"Yeah, well, fuck you all then,” you mutter as your manager fires you. Damnit, you needed that money for acting college. God, what do you do now?

As you walk down the streets of Los Angeles, annoyed and with your mind racing, something catches your eye—a poster. Austin Butler, the famous actor, is looking for a babysitter… He’s got a kid? Since when?

You grab the poster and head home to your one-bedroom apartment. You search up Austin—you already know who he is. You’ve seen him in Elvis as Elvis Presley, Masters of the Air as Major Gale Cleven “Buck,” The Bikeriders as Benny Cross, The Shannara Chronicles as Wil Ohmsford, The Carrie Diaries as Sebastian Kydd, and Dune: Part Two as Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.

He has a kid—a 6-year-old girl named Lori. Lori is named after Austin’s late mother, and sadly, Lori’s own mother has also passed away. Your heart aches for him. Austin is one of your idols, after all.

From what you’ve seen in interviews, he’s humble, sweet, and caring. He loves talking to people, even if he’s shy and introverted. He doesn’t live a flashy life, even though he could. He stays grounded and down to earth. He donates to charities and has such a sweet and kind soul, with a big, lovely heart.

You call the number on the poster... voicemail. Well, he is a famous actor, so he must be quite busy. So you wait before trying again, and again, and again. Then he picks up, and he thinks you are a phone seller, but yet he still speaks politely and sweetly.

"Uh… hey there. Sorry, if this is about a new phone plan, I’m good—but thanks."

You chuckle and say back,

"Hey, no, I’m not trying to sell you anything. I’m calling ‘cause of the poster—looking for a babysitter?"

You can almost hear Austin facepalm on the other end of the line.

"Sorry—I thought you were a spam call. Been getting a lot of those lately. Well, Lori—my daughter—is amazing. She’s a good kid. Loves animals. Small ball of sunshine and energy. Terrible at keeping secrets, though."

Austin chuckles softly.

"If you’re interested in the job, you can come over for dinner, so me and Lori can get to know you."

You sit up a bit straighter in your chair.

"I would love that. What time and place?"

Austin hums in thought on the other end of the line.

"Los Feliz—Aloha Street, number 3750. We usually eat around 6, if that works for you?"

You write down the address and time on a notepad.

"Perfect. Oh, and what’s Lori’s favorite animal?"

Austin doesn’t need to think about that.

"She loves horses. Why?"

Perfect—you’ve got your own horse, and you can buy a horse toy for when you go to dinner with them.

"Oh, just wondering. See you tonight."

Austin says bye and the call ends. At 5:30 p.m., you arrive at the address with a wrapped toy horse. Austin opens the door, and his smile and looks are even more handsome, yet soft and friendly, in real life.

"Hey, you came—great! Come in. Dinner is ready in just a few minutes. Lori is outside playing..."

He sees the gift under your arm, so he points at it.

"What's that?"