Scream Me a Dream

“Scalding, like you like it.” Ville teased, pointing to the water and pulling his shirt over his head as Soya sat on the toilet seat staring at him.

“You are very excited about the bath, aren’t you?” She asked with a small smile, taking in his tattooed torso as she bit the corner of her lip, tilting her head to the side.

“And you are getting very excited by what you’re ogling at.” Ville smirked. “Oh, wait that’s me.”

Soya blushed and looked away. “I wasn’t getting excited.” she muttered, ignoring Ville’s chuckle and rolling her eyes. “You look ok.”

“Right.” Ville agreed. “It’s why you blushed.”

“Oh, shut up or I won’t get in.” Soya warned, looking back over at him, only to blush deeper when she realized he was taking off his pants.

“You’re very lucky I wore underwear today.” Ville said with a smirk.

“You’re doing that on purpose!” Soya accused as she felt her cheeks get warmer.

Ville looked over at her with a smile. “I enjoy watching you blush. Come on now, do you really want to get those wet?”

Soya looked down at her black yoga pants which she worn on the plane and short sleeved black shirt. “Don’t see why not.”

“Come on now Soya, you promised.” Ville said, taking her hands and pulling her up from the seat. “I’ll even help you.” He said with a smile as he played with the hem of her t-shirt.

“You are having way too much fun with this.” Soya said, not being able to help the tug of a smile on her lips.

“And you’re being way to pessimistic about it, it’s just a bath Soya.” Ville assured, before tilting his head to the side as he watched her eye the bubbled water. “What are you worried about?”

Soya shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Ville frowned at her. “You know nothing’s going to happen, right? I’m not pushing you to do anything…”

“No! No, I know that.” Soya assured, snapping her eyes to his, before biting the corner of her lip and sliding her gaze away again. “I don’t know if I trust myself with you sometimes.”

Ville blinked, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, at his silence Soya looked up before pushing at his chest when she saw the satisfied look in his eyes. “Oh!”

Ville couldn’t help but give a soft laugh before pulling her into his arms and holding onto her tightly. “Truth is Soya; I don’t know how much trust I have in myself around you either.”

Soya laughed against his chest. “Then we probably shouldn’t be in the same room together, let alone getting into a bath.”

Ville sighed, looking down at her. “Soya, I know that you’re inexperienced when it comes to sex.”

“And you have to remind me of it?” Soya groaned laying her head against his chest.

“I don’t want you to think that I want to rush things because I’m not a virgin.” Ville told her. “I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or feel like you can’t trust yourself because of it. We’ll go slow Soya. I’ve waited thirteen years, I’m sure I can wait, you know, a couple more weeks.”

Soya shoved him away with a laugh as he grinned at her. “You’re so mean.”

“Get over it and take off the shirt.”

Soya rolled her eyes, before slowly pulling the hem of her shirt up and over her head, looking over at Ville who swallowed hard. “Still going slow?” She asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Like a snail, I swear.” He said roughly, as he took in her black striped bra with the lace straps.

Biting her lip, she felt herself blush as she pushed her yoga pants down under Ville’s watchful eyes revealing her matching boy shorts. “Um…” she looked at Ville who ran his eyes up her body before settling on her eyes. “I have a hair band in my bag, do you mind getting it?” Knowing that if she turned around or walked past him, he’d get a view of her behind and realize just how little her boy shorts actually covered.

Ville shook his head. “Not at all.” He turned and went back to her room, while she stepped into the hot water, sitting in the tub and pulling her hair up quickly to avoid getting it wet as Ville walked back into the bathroom. He handed her the hair tie as he stepped in behind her and slid down, adjusting so she was sitting between his legs. He watched as she pulled her hair into a bun high on her head, leaving her neck bare.

“You have a tattoo.” Ville said in surprise.

“Yes.” Soya said slowly, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “You’ve seen it, why are you so surprised to see it again?”

Ville shook his head, as he ran his fingers over the back of her neck. “You have another one.” He looked at Impi’s name and the two hearts and couldn’t help but give a small smile.

“Oh, that one.” Soya laughed as she leaned back against Ville’s chest. “That little girl is quite convincing when she wants to be.”

“She talked you into it?” Ville asked in surprise, mostly that it had been Impi that convinced her to get it and not Rosalind.

“Mmm, when Rosalind was getting the one on her ribs touched up, Impi claimed that I should get her name, just like her mom.”

“And you went along with it.” Ville finished.

Soya shrugged. “I didn’t see anything wrong with it, and I love Impi and her name, so I thought I’d get it on my neck. Rosalind loved the idea. Plus, it’s so high on my neck that no one ever sees it unless I have my hair up.”

“And you rarely have your hair up.” He said, knowing she nearly always had it braided or loose, never up.

“It was solely for Impi, I don’t even think she remembers that I have it, I know I barely do. Only when someone points it out.”

“Makes sense; it’s a cute one, I like it.” Ville said, running his fingers over it again. “Do you have any others?”

Soya laughed. “No, just those two, though Rosalind is trying to convince me to get another one.”

“Would you want to?” he asked, his hands moving down to run down her arms, before he moved up her right ribs to trace the tattoo she had there.

Soya shrugged. “Maybe, if I knew what I wanted or where I wanted it, but because of my dancing I’m very limited on where to get a tattoo; I shouldn’t have gotten the one on my ribs, but Josef found some good cover up that we use during performances.”

“But getting another one isn’t completely out of the question?” He asked, his fingers moving across her ribs, causing her to lean back further against him.

“Not completely, no.” She admitted looking up at him. “Want to tell me about the fox?”

“The fox?” he asked with a frown, his fingers pausing as he looked down at her.

“The one that is currently my welcoming committee when I open my door. Vedrana said you swore I would like it.”

“Oh!” Ville laughed and resumed the movement of his fingers. “I had no idea that when Vedrana asked me what your style was or what was in your bedroom, she was asking me because they were furnishing this place.”

“So...” Soya urged on.

“So, I may have recalled the conversation in your bedroom when you teased me about my taxidermy habit. You said you’d wanted to get a stuffed fox in your room.” He snorted in laughter.

“Oh!” Soya said with wide eyes starting to straighten to look at Ville, only for him to wrap his arm around her waist to keep her in place against his back.

“Stay, I’m comfortable.” Ville laughed. “It was an offhand comment that I made in reference to a joke between you and me. I didn’t think she’d take it literally, I didn’t think much of it at all.”

“What did you tell them about my style?” She asked.

Ville shrugged, his left hand running down her arm, intertwining their fingers as his thumb played with the gold band she’d decided to wear on her ring finger. “That you were classy.”

Soya leaned back and kissed his chin. “You had to have said more than that.”

“Probably did, I don’t know, I have a horrible memory Soya.”

“Such a horrible liar. The red currently crawling up your neck tells me that whatever you said was embarrassing for you.”

“Or revealing.” Ville muttered, before looking at the gold band on her finger. “Why do you wear rings on your ring finger?”

“Fine, change the subject, but Vedrana and Toni love me, they’ll tell me what you said.” Soya said, grinning up at him.

“Rings, on your finger, go.” Ville said, as Soya rolled her eyes and looked at the ring she had on.

“There’s a ring that I got at my christening.” Soya said.

“Christening?” Ville frowned.

“It was in the papers, about six months after I was born; my parents did it mostly for the media’s sake than anything else as we’re not religious at all.”

“So you got a ring.” Ville started again.

Soya nodded. “I guess my grandfather on my father’s side got it for me, but it was too big for me as a baby, so my father gave it to me on my fifth birthday and I never took it off after that. As I grew, the only finger the ring would fit on was my ring finger, so all my rings go on the finger. It’s more a habit than anything else.”

“What happened to the ring?”

Soya shrugged. “It’s probably back in my jewelry box at my parents’ house, it stopped fitting my finger around twelve and after that, my father gave me another ring to replace it with.”

“So rings don’t go on any other finger?”

Soya scrunched up her nose as he removed the ring, lifting her right hand and putting it on her middle finger. “It feels weird.”

Ville chuckled. “Maybe it’s your subconscious way of saying you want to get married.”

Soya laughed as she moved the ring back to her left hand. “Doesn’t every little girl dream of getting married at some point of her life?”

“Did you?” Ville asked, slipping deeper into the warm water setting his feet on the bottom of the tub, causing his knees to pop out of the surface of bubbles.

Soya shrugged. “Sure, when I was younger.” She said, her fingers moving up his legs to his knees.

Ville grinned as he leaned his head back on the lip of the tub, closing his eyes as he felt Soya’s fingers moving on his leg. “Did you have your dress picked?”

Soya laughed, “Mmm, I wanted one of those very high collared ones, with long lace sleeves.”

“Was it tight or poofy?” Ville laughed.

“Oh, poofy,” Soya nodded with a laugh “Definitely poofy and with a long train,” Soya laughed. “I thought those were beautiful, we went to a couple of weddings that had dresses like that.”

“And now?”

“What about now?” Soya asked, turning her head to rest her cheek against his chest.

“Do you have a dress in mind now?” he asked with a laugh.

“What for?”

Ville opened his eyes as he tilted his head to look at her frown. “Why wouldn’t you?”

Soya looked up at him. “Do you have your tux picked out for your wedding?”

“No.” Ville said with his own frown.

Soya bit her lip. “Would you want to get married? I mean after being engaged, would you want to try it again?”

Ville shrugged. “Sure, if the right woman came along.”

Soya nodded, turning away and looking back at the water. “Then I hope she does.”

Ville shook his head as he tilted Soya’s head up. “Who says that woman isn’t you?”

“Who says she is?” Soya asked with wide eyes.

Ville sighed. “Soya, I’ve been waiting for this ever since you gave me your first kiss nearly fourteen years ago, I’ve been waiting for a chance to be with you.”

“Why?” Soya asked. “Why me?”

“Why not you?” Ville asked. “Why do you find it so hard to believe that I’ve been waiting for this and wanting this for so long? Especially when you’ve been waiting for the same thing.”

“Well yes, but…”

“No buts.” Ville said forcefully as he stared into her grey eyes. “I told you, when we first met, that there was something about you, that I couldn’t put my finger on, but I wanted to try. Do you remember that?”

Soya nodded slowly. “Of course.”

“In the year and a half that I got to know you, do you know that I still couldn’t figure out why the hell you had me so captivated? Why I was willing to do just about anything to see that smile that stopped my heart.”

“Ville-”

“And fuck it if I still don’t know, Soya.” Ville said with wide eyes. “I don’t know why my heart races like I’ve run a fucking marathon every time someone just mentions your name. I don’t know why I get fucking knots in my stomach just looking at you in one of my shirts, and I have no idea why you make me feel like a teenager whenever you laugh, but I do.”

Soya bit her lip as she turned around to kneel in front of him. “Do you still try to figure it out?”

“Truthfully Soya, I’m not sure if I really want to know what it is about you that has me so bewitched.”

“Bewitched, Ville!” Soya laughed wrapping her arms around his neck. “Really?”

“Very bewitched, it’s these grey eyes of yours Soya.” Ville said lifting his hand to stroke her cheek, his thumb running just underneath her eyes. “Never have I seen eyes like yours.”

Soya leaned down and kissed him. “I’m quite the unique breed.”

“Very unique.” He agreed against her lips as his grip around her waist tightened, pulling her closer, his knees trapping her body against his. She was getting better, he absently noted, she was less hesitant about kissing and less surprised when he traced her bottom lip with his tongue nearly begging for entrance. She opened her mouth willingly; this time instead of mimicking his actions she met his tongue with confidence.

He groaned when he felt her fingers run through his hair, tugging lightly at the ends, while his own hands roamed the expanse on her back, dipping lower to the hem of her boy shorts, causing her to pull away as she gasped against his neck, her breathing erratic, her hands slipping from his neck and down his chest, her fingers spanning his ribs as they breathed against each other.

“What happened to slow?” Soya asked, her breathing still ragged as his hand ran over her side and down her leg, feeling the back of her thigh, nearly groaning when he felt it clench underneath his hand.

“Went out the window the minute your tongue went into my mouth.” Ville said roughly, only to frown when he heard a chirping coming from outside the bathroom. “What the hell is that?”

Soya laughed against his neck as she started to pull away. “It’s my phone.”

“Who the hell knows you’re here?” Ville asked, tightening his grip around her waist as she moved to get out of the tub. “Don’t move.”

Soya laughed as she started to move away. “I have to get the phone Ville, it might be Josef, and I wouldn’t put it past him to come to Finland if I don’t answer.”

“No. Soya, don’t move.” Ville said urgently, causing Soya to frown at him.

“Why not?”

“Just, give me a minute.”

Soya frowned at him as he screwed his eyes shut leaning his head back against the lip of the tub. Soya gasped as she realized what had happened and clapped her hand over her mouth.

“Go ahead and laugh.”

“No, Ville.” She giggled, leaning over to kiss him lightly, only for him to groan.

“You’re making the situation worse.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Soya giggled, “Can I get out now?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, I’ll go slow.” Soya assured.

Ville rubbed his hand over his eyes as he felt himself harden at the idea of Soya getting out of the water slowly. Water dripping off of her toned golden body. “And it’s back.” He groaned.

Soya laughed. “Well what do you want me to do?! I need to answer my phone!”

“Just, go, go.” Ville said waving his hands at her.

Soya laughed as she got out, grabbing a bright yellow towel that was hanging from the rod next to the tub wrapping it around her body before leaning over and kissing Ville’s forehead. “I hear cold showers work well for this type of situation.”

“Go answer your fucking phone.”

“So mean.” Soya teased, “Especially when I’m just trying to help.” She laughed before going out to her room and frowning at the number. The area code was from Finland, but the only people that knew she was back were already in her phone.

“Hei?” she said carefully.

“Soya!” a woman squealed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were back?! I can’t believe I had to find out through the internet!”

Soya frowned as she sat carefully on the bed, not wanting to get her comforter wet. “Who is this?”

“I am hurt!” the woman cried. “All those years of giving you rides home! And I was the reason you met the sex shop boy in the first place!”

Soya gasped. “Inka!”

“Ah! So now you remember me! I can’t believe you’re back; you left without so much as a goodbye! Then Elli sent me this link of you kissing the sex shop boy in the airport here, in Helsinki! He has grown up as well! He looks so yummy! We have to do lunch Soya, you, me and Elli, I have twins now!”

“Inka, slow down.” Soya laughed, as Ville came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist, grabbing his bag from the ground and putting it on the bed as he rustled through it. “I just got back and I don’t leave for a good five months.”

“And knowing you and your track record you’d probably leave without saying goodbye.”

Soya winced, Ville had been the only person she’d said goodbye too when she’d left and even then it wasn’t nearly the goodbye either of them had wanted. She watched as he pulled out black sweatpants and a black ‘Led Zeppelin’ band tee before going back towards the bathroom.

“Save me some cold water?” Soya asked, not being able to resist teasing him.

“Horrible.” Ville laughed closing the door behind him.

“Who are you talking to? Are you listening to me?”

“I’m listening. Sorry Inka, I was talking to Ville, you know the sex shop boy, he has a name.”

“I know he has a name.” Inka said. Soya could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “Sex shop boy is just catchy.”

Soya laughed. “Oh, I remember why I loved you so much.”

“I don’t like the use of past tenses Soya, I think we should have lunch so it turns back to present. I’ll go pick you up tomorrow, where are you living? Are you living with the sex shop boy?”

“Use his name Inka!” Soya laughed. “You’ve used it before.”

“Sorry, Ville, Are you living with Ville?” Inka asked dryly.

“No, I’m not.” Soya laughed. “I’m on Huvilakatu, by…”

“I know what it’s by Soya.” Inka quickly cut her off. “I’m not the one that left, I’ve stayed in Helsinki.”

“I can already feel you’re not going to let my leaving drop.” Soya sighed.

“Of course not! Elli and I are hurt that you never told us you were leaving! But don’t worry, we’ll discuss this in length tomorrow at lunch. I’ll try to remember to bring the van; I’ve taken to driving the smart car.”

Soya laughed. “You have a smart car?!”

“Of course, but with the twins I have to take the van everywhere, the smart car is my baby. Now you have my number, call me if anything changes, if not I’ll be out of your apartment building at noon.”

“You don’t know which my apartment building is.” Soy argued.

“The internet Soya! You live in the blue ones; you’re seen walking into it behind the rock stars. Oh! The twins woke up, I’ll see you tomorrow tyttövauva.”(Baby girl)

“I hate it when you call me that.” Soya said, only to be answered by the dial tone. Soya sighed and saved Inka’s number to her phone, feeling guilty about having left her friends the way she did, only for it to be quickly replaced by excitement at the idea of reconnecting with them.

Going through her suitcase, she grabbed her black and white checkered flannel pajama pants and a black tank top that truthfully claimed that she loved music. Drying off and discarding her wet undergarments she changed into her pajamas, pulling on her slippers just as Ville came into the room, running the towel through his hair, dressed in his own pajamas.

“I find it nice that it’s not even five in the afternoon and we’ve both decided that we’re staying in the rest of the afternoon.” Ville said with a grin.

“I figure, being the hermit that you are,” Soya teased, taking the towel that he was getting ready to throw on the bed and taking it into the bathroom “You probably know a good place that delivers around here.”

“I do, do want me to call in some food?” Ville asked as he watched her hang the towels back on the rods, picking up his wet boxers from on top of the toilet seat with a roll of her eyes.

“Please, I’m hungry; I haven’t eaten since we left Pori.”

“All right,” Ville said as he followed her down the hall and into the kitchen.

“Oh, wow.” Soya whispered as she took in the kitchen.

“Linde and Mige were telling me that they replaced the old stove and refrigerator with new ones. More state of the art, the marble counters, however, were already in.”

“It’s so nice.”

“It is.” He agreed. “He also said that they got essentials in food, fruit, vegetables, water and coffee.”

“Because coffee is definitely an essential.” Soya said seriously, looking through her kitchen cabinets, grinning triumphantly when she found small clear garage bags.

“It is,” he laughed, watching as she put their wet underwear into the bag before setting it on the counter. “But they weren’t sure what else you would want so they left it pretty bare.”

“I’m fine with eating out; if anything, I’ll go grab some groceries after lunch with Inka tomorrow.”

“Is that who called?” Ville asked as he grabbed the cordless phone that was sitting on her counter.

“Yes.” Soya laughed padding towards the refrigerator and grabbing a bottle of water, offering one to Ville who accepted it, before starting to place his order at whatever restaurant he’d ended up calling.

Walking out to the living room while Ville ordered, she sat on the couch, nearly groaning when she sank into the cushions. Her friends had done an amazing job in picking out the furniture for her flat, not only did it all fit in with the style they went with, of it looking vintage with a modern feel, but it had a high comfort level which Soya appreciated.

“All right, the food should be here in about a half an hour. Tell me, does Inka still call me ‘sex shop boy’?”

Soya laughed as she lifted her feet to set them on his lap when he sat next to her. “I’ll continue to try breaking her out of it.” Soya laughed.

Vile shrugged. “I don’t mind it, so you’re going to go have lunch with her?”

Soya nodded, as she rested her head on the couch, looking towards him as his hand ran up and down her leg. “I have some things I need to do before I start working.”

“Working?” Ville asked with a smirk.

“Yes, working.” Soya laughed. “I have a meeting with Mr. Jolien next week that I have to be prepared for, but in the mean time I need to go pick up my rental car, put all my clothes away, get the boxes I sent myself from the postal office then unpack them.”

“You sent yourself boxes?” Ville asked.

“Well…yes.” Soya said with a frown. “You didn’t think I would only bring one suitcase for my five month stay did you? What was in the suitcase was for my week in Prague, and clothing and items that I would be using now, in case the boxes weren’t here by the time I arrived.”

“You came prepared.”

“I did.” Soya laughed. “My room back in New York is pretty bare; I apparently need everything and can’t live without it for five months.”

“So, how long do I have you before you immerse yourself with work?” Ville asked.

Soya shrugged. “About a week, give or take.”

“Then dinner at my tower tomorrow.” Ville said, leaning over to kiss her. “You’re going to be all over the place tomorrow and probably the rest of the week, I have a feeling I’m not going to see you at all.”

Soya ran a hand down his cheek, before kissing him lightly. “I promise I won’t forget about you.”

“Good, I hate to be forgotten.” Ville teased, before stealing another kiss.