Ihr Lieben, ich wünsche euch sehr viel Spaß mit einem weiteren Kapitel von Worlds Apart.
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“You know what I like best about you?” Riku mumbled with his mouth full of noodles when they sat together on Elena’s couch, watching a movie.
“What?” she smiled at him, taking another spring roll.
“I can be myself. Completely. I mean,” he swallowed, sipping his coke. “You knew me back in high school when I was still a nerd and now, well... I know that you like me for what I am, that’s actually quite rare.” He took the half eaten spring roll from her hand, stuffing it in his mouth. “When I met you at the men’s room I thought, ou crap, you’re so drunk and there’s a sexy chick and she wants to get to know you! No, not you, she wants Riku Rajamaa from Sunrise Avenue. And then...” he shrugged, smiling at her. “Then you turned out to be nice and you even left and let me pee on my own! I was stunned, Helsinki-girl!” bending down he kissed her lips. “And now I’m sitting here with you, completely relaxed, having something I haven’t had in years: an ordinary relationship with a girl!” he paused, blushing slightly. “I’m sorry, you... not a relationship of course! Maybe an affair.” He furrowed his brows. “Affair sounds mean, don’t you think?”
Elena rested her face to his neck, wrapping her arm around his chest. “Call it relationship, that’s fine with me.” Kissing her way over his chin, she smiled in his surprised face. “Turns out that I no longer have a boyfriend, so... well I think we’re over with this whole affair thing.”
He returned her smile, kissing her lips again. “Alright, so... you look sleepy, maybe your boyfriend should give you some rest now.”
“Well, if he actually is my boyfriend, there’s no need to leave, right?” she cuddled a little closer, yawning deeply.
“Not at all.” He whispered back, kissing her forehead.
Again she fell asleep on his chest, realising in surprise that he had closed all the lights and carried her over to her bedroom. Carefully he put her down on the bed. “Take your time, I’ll be in the bathroom for a second. May I use your toothbrush?”
“The blue one.” She whispered, kissing him sleepily before feeling her way over the bed to find her night gown.
When she entered the bathroom a few minutes later he had taken off his t-shirt and pullover and washed his face. “Thanks!” he mumbled, taking the towel she handed over to him. Sitting down on the closed toilet seat, Elena started to brush her teeth. It felt unexpectedly normal to be with him. Just like it had in her dreams. It was, as if he had been there for a long time, as if he actually belonged to her life. Smiling she lifted her eyebrow when he sat down on the laundry machine, watching her. “What?” she got up, rinsing her mouth.
“Nothing actually. Just looking at you.” He jumped down from the laundry machine, taking her in his arms. “Sleep?” he kissed the tip of her nose.
“Sleep.” She agreed, resting her forehead to his collarbone, yawning on his naked shoulder.
Closing the door of her bedroom, she remained standing next to her closet, playing with her lower lip. “D’you want me to put on some new bedcovers?” she asked a little unassertive, opening a drawer.
“Why?” he asked astound, straightening the messed up blankets on her bed.
“Well, I... I don’t know, because of Rob?” she shrugged and tried to smile. “Remember, the guy from last night that punched you in the face?”
“Why would I care?” grinning he lay down, taking one of the pillows to shuffle it around. “I got his girl and his bed, why wouldn’t I take his blanket as well?” he opened his arms and winked at her. “Now come here and hug me!”
When he lay down close behind her she felt his arm sliding around her waist. Softly he caressed her belly with his hand and placed a light kiss on her neck. “Sleep well, Chucky.” He whispered.
“You too.” She turned her head, meeting his lips in a gentle kiss.
Actually it didn’t feel adventurous to be with him. It felt normal. And very, very good.
She awoke early in the morning, immediately cuddling up to Riku that lay on his front, his arms and face buried in his pillow. Suddenly he moved, turning around to wrap his arm around her.
“Hey.” He whispered with a smile, kissing her cheek. “Did you sleep well?”
She nodded, shoving some strands of hair out of his forehead. “Very good actually. Even though I was afraid that you might have disappeared.”
“Your sleep was very light, how would I have managed?” he pulled her closer to his naked chest, feeling her running her fingers over his shoulders and his neck. “And besides, why would I want that?” taking her hand in his, he kissed her palm before putting it on his cheek.
“It’s still early, don’t you wanna sleep a little longer?” carefully she ran her fingertips over his dark eyebrows.
He shook his head, reaching over to pick up his wristwatch from the bedside table. “It’s almost eight, maybe I can go back to my hotel soon to have a shower and get some fresh clothes.” He suggested, sitting up on the bed.
Elena chuckled, rubbing her face with her hands. “I can’t believe that I was actually about to pout and ask you to stay.” Softly she caressed his arm. “I’m getting all clingy, see? Told you!”
He laughed and bent down to kiss her. “We still have two weeks to the day, so why don’t I just grab some stuff and move in with you for a bit? I’ll spend most of my free time with you anyway.”
“Only most?” she tried to pout, but a low giggle came over her lips and she returned his kiss.
“All! Of course! Hell, you ARE clingy! Possessive little bat!”
“Told you!” she repeated, dragging herself up on her feet. “Come on, I’ll make some coffee.”
He took her outreached hands, letting her pull him over to the kitchen. Slipping his t-shirt over his head, he wrapped his arms around her from behind, following her every step without losing body contact.
“What did you dream about last night?” he suddenly asked when they sat together in her small kitchen.
She leaned back, blowing some cold air into her coffee. “I don’t remember actually.” She cocked her head and shrugged. “There was something about... dunno, a restaurant and... I think you were there.”
He chuckled, sipping his cup. “That’s nice! I already have a little part in your dreams.”
“A big one, trust me on that!” she giggled and blushed, trying to avoid his curious gaze.
“Yes...?”
“Nothin’.”
“No, please!” grinning he reached over, taking her hand. “Tell me about it! I’ve been dreaming about you from time to time during the last weeks, so please tell me!”
“Well, I...” she hesitated, staring down into her mug. “I had some really weird dreams about you and your friends for a while.” She admitted, feeling her cheeks blushing deeper.
“After we met?” curiously he rested his elbows on the table.
She shook her head. “Actually it started before.” Taking a deep breath she looked at him. “Try not to laugh too hard, ok?”
“I won’t, honour bright!” he raised his right hand. “On the bible!”
Elena sighed, playing with her cup. “It started around Christmas. I had some really weird and realistic dreams about you guys, but... well, I wasn’t with you, I was with Samu. We were married. But you... you were my best friend and... we... we had once had a relationship but we broke up because of Samu and... well...” she tried to wave her words aside. “To cut a long story short, the two of us ended up having one amazing night together.”
“So you already had me in your dreams, hum?” grinning he moved a little closer. “Do I need to have some second thoughts about Haber?”
“Not really.” She shook her head. “I will definitely not try to get any closer to him! My dreams are weird sometimes but this is real life!” taking his hand she caressed his palm with her thumb. “Maybe I wanna have some adventure but... well... I only left a man that didn’t... well, I don’t wanna impute to him that he never really loved me but... I think he didn’t and so...” she looked up from his hand. “It feels quite good that... that you actually wanna be with me so... why would I blow this up myself by trying my luck with someone else I’ve had some kinda crush on in my dream?” slowly she shook her head.
Cupping her face with his hands he leaned in to kiss her. “I actually LOVE spending time with you!” he simply stated very seriously. “But I will definitely have an eye on you and Haber!” chuckling he kissed her again. “So tell me, was I good?”
Elena blushed and rolled her eyes. “You had to come up with this, hadn’t you?” chuckling she leaned back. “No you weren’t! You were boring and I let you shag me three times, watching the stars, trying my best not to fall asleep!”
“Stars, hum? So we were outside somewhere?”
“Beach. We... well, we were quite drunk in my dream and started making out in the water at night.”
“Sounds quite nice...” he put his head in his hand, twisting his empty cup around. “As long as I was really good of course!”
Elena giggled, getting up from her chair by the window. “Well, let’s wait and see. Dreams don’t count in this place, you know? You need to prove yerself in my bed first!”
“Anytime!” he slapped her bottom in her thin black nightgown. “Just let me know as soon as.... well, it might be a little inappropriate at the moment, you only broke up with your boyfriend and I don’t wanna be a stop-gap or make-do for you!”
“I’d never use you to keep my feet warm!” she punched him slightly. “My feet are perfectly warm on their own, Mr. Right-now!”
“That’s what I wanted to hear!” chuckling he got up to wrap his arms around her. “So will I see you tonight?”
“I’ll come to the studio again if you don’t mind.” She looked up at him. “Rob’s gonna come by and grab his stuff, so... well I don’t have plans for the rest of the day.”
“Just gimme a call, I’ll pick ye up if you want.”
After he had left she started to rummage around her flat. There were a few shirts and some socks from Rob in her closet, some of his books on the shelves of the living room. She collected everything, putting it in a small box for easy take away. Cleaning out her apartment in one go, she also removed some of his pictures and put them in a separate box to store them in the basement. Maybe it had not been the relationship of her life, but still... she had always kept some of the stuff of her ex-boyfriends. Vacuum cleaning her place, she decided to bake a cake and make some coffee later on. Maybe it was over but she could at least offer him some coffee.
He called at about ten when she had already finished the dough, and told her that he would be over at eleven.
Quickly she took a shower, getting dressed in her favourite pullover and some comfortable and warm cord pants. In the kitchen she started the coffee machine, washing the two empty cups they had used in the morning before she sat down by the window, staring outside into the snow. She tried not to think about Riku but somehow his face came to her mind and she couldn’t help smiling. Her new boyfriend. Weird but true. Trying to figure out the changes he could bring to her life, she started daydreaming about him for a bit. Would he take her with him on tour one day? She had never seen Sunrise Avenue perform but she was curious. Some of their songs were played on the radio sometimes and she made a mental note to listen a bit closer the next time she heard one of it.
The doorbell rang at eleven sharp. Right on time as usual. Dragging herself up on her feet, she checked on her cake again, cutting off two pieces before she made her way over to the entrance door.
“Hey!” she smiled, stepping aside. “Come in.”
He handed a box over to her. “And your keys.” He simply said and remained standing on the corridor.
“Don’t you wanna come in? I just made some coffee.” Beckoning him over she wanted to close the door but he shook his head.
“No thanks, I’m fine.” He merely stated. “A friend of mine brought me here, the car’s waiting.”
“Oh.” Elena stepped back. “Well, ask him to come up and have a cup as well.”
“SHE’s actually not too fond of you and didn’t want to come up.” He averted his gaze.
Click! Complete picture.
“Oh. Well then, let me just grab your stuff.” Quickly she turned around, wondering for a second. Most probably it was Jane, a doctor he worked with. Jane had actually never liked her and Elena had always felt that she was after Rob, but well... not her business any longer. When she returned from the living room she found Rob leaning at the kitchen door.
“You remember I don’t like walnuts, right?” he pointed at her cake.
Right! There had been something about him and food... “It was actually for a friend, I... I just wanted to try a piece before.” She lied quickly, knowing exactly that he knew it.
“Well, I assume you weren’t alone for breakfast this morning either.” Sarcastically he grinned, pointing at the two cups she had put on the placement area of the sink.
Without responding to his little side swipe she put the box in his hands. “Have a nice weekend, Rob. Don’t forget to say hello to Jane.” She turned around, walking over to the entrance door, waiting for him to follow.
“Yeah, well, have fun with your new life then.” He nodded at her, turning around without giving her another look.
Finally. Slowly Elena walked back into the kitchen, wrapping her cake into some aluminium foil. Someone would appreciate it!
On her way to the living room she picked up her mobile, sending a short message to Riku to pick her up. Very well then. Some fun with her new life.
When Riku reached her place she was already waiting outside in the heavy snow. “Hey!” he smiled cautiously. “Everything alright?”
She only nodded, closing the door. “I’m fine. Got my stuff back and made some cake.” She lifted the plate on her lap. “Hope you guys like it!”
He laughed, apparently a little relieved. “We’re fed up with bad donuts and thin coffee, so yes, we definitely will!” still smiling he kissed her cheek. “Good to have you back!” driving off, he put his hand on her thigh. “It is definitely gonna be a looooong weekend full of fun in the studio!”
The rest of the lads were equally excited about her cake, Sami even adjourned his recordings, very much to the displeasure of the record people but after they had been handed a piece of cake they were thrilled about the break.
“God, this tastes so good!” Samu mumbled with his mouth still full, taking another slice. “Rajamaa you are a lucky bastard!”
Riku laughed self-congratulatory, pulling Elena closer. “I know! A girl baking and actually eating pie! I’m in heaven!”
After a long day of Friends, recording and pie, Riku and Elena made their way downstairs. “Ah, I completely forgot!” Riku smote his forehead. “You have to help me, I promised Ruutuu to pick him up later, he wants to buy a commode and he told me to come with him to the store to pick it up.” He opened the trunk of his car. “We need to get the back seats down for it.” He beckoned her over. “I never tried this before, so I might need a hand.” Grinning he bent over the seat.
Elena got in the car as well, trying to help him. Suddenly, when both of them leaned over the seat, pulling, pushing and giggling there was a small flash, soon followed by many others. Riku’s head spun around and he froze. “Oh!” he closed his eyes, covering them with his hand.
At first Elena was shocked, but then a small giggle came over her lips. “Wow, Rajamaa, seems like we are busted in the backseats of your tank!”
“Right now I wish it actually was a tank.” He clenched his teeth. “D’you wanna hide? I could climb over and drive off!”
“No way! That’s like a confession of guilt!” she got up from the seat. “Drive off, I’ll go upstairs again, Raul is still at the studio, I could wait for him. You wanna meet anyway, maybe he takes me along and I’ll see you at his place.”
He nodded slowly. “I don’t know... true... we... hum... He’s the only one of us with an apartment in London, I sold mine last year. But most probably they will be waiting for you at his place.”
“I’ll hide in his trunk, promise! We’ll figure something out!” smiling she squeezed his fingers, exiting the car. “Bye, Mr. Rajamaa!” she waved and rushed over to the elevator again. Flashes of light followed her but she didn’t turn around again. When she closed the doors of the lift she heard Riku driving off. Crazy new life! Still giggling she stepped onto the corridor, finding Raul and Osmo. “Hey guys!” she smiled at them.
“Elena!” Osmo raised his eyebrow. “Why are you still here? Didn’t Riku want to take you home?”
“Reporters.” She pointed over her shoulder. “We got busted in the backseats and decided that one of you should give me a lift.”
“Backseats, hum?” Raul grinned. “Do I really want to know about it?”
She laughed. “It was for your commode, Riku told me he wanted to help you.” Looking from one to the other, she folded her arms over her chest. “So would one of you please give me a lift?”
“Well, we would...” Osmo scratched the back of his neck, shrugging a little unassertive. “But now they have smelled blood I assume... so if... well, doesn’t matter whether you are with Riku or with one of us right now, your picture’s gonna be all over the tabloids!”
“Oh.” Elena grimaced. “Damn!”
“Wait!” Raul beamed at her out of a sudden. “Dan must be somewhere around, maybe we can ask him!”
“Good one!” Osmo spun around, rushing along the corridor.
“Dan’s one of the studio technicians, maybe he can wait with you for a bit and bring you to our hotel.”
Elena nodded thoughtfully, playing with her lower lip. “What if... hey, know what? This Dan-guy, he could take me to the store, where you wanna pick up your commode.”
“Hey!” Raul grinned broadly. “Rajamaa’s found himself a smart girl! Woohoo! Come on, let’s do this! I promise, we’ll be there in about half an hour at the latest, alright? It’s McGregor’s antiques, Dan knows it, he took me there in the first place.”
“Alright then, go find the little nerd and tell him about our devilish plan!” Elena nodded with a smile, waving him goodbye. He winked at her, stepping into the elevator. “I’ll distract them, promise! Maybe I’ll drop my pants!”
Chuckling Elena rested her back at the white wall. Those guys were amazing! Just like in her dreams. Sometimes she even wondered a little just how similar they were in real life.
Osmo didn’t take long. Pulling a blond man along the corridor, he smiled at her. “Here we go!” he clapped his hands. “Dan, Elena, Elena, Dan.”
Elena offered her hand to the blond. “Hey, Dan. Thank you so much for your help!”
He waved her comment aside. “No problem! Come on, my car’s outside on the car park.” Beckoning her over, he fetched his keys from the back pocket of his jeans.
It took Riku and Raul in fact almost 50 minutes to reach the small antiques store. Cursing the reporters and paparazzi, Riku slammed the door of his car. She would be mad at him. Still cursing under his breath, he circled the car, buttoning up his coat. It was dark already, heavy snow flurry inhibited visibility, covering the street and the cars nearby.
Suddenly he saw something moving from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t fast enough and a snowball hit him fair in the face. He heard laughter, wiping the wet snow from his face. There she was, quickly running into him, wrapping her arms around him. “That was for being late!” she kissed his wet face playfully before she stepped back, offering a paper bag to him. “And this is because I love you.”
Completely taken by surprise he broke into laughter, taking one of the little meat pies she had bought from a Greggs-store nearby. She offered the bag to Raul as well. “Come on, mate!” she winked at him. “I got sausage-rolls!” seductively she blinked her eyes, making Raul giggle and take one of the offered pastries.
“Sorry for being late!” Riku bent down, kissing his girlfriend with his salty lips before hungrily biting off another piece of his pie. “Sometimes I wanna run them over, but I’m still too human to kill reporters!” he took another hearty bite, realising in surprise that he had blanked out his hunger completely because he had been scared that she would make a scene for standing in the snow far too long. Smiling he kissed her again, watching her eating another sausage-roll.
“What?” she mumbled and returned his smile.
“Nothing.” He pulled her closer. “Just, well... thanks for not being mad.”
Elena broke into laughter and choked on her sausage. “Mad?” she gasped, coughing. “You’re only a few minutes late! And I can always keep myself busy, especially with food, trust me!”
“Bathtub for you!” Riku smacked a kiss on Elena’s cheek and put the paper bags from the grocery store down on the counter of the kitchen. “You deserve it!”
“Thanks.” Elena wrapped her arms around him and smiled. “You could join me you know...”
Grinning he pulled her closer. “I surely could...”
“So why don’t you?”
Still grinning he cocked his head. “Give me one minute to put this all away.” He pointed at the food. “You can arrange the bath for us, alright?”
“Waiting for you in the tub.” She winked at him, making her way over to the bathroom. When she started to light a few candles, filling the tub, she smiled to herself. Life with Riku seemed incredibly easy. She felt connected to him in a way she had never been to any man she had ever dated. They shared a lot of interests, enjoying the same music and foods. He even seemed to like having long baths on cold winter evenings. Strangely enough after only a few days but he made her feel like home. She pinned up her hair, taking off her pullover. Even the fact that she would be naked with him in only a few minutes didn’t scare her. She had been naked with him in her dreams and it had never felt odd. In fact it had felt nothing but perfectly right. Sighing she pulled down her pants and slip, sitting down in the hot water. Completely relaxed she leaned back, stretching out her legs.
Suddenly the phone rang and she opened her eyes a little annoyed. She was already about to sit up again and grab her towel, but Riku stood in the doorway all of a sudden.
“Yep, she’s right ‘ere.” He smiled at her. “It’s yer sister calling. Want me to tell her to call you back?”
She shook her head and wiped her wet hands. “Hand ‘er over. Thanks a lot, love.”
“Alright, so here you go, bye Lilly!” he handed the phone over to her, sitting down on the ceiling of the bathtub to open his sneakers.
“Put them on the heater!” Elena suggested, pointing at his shoes. “They must be soaking wet! Sorry Lil, just a sec. I also got some old newspapers if you want to dry them properly!”
He got up, carefully smelling his shoes. With a disgusted sound he lowered them, smirking at her. “Yer bath smells too nice for my stinky sneakers!” he held them away as far as possible. “I’d better take ‘em outside, I guess.”
Elena laughed. “Alright, stinky-boy, take yer time! Hey there, hun!” she turned back at her sister. “How are you?”
“How am III?” Lilly shrieked. “Is that Riku Rajamaa answering your phone calls, delivering your phone to you in the bathtub? Hell, what the fuck is going on in your life, sis?”
Again Elena laughed, leaning back. “I made a few changes.”
“Changes in what? Men? Life? Reality maybe?” still her sisters voice was a little high pitched and Elena played around with the foam in the tub.
“Well, all of it I assume.” She started warily. “I broke up with Rob.”
“And now what? Are you with Riku now?” she over-enunciated his name, making Elena giggle.
“Well, kinda. We started hanging out a little when I returned to London and Rob, he... well I guess he couldn’t handle it and well, I ended up kissing Riku and also I was told that I threw up on him as well as he... well...” she waved her words aside. “Different story. But we realised that we actually feel quite comfortable with each other, so... well, now he’s here and we will see where it takes us when he has to leave again.” She pouted at her entering boyfriend, making him raise his eyebrow.
“What d’you expect? Guess you’ll be forced to start travelling, right?” he took off his pullover. “There’s a lot of nice hotel rooms waiting for you all over the world!” starting to unbutton his pants he threw a quick gaze at her. “You mind?”
Elena burst into laughter. “About what? You getting naked?”
“He’s getting NAKED?” Lilly shrieked again. “Oh my god, you’re gonna have sex with Riku Rajamaa in your bathtub!”
“I think I won’t.” Elena cocked her head. “Are we gonna have sex in the bathtub now? Lilly wants to know.”
“I don’t intend to inform your sister when, where or how I’m gonna have sex with you!”
“That’s a yes.” Elena winked at him. “Listen, hun. I’m really tired, you mind if I call you tomorrow? I need some rest now, we’ve been at the studio all day, carrying a heavy commode for Raul and doing some late shopping, I’m knackered.”
“Well as long as you promise to tell me EVERYTHING tomorrow!” Lilly insisted. “Damn, why did I even make an effort and try to get a ticket for their show for you! You’re gonna bring us in backstage! Damn, I need to call Ally right now! Love you, hun! Bye!”
“Bye, Lil!” Elena said, but her sister had already hung up the phone. Still grinning she sat up, washing her face. “She’s very excited now.” Again she put a handful of water on her face. “You’re like the brother in law she has dreamed of all her life!”
Chuckling Riku pulled down his boxers and stepped into the tub. “Gimme some space in there, big girl!”
“I am NOT a big girl!” she smirked at him. “’s the water too cold for you, big boy?” she teased, making him snort with laughter.
“Of course you’re not a big girl, love.” He leaned over to kiss her. “And very soon I won’t be cold anymore.” Grinning he ran his fingers over her shins. Then he sat back, putting his legs over hers. “God, this feels so good!” he sighed and closed his eyes but only to open them again, smiting his forehead. “Almost forgot!” getting up he wrapped a towel around his hips. When he returned he had a bottle of red wine and two glasses in his hands. “Wanna join me for a glass?” smiling he put the glasses down on the sink to fill them, when she nodded.
They both fell asleep quickly that night, wrapped up in each other’s arms, too tired to stay awake and do anything but kissing for a few minutes.
Riku’s mobile woke them in the early morning, making Riku grunt something vulgar instead of hello when he picked up.
“I knew you were sleeping!” Sami sounded annoyed. “Get yer arse here, mate! We got an interview at nine!”
Grunting again Riku lay back. “Ye’re kidding, right?” he mumbled, feeling over the bedside table to find his wristwatch.
“I’m not, so get here quickly! Damn, Riku! She’s getting you all fuzzy and messed up!”
“Leave her you of this, mate!” Riku dragged himself up on his feet. “I’ll be at the hotel in 20 minutes.” He hung up, sighing when he looked down at Elena in her half sleep.
“You gotta go?” she mumbled, sitting up as well.
“Have to.” He shrugged apologetically. “Will I see you tonight?”
“’f course.” She yawned. “Just pop by as soon as you are done, alright?”
“I will.” Sighing again he bent down to kiss her. “I’ll bring my suitcase along for my stay at yours, alright?”
She returned his smile and nodded. “See you later!” she whispered before she closed her eyes, drifting back into her sleep.
They had been dating for almost a week. Most of the time Riku had stayed overnight but nothing serious had happened between them and Elena was torn between excitement and impatience. No doubt, she wanted him and she knew that he wanted her but somehow he had decided to give her time. Time they actually didn’t have, so Elena felt herself getting more and more impatient the more time they spent together and the more their precious time was running out.
He called in the early afternoon of the next Saturday, promising to come and pick her up around half past five. “Dress up a little we’re gonna have an early dinner.” He simply stated before he hung up the phone, leaving her standing in front of her closet completely puzzled. Dressing up? She had not dressed up in years! After trying on a couple of dresses and desperately throwing them onto the bed, she finally found the old graduation dress she had been wearing when she had finished university. It was beautiful but still casual enough to give her the feeling of not being overdressed. Slowly she turned in front of the mirror, running her hands over the small gleaming pearls of the dark blue strapless dress. Perfect. She smiled at her reflection, throwing a quick gaze at the clock on the corridor wall. Half an hour to go. Sighing she sat down on her bed. She was dressed, everything was fine.
No!
She jumped up. Nothing was fine! Hair and make-up! Damn! Half an hour to go! She rushed over to the bathroom.
Only short after half past five when she grabbed her purse, giving herself one last look before applying a second layer of lip-gloss. Her shoes were a bit too high-heeled for her taste, but they matched the dress perfectly. Hoping for a clear sidewalk she stepped outside, finding a middle-aged blond man standing in front of a dark Mercedes. He smiled at her, taking a small bow. “I’m most delighted, Miss Heikkinen.” Again he bowed, opening the door of the car for her. “My name is Jonathan. Mr Rajamaa sent me to pick you up, because he has been delayed by a few phone calls, asking your forgiveness.”
‘Asking my forgiveness?’ Elena bit back a little grin and nodded thankfully when Jonathan helped her to sit in the back of the car. Well, forgiveness for keeping her curious and now even sending a car as if she was an ambassadress! Excitedly she wrapped her coat around herself, leaning forward to watch Jonathan driving off.
He turned his head for a second. “Is everything alright, Miss?” he asked astounded, making her blush and sit back immediately.
“Sure.” She blushed even deeper. “I’m not used to sitting in the backseats to be honest!”
He let out a little laugh. “I apologise for the inconvenience, Miss! It is only going to take a few minutes, so you might just sit back and relax. I’ll take you to the main entrance and drop you off if this is agreeable to you.”
“It is.” She assured quickly, pressing her handbag to her chest flutteringly.
Another chance to make a different choice. She would go out for dinner with Riku and... most probably she would stay overnight, so... maybe it was another chance to avoid the weird threesome she had once had in her dreams. It was Riku. It had to be Riku. She would never hurt him in real life.
Wondering a little, she thought about her dream-mess again. The dreams had stopped out of a sudden. One night with Riku and puff! Everything was dark and quiet and peaceful. The whole fitfulness had been over all of a sudden. Maybe it was a sign from somewhere above. She had made the right decision by choosing Riku. Even though... some strange little part deep inside of her was mourning. It was hurting, feeling pain and grief for losing Samu. How could there be dolour? She was happy! She had finally made a profound decision by leaving her ordinary life behind and taking a risk. She had finally found a man she felt happy to be with. What was it that made her sad? A dream??
She had to talk to her mother. This wasn’t normal! And it wasn’t healthy either.
Deep in her thoughts she stared outside into the heavy snow, flinching when Jonathan suddenly opened the door of the car for her. “The Hilton, Miss.” Smiling he took a small bow and offered his hand to her to help her exit the car. “You’ll be alright, won’t you, Miss?”
“I’ll be fine. Thank you, Jonathan.” Elena arranged her coat, trying to return the driver’s smile. “Thanks for picking me up!”
“My pleasure, Miss. Maybe you could take a seat in the lobby or the hotel bar. Mr Rajamaa will be with you as soon as possible.” He took another bow before her got into the car again, driving off.
Alright. Here we go. Elena ran her hands through her hair, entering the huge hotel. The bar was easy to find and she felt like she needed a little drink right now. When she sat down at one of the centre tables she thought about having a cup of coffee, shoving the thought aside. She was far too excited to have coffee now! Ordering Scotch, she took off her coat, leaning back on the soft black leather couch. You could never go wrong with good old Scotch.
The waitress smiled down at her. “Any preferences, Miss?” she asked, giving Elena an odd smile, most probably wondering about a woman drinking Whisky.
“Glen Morrangie.” Elena tried to sound annoyed, returning the snappish smile of the young woman.
“Glen Morrangie on ice. Just a second, Miss!” she was about to turn around, but Elena stopped her by clearing her throat.
“EXCUSE me?” she gave the girl a charming smile. “Did you just say ON ICE?”
“Of course, Miss, d’you have different preferences?” the girl blushed.
“Actually I have.” Elena put her purse aside. “Double Scotch and one spoonful of table water please.” Picking up her mobile, she signalised the waitress that she wasn’t needed any longer. Stupid little pet!
Suddenly a low chuckle was heard close behind her. “The same for me please.” A husky voice yelled after the waitress and Elena’s head spun around.
Samu!
Her heart almost skipped a beat. She had met him very often during the last week. Mostly during recordings but from time to time she had joined the lads for a little party at local pubs with Riku. She had always tried to avoid Samu, trying not to be impolite, but drawing an invisible line with her behaviour towards him. Always nice and polite, but never close. Much to her disappointment he had been the perfectly good looking, charming guy she loved with all her heart in her dreams and sometimes it even made her feel like choking in his presence. He seemed to shrink a room by only being in it, and with it he seemed to minimize all the space she was fighting to keep up.
Still chuckling he sat down next to her. “Never met a girl, drinking her Whisky your way. The RIGHT way.” He added, comfortably leaning back with a little sigh. “Damn it, you look fit tonight!” he suddenly stated, making her blush.
“Thanks.” She mumbled in a thin voice and allowed herself to run his gaze over him. Damn it, he looked amazing with his lose baggy pants and his shirt with rolled up sleeves. “You too.” She added after a few seconds, making him burst into laughter.
“Thank you, Mylady!” he sat up, resting his elbows on his knees. “So, here’s the deal: You have to be satisfied with me for a while, because Riku is still busy, but I assume that we will make the best out of it, right?” he took the two glasses the waitress brought and handed one of them over to Elena. “That one’s on me.” He smiled broadly, winking at her.
Elena felt her hand shivering when she took the glass from his fingers, trying her best not to touch him. She failed miserably and the bolt of electricity shooting through her body almost let the glass slip through her fingers. Quickly she took a deep breath, trying to return Samus smile when she clinked glasses with him.
Taking a deep swing, Samu sighed again and leaned back, putting his arm around the backrest of the little couch. “So...” he smiled again, winking at her. “Tell me something about you!”
Elena tried to hide behind her glass, feeling the liquor burning in her throat. She moved away as far as possible, arranging her long dress. “Well...” she mumbled, completely out of words for a second. “I think I told you guys almost everything about me.”
He laughed, pointing at her with a grin. “You didn’t!” he simply stated, watching her closely with his intense eyes. “There’s more.”
“Well, you... you know about my work and... and my family and my life... right?” she stuttered, feeling her cheeks blushing again.
“Work and family don’t make a whole life, do they?” he ignored the distance she tried to keep between them, moving closer. “I wanna know more about what is actually in here.” His index finger touched her forehead. “Dreams, plans, life experiences. Everything.” Checking his wristwatch his smile widened. “From my point of view we have about an hour at the least, so... why don’t you just get started and we’ll see where it takes us, what d’you say?”
NO! Everything inside of her yelled instantly, but she tried to work up all her courage, emptying her glass. Quickly she signalised the waitress to bring another one. It was definitely required for this grilling Samu was about to start.
“Dreams and plans, hum?” she forced a smile, working up all her strength and courage once more, fighting against the smell of his familiar cologne. Damn, why did he even have to smell the way he used to in her dreams?? What a perfect topic, her dreams. She could surely tell him a little story! Taking a deep swing from her new glass and a breath, she turned around to face him and extend the distance between them on the small couch. “I always dreamed about travelling.” She started, relieved to have a neutral topic.
“Where?” he asked quickly, leaning back.
“Everywhere!” she chuckled bashfully. “I never had a lot of time to travel really.”
“Why?” again he focused on her face, cocking his head.
“I’ve been busy.”
“This is not a proper conversation, girl!” he laughed.
“Well, you are not helpful!” she shot back, feeling her cheeks blushing even deeper, much to her annoyance.
“I was supposed to be the interested listener in this conversation, dear!” he sipped his drink. “Please, go ahead, you were saying?”
“I have always worked far too much.” She admitted without even thinking about it properly, twisting her glass between her fingers. “School, university, PhD... it all happened so fast, you know?”
“I don’t actually. I always wanted to study more, maybe become an engineer or a doctor, but... well, I was young and then Sunrise Avenue came along, recruiting charming boys.” He threw a quick smile at her, staring down at his drink. “It’s a good life, believe me!” he added hastily, taking another sip. “But sometimes...” he left the sentence unfinished, looking at Elena.
“Sometimes.” She repeated in a low voice. “Sometimes you wish that you... well... could start over again, right?”
“What would you do if you got this chance?” he scrutinised her face. “What decisions d’you regret?”
“I don’t know.” Getting deeper into the conversation, Elena felt herself relaxing and moved a little closer. “Maybe I would work instead of doing a doctor’s degree. Maybe... well, maybe combine it with travelling... working in Africa, doctors without borders, you know? Just for a while, maybe settle somewhere in Europe for a while. Maybe have children. I don’t know. What would you do?”
“Study.” He answered without hesitation. “Make a difference. Have kids right away. Maybe join you on your doctors without borders dream and change the world. Do something with my hands.” He raised his hands, stretching his long fingers. “I’d be good at that.”
“What is it like? Being part of this band?” Elena gestured with her free hand.
“It’s... stressful... and... and nice.” He smiled warily. “Sometimes more stressful, sometimes nice overweighs the stressful part.” He shrugged. “Two sides of a coin. Flip it and hope for the best.” Again he shrugged, putting his arm around the backrest of the couch once more. “What about your plans? D’you have any for the near future?”
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