the night we met.

“ il est en ruine… ”  who knew such a simple sentence could explain the forlorn, kicked-puppy look that had been plastered across avery’s face all morning? the dancer sincerely needed caffeine to function, and he took the 20-minute break they’d received quite seriously, practically dashing to the nearest coffee shop to get his fix. only the frenchman had been so remarkably  d a z z l e d  by the barista’s piercing green eyes that he’d neglected to realize his order had been botched until after he’d arrived back on set. of course, onlookers might assume avery was referring not to the actual contents of the cup, but rather the phone number coiled elegantly along the side. he turned to the individual nearest to him and raised the cup in offering, pouting slightly.  “ would you be interested in free coffee? ”

“you and your sandwiches,” jace teased, opening a cabinet and pulling out two plates. his family dinner had turned into just a jace and connor dinner when the others had to cancel last minute, but it just meant more food for them, right? the others would be able to join them someday. “i definitely made too much, so i hope you brought your appetite.”

“Connor! How is my favorite oldest brother doing?” Mar somehow managed to extend the name into three different syllables, her excitement most likely amped up by the teensy few sips of alcohol she’d already ingested. She didn’t stop herself until her arms had wrapped tightly around @conncrsantcs slender torso, simply resting against him for a few moments in content - and comfort. “’d you see the whole episode? It was bonkers. So much going on, I didn’t catch half of it. What were you up to? Have you been dancing yet? We gotta - gotta find Jace and show them how it’s done.”

It was hard to keep her tongue under control sometimes. Not that it would fight to escape her mouth, but that it would run forth with words she had had no intention of actually voicing but by then it was simply too late to take them back. “Oh, that’s – that’s just how we are sometimes.” She managed to smile pleasantly at the tall male, keeping most of her overly-excited persona under control. “Do you watch our show?” Riley asked, head tilting to one side, pleasant smile somehow turned into some sort of radiant beam of happiness at the thought of someone recognizing her – or even knowing of her. “That’s a shame. You know, I’m sure you’ve got lots of interesting things to say.” She almost forgot that all of her present odyssey had been for the sake of her cookies, but it felt weird to bite into one or two of them at this point - almost like it’d end the current scene where she got to talk to someone she’d only managed to see from afar. “Cookie? I mean - would you like one? If you’re not busy. We can eat them in companionable silence, or I can just drone on and on until I’m stopped.”

“Really? You look fairly well put-together. Although maybe you’re simply fooling everybody and everything in your wardrobe is color-coded depending on the day of the week you’ll turn up wearing it.” She gave him a critical once-over, smiling just to let him know she was joking all along. “I could’ve suggested strawberry milk, or strawberry whipped cream, so you’re lucky you mentioned this. See, some things are important to ask.” Having helped oversee several large gatherings in her family’s estate, however, had made her more sensitive to the common needs of the many – and the least likely items to result in actual allergic reactions. Hence why it was simply smarter to stick to traditional items. “So, how long have you actually been working here for?”

There were very few people that irradiated goodness in the same level as one Connor Santos happened to, which was precisely one of the reasons why Dylan always tried his hardest to keep the other not much farther away than his arms could reach. Or his voice, which actually carried to greater lengths. “You should totally come by my trailer next time you’re free and in need of a nap. I’ll show you the world in the form of platonic cuddling before you can even say that’s not your thing. Also, I’ve been told I’m a super soothing presence.” By nobody in real life but, still. “That’s smart of them, but also super greedy. We love you back just as much, and I particularly with the force of a thousand horses. So. There. When are we getting lunch together? Or any meal - any meal at all. I like hanging out with you a whole lot.”

To say that she most probably looked undignified had to be an understatement. Stood on her tip toes, stretched as far as her 5′8′’ frame would let her reach, all to no avail. Of course, that had to be the moment she was spoken to, by no other than the person she least wanted to catch her unaware. “Ah!” she let out, as though she hadn’t been caught with her hand in the literal cookie jar. Almost. A small smile, apologetic in its nature, and then she was dropping back onto her heels, attention divided among the handsome man and the cookies she wanted. Amusingly enough, both literal and figurative cookies. “That’s just – King - you know him? He thinks it’s funny that he’s like, so much taller even though I’m not even really a small size myself, and he’s keeping my milk chocolate cookies from me? And – I’m sure you would’ve helped out even without this long-winded explanation. But hey, I’m Riley, and I talk too much in front of cu– of people. Just people.”

“Well, I’m sure most people keep their socks neatly organized by pairs. So it saves them up the trouble of putting too much time into picking them out.” Shaking her head quickly, because maybe she’d just spent too much time talking about socks, Callie was feeling more than slightly victorious as she put the drink firmly into Connor’s hand. There was a slight chance that was lukewarm, after all of their arguing. “It’s almost like they’re fueling a coffee addiction. I suppose it’s par the norm around here - to try and keep up with the fast pace everybody seems to carry. No nut allergies that I should be made aware of beforehand? Sorry, fetching people’s orders has made me much more aware of their preferences – or possible allergen contamination.” Another quick flash of a smile, some hair pushed behind her ear in an innocent gesture. He seemed like the man to question on the going-ons around the studio, for some reason.

       “is that really a question? i’m working.” at this point, the executive producer thought that it would be a given but it seemed like the other was a little SLOW in picking that up. after getting drunk at work last week, jocelyn had put herself in a vulnerable position as she was behind and the network executives were on her back. the woman would have argued that it was down to their vendetta against her but the quality of her work was beginning to slip and it was worrying for the network. she was in charge of a successful show but if it started going downhill, she’d be the first one to go. it didn’t help that sally seemed to have her life together now she wasn’t with her. jocelyn was a toxic, broken individual who destroyed everything great around her and she wasn’t going to stop that pattern now. alone and in her older years, she had nothing but her job and if she lost that, she would be OVER. “i say give me a bottle of wine anyway. i’ll happily take it off your hands.”

“i only took that cooking class for an easy credit, but i’m actually glad that i did,” he said, checking on his stir fry before turning off the flame. “as much as i enjoy our takeout and fast food lunches, it’s kinda cool to be able to eat something you actually know the real ingredients of, right?” // @conncrsantcs

addie looked up from her favorite spot in her dressing room: the window seat with the great view of the lot. she furrowed her brow as she thought, trying to remember if the charity dinner was that night or the night after. “i think i’m free,” she said, pulling her phone off the charger and unlocking it. “lemme text my publicist to make sure, though; she likes scheduling things for me and not telling me until the last possible second.” shooting off a quick text, she looked back up at connor. “your plans sound much better, obviously. i’ve been craving thai so bad lately; it’s like you read my mind.”