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One nice thing about getting jobs again…real jobs that didn’t involve seedy looking creeps with fast hands and roaming eyes…was that sometimes the models didn’t have to take care of their own transportation. Sometimes, after a reasonably pleasant photoshoot experience, the photographer and director paid for her cab ride home. Riley was eating it up.

Sure, it was just a normal somewhat-smelly New York Cab…and judging by the stains on his shirt the driver had seen his fair share of the city’s hotdog and donut stands…but it was still a ride. It was December now…even the walk to the train or bus was kind of a pain. Instead they were rolling down the road, making nice time towards her place and Riley was watching happily out the window looking at things, the shoot had been somewhere outside the city proper and Riley had to assume that the ride was much nicer by cab.

They’d just driven by a small lake on the stretch of highway the cab was travelling by, when something caught Riley’s eye. Something that made her turn around backwards in her seat and stare for a moment before instructing the driver to stop. Something he did with a massive grumble and a comment that the meter was going to keep running.

”Like I care…” Riley intoned, then instructed the guy to back up. Yes, she knew it was a highway, no she really didn’t think she was a flakey broad, and yeah she really was considering picking up the hitchhikers they’d apparently just driven by. She’d recognized one of them…at least she thought so…it was dark…but sometimes, you just knew.

They approached, and Riley rolled down the window. Yup. She knew one of them…the one in the tattered clothing.

”I thought you said you weren’t a stripper.” Riley said, with raised eyebrows and a glance at his companions, ”This looks like some bad trip…”

Did she want to cut out early? Riley looked at the screen, she’d paid to see the movie….then sat and talked through the whole thing and watched maybe five minutes. She looked at her popcorn bag….empty besides the crowns and other generally unpleasant things that people didn’t really eat. Riley jiggled her cup, pretty much just ice.

”Sounds like a plan.” she said, shrugging her shoulders and preparing to stand.

”Got anywhere specific in mind for coffee?”

”So it would appear.” Riley said, with a grin and a small chuckle. At least they were in agreement. There were topics that were just too…blah…to be talking about in such pleasant company.

Except they were still talking about those subjects…albeit in a roundabout, half-serious way. Somehow that was okay, Riley laughed, ”Not even that well-written.” she admitted candidly…after his admission about his band-mates, she had little choice but to reciprocate. The mental picture was great.

”Oh wow. Mullets too? Cut-off jeans? Do you guys still do shows from time to time? If so, I might have to look you up.”

The Detective became a man of few words as Riley shared her guilty pleasures. She couldn’t help but wonder if that was because he had no opinion on the matter…or lots of opinions on the matter. She didn’t ask, just waited to see what would happen next, both in the conversation, and in the movie. More detective noir stuff…yeah, Casablanca was way more her speed.

This was okay though. Riley looked at her popcorn…it was starting to get dangerously low. She frowned a bit and glanced in Ashton’s direction. The movie was working its way towards the end…they’d get coffee soon. He asked what kind of books she liked.

”You don’t even want to know.” she said, then shrugged her shoulders, ”Mostly just badly written fiction.” Another thoughtful pause, then a handful of the dwindling popcorn, ”My taste in books isn’t nearly as good as my taste in movies.” she said with a grin.

”A band huh?” she followed with, trying to keep the conversation going while saving something of substance for the coffeeshop and not talking too much about books. ”What kind?”

The movie was like half over…maybe a little past…and Riley was out of popcorn. When had that happened? Oh. Probably about the time she’d given the whole bag to Detective Ashton. He must have had the same thought, because a moment later the bag was hovering in front of her, and he was pointing out how unfair his hogging had been.

Riley heard the humor creeping into his voice and smiled, ”It’s only appropriate that you were…Bogarting the popcorn.” she said, resisting the urge to add a nudge to the comment. There was only so far you could go, and she was pretty sure she was going to get a pained groan from the comment as it was.

Still. She took the popcorn and promptly ate a handful. It was almost half gone too. Riley hadn’t really planned on two people eating from the bag. Hopefully there would be enough.

”So.” she said, trying to make more not-awkward conversation.

”Any guilty pleasures besides old movies in shabby theaters?”

Ashton shifted in his seat to talk to her, and Riley held her ground, staring back in the dark and wondering what in her statement held so much gravity.

He…was a detective. Not quite as bad as if he’d been married or a psychopath, but still pretty low on Riley’s list of desired professions. She refrained from holding it against him though, ao far, he hadn’t gone all cop-like on her. Maybe it wouldn’t happen. He was apparently affronted by the way she’d laughed at his suggestion that there were real life hardboiled detectives out there.

Riley’s eyebrow rose a bit as he pointed out how hard the job was, and she nodded her head a bit to show she was listening to what he said….even if she didn’t necessarily appreciate how seriously he was taking her innocent comments.

He spoke more and Riley understood. Laughing at the movie, no matter how silly some of it seemed…was like laughing at him. Riley knew how that felt, people not taking your profession seriously, or looking down on you because of it. The movie resonated with him…his sentiments resonated with her.

”Well.” she said, fumbling a bit for words she rarely used, ”If I can get my foot out of my mouth…I’d like to apologize.” she said sincerely.

”I didn’t mean to insult your profession…” she finished lamely, fully aware that there wasn’t any excuse for the way she’d laughed, ”I know how awful that can be.”

And she left it at that, what else could she say? She'd flubbed up.

He wasn’t serious was he? Riley peered in the dark in Ashton’s direction. He was. She couldn’t help herself, she laughed…during a quiet part…and got a nasty glare from someone two rows forward. It was hard not to throw popcorn at the back of their head…she settled for a nasty glare, then got back down to the task at hand.

”I don’t know what kind of circles you run in…but I’ve never met people who actually act this way on a consistent basis. It would be exhausting to brood all the time.” Riley tilted her head, ”I have to admit, the trench coats and hats are nice…but seriously? You know people who act like this?”

Maybe she wasn't giving him enough credit...he'd gone on to say that this wouldn't have been much of an escape if people were like the movies all the time. She waited to see what he said before passing further judgement.