Love is Ours {See Final Author's Note}

Chapter Five

[Sierra]

"Have a great weekend, everyone!  Rehearsals at nine on Monday!" Andrew reminded everyone as the clock struck five, signaling the end of rehearsals for the week.

Sierra jumped up and quickly grabbed her purse and script.  She had a lot to do before Ramin was coming over.

As she was walking out, Ramin held the door for her.

"See you at seven?" He checked.  She replied with a head nod, complimented with a small smile.

Sierra had learned her lesson about walking to rehearsals, so she quickly hailed a taxi and gave the driver her address. 

When the cab pulled onto her street, she quickly checked the monitor for her fee and paid, racing out of the car and up to her flat.

Inside, Sierra quickly noticed that her living room was a mess.  Not even bothering to take her jacket off, she scrambled around, picking up blankets and couch pillows and Celie's toys. 

Once the living room and kitchen were considerably clean, she ran into her bathroom and took a quick shower.  As she stood under the warm water, she tried to relax.  Stop stressing, Sierra, you're just friends, she reminded herself.

Upon getting out of the shower, she realized she had no idea what to wear.  Since they were just watching a movie, they wouldn't be dressed up, but she didn't know if she should wear jeans or sweatpants.  She didn't want Ramin to show up in a decent outfit and for her to be in pajamas...or vice versa.  She quickly shook that thought away; she knew Ramin well enough to know he'd never wear pajamas in public.

Sierra finally settled on dark-wash skinny jeans and an oversize-Little Mermaid sweatshirt she had from her Broadway days. She quickly blow-dried her hair and styled it into a side-braid. 

She straightened her room and checked the time: 6:38. 

Returning to the kitchen, she went into the pantry and grabbed the snacks she'd bought: goldfish, pretzels, and an assortment of Oreos.  She hadn't known whether or not Ramin would want dinner, so she'd bought some pre-cooked chicken wings, though she'd stick to her salad.

Sierra quickly arranged the food on her coffee table and pulled up Netflix on the TV.  She clicked on The Anchorman and kept it set on the "Information" setting until Ramin arrived.

Just as she was taking one last look around, the doorbell rang.  She took a deep breath and opened the door.

There stood Ramin in jeans and a fitted navy tee shirt, a leather jacket slung over his shoulders.  Sierra immediately felt underdressed.

"Hey," he greeted her, handing her a tiny bouquet of yellow roses.

"Aww, how'd you know yellow roses are my favorite?" she blushed, taking the bouquet. 

Ramin blinked.  "Uh....lucky guess?"

Sierra laughed as Ramin stepped inside and closed the door.  She led the way to the kitchen so she could put the flowers in some water. 

"So, I didn't know if you'd want dinner or not..." She began.

"I'm fine with whatever you have," Ramin said gamely. 

"In that case, there's chicken, goldfish, pretzels, and Oreos in the living room," she tilted her head in the direction of the living room.

Ramin grinned.  "Sounds great,"

"You can go ahead in there; I'm gonna grab some drinks," she said.

Ramin nodded and headed for the living room.