Anniversaire

Rianne gazed outside, staring at the multicolored sunset as the hills covered the horizon. It would be getting dark soon, and it would be her eighteenth birthday in just a few hours.
She sighed as she swept the floor, filthy chopsticks and rice piling into her dustpan. She was glad that she would be starting college now. Her departure from Guam was hard, but arriving in Minnesota was like a dream come true. In just a week, it would begin, and she could fulfill her dreams of being an architect.

The Asian restuarant she worked at had closed early for dinner on the Saturday night, and she had voluntarily came to clean up before tomorrow. But something still seemed to be missing in her life. Her new friends in Minnesota, as well as the ones back in Guam, were all so kind to her and she still couldn't believe that she had such a great group of friends. However, there was still something incomplete, and she felt selfish not knowing what it was.

She had everything, didn't she? Rianne rubbed the back of her neck, pushing her onyx-colored hair behind her ears and continuing her sweeping. Stop it, she told herself. You couldn't possibly have everything, even if you wanted to. You already have an amazing life.
Rianne brushed the feeling away, and set down the broom. The staff of the restaurant gave her the day off tomorrow to enjoy her birthday with her friends, which she was entirely grateful for.

She unpinned the cerulean curtains for the night, setting them down on the couches that were used for waiting customers, and leaned against the wall. She would be an adult in just a few hours - it was hardly believable.

Just as she started to walk towards the bar to put up the chairs, dustpan and broom in hand, the familiar ring of the bell was heard by the entryway. This happened almost every night they closed early - somebody forgot and thought that it was still open. She didn't even glance up as she spoke.

"I'm sorry, but the restaurant is closed. You can come back tomorrow at 10:00."

Usually, whoever had mistakenly entered the restaurant would mutter a quick apology and leave, but she didn't hear the bell ringing again.

"Excuse me? We're closed."

Again, she didn't hear anything, and she set down the dustpan and leaned the broom against the wall. Rianne walked over to the entryway to see who it was.

And she froze.

There, standing right in front of her, was Ryan Gosling. Not an impersonator, not a cardboard cutout - the real, live, Ryan Gosling was standing before her, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face.

There was a soft knock on the window, and she looked over at it. Her friends, smiling and laughing, made hand gestures towards the all-too-famous celebrity and gave her the thumbs-up sign.

All she could do was stand there.

"Hi," he said, an amused smile on his face.

She could barely utter a response.

"Are you okay?" he said, laughing. "I'm not as bad as I seem."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her friends leave the window, and the doors busted open as they came through. Anna, the sarcastic but encouraging one, put her hands on Rianne's shoulders.

"She isn't usually like this, I promise you."

He chuckled, and all Rianne could do was stare at him. Do something, idiot! she told herself, but it was no use. She was paralyzed.

Finally, after a few moments, she broke through.

"How did you get him to come here?" she whispered. Ryan Gosling was her biggest celebrity crush, and she never thought that something as bizarre as this could ever happen to her.

"I have Hollywood connections," Anna said, smiling.

Jacob and Kiki, her two other friends, pulled on Anna's arm. "Let's give them some alone time."

Her friends didn't appear again at the window. And Rianne stood there, staring at Ryan Gosling like he had three heads.

"Trust me, it's okay. I'm just another guy."

Normally, Rianne would have rolled her eyes at something like that. Yeah, if it wasn't from the hottest celebrity in the entire world, she thought.

"Hi."

He laughed again. He had such a cute, honest laugh.

"Hi."

Color came to Rianne's cheeks, and she threw her hands over her face. "I'm so sorry. I just can't believe you're here. This never happens to me, ever."

"Well, it is your birthday tomorrow, and I would love to take you out on a date."

Rianne nearly fainted.

"No, no, no, this is a dream. This has to be a dream. I'll wake up, and I'll be eighteen, and it'll be fine," she shook her head, paranoid and confused.

He put her hands on her shoulders, and she thought she would melt then and there. He had the warmest touch.

"This is real, I promise. Now, let's get to that date before the photographers realize I'm here."

He led her, his hand on her arm, out of the restaurant, and the seconds ticked by slowly as they walked next door to the other restaurant.

---

Rianne relaxed throughout the dinner. It lasted for hours upon hours, and she warmed up to him. The whole time, all she could think of was how cliché this moment was. She would never let her friends live this down.

He was everything she imagined him to be. He told her of his dreams of becoming an actor, of what he wished, of what he was grateful for, and asked her so many questions about herself. It passed by all too quickly.

It was 11:58 p.m., and Rianne would be eighteen in just minutes. He offered her his arm, his sea-green orbs staring into her dark ones, and smiled. She took it, and they walked out of the restaurant.

He took out his phone, and the 11:58 turned into 11:59.

"It was great to meet you. I hope you have a nice birthday."

She smiled up at him. "It was lovely to meet you, too."

They stared at each other for a second, not knowing what to say. She knew he had to leave. He was an actor, with a girlfriend, but doing this amazing thing for somebody he didn't know.

On his phone, it turned into 12:00. She was eighteen now.

He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, then let go of her arm. "Happy birthday," he whispered, and he walked back to his car.