Roses (A Ricky Wilson Fanfic)

Ten

'Hey,' Ricky said to me, coming back stage after the show had finished.

I was still in shock after getting through. I still couldn't get over it.

'Hey,' I said back. 'Thanks,'
Ricky smiled. 'You were amazing,' he said. 'You really were, Hazel. I've never heard anyone sing on The Voice quite like you. And now you're through to the live shows!' He said. 'The first show is on tomorrow, so people will know just how amazing you are.'

I could feel myself going red. People never used to be this nice to me. It seemed strange. But then a thought occurred to me. What if Ricky was just letting me through because he liked my personality? Then no one would vote for me on the live shows.

'People will love you,' Ricky said, as if he read my mind.

I didn't know what I could say in reply to that. I couldn't really say anything. Ricky was just saying that. He said that all I needed was confidence to go fat in this, and that was what he was trying to give to me. He was only trying to make me feel more confident - he could say anything to try to increase my confidence, but he didn't have to tell me the truth.

I looked at my phone for the time - I had completely lost track after being in the darkened studio. It was eight in the evening, so it would be dark outside. And I had to walk back to my flat. Great.

'I should get going,' I said to Ricky, putting my phone back into my pocket.
'I'll give you a lift.' Ricky said. It was more of an instruction than an offer.
'I'm okay,' I said shaking my head. If Hannah saw, it would give her more reason to think that there was something going off between us, and she would already be in enough of a bad mood after losing to me. Anything to make her think that something was going off between us wouldn't be great at this moment in time. I know she was completely set that we had something.

Ricky raised his eyebrows. 'I'm giving you a lift.' He said. 'You're the youngest on The Voice this year, so I feel like I should make sure you get back okay.'

I didn't know that I was the youngest. They usually had loads of sixteen and seventeen year olds go on, but this year, I was the youngest?

'Ricky,' I said. 'I don't want to make you have to make a longer journey. I'll be fine.' I knew saying this probably wouldn't make him change his mind though - his mind was set that he was going to give me a lift.
'I won't have to make a longer journey - we are staying in the same block of flats,' Ricky said.
I sighed. 'How do you always win arguments?' I said. I knew it was no use now - rumours would probably start now. I would just have to cope with it. Anyway, I could be honest. There wasn't anything going off between us - all we had was a friendship, nothing else. I could just tell people the truth if they started rumours.

'I've just got to go and pick my things up from my dressing room,' Ricky said. 'Come on,'

I sighed and followed him through the corridors to his dressing room. Most people had gone, so it seemed strangely empty everywhere. Every time I had been here, it had been busy. Either the production team would have been bustling around, or nervous contestants would have been chatting, filling the air with a constant buzz. Now, it was so quiet that I could hear my heels on the floor as we walked along the corridor.

We went into Ricky's dressing room, and Ricky picked up his satchel. I hadn't have expected him to have a different bag to that - a satchel was exactly his style. And it was my style. I had a couple back at home - they were great for school when I went because you could easily fit books into them.

'You ready to go?' Ricky asked. I nodded.

We walked out of the building, into the night. Well, I say night, but it wasn't even late, it ws just really dark because of it being winter. I hated winter. I couldn't wait for the long nights to start. Or the warm days, I realised as I stepped outside.

I had come in a taxi with the other girls, so I hadn't put a coat on. Now I realised just how cold it was, and I was thankful that I didn't have to walk back the few streets it was away.

'You look freezing,' Ricky said, looking over at me.
'I'm fine,' I said, making sure that I didn't shiver in front of him. We would be at his car soon, so at least it wouldn't be cold in there.
Ricky raised his eyebrows at me. 'And when a woman says she's fine, she's really lying,' He said, and started taking off the hoodie he had put on just before we had left.
'We're going to your car, Ricky. I don't need anything on my arms for that.' I said. There was no point in me wearing his hoodie like he was thinking.
'But I like being a gentleman,' He joked, and passed me the hoodie.

I put it on. I wasn't stupid - it was cold out, and as soon as I put it on I felt warmer. The hoodie smelled of him - I don't know how I could describe the smell.

Ricky looked at me and smiled, but didn't say anything.

We got into his car, and he started driving back to the flats.
'Hannah might be gone by now,' Ricky said.
'I hope,' I said. If she was gone, that meant that I wouldn't have any issues with her when I got in.

We pulled up in the car park to the flats.

'The first episode is on tomorrow,' Ricky said. 'People will see you for the first time, and I can't wait.'

We got out of the car, and walked towards the entrance to the flats. We were both quiet.

I walked to the lift with Ricky, and we both got in.
'What floor are you on?' Ricky asked.
'Third,' I said, as he pressed the lift buttons.

It wasn't an awkward silence. It was one of those silences that we both felt comfortable in.

The lift stopped on my floor, and I got out, Ricky followed me.
'You on the same floor?' I asked, surprised. I thought this whole floor was the flats for the singers, not the coaches. This whole floor had twelve rooms, each of them slept four.
'No,' Ricky said. 'I just wanted to make sure you got in okay.'
I laughed. He was trying to be such a gentleman. 'Ricky, my flat is just across the corridor.' I said. 'I'll be fine.'
'Fine then,' he said. 'I was just being a gentleman.' He said, and I laughed because it was exactly what I was thinking. 'Anyway, we've got just over a week to get you ready for the knockouts. Why don't we FaceTime tomorrow with ideas?'
I nodded 'Sure' I said, and then began walking to my flat. I turned back around to Ricky. 'Night Ricky,' I said.
'Goodnight Hazel,'

And he was right. It had been a good night.