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asksugxrmotta · 6 months ago

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If it weren't for that meddling Sugar

CHARACTERS: Kitty Wilde, Ryder Lynn, Sugar Motta DATE & TIME: 31st October LOCATION: Sugar's annual Halloween Spooktacular SUMMARY: Sugar and Kitty get ready for the party. The mystery as to who the group's Shaggy is, is finally solved. Kitty and Ryder make amends and manage to talk without arguing. WARNINGS: None TAGS: @lynnryder @goldenkwilde

Sugar Sugar stood next to the makeshift bar in the kitchen, scrolling through her Instagram feed as she waited for the older college student she’d hired to bartend the party to finish making the two drinks she’d asked for. She’d had to use an amateur bartender given that most professionals didn’t want to touch a college party where the majority of guests were obviously underage. She’d done her research though, as well as quality tested the guy’s drink making skills before booking him for the event.

Once he’d finished, she quickly flashed him a smile before sliding her phone into the pocket of her pants. She picked up the two glasses in front of her and made her way back through the house. The decorations were coming together, the final touches being made by her party planner at that very moment. The DJ was also busy setting up in the living room, the furniture having all been pushed to the side to leave a large space for a dance floor in the middle.

She made it to the top of the stairs, heading for one of the doors to her left. It was the room that she always used as hers whenever she stayed at the property, and where she had left Kitty whilst she had gone to get the two cocktails for them to enjoy whilst they got ready.

“Hey bitch, I’m back,” Sugar grinned as she let herself into the room. She handed Kitty one of the glasses. The drink was bright green, with a bright red rim made to look like blood was dripping down the side. She took a sip from her own glass before placing it on the chest of drawers in the room. “Can you do my eyeliner again? You made it look so good last time,” She asked, pulling out her makeup bag and busying herself with preparation.

Kitty Kitty always loved the buzz before a party. There was nothing she liked more than getting herself dolled up and looking like absolute fire, and the anticipation was always a thousand times better than the actual party itself. She couldn’t count how many parties she and Sugar had thrown over the past few years, and despite the fact that Sugar was definitely hosting solo this time, she still felt some kind of ownership over the party. The two of them had always ruled side-by-side, and they loved it that way.

She ran a brush through her hair, before switching to the straightener, shifting uncomfortably in her seat as she stared at herself in the mirror. Slowly, she ran lock after lock of hair through the straightener, giving it a gentle curl right at the end, a technique she had perfected at the age of 12. She was relieved to have put the straightener down for just a moment when Sugar opened the door again, jumping slightly. She smirked as Sugar brought the frighteningly green drink over to her and took it. “God, it’s more neon than I remember.” She commented, bringing it up to her lips and taking a sip, humming approvingly.

At Sugar’s question, she nodded, putting the drink back and turning back to finish the last lock of hair. “Yeah, for sure. Put your eyeshadow on first though, or it’ll mess up the eyeliner.” She brushed her hair over with her hands, taking a deep breath. “I think we’ve outdone ourselves this year.” She nodded at Sugar’s reflection in the mirror in front of her. “Maybe it’s just because we’re our hottest selves right now but God, we look good.”

Sugar “You think that drink is a lot, you should see the rest of them,” Sugar replied, running her fingers around some of her curls as she adjusted her hair in the mirror. She had debated straightening her hair for the occasion but had decided against it, embracing her curls for the evening. Velma traditionally had a bob but Sugar looked better with long hair so that had been disregarded. “Some of the drinks have fake eyeballs in and everything.”

Sugar nodded at Kitty’s instruction, opening her Fenty eyeshadow palette and starting to work on her eyes. She swept the brush across her eyelids, putting into place the beginning of a smokey eye. It was a look that she had perfected over many years, having gained an interest in fashion and make up at a young age.

She hummed in agreement at Kitty’s words, affirming that they had in fact, outdone themselves. They’d had years of group and dual costumes together but somehow they always found a way to improve on the previous years. “When don’t we look good?” Sugar grinned. “Are you hoping to look good for someone in particular?” She added, a teasing tone to her voice.

Kitty At Sugar's words, Kitty couldn't help but pull a face and turn around to look at the other girl. "God, what are they made of?" She asked, running her fingers through her hair approvingly. "I hope they're not too gross, because I'm not having some lightweight blowing chunks on the dance floor because they got too drunk and it grossed them out."

She put down the straightener, adjusting her satin robe as she turned away from the vanity towards Sugar, smirking as she saw the other girl doing her signature smokey eye, a look that she'd never been able to pull off quite as well as her best friend. This was one of the best things about their friendship; their styles were so different, Kitty's being lighter and more streamlined, and Sugar's being bolder and more experimental. It made them perfectly complementary of each other, and there was no time this shined more than during Halloween.

A grin found its way onto Kitty's face at Sugar's question despite herself, and she fought to keep from biting her lip to hide it; messing up her lipstick would do her no good right now. She shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, picking up the eyeliner and pulling the cap off, ready to apply it to the other girl's lids. "I might be." She mused, smiling despite herself. "If he shows up. I don't think Halloween's really his thing." She murmured, starting to work on the eyeliner. "Are you?"

Sugar "I think they're mostly jelly," Sugar answered, chuckling at the expression that Kitty had pulled. "And I hope all of the floors remain chunk free otherwise I'm going to owe the cleaners a bonus."

Sugar grinned at Kitty's answer before schooling her smile into a neutral expression so she didn't mess up the eyeliner that Kitty was currently applying for her. "Halloween might not be his thing, but there's no chance he's missing out on an opportunity to see you, girl," Sugar replied, keeping her eyes closed. "Is he speaking to you again yet or is this look to entice him back?" She enquired, not knowing where Kitty and this Hunter character currently stood.

She shook her head at Kitty's question. "No, I'm just looking good for me," She answered. "If I miraculously meet someone worth my time tonight then it's a win-win."

Kitty Kitty lay her hand flat on the top of Sugar's head as she worked, keeping it steady. They'd done this so many times before that it was second nature; she knew exactly how to draw the mascara around Sugar's eyes to make them pop the best. She smiled to herself, taking advantage of Sugar's eyes being closed, but kept her voice steady. "We talked at Dottie's party. I apologised to him, if you can believe it. And then he kissed me." She slipped in that last comment nonchalantly, trying to ignore the way her stomach fluttered as she said it. "Kind of a lot actually. Okay, we made out a little."

She grinned at Sugar's words, the other girl's self assurance one of Kitty's favourite things about her. "I doubt anyone would be worth your time, but maybe flirting could be fun?" She often didn't really know how to approach the topic of Sugar's dating life with her. The two were on the same wavelength about avoiding sex and relationship, but their biggest difference had always been why; with Kitty, she was constantly torn between not being able to and wishing she could. It seemed to her that Sugar just wasn't interested at all.

Sugar "You apologised?" Sugar laughed, though there was a fondness to it. She knew Kitty must be down bad if she was going around apologising to boys. "Oh my god," She grinned at the confession of a make out session. "I love that for you though, I'm glad he came to his senses," She added honestly. She may not have entirely understood the appeal herself but she was happy for her friend.

"Maybe," Sugar agreed, though she wasn't great at flirting and was downright terrible at recognising when she was being flirted with. She just didn't see the appeal of boys, she would much rather hang out with her friends. She'd been tempted once with a high school boyfriend before she found herself dumped for moving too slowly. "I think I'll be too busy on party host duties, but you never know," She smiled warmly. "Let me know if Hunter has a cute friend," She added as an afterthought. "Double dates would be so much fun."

Kitty Kitty shook her head, chuckling slightly. "I know. It was, like, sincere too. I don't think I've ever been that sincere before in my life." She sighed slightly, tilting her head to the side as she narrowed her eyes, trying to make sure her work was as maticulous as it needed to be; knowing Sugar, she'd make Kitty do it again if it wasn't. "I think it's big with him. I don't even know what that means but... God, he has me doing dumb shit. He texted me the other day and I giggled out loud. Thankfully I was in my car, but still. I've never giggled before in my life."

A hum left Kitty's mouth at Sugar's words, shrugging slightly. "I think his best friend is Sebastian, so you're out of luck there." She pulled back as she finished on Sugar's second eye, admiring her handiwork with a grin. "Perfect. You'll smoke everyone else." She turned back to the mirror, picking up her lipstick and reapplying, something she was sure she'd do at least another six times that evening. Once satisfied, she reached for her little satin green ascot, tying it around her neck. "What time is Sebastian getting here? I want to take group pics."

Sugar "This is whole new territory for you," Sugar agreed teasingly. She had selfishly enjoyed all the extra time that she'd gotten with Kitty over the years thanks to their mutual lack of boyfriends. But she was happy for her best friend, someone she basically considered a sister. She didn't know what having a sibling felt like but it couldn't be any better than this. "Ooh do I get to give him a talk? Threaten to cut his dick off if he hurts you?" She asked jokingly. "Though I'm sure you'd have beaten me to it."

Sugar mulled over Kitty's words. She would have guessed Sebastian's best friend was Gunther given how often she'd seen them together, but maybe she just didn't know Sebastian's friends that well. So she didn't give it a second thought, simply shrugging her shoulders and moving on. "That's the goal," She grinned as she grabbed her lip gloss to finish her look. "No idea, I told him to get here from six onwards, but he probably wants to be fashionably late."

Kitty Kitty snorted at Sugar's offer, shaking her head as she picked up the purple glitter, gently dabbing a little bit into the corners of her eyelids. "Let me see if I want to myself into a position where he could possibly hurt me." She replied. "I don't know if this'll become a thing or not, and there's a lot of stuff attached to it. Like the sex thing, that's clearly on his radar and I don't really know if I can deliver on that. Plus, I didn't tell you, but Christopher would definitely not approve. Hunter's dad tried to scam him out of a deal, it was pretty ugly."

Kitty sighed, rolling her eyes. "Of all days. Tell me he didn't bitch about the costume too much. I know Fred's not exactly the sexiest option, but this group costume has prestige, that's gotta count for something." She shook her head, before turning to look at Sugar. "How do I look? Too much glitter?"

Sugar Sugar listened to Kitty, nodding along as she began to finalise the finishing touches of her make up, sweeping a bronzer brush over her face. She was particularly sympathetic to the concerns about sex, she could relate to that on a very personal level. "If he likes you then I'm sure he'll be okay with waiting until you're ready," Sugar said. "And if he's not okay with that then he's an asshole and you don't need him in your life." She paused, taking in the last part. "You can't hold that against him though, I don't think Christopher would actually approve of anyone." She joked.

"It's Seb, of course he bitched about the costume," Sugar laughed. "I think he only agreed because he knew I would annoy him about it until next Halloween. I tried to sell him on the sexy angle but I didn't realise how hard that would be to do with Fred," She added, picking up her thigh high red socks and pulling them on. "You look perfect, smoking hot. I don't think there is a thing as too much glitter. Though I am still finding some on me from Dottie's party last week. I forgot how hard body glitter is to get off."

Kitty Kitty couldn't help but grin at Sugar's words, her assurance meaning more than most people's. "That's true." Kitty replied, quickly brushing a light blush over her cheeks, just enough to give her a bit of colour; the goal was to look effortlessly hot, not sweaty and hot. "I mean, he still doesn't really approve of you and he's known you since you were a baby." Her father's bemusement towards Sugar had always been a point of hilarity between the girls. "Still, I can't lie, the star-crossed lovers thing is kinda appealing. I've always loved the idea of ending up with someone they'd hate, and Hunter's definitely better than some forty year old biker."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, he bitches about shit all the time. He looks good in whatever he wears." At Sugar's mention of glitter, Kitty hummed, nodding and pulling her hair away from her neck, showing Sugar the patch of skin under her ear. "Look at that. I swear, all the glitter's just congregated there. I've scrubbed and scrubbed and it's barely moved." She shook her head, readjusting her hair. "Whoever suggested a damn Twilight theme to Dottie should be kicked in the shins." She took a moment to primp in the mirror, ever careful to not let a hair be out of place, before turning to Sugar, a smirk on her face. "Ready?"

Sugar Sugar smiled at Kitty's comment about Christopher. The pair of them had been friends for nearly two decades, but Kitty's dad still couldn't quite understand the Mottas and some of their quirks. Whilst Sugar approached the relationship with boundless enthusiasm and unearned affection, Christopher seemed to back away in equal measure. "I don't know what you're talking about, me and Chris are besties," She grinned, giving her makeup a final once over in the mirror.

"Oh wow," Sugar laughed as she peered over at Kitty's glitter stained skin. "That's definitely worse than mine. Try some coconut oil, that's what helped me the most. If you're staying here tonight then there's some in the bathroom if you want to use it tomorrow," She suggested, slipping on her favourite Valentino black heels. She stood up, admiring how long the heels made her legs look in the mirror before nodding at Kitty's question. "Absolutely, let's do this."

Kitty An hour after Sugar and Kitty had linked arms and made their way down the stairs into the extremely well-decorated main foyer, Kitty found herself standing to the side of the living room with Sugar, two drinks in and definitely starting to feel its effects. The party was in full swing around them, the dark rooms illuminated only by low coloured lighting, alcohol flowing, and music pumping. Kitty tipped her head back as she finished the rest of her drink, before sighing. “Where the hell are Fred and Shaggy?” She grumbled, her voice slightly raised to be heard over the music. “I want to start really drinking, we need to take photos before I’m too drunk to look good.” She frowned, turning to Sugar. “Who the hell did you get to be Shaggy, anyways?”

Sugar Sugar was pleased with how the party was going. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and it was all going off without a hitch. "You still look good when you're drunk, babe," She smiled at Kitty warmly. She was about to answer Kitty's question when she heard someone shout her name from the kitchen. "Let me go check what they want and I'll look for Fred and Shaggy on my way," Sugar smiled before moving past Kitty towards the bar area in the kitchen.

Ryder Ryder made his way through the throngs of people standing around the yard and into the house. It hadn't taken him long to get dressed in his costume at all, given he was basically wearing some baggy brown pants and an equally baggy green t-shirt. There was certainly less body glitter tonight than there had been for Dottie's party. He grabbed himself a drink from the kitchen, picking the brightest coloured drink he could find before he made his way into the living room, surveying the party for familiar faces.

Kitty Kitty grinned at Sugar, watching her walk away, before making her way through the living room towards the kitchen to drop her empty glass off and maybe get another drink. She wasn’t planning on getting wasted tonight, but a bit of tipsiness could only serve to make Halloween even more fun than it usually was.

She was halfway through the living room when she stopped dead in her tracks, her eye catching an all-too-familiar face, and her content half-smile melted off her face immediately. Ryder Lynn, in what could only be described as the laziest Shaggy costume of all time. “Absolutely not.” The words were almost involuntary, and she pursed her lips, making a beeline for him. “Nope, not happening, go home and take it off.” She commanded as she stopped in front of him, putting her free hand on her hip.

Ryder Ryder had been about to go say hello to some of his football friends when he saw someone approaching him, turning to see that it was Kitty. A less than impressed Kitty, at that. Though that seemed to be her permanent state of mind around Ryder at the moment.

"Hi to you too," Ryder smiled amusedly, taking a sip from the drink in his hand. "What, why?" He asked, figuring that maybe there was something wrong with his costume. He couldn't see what though, Shaggy genuinely didn't wear anything else. "This is exactly what Shaggy wears, I didn't think it was too bad."

Kitty Rage was not a good enough word for what Kitty was feeling right now as Ryder spoke, and set her jaw, shaking her head. “You are not Shaggy, there’s no fucking way.” She all but hissed at him. She couldn’t believe this was happening; her ex-something who came the closest anyone had ever come to breaking her heart, dressed in a matching costume with her… it was too much.

She grabbed his arm, pulling him into the corner so they’d be a little less visible. “Look, I don’t know what your problem is. We dated, it didn’t work out, and that’s not actually my fault.” Her voice was pointed, an eyebrow raised. “But you sneak-attack wearing a matching costume with me isn’t the way to get me back or whatever. You’re not getting me back.” She let her voice get venomous, leaning in closer to him so he could hear her without her having to shout.

Ryder Ryder was thoroughly confused by what was going on. He had assumed when Sugar asked him if he wanted to be in the group costume that it was some form of olive branch from Kitty. Sure their online argument the other day had raised a few eyebrows for him, but he figured that had just been a blip, and that the olive branch still stood. He hadn't been told not to come as Shaggy anymore.

His jaw dropped a little as Kitty steered him away from the centre of the room. The venom in her voice when she stated they were not getting back together hurt a little, and it hurt to know that it was so firmly off the table for them. "What?!" He squawked at the accusations, the confusion overriding any need to return her venom back at her in an attempt to protect his pride. "I'm not trying to get you back. I already tried that at Homecoming, I may be dumb but I'm not that dumb to try again at Halloween. We're over, I get it. Sure it fucking sucks but I'm a big boy, I'll get over it, I'm not going to 'sneak-attack' you." He added, using the hand that wasn't holding his drink to add air-quotes to the last part.

Kitty Kitty shook her head incredulously, growing more and more confused by the minute. Her eyes grazed over his costume, her frown deepening as she tried to put two and two together. As he spoke, she reluctantly brought her eyes back up to meet his, feeling a slight pang of guilt at how she'd spoken. It was no secret to anyone that Ryder would probably get back with Kitty in a heartbeat if she let him, no matter how much she berated him for God knows what. Using that against him in a flurry of fury had been cruel, even for her. Impulse control, she thought, you don't always have to say the first thing that comes to mind.

She sighed, desperately wishing her drink was fuller so she could knock it back. "Then why the hell are you dressed as Shaggy?" She asked exasperatedly. "Sugar told me she already... got a Shaggy..." She trailed off as it dawned on her what the most likely explanation for this was, and she exhaled, feeling defeated. "You're the guy Sugar got to be Shaggy." It wasn't a question.

Ryder Ryder would probably always have a soft spot for Kitty but he also didn't want her to think that he was just sitting around pining for her. Yes, what happened between them sucked, and yes, he would get back with her. But it'd also been five months since their handful of dates and so whilst she would probably always be someone who 'got away' and he hated that he'd never know how they would have ended, he wasn't sitting around moping over her daily.

Ryder's eyebrows got higher and higher as Kitty continued speaking and the pieces began to fall into place. Forget the olive branch, Kitty hadn't even known that he was Shaggy. "Uh, yeah, Sugar asked me a couple of weeks ago." He nodded, confirming what she'd said. "Shit, I thought you'd have known or that it was your idea... it was Sugar, y'know? I figured you'd planned it between you two."

Kitty Kitty took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment before sighing loudly. Yeah, that guilt was starting to get deep-set, and to say she felt like an asshole was a huge understatement. It was her own fault, she should've checked with Sugar, then she could've told Sugar it was a bad idea, or at the very least prepared herself for this. Instead, here she was, having just chewed him out for something that wasn't his fault even slightly. She opened her eyes, shaking her head.

"Nope. We divided and conquered, she found Fred and Shaggy and I found Scooby. I didn't even consider checking with her, mostly because I didn't think she'd do this." She looked at him, her face still deeply unimpressed. "What, you didn't think it was weird that I'd ask you to be in a group costume with me? Didn't think to check?" She asked him, her voice deadpan.

Ryder Ryder wanted to laugh at how the evening was shaping up. He’d come to the party with the expectation that Kitty was cool with him being in the group costume, thinking they were on their way to making amends. Then there was the whole question mark about being in the same costume as Sebastian, who he’d spent the last five months avoiding after the club incident. It was going to be a long evening and he definitely needed some alcohol. “You and Sugar are like this,” He gestured, holding two crossed fingers up. “I figured you were both on the same page. I thought maybe it was a peace offering but you just didn’t want to tell me yourself.”

Sugar Sugar made her way back through the living room, having solved the drinks related issues in the kitchen. There was still no sign of Sebastian yet, but she saw that they at least had one extra member of the group as she spotted Kitty talking to Ryder in the corner of the room. “I see you found our Shaggy,” She smiled as she stepped up to their little group. “Hi Ryder,” She flashed a smile at Ryder before continuing. “I couldn’t find our Fred but I’m sure he’ll be here soon. What is Scooby’s ETA?”

Kitty Kitty was about to reply to Ryder when Sugar came up behind her. Perfect, someone Kitty could actually blame this on. Sure, Kitty could've checked, but also Sugar should have told her; her history with and feelings about Ryder were no secret to her best friend. She took a deep breath, turning to Sugar and crossing her arms. "Dottie's gonna get here whens he gets here." She hated how curt her tone was, Sugar was the one person she so rarely got bitchy with, and it felt so wrong to do it now.

"Sooo," She lowered her voice slightly, widening her eyes as she leaned in closer to Sugar. "When were you gonna tell me that you picked Ryder to be Shaggy?" Her voice was lowered, even if Ryder could almost certainly hear it, but she ignored him, staring daggers at Sugar. "You know, my ex... something? You didn't think that was maybe not the move?"

Sugar Sugar did a double take at Kitty’s tone, it was vastly different from earlier in the evening, and she knew it to be the one that Kitty used when she was annoyed. The reason started to become clear as Kitty leaned in and started asking questions. Sugar shot a quick glance at Ryder, still awkwardly standing in front of them before looking back at Kitty.

“I would have told you if you asked,” Sugar stated, beginning to feel guilty. She hadn’t intended to make things awkward for Kitty, she just genuinely thought it wouldn’t be an issue. “You said you didn’t care about him anymore, I thought it’d be fine,” She explained, trying to keep her voice down whilst still being heard over the music. “And you have Hunter now, I thought you were over him. He’s cute, with the right hair, he’s not a loser, and he was into the idea, it seemed like it would work,” She added sincerely, watching out of the corner of her eye as Ryder ran a hand through his hair whilst looking pointedly at the ground.

Kitty Kitty closed her eyes for a moment as she took a deep breath. She loved Sugar more than she loved anyone else on this planet, and had next to no negative things to say about her, but it had to be said that this area was not her strong suit. "Even if I'm over him, I still don't want to be around him, it's awkward as fuck." She whispered, before shaking her head and putting her hand on Sugar's arm, a way of quietly saying that she wasn't angry. "I'll explain it to you later."

She turned back to Ryder, her eyebrows raised. "Fine. We can take photos with the group because I need it for my feed, but don't come near me for the rest of the night." She warned him, before sighing. "The last thing I need is for anyone to think we're trying to do some lame couple's costume, especially Hunter." She narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm sure you'd love that, though." She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm, before kicking herself. Too mean again. God, she needed to work on that.

Sugar "My bad," Sugar grimaced, flashing an apologetic smile at Kitty. She never meant to put her best friend in an uncomfortable position. It just hadn't occurred to her that there would be more feelings going on beneath the surface. That when Kitty had said she didn't care about Ryder, maybe there was more to it than that. "Okay, sorry again," Sugar nodded, briefly placing her hand on top of Kitty's. At least Kitty wasn't really angry with her. They very rarely fought, and Sugar didn't want to change that.

Ryder "Fine by me," Ryder rolled his eyes at Kitty's request that he not go near her for the rest of the night. At least Sugar's house seemed to be big enough that he would be able to successfully avoid her. "You do realise you're not in a couples costume with me, right? Daphne dates Fred, not Shaggy." He replied bemusedly, quashing any feelings he had about the idea of Kitty dating someone else. "So if Hunter thinks we're a couple then he needs to watch more Scooby Doo. It's Sebastian he has to watch out for," Ryder added jokingly.

Kitty Kitty raised an eyebrow, not in the slightest bit impressed with Ryder’s attitude. Sure, this situation wasn’t his fault, but God, that guy had a way of getting under her skin. “Well, Sebastian and I never dated.” She snapped. And actually, Daphne and Velma are the real couple. Everyone knows that.” Kitty pursed her lips, reaching out to link arms with Sugar for effect; the two thinking of each other romantically was absurd, but Sugar was the closest Kitty had to an other half. Shooting one last scathing look at Ryder, Kitty turned back to Sugar. “Come on, let’s go to the foyer and see if Sebastian’s here.” She muttered, just wanting to be as far from Ryder as possible in that moment.

Kitty The party flowed from there elegantly. She’d bitten her tongue through some cheesy group costume pictures in varying poses, including the most cliche’d couples poses with Sebastian that had made her roll her eyes. Overall, however, she had to admit that they looked good. Hunter had arrived soon after and completely captured her attention. A fresh drink in hand, Kitty had felt so much more relaxed, even succumbing to her own desires and allowing Hunter to pull her into a corner of the living room, lean down and kiss her.

When he finally pulled away to ask her if she wanted another drink, she’d smiled and nodded, putting an order in for a virgin daiquiri - she knew what her limit for a fun tipsiness without getting wasted was. As Hunter walked off, her cheeks were warm, and she took a deep breath, looking around the party. She spotted Ryder, and that guilt crept back into her stomach. After a slight hesitation, she made her way over to him, the alcohol in her system definitely making this much easier than it would be otherwise. “Hey.” She moved slightly closer to him to be heard over the music of the party. “Listen, I’m sorry for what I said before. It was shitty. And, like, for what I said online the other day.” She shrugged sheepishly. “I’m trying to work on the ‘bitchy rage’ thing.”

Ryder Given the slightly rocky start, Ryder was actually having a good time at Sugar's party. Whilst the Kitty element of the night had been a bit spiky and awkward, he'd at least managed to speak to Sebastian. Despite what Ryder's anxiety had been telling him for the last five months, Sebastian hadn't been annoyed about the club incident one bit. In fact, he'd immediately started flirting with Ryder instead. It put Ryder at ease knowing that he and Sebastian were on the same page now as to each other's identity, and that he could stop avoiding the other man.

Sebastian had left the party to go change, and Ryder was under strict instructions not to tell Kitty or Sugar about it. Not that it seemed likely that he'd be talking to either of them, Sugar was busy flitting about the party on host duties and Kitty had told him not to go near her for the rest of the evening, which he was happily doing. It made it that much more surprising when he looked up to see Kitty approaching him. "Hey," He replied slowly, his eyebrows quirking upwards as she apologised to him. He wasn't sure he'd ever heard her apologise, particularly not to him. "It's okay, you were blindsided. It must have looked weird that I was dressed like this." He nodded, gesturing to his outfit. "But I'm really not an obsessed stalker, it was just a misunderstanding."

"I'm sorry about the online thing too." Ryder added. "It's just a sore subject, y'know? I didn't mean to react like I did, or call you... what I called you."

Kitty Kitty listened to Ryder speak, her face stoic, but a part of her softened at how sincere he was being. It was hard to be mad at the guy when he really didn't have any ulterior motives, something that Kitty had found was quite rare in people, herself included. She took a deep breath, shrugging again as she crossed her arms around her body, her fingers absent-mindedly playing with the end of a lock of her hair. "I get it. I was kinda being a bitch." She pursed her lips together; her least favourite thing about being called a bitch was that it was sort of warranted. "It's a sore subject for me, too. And it's kind of my trump card with you, but I need to pull it out less, I know that."

She paused for a moment, looking out at the party, suddenly overcome with a despondent sadness. This topic hurt, no matter how much she moved on. The sting of rejection was clearly not going to wear off any time soon. "I really liked you, you know?" She said suddenly, still not looking at Ryder; it seemed to be easier to be candid when she wasn't. "You were really nice and I really liked going out with you. It's why I was so pissed about what happened." She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "I still am really mad. I think you threw away something that could've been good." She took a deep breath, looking away, before shrugging a shoulder. "It's for the best, though, in the end. I think you'd have driven me insane with all your nerd shit." She tried to add a teasing edge to her voice, even if it was hard.

Ryder Ryder felt a little thrown by the shift in tone of what Kitty was telling him. He couldn't remember if they'd had such a pleasant exchange since everything that had happened. It was certainly the most honest conversation they'd had. When they'd broken up, it had felt like Kitty had, understandably, barricaded herself behind a wall of silence and then insults. This felt like the first time since their last date that he'd gotten a glimpse of what existed behind those walls.

"I really liked you too," Ryder smiled sadly, a fresh wave of regret rolling over him. Even though she was being nice, it still felt like a new twist of the knife at the idea of what could have been. He almost missed the insults. "We were good together, I'm sorry I fucked that up. I hope you know that it had nothing to do with you. I'm an idiot for doing what I did, and I'm still mad at myself too." He added. "Right you may be, broken up with me you would have," Ryder did a Yoda impression weakly, his heart not really in it. "In future, maybe friends we can be?"

Kitty Ryder’s words pulled on something that gave a dull ache in her gut. She wasn’t hung up on the guy, but what had happened had hurt. Dating Ryder had been the first time she’d ever gone out with someone for any reason that wasn’t just to have arm candy. He’d been so sweet to her, so respectful and funny, even if his jokes had made her groan. This thing with Hunter was incredible and she loved how lost in it she was, but there was a part of her that would always be haunted by what could have been with Ryder.

She took a deep breath, looking down at her shoes and nodding as Ryder spoke. “I know you’re sorry.” She said softly. “I think you can stop apologising now. I think I can maybe stop being mad. Shit happens, you know? Plus, I’m kinda with Hunter. I really like him. There’s only so mad I can really be anymore.” At his Yoda impression, she looked up, staring straight ahead at the party, rolling her eyes. She fought back a smile, but failed miserably, her lips curling into a grin as she shook her head. “Sure. Fine. But that’s the last time you pull out a damn Yoda impression.” She looked up at him, the smile still on her face. “You’ll be fine. You’ll find someone, you’re a nice guy. Just avoid dating apps.” She added sardonically.

Ryder Ryder would likely always feel a tinge of regret whenever he thought too hard about Kitty, wondering what could have been. But for the first time, he was also beginning to see past it. He could feel the wounds beginning to heal, and see a world where it was possible for him and Kitty to be friends without jumping at each other's throats.

"Sounds good to me," He nodded, happy that his apology had been heard. Maybe he'd start to feel less guilty now. "Ah yes, Hunter... I'm happy for you. I hope it works out however you want it to," Ryder smiled, surprising himself with how genuinely he meant it. He did only want good things for her, even if it wasn't with him. "Deal, but I can't promise drunk Ryder won't bring it out from time to time," He laughed. "Thank you, that means a lot. Oh the dating apps were deleted months ago. Never again, I've been scared off them forever."

Kitty The smile didn't leave Kitty's face, and it felt good to genuinely let go of the animosity and just talk to Ryder; there was a reason she had liked him to begin with. Ultimately, even before they'd ever dated, she'd liked being around him. Jokes and goofy nonsense included. Maybe this wouldn't have happened without a few drinks in her, but she was glad for it nonetheless. Between Ryder and Hunter she was starting to really feel how good it was to lower her defences and just be with the other person.

Kitty couldn't help her smirk when he mentioned Hunter, so in awe of how un-petty it all was; if he'd found someone else the way she had, she wouldn't be an ounce as graceful. He really was a better person than her. "Thanks. Honestly, I think I'm down pretty bad. It all feels really good. Nothing's felt this good since..." She took a deep breath, shrugging and shaking her head. "In a long time." She finished. She laughed at his words, nodding. "Good, meet people the old-fashioned way. You know, where you know their real name and have met them in person before getting involved." She offered a small smile. "You deserve someone good."

Ryder Ryder could feel his mood picking up as he chatted to Kitty. The night was really turning around for him, and he couldn't be happier about it. It was nice to feel like it was just the two of them again, hanging out together and enjoying each other's company. Being with Kitty had been as easy as breathing, the two of them just seemed to click.

"Well good for you," Ryder smiled, taking a sip from his drink. "And I don't mean that in an Olivia Rodrigo way," He added jokingly. "That's the plan. No apps, no fake bullshit, no shitty people hiding behind fake profiles," He said. He took another long sip from his drink, debating whether or not to tell Kitty what he'd learned about the catfish during their time apart. It wasn't like he had anyone else to talk to about it, and shared gossip was always a solid way to build a friendship. It was a gamble but he was drunk, and there was something about Kitty that always made him want to talk to her, and share his secrets. "Guess what? I found the guy in the photos. The photos the catfish used, I found the real guy."

Kitty It was easier to talk to Ryder by the second, and she was glad she'd come over here. Making amends wasn't something she was overly used to - hard to make amends when you're so rarely wrong - but clearly there was some benefit to it. Being friends sounded good, even if she knew it would take some time to get there. She was willing to try, though.

When he brought up the catfish, an apprehension grew in Kitty's stomach, and she half considered changing the subject, telling him to stop, or even just walking away. It was still a sore subject, especially the whole 'rejection' aspect of it all, and she'd always been curious as to who Ryder had turned away from her for, not sure if she'd want the answer. But this was clearly a way for him to build a bridge to friendship, and part of moving on was being able to talk about this stuff without it being weird. Well, too weird; it would always be a little weird. She took a deep breath, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" She pursed her lips. "Who is he?"

Ryder If Ryder had been sober, maybe he wouldn't have been so quick to bring up the catfish situation to Kitty. But he was dying to talk to someone about it, and it wasn't like he'd told anyone else. So he just hoped that he wasn't about to make things worse again, just as they were getting onto some more solid ground.

"It's Sebastian," Ryder answered, ripping the metaphorical bandaid off. "I actually found his profile because you posted an Instagram story with him and Sugar," He explained, rubbing one hand over the back of his neck. "I did something stupid back when everything happened, and I've been avoiding him ever since. Tonight's the first time I've talked to him so agreeing to the group costume was risky, even before you factor in that I didn't know that you didn't know I was Shaggy."

Kitty Kitty’s jaw dropped the moment Ryder said Sebastian’s name, and she turned her head to look at him. “Sebastian? Smythe?” Her incredulousness was obvious, and she felt a flurry of various emotions. Shock and disdain that it had been Sebastian of all people that Ryder had turned away from her for, hysterical amusement at the situation and how awkward it must all be, and confusion at how all of it had happened to begin with.

“Jesus.” She muttered, turning her head back away as she mulled it over. “Does he know about any of it? The catfishing, I mean, it feels like he should know.”

Ryder Ryder nodded at her question, even if it was obvious. There was only one Sebastian in their group costume. It almost made him want to laugh from the awkwardness of it all. How had things got this messy? It was insane. Whilst he expected to have crazy college stories to tell, he wasn't sure he'd ever pictured this.

"No, I don't think so. I haven't told him," Ryder admitted. "I spoke to him for a minute earlier but I didn't mention the catfish thing. It's so awkward and embarrassing." He added. Besides, Sebastian had spent most of the conversation flirting with him and Ryder hadn't exactly wanted to ruin that particular moment. "So you think I have to tell him then?"

Kitty Kitty digested what he was saying for a moment in silence. What a weird web that had been woven with all of these people around her, herself included. If she ever figured out who this damn catfish was, they’d better move to the other side of the country after the massive mess they’d made.

At Ryder’s question, Kitty hummed, shrugging a shoulder. “I mean, yeah, he should know. If someone was using photos of me to catfish on dating apps, I’d want to know. I’d also pull out their guts, but I know that’s not really your style.” She looked up at him, her eyebrows raised. “I can tell him, if you want? I mean, if it’s awkward with you two.”

Ryder "You're pretty good at pulling guts," Ryder laughed. Kitty was definitely one of the most confident girls he'd ever met, and she definitely didn't take any shit from anyone. "No it's fine, I'll tell him myself. Besides things weren't as awkward as I expected them to be just now," He added.

"You see, I kind of, maybe, made out with him?" Ryder explained, his voice pitching up as he got through the sentence. "Back when I thought he was the guy from the dating app. I saw him in a club and I was drunk so I went over to him and just kissed him because I thought he knew who I was. We made out for a bit and then I had to leave before we cleared anything up. So I think I probably owe him an explanation for that, so it's better coming from me."

Kitty “Yeah, keep passing that round, I sometimes feel like people don’t really get that.” Kitty joked halfheartedly. This conversation was surreal, but she was determined to make it as un-weird as she possibly good, as a gesture of goodwill for this new friendship.

However, as Ryder said they’d made out, her jaw fell open, and she stared at him, eyes wide as she listened. Well, that was a twist. She hadn’t pegged Ryder for the kind to kiss random guys in bars, but she guessed it made sense given that it was Sebastian he’d kissed. “Oh my God.” She muttered, bringing a hand up to rub her forehead. “You might legitimately be messier than me. But, like… do you like him?”

Ryder Ryder was thrilled to finally get the secret off his chest, he hadn't told anyone about what had happened between him and Sebastian and it was nice to finally be able to tell someone, even if he never in his wildest dreams expected that person to be Kitty. Knowing that Sebastian and Kitty were friends, part of him did wonder whether Sebastian had ever mentioned to her that a random guy had stuck his tongue down his throat in a club one night. Though maybe that was a regular occurrence for him, he was very hot after all.

"Honestly I didn't mean to be messy, it's like the mess just... follows me or I attract it somehow," Ryder laughed, running a hand distractedly through his hair. "I have no idea if I like him. I don't know him. I liked someone else who just happened to have his face, but that's not him. Whether I like the real Sebastian, I don't know. I've never actually spoken to him before tonight."

Kitty For a moment, the little devil on Kitty's shoulder told her to say something that would make all of this blow up in Ryder's face. Give him bad advice, badmouth Sebastian, get to Sebastian and badmouth Ryder. She knew why; it was a compulsion to destroy anything that made her even a little bit uncomfortable, and the potential for her ex-whatever and frenemy-type friend getting together definitely made her uncomfortable. But instead, a thought flashed through her head, a memory of how Ryder had wished her luck with Hunter, and she found herself taking another deep breath, and turning back to Ryder.

"Look, Sebastian's actually a really great guy. Don't tell him I said that, ever." She shook her head. "He acts like this 'I don't give a crap' snarky fuckboy but he's really sweet underneath all of that." She grinned softly, shrugging a shoulder. "Plus I also have eyes, I know he's hot. Not my type, but I can see how he'd be yours. I say, go for it. Who knows what'll happen, but it's worth going and finding out."

Ryder Ryder mimed pulling a zip across his mouth. For anyone else, he probably would have told them immediately. Who didn't want to hear that people were saying nice things about them? But he also knew that Kitty would get her revenge, and he knew that he wouldn't be a fan of whatever her punishment was for revealing to other people that she had a nicer, softer side to her.

"Should I tell him that you know he's hot and really sweet, or are those also a secret?" Ryder teased, flashing her a smile. He mulled over her advice, grateful that it seemed to be genuine and that they were moving past their hostility. "Well I guess at least he can't be catfishing me, right? That's already better than last time," Ryder joked. "And if things go badly then I'll just drink four more of those green things and then hopefully I won't remember anything anyway."

Kitty Kitty snorted, shaking her head. “If you say anything, I’ll shave your head, and start another rumour about you. I like Sebastian to think I have nothing good to say about him, he gets insufferable otherwise. Especially don’t tell him that I think he’s hot.” She grinned, crossing her arms around herself.

“Look, I’m not gonna say that you two are a match made in heaven, because even if I believed in that junk, I can’t guarantee it.” She shrugged. “But you’ve beaten yourself up for this crap for too long, and to a large extent, it wasn’t your fault. You didn’t choose to get catfished. Don’t ever repeat to anyone that I said this, but you deserve to be happy.”

Ryder "Ah yes, the green junk," Ryder laughed at the memory of the previous rumour that Kitty had tried to spread about him. He found himself hoping that Sebastian either hadn't heard the rumour or had dismissed it as ridiculous.

"If I didn't have a drink in my hand and if I didn't think that you'd hurt me, I'd hug you right now," He smiled at her words. Maybe he'd have to go hug Sugar for unknowingly orchestrating this situation. She had both gotten him back on good terms with Kitty and closer to Sebastian in just one night. "You deserve to be happy too, and Hunter's pretty hot too. Though something tells me he won't mention superheroes as often as me. Are you sure that's someone you want to be with?" He added jokingly.

Kitty Kitty shrugged. “It was funny, you have to admit. Plus, it got some traction, I didn’t realise I had that influence.” She pulled a face at Ryder’s suggestion, and put her hand up teasingly. “I’ll pass, thanks. I’m not a hug person.” She turned and grinned at him regardless, starting to warm to this new friendship; a plot twist if she’d ever seen one. “And not talking about superheroes definitely makes him even hotter, if you can believe it.” As she turned back to the party, she spotted Hunter walking back, drink in-hand, and smiled despite herself. “But yeah, I am sure.” She replied softly, before turning back to Ryder. “Have a good night. If you get lucky, use protection.” She grinned at him before turning and walking back into the party.

#paras #paras: kitty #kitty #paras: ryder #ryder #wmacevent002 #//oops we finished writing this over a month ago #also... she didn't mean to meddle!

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ryderlynnofficial · 6 months ago

Text

and... action!

DATE & TIME: May 2024 LOCATION: Hollywood Boulevard, Venice Beach SUMMARY: Ryder and Kitty are on set to film the music video for Ryder's new single, Partners in Crime. WARNINGS: None TAGS: @kittywildeofficial

Kitty This outfit was absolutely ridiculous. The leather stars that had been looped together in some chainmail contraption could barely qualify as trousers, but when paired with the matching black corset top, she couldn’t deny she looked good. Kitty squinted as she stepped out of the trailer, the hot LA sun beating down on her, and she prayed to God she wouldn’t sweat and smudge her makeup. Yeah, maybe a music video for Ryder Lynn wasn’t the height of prestige, but she still didn’t want to look like a drowned rat, especially in front of him. She was ushered through set towards where the red convertible sat, Ryder in the front seat, and she walked over to stand next to the driver’s door, her hands on her hips. “Was the outfit your idea?” She asked, an eyebrow raised. Ryder Ryder had been skeptical when his management team suggested putting Kitty in his new music video, trying to make the most of the publicity buzz surrounding the kiss at the party. All it had taken was one camera phone for their locked lips to be the talk of the internet and the remaining print media outlets which hadn’t been driven to extinction yet. His skepticism turned to outright shock when she accepted the job offer. He had been under the impression that she had better things to do and none of them involved him.

Ryder had been waiting in the car for Kitty to be done with hair and make up, absentmindedly drumming a beat on the steering wheel with his hands. He turned as he heard Kitty’s voice next to him, his eyes instinctively widening as he took in the sight of her. “No it wasn’t but clearly I need to give that person a raise. You look hot as fuck,” He commented, trying his best to keep his eyes locked on hers. It was a tricky task given her (incredible) boobs were the same level as his head. Kitty Kitty taking this job had been a surprise to her team. Although it was obvious why Ryder’s people had wanted her for this video, this wasn’t the kind of high profile shoot that she’d gotten used to over her years in the industry. She didn’t really have a good reason for them as to why she’d accepted, having gone with some half-assed ‘I want to push my boundaries creatively’ that none of them bought (it was a music video where she looked sexy in the back of a car - a dime a dozen job for her).

The truth, though she’d never admit it, lay somewhere in the fluttering feeling in her gut as she watched Ryder work hard to look absolutely everywhere except her chest, and she smirked, moving her hands to rest on the car and leaning forward against it. She knew this action pushed them further into his line of sight, but she kept her eyes upwards, nonchalantly looking at the sectioned-off street around them, bustling with the activity of a music video shoot. “I’m aware.” Was all she said. “God, you guys sectioned off half of Hollywood Boulevard for this shit.” She commented. “You must think this record has some promise.” Ryder Ryder had been planning something entirely different for this video but the plans had been abruptly changed when the pictures of he and Kitty had come out. His team had gone into planning mode, rewriting the video to capitalise on the attention that people were now paying him. He’d rather have gotten the attention on merit from his music, but he knew that fame was fickle and he had to pick and choose which battles were most important. Besides, getting to spend a day in close proximity to Kitty was hardly a chore.

“I like to think all of my songs have promise,” Ryder replied nonchalantly, still trying his best to not stare at her chest. He didn’t want her to think that he just liked her for her body, there were plenty of guys that she could go to for that. He liked her for the way she challenged him, and the insults they traded back and forth whilst pretending there wasn’t a strong chemistry underlying it all. Not that the boobs hurt either. “You must have thought it had promise too, since you agreed to do it. I can’t imagine you agreeing to a dud project,” He added, raising an eyebrow at her in question. Kitty Kitty shrugged a shoulder. She had listened to the song, in a meeting with her team, and then a few times in the car on the way home afterwards. She hated to admit that it was good, definitely good enough to warrant her tapping her foot along to the beat. Of course it went without saying that Ryder couldn’t know that. “You’re right, I wouldn’t.” She commented, moving back, impressed that he hadn’t fallen prey to her cleavage trap. “It’s not a bad song, Lynn, and you’re damn lucky the music video’s gonna kill as welll.

The director came to them now, some scrawny guy with a bad goatee, explaining to them the general vibes of the shoot, but it seemed that Kitty and Ryder had a decent amount of creative control over what they did in the car. Before she knew it, she was stood in the backseat of the car behind Ryder as they sped down Hollywood Boulevard for some behind shots, Kitty’s hair tossed in the wind, moving to the music that played just loudly enough for them to hear it. "God, I hope you’re a good driver.” She called out to Ryder as she danced, raising her arms above her head. “I’m not dying here doing this video with you.” Ryder Ryder was very surprised when she called his song “not bad”. That was incredibly high praise from her, and said to his face too. He was about to reply with a quip about how he was going to use that as a quote on the album cover, like how books did, when the director appeared next to them instead. Ever the professional, he swallowed the comment and made a mental note to try and remember it for later.

They were soon on the move since apparently the agenda for the day wasn’t just for him to sit and talk to Kitty more. He was a good driver, usually. But normally he didn’t have Kitty Wilde dancing in his back seat, looking unbelievable in her black leather outfit. The LA sunlight seemed to be bouncing off her, making her even more of a vision than she usually was. He was captivated, and it made it hard to pay attention to the road. He was just glad it’d been cleared of people so he could avoid any manslaughter convictions for when ran off the road, his only defense that Kitty had looked too good to take his eyes off of. “Don’t worry about me, I got you,” He called back, forcing his gaze back to the stretch of concrete in front of him. “I’m a great driver. Formula 1 tried to sign me up but I said no. I didn’t want to show them all up,” He added jokingly. Kitty Despite her attempt at a sultry, careless appearance, Kitty’s legs were trembling. Ryder wasn’t going so fast, but she was still standing up in a moving car with absolutely nothing holding her down. The director had guaranteed that it was safe, especially given that the road was clear of cars and there were first responders on-set, not to mention the thousand legal threats her team had made in regards to her safety, but it still made her anxious. She rolled her eyes at Ryder’s words, glad that the cameras were behind them so she could relax and talk to him a bit and get her mind off what she was doing. Plus, something about the way he said ‘I got you’ made her believe him.

“Yeah, you comparing your driving to Formula 1 doesn’t help. Those cars go stupid fast.” She replied, shaking her hair out in the wind. The car bumped against something and she sharply sucked in her breath, leaning forward momentarily to grab Ryder’s seat. “Jesus Christ.” She muttered, her brain quickly working overtime to arch her back and hopefully make this shot something they could use, despite her blunder. Still gripping the seat, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself, trying to focus on something, anything, to get her mind off the fear and get her standing upright again.

Ryder’s song restarted from where it was playing on a loop on the car radio, and she hummed along a little, the tune starting to catch on, before her mouth started moving of its own accord. “And if the heat comes close enough to burn…” Her voice was soft as she sang along. “Then we’ll play with fire 'cause…” She slowly pushed herself up, using the momentum to raise her arms again in time to sing the chorus a little bit louder. “You’ll never takes us alive…” Ryder Ryder couldn't help but stare at Kitty through the rear view mirror as she sang along to his song. His song that she apparently knew the words to, which was just surreal. Part of him had expected her to just show up and look hot, he didn't expect her to actually put effort in or learn the lyrics. According to her, she didn't even like him so he hadn't thought she'd consider the video worth her time.

"We swore that death will do us part," Ryder sang, his eyes briefly flickering to the road before they were back on Kitty again. "They'll call our crimes a work of art." He hadn't written the song with the blonde in mind, but a work of art was certainly a fitting description for her. He tried to picture the two of them on the run, a modern day Bonnie and Clyde. They'd be a hot criminal duo, that was for sure.

"Ryder, eyes on the road please, you're not supposed to ogle Kitty the entire video," Ryder heard the director call over the megaphone. He reluctantly pulled his eyes back to the road ahead of them, already fighting the urge to glance back at the rearview mirror again. Kitty Eyes closed, Kitty threw her head back, confidence starting to settle in her stomach as she continued to sing."You'll never takes us alive..." She knew she wasn't much of a singer. Her talents had always been relatively limited to her looks and her wit, and part of her wondered if she should maybe feel self-conscious singing in front of Ryder, especially since it was his song. As much as she hated to admit it, he had a voice and a half on him.

But as she lowered her head, her eyes opened and locked onto his in the rearview mirror. Her instinct was to laugh at how he was staring at her with a look on his face that could only be described as captivated, and make some teasing comment. However, she found herself keeping her eyes on his, letting herself sway her hips and toss her hair over her shoulders as she continued to sing, her eyes trained on him, all humour lost from her face as she found herself as captivated by him as he seemed to be by her. "We'll live like spoiled royalty, lovers and partners, partners in crime..."

A voice on a megaphone was the only thing that could've possibly broken the spell she was under, and she jumped slightly, letting out a chuckle at the director's words. She brought a hand down to grip onto Ryder's headrest for a moment, leaning down towards him with her back and knees perfectly straight, knowing that it was giving an eyeful to the camera. "Yeah, Lynn, stop ogling me." She murmured into his ear, before straightening herself up again, almost disappointed to not see his eyes in the mirror anymore. Ryder Ryder wasn't embarrassed by the call out. Recently he had made no effort to hide the fact that he was into her. He'd always found her attractive but that night at the party where she kissed him had kicked it into another level. He didn't think it was a lie to say it had been the best kiss of his life, and it'd only been fleeting. He could only imagine what getting to kiss her properly, away from prying eyes, would feel like.

Ryder smiled to himself as he felt her lips next to his ear when she spoke. Stop looking so damn sexy then. That's what he would have replied back to her if he got the chance. But not only did she move out of earshot as she straightened back up, but he didn't want their business to end up on the internet again. He had no doubt that the sound technician monitoring the mic feed wasn't paid enough to stop them leaking the audio. He wanted something real with her, and ending up on TMZ again over such a comment wasn't the way to go about that. He'd just tell her later when they were away from everyone else. So instead of saying anything, he found her eyes in the rearview mirror again before throwing a wink in her direction along with a flash of his most charming smile.

The rest of the car section of the shoot passed in a blur. They must have run through the song dozens of times, capturing tons of footage from every possible angle. They'd also made their way to Venice Beach with the hope of capturing the final shots as the sun set. "Ryder, Kitty, positions please." The director called, indicating for them to move closer to each other. The shot was supposed to be two of them getting cosy as they celebrated pulling off their crime spree. "And try to look like you like each other."

"You're going to have to put your acting to the test there," Ryder teased under his breath as he moved closer to Kitty, their foreheads almost touching. He held eye contact with her, for the sake of the shot of course, a smirk playing on his lips. Kitty Getting Ryder's eyes back on hers did more than calm her again, save for the butterflies, and the rest of the car section of the shoot passed almost upsettingly quickly. Over the couple of hours that Ryder drove up and down Sunset Boulevard she had developed a fondness for the wind in her hair and Ryder's eyes watching her in the rear view mirror. Even for the shots where she'd had to hang off the back of the car, she'd felt nothing but adrenaline where she would've usually felt fear. There was something about Ryder that calmed her. Or maybe it was that she liked showing off for him. She liked the idea that he was watching her.

The last part of the shoot brought them to Venice Beach. Not Kitty's favourite place, but at least they'd put some wooden flooring down on top of the sand; the one stipulation in Kitty's contract. She'd risk falling out of a car, but this video wasn't worth getting sandy feet. Production had done a great job timing this, because the sunset was exquisite, but it meant they had to work quickly. At the director's words, Kitty rolled her eyes, before turning towards Ryder. She had her signature unimpressed look on her face, lips pursed and eyebrow raised. She stepped closer to him, eyes flicking up to meet his, determined to keep the look on her face as long as possible.

"Well, Lord knows you won't have to act at all." She teased him right back in a whispered breath, just as the director shouted 'action'. Immediately, her lips parted, and her eyes flickered between Ryder's lips and his eyes as she kept close to him. She moved one hand to rest on his chest as she tilted her head back, moving herself as close to him as she could without actually touching lips. She knew she had plausible deniability that this was acting but if she were being totally honest with herself, this came so naturally. What she'd been doing before had been acting. Ryder Ryder heard the director call out action and it was like his tunnel vision just switched on. He could see Kitty but everything else was blurry or out of focus. He had her in his space, lips practically touching as they stared at each other. They were so close that he could even feel her breath on his face. One small movement from either of them and their lips would be touching. God, did his manager want to kill him? He wasn't sure that he was even going to survive this shoot.

He wrapped an arm around her waist, gently pulling her even closer so that their bodies were touching. Time seemed to slow down, the only movement he was registering was the rise and fall of their chests as he continued to hold Kitty's gaze. He searched her eyes for any kind of sign that she was feeling the tension between them as much as he was. It was electric, at least from his perspective. Ryder couldn't help but glance down at her lips, to really sell the shot for the cameras of course, before dragging his gaze back up her eyes. Her beautiful blue eyes that he would definitely be thinking about non-stop now that he'd seen them up close like this. Kitty Kitty couldn’t help the sharp exhalation that escaped her lips as Ryder pulled her closer, feeling her breathing pick up its pace ever so slightly. She brought one hand up to run up his forearm, her fingers tightening as they moved to his bicep. For the next two minutes, the entire rest of the world vanished. She forgot about the film crew, she forgot about the sand, she forgot about the online masses and their inevitable opinions on this video.

All she saw was Ryder, looking down at her with an expression that could only be described as pure desire. Maybe even adoration. For a moment, she lost herself in it, allowing herself to hope for a second that he could feel that way about her, maybe that he even did feel that way about her. Moving on autopilot, she looked down at his lips for a moment, before her eyes moved up to meet his again, and she felt the magnetic pull to kiss him. Their lips only millimetres away, she leaned up slightly, brushing her lips against his, only a warm-up to the kiss she so desperately craved.

“Okay, cut!”

It was the director’s voice that broke her trance, and she jumped slightly at it, mouth agape as the world suddenly snapped back into focus. She took a step back from Ryder immediately as if he’d burned her, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and trying to appear nonchalant. “Great job, Kitty, nice instinct with the lips touching thing, it really worked.” The director commented, and Kitty hoped that nobody could see her cheeks growing hot at the comment. God, screw that hoping. Hoping for stuff like that was for idiots who didn’t know better. Taking a deep breath, she turned back to look at Ryder, still not totally able to meet his eyes like she had before. “God, you could win a damn Oscar with that performance.” Was all she came up with, and she wanted to cringe at how lame it sounded. Ryder Kitty actually pressing her lips against his threw him entirely. He hadn't been expecting it in the slightest. He figured it was a 'look but don't touch' kind of deal, though they hadn't exactly discussed it in detail. The shot had been described as them standing and gazing into each other's eyes, there was nothing in the discussions that had indicated that she would actually press her lips against his, no matter how lightly.

As Kitty stepped away from him, it took all of Ryder's willpower not to grab her. He wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. The entire day had done nothing but continue to amp up the tension between them and he wanted her more than ever. He was still dazed as he heard the director talking, looking at the floor and running a hand through his hair as he tried to catch his breath. He was definitely feeling a bit hot under the collar. "Huh?" Ryder asked as he heard Kitty's comment, his brain needing a moment to catch up. It wasn't like he hadn't heard her, it was just that his brain had got stuck on replaying what had just happened and was acting on a delay. "I think the Oscar would actually go to you," He laughed lightly. "I don't think I was acting at all, you're the one who knocked it out the park. Maybe you're in the wrong career."

Kitty Kitty's eyes snapped back to Ryder's as he asserted that he hadn't been acting, and that stupid little hope flickered in her chest again. It was so silly, and she knew it would never amount to anything. If, even by some miracle, he could ever feel anything for her beyond just attraction, she'd have to quash it immediately. Yeah, it was a cliché, a blonde bombshell with commitment issues and an allergy to feelings, but it was a line she couldn't cross. Which made it so much worse that she had let her lips touch his.Way to seem uninvolved and unbothered.

So she just smirked, trying to save face. "You're probably right." She asserted, putting her hands on her hips. She watched him for a moment, feeling like she was swimming in his warm brown eyes, and suddenly wanting nothing more than to run into his arms, or run in the opposite direction. Luckily, she stayed put, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear. "Sorry about the sneak attack with the lips thing. I figured a move like that will make this song go #1 based on buzz alone." She shrugged. "Just trying to help." Ryder Ryder was pleased when Kitty finally made eye contact with him again after initially avoiding looking directly at him. "I like to think that the song can go to #1 on its musical merit but sure, I guess this won't hurt its chances," He said. She wasn't wrong, there was no way that this video wouldn't boost the streaming figures. "But thanks for caring, Wilde. Here I was thinking you didn't like me, I didn't think you'd be trying to boost my sales numbers for me," He teased.

"And if I can help you out in return, I'd be happy to," He continued. "For example if you do want to change careers to acting and you want some more practice, you've got my number. Feel free to use it." He flashed a smile at her, more than happy to encourage her acting career if it involved her putting her lips on his again. Ideally the next time (should there be a next time) it happened, he hoped that they'd be in private somewhere and not in front of a camera or surrounded by people at a party. Kitty Kitty wrinkled her nose, theatrically shaking her head. “I wouldn’t say I care. More like I don’t want to be connected to a flop project. Nothing I’ve done has ever flopped, and I’m not having a music video be the thing that does.” It was partially true. There had been some ad campaigns early in her career that had been questionable at best, but it was true that she didn’t align herself with dud or low-profile projects. It was why her team had been so confused about her choice to do this video.

At his suggestion that she ‘practice her acting’, the latest in his series of thinly veiled attempts at flirting, she felt something inside her flutter, but she ignored it, rolling her eyes. “Well that’s an offer with zero ulterior motive if I’ve ever heard one.” She let a makeup assistant run on set to quickly touch up her powder, before getting back in place in front of him as they prepared to roll again. “I’d take you up, but I think the cops would be called to your house, I told my therapist to lock me up if I were caught making out with Ryder Lynn again.” She teased. As the director called ‘action!’, she reached up to put her hands on his shoulders, her words ringing false in her own head because there it was again; that desire to lean up and kiss him. She took a deep breath, pushing the thought to the crevice of her mind. It didn’t serve her in any professional capacity, and it scared the shit out of her. It would be dealt with another time.

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