| Chapter 34: For All Time Howie broke out into all smiles as he saw her for what it felt like the first time. She was leaning at the opposite end of the bar, sipping some champagne. He took notice of her, but she had no clue he was there. “How… when… did she arrive?” Howie stammered. “Since the party started. She’s been walking around and looking, probably for you,” Bianca hooted. Nausea hit Howie like a ton of bricks. “Oh man,” Howie leaned on his knees. “I don’t feel so good.” Elizabeth and Laura helped him up. “It’s called love, man. You can do this,” Laura reassured him. “How, by just going up to her? She’ll throw a drink in my face and then I’ll lose her for sure.” Lauralee tipped her head to the side and paused. “Did anyone ever tell you that music soothes the savage beast?” Elizabeth looked at her as if she had two heads. “Lau, what the hell are you talking about?” “Live and learn little grasshoppers,” Lauralee smiled. “Bianca, get Celia, bring her towards the stage where my family is, and Howie, stand at the other end. We’ll take care of the rest.” Howie was baffled as the girls left him, giggling and running backstage. ~*~ A few minutes later, the crowd applauded as the girls took their places onstage, this time with Kevin on the piano and Nick on the drums. “Hello everyone,” Bianca smiled to the crowd, microphone in hand. “We weren’t going to sing again tonight, but in this case, drastic times call for drastic measures.” The crowd murmured as Elizabeth stepped up. “So we asked for some help from our friends Kevin and Nick for this little venture.” “This is for two specific people out there,” Lauralee pointed to the crowd. “And one of them doesn’t know it. But, oh, you will!” “We think it’s appropriate, and as a thank you to it, I want their firstborn named after me,” Laura laughed. The crowd applauded as the piano began: You've been the first in my life Who has ever made me feel this way And I will not deny I'm gonna need you right here By my side Baby, I can wait Come and hold my hand and let me lead the way Let me take your breath away By holdin' and kissin' and lovin' and touchin' you Never will be too late See myself through your eyes Baby, I can wait Until the day I hear you say You are mine There's no other one for me Keep in mind You make my life complete And tonight We'll make love endlessly Cause you're mine You're the one that I'll keep For all time Now that you're here, boy I'm never gonna let you go Can I touch you there, or Do you mind if we kiss real slow You're my everything You're my hopes and dreams Baby, you know it ain't no lie I'm gonna be with you till the day I die Baby, I can wait Come and hold my hand and let me lead the way Let me take your breath away Holdin' and kissin' and lovin' and touchin' you Never will be too late See myself through your eyes Baby, I can wait No no, ‘til the day I hear you say You are mine There's no other one for me Keep in mind You make my life complete And tonight We'll make love endlessly Cause you're mine You're the one that I'll keep For all time You're the one that lights my fire You're the one that keeps me strong You're the one that I depend on When my world is goin' wrong You're the one that I hold closer You're the man I'm dreaming of And I really really love you I just want you to know that You are mine There's no other one for me Keep in mind You make my life complete And tonight We'll make love endlessly Cause you're mine You're the one that I'll keep For all time I can't wait till the day When I hear you say You're the one that I need You're the one that I'll keep For all time The crowd started applauding as the girls took their bows and went off the stage. As the crowd dissipated, Howie remained at the end of the stage, gathering courage to look over where Celia was supposed to be. She leaned her back to the stage, folding her hands by her face and closing her eyes. From her stance, she knew whom the song was meant for. Slowly, he walked up to her. She was oblivious to his motions, not noticing anything around her. He was within inches of her, his breath quickening in anticipation. Finally he reached over and touched her shoulder. “Celia?” Celia slowly looked up; their eyes meeting with such intensity that reading each other’s feeling was impossible. “Hi Howie.” “Hey,” Howie looked deep into her eyes again, not letting anything stop him from this moment. “Listen, can we talk?” Celia paused, letting out a small sigh. “Howie, I…” “Give me 5 minutes, that’s all I ask. Please Celia.” “Oh, alright. But, where? There’s wall to wall people here.” “Come on,” Howie extended his hand and let Celia pass him. They walked to the VIP section, which was closed off. With a quick nod to the bouncers, because they knew who he was, they stepped aside as Celia and Howie entered the room. The sound was muffled as they took a seat. “That’s better,” Howie smiled as he took a seat. Celia sat down and folded her hands in her lap. “You said you wanted to talk, go ahead.” “Celia, I know that I’m the last person you want to face right now, and believe me, I understand. But, you need to hear me out.” Howie stood up. “When Veronica died, I thought that I could never find someone who made me feel as complete as her. What we had was not just in front of the press. I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her. Whenever we were in the spotlight, and people would ask me how I was coping with her death, I would say I was getting by. The truth was I wasn’t. Everyone tried to get me out of that rut and no one could do it, that is, until I met you.” “I admit, I was scared when I met you. Because when I saw you for the first time, I felt a spark that had not been ignited in a long time. And when we were hanging out, I tried to put my feelings aside, again out of fear. But at Kev and Laura’s wedding, you were so enchanting. Celia, you dragged me into your heart.” Celia stopped him. “But when I kissed you, you ran away…” Howie turned around and knelt in front of her. “… And that was the biggest mistake of my life. I was so torn between the past, present and future.” “So, what won?” “The latter two.” Howie took her hands in his and took a deep breath. “Celia, I love you. I love the way you smile, the way you talk, the way you make me feel like a man. You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman. And I know the way I’ve acted, I don’t deserve you in my life, but I want to…” Celia hushed him by putting her hand to his lips. “Howie, you talk too much.” Celia, the tears coming down her face like a waterfall, placed her other hand against his cheek. “I had you in my heart from the very first time I met you. I love you too.” They both took a moment, letting all of the emotions and words sink in. This moment, this precious moment, was one they both knew would be etched in their hearts and memories for all time. Howie felt the moment surge in his heart, as he couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned in towards her, taking her delicate face in his hands and gently kissing her lips. When they broke from each other, they were laughing and crying at the same time. “So what are you doing for, say, the rest of your life?” Celia let out a hearty laugh and shook her head. “I don’t know, what are we doing?” Howie laughed as he took her in his arms and kissed her again. Thank you Veronica… he thought as he embraced his love again. Chapter 35 Contents Chapter 33 Soluna "For All Time" 2001 |