The night had finally started to wind down and it was time to leave the gentlemen's club. Stella was now visibly drunk which meant she had a great birthday in everyone's opinion. Brandon guided the fashion designer out of the club holding her hand to keep her stable and upright. Then followed the rap couple Layla and Nabu who were laughing at tonight's antics. Then finally Musa and Riven. Riven knew that there would probably be a few fans and some paparazzi waiting for them outside the club since 6 celebrities showed up without any prior notice but he never expected to be half blinded by camera flashes as soon as he stepped outside. Riven was used to having a few camera flashes in his face although he never liked it, they would usually leave him alone after a good glare, but tonight was very different. 6 celebrities, 2 UFC fighters, 2 rappers, a fashion designer and a Grammy nominated pop star. The photos would practically sell themselves.
This was the kind of publicity his agent Kate was talking about, people wanted to see them, people wanted to see him.
"Riven, RIVEN! Over here"
"Riven can you give us a smile"
"Riven would Musa like that you were at a strip club, does she know you're here?"
"Over here"
"Are you guys even really a couple I saw her out with Jared a few months ago"
"Why did you leave Musa at home tonight?"
What were they talking about leaving Musa at home, firstly they didn't live together and secondly she was there with him. Riven turned his head and took a step towards the paparazzi unknowingly revealing Musa to them.
"Rive…Its Musa!"
This time the flurry of flashes did blind Riven. The fighter never witnessed anything like this before. He was pretty sure they had taken a million photos in under a minute.
"OH MY GOD ITS MUSA"
"I knew they were dating"
"Can the happy couple give us a smile"
"We should probably get going guys" Brandon said to the group as the camera's kept flashing around them. "Yeah you're right," Layla agreed. Everyone began to say their goodbyes to one another. Riven was ready to make his departure when he remembered the real reason he had came to Stella's party, to be "caught" out with Musa. This was their first sighting together as a couple and it needed to be believable. As much as the fighter wanted to leave the songstress behind he knew he would not get any 'good boyfriend' points if he did. He also felt protective of Musa, though he would never admit it. He didn't like how aggressive some of the paparazzi could be. He knew if they got out of hand he could hold his own but Musa was much smaller and much too kind to keep them at bay. As Musa began to walk away from him, he grabbed her by her wrist and stepped closer to her. Riven leaned down to her so only she could hear him speak. "We're supposed to be dating, this is our first public sighting outside of work related business. Hold my hand as I walk you to your car." Musa's eyebrow arched as she looked up at the fighter. "It needs to be believable, don't fight me on this." Riven explained. Maybe it had been the tequila or maybe Musa was too tired to fight with Riven, but against her own wants she slid her hand into his. Oddly enough,she noticed how her hand fit perfectly in Riven's as she let him lead her to her car where her driver was waiting to take her back to her hotel. Once Musa was safely in her car and on the move Riven went to his car where his driver Simon had been waiting for him. Riven slid into the backseat ready to go home and get a good night's rest, as good as it could be for getting home at 4 in the morning.
Unfortunately for Riven, he did not get a good night's sleep. Thoughts of Musa straddling him plagued his mind every time he closed his eyes.
The following morning Riven had woken up in a bad mood, he had not gotten an adequate amount of sleep for his liking, and he blamed Musa for it all. Why did she have to be so sexy? 'NO' Riven thought to himself he was not going to keep reliving the events of last night. How good Musa looked in that red dress or how sweet she smelled while she was nibbling on his ear, or how soft her thighs were when she was on top…'Dammit' he was doing it again. He needed to get that idea of Musa out of his mind but first he needed a shower, a very very cold shower.
The songstress had been awake laying in her hotel bed for about 30 minutes reliving and regretting her actions last night. Why did she drink so much? If she hadn't she wouldn't have a splitting headache that was threatening to take her out of commission for the day. She also probably wouldn't have given Riven that lap dance. The blue haired pop star had no idea what had gotten into her and what was it about Riven that made her act so primal. Everything about the fighter was so rugged, his appearance, his attitude, his scent, the way he looked at her like she was his favorite meal and he had been starving. Musa wondered if he looked at all women like that or if it was something about only her who could feed his hunger. Musa was thankful she was snapped out of that thought when she heard a knock on the door.
Quickly she walked to the door and looked through the peephole to find her agent Ari standing on the other side. Musa unlocked the door and let the agent in.
"I come bearing gifts" She said as she walked past Musa to the common area or the presidential suite. She was carrying a bag from a convenience store filled with Gatorade and Liquid IVs. She reached into the bag and handed a gatorade to Musa and then rested the bag on the table.
"And what did I do to deserve such a gift" Musa said gratefully as she accepted the gatorade and took a seat on the plush couch. "Last night, you and Riven did great! The photos hit the media this morning and the fans and blogs are eating it up, look." Ari passed her phone to Musa who just finished taking a huge gulp of her gatorade. The songstress looked down to the phone to find a picture of Riven holding her wrist, whispering in her ear, then another of her sliding her hand into his as they remained in extremely close proximity to each other and then a few photos of them holding hands while he led her to her car. She never realized how small she looked in comparison to the muscular fighter until now. The final picture was of Riven standing alone looking at the car Musa had gotten into; drive off. Did he purposely wait to make sure she was safely on her way? No it couldn't be, it was just part of the act. 'Just part of the act, like the roses.' Musa said to herself as she turned and looked over to her nightstand where the roses and apology card were. She reminded herself to throw those out, she didn't need a fake apology present, all she needed was for him to behave like a civil human being for the next few months and then she'd never have to speak to him again. Musa handed the phone back to her agent. "Yeah, photos look alright." "They look more than alright Musa, these are the perfect off guards!" Ari exclaimed "You two look like the real deal, holding hands and walking to the car? And him waiting for you to safely pull off, chef's kiss." Musa took another sip of her gatorade. "So you came here with gatorade because Riven and I looked good last night?" she asked. "No, I brought you gatorade because I knew you probably drank too much last night but I came over here because Beats by Dre has a request for you." That made Musa's ears perk up. They were a new sponsor she had signed a deal with recently because of her new found 'relationship'
"Oh yeah? Sure what is it?" Besides her Pepsi sponsorship, this was one of the biggest deals she'd signed, and she was really excited for the opportunity. Ari turned to the musical artist and squared her shoulders towards her. She knew that this wouldn't be the exciting news Musa was expecting, she might actually hate the whole idea, But Ari would try her best to phrase it in a way Musa might consider it. "Ok Musa, but you have to hear me out ok, the whole thing" The redhead started. Musa shook her head in agreement, she couldn't understand why Ari was beating around the bush right now. She never did especially when it came to a big sponsorship, Ari was a no nonsense straight shooter, what could've possibly changed?
"They would like an original song… separate from the album" Ari began
"Ok…. not completely ideal, but it wouldn't be the first time a sponsor asked for a single. I could just use one of the songs I scrapped from the album. That's it?"
"No, not really" Ari hesitated, Musa didn't like the look Ari was giving her.
"Ari, spit it out." Musa demanded she couldn't take it anymore; it was starting to give her anxiety.
"They want a love song…..3 actually" Musa raised her eyebrow and encouraged Ari to continue.
"...about your romance…., love…relationship." Ari was struggling to sugarcoat it. 'Fuck it'
"They want you to write a love song about Riven. 2 slow ballads and an upbeat uptempo song about how much you love Riven."
It was silent for a moment.
"No." The answer was short and sweet. No, she would not be writing a fake love song about how amazing Riven was, because he simply was not and she would rather mop the ocean floor than try and force a love song about a man she barely tolerated.
"Tell Beats by Dre that I'm 'really sorry' but that shit's never gonna happen." Musa said as she got up from the couch and put her Gatorade into the mini fridge. "Musa please, think about it this would garner more attention for you and Riven, more attention for your album."
"And serve as living proof that I was in love with Riven way after the fact that we've come to the end of our deal and have broken up. No thank you." Ari could see she would have to work Musa about this request but now wouldn't be the time. "Ok fine I'll just tell our newest sponsor you straight up just shot their idea down." Ari said dramatically "But on to other business you have a date with Riven tonight, the basketball game. It'll just be you two sure everyone is there to watch the game but there'll be a lot of eyes on you both so please try and look like you're enjoying his company even if you aren't. You two are bound to end up on the jumbotron, no fighting ok?"
"Ok" Musa replied, she took a deep sigh. She would once again try and be on her best behavior when it came to Riven, even though he for sure didn't deserve it. "Thank you." Ari said as she got up getting ready to leave the songstress for now. She would have to figure out how to buy sometime to make Musa change her mind about the song or figure out how to tell the sponsors that it was a no-go.
"Ari, wait." Musa said as Ari made her way to the door. The agent watched as the singer scurried to the hotel bed and then came back holding the roses and apology card from 'Riven' "Could you throw these out?" Ari knew Musa would probably not play nice tonight. Ari took the roses and card from Musa and left Musa in her hotel room alone.
'Much better' Musa said to herself as she walked to the bed and looked at the now empty nightstand. Much better indeed.
Later that evening Musa and Riven were sitting next to each other courtside at a basketball game. They had arrived separately, Riven was known to enjoy a basketball game but fans were always surprised to see him in person. They were even more surprised when Musa joined him about 10 minutes after Riven had sat down in his seat. Riven barely glanced up to acknowledge her, he didnt want to think about her more than he'd already done for the day let alone look at her. All he wanted to do was enjoy the game. If only the people around him would let him He could hear the people around him whispering about her, whispering about them.
"Wow they're really here together."
"I wonder how he managed to bag Musa"
"Riven is so hot I swear"
"He's so much hotter in person"
"Do you think she'll take a picture with me"
All the non stop whispering about him was beginning to irritate him, but that wasn't the worst part. People were discreetly or not so discreetly taking photos of him. Usually he could enjoy the game after everyone had gotten used to his presence but today, every turn of his head he was met with a phone camera pointed at him.
"I cant even enjoy a basketball game because of you." Riven whispered to Musa harshly.
She was doing a great job ignoring since he started off their date ignoring her.
"What are you gabbering off about now?" The singer said as she tried to keep her facial expression neutral. She knew she was being watched like a hawk. "Everyone is talking about us and trying to take pics of us. I used to be able to watch the game in peace, now everywhere I turn I'm looking into a phone camera." Riven gruffed.
"Well now you know how I feel, I can barely leave my hotel lobby without a camera being shoved down my throat." The referee's had called a timeout and she could see more and more people looking at them. "Well I didn't sign up for this." Riven snarked. "Actually you did." Musa bit back. "Now act happy, we're about to be on the jumbotron. Riven looked up just in time to see himself and Musa on the huge screen. The crowd behind them went crazy. If any wasn't aware that Musa and Riven were at the basketball game they were aware now. Riven scowled at the noise while Musa gave a sweet smile and a small wave. Of course she would, she was practically America's sweetheart. Soon the game started again and the noise had died down. Musa had leaned in to speak to Riven but Riven's head was down reading a text message. Before Musa could stop herself she had read the message.
"Musa huh? I didn't know goody-goodies were your type. Is that why I haven't seen you in weeks? My pussy misses you."
Quickly Musa turned her head and tried to focus on the game and not on the text message she regrettably had read. She was failing miserably. She couldn't stop this feeling she had at the pit of her stomach. She couldn't understand why she was having such a physical reaction to a text message. 'I can't believe he's sexting someone while we'retogether.' Musa shook her head 'We're not together, and you are not jealous Musa.' Musa tried to convince herself for the remainder of the game until it was half time. Musa tried to enjoy the performance by the home team's dancers but she noticed how a busty blonde dancer had kept looking at them. Actually she kept looking at Riven.
She had seemed to be more seductive everytime she danced in Riven's direction, hair flips, winks, jumps harder than needed to make her breast bounce, twerked harder than everyone else on the team, all for Riven. Riven had caught on to the dancer and while he wasn't very interested in her, he could feel the heat of jealousy radiating off of Musa. She had been acting a bit more standoffish after the game had resumed from timeout but now with the blonde dancer performing for him he could feel her get angrier by the moment. The fighter wasn't sure why but he like the idea of the singer seated next to him being upset and jealous. That's why when the blonde dancer blew a kiss his way he winked back at her. Musa couldn't take it anymore
"Real classy Riven, keep flirting with that dancer right in front of me." Musa was letting her attitude get the better of her and Riven was going to use that against her.
"What are you talking about? I'm just enjoying the performance." The fighter said too innocently, they both knew he was baiting her. Riven put his arm around Musa, she looked down to her shoulder where his arm rested on her and shrugged it off of her aggressively. "Watch it babe, we're on camera." He nudged his head up to the big screen where they were in fact on camera.
'Shit'
That probably didn't look good on her end and by the murmurs she heard behind her she could tell it wasn't. The singer shrunk in her seat a little, feeling annoyed and embarrassed she decided she was done talking for the night. Riven enjoyed the remainder of the game while Musa sat and pouted. When the game was over Musa had gotten up quickly only to be stopped by fans and basketball players who wanted a photo of her or Riven. The fighter and the singer were both not in the mood for photos but as always Musa put on a brave face and took photos with her fans and forced Riven to do the same. Riven did smile when he took photos with children though, he didn't want them to grow up to hate him for being mean or scary.
They were finally ready to leave the arena and while waiting for valet to bring their car around, it would drop Musa off at her hotel first and the Riven at his villas, the busty blonde dancer appeared.
"Could I get a picture?" The blonde said to the couple. "Yeah sure" Musa replied she wasn't going to potentially lose a supporting fan because of a stupid moment of jealousy. The blonde handed Musa her phone, bounced her way to Riven, wrapped her arms around his bicep, pressing her face into his arm. This had shocked Musa.
"Just me and Riven, if you don't mind." She said snidely to Musa. The fighter would have sworn he'd seen the singer's eye twitch as she brought the phone in position to take the photo.
"Sure.." Musa strained. She took a few photos of the pair not bothering to check to see if they were good. Musa handed back the phone to the blonde dancer while the dancer made googly eyes at the fighter. Riven would've usually told the dancer to beat it but watching Musa act jealous was something he never knew he liked to see. The car the couple had been waiting on finally arrived. Wasting no time Musa grabbed Riven by the arm and pulled him away from the dancer. "Lets go, are car is here" she said as she dragged the fighter away from the dancer and to the car. All Riven could do was laugh at the scene in front of him. Who would've thought that Musa could be jealous.
When they were in the car Musa was grateful that Riven decided not to speak until a few moments later when he did.
"I never pegged you for the jealous type."
"That's because I'm not."
"You couldve proved me wrong."
"You're the only one who believes that."
"Nope, social media thinks you are too" Riven said as he looked at his phone.
"Give me that." Musa grabbed his phone to find it was true social media did believe she was jealous. A photo of her pouting while Riven was smiling at the dance performance had been posted on a blog. 'Will Musa's insecurities be too much for Riven.'
Great. Musa groaned at herself, now the world thought she was too insecure for Riven. She would have to do some damage control.
"This is a great picture of me." Rive said, ignoring Musa's melodramatics. He was right, it was a real great picture of him, she would never tell him that. He looked genuinely happy, his violet eyes looked bright and his smirk was just the sexiest thing. She hated it. The ride to her hotel was quiet Riven had decided that the world thinking their favorite pop star was an insecure mess was good enough torture. He would let her sulk in peace. "Good night was the only thing she said to Riven as the driver opened the door for her, she didn't wait to hear if he'd given a response as she got out of the car and went straight into the hotel. Riven spent the rest of his ride pleased with how their first date had gone.
As Musa finally got into bed her phone rang, it was Ari,
"So how was the first date?" the agent asked.
"Not so great on my end." Musa admitted. "You'll probably see it tomorrow. 'Insecure Musa, has a pouting fit as Riven enjoys the basketball game.'
"Don't worry about it Musa, I'll think of a way to handle it." Musa let out a sigh, what would she ever do without Ari. "Thank you."
"Hey Ari, tell Beats I can only do 2 songs one ballad one upbeat but thats all and I have a video concept too. We can discuss it tomorrow and then we can tell Riven's agent Kate after the deal is done."
"Are you serious Musa?! This is great. I'll let them know right now that you're in. Whew you have no idea how worried I was about telling them no. Ugh Musa you're a lifesaver." Musa chuckled at how relieved Ari had sounded. That was the least she could do for Ari, she always had Musa's back ever since they met.
"I'm gonna remember you said that Ari" Musa giggled "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Musa get some rest, tomorrow we have some serious work to do.
A month Riven, Nabu, Brandon and Sky, were in Nabu's home basketball court playing a friendly game of basketball, well as friendly as it could be with Riven and Sky around.
"And that's game" Nabu said as he high fived Riven, they had beaten Sky and Brandon for the second time that day. "Who cares, I'm just glad to have my bros back around." Brandon said as he took a seat on a bench and grabbed a towel to wipe the sweat off of himself. It was true, they hadn't seen each other since Stella's birthday party. "It hasn't been that long" The blonde royal said as he joined his brunette friend on the bench. "Oh please we haven't seen you since Stella party." Nabu laughed, "You've been spending all your time with Bloom," Brandon joked.
Bloom, the redhead that Stella had met at a flower shop, Riven faintly remembered meeting her at the party, she wasn't really remarkable to him, but he was surprised to hear that she had made a big impression on Sky. The blonde boy was visibly flustered when Brandon had mentioned that Sky was spending a healthy amount of time with Bloom. It was true since the moment he met her he thought she was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. Her fiery red hair, her big blue eyes, her smile and don't get him started on her sweet personality. Sky was absolutely smitten with Bloom, and the more time he spent with her the deeper his feelings got. He was just worried if the world of the rich and famous would be too much for a simple girl like her.
"Ok yeah, I like her. A lot. What's the problem with that?" Sky asked
"No problem, bro, we're just saying we miss you is all." Brandon said back to the prince. "Yeah, we get it a new young love and you want to spend every moment with her and that's cool, just don't forget your best buds" Nabu said jokingly. "It's just kinda difficult to manage, y'know? How do you guys do it?" The prince said as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well me and Stella have been dating for a while, I think we've kinda hit our stride and found our groove y'know. We both have our lives outside of each other. We both do our own thing but at the end of the day we come home to each other, have dinner, watch tv, something. We always make time to do something with each other each day." Brandon explained. He and Stella had been dating each other for the last 2 and half years and earlier this year they had moved in with each other and Brandon couldn't be happier about that.
"Layla and I are both on the road a lot so we make sure we schedule some time out of our day to talk on the phone or to video chat. We send each other memes and video messages so the other feels like they're included in our day." Nabu and Layla had been dating for the last 4 months after they had met at an award show after party.
"You've been pretty quiet over there Riv, what about you and Musa?" Nabu asked as he turned to the maroon haired fighter. "Yeah, how do you manage spending time with Musa and top of both of your busy schedules? I took a peak at Musa's schedule one time, whew if she isn't the definition of booked and busy then I don't know what is." Brandon said while the others agreed.
"Yeah Riven, and how do you manage to keep it so quiet? I've only seen you two in the media a handful of times and one of them I'm pretty sure it's because of Brandon?" Sky half Joked. "Seriously I really like Bloom but I don't want the media to scare her away, how do you keep your relationship with Musa so private?"
Riven really did not want to take part in this conversation, or any conversation that involved Musa. What was he to say 'You never saw us in public because I just met the girl and started a relationship with her and she wanted to spite her ex and I don't have to spend any quality time with her because it's all fake and for publicity?'
The three men looked at Riven expectantly, Riven scratched the back of his head, how was he gonna get himself out of this one? He would just tell the truth.
"Uh…., most of our dates are prescheduled, and worked around our schedules months in advance and then added to our calendars." Riven began. "I kind of also always know where she is or where she's gonna be anyway if I wanted to surprise her or whatever." The boys looked at him shocked. "But I never just show up out of nowhere,...well except that one time I did but she was sent flowers as an apology." Riven defended.
There was a moment of silence that made Riven feel extremely uncomfortable. He was about to say something but Brandon beat him to it.
"Riven my boy! I knew you liked Musa but I didn't think you'd go out of your way to pre plan dates around her schedule just to spend some time with her!" Brandon slapped him on the back in good nature. "Yeah, that's actually genius, instead of constantly asking when she's free you can see when she is and plan accordingly and add it to her schedule so she can't miss it." Nabu added. "And you still add the element of romance and surprise by sending her flowers randomly."
"They were an apology actually, I kinda lost my cool and barged in on a recording session she had with Jared." Riven admitted, not his finest moment in his fake relationship.
"Yeah, but how do you keep it all private?" Sky asked. He seemed desperate for an answer, so desperate that Riven actually wanted to help.
"Look Sky it's never going to be so private that no one knows unless you too only go on virtual dates and never see each other. But there is one rule Musa and I agreed to follow." Riven said, looking directly at Sky. "We don't talk about our relationship to the public, that means in interviews, to fans, to paparazzi, or social media none of that. We don't address rumours no matter how bad they are, we don't address our relationship to the public. Not until the both of us are ready." Which was true, Musa and Riven had both agreed in a legally binding contract that they would not speak about their relationship to the public, but Sky and the guys didn't need to know that detail.
"Wow Riven, that's actually really great advice." Sky said gratefully. "We don't address anything to the public until we're both ready." The blonde repeated.
"Yeah, yeah, ok enough about relationship stuff. I came to chill with my friends, not give relationship advice." Riven said, trying to change the subject. He hated lying to his friends and the more they asked about Musa the more lies he would have to tell.
Later that day Musa was in her hotel room adding the finishing touches to her outfit, diamond stud earrings. She was wearing a black spaghetti strapped ruched bodycon mini dress and black tie-up stilettos. Her makeup was smoking eyes and a bold red lip. Dare she say it? Musa looked damn good. Tonight she had another scheduled date with Riven, this had been one of many 'dates' she and he had gone on in the last few weeks, they had gone roller skating, to a few parties, lunches,dinners, and even a quick trip to the mall. Nothing remarkable and nothing that required much from either of them, tonight would be no different. Over time they grew to at least tolerate each other for extended periods of time, they could sit and have a conversation for 3 hours and not end in a yelling match.
They had reservations and a 5 star restaurant downtown. The agreement was always the same: they would show up separately and leave together before going their separate ways. Musa looked at the clock on the dresser and saw that it was time to go. She made her way to the underground garage where her car was waiting for her. Fans had found out where she had been staying and were camping outside of the hotel waiting for her. This could potentially be dangerous for her, she would have to switch hotels sooner than later. The ride to the restaurant was quiet. Riven taken his bike and had arrived at the restaurant at the same time as Musa so they went in together hand in hand as the host opened the door for them.
They had become accustomed to their fake relationship, they would hold hands when they walked together. Riven would always get the door for her. Musa would feed Riven the first bite of a desert they shared. If they were seated across from each other Riven would hold Musa's hand and kiss it, if they were seated next to each other Musa would rest her head on his shoulder and then eventually lean up and kiss his cheek. They would never kiss on the excessive amounts of PDA, just enough for staff and the guests around them to 'silently' gush and how cute they were. When they left Riven would walk her to her car and make sure she was safely inside the vehicle and would wait until she left before heading to his car or bike. If anyone were to ask, they were a young couple that just wanted to enjoy their time with one another privately. Tonight started out no differently.
They sat Musa and Riven in a more private area towards the back by a window, where there were a few guests already. Everyone seemed to gasp when they saw them and then slowly continued their meals as the young couple walked to their table. When the waiter came for drinks Riven ordered a whiskey neat and Musa had ordered a lychee martini their usuals. There had been a few people who were looking at them but that was always the case. By now Musa had gotten extremely good at the art of pretending that people aren't looking at her but Riven on the other hand was not.
"How are you always so good at ignoring people staring at you?" he asked as he spotted yet another person trying to sneakily take videos or pictures of them. This too always happened. They would sell the photos to a gossip magazine or a blog and Riven would see them the following day on the internet or a week later on television.
"My job mostly consists of people staring at me, if I let them stop me I'd never get anything done. I thought you'd be over that. People pay to watch you." Musa said as their drinks came.
"Yeah but that's different." Riven answered back, the singer took a sip of her martini and scrunched up her nose a bit. "Whats wrong?" Riven asked, "It's kind of strong." Riven laughed at her. He would always poke fun at the fruity drinks Musa always ordered and insisted she needed a 'real drink' For a five star restaurant the service was pretty bad, the couple had finished their drinks before the waiter had come to take their food order. A commotion outside caught the fighters attention. There were a bunch of black vans that had pulled up to the restaurant, Riven and Musa both knew what that meant.
Paparazzi.
A swarm of men and women jumped out of each of the vans and ran to the window where Riven and Musa sat. Someone had tipped them off that they were there. The flashing lights through the window were intense and they could hear their names being yelled through the other side of the glass. All the commotion caused the other guests to stare at Musa and Riven again. It began to make them both feel uneasy, they both just wanted to have a simple night of drinks and dinner and then to go home, neither one wanted to be bombarded. Riven could see Musa becoming more uncomfortable as she tried to ignore the men and women yelling at her through the glass. Without much thought Riven reached in his wallet put some money on the table, got up and reached for Musa's hand.
"Come on lets go somewhere else." he said. Musa looked at him shocked, what was he doing? Where was he taking her? This was not how their date was supposed to go. There were no unscheduled dates. The crowd outside got rowdier. Riven looked at the crowd and then back at Musa expectantly. Musa looked out the window at the sea of chaos that was unfolding. She took Riven's hand without any hesitation.
Every restaurant that had been chosen as a date location had a back exit, both of their agents made sure of that. Riven led Musa through the kitchen to the back exit but not before Musa could swipe a shrimp off of a passing plate. The singer was hungry. "Where are we going?" Musa asked as they approached the back door. "I know a place, walking distance from here. It's not as fancy as here but it's the best burger in the city, you trust me?." The fighter paused before opening the back door, waiting for Musa to give the ok, he didn't want Kate chewing his ass for ditching the pre planned date for a diner. Not sure if it was the martini on an empty stomach or the fact that her stomach was indeed empty or maybe it was the look that Riven was giving her right now. His eyes were soft and he looked as amazing as ever in his dark gray button up and his black pants. Maybe it was the way he was still holding her hand ever so gently, but at this moment she would go anywhere with Riven. Musa nodded her head yes.
"Ok, so we'll make a run for it on 3. 1…..2…..3" Riven opened the door and made a mad dash away from the paparazzi outside. They had run about 3 blocks south and one block east into a mom and pop diner. Musa had looked out the window and it seemed like no one had followed them. The diner was mostly empty save for a few people who were there but no one really paid them any mind. Musa was thankful for that.
"Oh Riven, what brings you here? And who is this lady, she's beautiful!" A bubbly older redheaded lady exclaimed as she came from behind the counter of the diner. Riven glanced at Musa for a moment and wondered what he would tell the lady about Musa.
"Hey Gina, uh… this is my girlfriend Musa, we were hoping you and Harold could whip us up some of your world famous burgers. You mind if we take the booth in the back?"
Gina's eyes lit up when she heard Riven say the word girlfriend, this was the first time Riven had brought a women to the diner.
"Yes of course! Make yourselves at home think of us like family." Gina said to Musa excitedly "Wow you're so pretty like a model. Are you a model?" Gina didn't wait for Musa to respond before she turned and walked away from the couple to yell to her husband who was in the Kitchen.
"Harold, honey Riven's here with his model girlfriend and they want burgers, give me two classics but one with less beef because she's a model!"
Musa and Riven both laughed as they walked to a big comfy booth at the back of the restaurant. The restaurant was old and lived in but the atmosphere was warm and inviting. Gina walked back to the booth with two waters in hand and placed it on the table. "Can I get you two anything to drink while we wait for the burgers?"
"I'll just take a beer." Riven "And for you sweety? I make a mean margarita" Gina said proudly. "Yeah, I'll take a mean margarita." Musa giggled "And a margarita for the model." Gina noted.
"She's not a model." Riven chuckled out "Well she's pretty like one! So tell me sweety, what do you do?"
"I'm a singer, songwriter." Musa said sweetly and smiled at Gina. "Aw, that's nice. Keep working hard on it and maybe one day you'll make it big, like Riven here." Gina said as she smiled at Riven and then walked off to make the drinks.
Musa was stunned. Did she really not know who she was?
Riven, having found this all too amusing let out a hardy laugh. Musa liked the sound of his laugh; it sounded rich to her ears. A few moments later Gina came back with the drinks.
Musa took a sip of her margarita and was pleasantly surprised. She took another sip and nodded her head.
"Mhmm this is really good." Musa look at her glass in surprise. "Yeah Gina told you she makes a mean margarita." Riven smirked at how amazed Musa was by her drink. "Ok not too fast now, you still haven't eaten anything." A few minutes later an older man whose hair was thinning at the top came to the booth carrying two burgers, one somewhat smaller than the other. The man placed the bigger burger in front of Riven and the smaller one in front of Musa. "Thanks Harold," Riven said as he smiled at the older man. Musa like when Riven smiled too."Anytime kiddo." Harold replied. "So, this is the girlfriend huh? She does look like a model. Is he treating you right?" Harold asked Musa. Musa smiled shyly and nodded her head. "Yeah, he is."
"He better, and if he doesn't you let me know and I'll straighten him out for you." Harold joked and walked back to the front of the diner. Musa looked at Riven curiously, why wasn't he eating his burger?
"I don't want to miss your reaction when you take the first bite." Riven answered as if he could hear her thoughts. Musa brought the burger to her lips and took a bite. Her eyes opened wide.
"Oh fuck, this is a really good burger." Musa said, covering her mouth since it was full.
Yeah it is, I told you it's the best burger in the city." Riven said as he picked up his own burger and began to eat. They ordered another round of drinks and continued eating and talking. This was different than the 'dates' they had been on before, this was much more relaxed. Their conversation was different too. They were actually getting to know each other. They Riven told her about how he had met Harold, he tried to steal from him but got caught and then Harold roughed him up a bit, but eventually they grew a bond and Harold was the one who taught Riven how to fight.
"Why did you try to steal from Harold? Musa asked curiously. Riven's facial expression darkened. "Sorry, that was too personal. I shouldn't have asked you don't have to tell me." Musa quickly offered. It was quiet and a bit awkward now.
"I didn't have any money…." Riven said quietly "My mother left me and my father when I was 2. My dad started drinking to numb the pain and became an alcoholic, and when he wasn't abusing alcohol he was physically abusing me, so when I was 10 I ran away. I didn't have any money so I started stealing to survive. Harold and Gina took me in, I really owe it all to them." Riven looked at Musa waiting for her pity but it never came.
"I know that that was probably really tough to share, thank you for trusting me with that." Musa said earnestly. Riven seemed a bit shocked at her response. "I know what it's like to have someone pity you for not having a parent, and I hate that feeling so I won't do that to you." Musa offered as an answer to Riven's silent question. Riven was grateful to not have someone pity him after hearing about his childhood, Musa had been the only one. Somehow that had mad their bond just it bit stronger. They spent the next hour talking and laughing as if they had been friends for years. It all felt so natural for them, no cameras, no questions, no one watching their every move. At some point Musa had looked out of the window and saw a teenage girl and boy dressed for prom running to the diner. "I've always wanted to go to prom." Musa said absentmindedly. "You've never been to prom?" Riven asked, sure his early childhood had been shitty but everyone's gone to prom, even him. "Uh…, no, by that time I was being home schooled since I was on the road with the girls." Right. Musa had been in a girl group and was touring the world by the time she was 16. Riven never thought prom was all it was cracked up to be but at least he got to experience it. The fighter wondered what other simplicities Musa had missed out on because she had been working.
" Do you guys have any club soda, I need to get this stain out of my dress." The teenage girl asked Gina frantically as her prom date stood behind her. "Oh yes honey please come back here." Gina said as she ushered the girl behind the counter. Riven watched how Musa admired the girls prom dress and got an idea. Riven had gotten up and walked over to where the teenage boy was waiting for his date.
"Rough start?" Riven asked the young boy. "Extremely" He replied without looking at the fighter.
"How far is your prom from here?"
"Not far at all actually, the school rented out the event space across the street. Why?" The boy asked and finally turned to Riven.
"OH MY GOD! YOU'RE 3X CHAMPION UFC FIGHTER RIVEN SHEFFIELD! NO WAY!" The young boy's eyes were wide. It's like he had finally met his hero."Yeah, I'm the guy." Riven said proudly. Just ten the teenage girl came back from behind the counter stain removed from her dress. "Babe look! Its Riven Sheffield, 3x UFC fighting champion!" The boy said excitedly to his date. "Oh yeah, I recognize you my brother and I watched your fight last month you did really good. That knock out was amazing." Riven felt a sudden rush of pride, it was typical for teenage boys to recognize him but rarely would a teenage girl. "What are you doing here?" She asked the fighter. "We'll I was hoping me and my girl could crash your prom." Riven laughed at how fast the young boy said yes. "Of course you could! How could I tell you no."
"Well that's great no I only have to get my date to say yes to going to prom with me." just then Musa appeared from the back of the diner walking towards where she heard the commotion. The teenage girl shrieked when she saw Musa.
"ITS MUSA VANDERBELLE OMG I CANT BELIEVE IT!" The young girl screamed as she jumped up and down hitting her date in excitement. "Oh my gosh, you guys have to come to prom with us. We'll be the most popular kids there! Please oh please come to our prom" the teenage couple pleaded.
Musa looked at Riven "Well Musa, will you go to prom with me?" The singer couldn't tell if he was serious or not. "You're not serious are you?" Musa asked. "Why not, you've never been to prom and you just said you always wanted to. Plus you're already in a pretty dress and heels." Musa was still unsure. "Come on Muse, trust me enough for another adventure?" Riven asked with a small smile, between his smile and the puppy dog eyes of the teenagers she couldn't say no.
"Ok, but only with the principal's permission" Musa said and the teenagers and Riven cheered. "How much do I owe you." Riven asked Gina. "Don't worry about it, its on the house sweetie." Gina said sweetly to the son she had always wanted. "Thanks Gina." Riven said as he gave the older woman a kiss on the cheek. "Riven's got a date to the prom!" Riven as he looked at Musa. Although he was pretty sure she'd never admit it she looked excited.
The principal didn't need much convincing to let the young adult couple come to the prom. When he went outside to speak to the two students he was in awe when he saw Riven. Surprisingly the principal was a big UFC fan and an even bigger RIven fan. When he heard that he wanted to attend the prom with his girlfriend who had never been to one he all but rolled out the red carpet for Riven.
"Wow I can't believe I got to meet 3x UFC champion fighter Riven Sheffield!" He said as he posed for a picture with Riven before they went inside. "And excuse me for saying this but your girlfriend is beautiful. Are you a model?" Did people really not know who she was? This was a humbling experience for Musa. Riven laughed as Musa said she was not a model but didn't explain who she was.
As they walked in the event space looked like everything Musa ever thought a prom would look like. Dimmed lights, decorations and balloons everywhere. Young girls in beautiful dresses, young boys in suits, corsages, finger food and punch. The prom had stopped suddenly when Musa and Riven arrived then the principal began to speak. "Good evening students, I want to welcome you to this years prom. I would also like to welcome some special guests. 3x UFC champion fighter Riven Sheffield and his lovely girlfriend who is not a model." A very humbling experience for Musa.
After the initial shock of Musa and Riven being there wore off the prom continued as normal. The young adult couple danced and laughed and did everything else you would do and prom including taking prom pictures. Riven gave his contact information to the photographer so he could send the photos to him when they were ready. Surprisingly Riven was enjoying his time with Musa. He realized she actually wasn't so bad, she was actually smart, and witty, a little shy but a lot funny. Riven couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed himself as much. A slow song came on and Riven did the unthinkable.
"May I have this dance Musa?" Riven asked Musa, laughing, she didn't think he was serious. When Riven put his hand out in a formal manner Musa knew he meant it. The singer hesitated for a moment but took his hand as he led her to the dance floor amongst the other dancing couples. He rested his arms at her the top of her hips and she held on to his shoulders, just like she'd seen in the prom movies. They swayed slowly from side to side quietly looking into one another's eyes. Neither one of them were sure when it had happened but it was like a magnetic pull that was drawing them closer and closer until finally their eyes closed and their lips met.
It was like the world around them had stopped and it was just them and no one else. No fame and fortune, no fans, no contract or deals, no champion fighter and Grammy nominated singer, just Musa and Riven. When they pulled away from their sweet kiss neither one of them looked at the other, they stayed silent until Musa spoke.
"Thank you." She said softly "Uh, for what?"Riven asked fearful that his voice would betray him. He had kissed many beautiful girls but none of them managed to leave him speechless like Musa.
"For making one of my dreams come true." Musa said as she rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed like that until the song was over. Figuring they would leave soon and head home the singer and the fighter and left the prom they crashed.
As always Riven had held the door for her as they left. They held hands as he led her back to her car, her hand perfectly in his. There were only 1 or two camera men still out by Musa's car, as the rest had given up there search for them long ago but it would be the amazing for the lucky few who remained. They had spotted the couple walking hand and hand as they did but this time when Riven opened the door Musa didn't immediately go in. She paused and looked at him. Eyes locked, that magnetic pull was happening again. This time Musa stepped closer to Riven and tilted her head up, while he lowered his head to meet her in another kiss. This was the first time the public had seen them kiss and boy oh boy were the few camera men who had waited around happy.
The couple didn't care if there were cameras around; it was still just the two of them in their own little world. "Let me know when you get to your hotel safely." Riven said to the singer, she nodded in response. "Ok,I will. Drive safe please.'' Musa said as she got in the car, Riven agreed and closed the car door behind her.
He waited until her car had left before he walked over to his bike. "Hey Riven, things are getting pretty serious between you and Musa now isn't it?" a cameraman asked. Riven looked at the man but gave no verbal answer but he couldn't wipe the smirk off his face.
When Riven got to his villa, he stayed up until he got a text from Musa.
"I made it back I'm in my room now."
"OK good,"
"Thank you again for tonight, I had an amazing time on my adventure with you lol
"Hopefully I can take you on another adventure soon."
"Hopefully 3"
And with that both the fighter and the singer went to bed for the night.