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It had been just over one week since Riven had moved in and the two reluctant roommates had fallen into a pattern. Riven was always up first. He would use the gym, shower, and have breakfast. Musa was usually up around the time he'd be finishing up in the gym or in the shower, she would exercise on days she felt like it, then some combination of having her breakfast and getting ready to go. Riven would sometimes give Darcy a call while he waited for Musa to get ready, which he'd been surprised the first day only took twenty minutes – Darcy always took at least forty-five. Then, they'd do whatever Musa had on the schedule for the day, sometimes they'd stop for lunch or order it. Evenings consisted one of them making dinner – they'd agreed to alternate days – and them retreating to their separate spaces. They barely spoke unless it was necessary, and that suited both just fine.

He'd received Musa's schedule by the month, and Mirta had confirmed that she would email him the next month's schedule two or three days before the end of the current month or if ever there were changes to the current one. Musa's schedule was so packed that Riven was amazed she had free time at all. It was mainly time in the studio as she was putting finishing touches on her fifth album, but it was interspersed with dance rehearsal, and, as of next week, interviews, video shoots, photoshoots, appearances and so much crap he didn't realised he'd have to attend.

He was not looking forward to the things he'd have to endure as of next week; he much preferred the lowkey, repetitive schedule she currently kept. Studio time and dance rehearsals were at the very least tolerable. Riven didn't go into the studio. He checked it out the first day and, since there were no windows in the place, decided that she wasn't at risk. The only way out was through the door, which he sat outside of. Most of the time he'd read, sometimes he'd scroll through social media or play a game on his phone. It was a boring time, but it was easy. As for dance, well, at least the dancing gave him something to watch, though it also meant having to listen to Musa's music on repeat. A lot of the dancers were attractive, so that was good. And, loathe as he was to admit it, Musa was a good dancer; she knew how to move her body in a way that stirred something in him. He wouldn't admit that last bit, though, to himself or anyone else.

Riven was finishing up his eggs as Musa ran down the stairs, fully dressed and ready to go. She grabbed an apple from the counter and bit into it. "You know you really should have more than a piece of fruit" Riven commented. Musa cocked her eyebrow at him. Besides anything having to do with work or lunch and dinner, that was the longest phrase he'd spoken to her since he'd told her he had no interest in being friends with her. She took another bite of her apple and walked away, not willing to give in to possible conversation. If he wanted to keep their relationship distant and professional, she would happily oblige him.

Days like today were her favourites: mornings in the studio and afternoons in dance rehearsal. She loved being creative – it was what had made her fall in love with music in the first place – but if she spent too long not moving, she got antsy. Afternoon dance was a perfect fix to that. She'd made sure that today was one of those half days, but that was for a different reason.

When they got to the dance studio – half an hour earlier than usual – everything was set up the way she'd requested from the dancers. A long folding table, draped over with a green cloth, was set up on the middle of the floor. It was covered with a variety of chips, fruits and chocolate, veggies and dip, several boxes of pizza ordered by toppings and a large rectangular cake with the words HAPPY BIRTHDAY AISHA written on them and a Rice Krispy figurine modeled after the dancer. Streamers were hung from every door, mirror and along the ceiling, and balloons in green and blue only – Aisha's favourite colours – littered the floor. It was kitschy, but Aisha would love it.

Aisha arrived fifteen minutes later like she usually would in order to make sure the room was ready for when Musa and the others arrived. She dropped her bag by the door and turned on the lights, practically jumping out of her skin when a dozen and a half people yelled surprise at the top of their lungs. She clutched at her heart and stepped back, a large smile forming on her lips. "I should've known" she laughed, walking over to Musa to hug her. "You've never scheduled a rehearsal on my birthday before."

"I've never really had a chance either" Musa pointed out. Up until her label switch, she'd had little to no control over her schedule.

"Fair enough" Aisha admitted. She knew how controlled Musa had been; she had been the ringleader that pushed Musa to fight for her freedom from her old label when the singer was losing her love for music, and been her biggest cheerleader when the fight was starting to seem like it was unwinnable. Aisha turned her attention to her dancers and spread her arms, inviting them into a hug. "You guys are so sweet."

Riven had been aware of the surprise party because Mirta had noted it on his copy of Musa's schedule. At first, it had surprised him that Musa was going out of her way to make dance rehearsal about someone other than her. Over the last two weeks, though, he'd had a chance to watch the two girls interact and it was clear that she loved her friends deeply. He stood by his comments about her music, but he was starting to have his doubts about a few of his criticisms. Namely, that her personality and looks were fake. He'd been around her without make up on enough to realise that she was far from an artificial beauty and, though he hadn't spoken to her – he still had no interest in being her friend – she seemed like she was genuinely as nice as she came off in the few interviews he'd seen.

"So, how are things going with Mr. Body over there?" Aisha asked as she and Musa took a seat on the floor against one of the mirrors. Mr. Body was the nickname Aisha had given Riven, who currently sat at the opposite end of the room talking to Mirta. Short for bodyguard, but also because Musa had once let it slip that she bet he had a wonderful body under the t-shirts he wore.

"He told me I should eat a more substantial breakfast this morning."

"Why? What were you having for breakfast?" Aisha questioned as she ripped the cheese off the top of her pizza and ate it. Musa always thought it was strange, but Aisha insisted it was better. For a while, Musa had been sure that Aisha ate her pizza that way because she didn't actually like pizza. The dancer, however, insisted that she did so Musa accepted it as one of Aisha's many quirks she would never understand.

"An apple."

"He's right; you should definitely have something more substantial."

"Don't take his side" Musa chided, glaring at her friend who laughed at her.

"It's not a side, it's a fact. You need to eat more in the mornings."

"I hate you."

"No, you don't."

"Whatever" Musa chuckled, her façade of mock irritation breaking.

"Otherwise, though?" Aisha asked, referring to the original topic of conversation. Musa insisted that Riven was still a colossal asshole and that she couldn't wait for him to be out of her life for good. Aisha wasn't so convinced, though. She'd noticed Musa throwing Riven the occasional glance, and Riven, when he thought no one was watching, glancing at Musa. In Aisha's opinion, they were, at least, intrigued by one another. Now, if Musa said he was a colossal ass, Aisha trusted her. Aisha also believed, though, that Musa wanted to fuck him. She also believed that, from the way he looked at her those times he thought no one was watching, Riven wouldn't say no should the opportunity arise. There was just the pesky problem of Musa's pride and, most of all, Jared; Musa would never cheat on him. Aisha was certain that Jared wasn't right for Musa, and while she made it known several times, she would deal with it if it meant Musa was happy. Musa deserved to be happy after her ex, Andy, had broken her heart.

"Oh, gimme a sec" Musa said, standing up to answer the phone that had started ringing while she and Aisha were talking. Aisha heard Musa say the word babe as she left the room and resisted urge to groan.

"What's up?" Musa asked once she'd found a secluded spot to talk. Jared had been gone for three months now; she supposed it should be some sort of hint that she didn't miss him as much as she'd thought she would, but she was just so busy. Besides, they talked on the phone at least three times a week. That was usually late at night when he had an early call time or in the morning during his lunch, though. He never called in the middle of the day.

"Guess who just landed at JFK?" he announced, his voice bubbling over with giddiness.

"What? I thought you weren't supposed to be back til next week?"

"Shooting somehow wrapped early. Thought I'd surprise you and pray that you're free tonight."

"I am" Musa laughed.

"Oh, thank God. I love my mom, but I'd much rather be taking you out for dinner." She got the details from him before remembering that she'd have to bring Riven along. As much as she wanted to tell him to bugger off, he was obligated to be by her side at all times. Jared suggested Riven invite his girlfriend and they could double. "I know you don't want to, but it beats him just standing around" he said when Musa began to object. She supposed Jared was right – both about it being a bit less awkward and her not wanting to - so she told him she'd ask Riven, and he said he'd call the restaurant and see about adding two spots at their table.

Musa hung up the phone and turned down the hall to return to the party. She nearly had a heart attack when she saw Riven standing a few feet away from her. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"You left the room" he explained as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Don't worry, I wasn't listening."

"Uh, okay" Musa said, wondering if he really thought she'd be having phone sex in the middle of a hallway. Her mind briefly wandered to sex, and maybe him, before she corrected her train of thought and spoke. "We're going out for dinner tonight. My boyfriend's back in the city. You can bring your girlfriend, my treat."

Riven watched Musa brush past him and he followed her down the hall towards the dance room. "What?" he asked, not quite certain of what to make of her statement. She turned back to face him, stopping so abruptly that he nearly walked into her.

"We're going to dinner. He thought it'd be weird to have you sorta just standing around since, you know, you apparently have to be everywhere I go, so he suggested you bring your girlfriend. It's a nice restaurant, so tell her to dress up." Musa took off towards the room again, hoping that would be the end of their interaction. Riven, however, apparently wasn't done.

"And you're paying?"

"Yes" Musa replied shortly. Did the man have hearing problems, she wondered. That couldn't possibly be good when working as security.

"Why? Do y-" Riven started only to be cut off by Mirta calling out for Musa.

"I like treating the people that work for me because I can. That's it." Musa fumed. She had no idea what Riven was about to say, but she knew it wouldn't be nice. Maybe he'd accuse her of trying to buy him or he'd get offended that she was offering pay for them. Whatever it was, she was thankful that Mirta had given her a reason to get away. Things were already awkward and tense between them, who knew how much worse it would get it Musa went off on him.

Mirta showed Musa the videos of the room that she'd taken in case Musa wanted to post any of them to her Instagram story. Meanwhile, Riven, certain that Musa was safe in a room full of people that she knew, called Darcy. She answered almost immediately, a panic coming through in her voice. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah?"

"You never call in the middle of the day when you're working. I assumed something happened."

"No" Riven assured her. "Musa's boyfriend is back in town and he wants us to join them for dinner tonight. Apparently, it's better than me standing in the background while they eat."

"He's not wrong. That does sound kind of awkward" Darcy agreed. "Doubling with them sounds equally awkward."

"I'm used to just being in the background of these things so it makes no difference to me. They are offering to pay for us. I-"

"Seriously?" Darcy scoffed, cutting him off. "Is she trying to buy you or something?"

"Honestly, I don't give a fuck. It won't work. If anything, it just proves how fake she is" Riven shrugged. He hadn't mentioned to Darcy the observations he'd made about Musa's personality; it would do no good, he reasoned. "It is free food at one of those fancy places you like, though."

Darcy paused while she thought. Riven twiddled with the hem of his shirt as he waited for her to decide whether she'd be joining. One of the dancers he recognized from Musa's team – a taller girl with bleach blonde hair who's name he did not know – passed him and waved flirtatiously, eyeing him like he was a dessert she couldn't wait to get her mouth on. "Babe?" he said, trying to subtly tell the girl to fuck off while still remaining cordial enough to wave at her.

"Free expensive food and drink on the dime of someone I dislike sounds good to me."

"Great" he laughed, not at all surprised that that had been Darcy's logic. "I'll text you the details later."

Riven had had to avert his eyes when Musa joined him at the bottom of the stairs. She'd worn a dark red tulip slip-style dress with a V-neck. The dress nearly reached the floor at the back but left the front of her legs open for the world to see the thigh high black boots she'd paired with it. She wore her short hair loose and straight, and minimal jewelry and make up. She looked good, really good, and Riven hated that the thought had even crossed his mind.

Musa hadn't noticed that Riven looked away as she came into view. She was fine with him pulling out his phone and walking to the mirror in the dining room to adjust his tie because it gave her the opportunity to look him over. Even though his job called for him to, Musa had requested he not wear a suit as she found it way too formal – and hot for summer in New York. Because of that, this was the first time she'd seen him in a suit, and he looked incredible. His maroon hair was slicked back as usual, but somehow it pulled the whole look together in a way that made him look all the more dashing. Shame he's such a dick, Musa thought as she forced herself to check her phone so that he wouldn't catch her staring.

The doorbell rang and Riven moved to open the door. Jared stood at the door in a dark grey suit, smiling brightly. He walked in and kissed Musa sweetly before offering her the bouquet in his hands. "Thanks." Musa returned his smile and held the bouquet to her chest, trying to ignore the fact that her eyes were pulling to Riven instead of her own boyfriend.

"Cause what this place needs are more flowers" Riven laughed, looking back at the flowers and plants the littered the kitchen, dining room and living room. It reminded him of Flora's room growing up, where every single surface except the bed had at least two plants on it and you could barely navigate through the room because the floor had been eaten up by even more plants. He'd not seen the girl's apartment now that she lived on her own, but he had no doubt that it was just as filled with plants.

"Ignore him" Musa groaned. She liked the plants; they livened up the penthouse. Originally, she hadn't had any, but Bloom had bought her one for the dining room. It had seemed so lonely, so she'd bought another one. Suddenly, she had twenty.

"You must be Riven" Jared commented. He offered the bodyguard his hand, which Riven, much to Musa's surprise, returned, though he didn't look too excited about it. Jared almost said something but Riven cut him off by saying they should get going; that Darcy was expecting them, and she didn't like being kept waiting. "Boy, he is... something" Jared whispered to Musa as they fell in line behind Riven.

"If by something you mean a colossal ass, then yes."

Darcy met them outside her – formerly Riven's - building. Her long chestnut hair was in loose curls, and she wore a long black dress with a high neck and long sleeves. Riven was surprised by how conservative it was until she stepped forward to reveal that it had a slit that nearly reached her hip bone. Riven got out of the car to greet her, and Darcy pulled him in for a kiss that was so far from appropriate he was sure Musa and Jared were grimacing in the car. Once Darcy removed her tongue from his mouth and her hands from his ass, he escorted her into the car. The car ride that followed consisted of two separate conversations: one between Darcy and Riven in the front, and Musa and Jared in the back.

The restaurant, located SoHo, was an upscale French place that Stella had found a few years back and introduced Musa to. The place was gorgeous, and definitely the kind of place Stella would be drawn to. It had white walls, large windows with translucent white curtains, high ceilings and gold, geometric chandeliers. Square two-tops lined the outer limits of the restaurant, while the center housed round four- or six-tops. White tablecloths and white chairs meant a disaster for anyone who was a messy eater – the main reason they'd never brought Bloom – but created a beautiful, clean look. At night, the chandeliers were dimmed and candles in gold holders were lit to create a more romantic and intimate atmosphere.

"So, Riven, have you ever worked with celebrities before?" Jared asked once they'd placed their orders. What a sweetheart he was, trying to make conversation with someone who was about as chatty as a brick wall. Though, in Musa's opinion, the brick wall would be much more interesting.

Riven took a sip of his water as he tried to figure out how to answer politely. "None of Musa's... caliber" is what he settled on. Hopefully Jared would be smart enough to not ask follow-up questions and just assume that Riven meant of Musa's talent or fame or whatever.

"Of her talent, you mean?" Musa narrowed her eyes at her boyfriend, wondering what in the hell he was up to. He knew damn well what Riven had told her on their first night. Surely Jared wouldn't be stupid enough to start a fight in the middle of the restaurant, would he? That wasn't like him.

"Sure, whatever."

Riven's flippant response irritated her – there was no point in him denying that he didn't like her since she already knew it. Then, there was also Jared, who had to know what he was doing would irritate her. Yet, he pressed on, asking Riven which of her songs was his favourite as if Riven hadn't made it perfectly clear he didn't like her music. Riven fixed his eyes on the actor, his brows furrowing while Darcy merely looked amused.

"Jared" Musa hissed when she'd had enough. Riven, to his credit – though Musa was reluctant to give him any – hadn't responded, opting instead to remain stone-faced as he glowered at Jared. The dark-haired man didn't look at her, but he did shut up and that was good enough for now.

Riven kept his eyes locked on Jared as long as the actor had his eyes on him. He wanted to tell the little shit off, but he knew he couldn't. He'd been reprimanded for mouthing off to Musa on his first day and, though Saladin made no threats to terminate his contract, Riven didn't feel like having to listen to the old man go off on him for another twenty minutes about his so-called crappy attitude. The more Jared yammered on, the more the urge to pummel him grew. Finally, Musa – who Riven noticed had clenched her jaw and balled her fist – had reprimanded him and Jared shut up.

After that, the rest of the meal had been strained. Jared finally tore his eyes away from Riven's when the waitress came to check on them and ask if they'd like anything else. Poor girl had clearly sensed the awkwardness at the table; she'd tensed immediately upon arrival. Darcy, like the rest of them, ate her meal in near silence, commenting now and then about something insignificant. She was usually one to like making waves or throw in a snarky comment, so Riven was surprised Darcy hadn't added fuel to Jared's fire.

They didn't have dessert or post-meal drinks. Instead, Riven and Darcy got the car from the valet while Musa and Jared waited inside. Someone had tipped off the paparazzi of their presence, he was sure of it. Multiple cars with tinted windows waited outside the restaurant, engines running. Once Darcy was in the car, Riven went in to get Musa. As soon as she stepped a foot out the door, those same cars Riven had noticed were opening to reveal flashing lights. Her name was called in shouts and whistles, and several of the men threw themselves into her personal space. Riven wrapped his arm around Musa's waist and hurtled her forward, pushing the infantile men out of their way. Behind him, Jared stopped to talk to one of them.

Once Musa was in the car, Riven took his spot in the driver's seat. He adjusted his rearview mirror while he waited for Jared to finish getting his time with the vultures. In the backseat, Musa looked out the window with a faraway gaze in her eyes and her lips drawn tight. It was the first time in the two weeks he'd known her that Riven had seen her look upset. Something stirred in him and he didn't like it. "Do you want me to go get him?" Riven surprised himself by asking.

"Whatever" Musa mumbled as she turned her gaze towards the far window, towards the restaurant where Jared was still talking to the paparazzi without a care in the world. She didn't care what Jared did, she just wanted to be left alone to stew in her current misery. She wasn't sure who she was angry at: Jared for being a dick or Riven for existing in the first place. Or maybe the reason for her misery was her 'stalker', without him Riven wouldn't even be in her life.

He could see Darcy's curious glances as he exited the car, but he ignored them. He was only getting Jared so they could get home, nothing more. In an ideal world, he'd just yank Jared away from the paparazzi and pull him into the car, but he didn't want the press going on about Musa's new bodyguard being aggressive; he knew Saladin certainly wouldn't be happy about that. He tapped Jared on the shoulder and motioned towards the car. The actor nodded and wished the cameramen a good night, saving his irritated glare for when they were in the safety of the vehicle.

"What the fuck was that?" Musa demanded after they'd dropped Darcy at home. Jared gave her the most innocent of looks which only further enraged her. She glared at him, but he didn't say anything. "Answer me."

"Can we talk about this once we're alone?" Jared requested when he finally spoke, shooting glances at Riven. Musa rolled her eyes and reminded him that they'd not be alone. "Even if we wait until we're back at the penthouse, he'll still be there.

"I can hang out downstairs if you two would like to have your little lovers spat" Riven offered as they pulled into the building's underground garage. Musa stormed out of the car and stalked over to the elevator. Jared followed her out and into the elevator alongside Riven. Once they'd reached the apartment, Riven did his sweep and watched TV downstairs while Musa stormed upstairs and slammed the door shut behind them. "Such a temper for such a tiny little thing" Riven chuckled to himself as he flipped through the channels.

"So?" Musa demanded as she dropped herself onto the disheveled white and grey bedspread. "What the fuck was that?"

"I don't like him." Jared dropped his voice to a whisper. "He's so... smug."

Musa rolled her eyes at him as she tugged her feet free of her boots. "Me neither, but I've already asked to switch him, and I can't. Besides, that doesn't give you a reason to act like such a cunt."

"You may not be able to switch him, but you can get him to quit."

Musa froze mid-movement. She admitted to Jared that she hadn't considered that. He took a seat beside her, encouraged by her response. Had he suggested it that first week, Musa would have jumped at the idea, but now she hesitated, and she wasn't sure why. Jared pushed, questioning what she thought of the idea. "I don't know. He is good at his job and, if I'm stuck with a bodyguard, I'd rather have one that's competent and a bit cold than one that's friendly and idiotic."

"I don't think Faragonda's friend would hire idiots. From what you said, it sounds like he's got pretty high standards."

"That's true" Musa admitted. She still wasn't convinced it was a good idea for some reason. "I... Let me think about it."

"Of course" he said softly, moving a free strand of hair behind her ear. His hand slid down to her neck as he leaned in to kiss it. His free hand landed on her thigh, brushing her dress off it. Musa pulled away, pushing him away. "Get out. I'm still pissed at you."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. You may have a decent idea, but you were way out of line, and you should've told me about it first."

"You're right, I should have. I'm sorry." He persisted, trying again to kiss her neck and slide his hand up her thigh. Once again, she pushed him away.

"Fuck off."

Jared groaned as he stood up and walked out of the room without another word. She could tell he was pissed at her, but she didn't give a shit. If he hadn't wanted her to be mad at him, he shouldn't have acted like an idiot. She could hear him stomping down the stairs and muttering something to Riven. Then the door slammed shut and she knew he was gone.

Musa pulled her dress off and moved into her private bathroom to remove her makeup. She hated fighting with Jared; it always left her feeling worse. They didn't fight that much, no more than a regular couple she thought. He just had this habit of not talking to her about things and doing things without consulting her, like when he'd 'accidentally' let their relationship slip during an interview. Sure, they'd been caught out together by the paps a few times, but she'd wanted to keep it private for as long as possible. She just didn't see why the rest of the world needed to know about their relationship. He'd thought the opposite; that they were in love, and they should share it.

When Riven passed Musa's room, she was on her bed with her hair up, in sweats and reading a book. He had been disappointed by the lack of argument; he'd really wanted Musa to lay into her smarmy boyfriend. Riven wasn't sure why, but he got a bad feeling about Jared. It was not his place to have an opinion about Musa's relationships, so he brushed the feeling aside. Besides, she could presumably handle herself on that front. Obviously, despite the lack of a screaming match, Musa had given Jared some sort of hell because the actor looked like he was ready to kill someone when he'd come downstairs. He'd grumbled to Riven about not being a dick to his girlfriend – as if Riven was scared of some Hollywood pretty boy – then slammed the door on his way out. He briefly stopped outside of Musa's door, though she didn't notice. Part of Riven wanted to ask her if she was okay, but the other part told him he didn't care. That second part won out, so he continued past her room and went to bed.