Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 69: You Can't Go Back]

In a dimly lit bar, a jazz singer dressed in traditional attire sat on a high stool, belting out tunes into a microphone. His voice was both powerful and soulful, a rarity that seemed out of place as he sang classic funk and soul songs. It was an acquired taste.

"Do you like this kind of music?" Elizabeth Olsen asked Ryan, who had just dragged her into the bar.

Ryan sipped his beer and replied honestly, "Not really, how about you?"

Elizabeth Olsen shook her head in agreement. In truth, she didn't have any favorite music and lacked specific hobbies. Her personal life could best be described as "mundane," which left her looking for something to do.

...

As the singer, Aloe Blacc, finished his performance and prepared to leave the stage, Ryan stood up abruptly and walked towards him, leaving Elizabeth Olsen behind.

Ryan called out to the other person in the corridor.

"Do you have a pen?" he stopped and turned around to ask.

"I didn't come here for an autograph; I'm here to collaborate. Have you heard from a guy named Scooter? Or Schoolboy Records?" Ryan fired off his questions.

"Collaborate? No one has reached out to me about that recently, and who are you?" Aloe Blacc appeared taken aback.

Ryan nodded, not answering the question. It was clear now that Scooter hadn't reached out to him at all.

As Ryan turned to leave again, Aloe Blacc, still surprised, must have thought Ryan was a bit off.

...

"We should go back to the dorm," Ryan said as he returned to the table, signaling for Elizabeth Olsen to follow him out of the bar.

"Back to the dorm? Wait a second," Elizabeth Olsen responded, feeling a bit flustered.

He had just met her and already wanted to go back to her dorm? That made her uneasy.

Meanwhile, Ryan placed some cash on the table, tugging Elizabeth Olsen along as they exited, almost dragging her the entire way.

"Wait, my roommate is still there; we share a room!" Elizabeth Olsen insisted, trying to find excuses.

"So what?" Ryan shrugged, clearly unconcerned.

'You can't be serious about doing this in front of my roommate?!' That thought sent Elizabeth Olsen into a further panic.

"My period just started; it would really be inconvenient today," Elizabeth Olsen continued, forcing a smile while looking for another excuse.

"Oh, really? And why does that matter?" Ryan asked with indifference.

'This...' Elizabeth Olsen felt a bead of sweat form on her forehead. 'How unsanitary! This was just gross, right?' She felt increasingly flustered, halting in her steps.

Ryan didn't even look back at her and continued walking towards New York University.

"Maybe we should just find a hotel instead," Elizabeth Olsen muttered under her breath as she glanced down at the floor.

Finally, Ryan stopped and turned back with a surprised look. "I thought your dorm had a computer; why look for a hotel?"

...

About ten minutes later, Elizabeth Olsen pushed open the door to her dorm, with Ryan following in behind her.

Despite saying that two people shared the room, both students actually had their own private spaces. Elizabeth Olsen's dorm felt typical for a college student, though it was laid out in a more monotonous style than usual.

With her face flushed, Elizabeth Olsen turned on the computer for Ryan. Earlier on the street, she had misinterpreted his intentions, thinking he might have had something else in mind, which led her to mention "getting a room."

As she bent down to press the power button, she bumped her head getting up and knocked over a plastic cup on the table.

"I'm just so clumsy," Elizabeth Olsen laughed awkwardly, hurriedly grabbing a piece of paper to wipe up the spilled water.

"If I'm not mistaken, that's your notes, right?" Ryan reminded kindly.

Elizabeth Olsen gasped.

...

Ryan didn't linger in small talk, instead focusing on searching for information about Robin Thicke online. It turned out that Robin had worked on Usher's album Confessions years ago, the success of which had skyrocketed Usher's career during that period.

Since Robin knew Usher, and Usher had a collaboration history with Scooter, it was entirely possible for Scooter to strike some sort of partnership with Robin.

Considering how they had happened across each other at the party, their demeanor during talks, and the smooth negotiation that followed, Ryan was pretty sure he had been sold out by Scooter.

Saying "sold" felt a bit off; it was more like Scooter was simply using Ryan. So, should he turn down Robin Thicke and go back to working with Aloe Blacc?

Honestly, while both had different styles, the results wouldn't vary greatly.

Just to act as if nothing happened? Without counting Taylor, Scooter was the only reliable support he had...

After a moment of thought, Ryan decided he needed to take a different approach.

...

Once he figured all this out, Ryan glanced back at Elizabeth Olsen, who was sitting on her bed behind him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

If it were someone else, Ryan probably wouldn't have said much, but since Elizabeth Olsen was his social media assistant, he decided to share the details of his thoughts and plans.

"Your strategy is sound; you should always proceed in a way that maximizes your benefits. Even if it affects the performance of the music, don't think about giving something to anyone. That usually results in no returns, whether in business or other aspects," she said thoughtfully, a hint of melancholy in her voice.

"Got a story?" Ryan picked up on something.

"Do you have any beer?" he continued to ask.

Elizabeth Olsen considered it then stepped out of the room, returning with a few bottles of beer in hand.

As they drank, Elizabeth Olsen began to share her story, which turned out to be a typical drama of college romance -- nothing new. Ryan wasn't particularly interested, but he chose to be a good listener.

Such listeners seemed to be rare around Elizabeth Olsen, so she opened up more, starting from a past relationship to her first love, talking about her parents and her two sisters. They both wanted her to enroll at the prestigious Juilliard School for Performing Arts, while Elizabeth Olsen had no intention of stepping anywhere near Hollywood. She had long seen how that world was through her sisters and realized it wasn't a good fit for her, yet she eventually compromised.

The empty beer bottles piled up, and after finishing what was in the fridge, Elizabeth Olsen called a nearby 24-hour store for more.

"Compromise, that's the main theme of my life right now. Endless compromise. No one cares about what I think. No one has ever cared," Elizabeth Olsen said, covering her head with her hands, starting off with a bitter smile that turned into quiet sobs.

In Ryan's eyes, this crying seemed more like a tantrum. After all, her two sisters were worth hundreds of millions, and getting into Juilliard wasn't just a walk in the park; the tuition and associated expenses totaled to a massive amount. She was still a "rich girl," and in that regard, she and Taylor had a lot in common, though Elizabeth Olsen lacked Taylor's confidence and was a bit more reserved in nature.

Still, Ryan was thoughtful enough to hand her a tissue.

"Thank you. Let's not discuss this anymore; take a look at this," Elizabeth Olsen said as she opened the notebook she had used earlier to wipe up the water. It was always within reach, indicating how often she used it.

Flipping to the back, it contained densely packed notes about social media topics, with many crossed out, showing her dissatisfaction with them. The notes represented her carefully curated content that she had already published.

"You're amazing; really. Before choosing you, I looked at a ton of people, at least a hundred. You proved to be so much more capable than them, and while the world may not see your potential, I do!" Ryan didn't hold back on his praise; it was clear Elizabeth Olsen wanted him to say nice things.

Elizabeth Olsen visibly perked up, her lips curling into a smile that lit up her eyes.

"You're so nice," she replied genuinely to Ryan.

Ryan set his beer down and took hers, locking eyes with her for a full five seconds...

Under the effects of alcohol, Elizabeth Olsen's long eyelashes fluttered rapidly, her cheeks flushed, and there was a distant look in her eyes.

"The door is locked; you can't go back," Elizabeth Olsen let out a tipsy burp.

...

"Knock, knock, knock!" A loud banging on the door jolted Ryan awake, along with Elizabeth Olsen, who was nestled against him.

"Hurry up, you're going to be late! Elizabeth!" came the voice of her roommate from the hallway.

As she left, Elizabeth Olsen's roommate grumbled, "You were so loud last night; why were you shouting like that?"

'Did I?' Elizabeth Olsen's mouth dropped open as she glanced over at Ryan.

With little time to think, Elizabeth jumped up and quickly got dressed.

"Help me with this," she turned around as Ryan obliged and fastened the back of her dress.

"Make sure you give me a call when you land in Nashville," she said, closing the door behind her.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.