Chapter 5

FIVE

“So is this trip sponsored by Jon Bon Jovi or what is this? We should change our name to the Bon Jovi Ballet as well…” Georgia mumbled bitterly as she sat down next to Yasmin on the bus.

“If that means we can go on tour with them, I’m in,” Yasmin said. Georgia could tell she was excited and it wasn’t so much the concert she was dreading herself either. It was the fact that she had to be in a room with him again for two hours at least. Even though there were going to be 30.000 people with them. And what annoyed her the most was the fact that he had known all this time that she would be there tonight.

Yasmin looked at her friend. When she found the invitation on her own bed that afternoon she immediately thought about Georgia. And so far she was behaving exactly like she expected. Still though, she could see that Georgia made an effort tonight. She looked perfect in an army green maxi dress that hugged her figure and with a simple black leather jacket and a pair of flat strappy sandals she was dressed perfectly for a rock show. The other girls, including herself, looked as if they tried a little too hard compared to her. But then, people always did next to Georgia. She was so naturally beautiful. If Georgia wouldn’t have been her friend she would have probably hated her.  Yasmin once tried to explain to Georgia how she could make people feel, but that turned in to the worst fight they ever had. She just didn’t see it, and since then Yasmin decided it was for the better to leave it that way.

A short drive later the bus dropped them off in front of the United Center. Georgia vaguely remembered driving by it when they were taken from the airport to the hotel but she had never been there before. But it looked like any other stadium, oval and a lot of grey concrete, and there was always something about these places that made her feel excited. She thought it was magical to see concerts in big venues where everybody came together for the same reasons, one common interest. Tonight though she also felt something else. A feeling she didn’t want to give in to, she felt nervous. So far she had only seen one side of him, tonight she was going to see that side that made so many people love him.

The bus doors opened and Lodinski and ‘ballet mistress’ Bachman, who were on their bus, were welcomed by someone from Bon Jovi’s management. When the group was complete they walked in to the stadium and the staff inside guided them to their seats. She was relieved and glad to discover they had floor seats at the very back of the arena. Safely tucked away in the crowd, far, far away from the front man of the band they all came to see. She sat down with Yasmin on one side and a male dancer called Kristoff on her other side. While she vaguely listened to Yasmin who was talking non-stop, she looked as people started to arrive for the show. She saw really old fans, young fans, families, excited women that were happy to finally have a reason to leave their kids and husband at home for a night, young couples and old couples. She also saw a lot of beautiful women who all dressed up for the occasion and this was the first time she really realised that he could literally have every woman he wanted.

A little after eight the houselights suddenly went out and were changed for the spotlights on stage. She could feel the excitement in the air. The black screens went on and showed a tension building clip that climaxed when the band took the stage. They played an intro that, she had to admit it, made it impossible for her to remain seated. She stood up and Yasmin gave her a meaningful glance, which she ignored. Then Jon appeared as well, guitar in hand, dressed in a sleeveless leather shirt and waxed black jeans. She had to look to the screen to really see him, but even from so far away she could tell he looked great.  She didn’t immediately recognise the first song but after a while she was actually able to sing along to the chorus. She felt better knowing that he couldn’t see her and decided to stop being stubborn and make the best of it. Together with Yasmin she was dancing  along, and singing whenever they knew the words. It was quite a nice gesture from the company to organise something like this and it was definitely more exciting than all other trips they had been on together. Every now and then Yasmin would look at her with the biggest smile on her face and she could literally see Yasmin fall in love with Jon Bon Jovi even more with every second that passed.

All the way through the show though, Georgia kept looking at Jon as well. She could tell that he was having a great time and she suddenly understood why all the women in the room went crazy for him. He was very aware of what he brought up in them and took advantage of that. He smiled widely and danced around the stage. He pointed at women, flirted with them and knew exactly what to say. It was the man she met but then a hundred times bigger. But while looking at him Georgia also felt like she had seen a side of him that most other people in the crowd hadn’t. And she was almost ashamed to admit to herself that it gave her a good feeling.

Beside that he was also an amazing singer and a born bandleader. He was professional and she could imagine that he fans loved to see how he still took the band they loved so much as seriously as they did. The band was also great and she loved the part where their guitarist, she knew was called Richie, stepped forward to sing a verse during Wanted Dead Or Alive. His voice was extraordinary. Her favourite part though, was when the two of them were out on the catwalk, suddenly a lot closer to her, to play  a beautiful version of their hit I’ll Be There For You. She knew at least half of the songs they played that night, which surprised her. And all in all she had a great time and she hated to admit that the man who was also the reason she didn’t want to be there, played a big part in that.

**

After the concert there was an after party for the company back at the hotel’s club.

“Come on, we had a great night right? And the drinks are free!” Yasmin said as she tried to pursue Georgia to come along to the party. They just got back to the hotel and walked through the hotel lobby. Georgia looked aside, still not convinced. “And who knows who might show up…”

Georgia couldn’t tell her that was exactly one of the reasons why she didn’t want to go and Yasmin didn’t look like she would give up. “The drinks are free, Georgia please,” she repeated as if that was the only thing that could make her change her mind.  “it’s not the same without you.”

Georgia chuckled. “No, you will have way more fun without me, but alright then, I can do one drink.” And that was exactly how long she stayed. One drink and then she left.

He saw her the minute she walked in to the quiet hotel bar. He vaguely heard the music coming from the club but he was enjoying the silence of the hotel bar. It was always weird to exchange a sold out stadium for a quiet hotel but it was a very welcome change. He didn’t expect to still see her wandering around the hotel. She looked beautiful in a long cotton dress that accentuated her curves and this was the first time he saw her with her hair down.  Long wavy honey blonde hair that covered half of her back and fell over her small shoulders. She wore a deep red color on her lips and he was sure he could see them smile when she saw him.

“Hi.”

“Hi,” she said and swallowed everything else she wanted to say.

“Did you have a good time at the show?”

To his surprise she actually nodded her head and smiled a little. “I did. I was glad you couldn’t see me because I might have danced a little to those big hits of yours.”

He chuckled. Again she managed to give him an answer that he did not see coming at all.

“Can I get you a drink?” he said and already lifted his hand to signal a waiter.

She shook her head. “I thought we already did this…” Jon understood that she was no longer talking about him offering her a drink.

Who was this girl? What was it that made her want to let him know that she wasn’t going to sleep with him.

He knew he was thinking about her too much. Way too much. And it started to control his mind. Because it wasn’t just that, he also wanted to know her. He wanted to know what it was about her that attracted him so much. Sure, she was gorgeous. She was beyond beautiful, but there was so much more to her that she refused to show him. It frustrated him. For a second he considered asking her about it but then she surprised him again as she put her clutch on the bar and sat down on the stool next to him.

Georgia looked at him. Nothing on him betrayed that he had just played a 2,5 hour show in front of 30.000 people. He wore black jeans and a black t-shirt and he had taken a shower. She could tell because his hair was still moist and messy.

“You seem to hang out by yourself a lot…” he said looking at her.

“You would do to, if you were in my position, trust me.”

“It can’t be that bad now can it?” he said and finished his drink. The waiter immediately appeared to refill his glass. He looked at her to check if she still didn’t want a drink and she shook her head.

“The part of the job where I can actually do what I love, which is dance, is alright. The pressure is a whole different thing though and the constant hate amongst the girls that I refuse to take part in, is worse. It’s like fucking high school sometimes…” She paused, but he didn’t answer hoping that she would try to keep the conversation going this time.

“So,” she said and pointed around the abandoned bar, “What happened to your company then?”

He smiled, as his trick worked. “Oh I love my band, they are my brothers, but I spent half my life with them so I can do without seeing them every once in a while.”

“Makes sense,” she said and realised how she could relate to his feelings. What her ballet company was to her was probably what his band mates were to him. Always around and always with him. Although she knew he liked his band a whole lot better than she liked the people in the company. She had seen that much at the show that night.  

He asked her about her plans for tomorrow and she told him they had a day off. She asked him about his and he subtly reminded her about the thirty-thousand people that were coming to see them once again. The fact that she managed to forget about that made him smile. It was new to him that someone genuinely couldn’t care less about what he did for a living. Then after a while she announced she better go to bed before the party would end and they would find them together in the hotel bar. And he had to admit she was right.

“I’ll walk you to your room, since you’re only a few doors away from mine,” he said as he followed her to the elevators, just like he had done that morning. This time thought she didn’t have the energy to take the stairs to escape him.

“As long as  you don’t get any ideas,” she said and caught his glance as she quickly looked at him. A smile played around his lips and he shook his head. Before he could say something, if he was going to, the elevator doors opened and they stepped in.

Georgia subtly walked to one of the corners  far away from him as he casually leaned against the mirrored wall. Right at that moment she could feel a tension building up in the small room that made her unable to speak. She needed all her strength to fight it and she refused to look at him. He didn’t say a word either.

When the doors opened after what seemed like a lifetime she was outside before him and she only stopped walking when she reached her door. And so did he. She looked up and he leaned with his shoulder against the wall next to it.

“I assume you are just going to stand there all night, to make sure you are here to pick up my stuff if I happen to drop it again tomorrow morning,” she said, looking at him while she unlocked the door.

He chuckled softly again. “Good night, Georgia,” he said and didn’t move while she over the doorstep.

When she closed the door on the other side he hadn't moved. She forced herself to wait ten seconds before she allowed herself to check if he was still there.

But he was gone. 

Chapter 4

FOUR

For years Jon’s relationship with Dorothea and all it’s ups and downs had given him more than enough material to write about. Good times, bad times, hopeful and desperate times. But they grew older and over time so did their problems. His girl  gave birth to four beautiful children who were growing up really fast and everything in his love life was stable and calm. And he loved it that way, which was something his younger version never thought he would ever say. The urge to write never left, so for inspiration he started to look around. He listened to what people told him, ideas came up when he watched the news and read the papers. Big social and economic issues had always had his attention and it had also given him one of his biggest successes,  but the world had changed and so had people.

He also adapted another trick to find inspiration. Wherever he went he put names to faces he didn’t know. He gave them a job, a family, dreams, successes and secrets. He believed he was getting quite good at it. But when he looked at Georgia he had no idea what to do with her. He obviously knew she was a ballerina but he still found that hard to rhyme with her looks. And her behaviour. He was in the lobby, waiting for the car to drive them to the stadium for the first show in Chicago, when she came back from wherever she went that morning. She didn’t see him straight away and it gave him a good chance to observe her while she wasn’t aware of his presence. Compared to the other girls in the company, she was the only one that looked like an actual woman. The other girls were pretty, they all had bodies of twelve year old girls while he knew that Georgia had to be one of the youngest girls in the group. Sure Georgia was slim as well but she was not flat. She, unlike the others, had generous breasts and wide hips to accentuate her tiny waist. If he would have tried to guess her profession he would have imagined her to be a Victoria’s Secret Angel at least. Every man’s dream, he thought bitterly. And at that moment he allowed himself to wonder whether she had a boyfriend for the first time. He hadn’t thought about it before, but why wouldn’t she? He hadn’t asked her. And even if he did, he knew she wasn’t going to tell him.

She didn’t allow him to think about it any longer either. Because right at that moment she saw him, and he couldn’t believe his eyes when she walked right towards him. In front of her fellow dancers and the staff. She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him.

“Are you stalking me?”

He chuckled. “Right now?”

“Yeah and this morning?”

“I wasn’t, but since I now know where your room is, I might change my mind.” He leaned back lazily and made a gesture towards the dancers who were staring at them with big eyes and open mouths.

“What are you going to tell them? They all look like they are going crazy.”

Georgia quickly looked over her shoulder and then back at him. “That you are stalking me,” she simply said. He saw amusement in her eyes for the first time.

To make it even more complicated, his brother Matt texted him right at that moment to let him know the car was ready at the front of the hotel. He stood up and she took a step backwards.

“Don’t keep your hopes up, Georgia…” he said while he started to walk away. If she wanted him to play this game, then he could, just as long as she realised she wasn’t going to win.

When he was sure the others still couldn’t hear him he turned around at her one last time before he disappeared through the doors: “and I see you tonight.”

Again he left Georgia wondering what his words were supposed to mean. See you tonight? Who the hell did he think he was anyway?

He barely disappeared through the doors when literally everyone from the company who had been there to witness her encounter with Jon threw themselves at her.

“What was that all about? Do you know him? What did you say to him?”

So many questions, so little she could say to them. Or wanted to say to them anyway. She shook her head angrily as she realised she had not thought this through when she decided to talk to him in a crowded hotel lobby. “I don’t know him any better than you do, there was just something about the fundraiser he had to know, that is all.”

At that point she was glad Yasmin wasn’t around because she would have known this wasn’t the whole truth, but these girls bought it. She found it amazing how people always seemed to take her weirdest excuses for granted. She knew how most people thought of her as weird, or at least dreamy and out of their reach, but to see that confirmed in front of her was still interesting. It frustrated her at the same time that nobody ever really felt the need to figure her out, but sometimes it was easier to always be misunderstood.

When she finally escaped to the silence of her room on the second floor of the hotel, she sighed. She kicked off her flats and let the thick fluffy carpet caress her pained feet while she walked to the minibar to get a bottle of water out. With her free hand she pulled her hair loose and headed to the bedroom to change into something more comfortable. She was looking forward to taking a long bath and spend the rest of her night in bed, away from everyone. And that was when she saw it, the NYC ballet envelop on her bed. She frowned as she put the bottle of water down on the nightstand and pulled a thick piece of paper out of the envelop. She couldn’t believe her eyes when she read the short letter, that was signed by Lodinski.

In her hands she held an invitation to tonight’s Bon Jovi concert at the United Center. It turned out the company arranged for the band to give every single person on this trip a ticket to the show, as a thank you for picking the Soul Foundation for the benefit. For a second Georgia feared that it was one of Jon’s sick ideas to get her there, but then she realised that was a paranoid and rather arrogant thought. She didn’t know Bon Jovi very well, but she knew enough about them to realise that they did not have a hundred seats spare to give away on the day of the show. This was something that was planned a very long time ago, as a surprise for them all. Georgia didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

At least you now know what he meant, she thought. “And I see you tonight.”

Chapter 3

THREE

Georgia was happy to find Yasmin in the room. She was always able to set her mind off things. Although she had to try very hard this time. An encounter with a rock star wasn’t exactly what she thought she would find in Chicago when she left her house that morning. His words were echoing in her mind and she tried to put meaning to them. Why was it a problem that he wanted to sleep with her? Sure that wasn’t a first for him, and definitely not the last time it would happen either. So what was the big deal? It was not like she would give in to the temptation. And he made pretty clear that he wasn’t going to either, for one reason or another.

“George?” Too late she realised that all that time Yasmin had been talking to her. She shook her head and tried her best to focus on her friend when she retold a shorter version of her story, impatiently. It so happened that she wondered why Jon Bon Jovi wasn’t around at his own benefit. So far Yasmin wasn’t doing great at the only task she didn’t know she had.

Georgia feigned disinterest. “I have no idea, because he’s got an attitude? Because he’s arrogant? Because he fell asleep in his room, or because, just like some others, he couldn’t give a shit?”

Yasmin rolled her eyes at her friend. “Alright, you made your point, what is it with you and that guy though? You haven’t been anything but negative about him since we got here.”

Georgia knew she was right but she couldn’t tell her the reason behind it.

“Probably because everybody has been talking about him ever since.”

Yasmin sighed:“You and your exciting life may disagree but meeting an international star is a big deal for most of us.”

Georgia shook her head. She didn’t want to talk about him at all. Talking to him had been enough for the rest of this day, or week for that matter. “Let’s go get a drink before we’ll sit down at our table.”

When Jon got back in the room he did not spot her. When he climbed the stage to say his words of thanks and welcome, he did though. She was sat at a table not too far from the stage, together with a dark-haired girl and some people he knew were in the company staff. It surprised him that she stayed. But then again, he hadn’t exactly managed to predict anything she did or said before. While he was up on the podium he kept looking at her, but she kept staring at her fingers, that played around the stem of her wine glass. Not nervously, but definitely bored.  He knew what she thought. But the problem was he was not that guy. Not anymore, he was not. Because if there was anything he had learned over the years, it was that he was blessed to have a wife like Dorothea. Sure they had their share of trouble in the past but it was never because of her. She never asked questions, never wanted to know why. She was his biggest support and the reason why he still had his two feet right on the ground.

Sure he took advantage of his status in the past but for over ten years he hadn’t shared the bed with anyone but his wife. That didn’t include the occasional high class escort when he was gone for months, but that barely meant a thing.  He didn’t even feel the need to be with anyone but his beautiful wife, and that was exactly what bothered him when he looked at this girl. He could not supress the urge to know what it was like. It was the only reason why he said what he said, earlier. He wished he knew though, what made her so determined to agree.

Georgia felt uncomfortable having him around, no matter how hard she tried to ignore the feeling. The fact that he was following her with his eyes everywhere she went didn’t help her feel any better. She stayed with Yasmin all night to make sure he wouldn’t come over, until it got up to a point where even Yas probably started to wonder what was wrong with her. It wasn’t a secret to anyone that Georgia was a good friend, until you expected her to remember your birthday or be great company during a party. Especially of this kind. So by the time Yasmin started to give her questionable looks, she announced that she was going up to her room. That was enough to restore her friends faith in her and it also finally gave her an excuse to leave.

**

The following morning she managed to oversleep. Which was quite an achievement because she was only supposed to meet with the team at twelve. She and a selection of others were going to a local ballet school to do a workshop with their youngest dancers. It was something she was looking forward to because the little girls were the purest and most innocent people in her world. And she wanted to do her very best to keep them that way. It was also one of the main reasons why she decided to teach the youngest girls at the New York City ballet every Friday as well. She knew it was a very unthankful and difficult battle to fight against the NYC but if she could at least safe one girl from going anorexic and eventually crazy later in her career, she did her job well. She realised that sounded a bit excessive, and it was. But she had seen it happen around her too often to ignore it around those innocent little girls, with big dreams.  The fact that the world still hadn’t gotten the best of her wasn’t because someone had been around to warn her though. It was exactly because of her character, that drove so many people crazy all the time, that she survived the way she did.

But that character wasn’t going to get her anywhere now, if she would not hurry the hell up.

Fifteen minutes later she threw her stuff into her bag and ran around the room like crazy to make sure she didn’t forget anything. The door almost closed behind her when she realised she forgot the key, so she went back in, grabbed it, closed the door and ran towards the elevator. Or she would have, if one of the straps on her bag wouldn’t  have pulled her right back to the door because it got stuck behind it’s knob. As she tried to pull it loose, all her stuff fell out of it and she cursed out loud. If this first hour of the new day told her anything about the rest of it, she should go back to bed instead. She kneeled to throw everything back in quickly and turned around for a second attempt of getting on the elevator.

“You might want to have this back as well…” a sleepy  voice said slowly and warm. She turned around and wasn’t even surprised to look straight into a  now familiar pair of bright blue eyes. His hair was a mess and he was wearing grey sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He held her Chanel Le Rouge lipstick between his fingers and grinned. She couldn’t help but notice the gold wedding ring around one of them but managed to get herself back together to thank him.

“O God, thanks. That cost me a fortune,” she said and smiled at him. When he laughed softly she realised that probably wasn’t the most impressive thing to say to a man who could probably afford to buy the whole brand, literally. But she at least tried to be nice to him this time.

“And you don’t even need it,” he said and she blinked.

“Nice try, but it won’t get you anywhere,” she said because she couldn’t allow him to flirt with her. They looked at each other for a second and the feeling she had in the conference room the other day was back. She shook her head to get rid of it and threw the lipstick into her bag. “Alright, I better get going before they will leave without me,” she said and walked towards the elevator. To her annoyance he came standing beside her in front of the closed doors.

“I’ll join you, I was just on my way to the gym.”

Of course you are, she thought to herself, because even though he was fully dressed she could tell that he had a very good, muscular body underneath. A body she didn’t want to be in an elevator with. Not now, not now it belonged to hím.

“This is taking too long,” she said making up an excuse while she did. “I’ll take the stairs, enjoy your work-out, Jon.”

“Enjoy your day, Miss…” he paused before he said her name. “Georgia.” She left him shaking his head with a grin on his face. He left her annoyed. 

Chapter 1 + 2

ONE

Just after she entered the conference hall, the doors were closed behind her. She was late. And it wasn’t the first time. In fact, it was more like a structural thing. She didn’t do it on purpose and although the staff would probably disagree, it wasn’t a matter of disinterest either. It was just one of her flaws. One of many according to Lodinski, the head chorographer and one of the most important men within the New York City Ballet. Yet he had given up trying to change her. It took him a while, but eventually he started to realise that he needed her more than she needed him. He now knew she is the star of the company and that people came to see her. And as long as she brought them a lot of money, he just let her be. She was a big mystery to everyone, but that is also what made her fascinating for so many people. That and her beauty, or that’s what he told her anyway.

With an amount of gracefulness only a ballerina could pull off when in haste, she ran down the stairs. She found an empty seat on the third row, next to Yasmin, a soliste. The whole company only occupied the first twelve rows of the big conference room. Only eighty seats were taken by actual dancers, and Georgia was the only Prima Ballerina. Not just in the room, but also in all of the USA. In the whole world there was only one other girl who earned the honourable and rare title, somewhere is Russia. But according to the critics Georgia even left that girl far behind, and compliments in the ballet world were very uncommon so she chose to believe it.

She exchanged a smile with Yasmin and then took a look at the stage. She saw a stool, a microphone stand and a black acoustic guitar. Georgia didn’t know who was coming to speak to them but it had to be a musician. Which was weird because she thought this was supposed to be a motivational talk for the fundraiser they were having that night. Every year the ballet would go on a get-away somewhere in the USA. It was supposed to be a relaxed teambuilding get-away and on the first night they would organise a benefit for one particular foundation. This year they were residing in Chicago for six days and even though they only arrived that morning, she already had enough of it. The guitar however, made her believe that this could be interesting for a change. She loved everything that had to do with art of any kind. She loved to see other artists do their job and hear them talk about their beliefs and passion. Whether it was a poet, a painter, an actor, a dancer or a musician. And neither did she care about whether it was a famous name or some obscure local talent. She was interested in everybody who felt what she felt. A poet needed his words to survive like she needed to dance. The basic idea was the same.

“Who do you think is coming?” Yasmin suddenly said and she looked up. She couldn’t say she had many real friends within the company but she considered Yasmin one of them. Being given the title she had, she wasn’t really popular and the ballet world wasn’t a very bright and happy place to begin with.

She thought about it to see if she knew any musicians in Chicago but couldn’t think of one. “I don’t know," she replied.

“I’ve heard Bon Jovi are in town. Apparently they are playing two nights at the United Center.”

She nodded her head and before she could reply Yasmin added: “I don’t think they are into philanthropy though…”

She shrugged her shoulders. “I’m not very into Bon Jovi to be honest, so I don’t know what they are up to. The only thing we have in common is New Jersey.”

Yasmin giggled. “Does that mean you feel that Jersey pride whenever you hear them on the radio?”

She laughed. “I don’t even know half their songs. I remember seeing him in a store in New Jersey once though, and I then learned that I didn’t even have to care because all other women in the room cared enough for the whole country.”

Yasmin shook her head. “That’s so you to not to be impressed when you run into Jon Bon Jovi. You have to admit he’s kind of hot though.”

“Maybe, but he’s also about twice our age.”

She was sure that Yasmin would have made a comment about that if the lights in the room hadn’t dimmed at that point.

A man in tight blue jeans and a black button-down shirt walked on stage. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt back to his elbows and left the top three buttons open, to show a black and silver necklace that rested against his slightly hairy chest. Hands in his pocket. She recognised him straight away, but if she hadn’t, the yelling girls would have confirmed it for her. Yasmin was right. That was Jon Bon Jovi. And she was also right about another thing. He was beautiful.

 When he stepped forward and reached for the microphone she was sure he looked right at her, just a little longer than necessary. It confused her. More than his presence did. But the  moment was over before she had a chance to think about it and he started to talk.

“Thank you for being here,” he said in a thicker Jersey accent than she’d expected. “I appreciate it and I would also like the NYC Ballet staff for picking the Soul Foundation for their benefit, this year, we really appreciate that.” He continued  to talk about the foundation for a while, which apparently belonged to him and he did it with a certain amount of arrogance. Yet in a way that made her believe he had every right to talk that way.

After ten minutes his speech about the foundation was done. To make that clear he stepped further towards the edge of the stage and looked around. “So… is there anyone here from Jersey?”

She was the only one. In fact the company was a mixture of so many cultures and countries that she didn’t think she could even name all of them if she tried. Apart from her there was Yasmin from Philadelphia and about three others from the south and west coast but that was it. Even the staff was from all over the globe. So even if she had chosen not to raise her hand, which she preferred, all the others gave it away by staring at her. So she lifted her hand unwillingly, forcing him to look at her again.

Jon looked at the girl, the woman, on the third row in surprise. Even though the shadow in the dark room tried to hide her, the stage lights showed him that she was unearthly beautiful. She had a porcelain white skin and the soft contours of her face made her lips look even bigger. She put her long honey blonde hair together in a tight ponytail at the back of her head and she stared at him with a pair of big light eyes. She answered the question he barely realised he asked with a soft and feminine but confident voice. “Flemington,” she said, but while he was looking at her he completely lost where he was going with it. So he changed the subject smoothly by asking the group to ask him things. Hands were raised and he forced himself to point at someone else. “You, at the back,” he said, annoyed with himself. What the fuck was that all about?

TWO

“I was told you are the star of the NYC ballet…” she gasped as he suddenly popped up behind her. She couldn’t see him as she just picked up her drink from the bar but you just couldn’t misinterpret that Jersey accent. When she turned around he stood there looking at her with a faint smile on his lips and a drink in his right hand. He was wearing the same blue jeans he wore that afternoon but he changed his shirt for a black t-shirt with a small v-neck.

“Told by who?” she said, not showing him any sign of recognition or admiration because she believed he already got enough of that.

He made a gesture with his finger, pointing at the room. “By everybody in this place, so tell me, what do you have to do to become so good at ballet?”

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Thinking about a career switch?”

He raised his free hand in defence. “I’m just asking out of interest, what are you so fed up about?”

“I hate this shit,” she said and she was sure she saw a light smile on his lips. “But it’s what I chose to do and it comes with the title I earned. And since you asked… I earned it by working hard for it ever since I was ten years old. I don’t think there’s another way.”

Unintentionally he looked in Lodinski’s direction but Georgia wisely chose not to mention it. She figured that probably everybody in the business knew that guys reputation.  She just hoped that mister rock star would be smart enough to see she was not one of those girls.

While he tried to keep the conversation going he took the chance to give her a closer look. He hated to be there as much as she did. The only difference was that you couldn’t tell by looking at him, as much as you could by looking at her. After so many years in the business he had learned to know better. Besides, the New York City Ballet benefits were known for raising an awful lot of money, so it was for good cause that he showed up. And maybe he had hoped to run into this girl again as well. Although at this point he started to wonder why as the conversation was not going very smoothly. He made a few misjudgements that he could see she didn’t appreciate and she gave him a hard time figuring out what she actually was like by not telling him anything he did not ask for.

“Alright,” he said at one point. “This is going great, I think we both need some fresh air and I need a cigarette, why don’t you join me for a walk?”

She was surprised that he was putting so much effort in it. She hadn’t exactly been the nicest person and she was sure all other people in the room were far more willing to talk to him than she was. In fact, she couldn’t care less who she was talking to at that point. No matter how good he looked and no matter how famous he was. She just wanted to get the hell out of there and smoke a cigarette. So when he suggested to go for a walk, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to do that.  And it was up to him whether he wanted to come or not.

“I’d like it better if you offer me a cigarette,” she told him. His eyes widened in surprise. “I thought dancers like you weren’t allowed to smoke.”

“I thought cigarettes weren’t the best for your voice either.” He chuckled.

“I try quitting at the start of every tour, but then I get bored and give in. I did so many tours on nicotine that my body will probably protest if I start doing them without.”

She nodded. “So just to recap, you think I am a dancer with a passion for classical music and an eating disorder who fucks her teacher for more attention and can’t smoke because of what she does. And I think you are an arrogant singer who overestimates himself due to too much attention from hysterical drooling female fans. I don’t know about you but I’ve made better and definitely more accurate first impressions.”

He was able to hide his quiet laugh by taking a quick sip from his drink and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Is that what you think caused my attitude?” He could see the amusement on her face despite that she tried to hide it from him, as he pretended to miss the point of what she said.

“What else could it be? Let me guess… the millions on your back account or is it the amount of records you’ve sold?”

“I’m a man of big numbers, alright…” he said and even in the semi dark he could see her roll her eyes at him. He chuckled. “So let’s get the hell out of here then, or they will start before we get back.”

Outside she immediately started to feel better. It was a clear warm night and the stars were out. He handed her a cigarette and lit it for her before he leaned back against the wall next to the fire escape and looked out over the hotel parking lot.

“So, let’s start over, what is your name?”

She thankfully blew out some smoke and came standing beside him. She felt the warm bricks against her bare back and through the fabric of her thin silk evening dress.

“I’m Georgia,” she told him.

“Georgia,” he repeated, trying the sound of her name before he nodded.

“I’m glad that got your approval,” she said but this time she smiled. She wasn’t going to pretend she didn’t know who he was because that would be silly, so she simply didn’t ask for it.

“So what brought  you to Chicago, Georgia? Is it just this benefit?”

She told him about the annual trips with the ballet and how she didn’t see the point of it. “And what about you?” she then asked, glad she could finally ask him something she didn’t already know the answer to.

“We’re doing two back-to-back shows at the United Center, starting the day after tomorrow, but we came here early to enjoy some time off.”

“You must be thrilled having to spend the first night here at the benefit then,” she said and he chuckled. “It’s for a good cause and my bed is near so I can get out whenever the hell I want.”

She assumed that meant he was staying in the same hotel as her but she didn’t ask. He did a few more attempts to get her to talk but they were weak. Although better than most guys’ attempts, she had to give him that.

However, she decided it was time for him to wake up.

 “Listen, Jon, let’s not waste our time on this and let’s clear the air. If you want to have sex with me then just admit it so we can go on.”

Her comment surprised him so much that he coughed, but he managed to mask it with a laugh. He thought he was doing a good job hiding it from her as much as from himself, but apparently he was wrong. He was getting too old for this game, and he didn’t even want to play it, so he decided to be honest with her, like she asked him to.

 “Yes, Georgia, I'd love to fuck you, that is the problem, because it ain’t gonna happen.” He looked as serious as ever and so was she when she replied.

“No…” she said and she stubbed her cigarette out against the wall. “It’s not.” Then she turned around and walked back to the door. Leaving Jon behind. And he looked at her until she disappeared, knowing that no matter what he would have said, her answer would have remained the same.

“No it’s not gonna happen.”