Over The Ocean

Chapter Six

We say goodbye to the others and enter the house.

“No.” I then answer his question. "I didn't get to say goodbye."

"You wish things differently but that's not the way it works. I think you need to tell yourself it's not your fault.”

I look at him without answer, then I take a few steps until I'm standing in front of him. I put my arms around his back and give him a hug. He is a bit stiff at first but then hugs back.

"This helps." I say evasively. "Not all the way but some of the pain disappears."

“When are you supposed to get on the next plane?” he ask out of nowhere.

I quickly thought through my calendar, today is Friday.

“Sunday at noon.” I wonder what he have in mind.

"Okay. We’ll make a plan for sightseeing.”

So we sit down and compile a list. We pull up Google and when I see how big of an area UCLA is, it is absolutely humongous, I freak out and we decide to skip it.

"You're sure you want to skip it?" Derek say in surprise.

“Yeah, yeah.” I say swallowing as I look at the picture again.

When Derek didn't answer, I turn my head and look at him, the i***t is sitting there laughing at me.

"For the love of..." I say and get up and lock myself in the toilet, I did need to pee. When I'm done I go out to him again but stop between him and the door.

"Are you done laughing at me?" I ask, trying to be annoyed with him, but most of it melt away when I see his beaming face.

He nods and smile sheepishly. "Though, the face you made was quite funny."

“I got that, thanks.” I say and turn. I still have sand in places I don't want it and I need a shower. I retrieve my towel and find my dirty laundry.

“Hey.” I call from the floor of the bedroom.

“Huh?” he answer back.

"Is it okay if I do some laundry? Clothes have a tendency of getting dirty.”

“Sure.” His answer is much closer this time, and I wasn't expecting it so I jump in surprise, I turn and look at him accusingly, I had accidentally dropped the piece of fabric Josie had put in my bag. I look down at it and quickly pick it up.

"I need a shower too, if that's okay."

“Why? If we're going to the Santa Monica pier you're going to get sandy anyway.” He say with a shrug.

“Guys.” I say and sigh deeply. "But fine, I'll only wash my body. Do the hair tonight.”

I grab my towel, body soap and go out to the shower. Something I didn't notice last time I was here is that there is a door in the fence around the shower, plus there is a small latch so you can take a shower without anyone coming in. So I hurry over and turn on the faucet, while taking off my clothes.

My pulled up hair got a little damp on the back of my neck, but otherwise the shower go well and it didn't get cold which was what I most worried about. When I feel fresh again, I turn off the tap, wrap the towel around me and hurry in the house.

In the doorway to the bedroom I almost collide with a half-naked Derek.

“Sorry.” I gasp and look up into his blue eyes.

“Not a problem.” he swallows, hard.

"You do that a lot do you?" I grin teasingly.

“Do what?” he say while raising one eyebrow.

"Walk around half naked." I think back on the last hours with him.

He grin back, understanding what I mean. "I just pull out the birthdaysuit for when you're around."

I'm left speechless and just stare, was he kidding? He look serious.

”You need a shower?” I ask in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

"Nope, was just getting a new shirt." He say with a cheeky smile. His eyes start to wander, following the subtle curves that my towel hides.

"You are really exquisite, you know that right."

I feel very hot at the thought of my nakedness under my towel, the close proximity to each other make my body warm up. I gently place my hands against his chest and then let them slide slowly over his chest. He puts one hand on my waist and let the other caress my neck and cheek.

He lean forward and I feel my pulse quicken, my legs turns to jelly and I feel my whole body bubbling up, like a peacock in all its glory. Right in front of my lips, his stopped, waiting for my step.

I close the distance between our lips, his hand on my back presses me against him and the other hand, moving down, teasingly pulls the beginning of the towel up my thigh.

This is absolutely wonderful, to feel that he wants me. He gently guides me to the bed and I feel excited, I want him to sink into me and for us to move together. It will be sensual and, for lack of better words, magical. He sit down on the bed and I follow, straddling his legs and our lips continue to explore each other. His hand slid from the edge of my towel up my thigh to my ass and squeeze softly. I push myself against him for effect and to my delight he moan deeply.

I'm definitely not used to male contact and so I'm rapidly approaching the point of ecstasy, from which there would be no fun returning until satisfied.

His fingers began their journey south towards-

"Oh! Good God!" I moan and my fingers wrap in his hair and hold on tight as I press against him.

Then we hear how his bedside table vibrate. His hand stop it's traveling south and pull away slightly. We look at each other and I feel my courage drop until he say "Leave it."

I kiss him harder than before as the vibrations stop. I can feel his hardness frombeneath all the fabric, so close. My hands slide down his spine and I press him against me- and the vibrations start again.

“Oh man.” Derek sigh. "It's probably Kate."

“Kate?” I say frustrated as my ecstasy start to cool down properly.

Eager much? grins my innerself Rosie.

The vibrations from a cell phone aren't exactly exciting, I think sourly.

"My manager, I should probably get it; she's only going to keep calling.”

“Fine.” I stand up and he take the phone answer. As he leaves the room I decide to get dressed anyway, we are still going sightseeing. I take a couple of deep breaths before going in search of clothes.

I chose my jeans shorts and my white tank top with the text 'flowers and butterflies'. I pull the tank down so it hung in the bra and smear my shoulders and neck with sunscreen, then I twirl my hair in a knot on my head. I walk out to Derek where he stand with his back to me between the kitchen and the living room.

“…understood, yeah. I'll talk to you later.” He say and hang up. I remain where I stand, looking at him. Then he turn around and I can see on his face that he is quite shocked.

"What happened?" I ask and I feel my eyebrows raise, reinforcing my question.

"The people I met with in New York-" he murmurs still shocked but with a start to recovery. "They want to give out my album. They want publicity, press conferences - The whole thing.”

“That's amazing Derek!” I exclaim, happy for him. This is what he want, right?

"They want the album out in the air within the month." He say, sounding uncertain. Why isn't he happy? Most singer/songwriter can only hope and dream of this!

"When do you start?" I ask not knowing where this conversation is headed. After all, this could only go wrong if he really is Mr Right material...

"On Monday." he say sounding happier. I take an imperceptible deep breath in and without telling them my feet start to move and I walk towards the balcony, there I lean against the railing and look down into the garden where Nikki is running happily, it's not a huge garden, fifty five square meters or so, just right for Derek and Nikki.

Now he will become a celebrity, start selling records and signing autographs. Without even hearing him play I know he will go far, maybe even compete with some huge names.

I get a cascade of guilt thrown at me by my inner self. Jealousy and terror are also among them.

Jealous that now the whole world would get a piece of him and I'm afraid that I don't want this life, one where you are put under a magnifying glass and scrutinized detail by detail.

"Shall we go?" Derek ask coming out onto the balcony.

“Yeah.” I say. "What about Nikki, should we leave her here or take her with us?"

"I think it's best if she stay here for now." He say with a shrug.

I smile to myself as I go inside to grab my bag as Derek close the patio door, lock it and fish up his phone from the living room table.

"Keys." he mumble mostly to himself but loud enough for me to hear.

I pick up the keys from the dresser. "Your keys are here."

“Good.” he say looking around.

Oh no, the akward silence, I mentally sends evil thoughts to that damn woman that had to call at that time, it was so good just five minutes ago. But deep down that's not the issue and I know the answer. The future is uncertain for us and it's most likely something none of us want to think about. The present, focus on the present.

I glance at Derek and rush over. “Hey.”

He look back at me and smile.

"Nikki!" he shout but before he could finish shouting she comes around the corner of the house and stop next to us. "Sorry girl, you'll have to wait and we'll pick you up later.”

We go outside the door and he locks it.

We walk over to the car that he skillfully back out of the driveway and the gate open. We are going to start in Hollywood, Pretty Woman and the glamor of Beverly Hills meant that somewhere in my head I had got an image that I just had to correct. Everything couldn't possibly be so glamorous!

"We can park outside my brother Michael's place. He won’t have anything against it.” Derek say and drive into Los Angeles traffic, Derek said it would take about forty minutes to get there. I had no idea Los Angeles was so big!

“Damn. This place is huge!” I say in surprise as we turn left two times after each other and still didn't "go backwards".

"Only in LA there's about three point eight million people." He say smiling at my gaping face.

"That's a third of my country in one city..." it really put proportion to how many people really lives here and Derek is one of them, he lives in an absolutely fantastic city that enchanted me beyond understanding, but it's also spinningen all around.

"...amazing." I whisper looking at Derek, he is looking at the road but I know he notice I what I'm looking at.

"We'll be there soon." he said, glancing at me and then back at the road.

We parked outside a large house which is very impressive. It had at least two stories and was a cozy gray color.

"No pressure, right." I whisper to myself. Out loud I said. "He lives here?"

"Yeah-" Derek said, grinning at my expression. "Dad thinks it's too small, though."

It didn't sound any better, the house itself is probably at least two hundred square meters and the lot is probably twice the sieze big.

"I think my house back home would fit in there at least twice!" I say and start to follow Derek.

We doesn't say anything for a couple of minutes, but then we came out onto the boulevard, according to the sign anyway, it didn't show much in the surroundings, but it's incredible for me to finally be here!We walk as my head spins here is so much to look at, I take a couple of pictures of the stars and the Chinese theater, the sign that say 'Hollywood blvd' with my camera and some with my mobile phone.

After an hour or two Derek's phone ring.

He look at the screen and grin. "Hello." he say and I see his body relax. "Well, I needed somewhere to park, I'm showing someone around." I smil, it must be his brother. "Bye Amber-" he say then.

Huh? Now who the h**l is Amber? Im not keeping up with all the twists and turns. But it could probably make up for it.

After a minute or two Derek hang up, tell me that Amber is his sister-in-law and that she came home and his nephews are disappointed when their uncle isn't there but his car is.

"We should get home to Nikki." He say checking the time on the phone. "She's probably jumping up and down."

I look at a clock in the shop we are standing outside and it show that it has been over an hour since I last check the clock and that it's now half past four. So we start the walk back to his brother's house, we round the last corner before we get to the car and then Derek pulls me down behind a bush.

“What the he-”

“Shhh!” he say sharply. Then he look out from behind the bush that is our makeshift hiding place. “Damn. How are we going to get rid of the kids?”

I look over his shoulder and see that the "problem" isn't even a problem. A few meters from Derek's car, three children who look to be around 5-12 years old are playing.

"They're just kids." I say still not understanding the problem, it isn't like they are toilet paper shooting monsters.. right?

Derek look at me with a raised eyebrow. "You totally don't understand how much they looooove 'Uncle Derek'."

"No..." I say and fall silent, how would I know-

"I'll just call Amber." he sum up as if it wasn't obvious from the beginning. He picks up his phone, she answer the second signal and now that I'm closer I hear her voice. Her voice is warm and full, loving and kind.

What I can tell from Derek's body language and from her voice is that they get along great and probably have a great relationship as in-laws.

"Do you think you can manage to get them away from the car for five minutes?" Derek ask, listening to the answer that come almost immediately.

"Sure, but you don't want to come in and stay for a while? They would love that."

"Yeah, but we won't be able to get away for a few hours and Nikki's at home alone." He answer.

"Okay, I'll save your but this time, but next time, don't park here if you don't plan on coming inside! And want a date night with my husband, you'll take care of the kids!"

"Okay." Then he hangs up and look behind the bush again, I follow his example and see a short dark-haired woman coming out of the door of the house the car is parked by and she shout something to the children who all three run into the house after her.

“Go. Go, go.” Derek shriek as he sprint from behind the bush. He didn't have to say it twice, I rush after him and quickly jumped in the car.