Page 120 of My Rock Star Neighbor
She said no more
I closed the door
Ice filled my heart
It was best to be apart
I can’t see my way through this,
But what I would do for a kiss
So I say yes
A life purposefully defined,
Emotions allowed, a love entwined
I say yes to life, to its risks, and to love
I say yes to all the above.
Kyla and the rest of the band sing, “Say yes,” as the crowd joins in.Maddie’s stage elevator is on the ground, and I step in.
Maddie, her eyes glistening with tears, says yes and embraces me.I hug her back tightly, and then we turn to face the crowd as the stage elevator lifts us back up together.
“I say yes to life, to its risks and to love, I say yes to all the above.”I sing the last lines of the song, holding “above” as the final note.The lights dim, and the crowd erupts in applause.Maddie kisses me until we’re recalled to our surroundings once again as the lights come back up for an encore, and the stage elevator is back on the stage.I sweep Maddie up once more—I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that—and whisk her out to much cheering but return to perform our encore, “Together Forever.”
Chapter thirty-nine
Epilogue – Maddie: Six Months Later
NickandIclimbinto the rowboat in Central Park as he takes the oars.It’s hot today, but it feels cooler on the lake.Some ducks lazily paddle by us.
We wave at the other boaters as they wave at us.Some paparazzi are taking pictures of us from Bow Bridge, but for the most part, New Yorkers leave us alone, and we have much more privacy than I expected.And it’s not always Nick’s fans who ask us for autographs.I have my own fans.As Nick points out, my interview onSpill the Tea with Twylawas viewed by millions.I’m constantly invited to talk at New York City public schools now about journalism, and I want to do as much as I can to foster the next generation.
I lean back in the boat and enjoy watching Nick row, his muscles rippling.
“If you keep looking at me like that, I’m not going to be responsible for the boat tipping over,” Nick growls.
“Are you promising me a Mr.Darcy moment in a wet white shirt?”I ask.“Very tempting.”
He shakes his head.His phone beeps, and holding both oars in one hand, he pulls it out, glances at the message, and hands it to me.
“It’s your upcoming schedule,” I say.“Here.I’ll row, and you can look at it.”
“The paparazzi will love that,” I say.“Read it aloud to me.”
I do.Meanwhile, we pass by another boat where “MRSN” is playing on their waterproof speaker system.We give a thumbs-up.
“I’m glad they’re accommodating the fact that José had a baby.That schedule sounds good,” he says.
“I’ll let Tristan know.I’m excited to continue writing this new series.”I pitched a series to Tristan where I periodically travel to other cities (where Nick is playing) and interview city officials about what’s working and not working there, so we can compare their initiatives with what New York City is doing.It’s been a huge hit, and some of the ideas are even being implemented in proposed legislation.Tristan is all dark glares and cut cheekbones in the newsroom, but he has a soft heart underneath.I tried setting him and Bella up, but I don’t think it worked.But I really appreciate that this allows me to spend more time with Nick and still write substantive articles that benefit New York City.
He throws over the anchor.“Come here.I miss you.”
I make my way to him as the boat rocks until I reach him and am enveloped in his strong embrace.We look up at the blue sky above, green trees and pink flowers to the side.No clouds today, but even if there were, I know that we’re going to make it through the good and the hard times.
“Do you have an umbrella in your bag?”he asks.
“Of course, but it’s not raining,” I say, pulling an umbrella out of my ever-prepared bag.
He opens it and pulls me under it so we’re in our private space, shielded from any prying eyes, me cradled in his arms.
“I love you.”He kisses me.I kiss him back with everything I have.The more time we spend together, the more I cherish the facts of our life, sharing our deepest feelings and fears, supporting each other’s dreams, and all the little day-to-day moments like this, where we take the time to revel in each other.
