"Rio, what are you doing next?" One of the men asked. River laughed and rolled his eyes before answering.
"Some small bit for Indiana Jones 3," he answered. There wasn't a hint of emotion in his voice. "It'll be cool, I guess."
Flea laughed and shook River's shoulder, ultimately shaking me as well.
"I'm proud of you, man," Flea began. "You put up with a lot of that movie-star bullshit and never do any complaining."
River smiled small at Flea and hit his arm, causing them both to exchange glances. "Yeah, fuck the business, man." One of the men responded.
Laughter filled the room almost instantly, with different people and voice saying, "fuck the business."
The more River talked about his acting, the more I took note of how he truly felt.
Overall, he didn't enjoy it.
It seemed to me like any mention of his fame drove him over the edge, and I made a mental note not to bring it up in the future. Flea, on the other hand, saw his fame as a fun way to share his music.
He seemed to make the most of his social status, which is something River did as well, just in a different way.
I was almost completely zoned out of the conversation until Flea said my name.
"Carmen, you've been awful quiet." He told me. I laughed lightly and adjusted myself, noticing that River's hand had not yet moved.
In fact, his grip may have gotten more firm.
"I'm not a big talker." I answered.
"Should be," Flea insisted. "You're a cool girl. You don't say much, but when you do, it's sure worth it." He told me.
His comment made me feel a little less awkward. Not that I'd felt uncomfortable around anyone there; my desire to talk was just at an all time low.
And for some reason, I think it had to do with River being so close.
In a strange way, I didn't want to say the wrong thing. So naturally I stayed quiet.
"Tell us about you." River said politely.
As he turned to me, I noticed the amount of heads that did the same. All eyes had seemed to stop on the quiet girl, and It made me anxious. River rubbed my side lightly, probably noticing the pink of my cheeks begin to come out.
"There's not that much to know," I replied. "I grew up in Nebraska, moved to Colorado, and now, here I am."
One of the women in the room spoke up. "Nebraska, eh? That's where I was born. Awful boring there." She said.
I laughed at her comment and nodded.
"Yeah, not a lot to do. But it's a great place to just live in peace."
"Aint that the truth," she responded.
River spoke up.
"What's your family like?" He wondered.
I thought about it. I'd never really described my family to anyone.
"Hm, they're okay. Pretty normal. I have an older brother, and he's married with two kids, who are adorable. My parents are nice." I said awkwardly.
Flea leaned over and caught eyes with me, asking, "What about Piper?"
"What about her?" I asked. He shrugged and insisted I talk about her, so to his command, I did.
"Piper's really cool," I started. "We don't always get along though. I mean we're complete opposites, and over half the time I can't stand her. That sounds mean, I know, I just.." I trailed off a little, thinking about it.
I did love Piper, that was true. Overall, she was a cool friend. But man did I get sick of her sometimes. It was a love hate relationship with us, sometimes, just hate.
River's grip got softer; more gentle. It brought me back to what I was saying.
"It's a love-hate thing." I answered.
It seemed as if everyone was pleased by my answer, which ultimately pleased me. Flea stretched and got up, yawning.
"Seems to be about a quarter after 2, so I might crash." He said.
I could see the rings under his eyes growing by the second. He must have been sleep deprived.
"Goodnight, Flea." We said to him. He nodded as he exited the room, leaving River and I with around 7 or 8 random faces.
It only took River a second to stand up and invite me with him. He threw his arm around my waist and nodded to the people in the room.
"Cool seeing you all," He said.
Various goodbyes to 'Rio' were shouted from behind us. Silently, he led us to his bedroom that had dark brown walls and a red bed; my favorite color.
"Do they live with you?" I asked confused. His eyebrows furrowed at me and then returned to normal.
"Oh, the people? Nah. They just like to hangout a little bit. They usually leave on their own." He said. "But don't worry, they won't be bothering us." His voice got husky at his statement, which made me nervous.
I looked around the room, stalling.
"Cool guitar." I said. It had been the same one he played earlier when I saw him with Flea.
River didn't speak, he just looked at me, emotionless. He looked like a statue.
I stepped to the side, only to notice his eyes locked into place. I waved my hand in front of him, making him flinch. I laughed a little.
"Excuse me," He said. "I'm just rather tired."
"I'll let you sleep then." I told him, heading towards the door. He walked over to me and grabbed my wrist, looking at me.
"Do you want to stay?" He asked me.
I could see by the look of his face he wanted me to say yes, and if that was true, there was no way I was leaving.
"Yeah." I said back.
He smiled at me and walked to his dresser, shuffling through countless close until he found what he was looking for. He tossed over to me a navy blue shirt, seemed to be 3 times the size of my own.
I didn't hesitate to change, but wisely, I turned away.
I kept my back to him as I did so, removing my jeans once the shirt had covered me mid-thigh.
When I looked back, he was shuffling through his small closet, changing as well. I glanced away, only to glance back again. He removed his sweater and threw it on the floor carelessly.
I studied his back; the way it was broad at the shoulders, only to get slim again. He had fair sized muscles that only became truly noticeable when he needed them too.
Honestly, he was surreal.
But as usual, I didn't mention it.
I slid underneath the covers and laid on my stomach facing him. He shut off the lights and began walking my way.
The moonlight was the only source of light I had to see his pretty face and glistening hair. He tucked it behind his ears before joining me in his bed, not wasting a second.
He scooted closer to me, tucking my hair behind my ear and leaning down.
He left a small kiss on my cheek, resulting in a waterfall of chills. It sent me into a frenzy that felt like a safety barrier.
I soon concluded that thats what he was; safety.
I rolled to the opposite side of him, knowing he would do the same. I felt his chest press up against me and his head resting against mine. My breathing was shaky, but soon steadied itself.
River planted a kiss into my hair, making me smile lightly to myself. His arm slung around me and his hand locked with mine, his thumb rubbing gently against mine.
In about 5 minutes, his small movements ceased, and he fell deeply into sleep.
I did the same.