose herself as she stared into the crowd of the café. The inside was small and homey, but every patron was either paired up or working on a laptop. Katie had said that Mandy was brunette with blue eyes, pretty, slim – just like everyone else in this town, she thought. The one thing that Katie had told Ryan that Mandy would have a book on her table to single out; a sign to let Ryan know who she was looking for . There was one thing that would single out Mandy though. Ryan glanced around, trying to find a woman with Mandy ’s description holding a book.

  When she didn’t see anyone that matched that description inside, she went to the glass doors of the patio. She nearly choked on an intake of breath as she found herself looking directly at a woman that seemed to match Mandy’s description. The woman had dark, silky hair draped loosely around her shoulders. She was clad in a simple maroon blouse and tight light blue jeans. Her flip flops hung off of her crossed legs and although she was unable to see her eyes through the dark lenses that covered them . The , the book that she was reading was more than enough to clue her in. There was only one thing that she couldn’t understand, though. Katie had said that Mandy was pretty. This woman, however, wasn’t just pretty, she was gorgeous. Ryan shook her head as she straightened her back and opened the patio doors. At the sound of the door opening, the woman looked up and met Ryan’s green eyes through her own shielded ones. A tentative smile made itself known and Ryan’s heart thudded faster.

  Ryan stepped up as she took a deep breath in trying to steady her racing heart. “Hi, I’m Ryan. I’m so sorry that I’m late. There was an accident on Sherman Way and what usually takes me ten minutes took me nearly half an hour. I hope you didn’t wait too long, did you just get here?” Ryan took the empty seat across from the woman and placed her purse on the chair. She smiled as the woman smirked, taking her bottom lip between her teeth. She stared for a second longer and placed her book down.

  “Hello.” She stared a second more and Ryan swallowed thickly. The woman seemed to chuckle and then held out her hand, “I’m Charlie.” Ryan smiled and took the woman’s hand, soft fingers gripping her own confidently. She was always so amazed at how you could tell a lot about a person how they shook your hand. Too soft and you figure they aren’t confident. Too strong and they are overly aggressive. But Charlie’s handshake was perfect. Charlie’s wasn’t too soft, or strong, it was just right. Charlie’s was…Ryan furrowed her brows at the end of her thoughts as she looked up at the woman who still wore a devilish smile on her face.

  “Charlie? I thought your name was Mandy.” Charlie chuckled as she removed her hand, placing it back in her lap.

  “Well, unless you know something I don’t know, I’m pretty sure my name is Charlie.” Ryan groaned as her cheeks grew hot. This was definitely not how she wanted her date to start.

  “I am so sorry, Charlie. I thought you were someone else. Really, so sorry.” Ryan stood as she smiled awkwardly. She went to grab her purse, needing to walk away from her embarrassment, but that strong, confident grip, returned on her wrist. Ryan looked down, following the hand up to a toned bicep and then to Charlie’s darkened eyes.

  “Ryan, wait. Sit down for a second.” Ryan’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She hesitantly sat down, awaiting for an explanation.

  “Blind date?”

  “How did you know?” Ryan deadpanned and Charlie let out a raspy laugh.

  Charlie hummed for a moment and then said, “Let me guess,” Charlie gazed over Ryan’s left shoulder, “she is brunette, thin, blue eyes, and has a book on her table?” Ryan went to look over her own shoulder to follow Charlie’s eyes, but the hand on her wrist took her attention.

  “Don’t look, yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because the book that’s on her table is Twilight.”

  Ryan winced at the words and her lips turned downward in a frown. “You’re serious?” Charlie nodded her head. “I knew this was a bad idea.” Ryan shifted uncomfortably in her chair and then looked up at Charlie. “Wait, how did you know that I wouldn’t be a fan of the series?” Charlie shrugged, finally realizing that her hand was still grasped tightly on Ryan’s wrist. She cleared her throat and smiled shyly.

  “You just don’t look like you’re team Edward or Jacob. Maybe Bella, but…”

  Ryan looked at her with a confused stare.

  “Team what?”

  “You know. The whole movie PR stunt? Either you like Edward, the sparkly white guy vampire or you’re in love with the Jacob, the muscular, hot, werewolf?” Charlie looked at the brunette with hesitant glare.

  “Sorry, I’ve never seen the mo
vies. I mean, I read the first part of the book, but I just couldn’t get into it. It was so….”

  “You’ve never seen Twilight?” Charlie asked in astonishment, interrupting Ryan’s thought. Ryan shook her head, pursing her lips together. She was used to this type of reaction. Was it really unusual that she didn’t watch movies? Or TV? Or that she didn’t even own a TV? Okay, it was a little weird, especially living in Los Angeles, but to Ryan it was just the way she lived her life.

  “I don’t really watch movies. I don’t even own a TV.” Ryan was ready for the onslaught of questions that usually came with her declaration but Charlie just smiled. She shook her head and laughed, as if she was keeping a secret. Ryan found that smile mysterious, and intriguing.

  “Well, that’s okay. You aren’t missing anything.”

  “I feel bad, I totally stood her up. Maybe I should just go over there and explain.”

  Charlie shook her head and nodded over at the woman. “It doesn’t look like she’s bent over backwards about being stood up.” Ryan finally looked over her shoulder. She had to admit that Mandy was pretty, in that girl trying too hard to look good kind of way. She also noticed that she was successfully chatting with a good looking man, and by the way that her body was talking, she was interested. Ryan glanced back at Charlie and cocked an eyebrow up.

  Both women chuckled and Ryan shook her head. “This is exactly why I should never, ever go on another blind date.” Charlie eased a slow smile.

  “It doesn’t seem like you would need any help finding a date.” The woman shook her head. “Sorry, that was awfully personal.” Heat rose to Ryan’s cheeks as she attempted to look at Charlie.

  “Tell that to my friends.” Ryan tried to lighten the tense mood that fell upon the table. She was surprised that even through the awkwardness, she was enjoying herself. Charlie was obviously friendly and sociable. She was easy to talk to and easy on the eyes. Ryan couldn’t, however, place if she was a lesbian or not, but at this point she didn’t care. Just being able to sit with someone and not feel a strain to continue a conversation was more than enough for her to feel like she was having fun.