𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐀𝐑 | ryan gosling

𝐢. hollywood's biggest night

𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐂𝐇 𝟏𝟎𝐓𝐇
𝐃𝐎𝐋𝐁𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑
𝐋𝐎𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒, 𝐂𝐀

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AFTER OVER thirty years in the business, Layla Moore was used to being on camera.

It was to the point where, particularly during awards season, it was like the camera and its operator were invisible; rare were instances where she was caught off guard. If she were simply a ceremony attendee, her team would style her in a way that conveyed glamorousness without being too flashy; if she were a presenter, it was worth it to be a little more bold; and if she were a nominee? That was the moment to go all out, because those opportunities didn't come easy for someone who looked like her, even with the resume she had under her belt.

Tonight, though? Well tonight, she happened to be all three.

In its 96 year history, the Academy had never nominated a Black woman in the Best Director category. Given the decades and decades of examples of worthy films, it was almost hard to believe; even harder to realize that there was a collective acceptance of the fact, and nothing had been done to change it.

Layla would tell anyone in a minute that she never sought to be someone who "made history". All she wanted to do in Hollywood was tell stories that mattered to her and the people she came in contact with. The good thing about the career longevity she'd obtained was after being known for so long for being in front of the camera, going behind it was a new experience altogether. But one she didn't regret, because it'd earned her a spot in the history books forever: the first Black woman and just 9th woman overall to be nominated for Best Directing honors.

It was an honor she didn't take lightly. Despite the numerous red carpet interviews she'd given tonight, everything hadn't quite sunk in for Layla, at least not until she felt Eden tugging on her arm, trying to get her attention. "Girl, hello? You wanna rip my arm from the socket?"

Eden laughed, a vision in a red, sleeveless gown with a plunging neckline. Her curls were slicked back into a bun, adorned with silver hair pins that matched the diamond necklace that hung near the center of her chest. "No, someone was asking where you were and I wanted to make sure you didn't miss him."

"Who...?" Layla shifted her gaze to where Eden was subtly gesturing, and that's when her sentence trailed off and her lips slowly began to curl into a smile. There was no need to finish that question, because she knew exactly whom Eden was referring to, although she should've already guessed: the one and only Ryan Gosling.

He was clad in a lilac colored suit, a departure from the dozens of identical black tuxes that most men in the room were wearing tonight. With jewelry, he kept it simple; a designer wristwatch with a taupe leather strap, and a few rings on either hand.

They hadn't seen much of each other tonight due to Ryan being seated further down the front row with the other acting nominees. But the minute Layla caught his eye, Ryan quickly excused himself from the conversation he'd been having with someone else and made a beeline for her. "There she is!"

Eden had since slipped away, but even in a theater full of their friends and colleagues, the minute Ryan entered her orbit, Layla felt the magnetic pull. Like it was just the two of them. "Hey, love. Thought you'd be too busy to come say hi tonight."

"And miss my favorite Best Director winner? Not a chance." His grin was wide, eyes teasing, although Layla was grateful he'd been one of the biggest campaigners to the Academy board for her to be selected; besides her mom, he was definitely rooting for her the most tonight out of everyone else.