Finally, the world met Rated B. This past few weeks have been a wave of publicity, photo shoots, interviews, press, shows, signings and meetings. With thanksgiving right around the corner, the label record gave us a little break to spend it with our families. Surprisingly, my own family was having a reunion for the occasion to which they have invited me. Or, at least, my aunt told me to go. But, apples...oranges.... All the same...
But now, I took a breath one more time to say the same sentence for the third time.
"Would you just say 'yes' and make this easier for me?!" As it was the third time I said it, my voice was growing on annoyance and desperation. And not to mention, on volume. Since I wanted to get a point made over the sound of the running water from my shower where Ian was.
My voice echoed in the bathroom and Ian's silence was broken by a slight chuckle. I saw myself sighing on the bathroom mirror in front of me as I was doing my make-up. Standing there, wearing his shirt and with my hair up in a bun, I chose to use other persuading words.
"Look, it's gonna suck." I started. Probably not the best words, but I was gonna get to something. "You won't know anybody there, you won't understand 95% of what they say, and you'll want to leave within five minutes of our arrival." I listed all the bad things that could and will happen. Then, my voice went down to a murmuring tone. "Hell, I will want to leave within five minutes of our arrival." By this time, the sound of the running water wasn't an obstacle to my voice anymore. "But my point is, I could use the satisfaction of looking at those people in the face and show them just how wrong they were." Those words were intended for Ian's persuading but my reflection in the mirror showed determination with that last sentence.
Just then, Ian got out of the shower wearing nothing more than a towel wrapped low around his waist and the rest of his visible body was covered with the remains of his shower.
"And I could use that too." I said making obvious visual contact with his exposed body reflected on the mirror. He looked at me and, with a smirk on his face, he ran his hand through his wet hair to pull it back from his face. I knew instantly that he did that on purpose, acknowledging me in the mirror looking at him.
"I will go." He said making his way towards me. He laid his hands on my shoulders and brought his lips down to the back of my neck, where he laid one single kiss before saying the rest of his answer. "On one condition."
He walked out of the bathroom and I saw my eyes widen in surprise.
"Is that a 'yes'?" I asked trying to hide my excitement.
"On one condition." He said this time more determinately. I cut in quickly.
"But it's a 'yes', right?" I said making my way out of the bathroom to find that he was dried and half clothed only with his pants and shoes. I had spoke in the brief pause that took him to go from one sentence to the other, but he continued nonetheless.
"I go to your family's on thanksgiving," He started making a deal as he walked towards me once more. When he was at kissing distance -no distance between us whatsoever- he pecked my lips and carried on with his deal. "If you spend my birthday with me and my family."
I put some thought into what he said. "That doesn't sound half as bad..." I said positively.
"Then you got yourself a deal." He answered. He pecked my lips again and looked around for his shirt only to realize I was wearing it. Without hesitation, he took hold of the shirt and pulled it off of me. For two seconds, all I could see was a blurred image of Ian through the fabric. When the shirt was no longer in my face, it was on Ian's. And when the shirt was resting perfectly on him, compared to how it drops on my body down to my thighs, he took a look of the state he had left me.
Now I was only wearing my underwear while he stood before me, fully clothed. He kissed my forehead and, with his lips still in contact with my skin, he spoke again.
"Now put some clothes on before I take mine off."
-x-
After we had our breakfast -the now usual plate of French toasts- we headed out from my apartment to our separate destinations. I went back to the studio while he went back to his busy life, despite how much he said this was vacation. My sensitive hearing and my photographer experience allowed me to hear camera snaps from the other side of the street as I walked to the bar. Looking wasn't necessary for me to know that the camera snapping noise came from 'hidden' paparazzi taking pictures at my direction, but I did it anyway. I just adjusted my sunglasses and looked ahead before I walked pass the bar's doors.
I greeted my aunt before I made my way back to the studio to work on some last touches for the songs. Today I had the studio all for me. Daisy, Roy and Mark were all traveling to their respective families for thanksgiving and Alex has decided to extend her stay with Paul to spend it with him as well.
I decided to make the following hour a 'writing hour' and, so far, I had written three songs. Kicking & Screaming, Something's Gotta Give and Missing You. I started recording vocals for all the songs and, for Missing You, I also recorded the guitars. That song in particular would be played with acoustic guitars so I recorded the track and started to mix it together.
An hour turned into three and I was officially lost on this four walls and the work I was doing until my phone brought me back. Three hours of absolute nothing and now it was alerting me I had gotten a text.
' If you wanna arrive to wherever it is that we're going by thanksgiving, I suggest you come back to pack. We'll leave in mine. Give your supernatural wheels a break...pun intended... Get here already. '
The text was from Ian. My eyes opened wide once I realized what time it was but I was smiling by the end of the message. Supernatural wheels... How original -sarcastically speaking- yet sweet.
On my way out, my aunt's voice called for my attention.
"Vero, will I be seeing you at Florida?" She asked.
To make obvious I didn't had time for chit-chat, I kept walking as I responded to her.
"Oh yes you will" I responded as if I knew more than I led on.
"And how 'bout your novio? Will he be going?" She asked.
"Aunt Lucy, for the last time, he is not my boyfriend. And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention this novio-nonsense during this trip." I said. My voice went down to a mid murmur. "One incessant family member is enough." I turned around right as I was opening the door. "And yes." I said. "He will be attending." I responded before closing the door behind me.
-x-
"Are you ready?" Ian's voice brought me back from wherever my mind was for the last hour. The noise of seatbelts being unlocked became louder as I realized, we already landed in Florida.
I looked at his expectant face and then my view went froward where I could only see the back of another seat. I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly as I nodded my head. My body didn't believed my deepest attempts to create confidence and my actual language spoke contrary to my physical language.
"No." I whispered. I felt my usually cold hand being wrapped in a heat wave. The wave stroke my batman ring and intertwined itself between my fingers. My mind was no longer in control of what my heart felt. At this point in my life, no matter how hard I tried to deny it, I was no longer able to control how nervous I was...
"It'll be okay. You're gonna be okay."
...But he was...