Jason paid the check and stood up. “I really enjoyed this, Dev. I can’t wait to get out to L.A. and see you again.”
Devon flashed a tight smile but remained silent while following Jason out to the car. On the way to the airport, they kept the conversation light while chatting about his work and her life in Los Angeles. And when it was time to say goodbye, Devon made it a point to keep things short and sweet.
Once Devon walked inside the airport, however, her mind immediately shifted to thoughts of Ryan. He still hadn’t texted or called her back. And she couldn’t help but wonder just how awkward things would be between them once she returned to L.A.
Chapter Eighteen
“Okay, everyone, we’ve got a great script that the writers and I worked really hard on,” Lena said. “So why don’t we get started, and if all goes well, we’ll start shooting this baby later today.”
It was Monday morning, and the cast and crew were gathered around the main stage for a table read. While Devon was sitting on one side and Ryan was on the other, they’d already managed to throw several cold stares at one another.
Madison, who was sitting next to Devon, leaned over and whispered in her ear.
“How’d the charity event go this weekend? Some of us made bets that you and Ryan would come back to town as an official couple…”
“Ha!” Devon snickered. “Well, that didn’t happen. But the charity event was great, and Ryan was a huge hit. He helped raise a lot of money.”
“Ugh,” Madison groaned. “Oh well. Guess I’m outta ten dollars then. I just knew you two were gonna get together.”
“Sorry you lost your money, babe.”
Devon looked over and caught Ryan staring at her. When they locked eyes, he quickly looked away and focused on his script.
The pair had yet to talk since she’d gotten back to L.A., and judging by the way Ryan was acting, that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.
Madison leaned over and tapped Devon’s arm. “Hey, is everything okay with you and Ryan? I’m sensing a little tension between you two. And by a little, I mean a lot.”
Devon’s stomach dropped as she struggled not to show any sort of emotion. “Yeah, we’re fine. We’re both probably just tired from the weekend.” She grabbed her script and began flipping through the pages in an effort to shake Madison’s inquisitive stare.
When her cell phone buzzed, she pulled it from her back pocket and saw a text message from Gabby.
Hey, are you free for lunch? We never got a chance to catch up, and I still wanna hear about your breakfast with Jason. Let me know!
Devon hesitated before responding. Gabby had made it clear that she was no fan of Jason’s and was team Ryan all the way. The thought of telling her that they’d discussed rekindling their friendship was irksome to say the least. Nevertheless, Devon knew she couldn’t keep it from her forever.
Yes, I’m free, Devon wrote back. I should be available at about 12:30. Can’t stay out long because I’ll need to work on script notes. Quick salads at Drink Up Café?
Perfect. Meet me in wardrobe when you’re ready and we’ll head out together.
Sounds good. See you then.
When Devon looked up, she could feel Ryan’s eyes on her. She glanced over at him and saw that he was staring her dead in the face. She quickly turned toward the producer Melinda, who had just begun reading from the script.
“Travis enters the living room,” she said, “where he sees a melancholy Demetrius sitting on the couch, strumming his guitar and jotting lyrics down in his notebook.”
“Hey, what’s up, bro?” Ryan read aloud. “You okay?”
Malcolm, who played the role of Demetrius, sighed loudly. “Not really. I don’t think things are gonna work out between Ally and me.”
Ryan threw his hands in the air. “Dude! I already told you Ally’s not the one. She’s cool and all, but the woman is super focused on her acting career. Plus she still hasn’t gotten over her ex back home. Take it from me, homie, the girl is bad news.”
As soon as the lines were out of Ryan’s mouth, he peered over at Devon and smirked. A few of his castmates seemed to notice, and they glanced at her curiously.
A fiery streak of embarrassment shot through Devon’s chest. She tightened her grip on the script and stared down at the page, struggling to keep a straight face.
“I don’t know, Trav,” Malcolm continued. “I think Ally is good people. She’s just trying to work through her feelings, and at least she’s been honest with me about the whole thing. I think I’m gonna stick it out and see where things go.”
“Well, good luck with that, man. But just be careful. I don’t want to see my boy get hurt.”
The deep intensity in his tone forced Devon to look up at him. When she did, he was once again staring at her.
“You’ve got this big showcase coming up,” he continued, “your career is finally blowing up, and in the end, she’s just not worth it.”
“I appreciate your concern, brother. But I gotta do what’s best for me. Trust me. I got this. Cool?”
“Cool. Just remember that I’m here for you if you need me. And knowing Ally, you will.”
“And scene!” Melinda said. “That’s a wrap, people. Great job!”
As the cast and crew applauded, Devon turned toward Lena, who stood up and raised her hand in the air.
“Did we get everything down that needs to be changed or tweaked?” she asked the writing team.
Everyone responded with a resounding yes. Madison leaned toward Devon and glanced down at her script.
“Were you even able to take any notes?” she asked.
“Of course. Why?”
“Because you and Ryan were so busy throwing salty looks at each other during the entire read-through that I didn’t think you’d have time to write anything down. What’s going on between you two? Are you keeping secrets from me? Wait, are you two caught up in a hot and heavy love aff—”
“You can stop right there,” Devon interrupted. “There is absolutely nothing going on between us. He’s cool, and we’re friends. That’s it. And with that being said,” she continued, jumping up and grabbing her laptop, “I’d better get back to my desk and start working on these edits. I’m meeting Gabby for lunch and don’t wanna be late.”
“Okay. Let’s link up later this afternoon and compare notes, just to make sure we’re on the same page with the changes before turning them in to Lena.”
“Sounds good. I’ll stop by your desk when I get back.”
“Hey, Dev,” Lena called out, “how do you feel about the edits?”
“Really good. I’m going to work on them now, then Madison and I are getting together this afternoon to make sure we’ve got it all covered.”
“Great. Let’s meet up after that and go through everything. I want to try and get the revised script to the cast and crew first thing in the morning. You think we can swing that?”
“Absolutely. We’re on it.”
“Awesome. It’s so great having you here working with the team.”
Devon grinned widely and resisted the urge to jump up and down. “Thank you so much, Lena. I’m beyond happy being here. See you this afternoon.”
She sauntered across the stage, high off the compliment she’d just received from Lena. But when Devon walked past the cast, she sped up and dropped her head in an attempt to avoid Ryan. But before she was able to slink by, Simone, who played the role of Ally, stopped her.
“Hey, Dev! I need for you to confirm a little rumor. Is it true that you’ve got a lot of pull in the writers room?”
“I wouldn’t say all that. I’m allowed to contribute my ideas every now and then. Why? What’s up?”
“Well, Travis and Demetrius are being kind of brutal toward Ally in this episode. I don’t want my character to be viewed as some sort heartbreaking savage.”
Everyone in the group burst out laughing except Ryan, who stood there stoically while gawking at Devon.
“I
was thinking that maybe you could make a little suggestion to Lena,” Simone continued, “so Ally won’t become the most hated chick on the show.”
Devon fanned her face with the script as she began feeling clammy underneath Ryan’s intense scrutiny.
“I seriously doubt that’ll happen,” she told Simone. “Everybody loves Ally. But I’ll see what I can do. The last thing we’d want is for your sweet character to be mistaken for a savage.”
“And trust me, Simone,” Ryan said, his smug tone filled with sarcasm, “you’re talking to the right person, because Devon knows all about that savage life.”
Everyone turned to Ryan while Devon feigned oblivion, casually staring down at her fingernails. But in reality, she wanted nothing more than to fall through the floor and disappear right there on the spot.
“Good!” Simone replied. “Because word is Lena really values Devon’s opinion, which is so cool considering she’s just a PA.” As soon as it was out of her mouth, Simone grabbed Devon’s arm. “Wait, that didn’t come out right. I’m not saying being a PA is a bad thing…”
“I know,” Devon said, throwing her a reassuring half smile.
“But what I’m saying is,” Ryan continued, refusing to let up, “Devon seems to know all about the ins and outs of being both sweet and savage. So she’ll definitely be able to look out for you, Simone.” He rolled up his script and slowly backed away from the group. “Isn’t that right, Dee?”
Everyone fell silent. An uncomfortable tension filled the air, which had grown so thick that Devon was beginning to feel suffocated.
“Whatever you say, Ryan,” she muttered through clenched teeth before turning to Simone. “I’ll see what I can do for you. I’m meeting with Lena this afternoon, so I will feel her out and ask about her plans for Ally.”
“Thank you so much, girl! You’re the best.”
“No problem. See you all later,” Devon said to the group.
She brushed past Ryan, who seemed to purposely step closer toward her as she dashed by. Devon ignored him and hurried to her cubicle.
*
Devon stormed through the Drink Up Café and slammed her tray onto the table. She plopped down into a chair across from Gabby, tore the lid off her chopped salad and stabbed at the lettuce with her fork.
“So I’m guessing things didn’t go well at the read-through this morning. Are you okay?” Gabby asked before biting into her turkey and avocado sandwich.
“Nope, not at all,” Devon replied, shaking her head adamantly. “I really messed up, Gab. I never should’ve befriended Ryan. This whole situation is blowing up in my face and turning into an absolute nightmare.”
“Whoa, what am I missing? I thought something went wrong with the script. This is about Ryan?”
“Yes. He acted a complete fool today. We didn’t even speak when we saw each other earlier this morning. Then during the table read he kept staring at me, especially when his lines called for him to throw shade at Simone’s character.”
“Are you serious? That is so petty.”
“Extremely petty. And he was so blatant with it. His castmates even noticed. They were so confused, trying to figure out what was going on. But that wasn’t even the worst part. Once the read-through was over, Simone stopped me and asked if I could talk to Lena about her character. Do you know Ryan butted in and basically called me a savage in front of everybody?”
“Wait, he actually said that?”
“Yes.”
“In front of the entire cast?”
“Yes!”
“Oh, okay,” Gabby said, flinging her acrylic nails in the air. “So he decided to put on his red nose and act like a complete clown. How did you respond to him?”
“I just played it cool, pretty much blew him off and walked away. The cast has no idea what happened at the gala, so they were all really confused. I’m trying to avoid any work drama at all costs.”
“Good,” Gabby said. “Because things are going great for you and you don’t wanna mess that up. As we always say, Ryan’s the star of the show. If he acts out, he’ll get a pass. You on the other hand would be handed your walking papers.”
“In a heartbeat.”
Devon exhaled, relieved that Gabby hadn’t pulled out her team Ryan cheerleading flag and waved it in her face. She took a bite of her salad, then just when she started to fill her in on everything that had transpired with Jason, Gabby spoke up.
“But with all that being said, I still think you and Ryan need to talk things out and squash this beef before the relationship is permanently damaged.”
“Don’t you think it already is?”
“Absolutely not. I stand by the fact that the whole gala incident was a huge misunderstanding. You need to just go ahead and be the bigger person, explain to Ryan why you reacted the way you did, then figure out where you two should go from there.”
Devon closed the lid on her salad and pushed away from the table. “After the way Ryan acted toward me today, it’s clear that he does not want to talk to me. And on that note, I’d better get back to the set. I need to prepare for this meeting with Lena and Madison.”
“But we’ve only been gone for twenty minutes! And you still haven’t told me what happened between you and Jason. Which I hope wasn’t much…”
“It wasn’t,” Devon told her, glad that there was no time left for her to elaborate. “We can catch up later.”
As soon as she stood up, Simone approached the table.
“Hey, ladies! Mind if I join you?”
“I’m actually heading back to the set,” Devon said before turning to Gabby. “Are you going to stay here and finish your lunch?”
“I am. You’re right on time, Simone. Have a seat. I need some company now that Devon is abandoning me.”
“I’m only leaving because I’ve got work to do.”
Simone squeezed Devon’s shoulder. “Please don’t forget to put in a good word for my Ally! Oh, and real quick, what’s going on with you and Ryan? Did you two have some sort of falling-out? Because it seemed like he was acting weird toward you all morning.”
Devon’s expression wrinkled in feigned confusion. “Really? I didn’t notice. He and I are uh… We’re…”
Gabby sniffed loudly. “Girl, you know how Ryan gets when he’s tired.”
“Do I,” Simone retorted.
Devon threw Gabby a curious look, wondering where she was going with this. She winked at her, then continued.
“But he was nice enough to fly all the way to Indiana and attend our high school’s charity event over the weekend, where he took photos and signed autographs for hours, then he flew right back to L.A. in time to get to work early this morning. So he’s probably just exhausted and jet-lagged.”
“Oh yeah, I’m sure he is,” Simone said. “That was really cool of him to do that for you guys.”
“It was,” Gabby continued. “But we’re paying for it now. He was trying to check me over a leather motorcycle jacket that he didn’t like during his fitting earlier today!” She looked up at Devon, then down at her watch. “Hey, you’d better hurry up and get back to the studio before Lena puts out an APB on you.”
“I should,” Devon replied, giving her an appreciative smile. “Thanks for the quick lunch. We’ll catch up later. And, Simone, I’ll circle back with you after the meeting and let you know how things go.”
“Love you, mean it!” Simone sang out.
Before Devon walked off, she looked over at Gabby and mouthed the words thank you. Gabby nodded and waved.
Devon left the café and headed back to the set. As soon as she walked through the door, she saw Ryan and Malcolm strolling by with scripts in their hands, running lines back and forth. When Ryan glanced at her, she ducked her head and zoomed toward the PA cubicles. On the way there, her cell phone buzzed.
Uh-oh, she thought, expecting to see a message from Lena. But when she unlocked the phone, a text from Jason popped up.
Hey, you. Guess who’ll be in LA this F
riday?? ME! Give me a call when you can. Would love to hear your voice and make some plans. Hope to hear from you soon.
Devon was surprised that Jason was coming to town so soon. She contemplated whether she’d be up for hanging out with him.
Can’t hurt, she thought.
The minute Devon sat down and pulled up Jason’s number, Ryan appeared.
“Hey, you got a second?” he asked.
Devon almost jumped out of her chair. He was the last person she’d expected to see. “Yeah, what’s up?”
Ryan appeared a bit jittery as he pulled at the bottom of his shirt. “Oh, I see you’re about to make a call, so I’ll be quick. Are you still meeting with Lena this afternoon?”
“I am.”
“Oh, okay. Good. So, um, Malcolm and I were looking over the script, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to talk to her about that last scene, where my character is, uh…”
“Where your character is chastising Demetrius over his feelings for Ally?” Devon asked. “Also known as the one you were chastising me over, after the table read?”
Ryan stared down at his sneakers. “It wasn’t really like that, but, uh, yeah. That one. Malcolm and I were thinking that maybe my character could somewhat lighten up on him, especially if you all are gonna take some of the edge off Ally.”
“Huh,” Devon uttered, her eyes squinting as she wondered why Ryan was coming to her instead of going straight to Lena.
“And I would’ve gone straight to Lena,” he continued as if he’d read her mind, “but she’s swamped. So I was hoping you could just talk to her for me this afternoon.”
Devon sat back and stared at Ryan. His hopeful expression was sprinkled with bits of regret. There appeared to be a mixture of sorrow and defiance behind his hazel eyes. But just when Devon felt herself softening toward him, visions of his foul behavior from the morning flashed through her mind. She looked down at her phone, then back up at him.
“Since I’ve got a call to make, why don’t you swing by Madison’s desk and run all this by her so she can pass it on to Lena?”
Ryan’s face fell in defeat. “I guess I could do that.”
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