| Chapter 79: Well-Deserved Rest Lauralee leaned her forearms against the cool white railing of the terrace, feeling the breeze blow her hair off of her shoulders, the sun beating down on her already tanned skin. She overlooked the crashing of the waves, people walking along the beach, the seagulls soaring across the sky. She was there with Alex and the guys as they were recording for their third album. She jumped at the chance to go, to get away from civilization for a while, and to give as much support to the guys as she could. She was by herself on this trip; the girls were either home or in New York. Laura was coming out in a few days after visiting family. She slept in, feeling Alex kiss her on her forehead as he headed to the studio. Spending the past 3 days shopping, laying on the beach, or visiting the guys at the studio, most of all she relaxed, forgetting about the world and for once concentrating on herself. She headed to the beach, ordered a strawberry margarita from the bar, lathered on some oil and basked in the sun. She observed everything around her: a family of 5 kids struggling with their beach gear, a young couple with their new wedding rings reflecting in the sunlight, some college goers having chicken fights in the surf. No one noticed her, which she found to be a blessing. She needed to be away from Elegance, as they all did, needing to figure out how to get on with their lives after their loss. She didn’t want to be Lauralee: Singer. She wanted to be Lauralee: Tourist. She took the jeep they had rented to the studio later that afternoon. She got out, waved to the security guard and went inside. Alex and Brian were going over lyrics, Kevin and Howie were at the board, and Nick was sitting on the couch. “Hey y’all,” Lauralee put her bag down on the couch. “Hey,” Alex gave her a kiss. “Enjoying yourself?” Nick asked as she took a seat next to him. “Yup,” Lauralee smiled. “Feels good to be an anonymity.” “Know what you mean,” Howie nodded. “Hear from anyone?” asked Kevin. “Called them all this morning,” Lauralee rubbed her slightly burned neck. “They’re all good and Laura is excited to come down.” “So am I,” Kevin stretched his neck. “I miss her.” “So, how’s everything going?” “OK,” Alex sat on the arm of the couch. “The demos are coming along real good. Looks like we might be able to get out a little early.” “Good, so I can have you to myself tonight,” Lauralee leaned up and kissed him. ~*~ Lauralee went outside to the terrace, looking at the infinite amount of stars and the reflection of the moon on the water. Alex came outside after he had taken a shower and leaned on her back, his arms encircling her waist. “Whatcha’ thinking about?” Lauralee shrugged her shoulders. “Work?” “No,” Lauralee smiled. “That’s your job.” “Better believe it,” he turned on the stereo. “Oh I love this song. Sing with me.” “Here?” Lauralee watched him sway to the beat. “You’re gonna let me sing alone?” Alex smirked. “It is a duet.” “OK, OK,” Lauralee smiled. She cleared her throat as she began: Tonight I celebrate my love for you It seems the natural thing to do Tonight no one’s gonna find us We’ll leave the world behind us When I make love to you Tonight I celebrate my love for you And hope that deep inside you feel it too Tonight our spirits will be climbing To a sky lit up with diamonds When I make love to you Tonight Tonight I celebrate my love for you And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through Tonight they’ll be no distance between us What I want most to do Is to get close to you Tonight Tonight I celebrate my love for you And soon this whole world will seem brand new Tonight we will both discover How friends turn into lovers When I make love to you Tonight I celebrate my love for you And that midnight sun is gonna come shining through Tonight they’ll be no distance between us What I want most to do Is to get close to you Tonight I celebrate my love for you Tonight Lauralee and Alex were startled by the applause from the beach by passing people. “They’ll be another show at 11!” Alex yelled down to their audience. ~*~ “This feels so weird,” Lauralee lay in bed. “I mean, here I thought we would be touring right now, but…” “Whoever said that life was predictable babe,” Alex turned to face her. “I know, but, I don’t know…” Lauralee shook her head. “I mean, I want to sing. I want to go back in the studio again, finish an album and go on the road. But, it’ll be… different.” “Let me ask you this,” Alex sat up. “All the time you were here, have you thought about Elegance at all?” “Yeah, I mean the girls, but… I guess we’re all afraid to get back in the swing of things.” “You girls will find your niche, just takes time.” “But what if the world forgets about us?” “Then you’ll cross that bridge if you come to it. Y’all need to focus on yourselves right now. Everyone is giving you time, you need to take full advantage of it.” They heard a soft knock at the door. “Who could that be?” Alex climbed out of bed, put on a pair of shorts and a tank top and went to the door. Lauralee sat in bed as Alex called out. “It’s Kevin Lau!” Lauralee put on her shorts and shirt and went outside. “Hey Kev.” “Hey,” Kevin put his hands in his pockets. “Am I bothering you?” “No, not at all,” Lauralee took a seat on the couch. “What’s up?” “Well, a lot actually,” Kevin leaned forward and folded his hands. “I’ve been thinking about my life lately, where I want to be.” “Kev, you’re not quitting on us are you?” Alex smirked. “No J, about settling down. I’m gonna be 29 in a few months and I think I want to maybe, you know, take the next step in my life.” Lauralee let a wide smile cross her lips. “You mean…” “Yup,” Kevin smiled. “The big M.” “Kev, that’s great,” Alex slapped his back. “If there’s one thing that I’m sure of is that I love Laura to death. I see us together for a long time. Now I know she’s not the type of girl that will be the Donna Reed: Housewife. OK, bottom line, I’m gonna propose to her.” “I’m so happy for you,” Lauralee jumped up and gave him a hug. “Congratulations bro,” Alex hugged him. “So when will you pop the question?” “When she comes down,” Kevin sat back down. “But I need some help. I gotta buy her a ring, and since you know her taste Lau, I was wondering if you would…” “I know the perfect place!” she smiled. “First thing tomorrow morning we’ll go.” “Great, I’ll pick you up,” Kevin stood up. “I better get going, got a lot to plan.” Kevin left and Lauralee smiled. “Wow, Laura engaged. I can’t believe this.” “First good news in a long time,” Alex gave her a hug. Chapter 80 Contents Chapter 78 |