Chapter Thirty – ‘Everything Begins’

Emotions were definitely running high in Melbourne. It was a beautiful place, Australia was warm and full of life, and it was the perfect place to end the tour. The group was looking forward to having a holiday at the end of the tour. Their last concert night was ram-packed with people all screaming for their favourite band. Lacey knew they had some fireworks lined up for the end of the show and Lacey and the girls were looking forward to watching the show from behind the scenes knowing what excitement was to come.

Lacey hadn’t had this much fun at a concert since she attended their first concert when she first joined them. The boys sang their hearts out, the fans screamed wildly, and the weather was warm and sunny. The concert lasted into the early evening and the firework display that followed was incredibly fantastic to watch. Lacey thought that this concert was the best way to end the tour, though she was incredibly sad for it to come to an end and even sadder to think that in just one more week everything would be over.

*--..--*

The boys wanted to go on some sports tour that Lacey point blank refused to go to; it sounded boring and well…boring. The girls wanted to go shopping; it was the second day after the end of tour. Yesterday had been spent relaxing and lounging around their private pool. It was of course a good and a bad day, good for most people, bad for Ollie because he had to put up with watching Lacey strut around in a bikini and not be able to do anything about it.

Lacey had decided that today she would visit the state library; she loved books, so what better way to spend a day than to visit a library. The others thought her mad for wanting to spend a perfectly good day in the library but they left her to it knowing that she would only argue if they interfered.

Lacey enjoyed a wonderful day with her favourite classics such as Jane Austin, Charlotte Bronte and J.M. Barrie. When she returned to the house the boys were in a rowdy state, not only had they gone on the sports tour but also to a sports museum. Lacey never understood how obsessed boys could get over sports, according to both Jenny and Elena; the boys had been arguing over sports and prominent players for several hours now. The girls had returned from their shopping trip to find the boys all over-excited from their day out.

Ollie had been growing increasingly agitated since the last night of tour, he’d seen the spark in Lacey’s eyes and it had built a hope up inside him. He couldn’t give her flowers, he couldn’t give her chocolates and he couldn’t stand from the roof tops and proclaim his love for her. He just needed to tell her how he felt, when the right time came. At least now they were on friendlier terms again, he could joke with her and hug her without it being awkward, he took this as a sign that she had at least forgiven him for everything that was now the past.

He was looking forward to being able to win her back, however long it took him did not matter for he just wanted her in his life.

On the third day of their holiday, the girls wanted to go to the beach but Steve decided it was a bad idea because he didn’t want the boys to be mobbed by fans on the beach. So instead they took a day visiting the more exciting museums and stopped by a couple of parks along the way. After a while though, the sightseeing got a little tiring and they decided to spend the rest of their holiday relaxing within the house and watching movies or hanging with around the pool. By the fifth day they were all fully relaxed and suddenly started to realise that their time together was coming to an end.

The boys had three months off when they returned to the United Kingdom before they had to do anything else. It seemed as if everything was tied up except that it really wasn’t.  

The boy’s and the girls and practically every member of the tour team was getting fed up with the slow way things were progressing. It was obvious that nothing was going to happen by itself and to make it happen; they needed to help a little. Everyone had different ideas on how to make the two people see the light and accept their feelings for each other but to make them realise would be tricky. Their relationship was like some dodgy romance novel where they go back and forth between the ‘will they won’t they’ line – it was enough to drive anyone insane.

Even Ian had gotten in on the act to set the two up but it seems that no one could decide upon one single course of action. That was until Jack, Silas and Bradley had an idea. Of course it had failed the first time but that didn’t mean it would fail again.

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” asked Bradley.

“Well I’m thinking of cheese so probably not” said Silas.

Bradley rolled his eyes and said “what did we do the last time they were annoying us beyond belief?”

“Ohhh I remember” said Jack grinning.

“What is it? I don’t remember” said Silas pouting.

Bradley shook his head at Silas’s behaviour as he bent his head towards the other two and they began to plan out their scheme.

*--..--*

“Hey guys, so we know you’re all ‘buddy buddy’ again so we decided that we really need your help on something” said Jack as he put one hand around Lacey’s shoulder and the other around Ollie’s.

“I’m not sure I like the sound of this” said Lacey uncertainly.

“How rude, don’t you trust me?” pouted Jack.

Lacey and Ollie looked at each other from around Jack “nope” they said in unison.

“Well trust us” said Bradley and Silas coming around the corner with Jenny and Elena in tow.

“Ok well what is it?” asked Ollie.

“We wanted to throw a surprise party for Steve to thank him for all the things he’s done for us on tour” said Silas.

“Yeah so we decorated this room up for him” said Jenny as they came to stand before a closed door.

“We just want to get your opinions on the room and see if there is anything we should change or add” said Elena.

Still eying them suspiciously, when Bradley opened the door both Lacey and Ollie peered inside. From behind they were suddenly pushed by their dear friends and plunged into immediate darkness as the door closed shut behind them.

“Ouch” said Lacey as he back hit something painful.

“Are you alright?” asked Ollie through the darkness.

“Yeah” she said sighing “I’m going to kill our so called friends” she added.

Ollie didn’t respond she worried until she heard him burst out laughing.

“What?” she asked.

“Don’t you remember the last time we got locked in a closet?” he asked.

She thought about it “oh you don’t think they’ve done that to us again do you?”

“I think they’d do anything to see their friend’s happy” said Ollie.

“What makes you happy Ollie?” she asked timidly.

“Honestly, you make me happy and I don’t care how cheesy that makes me sound” he said.

She blushed.

“Lacey, life with you is so different, a good different. We’ve done so much and come so far, can’t we put all that’s happened behind us and finally be together?” he pleaded.

“I don’t know” she mumbled.

“How can you still say that? After everything that’s happened. Lacey I’d scale mountains for you, I’d jump of cliffs, I’d shout from the rooftops my undying love for you if you would just give me a chance!” he cried “what will it take for us to be together?”

She looked deeply into his eyes – which was hard in the darkened closet – and wrapped her arms around his waist. She knew in her heart that this was the end of her current story and the beginning of another; she only hoped she had the courage to continue on.

“Well…” she said “you could start with a kiss”.