6
Rick had the night off for once, meaning he was free to do anything he wanted. I want to be with Olivia. An easy thought, except for once the tables were turned – she was the one working, and he was the one pining.
For days she had been talking about this show she was going to be in. Rick would listen to her go on about Linda the choreographer – who could have been José in another life – and Dan, who had absolutely no chemistry with her. Rick was okay with no chemistry. After all, he knew firsthand what too much chemistry could do. He wasn’t threatened by Dan, but he still wanted to check this out for himself.
So on the night of Olivia’s show, Rick went down to the local theater, dressed in the nicest casual clothes he owned, and took a seat in the middle of the audience squished between an elderly couple and two teenagers who looked like they were more into goth metal than the kind of music he did. Hopefully nobody would recognize him. Once the lights went down and the curtain rose on the stage, Rick stopped worrying. For the next hour, everything was about Olivia and her new dance troupe.
The show was a series of scenes focusing on modern dance with traditional elements. The first scene took place in an alleyway, where a young homeless girl met a high school kid who took pity on her. They met after school every day for a week until finally the boy confessed his feelings for her. A fight over her lack of a home and how that could affect their relationship erupted. In the end, they danced to the sounds of half the troupe playing percussion on trashcan lids and blowing tiny horns. I’ve definitely seen worse. He was under contract to never disclose the types of hideous things José came up with in the practice room. He would hunt me down and kill me. Rick had a feeling he wasn’t supposed to be laughing during the dramatic kiss scene between the boy and the homeless girl.
Olivia didn’t come onstage until two scenes later. When the light popped on, it was a single shot at center stage, where Olivia stood with her legs spread apart and her head down, bushy hair cascading in front of her.
A slow song began, the warbling violin making Rick jerk in his seat. Olivia’s movements were slow, but purposeful, her arms stretching in front of her before she did a graceful handstand. The audience clapped, but it wasn’t until she landed on her feet again and spun right into a pirouette that they began to cheer.
Rick knew that she could dance. He knew it from the moment she auditioned in front of him, her movements carried by the music. Back then she only cared about impressing him and the others on the panel. Now she was performing in front of a wide audience. Even when she had short solos on Rick’s tour, he rarely had the chance to watch her since he had to change clothes, get a drink of water, and have his hair fixed by the backstage staff. Now he could devote all of his attention to her. She’s beautiful. Well, he knew that too. Yet watching Olivia leap from one end of the stage to the other, her glittering skirt twinkling in the stage lights and a smile on her face as big as the moon, Rick couldn’t help but smile too. Even when the man he assumed to be Dan came on stage and picked her up into his arms, he couldn’t stop smiling. That’s my girl. One of these days he would have to dance with her again.
However, Linda the choreographer was right when she said that Olivia and Dan had little chemistry. They went through the motions, and they were both passionate about their own routines, but the disconnect between them said that this was a job. As long as they were apart on stage, a person could appreciate their individual talents. When they came together, it was like watching a brother and sister try to enact a pretend love scene in a school play. All that was missing was a fake kiss. Rick had to suppress more laughter before he drew too much attention to himself.
There were more performances, some of them even including Olivia, but for the most part Rick was happy when it ended. Not because he couldn’t appreciate the artistic integrity that went into the production, but because he was anxious to see his girlfriend and wanted to promptly make his way backstage.
Of course, he wanted to remain incognito, so nobody recognized him and certainly didn’t think he belonged back there. “Can I help you?” asked one of the stagehands, a petite woman of about twenty-five. When Rick told her that he was somebody’s boyfriend, the woman rolled her eyes and asked, “Whose?”
“Olivia.”
The woman took a step back. “Olivia has a boyfriend?” She didn’t wait for an answer before going back and summoning the woman in question.
“Holy crap, what are you doing here?” Olivia snatched Rick by the hand and pulled him into an empty corner. “What if somebody recognizes you? Let alone coming to see me?”
He silenced her with a kiss to the cheek, his fingers lingering on her ear before tangling into her mess of hair. “No te procupes. Nobody recognized me.” Before Olivia could rebuttal, he continued, “I would’ve brought you a bouquet of flowers for an excellent performance, but I didn’t want to draw too much attention to myself.”
“I’m allergic anyway. Or did you forget that sneezing I did on your tours?”
“What?” He didn’t recall this at all.
Olivia smiled like a mischievous girl. “I’m kidding. Good to see you pay attention.”
“Sure. That’s it. Paying lots of attention. Now, when can you get out of here?”
His girlfriend had a few obligations to fulfill before she was his for the night. Rick waited in the corner, keeping his hat over his face and his eyes glued to his cell phone as he updated his social media with pithy statements and wrote some song ideas down in a separate document. I’m always working, even when I’m not. It beat calling Thomas and seeing if his practice schedule for the award show had come in yet. Thomas would turn the conversation into something else entirely, and the next thing Rick knew he would be a captive audience to stories about loose women and drinking too much. No thank you. Not on his night off.
Olivia was ready to leave fifteen minutes later, a single rose in her hand. “It’s from Dan,” she said, hooking her hand around the bend in Rick’s arm as they walked out of the theater. “He gave one to every girl, but I was the only one who got a red one.” She smelled it, letting the red petals kiss her lips. “Jealous?”
“Oh, yeah. Jealous of that guy who looked like he barely wanted to touch you on stage. Super jealous. You’re totally cheating on me with him, aren’t you?”
“Hm? So we’re to the point where it would be considered cheating?”
“I somehow doubt you would be impressed if you found out I was seeing another woman.”
“I’d send my little sister to kill you. Oh! That reminds me.” Olivia stopped in the hallway, pulling out a small pad and a pen. “She was going to kill me because I never got an autograph for her. Here.” She shoved the pad and pen into Rick’s hands. “Before I forget, and die.”
They had to stand off to the side so more dancers could leave the theater, some of them carrying pink or white roses from Dan. The man in question nodded to Olivia and said goodnight to Rick before he stepped out. Rick was glad he had his hat on, because Dan stared a little too hard in their direction.
“Done.” Rick gave Olivia the pad back, but pocketed the pen for himself. How long will it take for her to notice? Rick was always looking for fun games to play with her. “You didn’t tell me your little sister is such a big fan.”
Rick had his car in the back parking lot. His old beater car he never got rid of. I could probably afford an upgrade. But then everyone would know he was someone rich in places like this. When Thomas always picked him up in a company car or van, what point was there wasting his money on such frivolous things? The car still worked. It got decent gas mileage. And it looked like shit enough that most people didn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. Including Olivia, who stared at the passenger side door as if it would give her tetanus. Rick had to lean over in the front seat of his car to manually unlock the rusty door for her.
“She’s a fan, apparently.” Olivia was sure to strap her seatbelt the moment Rick started up the loud engine. “Although I’m not sure how big of a fan she would still be if she ever saw what kind of car you drive…”
“What? Don’t like how frugal I am? Look, stick with me and I’ll make sure you’re financially secure for the rest of your life.” Rick rolled down the window so he could see what poor car he was about to back up into. “That’s sexy talk, right?”
‘Oh, yeah, I’m so turned on talking about 401ks and retirement plans.”
“I get a helluva plan through the label. I’m gonna be a millionaire within the next couple of years. That doesn’t tingle you at all?”
Olivia laughed. “Let’s take it one day at a time. I’ve still got a career too, you know.”
I know. Rick liked it that way. He wouldn’t tell his serious girlfriend that she couldn’t mooch off him if that made her happier, but his preference was a woman who could keep busy with her passions. Olivia always worried about making a living with dancing. She wanted to dance, but Rick was the first to know how difficult it was to make a living off that. I’ll give her a place to live and good food to eat so she can dance the nights away. As long as he got a dance every week for himself. Nothing like a good dose of foreplay to keep the passion alive.
He wished he had enough room in his place to dance, because that’s where he was taking Olivia for the first time ever. Rick warned her that it was a bit messy before they stepped in. “After seeing this car? I think I can handle it,” she said in the elevator. If Fiona weren’t currently back in her natal home, Rick would worry about running into her again in his place. No way to explain that without getting slapped.
Olivia tried to not say anything about the apartment. Oh, did she try. But after seeing the grungy kitchen and the papers and empty bottles strewn all over the living area, she made a beeline for the (actually clean, minus some laundry) bedroom and announced she wasn’t coming out until Rick hired a housekeeper. One preferably not named Olivia.
Worked for Rick. His plan to get her right into his bedroom was a success.
They could talk about their families and the future some other time. Tonight, Rick’s only goal was to make love to Olivia in his bed, where the blankets were perfect and the mattress the right firmness. This was made all the better when he pulled Olivia’s shirt over her head and wrapped his arms around her torso, squeezing her breasts through her bra while his nose searched for the most ticklish spot on her throat.
Rick could get used to having Olivia as his girlfriend. Not just for the companionship, but also because as time went on he realized more and more how compatible they were. They both loved dancing, of course, but they also had similar types of humor and enjoyed relaxing in their down time. The fact they were so physically attracted to one another was a bonus.
Could I have guessed a few months ago that it would come to this? Rick lay on his bed, drinking in the darkness of his room aside from the moonlight pushing through the window and illuminating Olivia’s hair as she rode him, hands braced against his chest and head pointed upward. Although they did not kiss or embrace, Rick felt no less connected to her on an emotional level. Sure, physically. Anybody could achieve that with him. For a woman to pull on his heart while also taking him to the point of orgasm? That was something else entirely. That took a woman who made him feel that obnoxious and world-breaking horror called love.
Okay, so love wasn’t horrible. Except it was foreign to Rick, who had never been truly in love before. Love implied that he would be gutted should something happen to Olivia. If she dumped him, if she died, if she was left in a coma for years, he would be a wreck, unable to go on with his life in a timely manner. Love meant giving up parts of himself because he trusted her enough to take care of them. Not just his heart, but his innermost secrets and his hopes for the future. One day Rick would like to slow down on the touring and releases and do them when he felt like. He wanted to find someone to settle down and build his own family with. Putting all that pressure on Olivia upfront was a lot to ask, and he wouldn’t ask it for now. Yet he had to think about them, even when her nails were piercing his skin and making him groan in both the pleasure of his orgasm and the pain of her love.
Olivia was loud that night. She shouted more than moaned, unleashing her innermost desires through her throat while her hips brought her to ecstasy. Her climax made her suddenly tight around Rick, sending him over the edge with her into oblivion.
“Shit, I love you.” Her breaths were heavy, her nose touching his while her hand cradled his face, and her wet slit rubbed against his groin. Although Rick was softening, he rather hoped Olivia wouldn’t hop off so soon so he could continue to enjoy the protective warmth of her body. “Now humor me and tell me that you love me too.”
“I don’t have to humor you.” Rick pulled her head down and tasted her lips, each kiss filling his heart with that thing he once called a horror. “I do love you.”
They cuddled until Olivia had to get up and ruin Rick’s night by saying she needed to go home. “Have to be up early to go to this thing for my dad’s birthday. We’re going up in the mountains to go hiking because he’s a freak like that.”
“They’re making you go hiking after your opening night?”
“Yup. And then I have another performance in the evening. My parents are going.”
“So you can’t stay the night at all?”
“Nope. Wish I could.” She sat on the edge of Rick’s bed and rustled up her scattered clothing. Watching her put on each piece was a stab to his aching heart. Maybe I was hoping to do things all night. Not fair that they both had busy schedules. “I definitely needed this tonight.” She finished lowering her shirt before bending down to kiss Rick one last time.
“I wouldn’t know about these family obligations.” Rick tugged on her hair, imploring her not to go. “Been a long time since I had to deal with that shit.”
Olivia paused her dressing. At first Rick thought it was for his benefit, but then his girlfriend said, “You never know. You might have family closer than you think.”
Rick played with a snap on her jean pocket. “What do you mean by that?”
There was something off in Olivia’s behavior. She shuffled across the room, cautiously looking at Rick before covering her face with her hair and mumbling something he couldn’t hear.
“What was that?” He didn’t like this. Why was Olivia being sneaky about his family?
“I said you should ask your manager about that.” Olivia picked up her bag and hovered around the bedroom door. “He might know something about it.”
“What do you know?” Rick sat up, thinking about trailing after her in all his naked glory. Nothing she hasn’t seen before. “And what does Thomas know?”
She gave him a helpless look before finally ducking out for the night. “More than you do.”
Rick stewed in that for a while before grabbing his phone and texting his manager. “We need to talk.” Somewhere, Thomas had probably been anticipating this text for a good while.