The relief that Ian felt as his chartered jet departed from Los Angeles International Airport was indescribable. The paparazzi had become so brazen in their efforts to get a scoop on his life, that it had become difficult to even step out of his office. Everything he did, had started to get publicized. Even the jet that he had chartered to head over to Paris had somehow leaked to the media. He worried that he would have to face more of the same on the other side as well.

When he had started his journey into Hollywood, he had expected fame, prestige, and an elite and privileged social circle with him to mingle in. He had seen all the glitz and glamour, he had expected women, money, and fame, and while he did get that, he failed to realize the reality of that life. He couldn’t see it for what it was. He didn’t realize the heavy maintenance that was necessary to sustain that life, as even the smallest gossip and rumor gave his life a trajectory that he didn’t anticipate.

A simple civil dispute, that should have ended without any flair, became a dramatized media frenzy, fueled by people that intended to exploit him, subjugate him, and make a profit off him.

As the city flew by beneath him, Ian stared out into the horizon. He hoped that this month-long vacation would give him the time to reevaluate himself and be enough for the media’s interest in him to die down significantly. He had no intention of ever being caught off guard again, just like he had no intention of working with Goofy again.

Raelynn would take over the filming of ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’. It was an easy film to produce, and he trusted her implicitly. After having explained the script, and theme of the movie, he knew her to be more than capable of handling the entire production process of the movie. He had recommended Alexandra Daddario for the lead role, and he knew she would handle it well.

As the city faded into the background of the window he was looking out of, Ian reclined his seat and dozed off to sleep. His worries, and frustrations are forgotten for the moment.

******

Raelynn was a mess if nothing else. She had a lot of unresolved issues that she wanted to work with. She had been ready to ask Ian for time off, but life threw her a curveball, and Ian instead decided to take a vacation for himself, and go to Paris.

While she understood his problem, she had experienced the hounding paparazzi, and the social media invasion of his privacy firsthand, and she wished that she had the courage to join him on that vacation that he had gone on.

It was her hesitation as she recounted his ongoing relationship with Scarlett Johnson, and that time she walked in on them in bed, that didn’t allow her to voice out her thoughts. Though, she had to admit, walking in on them had turned her on immensely, which was another facet of herself that she didn’t know existed. She may just have a voyeuristic kink, that was buried deep inside of her.

‘Niko would probably consider that….. one way to discover myself’ She chuckled humorlessly, as she stared at the list of Actors, and actresses that she had been supplied with, one was from RedHub TV, and the other was the open applications that they had received for the various roles.

As she sat in Ian’s office, she made herself comfortable in his chair and used the telecom to ring up Ian’s assistant outside.

“Murphy, could you send Niko to the office please.” She requested.

“I’ll head there right now. Do you need anything else?” Murphy asked over the line.

“No, that will be all.”

In a few moments, the man was seated opposite Rae in Ian’s office.

“The office suits you, in a very weird kind of way. Though, do you know what would suit you more? A damn vacation.” Nico snarked, as looked at his best friend.

Raelynn sighed and rubbed her forehead, “Uggggh, don’t remind me. What was I supposed to do? The way he looked at me, I couldn’t say no and ask for a vacation dammit.”

“Rae, you’re a dumbass.” Nico said bluntly “No matter how much you like the guy, you needed that vacation, you’d been after one since bloody marriage story, and you still haven’t taken one.”

“That was the whole point, Niko. Even Ian needs one, and he was the person who does most of the work here. How can I even be selfish?” Raelynn shook her head as she noticed the glare Niko piercing her soul from afar.

Niko noticed what she was trying to say. He had noticed since day 1, considering how it had been for her after she realized some things when it came to Ian. As Raelynn didn’t have many other friends, it was Niko who was with her since day one.

And Niko, being himself, noticed and was skeptical about the whole vacation thing.

Raelynn noticed the wheels turning in Niko’s head and quickly stopped Niko from saying something that would make her open up more.

“Hey, it’s okay. I might just need some more help but I’d be alright, or so I believe so. I mean, what could go worse?”

“Apart from an entire movie-going… I think from there, anything is possible to go wrong? And, Rae, how are you feeling?” Niko asked as soon as he noticed how she was holding herself up.

The way she had been fidgeting with the pen made Niko notice how nervous she was about something.

“It’s just too much to think about at once. How about you help me sort everything out?” Raelynn asked as she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“Isn’t that what I’ve been doing all this time?” he scoffed while she shrugged.

“I’m sure you can do your job better, at… being a good friend-” Raelynn joked as she wanted to lift the mood and go back to how they always joke with each other.

“Yeah, that’s what you say. But trust me, if there’s an award for a good friend, I bet no one would dare to stand against me or my powers of being a good friend. Anyway, what do we have to do?” Niko asked and got closer to see the documents that were on her desk.

“First things first, I guess I might as well help Mason with the casting process. Because, after Ian had explained everything about the movie, now I have a picture of it in my mind already. I picture the actors and actresses as well, so, I requested him to send over the files of the actors who are in progress.”

Niko stood up and Raelynn followed him with the papers in her hand to the couch that was in the corner of the office room.

It was simply easier to talk over while looking at the same documents and sitting close by instead of opposite each other.

“And then, we’d send the invitations based on what we see, if we like it or not?” Niko asked back.

“Exactly. And for the female lead, we already have Alexandra Daddario. This actress was suggested by Ian, and I believe that there’s something that he saw in her,” Raelynn said as she flipped over her resume.

“Something, or many things. Ian has quite the eyes for actors and actresses out there,” Niko said and Raelynn held back what she wanted to say. “Well then, I suppose that you’ve sent the invitation already to the agency?”

“Yeah, I did. Uh, then we have… Ferris Bueller-”

She said as she flipped a page of the character of Ferris Bueller in the movie which was empty without any real actor’s name, which was supposed to be there when the casting director figured them out.

But also, on the page, there were the appearances and character traits listed, and for Raelynn’s convenience, she had it all figured in paper and mind both.

“Cameron Frye, Sloane Peterson, Jeanie Bueller, Ed Rooney, Garth Volbeck, Katie Bueller, Tom Bueller, Grace, the economic teacher, Garage Attendant, Simone Adamley, Chez Quiz Maitre D’,...”

She continued to say as many characters as possible, for which Niko stayed silent.

“-Well, I get it. There’s a lot.” He cut her off shortly and gave an awkward smile which she reciprocated. “Why don’t we first go with the actors Mason saved for us?” Niko asked and Rae nodded while taking the file.

In the first page, there was a man who made Raelynn’s eyebrows raise for the second time of the day.

“His features are exactly what I had in mind,” she said and Niko was suddenly interested in what was in her hand.

Finding an actor with features that exactly to be in someone’s mind is not an easy task. And to think that she mouthed it out, he wanted to see what it was about.

“Keanu Reeves? He is not a famous actor though,” Niko said as he saw his rank and the resume which consisted of only two movies.

“Popularity or rank doesn’t matter. I guess I’ll tick this one off to consider later.”