Love is Ours {See Final Author's Note}

Chapter Twenty Five

Chapter Twenty Five

[Sierra]

Sierra arrived at the Corinthia Hotel shortly after denying Tam's marriage proposal, still in high spirits.

She felt like she was finally getting her life back on track.  Her Tam worries weren't weighing her down.  She had Ramin as a friend.  She still didn't know how their friendship would be affected by their kiss, but she could sense that nothing would change.

As soon as she walked in, cameras started flashing and she gave toothy grins.  Summer was working the model runway stare as cameras blinded her, and Joseph was smiling happily.  A few other cast members were there, but Sierra didn't see Ramin.

Suddenly, someone gently grabbed her by the waist.  She whipped her head around and came face to face with Ramin, who was grinning with those adorable dimples at her.  Sierra was just realizing how much she liked his dimples.

The reporters went crazy when they saw Ramin's action, and they were swarmed.  The pair posed for countless pictures together and Sierra couldn't deny that she enjoyed being this close to him.

After awhile, she reached the interviewers.  Sierra answered multiple questions that were just repeats of ones she'd already been asked, but she answered them with the same enthusiasm as she had the first time she'd been asked.

Finally, the crowd dispersed, and then her family rushed to her.

"Sierra, you were absolutely wonderful!" Her mother gushed. 

She talked with her family for a few more minutes before Ramin wandered over.  It occurred to Sierra that her family would probably want to meet the guy who'd be kissing their daughter's dead body eight times a week.

"Family, this is Ramin.  Ramin, this is Family." Sierra introduced her parents, Summer, and Allegra, who in turn congratulated Ramin.

Sierra hugged each member of her family and promised to meet them at their hotel tomorrow.  She quickly checked the time; it was almost two in the morning.  Just now realizing how tired she was, Sierra let out a long yawn.

"Ready to go?" Ramin chuckled as Sierra's eyes began drooping.  He took that as a yes and led her outside.

Sierra wanted to talk to Ramin about what had happened earlier.  She wanted to tell him how she'd rejected Tam's proposal and tell him she was in love with him.  But she didn't know where his relationship was at with Mandy.  What if he planned to try and fix their relationship?

"Want me to drive you?" Ramin asked.  Sierra then remembered that her car was still at the Adelphi and that she'd taken a cab to the Corinthia.

"If you don't mind," she said sheepishly.  Ramin grinned at her and opened the passenger door.  Sierra slid in as Ramin sat in the driver's seat and started the engine.

For a few minutes, they sat in silence.  Sierra wanted to talk, but she didn't know how to initiate the conversation.

Finally, Ramin cleared his throat.

"So, how do you feel about the show?" He said cordially.  Sierra could tell he was struggling to find the right words, too.

"Amazing.  I think we're part of something really special." Sierra told him honestly.  Ramin nodded in agreement.

"That's exactly how I feel." He replied.

Awkward silence set in again.  Sierra pursed her lips and stared out the window at the nearly-empty streets.

"Um, Ramin....I have something to, uh, to tell you." She began slowly.

"Go ahead." Ramin prompted.

Sierra took a deep breath.  "Tam proposed." She blurted.

Almost immediately, Ramin pulled the car over to the side of the road and turned off the engine.  He turned to face her completely.

"Sierra, you're not going to marry him.  I don't care if you're scared; I'll protect you.  But you'll be in even more danger if you tie yourself to him.  Who knows what he'll do." Ramin said worriedly.

Sierra felt something rush through her.  She felt almost teary and she did get choked up at Ramin's words.  He truly cared about her. 

"Ramin, don't worry; I told him absolutely not." She laughed a little as she recalled the look on Tam's face.

Ramin breathed a sigh of relief.  "Good riddance." He said.

"He threatened bad things, but I'm truly not scared.  He's out of my life." She said.

"But you'll still have to perform with him." Ramin pointed out.

"I'll talk to Andrew.  Maybe I can take days off that he'll be performing." Sierra suggested.

"I'll back you up." Ramin promised. 

Ramin started the car up again and eased it back onto the road.  They sat in content silence, no longer feeling awkward.  Of course, the topic of their kiss hadn't come up yet, but Sierra was glad they'd gotten the Tam talk over with.

"Sierra, I have something to tell you, too." Ramin kept his eyes set on the road.

"Of course," Sierra nodded.

"Mandy and I are done." He blurted. 

"What?  When?" Sierra asked in disbelief.  From their previous Mandy conversations, Ramin had seemed serious about how he was stuck with Mandy.

"Just after the show.  I realized I don't need to be stuck with her anymore.  I mean, what's she gonna do about it?  She'll get some other sucker to fall for her." Ramin grinned at Sierra.

"I'm glad," she whispered as they pulled up in front of her flat. 

Sierra was sad she was home.  She loved talking to Ramin.  She sighed as she unbuckled her seatbelt.  Suddenly, Ramin's fingers wrapped around hers.

"Sie, I don't know if there's going to be anything between us, but I want you to know that no matter what, I'll always be there for you." He whispered.

In response, Sierra leaned forward and kissed his lips.  He immediately returned the kiss, and his arms wrapped around her waist as Sierra's fingers tangled in his hair.  It felt blissful to be in his arms after everything she'd gone through that day.  They didn't break apart until they both desperately needed air, but Ramin snuck another kiss onto her lips before they pulled away for good.

"See you tomorrow?" He checked as she opened her door.

"Definitely," Sierra grinned at him as she squeezed his hand and stepped out of the car, feeling better than she had in days.