The Maestro | RusAme |

Nine

Roderich picked up the phone, dialing a number and waiting for someone to pick up.

Amelia waited, still in a daze. She felt like she had just woken up from a dream that was too good to be true, like what she had seen moments ago was a figment of her imagination.

Except it wasn't. She was real, Roderich was real, that performance was real, and so was Ivan.

Amelia contemplated this, but her thoughts were interrupted by Roderich grabbing her hand and taking her backstage.

"What are you doing-"

He cut her off, "We're taking a friend with us to dinner." He said shortly, speed-walking through rooms and bright white corridors until they reached the rotunda where all of the practice rooms were. Roderich looked around the hall until they reached a room with the lights on.

He knocked, the door cracking open to reveal the tall blonde.

He hesitated, but then smiled with his eyes closed. "Hey, Roderich!"

"Ivan, great performance tonight! Are you ready to go?" Roderich asked.

"Yes, let me grab my case and we can leave." He said, walking towards the back of the large room until he reach a chair in the sea of chairs and stands where his instrument and folder were. He picked up his things, approaching the door and not yet noticing Amelia there, right behind Roderich.

He cleared his throat, moving to the side to make Amelia's presence visible.

Ivan stopped for a second, looking to her and then to Roderich. He didn't even say anything, he just shifted his weight from to one side and laughed awkwardly.

He smiled sheepishly at Amelia, a look of confusion not hidden well on his face. "Erm, hi Amelia, it's been so long..." He didn't get a response from Amelia so he moved on, trying not to be too awkward. "We should get going, I could go for something to eat." He changed the subject, since he didn't know how to approach the situation. She seemed speechless, and he was speechless himself.

And he did look like he needed something to eat. He looked ill, and he seemed tired and slouchy. Ivan wasn't thinking about that though, all that was on his mind was actually seeing Amelia after pushing her away for so long. She was curvy, her golden hair framed her face perfectly, and she still had eyes that burrowed deep into his very soul.

She was almost exactly the way she was last time they spoke, yet she wasn't the same. It felt like Ivan's heart had instantly melted. He made a great effort to try not to gush over her though, since he was with Yan...

They ended up walking out to Roderich's car, and they were graced with less awkward conversation courtesy of Roderich starting some small talk, which encouraged Ivan to catch up with Amelia.

"So, how is everything at the school?" Ivan asked, the question directed at both Roderich and Amelia.

She answered first. "It's alright. There's not many new teachers except me.. but the kids there are great. I have your sister in my first period class." She laughed.

Great, there it is again. How beautiful, that laugh of hers.. Ugh.

"Yes, she's in my fourth period band class. She's an exceptional oboe player! She's just as musically inclined as you." Roderich chimed in.

Ivan nodded, a small chuckle erupting from his chest. "I am not surprised. She is good at everything she does, and she is very... Tenacious. I guess that is the right word." He laughed again, as well as making Amelia and Roderich give a small chortle.

"That's the perfect word for it." Amelia added as they pulled into a parking lot. "The Village Inn? Never been here. And I've lived here for a while." She mumbled.

"Oh, my girlfriend and I love it here. It's great." Roderich said.

Ivan didn't say anything. They all walked in, were sat at a table, and ordered drinks. They continued their friendly conversation they had started in the car, remaining fairly civil.

Until Roderich asked about Ivan's girlfriend, that is.

"She's alright, she's been working a lot lately so she's always out or too exhausted to do anything." Ivan answered, picking at what was left of his food. He had taken off his bowtie, and unbuttoned his shirt at the collar. Scars on his neck were visible, but he did not dawn a scarf like he usually did. He looked off to Amelia, but was nonetheless attractive... And taken. Ugh.

Amelia tried not to acknowledge the fact that she was extremely jealous. She had no reason to be, but she couldn't help herself.

'Just tonight, and it's over. You never have to see him again...' she reassured herself. She was trying too hard to not want to get together with Ivan again, but another thing that put her off was that he felt different.

He felt kind of cold. Not temperature-wise, obviously, but he seemed to have become more stoic and expressionless since the last time she'd seen him. She could wonder about it and get herself entangled in his life again, but she decided she need to focus on her career instead.

Instead, she was going to try to keep to herself and make her job her priority. Why bother with her more successful and attractive ex?