by Tania Sparks
We even talk about our favorite television programs and what music we listen to. It surprises me that Nikki listens to a broad range of music, not just rock. We talk and laugh about what annoys us and we discuss our thoughts on current news stories. I even find out that his favorite color is the same as mine, blue.
We chat so easily and it feels like we’ve known each other for years. Dusk starts to fall and we realize that we’ve been sitting here talking and laughing for hours. We watch the sun disappear behind the horizon and sit in awe at the dazzling display of red and golden tones that stretch across the sky. Nikki’s arm rests around my shoulders and I feel happy and contented.
“Thanks for an amazing date, I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself like this for years.”
“We didn’t really do much though did we?” He comments, then he grins and chuckles, “You’re a cheap date darlin’.”
“Mmm” I humph. “Don’t you think that you can bring me to the beach, feed me ice-cream and watch the sunset and then I’ll jump into bed with you. You might have to do a bit more work than that to get laid!”
Nikki chuckles. He cheekily raises his eyebrows in mock shock, “Really?” he asks.
I grin. “Well maybe not. I’m pretty sure you’re gonna get lucky tonight.”
He stands up and grabs my hand, pulling me to my feet, “Hell. With that in mind, I think we’ll head back home now then shall we?”
We walk back towards where his car is parked. He puts his arm around my shoulder then rumbles. “But seriously Trix, I had a lot of fun today too. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed myself so much in years either. I really loved just chillin’ with you. We should make sure we do this more often. Things get a bit chaotic in my life and I love that you feel like my sanctuary, my home. You and me feel right.”
I give him an affectionate kiss on his lips and whisper, “I agree. This feels right.”
We spend the night at Nikki’s place. We order in take-out for dinner and eat it cross-legged on his massive king size bed. We then spend the rest of the night and into the early hours of the morning totally indulging in each other. It’s going to be almost another week before we get see each other again in Oklahoma, so we make the most of our time.
The next morning we stumble out of bed and head to the airport so he can fly back to the East Coast to rejoin the tour. We give each other a passionate goodbye at the departure gate and promise to keep talking and texting until we see each other again.
I go home and jump into bed to catch a few hours sleep before my shift at the club tonight. The next week is going to be difficult. I know I’ll miss Nikki heaps and after spending a fantastic day with him in Santa Monica it feels like we’ve become really close. I can feel myself falling for him. It feels right, but also as scary as hell.
~~~
The week is busy. I’m constantly fire-fighting issues at the club and it feels like I’m either working or sleeping. I have to kick a few staff member’s asses for slacking on the job and have to employ a couple of new waitresses because we’re getting so busy.
Nikki’s busy too. Oblivion have shows scheduled every night as well as a number of radio, television and magazine interviews. The result is that we don’t get to speak or text each other as often as we would like. We only manage to catch up a couple of times and the physical distance between us feels vast.
Eventually the end of the week comes and I’m glad to be heading off to Oklahoma. I’m sitting on the plane wondering how me and Nikki will go when we see each other again. I know we both made a commitment to give this whole relationship thing a try, but we’ve been apart for a whole week and we’ve hardly even managed to catch up. I feel nervous at seeing him again and hope that he still feels the same.
Chapter 9
It’s mid-morning when I finally arrive at Oklahoma airport. I catch a taxi to the hotel then text Eve to let her know I’m here: I’ve just arrived. Can you come down and get me? The dumb-ass front desk won’t let me up.
Eve responds straight away: I’ll be down in a sec.
A walk across to the elevator and wait for Eve to arrive. After a couple of minutes I hear the ding of the elevator and the doors slide open. It’s not Eve that’s come down to get me it’s Nikki. He steps forward and holds out his arms, “C’mere” he growls. I jump into his arms and we kiss passionately, devouring each other hungrily. Hell, I’ve missed this and suddenly all my apprehension and concerns evaporate. This definitely feels right.
After a while we hear a loud “A-hum.” We break our connection and are greeted by a frowning middle aged man in a suit, he must be one of the hotel staff. “How ‘bout you move it up to your room huh folks?” he suggests politely. I giggle, Nikki grabs my bag and presses the button to re-open the elevator doors. I step inside and he slaps my bum as he follows behind.
We make our way up to the penthouse suite. I see Eve first and give her a big hug. After saying hi to all the guys we sit down and catch up with what everyone’s plans are for the next few days.
I’m sitting comfortably on Nikki’s lap. He turns to me and says, somewhat nervously, “Hey Trix, we’re going to your folks tomorrow night right?”
“Yeah, that’s right, we’ll leave here about five.”
“Well, I thought this afternoon I’d go and catch up with my folks. How ‘bout you come with me?”
“You want me to come with you to see your folks?” I ask surprised.
“Yeah, that would be cool. If that’s okay with you.” He shrugs his shoulders. Although he says it in a very nonchalant way, I can tell he really wants me to say yes.
“Okay, that sounds good.” I reply nervously. I’m not sure how I feel about meeting his folks, but I can’t exactly say no been as he’s accompanying me to my folks tomorrow.
After ordering a small feast from the room service menu we all decide to go our separate ways and visit family. After getting ready Nikki grabs my hand and we head down in the elevator. Nikki’s organized a rental car. We jump in and head off to his home town of Kingfisher.
We’re sitting chatting and listening to music on the way there. As we get closer to our destination Nikki asks, “You mind if I call into the township first and grab some flowers for my Mom?”
“Not at all,” I reply cheerfully. It’s really nice that Nikki wants to buy his Mom flowers. I remember the old saying that goes, if a guy treats his Mom well, he’ll treat his girl well too. As we pull into town, Nikki parks the car and we get out to walk to the florist.
Nikki grabs my hand and smiles warmly at me. “You’ll love my Mom. She’s a bit like you actually, all full of fire and attitude and she’s really beautiful too. Not as gorgeous as you of course,” he snickers, “ But when I was a little boy I thought she was a princess.” He laughs then continues again, “The other thing is that she’ll be able to tell straight away that you won’t take any of my shit and she’ll love you for that too. Dad will think you’re pretty cool as well.”
I bite my lip nervously as the reality hits that he’s taking me home to meet his parents. “Gosh, I really do hope they like me, it’s sort of a big deal meeting your parents. What if they don’t like how I look or what I say. I’m not exactly Pollyanna!”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, they’re both friendly, laid-back people. They don’t judge and they’re pretty used to my motley group of friends. Your blue hair and rock star attitude won’t faze them in the slightest. They’ll see you for who you really are – the most beautiful girl in the world. You watch, they’ll fall in love with you, just like…”
He doesn’t finish his sentence and the air goes so still around us I can nearly hear the crickets chirping. Did he almost say he’s fallen in love with me? Surely not, it was just a slip of the tongue.
I desperately try to think of something to say to break the awkward silence. We continue to walk along the sidewalk when I suddenly hear a shrill screech as a stunning raven haired beauty dashes up to Nikki. She jumps on him and wraps her legs around hi
m kissing him profusely all over his face. Nikki is laughing as the beautiful girl with extremely long jet black hair and sparkling emerald green eyes smothers him. “How’s my beautiful Kitty? I’ve missed you my sweetheart,” Nikki groans.
Shit this is awkward. This girl seems to be very important to Nikki and they’re very affectionate towards each other. This is obviously more than just an old hook-up, it must be an old flame, or a current one for that matter. But definitely someone that’s very important to him that’s for sure.
I feel like I’m intruding on a very special reunion so I slink off into the nearest store as I try to make myself look busy. It’s a stationery store, I wander through the shelves and displays browsing at all the boring as hell stacks of paper and office supplies. I try to distract myself by inspecting a box of colorful paperclips. I’m chanting to myself, don’t get jealous, don’t get jealous, don’t get jealous. My chants aren’t working though and I feel as jealous as fuck. Heat is rising in my face and my heart is beating frantically. After a few minutes Nikki casually strolls inside looking around for me. I duck behind a stack of photocopy paper trying to hide.
Nikki spots me and steps around to find me half crouching with my back against the stack of paper. He frowns at me, “What the hell are you doing Trixie?”
“I ummm…I needed…”
Nikki smirks at me, “What you had a sudden urge to buy pencils and post-it notes?”
I humph in frustration, “Well you sort of looked occupied with that stunning beauty. I didn’t want to get in the way.”
Nikki laughs at me, “Oh, you silly, silly girl.” He grabs my hand and pulls me out of the shop. “I have someone I want you to meet.”
I try to stop him from dragging me outside, but he’s way too strong as he pulls me towards the door. I’m protesting profusely, “What the hell, I don’t want to meet one of your girlfriends!”
Nikki chuckles and completely ignores me, continuing to tug me out of the store.
As we get to the stunning girl who’s patiently waiting on the sidewalk Nikki starts to introduce us, “Kitty, this is Trixie. Trixie’s my girlfriend. Trixie, this is Kitty…” He looks at the gorgeous girl and his face is full of admiration, “Kitty’s my little sister.”
What! Sister! Thank fuck for that! Relief flows through me. It makes sense now. She’s just as beautiful as Nikki. Then it hits me, he called me his girlfriend! That’s the first time he’s ever referred to me as that. I don’t know if I’m more shocked about this girl being his sister or about him calling me his girlfriend.
Kitty’s jumping up and down like an excited Energizer bunny! She’s clapping her hands animatedly and then suddenly embraces me in a tight hug as she chirps, “It’s so nice to meet you Trixie. Nikki never brings a girl home, and I mean like never! You must be something really special.”
Nikki responds affectionately, “Yes, my Trixie is definitely something special.”
Kitty lets go of me and grabs one of my hands. With her other hand she grabs Nikki’s hand and pulls us off down the street, swinging her arms exaggeratedly. “I can’t wait to see Mom and Dad’s faces when they see you. Why didn’t you let anyone know you were coming to visit?”
Nikki seems happy and contented with his sister skipping and jumping around excitedly between us, “Just a surprise I guess. We’re not here for long, just a fleeting visit. All the guys are here too. We’re all taking the time to visit our folks. Me and Trixie are visiting her folks tomorrow night and then we fly back out the next day to carry on with the tour.”
Kitty chatters constantly, by the time we reach the florist shop I already know all about what her and all her friends have been up to for the past few months, all the town gossip and even what she had for lunch earlier that day. She’s a real chatterbox.
We pick up the flowers from the florist and half a dozen beers for Nikki’s Dad. We jump in the car and head back to their place which is only a short drive away. Once we get there we pull in past the white picket fence onto the gravel driveway. It’s a quaint cottage with a wrap-around veranda and a plethora of flowers growing in its well-maintained garden beds. There are hanging baskets with brightly colored flowers hanging under the veranda and a welcoming swinging chair on the porch. It looks like a well-loved family home. I think it looks amazing.
Almost immediately Nikki’s Mom and Dad walk out of the front door hand in hand. They stand on the porch waiting for us to get out of the car with excited smiles on their faces. Kitty jumps out of the car first and bounces up to her parents, giving them both a big hug then she screeches, “Mama, Daddy, Nikki’s brought his girlfriend home!” Her eyes are as wide as saucers and a smile a mile wide covers her face.
“Is that so?” His Mom smiles warmly. Nikki grabs my hand and we walk up and onto the front porch. As we’re walking up Nikki’s Mom calls out happily, “This is a lovely surprise sweetheart.” Nikki shrugs his shoulders and smiles affectionately.
His Dad calls out too, “Nice to see you son.”
Once we get up close Nikki lets go of my hand and gives his Mom and Dad both a loving hug. He hands his Mom the flowers and his Dad the beers and takes a step back a bit. “Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend Trixie.” Nikki’s Dad holds out his hand which I shake, he adds a second hand and pats the back of my hand caringly. “Nice to meet you Trixie.”
His Mom quickly pulls me away and gives me a friendly hug. “Yes, it’s very nice to meet you.”
I’m a bit shocked, they’re both so welcoming and friendly. I politely say, “Ma’am, Sir, nice to meet you both.
Nikki’s Mom says with surprise, “Oh fiddlesticks, don’t call us Ma’am and Sir. Just call us Mom and Dad, everyone else does. Nikki’s friends have been calling us that for as long as we’ve known them. We’d like you to do the same.”
“Okay. Mom. Dad.” I say hesitantly nodding my head.
We make our way inside. As we pass through the house I see that there are numerous photos hung along the walls. They are all of Kitty and Nikki and their friends. It’s fascinating. I chuckle at the ones of Nikki as a small child. He’s always had those mesmerizing chocolate brown eyes and that black hair. There are some of him and the Oblivion guys as young teens, practicing in what I presume is their garage. I snicker at the photos. The guys all look so young and innocent, but you can also see their determination and even back then they were dressed like rock stars. It was such a long time ago and their careers wouldn’t have even started yet, but already they had a sparkle of specialness.
Nikki’s Mom leans into me and whispers in my ear, “You know even back then I knew they were gonna make it. They’ve always been so dedicated and talented. It’s been an interesting ride seeing them develop into the amazing band they are today.” I smile warmly at her. This is obviously a mother that is very proud and supportive.
We walk right through the house and out the back door. We sit down around the outdoor table on the back porch. Nikki’s Mom walks back into the kitchen and comes out with a big pitcher of homemade lemonade and some glasses.
“Would you like some lemonade Trixie?” she asks sweetly.
“I would love some thanks.” I reply.
“Nikki?” she asks.
“Yes thanks Mom.” Nikki replies.
Nikki’s Dad pipes up, “Nikki doesn’t want lemonade, he can have one of these beers he brought with him.” He grabs one of the beers and hands it to Nikki.
“I’ll have the beer, but I’d also like some of your homemade lemonade Mom. I can’t come home and miss out on that. Out of all the things I miss from home, your lemonade is the one thing I miss the most.”
Nikki’s Mom smiles and gives his Dad a look of, see, told you so.
Nikki’s Dad just shakes his head and smiles, “Yeah, well, your lemonade is worth coming home for.”
I take a sip of my drink, “Mmm, this is amazing. It’s the best lemonade I’ve ever tasted, you’ll have to give me the recipe.”
Nikki’s Mom grins and shakes her hea
d, “Afraid no can do sweetheart, family recipe and all.”
We all laugh and sip on our delicious drinks. We spend the next few hours chatting as Nikki gives them an update on their tour schedule and what him and the guys have all been up to.
Nikki’s Dad gets up, “Well I guess I had better get that barbecue going so we can have some dinner…”
Nikki’s Mom gets up too, “I’ll just go grab the food out of the fridge and bring it out. Nikki, how about you give me a hand?”
Nikki gets up and follows his Mom into the house. Me and Kitty chat casually while we polish off the last of the lemonade.
I excuse myself to use the bathroom. As I walk back through the house I accidentally overhear Nikki talking happily to his Mom. I hear his Mom say, “She’s a lovely girl Nikki, you need to look after that one, she’s a keeper.”
I hear Nikki cheerily say back, “I know Mom, I don’t plan on letting her go anywhere. She makes me happy and I think I make her happy too.”
I sneak back outside, inwardly smiling as I take a seat back next to Kitty.
We spend the next couple of hours cooking and eating our barbecue dinner which is casual and relaxed. The whole family are so warm and welcoming. They make me feel at home and I really enjoy myself. Nikki’s right, they’re really great people. After we’ve finished our delicious meal and everything’s been cleaned up, we head inside and sit down in their sitting room to have a drink. I take the opportunity to take another look at the photos on the way back through. I have to giggle at a couple of the ones of Nikki, he was a really cute kid. There are also pictures of the other guys from Oblivion as young boys and even some more recent ones. Kitty appears in quite a few of the photos with the band and she obviously used to hang around them a lot until they started to go off on tour. There are lots of pictures of Kitty and her friends too. This family is obviously very social and has embraced both Nikki’s and Kitty’s friends like family.
