Chapter Ten

                                    

                                          

[Ramin's POV]
                          
It felt good to be back at rehearsals and see everyone again, especially since he has to leave early because he was sick. Ramin walked through the front door and made a bee-line for his dressing room. People would be asking him all about how he was doing and if he was really feeling better and then get on the topic of Christmas and he didn't particularly feel like being attacked. 
                          
The moment he entered his dressing room he closed the door and went into his bathroom, redoing his hair that he didn't have time for before he left. Ramin thought he heard something squeak or creak but dismissed it as nothing. There were so many things that made creaky noises at the studio that it was normal to hear that. 
                          
Mid-combing, he caught a flash of red in the corner of his eye and then he was tackled to the ground. He groaned and heard laughter as a face was smushed against his chest. The perpetrators arms were wound tightly around him and seemed to have no intention of letting go. Something oddly shaped pressed into his gut. He already had an idea of what the object was though.
                          
All the signs pointed to it being Sierra and when he looked down he was proven right. She must have been wearing the locket he got for her. He actually had to get Tam to put the present under her tree for him after he got sick. Well, technically Mandy got Tam to do it. 
                          
"I take it that you like the locket." Ramin chuckled and could feel and hear Sierra laughing too. She finally loosened her grip and pushed herself off him so that they could see each other's faces. 
                          
"Are you kidding! I love it!" Sierra slammed herself down into his chest again and got another groan from Ramin. It was a stupid thought but Ramin's biggest concern was not Sierra accidentally breaking his ribs, but that she would hear his heart beat racing. Unexpectedly, Sierra leaned up and planted a kiss on his cheek, keeping her lips on his skin for a while before pulling away. 
                          
Again that tingling and warmth that he longed for spurred in his cheek and his skin felt like it was slowly burning. His eyes locked with her gorgeous, swimming emerald ones before they resumed their strange hug on the ground. Ramin's arms wrapped around Sierra now and they laid there contently. 
                          
Ramin loved that feeling of holding her in his arms. It just seemed so right. Suddenly that dream he had right before he got sick came back to him. Their bodies like how they currently were, but afterwards was the long kiss. Oh, how he wished he could replicate that. To have that tingling feeling on his lips and that flame burn bright inside him. 
                          
Reality hit him again and he realized they had to get to rehearsals. So he sat up, inadvertently causing Sierra to move and end up sitting on his lap with her face an inch away from his. His eyes lowered to her lips as their breath mingled, then he looked back to her eyes and kept his hands at her waist. 
                          
Holy crap, his heart was probably at unhealthy levels of fast and he wanted nothing more in that moment than to lean in and kiss her. Luckily, Sierra wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him again. If she hadn't embraced him he probably would have done something stupid. That was it... Ramin had to keep himself under control and finally shake off whatever he was feeling. 
                          
After a few more moments like that, he reluctantly spoke up. "We should probably go out for rehearsals now." He felt Sierra nod against his neck before pulling away. For a second they sat there until Ramin cleared his throat. "Um, I sort of need my legs to stand. You can borrow them another time though." 
                          
The two laughed and Sierra got up, helping pull Ramin up before they left his dressing room. Almost immediately Tam came up to them and stole Sierra away from him, wrapping his hands on her waist and pulling her into a kiss. His hand started to move and reach towards Sierra to pull her back to him, but he stopped himself and dropped his hand to his side. What was he doing? Ramin had to get used to this. He didn't have a choice.
                          
"Good morning beautiful." Tam finally pulled his lips off of Sierra but his hands remained on her waist and brought her closer.
                          
"Good morning to you too, sweetheart." Ramin joked in order to distract himself and low key interrupt their very public displays of affection. 
                          
They all laughed but Tam didn't seem as amused as Sierra and Ramin were. He watched Sierra kiss Tam's cheek and slowly peel herself away from him. "Good morning, I'll have to catch up with you at our first break." 
                          
Ramin smiled as Sierra joined him again and they walked over to their practice area. They arrived to the others with wide smiles and a bright look on their faces. Everybody either sighed or rolled their eyes at the two of them. 
                          
"Alright everyone!" Andrew raised his voice slightly but wasn't near shouting yet. "Listen up. Today we will be practicing and blocking a few of the final scenes, so Before the Performance, Love Never Dies, and Please Miss Giry I Want to Go Home, which will include the whole ending sequence and death scene." He looked over at Ramin and Sierra, mostly Sierra, giving them a "be prepared" look.
                          
Ramin stifled a laugh and turned to Sierra, who seemed a little nervous. "Hey, you alright? We've gone through most of these before." 
                          
"Yeah, but I'm worried I'll get the death scene all wrong. It's one of the most important parts in the whole production." Sierra's expression was riddled with concern and Ramin couldn't help but suck her into a comforting hug. "You'll do fine. Don't worry, it's just practice. You're supposed to make mistakes here. Besides, I'll be right there with you. I always will."
                          
A/N: Sorry for the wait! I had the camping thing, and then I just sort of had a hard time being able to write again. Thanks for sticking it out and waiting this long, and a special thanks again to those who have commented or just voted! It means a lot to me!