𝕓𝕚𝕟𝕒𝕣𝕪.

leaning forward , ryder set down his fork , all of his attention on the blonde before him . they had an audience , he knew , but this part wasn’t a performance ; he was genuinely interested . “ man , greece is so beautiful , ” he mused , a nostalgic gleam in his eyes as he  pictured crystal-clear waters and towns on rolling hills . he was transported back to the cafe in l.a. , though , at the mention of catering , and a chuckle flew from his lips . “ i do remember that ! oh , stan the man ... thank god he had a sense of humor and didn’t try to get his revenge by leaving bloody prop arms in our trailers or something . now , if we’d tried to prank aiden , it might’ve been a different story ... ” playfully , ryder raised his eyebrows before he took a sip from his glass of water . it was a safe assumption to make that aiden the a.d. definitely wouldn’t have taken kindly to such silliness , based off of how he’d reacted to the most minor setback . 

“ sure thing . ” automatically , ryder offers a smile of his own ,  his hands clasped behind his back as he rocks gently from side to side . “ that’s cool ; i admire that you like the creative process and all . getting involved in the making of something at its beginning stages , instead of just showing off the final product in the end ... that’s another level . ” fashion isn’t his area of expertise , but he can easily apply that same thought process to acting and directing . 

if ryder were completely sober and not as comfortable with delilah as he actually was , he would’ve stayed in character longer , but the whiskey in his system loosened him up , allowing him to laugh with abandon at her disapproval . “ hey , that’s what you get for being the topanga to my shawn , ” he teased her , gently elbowing her in the side before he took another sip from his glass . “ alright , alright , i can live with those choices . i think i’d pick easy lover ... just has such nice , intense vibes , y’know ? it’s dramatic . we’d want our prank to be dramatic . any other ideas for what else we should incorporate ? ” ryder grinned at her , relieved to be discussing something so frivolous and silly .   

“ i wonder just how much money they spent on that shoddy plant costume , ” ryder mused , subtly nodding toward the poorly-disguised man who was clearly wielding a long lens camera . it was to be expected , of course , that countless paparazzi would pop up like whack-a-mole figures whenever the two of them went out to lunch ; two lifelong hollywood staples spotted together made for an easy route to a check from tmz . “ anyway ... ” he leaned back in his chair , smiling at her . “ how’s your current project going ? i miss seeing you on set and knowing that you’ve snagged the best snacks from crafty. ” 

“ sure thing , ” ryder agrees readily , never against an opportunity to sniff out someone’s potential . leaning down , he peers at the sketch , before offering a “ whoa ! that’s not bad . ” approval shining on his features , he nods to the brunet . “ where’d you get inspiration for this from ? ”

“ okay , del , i have a really serious question for you . ” his expression blank , his tone grave , ryder appeared to be the epitome of solemnity as he faced the brunette across from him . a voice in the room beside theirs was wailing journey , hitting a high note that morphed into more of a screech , the influence of liquor practically audible . in an effort to avoid associating his dramatic moment with that otherworldly sound , ryder paused . then : “ what should our next epic prank be ? and , as a bonus , can we somehow include a phil collins song ? ” god only knew how the two of them had ended up in a random karaoke bar in the heart of koreatown , but there they were .