"How did I go from backstage to ON stage?" I asked. Cook and Michael laughed, and so did some of the others in the group who'd been listening. David squeezed my hand.
"Don't worry about it. You'll be fantastic." David told me. I knew I'd have to trust him, but it'd be hard.
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"What are we going to sing?" I asked again.
"I think 'Angels' would sound nice." Carly said, and David and I turned to face her.
"I think so too!" Ramiele agreed.
"'Angels' it is." Cook said, finalizing the decision. David looked at me.
"Is that OK?" he asked. I could tell he liked the idea. I nodded in response.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm stuffed." Cook announced, patting his stomach and pushing away his empty plate. Everyone nodded in agreement. As if he'd been listening, the waiter came by.
"Saved any room for dessert?" he asked. We looked around but shook our heads.
"No thanks - I think we're good." Cook said, smiling. "We're ready for the check if you have it." he said.
"Don't worry about it. It's been taken care of." The waiter said as he took some plates off of the table. Cook looked surprised but then smiled.
"Thank you." he said. Everyone started scooting out of the booth and we smiled at the workers as we walked back outside. David took my hand after holding open the door for everyone, and we walked down the street. "How about we just go back to the hotel and relax by the pool?" Cook asked.
"That sounds great." I said. David smiled.
"Yeah." he agreed. We walked back towards the hotel, everyone chatting among their pairs with the people they came with. When we got back, we all headed up to our rooms. "You can change first." David said, pointing to the bathroom. He headed towards his suitcase to find his bathing suit. I walked over to mine and got out a blue two piece, which had a long top that was long enough to be a one piece. I walked into the bathroom and shut the door. I changed and came out to see David sitting on the couch. He got up and smiled at me as he walked by into the bathroom. He came out a few minutes later, wearing a shirt and long shorts. The phone rang and I picked it up.
"Hey David." I said into the phone, after hearing Cook's voice. "OK. We'll be there soon." I replied and hung up.
"Are they down there already?" David asked me. I nodded. "Dang they're fast." he said, shaking his head as he laid his other clothes over his closed suitcase. He took my hand and we walked out into the hallway where doors to other rooms were. Before I knew it we were out by the pool, watching Cook do a cannonball off the diving board, making a huge splash. I decided to take the pool stairs instead, and David followed me. We swam a little until we found a shaded area of the pool to avoid some of the L.A. heat.
"The water's really warm." I said, for lack of anything better to say. David nodded. He seemed upset at something.
"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked around to see if anyone was nearby.
"The whole thing with my dad, I guess..." he said, splashing a little water with his hand. I walked across the shallow pool floor over to him, and took his hand.
"He can't do anything to you while we're here. At least while I'M here - I won't let him do anything." I promised him. He smiled weakly, mouthing the word "thanks" in silence.
"I guess you're right. But it's just scary, you know?" he said, with obvious fear in his eyes. I felt so bad for him - I reached over and gave him a tight hug. He smiled when I pulled away. "Thanks. I needed that." he said.
"No problem - hugs I can help with." I said, giving my best grin.
"Hey guys!" Cook said, swimming over to us. "What's up?" He hit David lightly on the arm with his fist. "You've got to be the only guy I know who swims with a shirt on." he said, making David's cheeks turn pink. "How are you likin' things here so far, Lillie?" he asked, turning to me.
"Great. It's been fun so far. Everyone seems nice and you all seem really close."
"Good, good. Well, I know you've got a great guy here. I hope things work out for you both." he said, grinning. I smiled back.
"Thanks." David said, smiling. Cook swam away, waving at us as he went. I thought for a moment.
"He doesn't know, does he?" I asked David. He shook his head when he realized I was talking about his dad.
"No... I figured I shouldn't even bother him with it, you know? I don't know if he'd keep it to himself. You're the only one I can really trust with this. I mean, Cook's an awesome guy, but you never know...." he said.
"I'm really sorry. You shouldn't have to be going through this." I said, frowning slightly. David shook his head.
"It's OK. Things could be worse." he said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You find the good in everything, don't you?" I said smiling. "I wish I could see things that way."
"It's not good to focus on the negative side."
"You're right... as usual." I said, lightly nudging him on the arm. He smiled and we swam around the pool for a few minutes.
"We're gonna go for a little while." David told the group and took my hand, leading me out of the pool.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"For a walk." he replied, taking me back to the room. "We can get dressed first so we're not soaking wet." he said with a laugh. I walked into the bathroom and he went into his bedroom, and we both came out a few moments later.
"I thought you wanted to hang out with the group." I said, slightly surprised.
"Yeah, but I mean, I've seen them every day for months. I haven't seen you in a while." he said, smiling. I smiled back, feeling special. "Follow me." he said, and we left the room. Once we were back downstairs and out of the hotel building, David took my hand again. "I thought maybe I could show you around for a little while. Just spend some time together." he said. I listened as he led me around, showing me different locations. I smiled at his enthusiasm. "What do you think?" he asked after our tour and we were back at the hotel.
"It's great." I said, and he smiled. "You're a wonderful tour guide." I finished, and his cheeks turned slightly pink.
"I figured you should get to know the city before you have to leave it." he said with a laugh. We spent the rest of the daytime walking around, and talking about different things. When we were back in our hotel room, it was already 9:45 p.m.
"We stayed out pretty late." I said, noticing the time when we walked in.
"Yeah." he agreed. "Time flies when you're having fun."
"It sure does...." I replied, feeling tired from the flight. I heard David yawning and I laughed. He gave me a puzzled look.
"We're both about to collapse from tiredness." I said, and he smiled at me, nodding.
"Goodnight." I said, heading towards my bedroom.
"Wait." he said, and I turned around. He gave me a hug and when we pulled away, he kissed my forehead, leaving me slightly lightheaded. "Thanks. For everything. For listening when I needed someone to be there." he said with a smile. I smiled back.
"No problem. Anytime." I said. He turned and walked lazily into his bedroom, and I walked into mine. I felt so relieved to have a comfortable bed to come back to, and I fell asleep almost immediately after my head hit the pillow.
