by Reber, Tina
Ryan was a guy from Pittsburgh who chewed on his fingernails and cared enough to prevent me from taking an aspirin. That was the man I was falling for.
I made good on my promise to call him.
“Good evening, Mr. Christensen,” I whispered seductively in the phone. “This is Stacy from Housekeeping with your seven p.m. wake up call.” I figured I would mess with him.
“Well, hello Stacy,” he snickered lightly. “Thank you for being prompt.”
“Of course, sir. The management would like to know if you are enjoying your dinner this evening.”
“Hmm, well I can think of a few things that would improve the ambiance. Perhaps you could put your manager on the line so I can complain.”
“Sure, one moment please…” I tried to change my sultry voice. “Hello, this is Megan, the night manager. I understand that you’re very unhappy?”
“Hello, Megan. By the way, I really like this game. Yes, I am very unhappy. I’d like to know what you intend to do about it?”
“We could give you a cash refund or if you’d prefer we could extend some complementary poker chips to you?”
“Er, not acceptable. What else are you offering?”
“We are hosting an all-you-can-eat steak dinner this Sunday. Would you like a complementary ticket?”
“I already have one. What else do you have?” he inquired.
“Did I mention that the dinner comes along with front row seats to Sunday’s game between the Steelers and the Giants?”
“Yes, and I’m looking forward to that!” he stated with much enthusiasm. “But I’m unhappy now!” The whining in his voice was amusing.
“Well, sir, since your happiness is our number one priority, why don’t you tell me what would make you happy.” I was momentarily relieved to lob the ball onto his side of the court.
“I can only think of one thing that would make me happy right now, and I don’t believe that some girl named Megan could satisfy that. You wouldn’t happen to have any Taryns there on staff, do you?” he asked.
I smiled. “Maybe!”
“You really know how to make my day. Do you know that?” he asked. “I was not in the best of moods right before you called. Now I’m having a hard time remembering why I was in a bad mood at all.”
“I’m glad. You want to talk about it?” I asked.
“Ah, I’m just a little stressed. It’s been a long day. I’d like to leave here and relax on your couch but I can’t. Especially since the weather is pretty decent outside, we can get some additional night shots done. And I really just want to wash this crap off my face too!” he complained.
“What crap?”
“I have some stuff on to make it look like I have a cut lip. It itches. I really want to scratch it off.”
“I’d like to see that. Were you supposed to be in a fight or something?” I asked. I was trying to imagine what he looked like.
“Do you want me to send you a picture? I can take one if you’re that curious.”
“Heck yeah! Is it just supposed to look like a cut or do you look like that idiot who didn’t run away from the lit dynamite?”
“No!” He laughed. “I was in a fist fight. You should see the other guy.”
“Did you pummel him?” I was trying to picture Ryan fighting with someone.
“Let’s just say two of them won’t be bothering me anymore.”
“That sounds like a movie line.” I chuckled.
“It is,” he said amusingly. “Can you name the movie it’s from?”
I thought about his statement for a moment. He even repeated the line for me a second time and gave me another hint.
“True Lies!” I answered enthusiastically, catching the inflection in his voice. “Bill Paxton says that to Jami Lee Curtis when he takes credit for killing those guys in the mall bathroom.”
“I can’t believe you got that one!” He sounded proud. “So why is it that you know other movies by heart but you haven’t seen any of my movies yet?”
I was surprised he even asked me that question. “How will you ever know if I like Charles or just some guy named Ryan? Isn’t it better this way?”
“Hah. You’re right. From now on you are hereby banned from seeing any of my movies.”
I knew he was kidding, but at the same time visions of me not being invited to any premiers flashed through my mind. I didn’t want the fame or the red carpet; I just wanted to be by his side, holding his hand, loving him, and being proud of his accomplishments – whatever they might be.
Once again I was setting my hopes up for nothing, longing for a relationship that could never be. His inevitable departure date was still looming.
“Listen, Ryan, I have to go. Marie is all by herself behind the bar and we’re kind of busy. It was nice talking to you.” I had the sudden urge to flee.
“Okay. Um, I guess I’ll talk to you later then.”
I don’t think I even said goodbye. I shoved my phone into the front pocket of my jeans and hurried back behind the bar. The sooner I could get distracted the better. I kept slipping up over and over again, letting my guard down with him and allowing myself to swim in dangerous waters.
A few minutes passed and my cell phone buzzed again. I opened the picture Ryan sent; he had a funny expression on his face while pointing to his fake cut lip. I couldn’t help but laugh.
I tried to convince myself that I wouldn’t get hurt if I kept this thing with him strictly platonic, but to do so I’d have to make sure that I didn’t let him touch me anymore. No more holding hands, or running my fingers through his soft hair, staring into his eyes. Hugging… that was dangerous too. Anything that involved physical contact must be off-limits. I even tried to force myself to have a dream where we were only friends, playing a game of softball with us on the Mitchell’s Pub team, but even my subconscious betrayed me.
The following day I tried to banish the lingering memories of the hot and steamy dream I did have about him, where I tore the baseball uniform off his body…
“Hey baby!” Marie greeted me as she started her shift Thursday night.
I dumped a new bucket of ice in the bin, thinking I should dump an entire bucket down my shirt too. “Hey. I have some applicants coming in today. I’d like you to interview them too, since we both have to get along with whomever I hire.”
“Sure. No problem,” she said as she tucked her bar rag in her back pocket. “Did you hear from Mr. Wonderful?”
I smiled. “He called me three times today.”
“Three?” She looked surprised.
“He wasn’t in a lot of scenes, so he was bored,” I muttered privately.
“Bored? Yeah right! He’s definitely crazy about you,” Marie insisted.
Marie and I were handling a decent sized crowd when our second applicant came into the bar. He was twenty-something, dressed like a normal human being, and he was early. Marie spent about twenty minutes with him before she returned to the bar.
“I like this one,” she murmured to me in passing.
The young man’s name was Cory. He was twenty-three, tall and beefy with a short haircut and a dark brown goatee. He was taking business and computer courses at the local community college and needed rent money.
Halfway through the interview Ryan called me again. I looked at the time; he was on his dinner break.
“Hi, um, can I call you back?” I answered quickly. “I’m interviewing someone right now. I’ll call you in a few minutes, okay?”
“No, that’s okay. I have to get back on set in ten minutes and then I’m going out to eat with some of the cast. I just thought of something I wanted to tell you. I’ll call you when I get to the hotel later,” Ryan rambled and then hung up.
“Sorry about that,” I apologized to Cory. Knowing Ryan, he just wanted to talk.
I escorted Cory out to the bar, and instead of leaving, he sat down on a barstool. I liked the fact that he wanted to check out the atmosphere of the bar. It showed he was interested in wor
king here.
“I like him too,” I said to Marie. “If his references check out, maybe we can give him a trial run this weekend?”
“Yeah, sure.” She nodded. “He knows his drinks and he seems like a nice guy. Something for all the females to look at?” she added. “Besides, two bitches behind the bar are enough.”
Chapter 9 - Gestures
I spent an hour Friday afternoon calling Cory’s references, even though I was pretty decided that I was going to hire him. Cory was willing to start tonight and that sounded perfect to me. I was wondering if Ryan was going to just show up again; surely we would get slammed with customers if he did that.
I was tempted to call Ryan since he didn’t call me back last night like he said he would. I wondered if he was waiting for me to call him - if it was a test. It didn’t matter; I still wasn’t going to sway from my rule not to chase him.
I had already given up hope hearing from Ryan when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I looked at the time; it was ten thirty.
“Marie, I’ll be right back,” I said as I ran for my stairwell.
“Hi,” I answered, very much knowing whose voice was going to respond.
“Hi – how are you?” Ryan asked.
“I’m great! How are you?” I was definitely happy to hear from him.
“I’m good. I just left dinner. I really want to see you tonight.”
“I really want to see you too.” Damn, another slip.
“Good!” he said happily.
“Are you going to walk through my front door in two minutes?” I chuckled, attempting to cover up my mistake.
“Mike, stop right here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” It sounded like he had the phone away from his face, and then I heard a car door slam. I could hear his breathing rate pick up.
“Why does it sound like you’re running?” I asked.
“Because I’m halfway down your alley,” he breathed back.
I ran to the back door.
A few moments later a dark cloaked figure slipped through my back door. The hood of his jacket was pulled way up to hide his face and he had his large messenger bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes met mine and a huge smile appeared on his face.
“Hey you,” Ryan greeted me, slipping his hand through his hair to knock his hood back. The lights in the kitchen made the reddish tinge in his dirty blond hair even more noticeable.
“Hey back,” I said, matching his beaming smile with my own as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders to give me a quick hug.
“Brrr, it’s cold out there.” Ryan shivered slightly and stepped back to release me. “Um... so, how are you?” His eyebrows narrowed.
“I’m good!” I was smiling so hard my face started to hurt. He gave me a little wink. So much for not letting him hug me.
“You look… great!” he complimented. He ran his eyes down my body; his fingers touched the edge of my shirt.
His eyes seemed to linger until the music playing in the pub distracted him.
“Sounds like you have another great band tonight.” His head bobbed slightly with the music.
“Thanks! I have ‘Far from Human’ playing.” I gestured. “They’re one of the better cover bands in town.”
“They’re really rocking!” he said. “But I can’t deal with a crowd tonight. I’d rather not have anyone know I’m here.” I could see the concern in his eyes and I understood what he meant. I knew he didn’t have a private life. “Do you mind if I hang out upstairs and wait until you’re done?”
He smiled my favorite innocent, smirky-smile, which shattered most of my protective shell. The word “no” no longer seemed to exist in my vocabulary. I motioned with my head for him to follow me.
I squeezed through the kitchen door and opened up the stairwell door, holding my hand out to him. Our eyes met as he gently placed his hand in mine, then I slipped him from one door to another completely unnoticed.
He took his bag off his shoulder and removed his jacket, making a small pile of his stuff on my living room floor.
Instinctively I walked over to my windows and pulled down the shades. I could only imagine the photographers scaling the walls to take pictures.
“How was your day?” I asked, trying to get back to friends mode.
“Busy. We filmed all day. I just got off the set and then a few of us went out for a quick bite to eat.”
“No rest for the weary, huh?” I teased.
“No, not usually,” he agreed. “But I was actually able to have a meal without fans screaming tonight though!”
“Did you use the Ninja cloaking device?” I kidded.
“I told Cal what you said when we went to dinner tonight. He couldn’t stop laughing.” Ryan chuckled.
I laughed with him, remembering one of our sillier conversations from yesterday. “Were you on your way back to the hotel?”
“Yeah, but I decided to take a detour!” Ryan snorted. “Would have been nice to freshen up though,” he said as he rubbed his face.
“What? No cuts on your lip?” I was looking to see if he was still wearing any special effects makeup.
“No.” He grimaced at my comment. “But it’s been a long day. Hey, do you mind if I take a shower?”
My mind went straight to Hell with the visions that instantly appeared in my thoughts.
“No, I don’t mind.” I tried to sound unaffected by his request. “You know your way around, make yourself at home.” Friends sometimes take showers at their friend’s houses, I justified.
Thinking about him being naked and wet in my apartment was too dangerous, especially with a crowded bar to attend to. I hurried down the hall to the bathroom and set out a fresh towel on the counter for him. My mind wandered as I tried not to envision him all soapy and wet in my shower.
I could all too clearly picture him standing in the stream of hot water as the soap lather gathered in the crevices of his muscular frame, washing him clean. Do friends sometimes wash their friends? Naked, wet, hot sex in the shower... could I handle a “friends with benefits” relationship with him? Stop! Bar. Business to run. Focus Taryn.
“I have to run downstairs and make sure Marie is okay covering the bar. I have a new bartender working tonight. I’ll be right back. Can I get you anything to drink while I’m down there?” Back to business mode.
“Yeah, no problem. Do what you have to do.” He nodded at me.
“Ah… if you can bring me back a beer, that would be great,” he said as he wheeled around in a bit of a circle.
“Do you have a preference?” I figured I’d ask.
Ryan smiled. “Surprise me!”
After I settled things with Marie to cover the bar, I returned to him with a six pack in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other. He peeked up over some papers in his hand; a very sultry grin cracked on his lips as he shook his head at me in disbelief again.
“So what are you reading?” I handed a cold bottle of beer to him.
“I got a new script that my agent wants me to look over.” He briefly held the papers up in the air. “It’s called Slipknot.”
I had never seen a movie script before and I was surprised to see it was a pretty thick packet.
“What’s it about?” I asked, genuinely interested in knowing what types of movies he was being courted for.
“I’ve been told it’s about a guy whose parents and sister are murdered and he has to uncover why it happened and who did it.” He took a sip of his beer.
“Hmm, so it’s a murder mystery? Is that something you’d be interested in doing?”
“I’m not sure. I have to read this whole thing and let my agent know if I’m interested by Tuesday, although it seems like they’ve already cast me for the part.”
“This Tuesday?” I asked, slightly shocked. “In four days you have to give them an answer? It looks like a lot to read in such a short time.”
I didn’t realize that some of these movie deals happened so quickly. “Talk about putting pressure on you. N
o wonder you’re stressed.”
His eyes flashed over to look at me. “Well, it’s a studio film and they want to fast track it.”
I nodded even though I wasn’t sure what the heck he was talking about.
Ryan was staring at me. “You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you?” he laughed lightly.
I smirked, surprised he was able to read me like that.
“Okay, here’s your lesson for today. Pay attention because there will be a quiz.” He held the script up. “You’ve heard of Paramount, I assume?”
I rolled my eyes.
“Okay… they are the ‘studio.’ ” He gestured. “Without over-complicating it, they’ve got the money. This film has already received a ‘green light.’ What do you do at a green light?”
“You go,” I answered.
“Script… film has been pitched… money is there to back it… green light – go. With me so far?”
I hoped my look got the message across that I’m not an idiot.
“Now this project is in pre-production. That’s when the cast gets hired, budget is determined, and for this film I understand that Jonathan Follweiler is going to be directing. What it means for me are two things.” Ryan counted on his fingers. “One, do I want to do it and two, can I meet the production schedule dates. If I can’t commit to being there, I can’t do the film.”
“So you still have the option to turn it down, right?” I asked.
“Yes. I haven’t signed anything yet.” He waved his hands. “And they need to make me an offer.”
“Don’t you have to audition first?” I tried to sound like I knew something.
“Not really… not anymore. All those screaming fans are like one huge resume. I may have to screen test with potential actresses to see if the chemistry is there, but that’s about it.”
“Got it!” I grinned.
“Good! Tomorrow we’ll learn all about cinematography.”
“Darn! I was hoping that tomorrow would be all about special effects.” I pouted.