Chapter 24
Author’s
note: Just go ahead an pull out the crackers, wine and fruit. This is
incredibly cheesy. Ahhhh, the power of cheese.
Ciara squeezed Howie one more time and
broke from the hug. “You’re sure he’s gonna be okay with this?”
“Yeah,
he will. Thanks for agreeing to do it. The crowd should like it too, especially
if it goes in a funny direction.”
“Alright.
I’ll trust you on this…don’t let me down, now!”
Howie
laughed and patted her back. “I won’t. It’s up to Nick now anyway, not me.”
“Oh,
that gives me a lot of confidence.” She chuckled and made her way out of the
bar hoping Howie was right. This could go very well. Or be a major bomb.
She
walked back to her cabin trying to ignore the whispers and points she noticed
from other passengers. For the most part, everyone had been very nice and
accepting of her presence on Nick’s arm. Now, the internet community would be a
different ballgame and she was curious as to the chat going on there. There was
an Internet Café on board and she’d seen fans go in regularly. She figured this
was a time to let them be…let them talk. Maybe she’d finally swear herself off
of it now, now that she was so close to the picture. Ignorance could be bliss.
“Nick,
you in here?” She quickly scanned the room, not seeing any sign of him. “Where
in the world…oh my…”
He
was out on the balcony, leaning his elbows on the railing. His hair was blowing
softly in the breeze as the ship sailed from it’s last stop in
She
tossed her purse on the bed and just stood watching him. He was deep in thought
about something, that was to be sure…but what? Eh, sometimes a man’s thoughts
should remain with him. She decided to start packing things up for their
departure tomorrow…let him think some more alone.
As
she tossed the last of his shirts into his bag, she made her way outside. She
was going to miss this…the quiet, lack of obligations, constant vacation
atmosphere. Who wouldn’t? But, reality called. Sliding the glass door open, she
softly broke his reverie.
“Hey…”
She slid her arms around his waist, laying her head on his back.
“Hey,
where have you been?” He slowly spun around to face her, leaning down for a
soft kiss.
“I’ve
been packing for a bit…took the scenic route back from lunch.”
“I
don’t wanna leave.” He leaned against the rail and spread his legs a bit,
pulling her into their favorite talking position. He’d brush hair from her face
or toy with her hands or rub her arms as they talked. Comfort. It just exuded
total comfort.
“Me
either. But, hey…we end with Karaoke tonight, baby! Bust outta here with a
bang!”
“God.
Do I HAVE to do this?”
“Yes,
you do. Your fans await your tremendous skills.”
“Ah,
that’s what they are, huh? I suck at Karaoke.”
“What?
You make your living doing Karaoke. Same damned arrangements every night, half
of your shit’s DAT’s anyway.”
“Yeah,
yeah…but those are OUR songs. I never know what’s picked and feel like an
idiot.”
“Well,
you’re a sweet idiot. They’ll be kind to you.”
“Am
I gonna see YOU up there making a fool of yourself?”
“ME?
Oh hell no…I don’t believe in Karaoke.” She lightly smacked his tummy and
started into the cabin. She was stopped when he pulled her hand and led her
back to him.
“You
are gonna get up there tonight.”
“No,
Nick, I’m not. And I wanna go inside.”
He
reluctantly led her in their cabin but continued to grumble about her refusal
to sing Karaoke. “Come on…you have a great voice, you’ve performed a little
before…you’ll be great!”
“Why
are you so hell bent to get me up there?”
He
blushed. Damn him. He wasn’t supposed to do that. “So I’m not the only idiot.”
“Oh,
nice, Carter. Real nice. Come on, big guy. I need a nap…care to join me?”
“Yeah,
can I uh…exhaust you a little first?”
”That’s
what I was counting on!”
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
“Alright
ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for our final portion of our contest tonight.
Nick, I think that means you…come on up here.”
Ciara patted his back and he made his way
to the front of the lounge. No one there would ever guess that he’d been
dreading this all day. Purely professional, all the way. Big smile, slap on the
back to Howie, slight hug for Pollyanna who was MC-ing the event…picture
perfect.
And
the night HAD been pretty fun thus far. Typical Karaoke garbage. Old songs sung
by half-wits who had a thimbleful of talent but a barrelful of heart. One guy
even decided to add a strip show to his performance. All 300 pounds of him. The
last part was for duets, half of which would be Nick and they had set up a cute
little contest to go along with it. Winner got a nice BSB/Lupus basket signed
by Howie and Nick, hugs, kisses and pictures. Nothing major, but it was still
coveted.
“Here’s
how this is going to work. Everyone tonight has a number and Howie is going to
pick one from the basket here and that person will be your partner for the
song. They’ll come up, spin this wheel and you have to sing what’s under the
sign. We have 80’s tunes, 90’s tunes, ballads, pure rock ‘n roll…you see them
all here. You’ll get a few moments with your partner to divide parts and stuff
and then you’re on. Six categories, six contestants so you don’t repeat any
style. Audience vote decides who your perfect match is.”
“Okay,
I’m ready.” Nick rubbed his hands together, looking around the room flirting
with his eyes. “Hit me, Howie…who’s the first vict-…uh,
contestant?”
Howie
read the first number and a young girl from the back of the room squealed and
jumped up. Nick offered her a huge smile as she made her way forward, stealing
a hug from Howie before reaching Nick.
She
spun the wheel and it landed on 90’s music…not too bad. “Please, no
Backstreet!”
Pollyanna
pulled the cover off the wedge. “Free Fallin’ by Tom Petty!”
Nick
looked to his partner with a hopeful gaze. “You know this one?”
She
shrugged shyly. “Sorta.”
“Okay,
let’s get busy then.” Nick pulled her to the side where a monitor was set up
with the lyrics and they quietly hummed through a bit, dividing verses, picking
harmonies which Nick took of course, while Pollyanna gave a PSA for the
foundation. Once ready, Nick cued the DJ and they started.
Okay,
so they sucked. She sucked. Nick held up okay. But it was fun and the girl had
the time of her life. As did contestants two through 5. None of them were
great, all were adorable and Nick was a trooper.
“Laaaaaaast contestant, Nick. Can you manage one more?”
“I’m
good to go. Let’s do this.”
Howie
read the final number and Nick looked up to the crowd somewhat shocked at the
lack of audible reaction. But the look of shock bled to one of…shock…with a
smile…when he saw Ciara slowly get up and make her
way to the front of the room.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
Ciara winked at Howie and took her place
next to Nick refusing to look him in the eye. Nick, however, couldn’t take his
eyes off of her. She never ceased to amaze him. All teasing aside, he never
imagined her to come up front and do this. It just wasn’t her style anymore.
Sang in church in high school and then never again…now this? This ought to be
good.
“Okay,
you guys…only one wedge left on the wheel. Ballads. Nick, why don’t you take
off the cover there…’I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain!”
The
look of panic on Nick’s face brought the crowd to an uproar. He glanced over at
Ciara who simply mouthed “You don’t KNOW this?” to
him.
“I
don’t THINK so…oh god.” Everyone in the room was giggling except Nick. Ciara was even getting a good laugh out of it although this
could point to their plan being a bomb instead of a good time.
“Well,
obviously you two will need a few minutes…we’ll, uh…just keep the crowd happy
while you work it out.”
“Gee,
thanks, D.” Nick pulled Ciara to the side by the
monitor and whispered, “Did you plan this?”
“NO,
no…not the song. That was total chance.”
“You’re
a set up for the contest though?”
“Yeah…but
if we win I’ll give the basket to second place. Howie just thought it’d be
cute.”
“Oh
real cute. God, okay. You know this thing? I can learn fast.”
“Yeah,
you might too.” She sang a few bars of the chorus and he did recognize it. A
little. Surely not enough to do it in front of a few hundred people, but…that
wasn’t optional now was it?
They
quickly assigned lines of the chorus and verses and Ciara
assured him she’d do the harmony on the chorus since she knew the tune. Neither
really paid attention to the lyrics or anything else…that’d be fed to them
through the monitor. Who cared at this point?
“You
two almost ready? Can’t give extra time just because you don’t know it now!”
Nick
looked up from their pow-wow and glared at Howie. He had this planned all
along…humiliate Blondie before jumping ship. Asshole. “Alright, D…we’re ready.”
Cue
to the DJ and the song began.
Nick
pulled her in close and Ciara looked up at him
questioningly. “Well, it’s a love song isn’t it? Gotta give the right emotion
here.”
“Hush
up…you’re on…”
“Oh,
yeah…” He looked down at the monitor and started singing. Bastard. He did it
perfectly.
The strands
in your eyes that color them wonderful
Stop me and steal my breath
Word recognition immediately hit home. The strands in her
eyes…they’d always stopped him in his tracks.
Emeralds
from mountains thrust towards the sky
Never revealing their depth
Nope…never. There was always something she kept hidden from him.
Always. Slowly, the audience disappeared and Nick couldn’t take his eyes off of
his partner. He was singing TO her. Screw the silly contest.
Tell me
that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Instead of the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Ah yes, those things…gallows of heartache. They’d both had their
share and somehow she never had let go of hers. Maybe now it was time.
He
took a deep breath and started the chorus…still unfamiliar with the coming
words.
I'll be
your cryin' shoulder
Now it was her turn. He always loved her voice.
I'll be
love’s suicide
Suddenly they looked at the lyrics. These next two lines were
written for them. Nick first:
I'll be
better when I'm older
Yeah, he would be…and he already was…Ciara
got it too and was in complete oblivion to the couple hundred eyes watching
their every move. This was a love song; a love moment. No one else mattered. Ciara’s line:
I'll be the
greatest fan of your life
Ciara continued
with the next verse. She knew this by heart and knew Nick’s memorization
skills…he had the chorus under his belt already. She took his hands and turned
toward him, again forgetting the presence of anyone else in the room…almost.
Rain falls
angry on the tin roof
As we lie awake in my bed
Heheh…yeah,
there WAS a crowd wasn’t there? That’d explain the blush that just washed over
her face. Felt like the audience just walked into their bedroom. Eek. To hell
with them; these next lines were her favorite.
You're my
survival, you're my living proof
My love is alive and not dead
She almost didn’t get that out…but she had to. The song wouldn’t
stop for her. As she sang though, it occurred to her that her love was no
longer dead now was it? And it was because of Nick…
Tell me
that we belong together
Dress it up with the trappings of love
I'll be captivated, I'll hang from your lips
Dear God, those lips of his…
Instead of
the gallows of heartache that hang from above
Now they had it…the song, the lyrics, the emotion. The crowd
probably figured they were just putting on a great show, but the truth was,
they were in their own world. A true turning point. And as usual in Nick’s
life…it wasn’t private like it should be. But, right now he didn’t care. Ciara added some harmony to Nick’s lines and he could barely
contain the smile jumping from his heart.
I'll be
your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
Bridge time…Ciara took it. And she knew
these words in a way even the song’s author probably didn’t understand.
Oh, I've
dropped out, burned up,
I’ve fought my way back from the dead
Now for Nick:
Tuned in,
turned on, remembered the things you said
And they brought the song home. Finally turning away from each
other and playing to the crowd. Ciara continued with
harmony, Nick adlibbed his heart out and the crowd sat silent in amazement of
what had just happened right before their eyes. Any thoughts of doubt about
“this chick” with Nick were cast aside as they saw the love in his eyes. The
love in hers.
I'll be
your cryin' shoulder
I'll be love suicide
I'll be better when I'm older
I'll be the greatest fan of your life
As the final line repeated, they turned to one another again,
shutting out the room. Ciara gently touched his cheek
as she sang the final line.
The
greatest fan of your life.**
Silence. No applause. Nothing. For a second. Finally Howie stood
and began the applause knowing that when Nick and Ciara
snapped out of their trance they’d be embarrassed to have all these eyes on
their obviously very private moment. Nick blinked and looked up to Howie,
motioning that he and Ciara were leaving. Howie
couldn’t argue with the man.
“Alright,
ladies and gentlemen! That was a wonderful…uh…performance. Nick and Ciara had to uh…yeah, let’s put up a vote for the five
other contestants, please. By audience applause.”
*****~~~~~~******~~~~~~
Without
a word, Nick led Ciara out into the hall. They
quickly walked as far from the lounge as possible without completely making it
to the elevator. Unable to take it anymore, and no longer caring “what people
might think,” Nick pushed her against the wall and passionately took her in a
deep, sensual kiss.
She
didn’t fight him, she just relaxed against the wall wishing the world would go
away so they could share their passions right there in the hall. It had to be
what? Three? Four MILES to their room?
Gasping
for air, he pulled back, looking deep into her eyes. “What the HELL just
happened in there?”
“I
was hoping you’d tell me…I have no idea.” She nervously ran a hand through her
hair, looking up and down the hall. For what? Who knew…but she couldn’t look at
him. She was suddenly feeling too vulnerable.
“And
I don’t care…come on.” He pulled her by the hand and almost jogged to the
elevators. Punching the numbers furiously hoping to get the thing to move more
quickly, he leaned back against the corner when the doors finally shut. “Come
here.”
She
came to him, nestling in the spot between his legs again and finally met his
eyes. “You promise me you didn’t plan that out? None of it was an act?”
“None
of it, Nick. I swear. I agreed to sing with you because Howie begs like a
damned homeless dog. But that song? What happened? No way would I have agreed
to that. It was too…too…”
“Personal.”
“Yeah.
And…I’ve never thought of that song that way before and…” He silenced her with
another kiss, which was rudely interrupted by the dinging of the elevator bell,
allowing a few more passengers in. Ciara stepped to
Nick’s side, holding his hand for dear life. Fortunately, the couple that got
on the elevator was quite a bit older. To them, they had just joined a young
couple in love, no more.
Finally
reaching their floor, they excused themselves past the intruders and quickly
made their way to their cabin.
He
shut the door behind her as she entered and immediately pressed her back
against it with another breathless kiss. Their tongues danced as though they’d
just met and their hands traveled all over each other wanting to feel
everything. They wanted to talk, yet they wanted to just engulf themselves in
one another.
Finally
Nick pulled back from the kiss and started fumbling for words. He sucked at
this. He really did. But he had to say SOMEthing to
work through the emotions he felt during that silly song.
Taking
her hand in his, he guided her to the couch and sat down, pulling her on his
lap. His fingers played with hers as he tried to come up with something to say
that didn’t sound stupid or trite or…god forbid, so far over the edge that it’d
push her away. Good thing was, she couldn’t go far. The boat was only so big.
But tomorrow? Tomorrow the cruise ended and she could run. He couldn’t bear the
thought.
“Ciara…”
“Nick,
don’t feel like we have to talk this through. I don’t even know what to…”
He
put his finger to her lips. “Please, let me try. I just…I have to do this.”
“Okay…”
“I
don’t know what all of that meant in there and I sure as hell wish it hadn’t
happened in front of a ton of people, but…”
“Yeah,
no kidding…”
“Well,
I guess I just have one question to ask.”
“Hit
me.”
He
stopped fumbling, stopped his heavy breathing and just took her in. With a deep
breath, he finally asked, “Can I come in now? I mean, totally and completely.
Did you finally just…can I come in?”
She
just sat and looked at him. Her eyes slowly scanned over his whole face…the
wisps of hair falling over his eyebrows, the blush on his cheeks from nerves,
the glow of the faint light in the room reflecting in his eyes and bouncing
from his earrings. And his mouth. Slightly open, waiting, wondering, inviting.
She leaned in and brushed her lips to his, not being able to deny an
invitation. Pulling back, his expression hadn’t changed. He wanted an answer
and was obviously going to wait to get one. Here goes nothing.
“Nick.
I have a secret.”
“Tell
me…I hate secrets.”
“You’ve
always been in here. From the day I first met you and you were just a cute
little boy who made me a peanut butter sandwich. I just…I kept the blinds shut
I guess to protect myself, but…”
“Always?
You mean I’ve been working my ass off these last few months for nothing?”
“Working?
Me? I’m work?” She smiled at him knowing full well the answer to that question.
Hell yes, she was work.
“You
know what I mean…I mean…since when? ALWAYS?”
“Always.
I mean, it obviously changed over the years, but yeah…only you could get in. I
never knew why. Maybe because you snuck in before I closed off…or because
you’ve never hurt me...I don’t know, but from the first time you smiled at me,
you took residence in my heart and…”
“Always?”
She
chuckled at him…he could be so innocent and so sexy all in the same breath. Dammit. “Always, Nick. But now…now that you know my
secret…”
“Yeah,
Ci. Now what?”
“Now,
just make love to me. Like you never have before, Nick. Make love to
me.”
A
smile was his final word as he lifted her from his lap and carried her to the
bed. Making love to her? To Ciara? Now that
was easy.
******~~~~~~******~~~~~~
“Good
morning, Baby.” Nick leaned down and kissed Ciara’s
forehead…possibly the one spot he’d missed the night before. Then again,
probably not. He didn’t think any flesh went untouched.
“Mmmm…’morning.”
She slowly sat up and stretched, moaning at the aches and pains that greeted
her every morning. “We have to leave this place today, huh?”
“Yeah,
we do…but I’m kind of excited to get back home.”
“You
are? Why?”
“Because…you’ll
be there.”
“I’ve
always been in
“Okay,
but now you’re here,” he said pointing to his chest. “And not just in my
hopeful imagination, but I know it now. Home seems better now.”
“Ah…yeah,
well…that does make a difference, doesn’t it?”
“It
does to me.”
“Okay,
then…let’s go home.”
***
