When we got back to the apartment complex, I jumped about a foot when I saw a man standing at my door that I didn't recognize.
"Who are you?" I asked.
The man looked up from his phone. "Hi, Ivan Zeklos. Dimitri asked me to come check on you," he said with a smile.
"You're the guy that hit on me at the club a few months ago," I said crossing my arms over my chest, "That outfit is dangerous?"
"I complimented you, there's a difference," Ivan said with a pointed finger and a grin.
I watched Judie walk into her apartment. "He couldn't have called?" I asked with a slight chuckle.
"Well, his words were 'go get her and bring her here, but don't make it sound demanding or she'll kick you'," he said with a laugh and a shrug.
I bit my lip. At least Dimitri knew I wasn't the type to be pushed around.
"Okay, just let me get changed," I said and slipped into my apartment, changing into shorts and a tank top and met Ivan at the door again. He seemed like a decent guy, but the perky smile on his face was off-putting at the moment.
"You good? Do you need coffee or something? Booze? I can get behind getting boozed up right now."
I shook my head as I followed him out the front door, grateful that the vultures had dissipated.
"No, thank you," I said quietly and thanked him when he opened the car door for me. I sat in the front seat and toyed with a strand of hair. Ivan got in too with a sigh, starting the car.
"How come Dimitri didn't come to get me?" I asked, biting my lip as I watched the city pass by.
"He has to meet that stupid deadline for his album. Between meetings with Tasha and hiding out in that makeshift studio, he's been swamped today."
I nodded and ran my hands through my hair, not sure what else to say to him. I had only heard of him, I'd never really spoken to him before. I never really noticed how close my place was to Dimitri's but I felt better when we pulled up and I was out of the car.
Ivan didn't need to lead me to Dimitri's door. I knocked and walked in with my key, beelining for the couch where the quilt was already on the couch. I toed my shoes off and wrapped the quilt around me and laid on the couch.
Ivan chuckled as he watched me and shook his head when a door opened.
"You'd think she owned the place," Ivan said with a laugh.
"She knows that she's welcome to it," Dimitri said tiredly and ran his hand over my head.
"Did you stay off social media?" he asked.
I nodded. "I tried to as much as I could," I said tiredly, "It just sucks that people feel the need to attack people for things they can't control."
Dimitri sat down on the edge of the couch and sighed quietly. "I know. I'd hate to say that it will get easier, but sometimes it never does," he said softly. I nodded and looked at him tiredly.
"How bad is it?"
"It's not terrible. Most of what we've seen has been close to the truth, with a few wide-off claims, but most of it has been as close to the truth as possible. I've got someone dealing with it."
I nodded and sat up. "Did you finish the album?" I asked. Dimitri smiled and rubbed his hand over my burrito feet.
"I did. Do you want to come to hear some of it?"
I stared at him for a moment before nodding like a bobblehead. "Of course!"
I untangled my legs from the quilt and followed him like a lost puppy into the back room. Dimitri gestured for me to sit in the small booth in the corner and shut the door after him. It was cramped not really space for two, but we made it work awkwardly.
Dimitri clicked a few things on the computer and unplugged his headphones, turning the volume up for me to hear. I was awkwardly perched on his knee, listening to the way his voice melded with the music. I was in utter awe as I listened to track after track, shaking my head slightly as I listened.
"I have to admit, this next one I had written with you in mind. I know this isn't the typical relationship, but I know that my fans have been dying for a song that has something deeper. And I know that the relationship we have isn't the relationship everyone thinks we have, but you've become one of my best friends," he said between tracks with a small smile.
"You wrote a song about me?" I asked with a grin, "I'm touched."
Dimitri smirked and turned the track back on. I bit my lip as I listened to the guitar fill the booth. I knew that our relationship was what everyone thought it was. While everyone thought we were head-over-heels for each other, I had earned a friend in the process. Someone that I knew that even after this 'job' was over, I wanted him in my life.
My friendship with him was easier than other friendships I had.
I leaned into him and let out a loud sigh. "Are you trying to make me cry? Cause you might," I said with a quiet laugh, rubbing my hand against my cheek.
Dimitri chuckled. "So do you think this is going to end up being a bestseller?"
I licked my lips. "This is going to go crazy when people hear it," I said with a smile, "And thank you."
Dimitri grinned. "People are going to ask if I wrote it about you, at least this way, it's not a lie," he said. Looking at him, I could see why girls would throw their bras onto the stage and fawn over him. I could only imagine the chaos that would ensue when he sang this live.
"Don't mean to interrupt, but Victor is on the phone. He wants to hear what you have by midnight or he's going to bust my balls," Tasha said, tapping her phone against her palm. Dimitri nodded and patted my leg where his hand rested, making sure I didn't fall over.
"Then I guess we should give Victor what he wants before he loses his head," Dimitri said with a smirk. I nodded and stood up so that Dimitri could do what he needed. Tasha smiled at me as Dimitri stepped out of the room to call Victor.
"I'm gonna post a picture of you, cool?" she asked.
I nodded and laughed. "You're asking me?"
"I'm talking about my professional page, not my personal," she said before walking out of the room.
The release party was not what I imagined it to be. There were other singers there, a few that made me nervous when I was introduced to them, but there was a lot of press too. I half expected the attire to be more casual, but it appears that's not what Victor wanted.
He wanted the glam and the glitz, and I was a little anxious about it when Dimitri told me the dress code. Which was where Maria came in. She already had a few dresses sent over for me to try on when I found out.
"These are rentals," Maria said as she zipped the back of my dress. She looked at me in the mirror and made a face.
"I thought maybe you'd make the dress, but it is really just a fugly dress," she said with a shake of her head and pulled the zipper down. I scoffed a laugh and stepped out of it, watching her pull another one off the rack.
"This material is forgiving," she said and helped me slip into it. It was black with spaghetti strapped and had a deep v-cut, plunging down just below my breasts. It seemed like too much, but after a moment, Maria turned me towards her and appraised me.
"Do the straps feel too loose?" she asked as she ran her fingers under them.
I shook my head. "Not really," I said, "But I definitely can't wear a bra in this."
Maria pursed her lips and turned to the case she brought with her. It seemed to take up so much room in my small bedroom, but when she opened it, my eyebrows rose higher. She rooted through it before pulling some things out.
"We're going to end up getting really familiar with each other," she said as she handed me soft flower petal-looking things.
"Those are nipple covers. Put on the underwear you want to wear and those and then knock on the door when you're done," she said before stepping out of the room. I blinked a few times and sighed quietly, slipping out of the dress and changing into the right underwear for the dress. It was tight but not too tight that any underwear would show through. I did that and put the nipple covers on, furrowing my brows when I glanced at myself and then knocked on my bedroom door.
"You good?"
"Yep," I said and stepped back. Maria came back in and picked up a roll of clear tape.
"Isn't that going to hurt?" I asked.
Maria shook her head. "It's fashion tape. You aren't wearing any lotion, right?"
I shook my head. "My legs and arms, but not my chest."
She nodded again and had me raise one arm over my head while she measured the tape. She did that for both sides and then cut the pieces, explaining to me what she was doing as she did it, but it was lost on me.
"How is that for lift? Is it comfortable, or do you want more lift?" she asked. I turned to look at myself in the mirror, surprised by how perky my breasts looked with the tape.
"I think this is okay," I said. Maria smiled and told me to put on the dress. I did and she spun me towards her, pulling the edge of the dress away long enough to pull the double-sided tape cover off and then smoothed the dress over it.
She stepped back and looked at me before going back to her case and pulled out a purple oxtagon-shaped container.
"Where is the best light?"
"In the living room."
She nodded and I followed her out, watching her shake the container before pulling the lid of, revealing a dropper lid. She unscrewed the top of it and dropped a few drops of the golden liquid on my chest.
"Just a little highlighter to make everything pop," she said and dabbed it over my chest, the colour blending with my skin tone.
"You don't strike me as someone who wears a lot of makeup?"
I shook my head. "No. Barely know how to use it," I said with a smirk. She nodded and smiled.
"Good, that makes my job easier. Sit," she said pointing to the couch and headed back into my bedroom. I sighed quietly as I sat, running my hand over my hair. Maria had already done my hair, pulling it back into a low-textured bun, a few pieces framing my face. It was elegant but simplistic.
Maria came back out with her case and set it down, kneeling on the floor in front of me. I reached for one of the pillows and handed it to her, knowing just how uncomfortable that floor was. She pulled out a pallet and a brush, telling me to close my eyes. I did and let her do what she needed, opening my eyes and looking up when she told me. Her touch was almost non-existent as she did my make-up, muttering to herself quietly as she worked. Once she did that she did a bit of eyeline and then took out a small metal plate. She poured a few shades of foundation out and poured them on the plate, mixing them before applying to my skin.
"You did that relatively quickly," I chuckled, trying not to move my face too much.
"Colour theory. You have an olive complexion with a slight bit of pink. You have the tan all girls dream of," she smirked and told me to look up as she worked under my eyes. I licked my lips and blinked a few times when the sponge tickled.
She picked up another product and tapped a bit near the corners of my eyes and blended them.
"Do you prefer neutral lip colours or more of a pinkish colour?"
I shrugged. "Have at it."
She looked through her case and pulled out a brownish-looking liner and liquid lip paint and applied them, nodding to herself when she finished.
"Okay, do your mascara 'cause I will make you flinch, and then you are ready to go," she said handing me a mascara tube and a mirror. I was stunned when I looked at myself. It was so minimal, but everything enhanced my structure and features. I swiped the mascara on and handed it back to her, rubbing my lips together as I stood up.
"Thank you, you did amazing," I said. Maria smiled at me.
"Not a problem. You're probably the easiest person I've done it on. You actually sit still," she said with a chuckle. I laughed and went to look at myself in the mirror again, smoothing my hands over the dress. Maria put a few pairs of shoes on my bed, all varying in style and colour.
"I'm going to break my neck in these," I exclaimed.
"You'll be fine," Maria said as she looked at her phone and scratched her head, "I think the silver ones would look best."
I picked the two sets of silvers shoes and raised my brows. I put one of each on and appraised myself in the mirror. Neither were overly comfortable, but finding comfortable heels was hard, to begin with. Once was open-toe and crisscrossed around my ankle and the other was chunky and glittery with a slight platform.
"I think I like these. The heel isn't so little on these," I said and took off the strappy ones. Maria looked up.
"Yes, I like those. But give them to me before you put the other one on."
I handed them to her and she slipped an insole into them and stuck something on the bottom of the shoe.
"These will keep you from slipping all over the place," she said. I put them back on and nodded to myself. I had to admit, Maria was a good stylist so far. She handed me a sliver beaded clutch with a thing strap and deemed me ready.
"Don't forget deodorant!" she said as she stepped out of the room to take a call. I laughed because I probably would have forgotten is she hadn't told me. I put some on, sprayed a bit of my perfume and walked back into the living room.
"Dimitri should be here any minute," Maria said and I nodded, blowing out an almost nervous breath. Maria rested her hands on my shoulders and looked at me levelly.
"Take a deep breath. Relax the shoulder, roll them back. When you get there, there are going to be a lot of photos. Don't force the smile too much, do what feels natural. A lot of them will be with Dimitri, so he'll subtly position you. Don't rush when you walk, and lean back slight so that you don't crane your neck forward. If you feel yourself slipping in the shoe, arch your foot," she said soothingly, "You look fantastic, and I know that this is the first big event you're going to. You're going to do great."
I smiled softly at her. "Thank you," I whispered when the buzzer rang, letting us know that Dimitri was here. I took the elevator down to be safe, Maria snickering at me as I fidgeted. She told me that she put my usual things in my purse, my wallet, my phone. She put the lip paint she used in there too, sweat wipes and mints. I nodded and closed my eyes for a moment and breathed slowly. When I got off the elevator, I could see a car parked right outside the door.
Maria stopped at the door and told me to breathe before I stepped out. It was more a limo than a car, but not as low to the ground. Dimitri got out of the back and smiled at me, holding the door open for me.
"Wow," he said with a grin.
"That's all I get?" I asked as I walked to the car.
"I'm still waiting for my brain to recover," he said with a wink and kissed my cheek before I slid into the back seat. When I got in I spotted Tasha sitting across from me, looking chic in a yellow dress.
"Hey," I said quietly and she looked up from her phone.
"Wow! Look at those boobies!" she exclaimed with a grin.
"Too much?"
She shook her head and me and tucked her legs in when Dimitri got in as well. Tasha knocked on the partition to let the driver know we were ready and Dimitri put his seatbelt on. I crossed my legs and ran my hands over my dress, swallowing thickly as we drove. I could smell a mixture of Tasha's perfume and Dimitri's cologne, ad I tried to use the smell to ease my nerves.
Something touched my thigh and I jumped, making both Dimitri and Tasha laugh. I looked done and Dimitri was holding a small box.
"For you," he said quietly. I looked at him and smiled.
"You didn't need to get me anything," I said as I took it from him.
"Think of it as a thank you in advance for the crazy night that is ahead of us," he laughed. I opened the box and stared at the earing inside. They were short dangling teardrops.
"Those aren't real diamonds, right?" I asked nervously.
"No, they're Swarovski crystals," he said and I nodded, taking them out and putting them on. They felt lighter than they looked and I thanked him quietly for them, taking his hand when he offered it to me.
"We got this," he said with a reassuring nod.
I nodded and cleared my throat, catching Tasha watching the two of us discreetly.
Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran.
Music is a huge part of my life. My grandmother (Mom's mom) was a singer for a living, my mom is a singer, and I live in a state of constant music. I associate so much of my life with music, but sometimes, I can't listen to certain songs because the memory attached to them is too heavy.
The month before I started grade twelve, my grandma (Dad's mom, who was my best friend) started to decline quickly as her brain tumour got larger and the cancer spread to her bones and lungs. She was having issues with words and her memory, constantly forgetting the names of things. This was around the time Thinking Out Loud came out.
I remember her getting so excited every time the song would come on, and she'd tell me to write the name of it down so she could tell her husband to play it when I left. When she died a few days later, that song haunted me. If it came on in the car, I had to change the song because it would feel like a lead ball was in my throat. Mainly because the last conversation I had with her where she wasn't under heavy pain medication, was her begging me to play it at her funeral.
For the first time in almost ten years, I listened to the whole song and sobbed. It was cathartic because in a way I finally accepted that she was gone, and I was able to hear the love song that made her smile and sing despite not being able to swallow.
The whole fic is cathartic. Music does wonders for the brain and for mental illness, there are even studies that show that listening to music decreases stress and help fight mental illnesses because of the frequencies and impulses. It's why people (like me) with ADHD find it comforting, but of the beat per minute running at the perfect pace.
So, even if the song makes you sob, listen to it. There are still two other songs that give me this reaction, but I still try as best as I can to listen to them.