Sofia was all the rage the next day. On the entertainment news, tabloids, and the lips of some very important people.
---
"Ryan, you need to cool off, you hothead," James said, knocking him into the pool. "She's not everything. She's not even anything."
"No, you don't get it," his head bobbed to the surface. "She turned down all my advances, and the only one she let through was a dead end."
"That girl's probably halfway across the globe by now,” he sighed, sticking his hands in the pockets of his burgundy shorts. “She's Asian, and you'll probably never hear about her again once this rave dies down. That will happen sooner. Trust me." He added the last part a bit hesitantly.
His thoughts plagued him. Why the hell was he even here? Since when was Ryan able to order him around like some on-hand butler? Even calling him to his home just because he felt like it…
They were at the pool on Ryan's top-dollar property the afternoon after the premiere.
… One of the things that infuriated James so much. Before, things were different. Who was Ryan before he, James Danson, appeared? He made Ryan, and now, he was just an on-hand butler, to put it lightly. To Ryan, everything was about him. He was the center of gravity of the whole world. Another thing he hated about the dude. His ringtone jarred his thoughts, and he went to take the call.
---
A few minutes later, James was returning to the pool; he was surprised Ryan hadn't called his phone. However, there was another car parked in the driveway. He got to the place and found Ryan on a recliner away from the pool with Amanda on the one next to him, applying lotion. He scoffed; she was already back, upon yesterday.
"Hey," he smiled, leaning down for a hug.
"I’m okay, when did you get here?" She asked as they separated.
"I've been here for a while; I just went in to take a call. You?"
"I just got here. I was in the neighborhood, and Ryan called. He said he was alone and needed some company."
“Ryan, you didn't tell me James was here."
"Sorry," he yawned, stretching out lazily, "I forgot… Jerry was still here."
"It's James." He replied drily.
"Whatever," Ryan said with a yawn.
James turned, his jaw muscles tightening.
"I was just leaving." He said as he walked away, a personal storm cloud brooding over him.
---
That same day, Sofia was at work - She waited tables at this place downtown, TacoFun, fully unaware of the rave her actions last night had caused. She had just served a platter of tacos and fries to a male customer in a cheap suit and small rectangular glasses when two of her girlfriends rushed in.
"Sofia! Sofia! Have you seen the news?" Tanya - a wild raven-haired girl, asked as she got to her.**
"What news? What's up? What's got you all so excited?" She asked, smiling along.
"Fred!" The other girl, Alicia, called Sofia's colleague at the counter, "Turn on the TV, please." He did so, and Tanya took the remote control and tuned in to the entertainment news.
There she was on the screen; she gasped; Jessi had done a lot.
"Jessi is the best," Tanya said, hugging Sofia's side. "You looked absolutely fab, girlfriend."
Sofia smiled, "Thanks, Tanya." However, she began to notice the growing attention and signaled Fred to switch the channel, "But I'm still at work, ok, you have to leave now, please."
"Ok," She smiled, "But first, promise me the full scoop once you get back."
"Ok ok, I promise. Now if you would just excuse me."
"Sure thing, superstar." Tanya smiled, taking Alicia along with her. Sofia went back to get the tray from the table she'd just served and saw that he'd left without even touching the food.
She looked around but there wasn't any sign of him, and the male bathroom was available so he wasn't in there either. She was getting worried about getting a bad review, but those worries disappeared once she sighted the bill; it had a very generous tip added.
She balanced the tray against her waist and walked towards the kitchen, wondering what could have made him leave in such a hurry. Her shift was almost over.
"Out of the way, Sofia." Another waitress, Sandra, said as she forcefully brushed past.
Sofia turned with a slight frown, "Watch it, Sandra."
"Because you were on TV? Fat chance." She replied derisively.
Sofia sighed in resignation and turned to go into the kitchen, but Sandra called out again,
"You know the difference between you and Cinderella?"
"We are nothing alike, Sandra, and I haven't got any time for-"
"Wrong." Sandra cut in sharply. "You two played dress up to go for a party, but you're still nothing but plain, old, boring Sofia."
Sofia turned to leave; she never let such talk affect her but Sandra called her back,
"You don't have anything to say? Cinderella wannabe." She completed with a chuckle.
She sighed in exasperation and turned, "Look, Sandra, you're free to call me Cinderella wannabe; at least one of us still got something she wants to be." She walked away reveling in how she felt within, and this time, her sigh was in contentment over the state she'd left Sandra in.
---
As she walked out the employees' only door, Sofia let her thoughts drift in the direction Sandra had led it. There had been a fair number of men in her life but she'd given up on anything past dating after searching fruitlessly for that spark that would seal their fates together. She sighed inwardly. There would still be someone out there just for her.
Then she paused with a small gasp. What if he was dead? On the other hand, maybe he lived in some faraway place like Uzbekistan. She shook her head to banish such thoughts, made the sign of the cross, and kissed her hand. The LA sky was tinged with shades of violet and orange as she picked up the pace on her way home.
When she got to the semidetached block she called home, she found her flat filled with friends and neighbors. Tanya and Alicia were there. Even her closest friend, confidant, and owner of the building, Jessica Harper, or as she was fondly called, Jessi.
"What's going on?" Sofia asked, smiling along with them.
"That's our line, dear," Jessi said, and the girls laughed too. Sofia smiled along again, still unsure herself.
"Okay…" Sofia said, dragging it out a bit. She hung her bag on the nearest sofa and looked about, her hands placed toward the small of her back. They had taken up every inch of comfortable space in her sitting room, except...
"So, it seems I'm the only one who doesn't know why this gathering is…"
"Tell us about you and Ryan!" Susanna, a dark-skinned one, yelled from behind, and the girls erupted in a cheer.
Sofia turned bright pink and shot Jessi the "seriously?" look.
"Hey, don't blame me, Cinderella," She said raising both arms in mock surrender.
"FYI you're trending," she completed, giving Sofia the "you've got no clue" look.
"Ok, ok." She sighed in surrender, collapsing into a single-seat sofa, obviously left for her. Then she recounted the story, pausing each time for the sighs to die down.
Tanya shook her head at Sofia and said, "Ryan was all over you, and you turned him down?" She sighed, "If only we could've switched places," she completed with another sigh.
"Jessi," Alicia called, "Let me book you in advance for the next premiere."
The other girls were suddenly gathered about Jessi pleading for themselves. Sofia was very much pleased she was no longer the center of attraction and had already stood to sneak in.
However, Jessi wasn't about to let her off easily.
"Wait, wait, just hold on, girls. What I see here is Sofia playing hard to get to keep him interested and after her," she completed with a wink.
Sofia turned bright pink once more as the girls exploded in a chorus of laughter, some giggling and rocking sideways.
"Ok, let's go. Party's over," Sofia said, going to stand by the door. Everyone was complaining, but she ignored everything, insisting that they should all go. In a few seconds, she was sighing in contentment as she leaned against the locked door and then collapsed on a sofa. She'd lain there for a little while when she finally got up with a groan and went into the shower, taking her time before finally going to sleep.
The next day, Sofia arrived at the Taco place, a bit surprised at the crowd in front. She sighed; today was going to be a long one. She went in the Employees Only door and didn't notice her phone ring until she put on the uniform. Taking it out, she checked the caller ID, it was Jessi. "What now?" She sighed as she walked into the café. Her boss was right there, talking to some guy. "Hey," she said, answering the phone. "Sofia!" Jessi screamed, "Get outta there! It's a trap." "Say what now?" "The paparazzi struck. I don't know how they found out where you work, but it's all over the news. There are even pictures." Sofia gasped, and the two men noticed her presence at once. The other guy was the man who'd left without eating. He smiled and waved her over. She hissed, "After what you've done. Do I look like a celebrity to you or what? Can't a person have some privacy in this city!" She pulled off her apron and rushed out the door she'd taken in, grabbing her purse. The man went af
Sofia slowly came to; she could hear hushed voices in the background but she believed she was imagining it. However, after twisting and turning with the same result, she opened her eyes and gasped, assuming a sitting position as she looked at the faces all around. "What's going on?" She asked, no one, in particular, scanning the faces for an answer. "Soph," Jessi called. "Can you tell us where you were throughout yesterday?" Sofia tried to remember and realization struck as color rose to her cheeks. "How do you know about it?" She asked, looking at all of them. "Let's see…" Jessi started. "Was it the fact that I received a call from you, answered it, and heard Ryan's voice or that he brought you home or that he carried you up to your bed or that you actually slept off wherever you two had been?" "Wow, that's a lot of evidence against you sister." Alicia said with a chuckle, "What do you have to say for yourself?" "Yeah," Tanya added. "Why were you in such a deep sleep? You know
The next day was Saturday so Sofia slept in. She never had any shifts during the weekends and when she woke, she came to slowly, reveling in the late morning sun that filtered in through her curtains while planning her day. **************************** "Ok, Ryan, Ryan!" He yelled, this time getting immediate effect. "Take 5." The director said, turning to attend to someone else. Ryan kicked back on his chair and pushed the mic from his mouth, "I'm fine." "Make it ten." The director said over his shoulder. He jumped to his feet and came off the set. "I said I'm fine!" This got everyone's, the director included, attention. He walked back to Ryan and sighed, "Yeah, this is bad." He was shaking his head. "Look Ryan." He continued, "You're just ranting. All I'm listening to is your body language and right now, it's telling me that you've got writer's block. Except, you're not a writer so I'm gonna need you to take 5 and sort out whatever it is that's bugging you ok?" Ryan sighed and
Sofia stopped running when she was leaning against the back of her door. She locked it behind her. She hadn't checked if he was following her but she prayed not, sliding down till she sat against the door with her legs drawn up against her. "Why? Why him?" She sobbed silently. Why did she have to feel the spark with him of all people? She bent her head, she'd always thought her spark would be with the perfect guy. A very romantic one at that but this? .... She stayed there, visibly troubled. He was probably the world's greatest ever Casanova. Why him? She mused over it, losing track of time. She even ended up sleeping in that position. That night, she awoke, feeling uncomfortable. She actually dropped to the floor seconds after she got up, feeling dizzy. Sofia groaned, all her limbs felt dead. Just then, Jessi called her. "Hey, Soph." "What's up?" Sofia asked, as she crawled over and leaned against her sofa. "What happened between you and Ryan?" Jessi asked and immediately
Minutes later, Ryan was leading Sofia, hand in hand across the parking lot of the studio, once they came round, cameras started flashing as the press, who were waiting for updates on the release saw them. "Don't talk," Ryan said and Sofia nodded, trying to shield her face from view. They got in easily and Ryan clapped, "The light's back on!" Sofia rolled her eyes but she could hear female laughter inside. "Your mood seems amazing Ryan, hope we could put it to good use this time." The director said, coming out to meet them. His eyes picked out Sofia at once and he brushed past Ryan, moving on to her. "You must be Sofia Delacruz. Loved your interview. Original. I know a masterpiece when I see one. And Jessi did a good job on you too. Rico Suarez, director, artist, artiste, and much more. At your service." He said, taking her hand in his and planting a kiss on it. Sofia smiled, not knowing what to say. Rico turned, "Jessi!" He called and she came out an open door to the left, paus
After Sofia agreed, she was given some prep time, at first with Rico and then on her own. From there, she passed through the stylist department where Jessi brought her fantasies to life on her friend. Sofia walked on set as Vanessa and Rico, the first to notice, gasped. "Where were you all my career?" Sofia blushed, chuckling a bit. She was in an ocean green gown and stood on wedges. Ryan was already on set and the look he gave her was upsetting the butterflies in the pit of her stomach. They were only going to shoot one scene, the last one for the episode and she was already feeling this way. She looked up, wondering if she should ask her Abuela to pray for her, and chuckled, she couldn't believe herself, shrugging off her negativity, she prepared herself for the shoot. It was several hours later in the studio and the crew gathered around to see the finished product before it would be released. ********************* ...The prince, Nikolas came out of his palace in a robe and
Ryan and Sofia walked to his Ferrari, the lot was devoid of people; it was a bit late at night but there were few cars parked there. "Today was fun." She said, a smile spreading slowly across her face as she glanced at him. He chuckled, "We do make a wonderful pair, don't we?" "We did spark after all." She whispered, looking away. "What was that?" He asked, leaning towards her. "Nothing." She immediately replied, burning red in the face. He smiled and she picked up her pace, getting to the car before him. They got in and Ryan tried starting the engine. However, it refused to come to life despite his “multiple attempts”. Sofia sighed in exasperation, “What now?” “I don’t know why it won’t start. Ryan breathed, twisting the red key without pushing the red start button. He knew she wouldn’t notice. “Don’t worry, I’ll call my valet. Wait a little bit.” They got out and Ryan walked off, making the call while she sat on the hood. He joined her once he was done. "Are you s
Few days later, Sofia was on her way to work. She took her shortcut through the alley to avoid the busy and at times distracting traffic. "Excuse me miss." The man's voice sounded sharp and witty. "Yeah?" She groaned, sighing inwardly as she turned to face him. He was tall and lean; his face possessing aquiline features. "David Richards, director, and producer." He said, offering her a handshake. "Oh." She replied, nodding. "I see where this is going. Thanks, but no. I'm not interested." She said, turning to walk away but he held her by the arm. "Wait just a minute. I'll make it worthwhile." He said with a twinkle in his eye, However, Sofia currently had other concerns. She scowled, looking at the point where he held her, "Get your hand off me." Just then, someone else showed up. "Hands off her, Richard what's his name." Ryan was walking towards them in a black denim jacket on a long white T-shirt with leathered ends and black pants with white Nikes. David hissed, "