Emma Riley

Ryker's Bedroom

"Why the fuck is that waste of space texting you?!" Gina, who was probably Sam's number one hater..was extremely upset to learn he had texted me. I was a little too stunned to react at the moment, I just kept staring at the text in silence;

DO NOT ANSWER
Hey, can we talk?

I had changed his contact name from "Sam" to "DO NOT ANSWER" a long time ago. I did it as a reminder to myself, just in case he was ever to call and want me back..though I didn't see that actually happening. But at the time, part of me hoped he would.

It's hard to believe now, but when I started to realize that he wasn't good for me I changed his contact name to remind myself to not give in. If hypothetically, that day was to come. I used to dream of him texting me, as lame as that sounds. But now that he has, I honestly felt like throwing up.

Gina  broke my train of thought when I had taken too long to answer her. "For the love of all that is holy, what did Satan have to say? Has he come to drag your soul back to hell with him or what?"

I couldn't help but laugh at her dramatics. But my laugh came out shaky and nervous. She looked at me cautiously, obviously worrying I was having a nervous breakdown. Honestly? I'm not so sure I wasn't.

"He..asked if we could talk." I finally spitted out, still staring at the text message. She gave me a look that made it clear she was calling 'bullshit.'

"Tell him you'd love to talk." Gina suggested, perking up. I looked up at her bewildered. Now who's the one having a nervous breakdown? Oh, right. Still me. "Tell him you'd love to talk, but you're too busy snacking on Ryker Fox's five dollar footlong." She laughed and started singing the catchy Subway jingle, forever tainting my image of it. If I wasn't so stunned by the text, I would have laughed.

"First of all, Ryker's footlong is worth way more than five dollars." I said sarcastically, but not at all joking. Gina seemed startled, dare I say..impressed by my bluntness. "Second of all..I aspire to be your level of petty." I took a deep breath, still holding the phone in my hands.

A very small part of me was curious what he had to say. Don't misunderstand me though, as a wise philosopher once said; "we will never ever ever get back together." It's just..it seemed so random. What could he possibly have to say to me now?

"So, you're obviously not going to talk to him." She didn't say it as a question, but as a statement. Like she knew it to be true. When I started to act awkward, she shot me a dirty look.

"I'm just..curious what he wants to talk about. That's all. It's just so random, you know?" I avoided the glare of her usually warm brown eyes. She looked like she wanted to slap me.

"Come on, Emma. Even you aren't that naive." She rolled her eyes and plopped down on Ryker's bed before immediately jumping back up in a panic.

Her sudden intensity damn near gave me a panic attack, and I stared at her stunned. "What the hell's your problem?!" She looked back at me, her eyes as big as saucers and her mouth hung open.

"Oh my god! I can't believe I just sat there!" She pointed to the bed, while I was still trying to understand what the hell she was talking about. "I sat in your sex juices!" She stuck her tongue out and did some kind of weird I'm disgusted dance, jumping up and down like a little girl who spotted a spider.

Oh, for fuck's sake. She's choosing now  to roast me? "Gina, I don't have time for your shit." I shook my head, feeling very annoyed. Although come to think of it, she wasn't entirely wrong.

"You don't have time for much of anything these days except Ryker's ballsack." She grinned and nodded her head in approval, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. "You don't even have time to get undressed like a normal person, apparently."

I rolled my eyes at her, I should have known it wasn't going to be that easy. The whole ripped skirt  thing will be one of those things she annoyingly brings up at random times when she wants to torture me.

"Weren't you about to come to a point, or do you just like hearing yourself talk?" I was anxious to change the subject, even if it's Gina  reminding me how naive I am. I would much rather that than to hear her talk about my 'sex juices.'

She took a deep breath, seeming slightly irritated. She wasn't done roasting me yet, but luckily for me she let it go..for now.

"I was saying that if you think it's random Sam texted you, you are incredibly naive." She said, crossing her arms and examining me.

I felt very awkward and exposed, even though I hadn't actually done anything. Gina  was the type to tell you exactly what you needed to hear, but didn't necessarily give a damn what you wanted  to hear.

"Obviously, the prick saw the pictures and it's making him feel some type of way." She flipped her red hair back and turned her nose up in disgust. Her distaste for Sam  was evident, and I couldn't help but laugh at her sass.

"Why would that bother him though?" I asked, genuinely curious. He had moved on from me and onto Maria Martinez. While she was a horrible human being, she was much more glamorous than I was. Prettier  than I was too, depending on who you ask I suppose.

Even before we broke up I couldn't help but feel like he couldn't wait to get away from me. I haven't heard from him in..well, a very long time. So all things considered, I didn't know why seeing a picture of me would make him feel anything.

Gina  looked through me like I made no sense. "Emma, I know a thing or two about break-ups." There was a hint of sadness, as Gina's mind temporarily went back to her ex-girlfriend.

She didn't talk about her much anymore, and she wasn't the type to sit around feeling sorry for herself. But I could see in her eyes that the heartbreak still stung a bit.

"Sometimes if you're lucky, the break-up can be mutual. Clean. Friendly." She did airquotes around her words, like it was unlikely. "But yours wasn't like that, was it? Sam left you. He broke your heart, and you struggled with that for a long time while he was off enjoying Maria freakin Martinez." There was anger in her words, and I found myself frustrated she had to reopen old wounds.

She noticed my expression and a sympathetic look came over her face, but it didn't stop her from continuing. "My point is, a break up that ends badly can turn into a competition over who is the most happy without the other person, and he was totally winning." I had to admit, she wasn't wrong. Even though it wasn't fun to hear, Gina's  speeches rarely were.

There was a smile in her voice as she seemed to change shifts. "But once Ryker came into the picture, that all changed didn't it? With the video he could probably just brush it off. It wasn't a clear image of you. But these pictures? These pictures of you looking like a snack on an obvious date with a hot celebrity? These are clearly you, to anyone who knows you." She stopped and grinned as if she had just made her point, and I stared at her with my eyes narrowed.

"So..what are you saying, Gina?" I finally asked, much to her annoyance. She threw her hands up and almost threw herself back on the bed before she seemed to remember about the 'sex juices.'

"I'm saying..you upgraded, Emma. You upgraded like a motherfucker. You're winning now. Suddenly, the grass is looking greener on the other side. Besides, all this time with Maria Martinez? He's got to be tired of her shit by now." She rolled her eyes, and I finally understood what she meant. I had to admit, she might be right. Not that I will outwardly admit that to her.

"So..what do I do about it? Should I text back or should I ignore it?" I was a bit confused, because like I said..I was curious what he had to say. But I would never  get back together with him, if that's what he's after. I'm happy with Ryker.

She pressed her lips together and thought about it for a moment before responding. "There's a saying that is perfect for this situation. It says something like; 'If the past comes knocking on your door, don't answer it. It has nothing new to say.'"

Gina  went silent as she let me take in her words for a moment. I realized she made a lot of sense. It was probably best to just ignore him, you know what they say about curiousity. I'm not taking him back, so what's the point in entertaining any type of conversation?

"You're right, Gina. I'm just going to let it go. Both the test, and the pictures. It is what it is." I set the phone back down, leaving it on the charger. I walked up to Gina, and she smiled at me like she was proud. "What do you say we go have some of this french toast?"

Gina's  face lit up as she heard the magic words; french toast. She ran out of the room without another word, and I couldn't help but laugh as I trailed behind her.

I was glad I had Gina  to talk me out of making a mistake like talking to my ex. She's a pain in the ass but, she's actually pretty wise when she wants to be.

I couldn't help but wonder what Ryker's reaction would be as I walked down the hallway and towards the kitchen.

Ryker Fox

Gina  came running in the kitchen like there was a fire, while Emma  trailed in behind her, seeming a little less enthused.

"Well there you too are, I was starting to think I had made all this for myself." I motioned to the kitchen table that had a huge plate of French Toast  on it.

Gina's  face lit up as she practically ran over to the table and sat herself down. Emma  was more reluctant as she smiled sweetly at me and slowly walked over to one of the empty chairs. Something was on her mind, I could tell immediately.

I brought over cups of coffee for them and Gina nodded in my direction with a mouth already full of French Toast. I got myself a cup as well and sat down next to Emma. She looked beautiful as always, but there was something in her eyes that told me her mind was elsewhere.

"What am I missing?" I asked, trying to not sound too demanding. But I was slightly annoyed that something was obviously wrong and nobody was telling me.

They both exchanged glances at each other and back to me, further proving my suspicions. I sighed, resting my elbows on the table as I watched Emma  cover the French Toast on her plate with a generous helping of syrup. She tried pretending she was just really focused on the breakfast I had made, but I knew her better than that at this point.

Emma  was good at many, many things..trust me. But she was horrible at hiding her true feelings. This was something I admired with her, it left a lot less room for the petty games that some women like to play.

Which was why I always found it troubling when there was something that even she  didn't want to say.

"Emma." I said her name as a way to get her attention. She looked up at me wearily, while Gina stayed focused on her breakfast, pretending not to hear us. "Whatever it is, you know you can talk to me."

She set her fork down on her plate and took a deep breath. I gently stroked my fingers up and down on her arm, trying to comfort her...even though I didn't know quite why she needed comforting yet.

She dismissively shook her head, and picked her fork back up, obviously trying to brush off whatever it was as not a big deal. "I'm fine, really. I'm just annoyed more than anything."

She took a bite full of her French Toast  and looked back at me startled when I was still staring at her. She rolled her eyes and I felt like laughing as I could almost hear her thoughts. She was perfectly annoyed at my inability to let things go. But what can I say? I don't like being kept in the dark. Whatever she has a problem with, I have a problem with too.

"Okay, fine." Emma  finally said dropping her fork again, irritated. Gina  who was usually outgoing and confident, actually looked a bit awkward. "I just..got a text from someone I didn't expect to hear from again." Emma  finally rushed the sentence out like she hoped that would somehow keep me from asking more questions.

She definitely had my interest now. A text from who..and why does she keep hedging like she doesn't want to tell me? That worries me more than I was in the first place. "A text from who, Emma?"

She gave me the side-eye and bit a corner of her lip. Something in her face told me that she was unsure if the answer would upset me.

I tried to think of who could have texted her that would upset me. My first and only guess, would be another guy. I found myself automatically gripping the table at the thought, my knuckles turning white. I quickly scolded myself to calm down, and stop getting jealous of a hypothetical man.

"It was her dumb ass ex-boyfriend." Gina  finally mumbled with her mouth full of food. Emma looked like she wanted to stab her with her own fork.

Okay, not so hypothetical anymore. Ex-boyfriend, huh? So he's really trying it. Wait, don't panic yet you don't know why he texted her. Oh, fuck that you know exactly why he texted her and it's not going to happen.

I felt torn. Torn between being a mature, understanding man..and circling the room banging my chest with my fists and piss on everything I see to mark my territory. Throw her over my shoulder and drag her back to my cave grunting the word 'Mine! No touchy!'

I tried to keep my voice steady and calm and my posture indifferent, because they were both studying me closely. "Really? Huh. What'd he have to say?"

Though Emma  and Gina  did not physically look alike, their current expressions were identical. Their eyebrows narrowed, their heads cocked to one side, staring at me like I was on crack.

I wasn't sure if they bought my calm fascade or not, but I was standing my ground come hell or high water. No matter how I felt inside. I can do it, after all..I'm an actor am I not?

Emma Riley

'Really? Huh. What'd he have to say?'  Seriously? That's the only reaction I get? He looked entirely unphased as he picked up the syrup and poured it over his untouched French Toast. Seriously..did he hear what she just said? Is he feeling okay?

"Do you need medical assistance?" Gina  asked seriously, mirroring my thoughts. He looked up from his plate confused and shrugged while he picked up his fork.

"No. I'm fine. Why? Should I not be?" I could hear a slight irritation in his voice, but it was brief..and subtle. In fact, someone who didn't personally know him probably wouldn't even have noticed. Which reminded me I was dealing with a very gifted actor. That means he literally gets paid to make shit up.

Gina  rolled her eyes as she sat up and picked up her now empty plate to take it to the sink. "Thank you for the breakfast, but I get the feeling I should let you two talk alone. I need to go to the Salon for a few hours anyway." She smiled at me as if silently telling me 'good luck' and let herself out without another word.

I took a deep breath and turned my attention back to Ryker, whose mouth was overfilled with food. He looked so damn oblivious that frankly, it was annoying.

"He asked if we could talk. That was it." I finally said, still studying his reaction. "Gina thinks he saw the pictures of us and got in his feelings about it." By his expression I could tell he already saw the pictures of us online.

He seemed sympathetic, but I was sure it was just for my sake. At this point, he was used to his name and face being out there. While he found it irritating, he had long accepted it as part of the job.

Though he was a great actor, his fork slightly shook in his hand. With his pressed lips and inability to make eye contact, I could tell he was more bothered than he was admitting so far.

"What did you say back?" He stabbed his fork through his French Toast  as if he was trying to kill it.

I shrugged when he looked up to study my reaction, trying to show him it wasn't a big deal to me. Though I had to admit to feeling a little shaken.

"I didn't answer, and I'm not going to. I don't have anything to say." I said it, and I meant it. The thought of talking to him or seeing him again used to excite me. Now, it just gave me anxiety and made me want to vomit.

He smiled, seeming pleased by this answer. I could see the relief in his posture as his tense, broad shoulders relaxed a bit. He exhaled a deep breath, before once again adopting his indifferent poker face.

"You're too good for him." He finally said plainly, sounding positive. I smiled at his sweet words but rolled my eyes, picking up my fork to finish the breakfast he made.

"How could you possibly know that? You've never even met him." I shoved a bite of food into my mouth, my eyes rolled back into my head while I took a moment to appreciate his incredible cooking skills.

He shrugged and shook his head, refusing to be shaken. "I don't have to meet him. He lost you. That makes him an idiot, and I'll tell him so myself if I ever get the chance."

He took my hand and gave it a squeeze, a trace of syrup was still on the corner of his mouth making me smile.

As we finished our breakfast together I was once again reminded, I was right where I was supposed to be.

Ryker Fox

Emma  and I talked while we did the dishes together. I had to admit, I could get used to this. She made the smallest, trival things more enjoyable.

In all honesty, I was still bothered by her ex-boyfriend texting her. But relieved that she seemed to have no interest in entertaining it further.

I had to remind myself that technically, if she had decided to entertain  it, I had no right to be upset. Sure, we went on a date. Yes, our time together has been amazing. But we haven't had that  talk. The 'what are we?' talk.

I had to acknowledge the irony of the situation. I've had a countless number of women try to have 'the talk' with me. I felt my eyes roll in the back of my head just thinking about it. Now here I was, wanting to have 'the talk' with Emma. Funny how life works out. I never thought myself as a romantic, but turns out that was just because I had yet to meet Emma Riley.

"So, what's the plan for the day?" Emma asked curious. I smiled, noting she was asking what our plans were, not mine. My smile faded when I remembered Dexter's  text reminding me about that damn script.

"Well, unfortunately I promised Dex I would spend the day preparing for my audition tomorrow. I've been..sort of putting it off for a while, and now I'm out of time." I could hear the dissapointment in my voice, wishing I could spend the day with her.

She perked up at the mention of my audition, looking genuinely excited. God, she's cute. "Oooo, tell me about it! What role are you up for?"

I sighed, suddenly feeling awkward. "Well the truth is, it's different than anything else I've ever played. I'm not sure I can pull it off." I felt slightly vulnerable, not normally liking to show any kind of doubts or insecurities.

She looked at me skeptical and playfully punched my arm. "Don't say that. You're brilliant, you can do anything." She sounded genuine, and I'd be lying if I said it didn't melt my heart.

She seemed startled as I grabbed her by her hips and pulled her into me, planting my lips on hers. Just as she seemed like she was going to pass out in my arms, I pulled away.

"W-what was that?" She blinked, catching her breath. I smirked, pleased I had such an effect on her.

"You keep saying things like that, and there's more where that came from." I winked at her, which caused her to blush. Just as I was thinking of other places I'd like to kiss her, she broke the tension.

"Well, tell me about this role. It sounds exciting." She sat herself back at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee, and I followed.

"So..the movie is sort of a drama. The role I'm up for is the lead. He's a smart and successful guy who is engaged to be married when he's diagnosed with stage four cancer. His fiancee ends up leaving, and now he has to face this scary uncertainty alone." Her face fell when I mentioned the word cancer, and it reminded me of what she told me last night. About her mother, dying of cancer. I felt guilty, not meaning to bring up a sensitive subject.

"That sounds so sad. Going through that is so hard, but to go through it alone.." Her voice trailed off and she had a sad look on her face. I couldn't help but smile, because she was so damn sweet she actually felt bad for a imaginary character's pain.

"Dex says it's just what I need to escape being typecast and to show I'm not just a charming rom-com guy. I'm really feeling the pressure, honestly." What if I make a total fool of myself and bomb the audition? What if they say I have about as much depth as a cereal bowl?

She seemed to be deep in thought for a minute, before finally seeming to get an idea. "Would you like me to help you go over your lines?" She offered, with a smile.

"You're sweet, but you don't have to do that. I'm sure it won't be all that exciting just going over a script all day." I didn't want her to feel obligated, though the thought of her going over it with me sounding much more appealing than going over it myself.

She shook her head in protest. "It's not a problem Ryker, really. I happen to know a thing or two about cancer, and maybe I can help you get some insight." She placed her hand on mine, and my eyes traveled to her lips..getting the urge to kiss her again. "We'll figure it out, okay? You can do this, I know you can. I've seen your movies. You are totally not just a rom-com guy."

I was once again reminded what an amazing woman she was. I didn't even realize she believed in me that much. But she inspired me to be brave enough to keep reaching, and growing. Knowing she was with me, made it feel less scary to take the leap.

"Let's get started after." I said staring her down with a smirk on my face. She looked at me, confused.

"After? After what?" She asked, taking a sip of her coffee and setting it back down on the table. A grin spread across my face, and it seemed to make her nervous.

"After I make love to my girlfriend." With that I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. She started laughing as I carried her to the room. I chuckled to myself, noting I was currently doing what I jokingly said I felt like doing earlier. Throwing her over my shoulder and dragging her back to my 'cave.'

Mine.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this chapter please don't forget to vote :)