We stepped onto the cobbles of the street, a cold breeze contrasting against our body heat. The stars were imprinted in the night sky and the moon shone it's silver beam onto the path so we could just about see our surroundings. With the few exceptions of the late-night dwelling creeps, the streets were pretty clear. I was almost ashamed of how drunk I was, especially with some people who had been strangers only a few hours ago. However, I felt comfortable - with Ricky's arm draped around my waist, pulling me almost too tightly against his body, and the scent of his cologne slowly wearing away into the thin wintry air.
"We need to get back to the hotel." He announced, his voice sounding nearly sober. I nodded and nestled into his side.
"It's cold." I stated.
"I know," He turned to Ben and Dani as they wandered off into the darkness. "Bye!" He called after them. They turned around and waved, before continuing in the same direction.
He then aimed his attention at Stevie and Georgia. "You two going home together?" He asked them.
"No, no." She replied, laughing. "I'm going back to my hotel."
"Alright. Need me to walk you there?" He offered, letting go of me immediately to side with her. I jumped in disbelief as she reacted with a smile, and hooked her arm into his.
"Yes, please." She said. They began to take a few steps along before she turned back around and looked at me. "Are you not coming with us?"
Ricky wasn't even looking at me. He was looking at Georgia. I could see her eyes sparkle in the moonlight, and her lips were curled into a satisfied grin. He had his back to me, obviously not interested in my answer.
"Uh, no. It's fine. I'll walk back." I replied.
"Are you sure?" She continued. I nodded with a fake smile. I knew my way back. But I was angry at Ricky for choosing her over me.
"Well, okay, then." She said, sending me one last smile, and then heading down the street with Ricky.
"Wait!" I called after him. "When will you be back?"
Finally, he turned around. "Don't worry, I'll be back in half-an-hour or so." He answered.
I sighed. "Fine." I said, and I walked off in the opposite direction, my pace quickening as my anger built up.
How annoying. He tells me he likes me, and then bolts off with Georgia at the first chance he gets.
It was only about ten minutes until I reached the hotel. I gritted my teeth as I pushed the revolving doors and entered the building. I made my way to the lobby and waited for the lift, my expression lit with anger.
The buzz of the elevator rattled my ears and the doors subsided. I looked up and saw Will inside, and my annoyance transitioned to a smile.
"Hey, Angela." He said with a pleased tone. "Where's Ricky?"
I sighed. "It's a long story."
"Well, I have time. I was just going out to look for you guys anyway." He answered, pulling me into the small space and hitting the button on the wall.
"Alright." I said as the doors closed and the lift glided upwards. "So, we went out to that restaurant place, and it was all good. There was this girl called Georgia, who was, like, seventeen. And Ricky really likes her, I guess, since he's currently walking her back to her hotel. Oh, and I forget to mention - he told me he likes me. Like, he really likes me. Which.... I suppose kind of contradicts what I just said about him and Georgia. What I'm saying is, he tells me he likes me, and then he walks another girl home." I explained, walking out of the lift.
"Wait, wait," He said, leading me into his room and standing by the mirror in the bathroom. He left the door open so I leant on the frame and watched as he removed his glasses.
"Hm?" I said.
"You like Ricky?" He asked me with a childish smile.
"Well, I guess." I answered. "But now I'm not so sure whether he likes me."
"Is he drunk?"
"Yeah."
"Did he tell you he liked you before he was drunk?"
"Yeah."
"He likes you." He resolved, turning around and smiling at me. "But... You know, it's against the rules to have a relationship with your coach."
"You would know?" I joked, smirking.
"No, but it's almost inevitable, right? Like, I can see why Ricky likes you so much." He said. I blushed and pulled him into a hug.
"Thanks." I mumbled into his shoulder, I smile pursed on my lips.
"No problem. Give me the 411 if you two start dating. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." He said.
"Good." I replied, drawing back from the embrace. "I better get back to my room. Ricky might start wondering where I am."
"Well, don't let him take advantage of you tonight." He said.
"Why not?" I joked.
"He's drunk, I don't want him regretting it in the morning." He answered. I started realizing he was almost beginning to resemble an older brother.
"Aw," I said, laughing. "You're cute."
"I know." He answered sarcastically.
I made my way to the door and let myself out onto the corridor. "See you tomorrow, Will." I said.
"Yeah, nice talking to you!" He answered.
I stammered slowly to my room and opened the door gingerly. Ricky hadn't returned yet, so I undressed myself and opened the closet, gliding my fingers over his selection of different clothes. I pulled out the same white-and-grey t-shirt (not wanting to be cheeky and wear another of his beautiful tops) and slid it over my head.
I climbed into the bed and delved under the covers, passionately fighting my urge to fall asleep. I needed to make sure Ricky would come back. If he stayed the night at Georgia's, I wouldn't know how to react.
To keep my eyes open, I turned on the bedside light and checked my phone for messages. My sudden high hopes for a text off of him were shattered. Only one from my phone company, informing me of my latest balance. Although it was probably the most uninteresting thing of the night, I still decided to read through it once more, trying to burn as much time as I could. I checked the clock: 11.46. I was drunk and tired. And I almost felt myself drifting off until the door swung open abruptly, causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.
"It's just me." Ricky said, staggering inside and closing the door behind him before kicking off his shoes and unexpectedly unbuttoning his waistcoat. Then his shirt. I was too exhausted to comment. He entered the bathroom, a pair of white plaid pajama shorts in his hand.
I placed my phone onto the bedside table and sat up, waiting for him to return. A few minutes later, he made an appearance, shirtless and only covered by his shorts. He jumped into bed with me and lay on his side, his big blue eyes dazzling up at me.
"I hate you." I said, holding back a smile.
"Why?" He answered. I looked at him.
"Because, it's," I re-checked the time. "11.55. And you left me for Georgia."
"You could have come with us!" He argued, grinning.
"No thanks." I said. I paused. "What did you two get up to then?"
"Nothing, really." He replied. I lay down too and faced him.
"Don't be like this. Just tell me." I demanded gently.
"We just talked. Honest. She said that she thought you were very nice, and that I should have stayed with you." He said.
"Then why didn't you?" I asked him.
"Because I knew you'd get jealous." He answered, a smirk pulling on the corner of his mouth.
"You're an idiot." I said after a moment.
"Yes, but I'm a smart idiot. I mean, it worked, didn't it?" He replied.
"I guess. But I'm leaving tomorrow, and it was a stupid thing to do." I said.
He sighed miserably. "I know. Don't remind me. I'm dreading it." He said.
"How come?"
"I'll miss you. I won't see you till rehearsals in a month. That's four weeks away. Four weeks. I don't want to be without you for four weeks." He said.
"Aww," I mumbled, smiling.
"It's true. I've not seen enough of you yet." He said.
"I think you've seen far more than any coach should see of their act. You do realise that we're in bed together, right? I'm pretty sure Tom doesn't do this with his acts." I joked, laughing.
"Yeah, but it's still not enough. I want you to stay here with me." He whimpered.
"You're going home too in a few days." I told him.
He groaned. "Life's not fair." He muttered.
"Well, I've had the best two days of my life with you. It's been amazing. And when I get back here in a month, I'll find a way to sneak into your hotel again." I said, laughing.
"Don't get me excited. I'm supposed to be upset." He said, pouting.
"C'mon. You're drunk, remember? You wouldn't be sad if you were sober." I stated.
"Yes I would."
"No you wouldn't. If you were sober, you wouldn't have left me for Georgia." I argued.
"I didn't leave you. I would never leave you. You're too special to me." He said, our eyes locked.
"You're too drunk, to me." I joked, rolling over and switching off the main light source, so there was only the brightness of the bedside lamp to provide visibility.
"I wish you weren't in the competition." He said out of nowhere.
"That's a bit harsh." I said, my eyes wide.
"I just mean, you could have chosen a different coach. Not me. Why did you choose me?" He asked.
"I chose you because you sweet talked me into your team." I said, confused. "Why don't you want me as your act?"
"Because now we can't have a thing." He answered. I pulled the covers over my chest and looked at him.
"Have a what?"
"A relationship."
I groaned and rolled my eyes at him. "Just about twenty minutes ago you were walking home a girl that you had previously called beautiful." I said.
"And, right now I'm in bed with a girl I have previously called beautiful." He said.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
"How would me being on another team be better for you? I mean, if I was on Will's team it would be much weirder for you to be in bed with his act." I said.
"True. But at least it wouldn't mean that you would be kicked out of the competition." He said.
"Hm. I don't think you thought this through." I said.
"Maybe not. I just want you to myself." He established, reaching over and placing his warm hand on my waist under the sheets. I flinched suddenly, but soon calmed down, and took advantage of the opportunity by moving in closer to him.
"So, you do like me then." I said with a smirk.
"How could you tell?" He asked me sarcastically.
"Well, we might have to wait until the competition's over." I replied.
Out of nowhere, I was hit with the reality that we were really diving deep into our feelings about each other. Earlier in the night, I hadn't thought about where we were going with this topic. It was much easier to just stay safe and not be too engaged in his dreamy blue eyes. But now, when he had me on lock, unable to move and not wanting to, I felt more comfortable.
"That's months away." He pointed out sharply.
"It is. And by that time, you might be completely over me." I said.
"I'll never get over you. You're too overpowering." He stated, sliding an arm under my back and almost pinning me down to the bed, our faces inches apart.
"I would hardly call a girl who gets drunk off of two cocktails overpowering, but I'll take it." I laughed. He rolled his eyes with a smile.
"I'm drunk too. So we should sleep off the alcohol." He suggested, leaning over me to turn off the light.
His hand glided up my neck towards my jawline in the dark and he kissed my cheek. I could feel him smiling against my skin, and smiled timidly in return. With me laying on my back, he positioned himself on my side, with his arm wrapped around me and his head nestled into my neck.
"Don't leave me again." I whispered.
"Never."
I woke up late, around eleven, and Ricky had already gotten up. He was sitting silently at the end of the bed, on the phone to someone quite angrily. I quietly slipped out of the sheets and stumbled over to the bathroom, sharing a smile with him on the way (although his was a little irritated). Whilst wondering what had pissed him off, I braided my hair to the side and shut the door, before changing into my over-worn audition outfit.
When I returned into the main room, Ricky was still on the phone, so I sat and watched him rolling his eyes and rubbing his forehead from the dressing table.
"No... Oh god, I know, but.... Hm... Okay... Yeah... But I'm with Angela now, so why would they-" He groaned into the device. "This is so stupid. I'll see you soon, thanks for telling me." He continued, and hung up.
"Who was that?" I asked him.
He sighed. "Simon. He was telling me about the headline."
"Huh?"
"In the newspaper. They saw me and Georgia walking to her hotel last night and they've wrote an article about us 'dating'. She's seventeen. I could get in trouble for this." He said, covering his face with his hands.
I walked over quickly and sat beside him, placing my hand on his back.
"Oh right." I muttered. "Uh, what exactly did they say?"
"I don't know, I haven't seen it yet. I don't have a laptop or anything so I can't check." He answered.
"Will has a tablet, I think. We could go and ask him." I suggested.
"Alright. But how am I gonna explain it to him?" He asked.
"Don't worry, he already knows." I said casually.
"What, how?"
"It's not important. Let's go." I replied quickly, making my way to the door. I opened it and waited for him to walk out onto the corridor before shutting it behind me.
When we reached Will's room, I knocked on the door.
"Hey, what's up?" Will asked once he had appeared.
"Can we use your tablet?" I asked him.
"Uh, sure. Come in." He lead us inside and gestured towards his device that was sat on the bed. Ricky picked it up an immediately googled his situation.
"What's going on?" Will asked me quietly, both of us stood at the far end of the room.
"Some newspaper has written an article about him and Georgia." I explained.
"Oh, I see." He said. "What happened last night?"
"He told me that he was only walking her back to make me jealous. He said he likes me." I murmured.
"Good. So did anything else happen?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Well, almost I guess. But no."
"Ah well. Maybe next time." He said.
"Oh my god, this is not good." Ricky announced from the bed.
"Why, what have they put?" I asked him, sitting beside him.
"Read it." He answered, handing me the tablet before burying his face into the duvet behind him.
I took it cautiously and quickly shot Will a worried expression.
"'37-year-old Kaiser Chief frontman, Ricky Wilson, who is also known for being a coach on the popular British show on BBC One, The Voice UK, has been reported spending late-night company with his 17-year-old act, Georgia Cunningham. Sources suggest that a rumored relationship has been kept on the down-low for some time now. This could affect young Georgia's chances of winning the competition and Ricky may have to deal with allegations.'" I read from the article.
"Wow, they get a head start on these things." Will said, half-jokingly. Ricky sat back up on the bed and looked at me.
"What am I gonna do?" He asked us in desperation.
I shared a look of concern with Will.
"I don't know. This is pretty bad. I mean, she is only seventeen." I said.
"The only thing you can do is confront the press." Will counseled.
Ricky glanced up at me. "I guess I have to. For her sake, as well. I want her on my team still." He replied with a guilty smile. "It's not fair that you're leaving me now, when this is all going on. Can't you stay for a few more days?"
"No. I think it's probably worse if I stayed. You don't want them writing about how we've been sleeping in the same bed for the past two nights." I said sternly.
"I suppose so." He put on a bright smile. "I'll just have to forget about all this for now then. I want to be in a good mood for our last day together. Well, for a month. What time are you hoping to be back by?"
"I don't mind. As long as it's before midnight." I laughed. He nodded and looked at Will.
"Thanks for letting us borrow this," he said, returning the tablet graciously. "and, if the BBC call, tell them I'm dealing with something much more important than false rumours." He grinned dreamily at me and took hold of my hand, leading me out of the room.
"You're in a much more positive mood now." I said, beaming at him.
"Why wouldn't I be? I get to spend the rest of the day with my Angel." He replied.
"It's Angela."
"I know." He said, a smirk marked on his lips. I kissed his cheek quickly before swiftly heading back into the room and sitting down on the floor at the end of the bed. He walked over, towering over me.
"Just sit with me for a minute. We need to have a little chat." I said, patting the space beside me.
He groaned. "I wanna go out and get some lunch or something." He said.
"We can do that after." I answered, taking hold of his hand eagerly and pulling him down onto the carpet. He sat with his back against the bed, next to me.
"What is it?" He asked.
"I think I need to tell you something. I might as well say it now, then we'll probably both forget by the time the rehearsals start." I flustered.
"Hm?"
"I-I think you feel the same way, too." I stuttered nervously.
"Go on."
"You've told me before but you were drunk, so I wasn't sure if you really meant it-"
"Yes?"
"Well, I kinda guessed it even before you told me up-front because you were being all flirty and-"
"What is it?"
"And you can't say that I'm being too eager because you're the one who invited me to the hotel-"
"Angela!"
"What?" I asked him, my expression panicked. He paused for a moment and took a deep breath.
"I... I... Love you." He proclaimed, entwining his hand with mine.
"Uh-"
"I knew you liked me back. I could tell too. I mean, you did buy me chocolates and flowers, which is usually something you buy for your partner-" He murmured quickly.
"Oh, I-"
"And when we kept trying to kiss and have a moment together but we kept getting interrupted-"
"Actually, you dodged out the way the first time." I reminded him.
"Oh yeah."
"May I ask why?" I responded curiously.
"I don't know. It was a bit early. And you are my act." He explained.
"I still am, and your confessing your love to me right now." I joked. With his hand still hooked with mine, he leaned in and with his other hand, shifted his fingers through my hair.
"You're so beautiful." He whispered, gazing into my eyes. I blushed timidly and took a breath in.
"What if we just get it over with now, and then when we get to rehearsals, no one will know?" I proposed.
He looked down and nodded. "Alright."
I bit my lower lip. "So, you were gonna take me to lunch?" I notified shakily.
"Uh, yeah, but first..." His voice trailed off and my anticipation grew as his hand glided down to my jawline. His lips quickly made contact with mine and I soon realised that we were making out. The reality of him being my coach and all my other problems drifted away in his trance.
But, of course, the moment had to end because of a familiar interruption caused by the extremely unromantic sound of my phone ringing.
I drew myself away from him and he rolled his eyes and groaned.
"I'll be quick," I said, and stood up to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Angela? It's Dani. When are you coming back? I'm just about to take the train, Ben took me to the station." She said.
A smile appeared on my face and I sat down on the end of the bed, my legs either side of Ricky (who was still seated on the floor).
"Oh yeah. Ben, is it? He's one of my teammates. You spent the night with him, didn't you?" I asked her smugly.
"Yes, I did. And he was great, in case you were wondering. What happened with Ricky last night?" She asked.
"Oh, listen to this." I looked down at him. "So, last night, when you and Ben went off, Ricky randomly goes, 'Hey Georgia, let me walk you home' or something like that and so they go off and leave me to walk home on my own." I said, shaking my head. He turned around quickly and glared at me. I just ignored him, a smile painting my lips as I spoke.
"And now the newspaper have written about how him and Georgia have a 'secret relationship'." I said, pointlessly air-quoting. Ricky hit my leg gently.
"Really? Oh god. Did he come home?" Dani asked.
"Yeah, yeah." I said. "He's here now. Say hi, babe." I held the phone out.
"Hi." He called.
"Hey. Well, at least it's okay now then. But, down to the main question. How are you getting home?" She asked.
"Uh, I'll get the train or something later on." I answered.
"No, I'll take you home in the car. I'm not doing anything today." Ricky offered.
"Oh, okay. Ricky's taking me home. So, it's all sorted out." I resolved.
"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow or something. Bye!" She said and hung up.
I put the phone down and stood back up. He got up too and walked over to the door, opening it with a smile.
"Where are we going?" I asked him, following him onto the corridor.
"We'll go out for lunch somewhere. A coffee shop or something." He said. I nodded and he lead me out of the hotel and into his car outside.
The engine revved up loudly and the vehicle started driving along the main road. We took a turn and found ourselves surrounded by restaurants and cafés. He parked the car in the middle of the street, and we got out and walked close together to a small lunch-place called 'The Acacia Tree'. We sat ourselves down by the window and I ordered a fruit salad and Ricky ordered tomato pasta.
"So," I said, taking a bite from a strawberry. "What are we gonna do when the rehearsals start?"
He sighed. "I don't know. But I feel bad for Georgia."
"Do you think she's seen the article yet?" I asked him.
"I hope not. To be honest, it was none of their business to publish something like that. I was only walking her home." He said.
"I know." I sympathized. "Just mention it in your next interview. It'll be fine."
"Yeah. But for now I'll focus on you." He put on a smile and leaned in.
"Hm?" I asked him.
He took a sharp breath in. "God, I would kiss you but I don't want the press to be on my case again." He said quietly.
"Aw," I beamed, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.
We finished eating, left the restaurant and returned to the car. We sat there for a minute or so, silent yet grinning delightedly at each other.
"Shall I take you back home now?" He asked me, slightly nervously.
"I guess." Was my response, and he flicked his keys that were jammed into the lock. The engine growled again as we drove to out of town.
We talked about likes and dislikes and romantic interests - basically all the usual cliché stuff people on movies generally discuss - and our future together.
It was inevitable that the public were to find out sooner or later. Preferably, not so early, however, the chances that I had been caught darting in and out of Ricky's hotel were high, considering I wasn't one to be reserved around celebrities. Being with him still left me starstruck, although his affectionate charm (the type you expect from a close friend) made me more relaxed.
After a few hours of inconvenient traffic, and a quick stop at McDonalds, we had reached my home town. We cruised through the streets gradually, and I could tell that he was purposely driving almost inactively slow. Suddenly, I felt his hand grip my thigh. I didn't bother to look down. I just stayed still and waited silently for the car to stop outside my house.
"I'll see you in four weeks then." I said softly, my heart rate increasing.
"Yep." He replied.
There was a pause before he leaned in and kissed me, and then I smiled at him and got out the car.
"I love you." I murmered hesitantly.
"Love you more." He answered back, surprising me.
I blinked at him, stunned, and then smiled. I shut the door and walked up the paving to my porch. I quickly glanced back, shot him a grin, and then he drove off.
I whipped out my keys and jolted them in the lock. The door swung open and I sighed and staggered inside. My phone suddenly vibrated in my pocket, and when I checked it, I had gotten a new message from Ricky.
'Missing you already'
(A/N apologies for such a long chapter but I had so much to put in haha. Also, thanks for 2,000 reads and for leaving such nice comments! I'd love some more feedback, thank you!)