Cammi answered the door almost immediately when I knocked. She gave me a strange look as I followed her
into the room.
"Where did you go?" she asked, flopping down on her bed. I wanted to go and shower, to get the sex smell off of me, but I didn't want to be rude, so I sat on my own bed and crossed my legs under me.
"I got locked out of the room," I said, shrugging. "You were pretty out of it, so you didn't hear me knock."
"Did you spend the night in the hallway?" she asked, her eyes widening. "Aunt Mycki, that's awful!"
I shook my head. "No, I ended up staying with a friend," I said, trying to be as honest as possible without telling her everything. She definitely didn't need to know about Nick.
A puzzled expression crossed her freckled face. "You have a friend who stayed here?" she asked, shoving her dark blond hair out of her eyes. She reminded me so much of my sister when she did that, I couldn't help but smile.
"Just someone who was at the concert last night," I said, shrugging again. "No big deal."
Thankfully, she let it go. I watched her for a bit as she puttered around, packing her bags, dancing to the iPod that seemed to be permanently attached to at least one of her ears. She seemed so full of life, so happy, I was glad I'd made the decision to bring her to the concert. It was exactly what she needed. And, truth be told, it hadn't done me a whole lot of harm, either.
"I'm just going to jump in the shower quickly, okay?" I said when she broke out the famous 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' dance that almost made her fall over the bed. She giggled and kept moving, nodding at me to let me know she'd heard. I got up and went into the bathroom.
I didn't flinch away from the mirror this time as I stripped down and waited for the shower to be the perfect temperature. There was nothing to feel bad about. In fact, he'd given me his number, and he wanted me to use it. I pulled the paper out of my pants pocket and set it on the vanity before I tossed my sweats on the floor. I definitely didn't want to lose that paper, even though I wasn't sure whether or not I'd use it yet.
My muscles groaned at me as I stepped over the side of the tub, into the hot spray. I wasn't used to such a vigorous work-out, and I smiled at the ache in my thighs. That was a pain I would gladly endure for every ounce of pleasure Nick had given me that morning. I couldn't wipe the grin from my face as I lathered up and let my mind wander over the details. I only hoped those details would keep me warm at night until I actually got up the nerve to use that phone number.
I probably lingered in the shower longer than I should have, letting the warm water soothe my over-used muscles, but I couldn't help it. I was sleep-deprived and yet not the least bit tired, and the heat felt so good on my body, I couldn't tear myself away.
Cammi's incessant pounding on the bathroom door forced me to shut off the water much earlier than I would have liked. I quickly wrapped myself in a bathrobe from the back of the door, wound a towel around my head, and slipped Nick's phone number in my pocket before I unlocked the door and let her in.
“Sorry, I have to go!” she exclaimed as she brushed past me. I chuckled and closed the door behind me.
I took my time brushing out my hair, and picking out my clothes. Cammi finished in the bathroom, and we put her iPod on her portable docking station and rocked out to some Backstreet Boys music as we tidied the room and got ready to leave. My mood was considerably lighter than I'd thought it would be, so when Cammi asked if we could see if the group had left yet, I didn't dissuade her. Besides, I was pretty sure they'd left already, give how rushed Nick had been.
We gathered our luggage together and took it to the car, then came back inside to get some breakfast at the hotel restaurant before we officially checked out of our room. There were no crowds in the lobby, and when Cammi asked the front desk clerk if the group had left, the woman told her they had.
“It's okay, honey,” I said, hating the disappointed look on her face. “They probably have a really busy schedule to keep up. We'll catch them next time, okay?”
She tried her best to smile, but she was still pretty down about it. I led her into the restaurant and ordered her the biggest stack of pancakes we could get. She finally grinned as the server brought us a plate heaped with at least ten pancakes. Her earlier disappointment seemed forgotten.
After breakfast, we checked out of the room. Cammi sat in one of the chairs spread through the lobby as I handled the bill. When I signed my name to the room receipt, the clerk handed me an envelope.
“What's this?” I asked, taking it warily. I was hoping it wasn't another bill or something, as I really couldn't afford this hotel myself, and I didn't want to add to Tanya's already-substantial total.
“A gentlemen dropped it at the desk for you this morning,” the clerk informed me, a bit more excitement in her voice than I would have thought necessary. “You're Myckaila Jordan, right?”
I nodded and looked down at the envelope, my stomach twisting wildly. It could only be from one person, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what was inside.
“Thanks,” I muttered, grabbing my purse off the counter and shoving the envelope into it. I didn't need Cammi asking any questions.
“Ready to go?” Cammi asked, standing as I approached her.
“I'm just going to use the bathroom really quickly before we leave,” I said. “Sit tight, okay?”
“Sure,” she said, plopping back down on her chair, her iPod already in her hand.
“I'll be two minutes,” I said, turning and heading toward the ladies' washroom on the other side of the lobby.
I hurried into the bathroom and locked myself into a stall, though the room was empty. I pulled the envelope from my purse and stared at it for a second before sliding a finger down the side to open it.
“Mickey,” it read, and I tried not to grimace at the spelling of my name. “I had a great time last night and this morning, and I'd like to see you again. Please bring your niece to tonight's show, on me. I'll be looking for you. Nick.”
Two concert tickets for the show that night dropped into my hand as I unfolded the paper all the way. They were front row seats.
I squeezed my eyes shut and tried not to scream. This was the last thing I needed. How the hell was I going to explain this to Cammi, let alone my sister? The show wasn't too far away from where we lived, so it wouldn't be impossible to do, and seeing that it was a Saturday, Cammi didn't have school the next day. I just couldn't rationalize a reason not to go. Besides, I wanted to see him again way too much.
I tucked the note and the tickets in my purse and headed back to Cammi.
“I'm just going to call your mom, then we can go,” I said as she looked up from her iPod. She nodded and I moved a bit away from her so she wouldn't hear the conversation, just in case Tanya said the second concert was out.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled my cell phone out of my purse and dialed my sister.
“Did you have fun?” Tanya asked as soon as she answered.
I smiled, though she couldn't see me. 'Fun' didn't begin to describe the time I'd had.
“Yeah, I think Cammi really enjoyed herself,” I said noncommittally. “That's actually why I called.” I took a deep breath. “I entered a draw here at the hotel for tickets to tonight's show, and I actually won the damn things.” I tried to sound shocked. “It's not far from home, so I was wondering if I could take Cammi. They're front row seats.”
Tanya chuckled. “I don't see why not,” she said, and I could almost hear her smile through the phone. “She'll freak.”
“I haven't told her yet,” I said. “I didn't want to get her hopes up, just in case there was a problem with it.” I couldn't believe how easily she'd bought my lame story. Part of me was actually hoping for a refusal, just so I could avoid looking really pathetic by showing up at Nick's beckon call. I couldn't deny that I was thrilled with her answer, though.
I spent a few minutes giving Tanya the details, and promising I'd make sure Cammi took her medication on time, even though the kid had that schedule down cold herself, before I hung up and went to give my niece the good news.
“Hey kiddo,” I said as I approached Cammi. I was trying to be casual, but I couldn't keep the grin off my face. “What would you say if I told you we could go to another Backstreet Boys show tonight?”
She smiled and shook her head. “That would be awesome, for sure,” she said, her smile almost bittersweet. “But that show is sold out. Mom tried to get tickets before.”
I reached into my purse and pulled out the tickets. “Your aunt is a very lucky lady,” I said, fanning myself with the tickets. “I won a contest here at the hotel, so we now have front row seats.” I handed her the tickets.
Her eyes went really wide as she took the tickets from my hand. She stared at them as though they were made of gold.
“I already cleared it with you mom, honey,” I said, grinning at her expression. “You think you can put up with your boring old aunt for one more evening?”
She jumped up and threw her arms around me, practically squealing with excitement. “Thank you, Aunt Mycki!” she cried, almost crushing my windpipe with her enthusiasm. “This is so awesome!”
I hugged her back gently. “Okay, kiddo, let's head home,” I said, picking up my bag from the floor at her feet. I hoisted hers in my other hand. “We'll drop off our stuff, see your mom for a bit, then head out for the show. Sound good?”
Her grin looked painful, it was so big. She nodded and squealed again as we headed for the doors. My stomach churned in anticipation as I relived every second I'd had with Nick that morning, and couldn't help but imagine what the night held in store. I fought to keep the skip from my step as we headed to the car. It was going to be a very fun night.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the delay in updates! I'm hoping they will be more frequent from now on! Also, this is just a short one, it's kind of a transitory chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
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