OPEN :: when i'm on the run

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Aspen was not one of Parker's favorite places.

He hated spending the winters here, autumn was alright really, he could mostly live with the team. Not that he even liked football all that much either, but he was damn good at it. He missed living in LA, he missed the sun and the girls in bikini tops and short shorts, the boys with tight shorts on bikes.... Here, everyone was covered up all the time, prissy and ridiculous, like most of his family-- especially since being on their own reality TV show.

The sauna was a two-fold escape. One, it was an escape from his cold and snowy surroundings in Colorado. Two, it was an escape from the cameras, who couldn't handle the heat much-- and anyway, he wasn't doing anything but sitting and sweating in a box, which didn't make very good TV.

Parker felt a bit smug at having thought this escape up and was rather pleased with himself. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes for a moment, relishing the quiet. He knew that soon an employee would pop in to check on him, they had to of course to avoid law suits if anyone got heatstroke, but Parker wished they'd just leave him alone.

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Despite the fact that she was supposedly very famous and staff was bending over backwards to give her the best service, Ray still managed not to grasp the instructions that the employee gave her. He seemed to explain things thoroughly, but he did so quickly (probably because he looked nervous) and put far more emphasis on where she could disrobe (probably because he was eager to see her in only a towel.) Normally, if Ray was just being Ray, she would have no problem asking questions and getting clarification. But Ray was pretending to be famous, and a famous rockstar probably went to saunas all the time and knew the drill – seeming anything but confident and comfortable in these rich settings could ruin her and Jordan’s façade.

The situation wasn’t helped by the fact that getting to the sauna was a bizarre event by itself, making this whole experience seem like a bad trip. Despite the fact that she and Jordan had a luxury suite that put Ray’s London apartment to utter, utter shame, and despite the fact that she slept blissfully in silk sheets on a cloud-like mattress, Ray was still suffering from jetlag. It came as no surprise to her – from her ample experience traveling, she’d learned that it normally takes her a couple of days to adjust. However, her groggy demeanor that morning at breakfast seemed to draw the attention of the resort staff. The manager herself approached Ray and Jordan to ask if anything was wrong. Ray had to come up with an explanation, settling for, essentially, that she got worse jetlag than her fellow rockstar; Jordan just bounced right back. It seemed the best way to explain how Ray was suffering while Jordan was fine (because, in fact, she wasn’t jetlagged.)

The manager recommended the sauna. We get many customers from abroad, and all of them say that the sauna helps them the best. Something about refreshing vapors … Ray could hardly get a word in before the manager made the call to the sauna. Minutes later, Ray was ushered into the resort shuttle.

The sauna employee looked way too excited handing her a towel and showing her to the changing room. Ray knew she was fairly attractive – the reception she and her sisters got was normally very good – but there was something about being famous that magnified her attractiveness a thousand fold. Being a rockstar, especially, somehow meant being with her meant more than being with a hot chick – it meant spotlight and a crazy, exciting lifestyle. And apparently many people were attracted to that idea.

Ray didn’t get it because she would rather go for a hot professor and spend her days with him reading in a home library and attending conferences.

Changing into only a towel, wrapped around her chest, Ray went to where she thought the employee had explained. Going into the first room, Ray took in her surroundings.

There were wooden benches lining the walls. The steam seemed lightly scented (lavender?) and wrapped around her like a warm blanket. Rich people definitely had it good. Ray could see herself in here for a long time – possibly falling asleep. Smiling, Ray made her way towards the bench. The steam was thick, but through it, though, she suddenly caught sight of a figure not three feet away from her. In a second, she recognized it as male.

She almost exclaimed oh but stopped herself. Remember the accent. she reminded herself. So, accent and all, she asked, “Sorry, is this the men’s room?” From what Ray gathered before, there were different rooms. This could either be the men’s room or the co-ed one.

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker had been boredly examining his fingernails when the door swung open and there was an attractive, British chick in a towel and Parker cracked a smile. "Co-ed." He said. Parker wasn't totally sure if that were true but he certainly didn't want her to go away. For one thing, she was pretty and for another, the camera crew outside would now be dying to get inside too and he liked driving them crazy.

"Why don't you come join me?" Parker said with an easy smile, motioning to a bit of bench beside him. He was a flirt, and the environment was already on his side-- sweet soft warm air, they were already a little sweaty and mostly naked. It wasn't too much of a stretch that he could get somewhere with her. He nodded his head over and sensually bit off a small hangnail, mostly for the simple fact that it allowed him to put something in his mouth for her benefit.

Parker generally knew rich people, famous people, though he didn't know many from the other side of the pond. There was no way she would know him of course, given that he played American football, and not soccer. "I'm Parker," He said.

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Ray was honestly expecting the place to be full half-naked old rich people. Pervy elderly men and women of unidentifiable age because of plastic surgery. But, A) It wasn’t full, probably because right after breakfast wasn’t the time to go, and B) Ray never expected the sauna of all places to be a hangout for cool young people.
Granted it was one hot and very fit guy in a towel, but still. Surprise none the less.

Ray lightly shrugged figuring, indeed, why wouldn’t she go join him? It could only lead to possibly interesting things, even though he was completely not her type (and did Jordan honestly think she was the only one who could flirt in their family?) Besides, now that they were aware of each other, it’d be rather rude to sit off somewhere else. A rockstar, in fact, would go over. Confidently, but also cooly (however cool you could be in a steam room wearing nothing.) So Ray took a few steps forward.

When she got close enough to be right in front of him, and she saw him bite his thumb, and the way his jaw moved in that motion, and the way his neck muscles strained slightly, and the way his blue-grey eyes, lined by dark lashes already gathering droplets from the steam, glanced at her, she stopped in tracks, her heart skipping a beat.

In situations where most people found encouragement, Ray became suspicious. He was one of those obviously good-looking types, and randomly happening across a hot and rather encouraging guy was too good to be true (unless this happened all the time to rich people … Ray wasn’t sure,) and she did pass a camera crew a little earlier which she had assumed was just filming a commercial for the sauna.

Ray glanced over her shoulder, putting all these factors together, and then looked back at Parker. There was no tactful way of asking it. “Are you shooting a porno?” Or about to, she meant. This could be one of those celebrity traps – maybe this is why the resort manager called ahead. Or did being famous (or pretending to be famous) suddenly make you paranoid?

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker watched her eyes as they followed his finger to his mouth and out again, and at her question, burst into laughter, but he gave her a cheeky grin and said, "Why did you want to?" He asked her lightly, winking at her. Parker took sex very lightly, it was fun, it was a release, it was usually wonderful. He didn't care when or with whom really. His father would have a heart attack if it made it anywhere but the tabloids, but Parker was bisexual and he enjoyed his flings with men just as much with his ones with women.

In occurred to him that she'd seen the camera crew, and maybe she was the type to be adverse to the idea. He leaned back, crossing his arms behind his head, resting his skull in his hands very nonchalantly. "I'm in here avoiding the reality tv camera crew. My family is like the athlete Kardashians," Parker explained rather boredly, as if this were no big deal and didn't matter at all. He used air quotes along with the following words "'Delicate equipment' apparently." He said with a roll of his eyes. Then a wickedly happy smile crossed his face. "I bet they're dying to know whats happening in here now that i'm not alone, ha!" Parker said, taking great pleasure in their imagined annoyance.

Sweat clung to his hair and in droplets on his eyelashes, his bare chest glistening. He wasn't sure how she could really resist when he was so obviously game. "But really sweet cheeks, enough about me.."

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Ironically, the last thing Ray needed right now, as a pseudo rockstar personality, was publicity. She couldn’t even imagine the amount of trouble getting caught shooting a porno, especially if it brought to light the fact that she wasn’t really famous. Not that that was her only qualm with the suggestion – being in a porno was never exactly her preferred method of making her name known. I’ll stick to writing. she thought to herself. To his question, she merely replied, “No thank you,” mimicking the lightness in his tone, but secretly rather surprised by his forwardness.

She took a seat next to him anyway, crossing her legs. It was the most comfortable position, and Ray wanted to appear cool, but she didn’t foresee how much the towel would ride up her thighs. It was too late to alter her position, though, so Ray just thought fuck it. In a moment though, she casually tugged the towel down.

“You’re a reality TV star?” Ray said, mostly restating it to herself. She couldn’t help smiling a bit, sarcastically of course. Reality TV happened to be one of those things that Ray believed was wrong with the world, along with carbon emissions and famine. Her friends back home (by home, she meant England) would have a fit if they knew in whose company she sat in now. Ray couldn’t help but start imagining all the ways to mess with him while she listened to his explanation about camera equipment.

“I bet you have women throwing themselves at you from all angles, huh?” Ray noted lightly, for once glad that she was speaking in an accent – it was subtly more sarcastic than her normal one. She knew her expression was mildly mischievous, but it was probably ambiguous enough for Parker to be confused over whether she was flirting with him or making fun of him. Honestly, Ray wasn't entirely sure where she was going either.

Being called sweet cheeks was a bit annoying, but Ray also realized she hadn’t offered up her name yet. “It’s Ray, and no, please continue.” She insisted casually, leaning back as well, hands folded on her lap. “You seem like you could talk at length.” Despite her attempt, Ray was having a hard time outwardly hating the guy. It could possibly have something to do with the fact that he looked like a Greek god, missing only the laurel leaves and a loose toga.

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker chuckled and shrugged. "Your loss doll." He said with a grin as she sat beside him, crossing her legs, causing the towel to hike up a little around her pale, smooth, shapely legs. And in his head made a deal with himself to win her . She was hot, and it couldn't be too hard, it usually wasn't.

At her reaction he laughed, "What a joke right?" He said. "I hate it, but I make such good TV. The Main Thing about the Matthews, you should check it out sometime, see my fucked up family in action." Parker laughed again and shook his head. His family was so messed up, and he knew he was part of the system, but he didn't mind being the angry party boy.

"Women and men, but don't tell my father that," Parker teased lightly, checking his nail beds again. This warm steam was doing wonders for his skin. He probably looked like a hot adonis post shower or sex, maybe he ought to be a little less in the open.

"Ray," He said, drawing out the word and leaning an arm along the back of a ledge for the purpose. "I suppose I could, but I rather talk about you, whats a British lovely doing in Aspen?"

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Doll. That was another one. If this guy kept trying to use pet names, Ray was going to have to start hitting him upside the head every time he did so.

Making fun of him was quickly losing its appeal if he was doing it himself. Ray wasn’t sure what his motivation was – was he angsty over his life situation? Did this tortured routine usually land him easy lays? Either way, Ray had to laugh a little, throwing her head back. “Wow.” She said, looking back at the weird but beautiful boy. “That was honestly the worst self-promotion I have ever heard. Really, a career in advertising is out of the question.”

Ray was surprised with how comfortable she was starting to feel, despite it being her first time in a sauna. At first it seemed oppressive and she had a hard time breathing. But now she felt like a fish back in water. Ray puffed her cheeks and blew into the air, watching her breath move the steam. It was actually kinda cool.

The news of his bisexuality came as a bit of a surprise, considering how much he looked like a jock. After the surprise, though, Ray didn’t see it as much of a big deal. “I am sworn to secrecy.” She assured him, though, really, she didn’t even knew who his father was. “Does he know about your tattoos?” she asked mildly, glancing at his chest again.

She tried not to stare at his toned arm moving and resting on the ledge, and largely succeeded. She was too focused, anyway, on listening to him pronounce her name. Something about the way he said made it sound like he was mentally undressing her. His incredible and obvious flirting was actually really funny. “I’m here for the riveting steam room conversation, of course.” Ray replied, wondering how long she could deflect before actually annoying him. That was her thing – testing people.

Ray looked around again. “Speaking of which, how long done one usually stay in these things?”

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker chuckled lightly. It was awful self promotion, but... "Everyone love an apathetic critic, check my ratings." He said, smugly proud of himself, even if he hated the program, he was still pleased that he could make good tv without even trying--in fact he wished he could sabotage the show, but he wasn't about to become some monogamous goody goody to do it.

Parker nodded with a grin, noticing his tattoos meant her eyes had been looking just the right places. The birds under his rib cage were rather cool, if he did say so himself. "You like? I have these too." He said, flashing her his wrist. "But yeah, he knows about those. I don't have to be alone in a sauna to be shirtless." He said, looking over at her as if to say, 'well, I'm not alone anymore.' His father might even have known about his boy toys, but he hardly cared if his dad knew or not really, it wasn't going to stop him. His father would probably more mad about how it reflected on the sanctity of football.

Parker laughed, she was shifty, this Ray, never gave him a straight answer. It was both annoying and fun, sometimes he loved a good chase. "No more than a half hour, but you have to build up to it, beginners start slow." He said, shooting her a little look that suggested he had figured out she was a beginner.

Parker checked the clock on the wall and said, "I have about five minutes left myself, so why don't we relax and you can tell me more about you, since you already know a lot about me."

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Ray wasn’t that interested in what kind of ratings he had. There was no way anyone in the world would ever talk her into watching a reality TV show. Even if his tattoos were rather interesting. She raised her brows a little at the wrist tattoo – empty quotation marks were rather literary and rife with meaning, not something she expected on a jock reality TV star. Between Parker and Jordan, Ray was starting to wonder if she judged people too quickly. It was either that or he got them because they seemed cool without much meaning behind them. Or maybe it went with his tortured persona.

“Alone.” Ray repeated quietly, picking up on that one word from his explanation, although she suspected the word he wanted to her to pick up on was ‘shirtless’. “You don’t want to be alone,” she decided, looking him in the eye. Her hand reached out to lightly trace the tattoos under his rib cage. “Birds flying means freedom, which is simple enough, but you got two of them.” Ray retracted her hand. “Probably, and maybe subconsciously, because the idea of a lone bird flying, while free, is kindof sad.” She finished with a slight nod. Symbolism, as a poet, was her thing. Even if she was completely wrong, she figured her little speech would leave an impact.

She settled for being mysterious as her method of messing with him. It wasn’t like she’d likely ever see him again, and once she and Jordan found Hadley, they’d likely get out of there. So she’d be the enigma – the poetic foreign girl from the sauna, her memory as intangible and fleeting as the steam. Ray was getting a buzz from the idea – was this what actors felt? It was rather fun to pretend to be someone else.

When he implied he knew she was a novice to the sauna experience, Ray just grinned and shrugged lightly. It wasn’t really the most revealing or embarrassing thing he could’ve found out about her. And when he declared their separation was nigh, Ray took up her mysterious façade once more. “What’s the point?” she asked nonchalantly, pushing some hair out of her face. “You’ll probably never see me again, nor remember me.”

“Besides, I’m enjoying the Parker experience.” She added with a teasing smile. She figured, really, he had it in him to talk enough for the both of them.

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker listened quietly, his face flat and uninterested. She was very poetic, deep. He wished he could admit to her that he too loved to write, to explore what was known just under the surface, but he couldn't give her that sort of intimacy--that was so much more difficult than sex was. "Or maybe I just like birds," He said, raising his eyebrows. Technically, he got the tattoos when he was in college (before dropping out to play ball full time) to signify getting away from the flock of his family, even if they were never far behind. Alone wouldn't be so sad, but it would be boring. Parker liked other people too much, and since being alone led to writing, he couldn't afford to be alone, then he might actually get to change his life.

"Oh," Parker scoffed. "I'm here for the whole season, and no one stays here for a day." He said looking over at her. "Who could forget a body like yours?" He said playfully, chuckling a little to himself. But he doubted he'd forget her right away. He tended to remember interesting encounters, and so far Ray was less star struck than people often were, but she was British.

Parker liked to be straight forward, but two could play at this withholding game. "The Parker experience isn't complete without being naked, and you already turned that down."

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Ray rolled her eyes, giving him a smile as though to say “really now?” Perhaps she liked being a know-it-all too much. “If you liked birds, you’d get a specific bird. Vague shapes means symbolism, meaning there’s more to them than just what they are.” Ray had no idea why she was insisting there’s was more to him and his motivations – since when had she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt?

Ray looked away momentarily, chewing the inside of her cheek. This encounter was getting confusing.

“Maybe not a day, but I don’t see myself staying here long.” Ray admitted, looking vaguely ahead. The door was starting to look a little swirly. There was no way she’d stay for the whole season - there had to be a limit on how gullible the resort staff was. And being a reality TV star, he probably had his schedule filled. Not like he seemed the type to drop everything and hang out with one girl, even if she wanted him to, that is.

At the mention of her body, Ray looked over at Parker with a raised brow. What kind of line was that? How many people had he slept with? Some of which were probably models. How dumb did he think she was that she could be won over by such meaningless flattery? Not that Ray thought she was unattractive or anything. In fact, she knew she happened to have a nice ass. It had been mentioned before by numerous people. Still, though, of all the things he would find memorable...

Ray was looking in his eyes while thinking all that, hoping her confronting gaze would force him to reconsider his methods. Momentarily, though, she got a little distracted and glanced at his remarkably well-shaped lips that were glistening in the steam. Looking back up at him and because Ray found no greater pleasure than proving people wrong, she had to say, “Actually, I said no to being filmed.” Why was it so much fun to contradict people?

She averted her gaze from his eyes and looked past his head at the clock. “But what could you really do in four-ish minutes?”

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker curled his lips into a bemused smile. Ray was certainly trying to make more of him than met the eye, which was true of course, but Parker liked playing vain. He certainly had a streak, he was deep too of course, but only when the moment called-- which hadn't been often. he was playing a game, one that had seeped into his very being.

He chuckled, "You'd be surprised what I can do in four minutes," He said with a grin, his eyes glinting. "And I prefer to be off camera too, but as far I can tell, I haven't done anything untoward, you can leave whenever you wish." He said, raising an eyebrow back at her. Ray was free to go, he wasn't stopping her. If she found him so distasteful, she could leave. But of course, she was still here, which meant that he was still in the running and in no trouble of being accused of anything.

Parker cracked his neck, tipping his head to one side before rolling his shoulders. He hadn't really moved in a while (well since being in the sauna. He'd gone to the gym prior.) Ray still hadn't told him who she was or where he could find her and he was not one to give up without a fight, although there were many easier lays. The chase made it fun.


ooc- for your viewing pleasure

[RAYLENE NOELLE FAIRCHILD]

Ray felt a little huffy and upset when he returned her expert poetic analysis with an amused expression. Fine, you’re just a vapid jerk. Ray thought looking ahead. She caught a glimpse of her hands and noticed something off. Turning over her wrists, she tiltled her head and thought were my veins always so big?

His chuckle drew her attention back to him – there was something about that chuckle that made her look back.

At his remark regarding his skills, Ray grinned but also rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure mate. As if I haven’t heard that from a man before.” And then she was going to say something along the lines of why was it she that had to go if, hypothetically, he was inappropriate, but something more interesting struck her. She furrowed her brow and looked at him as though seeing him for the first time, “Did you just use the word “untoward”?” Most of her friends never even used that word.

Was she now acquainted with the only two jocks in Aspen with big vocabularies? Or was her entire world view wrong? What if everything she knew was a lie? Up was down, and down was up. And maybe Byron’s “Don Juan” wasn’t actually as funny as she had always believed.

And did she actually have twenty-twenty vision? Because the room was getting blurrier.

Ray found herself staring at Parker’s muscles again while he stretched. Another question came to mind: were shoulders meant to be that broad? Her heart skipped a beat again, but somehow now it was painful. It shot a pain to her head. She could hear her heart pounding in her brain like thunder, and she flinched.

[DAVID PARKER MATTHEWS]

Parker chuckled and threw up his hands as if to say 'ah, so sue me'. She probably had heard such before, but Parker was pretty sure it wasn't a lie in his case, he'd timed it with a groupie in Hawaii once. It had taken him 3 and a half minutes to get her off, but she was already warmed up. Of course Ray was probably warm from the sauna...

Her comment on his word choice tripped him up for a second. "Yeah, I did." He said flatly, looking over at her as if to say 'what did you think I was totally stupid?' Parker took a moment to look her over and noticed something was off. She looked a little ill, and maybe a bit swollen...? Something was funny, and as much as he wanted to be a jerk (as much as he usually was one), he wasn't going to let her pass out in a sauna in order to be witty or make some statement about his mental faculties.

Parker stood up, his towel slipping slightly and took Ray by the hand, helping her up. "You don't look so good, and for a hot chick that's saying something," He said, tugging her lightly toward the door. Her equilibrium was probably off too. Parker had never been a gentleman but this seemed just decent, maybe even heroic. He pushed open the sauna door and a blast of cool locker room air hit them.