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"I think that twelve-year-olds can actually reach a pitch higher
than that of any fifteen-year-old."
"They can. What tipped you off?"
"Oh, I don't know...the fact that my ears
are still ringing?"
Amanda laughed. "That's pretty pathetic, chica, seeing as we're only halfway through the concert."
Alli
groaned. "Man, I'm starting to regret ever coming to this thing..."
"No, you're not! How could you regret coming to
see the younger Carter perform for a flock of prepubescent females?"
"Because they all seem to have mouths bigger than
Steven Tyler!"
Amanda clucked her tongue in disproval. "Now, Al, that's not fair...you know full well that NO ONE has
a mouth bigger than Steven Tyler."
"Except you?"
Amanda wagged a finger playfully. "Now, Al...quit hating. You're
just ticked off because I made sure that all of these little kiddies around us knew what kind of connections you have."
"You're
right," Alli sighed. "I'm not starting to regret coming to this thing. I'm starting to regret bringing YOU with me."
Amanda
smirked at the darkened stage. "Oh, trust me, chica, you won't be regretting that in a minute."
Alli arched an eyebrow
doubtfully in her friend's direction. "Oh? And why is that, pray tell?"
"Because I have Kleenex."
"You think
I'm actually going to need Kleenex." It was more an incredulous statement than an incredulous question.
Amanda turned
to wink. "Correction, babe: I know you're actually going to need Kleenex."
Alli rolled her eyes. "Now you've
really lost your marbles, Manda. I mean, Aaron's a good singer and all, but there's no way in hell the kid could move me to
tears with his adolescent lyrics and bubblegum crooning."
"Maybe not," Amanda agreed evasively. "But I know someone
who can."
Before Alli could ask Amanda exactly what she meant by that, a single spotlight flickered on, and a slow,
familiar piano riff began to echo out across the arena. Alli turned to Amanda in complete surprise as she recognized the chords.
"Aaron
is NOT going to sing this song..."
"You're right," Amanda chuckled. "He's not."
"Then why...?"
It was
Amanda's turn to roll her eyes at her friend's antics. With a knowing smile, she nudged Alli and pointed back at the stage
as a figure slowly began to rise out of the floor. "Just watch."
Her eyes were glued to the middle of the stage as
she recognized Nick's figure among the instruments and stage equipment. As he brought the microphone to his mouth, his eyes
scanned the front until he locked gazes with her, and she gasped when his smile bloomed beneath the spotlight.
"Oh
my God..."
Oh, I'm thinking about all our younger years
It was only
you and me
We were young and wild and free
Now, nothing can change what you mean to me
We've been down that road
before
But that's over now
You keep me coming back for more
Somehow, during the verse, he had managed to move down from the
stairwell and onto the edge of the stage until he was standing on the opposite end from Alli and Amanda. She wanted to hate
him for turning his back on her right before the chorus, but the beauty of the music was too much for her to compete with,
and the passion in his voice brought tears to her eyes. As soon as the first tear spilled over, however, her vision was blinded
by a rather annoying piece of white cotton, which she gratefully snatched from Amanda's grasp.
"I hate you," she informed
her, attempting to glare as she dried her eyes.
"Sure you do," Amanda retorted. "You love me. Maybe not as
much as you love him, but you love me."
Silently, Alli agreed.
Baby, you're all that I want
When you're lying here in my
arms
I'm finding it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And loving is all that I need
And I've found it there in your
heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
She wanted to watch the screen because she had always loved to watch
his facial expressions as he sang, but something inside her wouldn't let her turn her eyes away from the figure moving across
the stage. He hadn't come near her section yet, but she could see him clearly from where she stood, and she was mesmerized
by the grace and charisma with which he commanded the attention of his audience.
Oh, once in your life, you find someone
Who can turn your
world around
Bring you up when you're feeling down
Now, nothing can change what you mean to me
There's lots that
I can say
But just hold me now
`Cause our love will light the way
Baby, you're all that I want
When you're
lying here in my arms
I'm finding hard to believe
We're in heaven
And loving is all that I need
And I've found
it there in your heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
I've been waiting for so long
For something
to arrive
For love to come along
Now our dreams are coming true
Through the good times and the bad
I'll be standing
there by you
He continued to dance around the stage, banging his head along to
the guitar riff, and Alli couldn't help but smile through her tears. There was something so beautiful about Nick when he was
performing, and she was caught in the spell along with thousands of other girls in the arena. The way his eyes lit up with
love and the way his face contorted with each emotion was enough to fill her heart until she thought that she'd burst with
pride for her best friend. He was everything to her, even after two years, and she was more grateful than ever that she'd
finally taken the plunge on that January afternoon.
Her thoughts arrived back at the arena, however, when she noticed
Nick making his way to her side of the stage.
And, baby, you're all that I want
When I'm lying here in
my arms
I'm finding it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And loving is all that I need
And I found it there in your
heart
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
Heaven...
Whoa, oh, oh...
You're all that I want
You're
all that I need
She knew from the intense look on his face that he hadn't noticed
his slip, but she giggled nonetheless. Her words from two years before came to mind immediately, and she couldn't help but
think that Nick truly could always make her smile.
Despite the years, very little had changed, and she was just as
glad for his friendship now as she had been before.
She felt Amanda's elbow in her side, and refocused on the stage
in time to see Nick point his finger directly at her and offer the most sincere smile she'd ever seen.
And, baby, you're all that I want
When you're lying here
in my arms
I'm finding it hard to believe
We're in heaven
And loving is all that I need
And I found it there in
your hear
It isn't too hard to see
We're in heaven
Oh...
The final chords sounded, and Nick made his way back to the trapdoor
from whence he came, disappearing into the floorboards amidst screams and cries of adoration. While the teenagers around her
burst into a tearful frenzy, Alli heaved a deep breath and dried the last of her tears. She glanced nostalgically toward Amanda,
who understood the meaning behind her expression immediately.
"Oh, go on! For God's sake, Al, he's probably waiting
for you backstage by now..."
She didn't have to be told twice. Within seconds, she was sprinting for the backstage
area, dodging the teens that were scrambling to see Aaron's re-entrance. Thanks to speed and stamina, Alli had reached the
gate before Aaron's next song began. The big, burly bodyguard in front of the entrance recognized her immediately and smiled.
"Did
you enjoy your tribute, Al?"
Alli's eyes flashed warmly. "Billy, if I find out that you knew about this and didn't
tell me, I'm not going to be happy..."
He chuckled. "But you know it was better as a surprise!"
She shook her
head. "Carter is a bad influence on you, you know that?"
He nodded slowly. "But with all due respect, Miss Alli, I
believe you're probably worse."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly before ducking under his arm and into the backstage
area, calling threats over her shoulder. She was so focused on her comebacks, in fact, that she ran directly into a moving
figure behind her.
"Oh, shit. I'm sorry..."
The figure reached up and removed the towel from its head, revealing
its identity. Immediately, Alli had crushed it in a dynamic embrace.
"Oof! God, Al, it's nice to see you too..."
She
pulled away as quickly as she had lunged, smacking him in the process. "You! I can't believe you didn't tell me you were going
to do that!"
Nick's eyes twinkled in amusement as he watched her. "Why would I tell you?"
Her patented breadbox
look appeared immediately. "Because I'm your girlfriend?"
He laughed. "No, Al, that's why I wouldn't tell
you..."
Finally, she collapsed against him with a contented sigh, and he had to wrap his arms around her to keep her
from falling as she swooned.
"You sang our song..."
He chuckled heartily at the stars in her eyes. "Yeah, Al,
I sang our song."
"For me?"
He shook his head in amusement before looking at her pointedly. "Yes, for you. For
my best friend in the whole wide world."
She shook her head back at him. "That was such a sappy thing to do. You know
that, right?"
He laughed. "Yeah, I do. But I also know that you loved it."
"How do you know that?"
He
winked at her. "Because Amanda said that you would, and Amanda is NEVER wrong when it comes to you."
Alli quirked an
eyebrow skeptically. "You know, if you don't stop saying things like that, you're going to make her ego bigger than yours."
Nick's
jaw dropped in surprise. "Alli!"
Before he could reprimand her, though, she dissolved into giggles and hugged him again.
"That was so sweet! I can't believe you did that!"
His eyes twinkled mischievously as he began to tease her. "Yeah,
well, I can't believe you cried..."
She groaned. "Oh, shut up. You knew I would."
He giggled again, the high,
girlish giggle that she loved so much. "Yeah, I did."
Alli rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Dork."
"Hey!" Nick
stuck his tongue out in protest, and Alli crossed her eyes at him in retaliation. They continued to make faces at each other
until both dissolved into giggles and excused themselves for another hug.
Anyone walking by at that moment would have
commented loudly on the fact that some things never change.
Alli folded her arms across her chest in mock petulance.
"You know what else I can't believe?"
Nick tried unsuccessfully to hide his smile. "What?"
"That you waited
until the very end to sing to me! What was that about?!"
Nick shrugged, smiling knowingly. "I figured I'd save the
best for last, I guess."
"Oh, you did, did you?"
He nodded. "Yup! It makes things that much sweeter. Besides,
I figure we're pretty good at that."
Alli frowned. "Pretty good at what?"
Nick's smile widened to a broad grin.
"Saving the best for last."
Alli sucked in a breath. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, Carter, but the last constitutes
the end, and this isn't exactly the end for us."
Nick pondered the theory for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.
"Eh, true. It's probably not the best either."
Alli giggled in triumph. "So your theory is total bullshit!"
Nick
shook his head in mock seriousness. "No, follow me here. We may not be a fairy tale, and we may not be perfect, but we've
done pretty good so far."
Alli smiled. "Yeah, I'll agree with that."
"Finally!"
She laughed. "I still
don't think this is the end, though. We'll get a happy ending, but not for a bit longer."
Nick shrugged. "Probably.
All I know is that I'm happy right now, and that's enough for me."
"Me too," Alli agreed, wrapping an arm around Nick's
waist. "After all, knowing us, the best is yet to come."
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