....
31, December, 2014.
….
The new year eve night was in full swing, as the space hummed with conversation and laughter.
Regal had gone simple with the decorations, string lights, a decent spread of food, an open bar.
Nothing extravagant, but just enough to say thank you.
He had given everyone bonuses before the holiday.
LIE360, Netflix, Crunchyroll - every employee got something extra in their accounts and a few days off to actually enjoy it.
Most had taken him up on the offer.
Rock, apparently, had not.
"Dude." Regal turned to find his bodyguard standing near the entrance, arms crossed, scanning the room like someone might storm in with a weapon. "I told you to take leave. Why are you here? Don't you have... I don't know, family? Friends? A life?"
Gwendolyn, passing by with a drink, shot him a look. "Regal, that was mean."
"Yeah, yeah, my bad." Regal held up his hands. "Wasn't trying to be…."
But he was genuinely curious. Rock had appeared in his life seemingly out of nowhere - professional, competent, weirdly loyal… and surprisingly more than capable he liked to show off.
Regal paid him well, sure, but the guy acted like guarding a twenty-something entertainment mogul was his life's calling.
And honestly? Rock was good at his job. Regal couldn't complain. Still didn't make it less strange.
Rock didn't answer. Just gave a slight nod and resumed his surveillance of the room.
Regal sighed. "Fine. Suit yourself."
….
After a while–
"So this is Regal?"
"He doesn't look like much."
"Shh! You can't just say that."
Regal turned toward the voices. Two kids, one tall and lanky, maybe fourteen, the other shorter and younger, probably ten, stood a few feet away, studying him like he was an exhibit at a museum.
Simon, standing nearby with a drink, made no effort to intervene. Just watched with faint amusement.
Regal raised an eyebrow. "These two are Samantha's, right? Huh? Well, I will let it slide, since your mom is really good at her job."
The older kid puffed out his chest. "Yeah. And we already know our mom is great at her job."
"Good for you." Regal said dryly.
According to Rock's intel, one of them was adopted.
He couldn't remember which.
But that really didn't really matter.
Before he could say anything else, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Is that how you talk to adults?"
Samantha appeared from the crowd, her expression cold enough to freeze the room.
Both kids immediately deflated.
"Sorry." they mumbled in unison before scurrying off.
Regal couldn't help it - he shot them a petty, victorious smirk as they retreated.
"That's how parenting is done." he said to Simon.
Simon snorted into his drink. "Noted."
….
Another group arrived shortly after - Zack Barg and his family.
Regal had met Zack's three daughters before.
At the youngest one's birthday party, which had been unexpectedly useful networking-wise. He had run into Andrew Garfield there, Zack's nephew, and the connection had stuck.
"We finally meet our luck charms again." Regal said, grinning.
Zack blinked. "Luck what now?"
"Well I got to see my Spiderman–" Regal clarified. "Andrew Garfield, at your daughter's party. Lucky day for me."
Zack laughed, shaking his head.
Gwendolyn was already chatting with Zack's wife, leaving Regal with the three girls - twelve, ten, and eight years old.
They were more outgoing than Samantha's kids, thankfully.
The youngest one asked if he had any dogs.
"No dogs." Regal said. "I am barely home."
"That's sad." she said matter-of-factly.
"Yeah." Regal admitted. "It kind of is."
….
The party filled out as the evening went on.
His twin sister, Seren, showed up with Keanu Reeves in tow.
They stayed near the bar, low-key and relaxed.
A lot of invites hadn't been taken up.
Regal had expected that.
People had families, long-standing traditions, and lives that didn't revolve around studios or schedules. He preferred it that way.
The room felt full without being crowded, social without being forced.
But the most notable arrivals came later.
Six faces he had already memorised from headshots and screen tests, now standing together in the same space for the first time outside an audition room.
The newest additions to the Netflix show.
Emma Crawford as Rachel.
Tanya Mills as Monica.
Lily Zhang as Phoebe.
Marcus Reid as Chandler.
Owen Garrett as Ross.
Nico Delgado as Joey.
The cast of Friends.
Regal had invited all of them, not sure how many would actually show.
It was New Year's Day.
They didn't owe him anything yet.
But he figured it might help if they got to know each other outside the audition room - build some chemistry before filming started.
All six came.
They clustered together near the windows, talking quietly, clearly nervous.
Regal didn't push.
Just greeted them, thanked them for coming, told them to enjoy the food and drinks.
He had let them settle in on their own time.
Marta Kauffman and David Crane were there too, of course.
Marta looked tired but pleased.
David was deep in conversation with Simon about something Regal couldn't hear.
Regal grabbed a drink and made his way over to Marta.
"You good?" he asked.
She glanced at him, then smiled - but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah. Mostly."
"Mostly?"
Marta hesitated, then sighed. "There's a small problem."
Regal had been getting daily updates on the casting process.
He knew it was nearly finished.
And if he was being honest, there was one disappointment: not a single actor from the original timeline had made it through.
He had half-hoped the universe would throw him a bone - Courteney Cox walking in, or Matt LeBlanc, or literally anyone from the show he remembered.
But no.
Still, the cast they had chosen seemed solid. He trusted Marta and David's instincts.
But still… this wasn't the time.
"Marta." he said, lowering his voice. "Don't always be so focused on the work. And trust me, that is serious advice coming from someone like me."
She gave him a look, half amused, half resigned. "Yeah, I know. But I want to ask this now, since you seem to be in a good mood. Consider it a request?"
Regal exhaled and lifted his glass slightly. "Alright. I am listening."
She hesitated, then added quickly. "Before I start–
"...this was David's idea."
He paused. "Did you just throw your partner under the bus?"
She smiled innocently. "Just establishing context."
Then she said it.
"What if you played the barista?"
Regal stared at her. "What?"
"Hear me out." Marta leaned forward. "It's a tiny role. Maybe five lines in the pilot. Occasional appearances after that. You would be on screen for thirty seconds at a time, tops. But it would be a fun experiment. And..."
She grinned. "You demonstrated every single character during the cold read. We know you can act."
"And–?"
"...and." she dragged out. "It is free publicity."
"Thought so." Regal didn't take offence.
He set his drink down. "Acting? I won't lie - I did think about it."
"And?"
"I am having second thoughts now."
"Are you, though?" Marta's tone shifted, more direct. "Isn't this exactly what you want? You want to act because it's fun, but you don't want to bury yourself when you have already got so much going on. This is low-stakes. If it works, great. If it doesn't, we recast and move on."
Regal studied her. "You have learned your way with words, Marta."
She shrugged.
He considered it.
Did he really like acting?
Not really.
For now, it was curiosity - an itch he hadn't scratched.
And if he was being honest with himself, his heart leaned more toward directing stories than being in them. But the curiosity was still there.
And this? This was a low-commitment way to test it.
"So you want me to play Gunther, right? That's the only one that fits the bill." he asked.
"Yeah. Gunther, a Barista at Central Perk, knows the group, friendly, but not part of their inner circle."
"You said it's only a small role?" Regal asked carefully. "Are you confident about that?"
Marta frowned, confused. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
Regal almost laughed.
Of course.
He knew the character. On paper, right now, Gunther was small.
A few hours of work for the pilot, occasional cameos and minimal commitment.
But Regal knew how it would grow–
The guy who started as a background extra and somehow became a fixture, one of the most frequently recurring characters in the entire series. By the later seasons, fans had basically adopted him as an honorary member of the group, to the point he was dubbed as the 'seventh' Friend, by fans.
And not to mention, the character's quiet, unrequited love for Rachel.
But Marta didn't or couldn't know that.
Still, that doesn't mean he can't ignore what he was signing up for - even if others didn't.
"You have me hooked." he said finally. "I will think about it…"
Marta's face lit up. "Awesome."
"But." Regal added. "If this turns into more than you are expecting, don't say I didn't warn you."
Marta laughed. "It's a barista, Regal. How much bigger could it get?"
Regal just smiled.
You have no idea.
….
Across the room, the six new cast members were still clustered together, talking quietly.
Emma said something that made Nico laugh.
Tanya rolled her eyes but smiled.
They were starting to relax.
Regal watched them for a moment, then turned back to Marta.
"They are gonna be great." he said.
Marta followed his gaze. "Yeah. I think so too."
The party carried on, music played, people talked and the city sparkled outside the windows.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, Regal thought about the future - about six friends who didn't know each other yet, about a barista who would become more than anyone expected, about all the things he couldn't control and the few things he could.
He raised his glass.
To small roles that become something bigger.
To luck, timing, and taking chances.
To whatever came next.
.
….
[To be continued…]
★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★
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