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— act two, scene ten: stay
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Ricky didn't think his eyelids had ever felt so heavy as he sat there striving to stay awake. He could feel the pressure of Megara's resting head on his shoulder, he could feel himself slouching into the couch with every long minute that passed by, and yet he couldn't bring himself to move.
"Um, Megara?" Ricky whispered, hoping she could hear him without having to talk over the movie. He looked down at her, overlooking her dark long hair that she had let down from her bun moments after they walked into her house — he knew she could only truly relax once her hair was down. He then glanced over to the TV, noting how Julia Roberts was lovingly staring into Richard Gere's eyes. For a moment, he watched the two actors converse. He knew Megara would quiz him on it later, but he had to admit, it was a good movie.
It was crazy to think just over a month ago they had been sitting the same way on this very couch, talking about plans to get Ricky back with Nini, talking about how committed Ricky had been to the role of Troy.
Operation Heart Stealer was going so well, fantastic even. Ricky and Megara worked on their respective parts for the show nearly every day, often going to each other's house to work on Ricky's dance for the finale or Megara's posture as she wanted to show Carlos she was improving with the embodiment of her counterpart, Kelsi. She had Ashlyn's piano solo down and convinced Kourtney to let her do a different type of hair bun for the real show. At least she had that going for her.
And when they weren't rewatching High School Musical in Ricky's living room (and keeping Mike up with Ricky's clumsy dancing and Megara's coaching), they were working on more ways to pump up their love life. At least, the facade they had designed.
Showing a whole school that you were falling in love was hard when the signs of affection were limited. They mostly settled for holding hands when walking to classes or Ricky's arm over her shoulder, and of course a pet name splashed here or there. Megara was still against the idea of Ricky's lips going anywhere near hers ("Only God knows where those things have been, Bowen..."), but he had managed to plant a few strategically on her cheeks, temples, and even nose. Mostly when Megara was talking to her friends or when they were messing around during rehearsal. Basically, whenever they knew someone was watching, especially if they knew that person would turn around and spread the word. While she may not have been with Isaiah anymore, Megara knew it was aggravating EJ, and that was a good enough reason for her.
And it was also hard when you couldn't stand to be in the same room as each other for too long without wanting to combust.
Either Ricky Bowen really knew how to push her buttons, or she needed to get see someone to talk about her budding anger issues. More often than not, they would end up arguing over the smallest of things like how Ricky was mimicking her with his dancing or how Megara was being a slow eater at the dinner table. They tried to remember their promise to remain calm and cool about their agreement, but that would just result in the two sitting side by side in complete silence. Better not to say anything than to say something mean, right?
