𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐘 𝐈 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 [a rini au]

chapter four

"Cut!"

It was about two weeks into filming Starlight and Ricky was already feeling quite confident about the film. He'd never done anything of the romcom variety before, (his past works all leaning towards the more action-packed or dramatic side), so it was nice to get a break from his typical intense work to be able to instead carry out a lighthearted romantic flick.

Ricky let out a content sigh, satisfied with his performance, as their director, an newcomer named Allegra Garcia, called for everyone on set to take a quick break. Maybe it was the fact he was starring in an anticipated Netflix film, or perhaps it was just the familiar scent of Salt Lake air, but Ricky could finally bring himself to admit that he was actually quite pleased to be back in his hometown.

When he relocated to LA after graduation, Ricky's father had moved with him, and his mother had been living in Chicago since his parents' divorce, so it had been a considerable amount of time since Ricky had last stepped foot in Utah, let alone SLC. However, the nostalgic contentment he felt now made it hard for the curly headed boy to believe he was ever feeling anxious about returning, and it was enough to make him forget any apprehension he'd been previously feeling about the possibility of seeing his ex-girlfriend and former friends.

"Hey," Gina interrupted Ricky's thoughts. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"Nothing major," Ricky hummed, a smile forming on his face. "Just that it actually feels really nice to be back here."

"Interesting," Gina replied.

Ricky knitted his eyebrows innocently. "Why's that?"

"Oh, nothing, just that I was completely and utterly correct," his costar beamed. Ricky rolled his eyes, knowing better than to give Gina Porter the satisfaction of being right. It was something he knew from experience he would never live down.

"Okay, Gi, let's not get too cocky now," he said simply.

"Two weeks in Salt Lake and not a single you-know-who sighting, plus you're feeling nostalgic and happy to be back— did I not accurately predict this?"

Ricky grinned, fighting the urge to let his eyes roll back once more.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

Gina chuckled proudly as a girl walked up to the pair. She looked about Ricky and Gina's age, with long, blonde hair, and piercing blue eyes that were so bright they almost looked fake.

"Hi, I'm so sorry to bother you," the girl exclaimed, "but my mom is a friend of Allegra's and I was told I could come over to say 'hi' so... Hi!"

"Awh, that's awesome!" Gina gushed, always excited to meet fans. "I'm Gina; this is Ricky."

"Oh, believe me, I know!" the blonde babbled on. "I'm a huge Elusive Thieves fan."

"Well, we're lucky to have people like you watching it," Ricky winked, earning a giggle from the fan. "I didn't catch your name, by the way?"

It was now that Gina, knowing her friend well, was the one to roll her eyes, which Ricky purposely disregarded. He was a sucker for meaningless flirtations, especially when the recipients of his charm were this pretty.

"I'm Lily," the girl blushed, visibly enamored by Ricky.

"Lily..." he smirked, "which are the prettiest flowers, in my opinion."

Truth be told, Ricky had no idea what lilies actually looked like, but the blonde was too smitten with him to notice.

"I guess they're alright," she grinned.

"Well," Gina cut in, "it was very nice to meet you, Lily. But Ricky and I should probably be heading back to our marks. We're gonna get back to filming soon, I think."

"O-Okay!" Lily replied. "It was really nice to meet you guys, too."

She walked away, satisfied, as Gina and Ricky headed back to their marks.

"Ricky Bowen, you are shameless!" Gina jested, amused. "I can't wait to tell EJ."

"Oh, please, that was harmless fun, Gi," Ricky crowed. "She was cute!"

"She was," Gina agreed, "but I also kinda think she was scary. I mean, those eyes? Slightly terrifying. Like she was gonna burn a hole through us or something."

"Come on!"

"And how big they got," Gina continued, ignoring her cast mate. Ricky was trying his best not to let a grin escape his lips.

"The way she was all, 'Hi guys!'" the actress joked, widening her eyes to imitate Lily. "So creepy."

She shook her head, earning another eye-roll from her costar, though it was apparent now that he was stifling a laugh. He agreed with her, but couldn't handle giving his friend the satisfaction of being right twice in one day.

"Maybe you're just jealous," Ricky jokingly combatted. "I'll have to tell EJ that."

This earned a laugh from Gina, as Allegra began to call everyone back to set to continue filming. Ricky smiled again, taking it all in. It truly was good to be back home.