I own nothing but Nicki.
CHAPTER 23
"When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew."
Oswald knocked lightly on the door. He paused to listen. Hearing no response, he clutched the door handle and slowly, deliberately sidled into the dressing room. Glancing around he saw that it was void of dancing girls and he exhaled through his nose in relief. He had been worried that someone would see him and, well, a gesture is hardly as endearing if it's ruined by the gossipy squawks of those peacocks Fish tended to hire. No, he thought, surprise was key.
With this in mind, he began searching through the items littering the room. There were several mirrors, each decorated with various photographs, cards, wilted flowers, snack wrappers, and all colors of spilled glitter. Looking the makeup stations over, he became a little anxious that he might not even find which one belonged to Nicki. Or worse, he could mix hers up with someone else's.
His lower jaw jutted out as he scrutinized each mirror, looking for clues as to which one belonged to her. His eyes finally came to rest on one in the back corner, more bare than the others. The scarce items scattered on the small counter in front of the mirror were a black makeup bag, grey and white striped scarf, chipped empty cup with a tea bag slumped inside, and a small silver case with "Bella" inscribed across the top. He could vaguely remember Fish referring to her by the name Bella in a mocking tone to Butch once before her arrival and he definitely recalled that scarf being wrapped around her pretty little neck. This was definitely hers.
Approaching the various collections of things, he began moving them aside, clearing a space for what he had brought. As he touched her things, he realized that his palms were sweaty and wiped them on his pants before reaching into his pocket to pull out a small note that read, "Happy first night. Break a leg." and a white rose, its tip dipped in gold. He gingerly placed the flower on top of the note, examined it, and the adjusted it in what he believed to be the most aesthetically pleasing manner, this involving it being slightly diagonal and adjacent to the words. He took a moment to step back and admire his gift. It was simple, elegant, and meaningful, or at least he believed it was anyways, and he gave himself a mental pat on the back. It was perfect, just as it should be.
Part of him commended himself for being so selflessly welcoming and kind to his new friend while another part of him acknowledged that this wasn't exactly an act of "friendship". Victor's words flashed through his head but he quickly stifled them, reminding himself that "ulterior motives" didn't always have to be a bad thing. If one's intentions were correct anyways…right?
His eyes caught sight of a clock on the wall and he realized that it was getting much too close to the girls' call time for him to hang around much longer. Taking one last speculative glance at his handiwork, he scampered out the door.
As Oswald stood next to Fish, being sure to keep her wine glass filled as she watched her dancers, he felt his heart leap as Nicki walked on stage, a gold tipped white rose tucked behind her ear. His jaw was slack as he smiled up at her that feeling he always seemed to get welling up in his chest. Catching his eye from the stage, she touched the flower lightly with her fingers and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. He gave a small nod feeling a little uncomfortable all of a sudden. What if he hadn't been who she had expected, what if there was someone else she had though the flower had come from, or worse, wished it was someone else.
But his doubt was trampled when she beamed at him and mouthed the words "thank you" with her dusky maroon lips. Oswald blushed and a dreamy look crossed his face. Her shoulders shook a little with a giggle before she turned her attention to the rest of the crowd to begin the set.