Chapter 2
Sierra was woken up the next morning by her phone, quite obnoxiously, ringing on her nightstand. "Hello?" She questioned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
Sierra was not expecting such a perky voice to be on the other end of the phone. Especially for a Monday morning. "Good morning Sierra!"
"Hey Cynthia." She yawned, acknowledging her manager. "What's up?"
"I called to tell you about a very important anniversary that is occurring in seven months." Seven months? Sierra barely knew what she was going to eat for breakfast, much less something seven months from now.
"What anniversary?"
"The phantom of the opera!" She, attempted, to sing. But ultimately failed.
"What does that have to do with me?" She pressed.
"Andrew Lloyd Webber wants you to be Christine."
"That's amazing! I'm so excited! Who else is in the show?" Sierra could hear Cynthia giggle on the other line.
"It's a surprise. You'll find out when you get here next week! I'll email you the details."
"Ok, thank you so much. I'll go tell Jade, I'm sure she'll be excited." Sierra says goodbye and quickly makes her way down the hallway.
She turned the corner and saw Jade walking into the kitchen. Sierra ran up, grabbing her from behind and kissing her face all over.
The little girl shook from laughter, trying to get Sierra to stop. "Mommy! Stop it!" Her giggles filled the apartment until she stopped. "What was that for?"
"I have very exciting news. Next week, you and I are going to England! I'll be there for a really long time though. I don't have much details, but I'll get them soon. Are you as excited as I am?!" Her face was blank.
Maybe that's because she doesn't know where England is.
Sierra whips out her phone and looks up a map, showing her where England is. She gasps. "Ya Jay, you're gonna go on your first plane!"
Jade jumps up and starts running around, yelling about how excited she was.
I just want to know who else is in the show with me. Who else could it be?
Ramin's POV
All the way in Toronto, Ramin Karimloo was getting the same call.
"Hello?"
"Hello Ramin." He knew it was his manager, Naomi. "Good morning!" Her voice was too cheerful for a Monday morning. Naomi was never morning person, especially on Mondays, so Ramin knew she had good news.
"Good morning to you too. What's got you in a good mood?" He questions, sitting up in bed.
"I have great news for you. As you know, the 25th anniversary of the phantom of the opera is in seven months. And of course Andrew wants to have a big show. Andrew Lloyd Webber wants you to be the phantom!"
Andrew Lloyd Webber wants me? Why?
Naomi goes on for a while about the show, the plane ride to England, telling him he couldn't know who else was in the show- wait.
England? Mandy and the kids are in England! Maybe I can get them out of there!
It was doubtful, but Ramin made a vow that he would do everything in his power to get his two boys away from Mandy.
Sierra's POV
The next week, Sierra found herself in a plane with a sleeping Jade next to her. The plane was almost ready to land so she would have to wake up.
"Jay, wake up honey. We're going to land in a few minutes." She rubs her eyes, sitting up. "Did you enjoy your very first plane ride?"
"I slept the whole time mommy." She clutches her stuffed teddy bear as the plane descends from the air. "This is scary."
"No it's not, Jay. We're just about landed."
Once they do land, they quickly make their way through airport security and into the crisp air.
I miss this place.
When Sierra gets to the hotel, she's in awe. It's beautiful. Everything looked so old and rustic, she almost didn't want to touch anything. After checking in and putting their luggage down, Sierra called Cynthia.
Of course Cynthia still wouldn't tell me who else was in the show. I had to find out myself.
"Jay, want to come take a walk around the hotel?" Sierra questions.
"Sure!" She squeaks, pulling on fuzzy slippers and grabbing her teddy bear.
"Gosh, you never go anywhere without that bear, do you?"
Jade looked offended as Sierra placed her on her hip. She starts walking towards the elevator. "Excuse me, he has a name."
"And what might that be?"
"His name is Jack Bear." She states, pressing floor 1. We ride down the elevator, getting into a conversation about why she named her bear 'Jack Bear'.
When they get in the lobby, Sierra didn't see anyone of recognition. Either they weren't here yet, they already were in their rooms, or she truly didn't know the people in the show.
Sierra and Jade wandered around the hotel for a little longer, checking out the pool. When they were done exploring, they figured they would order room service. They passed through the lobby once more, glancing around.
Sierra's eyes locked with someone's. Her heart fluttered. Her mind went blank. A smile crept on Sierra's face as she skipped towards the man. "Ramin! You're here!"
"Sierra, don't tell me your Christine." Ramin grins, knowing the answer to his own question.
"I guess it's time for me to go then." Sierra giggles. A few seconds of silence passes, before Ramin speaks up. "And who's this cutie?" He reaches out a hand to tickle Jades belly.
Ramin hadn't had a chance to meet Jade yet. In fact, this is the first time Sierra and Ramin had seen each other in three years. Sierra left the show because she was pregnant with Jade.
A small chuckle escaped Sierras lips. "This is Jade. Jade, say hi to Ramin."
"Ramin?" She questions. "Like ramen noodles!"
Memories flooded back to Sierras mind, remembering the first time they met. She had said the same exact thing to him.
Clearly Ramin was thinking the same thing because he was smirking at her, his eyes glazed over with a look that meant he was thinking.
After Ramin told Jade the story of how Sierra had said the sane thing to him, he checked in and headed to his room.
Sierra invited Ramin over after Jade went to bed so they could catch up. After reading Jade a bedtime story and kissing her head, Sierra changed into pajamas.
Why am I so nervous to see Ramin? We're just hanging out as friends, right? Nothing else is there.
Ramin's POV
Why am I so nervous to see Sierra? We're just hanging out as friends, right? Nothing else is there.
Ramin couldn't help but have feelings for Sierra. They've kisses many times before and every time, he felt a spark.
I wish she felt it too.
Sierras POV
Sierras heart flutter as she heard a knock on her hotel room, knowing it was Ramin. A grin spread across her face as she walked towards the door, but stopped herself.
Why am I acting like this?
Sierra opened the door to see Ramin there. But something was off. Sierra could see that his eyes had lost their sparkle. Ramin was smiling at her, but Sierra could tell it was fake.
"Come in Ramin." The duo sat on the couch, facing each other. "What's wrong?"
"What makes you think something is wrong?" He questions, obviously playing dumb.
Sierra leaned forward, gazing deep into his beautiful brown eyes, almost as if she was searching his soul. "Ramin, you know you can tell me anything. You don't have to tell me now, I just want you to know that I'm always here for you. No matter what the problem is, okay?"
"Okay." He smiled sadly at her. "Thank you." Their was a beat of silence before he spoke up again. "So how are things with Tam and Jade?"
The mention of Tam's name made Sierra angry. Her hands clenched into fists. Her nostrils flared. Her eyes filled with tears, but she was determined to not let them fall. Once Ramin observed these things, he knew he had struck a nerve. What happened? He didn't know.
"Me and Tam are no longer engaged." Sierra replied coldly, more harsh than she wanted it to come out.
"Oh Sie, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."
"It's okay Ramin, it's just hard. Being a single mother, raising Jade. It's so stressful. She's not even staying the full seven months. She's staying here for the first month of rehearsals and then going to live with my parents until I get back. I just feel like I'm being a bad mother. Making her go back and forth between homes and just, I'm never home. Being a single parent sucks." Sierra felt as if a ton of bricks were lifted off her chest. It was nice to know that she could have someone to trust again.
Ramin quickly pulled Sierra into a hug, seeing the tears fall from her eyes. He kissed her head repeatedly, whispering comforting things in her ear. But one thing just slipped out.
"I know what it feels like Sie." Sierra immediately pulled away, looking completely confused.
"No you don't. You have Mandy to help you with the kids."
Ramin shook his head, suddenly finding his hands interesting. Sierra knew what he was doing, so she placed her hands atop his. Forcing him to look at her. "I'm sorry Ramin. I didn't know either."
The two embraced again, holding each other in a time of need. But they were pulled apart when a whimpering voice called, "Mommy!" Sierra pulled away, wiping her tears.
"I'll be right back." She jogged into the other room to see her daughter with tears streaming down her face.
"I want daddy!" She cried, feeling Sierras arms wrap around her small body. "I want daddy!" She would repeat.
"Daddy's not here, baby, I am. Nothing's gonna hurt you. I'm here, baby." Her cries seemed to dull but they wouldn't stop.
"Look at this stuff
isn't it neat
Wouldn't you think my collections complete
Wouldn't you think I'm the girl
The girl who has, everything..." She sang softly in her ear, knowing this calmed her down constantly.
Once Sierra knew she's was asleep, she tucked her back in and went back to Ramin. "I'm so sorry. She gets nightmares."
"It's completely okay. Hadley gets them sometimes."
"Where are your kids? If you don't mind me asking."
"They're with Mandy." His kids' words filled his head, asking him to get them away. Tears filled his eyes as he continued. "Mandy's been drinking. The kids beg me to get then away every time we talk. Makes me feel like a terrible father."
Another thing we have in common.
"You're an amazing father Ramin. And I will help you get them away while we're here."
"Thank you so much Sierra." They embraced again.
This is so nice.
After a while Ramin left Sierras hotel room, telling her to sleep well because they had a big day tomorrow, leaving her wishing they could be more than friends and he could stay in her room.