Ryan Gosling’s newly single status ahead of Valentine’s day is enough to send all Notebook devotees into a bit of a frenzy, if the fanfics out there about him are anything to go by. (Yep, it’s not only Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and One Direction who get crazy stalky fans. It’s also grown-adult-man-in-his-mid-30s Ryan Gosling.) And we get it, those puppy dog eyes and heaving arms are enough to get some of us otherwise quite normal girls daydreaming of packing our bags and heading off to America to form an orderly queue for his affections. But what if we can’t, and we’re stuck here in Blighty with nothing but a blanket and dressing gown to keep us warm? Well, there’s always fanfic.
Here are the fans that best take Ryan into a series of very specifically-detailed alternate realities.
**What if… Your name is Claire and you’re dumping Ryan Gosling? **
In a sudden impulse, he grabbed her face, pressing her lips against his as he kissed her forcefully. Claire almost unable to fight back, closed her eyes. As soon as she regained her strength, she pushed him away “No, stop! It’s over Ryan. Please, I beg you. Don’t make this any harder than it already is.” He breathed in, shook his head and placed both his hands on his waist “Just like that? It’s over?” She nodded, licked her lips and looked away In a fit of rage, Ryan hit the panel behind her. Claire shivered as he stood inches away from her, panting. He hesitated for a while. Finally, he rubbed his chin, nodded and walked back towards the set.
**What if… Things were different in rehearsals for Murder By Numbers? **
It's not far to meet Ryan's lips, and Michael lowers his eyes and hopes Ryan will go with it. They're roleplaying on top of roleplaying and half the fun is wondering if things might have been different if their characters had just gone one more step. Ryan kisses him back, though the whole thing is tentative. Michael can feel Justin in the back of his mind, watching from a distance with something that feels like wonder. The questioning feel of the kiss breaks and he can feel Ryan's hand squeeze his neck. Ryan brings his other hand up so he has complete control of Michael's head, tilting it to make the kiss fit better, pulling him in closer and rubbing his thumbs over Michael's cheekbones.
Justin fades into the background and Michael grabs Ryan's shirt and pulls him forward, crushing himself against the wall with Ryan's weight. "Fuck," Ryan says, pulling back from the kiss long enough to take a couple heavy breaths. "Maybe things could have been different for them." Michael nods, keeping his eyes fixed on Ryan's shiny lips. "Maybe."
They stared at the sky, opening their arms and laughing. Simone spun in circles, ignoring the annoyed people on the sidewalk. She found this to be a real Christmas miracle. Ryan’s cool hands found Simone’s cheeks and he pulled her close to him. They were hugging on the sidewalk, snow covering their hair and shoulders and feet. Simone could have sworn he’d never looked more beautiful, staring down at her with laughter in his eyes. “Oh, baby,” he said, “Let it snow.”
"What's holding you back from swimming?". I eyed down the disgusting weather, knowing if I dunked my head in the water, I would probably come back up with disgusting seaweed planted in my hair everywhere. At the look of this water, there were probably bugs and other things that caused me to shiver imagining. Not to mention, alot of people probably peed in this water. Ew. I definitely wouldn't offer to soak my hair in pee anyday; so I wasn't willing to do it today. But looking at Ryans face, it sent me into some awkward, realistic diversion; He's expierenced life. He's probably done more than I imagined."I don't know.. the water isn't so clean.." "I know another place where the water is crystal clear." "Where is it?" I said. We were face to face, as his hands were still perched on my arm, holding me as I slowly floated, enjoying the water. Fine, I didn't care if my jeans got dirty. Which one of my friends would jump into this kind of water with me? Probably none. But Ryan.. it's like he wanted me to expierence life..
**What if… You were an estate agent and Ryan Gosling is a client? **
He received his drink, some brown beverage in a tumbler glass, with a lot of ice. I assumed alcoholic. He took a sip. "I've had a chance to think about that apartment you showed me, and I think it's pretty perfect for me right now. So I will take that. But I'm afraid I got you here under false pretences." He took another sip and smirked down at me. I didn't open my mouth. "I actually got you here to tell you that but, now I've decided that this is a date." A what sorry? I stared at him. "A date?" "A date. As in I take you for lunch and we talk and it's a date. Hopefully, if all goes well, we'll go on another." He grazed his lip with his thumb and looked expectantly back at me. "Um, Ryan.. Mr. Gosling, I don't.. I have a boyfriend, actually.." I started anxiously fiddling with the hem of my skirt which all of a sudden became very interesting. What an asshole! And what, suddenly this guy oozes confidence and speaks for America? "I was afraid you would say that. Well, I ain't the type of guy to step on another dudes toes. My apologies, Annie." He cocked his head to one side". Of course, don't take this as me using your job as an excuse to talk to you. I do genuinely want the apartment."
Pictures: Getty, Rex
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.