Tim
Anger flared through him when she came into his room. He'd been pissed off to see her on King's team earlier. He gritted his teeth. Vy's friend. The not pretty girl who had refused his autograph with a joke.
He didn't give her the satisfaction to know that he recognized her. His pulse quickened at the same annoying little smirk playing on her lips, as if she didn't take him seriously. He'd had plenty of critics over the years and he didn't give a damn about any of them, but he hated that this slip of a girl wasn't in awe of him
He took in the details of her bohemian appearance in a glance. A pair of designer jeans, a white shirt with some discreet black details at the edges, a leather jacket and a pair of shoes that possibly cost as much as the watch he had bought when the first Waves album went platinum. His years with Alba Richmond-Orsay had clued him in about the small touches of extreme wealth.
She didn't scurry out of the room when he stood up. He took a few steps toward her, and she shrunk at his approach but still stood her ground.
"I didn't intend to disturb you," she said politely. "It's my first time in the House and I needed to get my bearings."
Her subdued tone made him feel silly. He overreacted to her presence. She would probably take it as one of his famous temper tantrums, but Tim hated that he was truly bothered by her intrusion in that private place. He wanted to find peace and quiet in this room.
He thought of apologizing, and decided against it. He had a reputation of nastiness to maintain. She was close enough to catch the scent of cigarette smoke, leather and a whiff of a perfume he didn't know. Wood and flowers.
"Fine. Welcome to the House," he said with a sarcastic bow.
The girl avoided his eyes. She pressed her lips together in a slight grimace that turned into a wavering half-smile. She couldn't tell if he was joking or simply rude. He opened his mouth to spew a line that would tilt the balance, but he closed it again.
Like the very first time they met, his hands itched to run through long toffee brown hair. It fell carelessly on her narrow shoulders, and for a moment he imagined the Viaverde breeze blowing through it to get it in that state. The long fringe covered her eyes and he had to ball his hands into fists to stop from reaching out.
He wanted to see her eyes in the bright mid-morning light that shone through the window. She would look up at him and smile, grateful that he helped her see again. Her eyes would be warm...
He shook himself inwardly. He didn't even know who this girl was, other than Vy's friend, and that she belonged to the very world he was trying to rescue Vy from.
"Do you need directions to find the door?"
She started at his harsh tone.
"N-no. Sorry to have bothered you."
He watched her leave, and wondered why had this effect on him. He should have just pretended to be annoyed, not actually feel his temples throbbing.
He gave up on any attempt to find respite in this room. He might as well go to the Rose theater and prepare leisurely for the evening show.
All Illyria knew Tim Carter as a singer and songwriter, but for the people in Orsino, he was also an actor. He'd been a part of the Rose theater since his childhood, when his mother, the famous Barbara Saxon, was the undisputed leading lady.