Written for Prompt 8: Co-stars falling in love. Many thanks to hopeful_feathers who made me the manip to go along with this fic.
I have had this idea for a long while, since Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams' music video came out in 2016 and I was inspired. It was a toss up between writing this and writing Love At First Click, and, alas, I chose the latter. However, OQPromptParty has inspired me to go back and start this story. Yet, although I intend to make this into the multi-chapter I have planned, I will not be doing so until LAFC is complete, so I have more time to focus on this.
And, if I get my butt in gear that should be soon as there aren't many chapters of LAFC remaining.
Anyway, now that's out of the way, I hope you guys enjoy chapter one of my new multi chap fic, which will be continued in the near future! Please do let me know what you think.
This is Regina's big break.
She has been chasing roles since she was seventeen and fresh out of high-school. She had chosen not to study theatre at college—or rather, she couldn't afford to go. Not when it was just her father Henry and her. He was only a watchmaker. And her wage from the café she worked at (the one below the apartment she and her father shared) was barely enough to help pay rent, let alone fund college. Not even with a scholarship.
But Regina was not deterred. She knew it wasn't about what you know; it was about who you know. It's about building relationships with people, talking to real life actors, directors, producers and people alike to learn the craft through experience. Not textbooks and lecturers. So she attended talks, watched panels and interviews and spent her spare time learning the craft.
Plus Regina was good at acting. It came naturally to her.
She loved acting. Had done ever since she was a little girl. She would always recite her favourite lines from her favourite movies in her room in front of her mirror, and put on little shows for her father. He was, and still is, her biggest fan.
And although money was a little tight since Regina lost her mother, she and her father were able to save up and pay for acting classes when she finished school. Twice a week, along side work and going to auditions.
The first role she landed was small; an extra in a crime show. She was the victim's sister, only had three lines, but when the episode aired Regina and Henry cuddled up on the couch with a glass of celebratory bubbly and toasted when her face came onto screen.
Then she continued to build up her resume: the love interest in a low budget action movie (which went straight to VCR); the daughter of a dying patient in a lead Medical Drama; a guest star for a few episodes of a beloved comedy. But nothing that really made her recognisable. Nothing that really got her name out there, nor did it allow Regina to show off her true talent.
Until this movie.
Regina had auditioned for many movies but rarely got the part she wanted, if at all. She was often shoved in the background, given a line or two but nothing of much importance. Yet, she never let that knock her confidence. Regina has thick skin, had to make sure of that with this kind of career, and although she was gutted with the first few rejections she soon came to expect them. Not in a pessimistic way, but in a way that she would be pleasantly surprised if she got the role.
So, a few months ago, Regina auditioned to be the main in the new romance Red Lips and Rosy Cheeks. She fell in love with the storyline, the character and her personality. And she knew the film was going to be a hit, not only because it was rumoured to have a very good cast already, but because it had everything the public wanted: love, angst, drama, sex and tragedy.
Long story short, Regina made it to auditions, then the call-backs, and she almost cried with joy when she reached the testing stage.
Robin Locksley, the utterly gorgeous British (and now American) heartthrob had been cast as her love interest. And Regina would've been lying if she said she didn't have a tiny crush on him; she had seen most of his movies and was a big fan of his talent. Although, she had also heard that he was an utter self-centred asshole.
Most men in this industry are.
Unfortunately, Regina didn't have much of a chance to speak to him at the testing, not outside of the characters they were playing. It was very much a do-what-you're-supposed-to-do-and-get-out kind of atmosphere. After all, these were busy people with only a small amount of time and Regina wasn't the only person they had to do the test with.
Yet, Regina went home that night feeling confident. Because getting as far as she did was achievement enough; they obviously liked her, it was just whether they felt she would work well with her co-star: Robin Locksley.
And it seems they did, because they called the next morning to tell her she got the part.
"Regina!" her father had exclaimed, running into the cafe a few days later, waving a magazine around in his grasp. Regina was wiping down one of the newly vacated tables. It was one of her last shifts.
"Daddy?" she asks confusedly. "What is it? What have you got there?"
The older man opened the magazine on the table in front of her, opening it on the page his thumb had been marking to reveal her smiling portrait with the headline Newbie Regina Mills to play the lead in the anticipated 'Red Lips and Rosy Cheeks'. He framed the article later that night. And for Regina, it was the start of great things to come.
The young actress moved out of her father's apartment the weekend before filming was to start, after a tearful goodbye from Henry and a promise to come back and visit when she can. It'll be the first time in twenty-three years that Regina will be living alone. And although she will miss her father dearly, Regina is someone who doesn't mind her own company, enjoys doing things by herself and being independent.
So she moved into her small and humble apartment in the heart of LA on the Friday night, pouring herself a glass of wine in her favourite Labrador mug (it was the first thing she grabbed from the box, and she wasn't going to rifle through all of the boxes at 11pm to find a wine glass). It's a pricy little abode for the space she gets, but she will use her savings to fund the rent until she gets her first pay package.
Regina unpacks fully on Saturday. And Sunday is spent exploring the area. She goes window-shopping, tastes the coffee of one of the low-key cafés around the corner and then takes a walk around Coldwater Canyon Park. She enjoyed the feel of the sun on her shoulders, the gentle breeze in her hair and the echoes of children's laughter in the distance. It reminded her that this was reality; she was finally fulfilling her dreams.
As the afternoon started to draw to a close, Regina headed to Sunset Boulevard to watch the sun sink behind the hills.
Beep-beep-beep Beep-beep-beep Beep-beep-beep
Regina rolls over in bed to shut off her alarm clock and as she peaks an eye open she immediately grins, a wave of excitement washing over her. Today is her first day on set.
The radio plays in the background as she makes herself an early breakfast of bacon and eggs, swaying her pyjama-clad hips in time to the music. And she wonders idly if her father is listening to the same station.
Regina showers after eating, leaves her face free of make up (she knows she'll only be heading almost straight into make up when she gets there anyway) and then changes into a light sweater and a pair of skinny jeans. She's about to call a taxi when there's a knock at the door.
Frowning, the brunette places down her phone and heads to answer it.
She's met by a Good Luck! helium balloon and a basket of flowers. And Regina smiles instantly, she doesn't even have to read the card to know it's from her father.
"A delivery for Miss Mills?" the man behind the bouquet murmurs.
"Yes, that's me." She reaches forward with a thank you, relieving the deliveryman of the basket and then setting it aside on the table in the hallway. She signs for the package and closes the door.
Regina makes a mental note to call and thank her father later, when she has more time.
She arrives on set just after 8am, and, after meeting her newly assigned PA, Emma Swan, she is lead to the break room where the rest of the cast await. Regina scans the room, looking around for her infamous co-star, but the blue-eyed beau is nowhere to be seen amongst a sea of familiar faces. However, as Regina turns to face it, the door swings open and the man himself strolls in, making a beeline for the coffee machine.
Regina watches Robin for a few minutes. She admires the gracefulness of the way he walks, the rippling of his muscles that peep out of his tank top as he pours himself a drink… and his perky little ass. She supposes that it helps that she can appreciate the beauty of the man who is going to be playing her love interest.
The brunette approaches him, clearing her throat to announce her presence before offering a kind, "Hi."
Robin turns to face her, his expression impassive before he sighs, stirring the coffee in his hand with a wooden stirrer before depositing it into the trash. "Oh, yes," he murmurs, looking Regina up and down with a small frown, "I heard they hired you."
Immediately Regina furrows her brow. Just what the hell is that supposed to mean? "Excuse me?" she asks, shaking her head and crossing her arms over her chest. It's a defence mechanism.
The man smirks, lifts his coffee and sips at it. "An amateur," he elaborates.
Okay, so the rumours were true. He is an asshole.
Regina lets out a bemused laugh. Surely, this man can't be serious, and yet his expression tells her that yes, he is very serious. "Everyone had to start from somewhere," she replies defensively before a coy smile curves her lips and she's tilting her head to the side as she adds, "Surely you of all people would know that. After all, your first role was in a low budget horror movie about a giant, what was it?" She pauses for effect, watches his smug smile drop as he looks at her bemusedly. "Cockerel? Oh, yes, that was it. A giant cockerel trying to take over the world."
Robin seems to take a moment to regather himself before he's laying a patronising hand on her shoulder. "It's always nice to meet a fan," he says, smiling tightly and then taking another sip of his coffee. "I'll see you on set, Regina."
The actress watches almost incredulously as her co-star walks away from her and takes a seat on one of the sofas next to one of the crewmembers. And, okay, yes, she hates him. Despises him, in fact. But she will have to suck it up, because she isn't going to let this arrogant bastard ruin this experience for her. This is her big break. Her big break. The moment she has been waiting for her entire life.
And, well, Regina will just have to show Robin Locksley how wrong he is about her.