Graduation Gift: A Half-Used Lottery Ticket

“You’re here finally.” Pierce growled in the darkness.

“I’m sorry, my session went on a bit longer today because Sarah came in late.” I explained breathlessly, feeling around the wall for the light switch. I knew better than to keep him waiting.

“Leave it. Come to me,” he commanded. I did as I was told, dropping my duffel bag to the floor as I ambled towards him.

“Clothes .” My pulse quickened in my veins and I tugged off my cardigan, my pants, bra… then I stopped. I could tell he was in a bad mood, one that didn’t have anything to do with me being late. I shivered lightly in anticipation and waited for him to close the space between us.

When he stood, he pressed my semi naked body to his fully clothed one and released my hair from its ponytail prison.

“How was your day,” I asked tentatively, as he ran his fingers on my hips, tracing an invisible line to my waist.

“I’ll show you.” He said, and picked me like I weighed nothing. Naturally my legs wrapped around him as he strode towards the bed, a sense of urgency driving his every move.

* * *

The sound of Pierce’s phone ringing stirred me awake. I moved closer to him, humming in satisfaction. If I woke up everyday in his arms like this it would be a dream come true. His arm tightened reflexively on my waist before he came to. Then he realized his phone was the source of the noise and untangled his limbs from mine. Even with my eyes closed I knew he had gotten up to grab it.

A sense of disappointment filled me at the loss of his warmth and I curled up against the intrusive cold. When I opened my eyes, he was bent over his pants, rooting in the pocket for it. From the bed I admired his physique and marveled that he had chosen to be with me instead of the many women that flocked around him. I would never get tired of this sight.

When he looked at the name on the screen he frowned, glanced at me and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind me, and just like that, my sex-induced bliss was shattered by a healthy dose of reality.

I met Pierce Blackwood during a shoot, when the studio had invited him for a tour since he was one of their shareholders .

His magnetism and charm had worn me over that same day. As I tried to act my scenes I would catch him watching me with an intensity unlike any I’d felt. After that session he asked me to dinner and I agreed, and I agreed.

When Pierce proposed a casual relationship during said dinner, I accepted the following morning. It could’ve been curiosity about the broody billionaire that cherry picked me out of the throng of women that flocked around him. Or it could’ve been the thought of the thrill I would get sneaking around with one of the wealthiest men in the city.

All I knew now was that somewhere between stealing kisses in restrooms and falling into bed in my apartment, I had fallen madly in love with him.

Even after I discovered that Pierce’s initial attraction to me was due to my resemblance to a former love. I was happy to have him in any way he offered, and I held tightly into the hope that he would one day see me as I saw him.

That one day, he would roll over one morning after sex, take my face in his wide calloused hands, and tell me that he loved me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.

On the mornings that we woke up in my apartment, I would keep my eyes shut and wait…pray that it would be that day. But on those days, he would caress my face, kiss me, say the sweetest things and then he’d leave. There was never a declaration of love.

But I had all the time to spend with Pierce. We had been together for two years already, and we had built a weird sort of friendship. The next step would have to be love, right?

For now, I would have to deal with the doubts that surfaced from time to time and his private calls in the bathroom, where he was sure I wouldn’t hear, or interrupt.

I slipped into an oversized tee and waited for him to be done with his call. When he came out he had a strange look on his face. One he masked with indifference when he noticed that I was watching him. He picked up his trousers from the floor and slipped into them with a fluid movement. He was leaving.

“Can’t you stay till daylight? It’s already three a.m.” I asked hiding my desperation behind a smile.

“I have an emergency.” He replied, not pausing his task.

“Is it work?” I pressed on. When he ignored my question I started again, ignoring how my heart raced. “I have an interview today, the cast of Gossip and Dreams managed to score one with Lindsay Cordon.” Getting Lindsay Cordon to take interest in our small time production was a great honor.

This is my first time taking the lead role in a TV drama, and I wanted him to see I was making progress in work. I wanted him to be proud of me.

“That’s lovely.” He buttoned his shirt up. My shoulders sagged.

“You said you would stop by today.”

“I did?”

“Pierce you promised.” My sister had school, mum was out of the question and there was no one else I wanted more to watch me on stage. “You don’t have to stay for the whole thing.” I pleaded. ”just long enough that I see you.”

Pierce looked at me, conflicting emotions warring on his face. “I can’t today, Myra. I’ll come to your next one.”

I smiled sadly, the sting of disappointment sinking in. “You said that last time.”

“I know, just…the next one. I promise.” He swept my tousled hair back from my face and kissed me. “Have fun at your interview.”

The room felt empty without his presence filling my apartment. I hugged my knees to my chest. ‘You’re being an idiot’ an incessant voice whispered in my head. It was wrong. I had learnt a long time ago that relationships were a complicated thing. Pierce, was nothing short of a dream come true for a woman like me. All he needed was time, and I loved him enough to give it to him.

The voice in my head had no more arguments to make.

Since I was up, I decided to get a head start on preparing for my interview. There was no point forcing myself back to bed or staying up to worry about my relationship with Pierce, I had bigger fish to fry. Pierce or no Pierce, that day was set to be one of the best day in my life AND career.

* * *

We waited while the host made her opening speech. She talked about the gossip and dreams for a bit while Hannah, the best manager in the world, drilled information I already knew into my skull.

“Remember Myra, the minute you notice the conversation is steering towards your rumored relationship with Blackwood-“

“I push the focus back to the show, I got it.”

“And you do it subtly, with an award winning smile in place.” Her brown curly hair moved with a life of its own as she spoke.

“Won’t she have to win awards to know what that feels like?” Jace, a costar joked, as he fluffed his hair. I rolled my eyes. Jace liked to bug me like an annoying brother at any chance he could get.

“Are you set?” a stagehand asked us. When we had given our affirmative, he ushered us up the stairs and into the light. I planted a smile on my face and waved to the hooting crowd as we made our way to Lindsay. My eyes scanned through the crowd, hoping to find a particular pair of eyes watching me. Maybe he decided to surprise me, I wished as my cast mates took various positions on Lindsay’s sofa.

“Might I say you look very beautiful today Myra.” Distracting me from my futile search.

I forced an easy smile on my face. “Thank you so much, Lindsay. It’s such an honor to be on your show.”

Few minutes later we were bouncing off each other, building a very easy conversation. She quizzed me and the other cast members on what it felt like to be on set, the dynamics outside the filming process and the challenges we had struggled with in our roles.

By the end of our one hour with Lindsay, I was positive that we would have more viewings for our soap opera by the end of the week.

I was grinning from ear to ear when I met with my manager backstage. Surprisingly, her expression didn’t mirror the excitement on my face.

“Did I say something wrong during the interview? I’m sure it went well.” I asked, confused.

Hannah smiled like she was trying not to upset me with her next words. “Oh honey, you did great! Star of the fucking show.”

“Then what’s the problem?” I opened the flask filled with berry infused iced tea and took a sip. She extended her cell phone to me, which I collected warily.

“She pulled me farther away from the other actors.

“Look, I know, you say there’s nothing between you and Pierce Blackwood, but in case there is, I want you to look at this away from the group.”

I refused to let his name bug me, but Hannah's actions were doing nothing to soothe my now bubbling nerves.

I froze with my bottle halfway to my lips when I saw the main photo and headline. It was a photo of Pierce smiling down at a small framed woman while she had her hand in his hair, and the headline read; CEO of multi-million dollar conglomerate, Pierce Blackwood, photographed with first love.

My flask slipped from my hand.