“Trisha and I were talking about you losing all of your stage presence and sex appeal if you don’t start drinking some water along with your coffee now and then,” Dave said sharply, trying to appear stern. “Remember what that vocal coach said a couple of years back?”
Nate rolled his eyes. “Hydrated vocal cords are happy vocal cords,” he sing-songed.
I giggled between the two of them, realizing once again that the music industry is simply demented in the most amusing ways.
We had a fabulous lunch, with Nate mostly talking about how wonderful I was, Dave telling me about how well Nate was doing, and me trying not to giggle at all of their bizarre inside jokes. Dave shook my hand again outside the restaurant, promising to keep in touch if the two of us had to start a caffeine intervention for Nate.
I still had an hour before I had to get to the airport, so Nate and I walked for a little while, just chatting and observing the world until we ended up in a nearby park.
"Why are the trees so magical here?" I asked.
"Because this is a magical city," he smiled, settling on a bench and pulling me against him.
"But you're probably going to end up in Toronto, right?" I asked cautiously.
He shot me a look, but instead of seeming irritated, he just flashed that dazzling smile. "You already know, don't you?"
"Yes. I'm just wondering why you didn't tell me the second it was official."
"I'm not sure," he said. "I didn't want anything to seem too serious this weekend, I guess. I just wanted to be with you."
I leaned over to breathe into his ear, "I think we found a whole new way of being together."
He turned and kissed me hard, the instant intoxicating heat thumping through my veins. "Not here,” I finally gasped, forcing myself to pull away. Whenever we ended up publicly outed, I didn’t want it to be from saucy photos of us kissing. Nate needed to remember that his private life wasn’t private anymore.
"Sorry," he smiled.
"And don't distract me with your crazy kisses when I'm asking you to keep me posted about things.”. I was trying to appear stern, but couldn't stop smiling. "You can't control every situation, and you're going to have to get used to me dealing with things on my own."
"I know," he said, reaching for my hand and threading our fingers together. "I can't help it that I want to protect you. To keep every stress and unhappiness away from you."
"Life doesn't work like that. And I can handle a lot more than you think."
"I know you can," he said. "Like coming all the way here to be the princess of all techs."
His phone beeped, and he checked it quickly, drawing the screen up to his face with a serious frown.
"What is it?" I asked.
He seemed to freeze for a second, then shook his head. "Not important. It can wait." He paused again, looking almost angry. Then he turned it off and stuck his bottom lip out. "I don't like the clock. It says that I have to put you in a cab. Or do you want me to come with you to the airport?"
"No, I've already wasted too much of your time. I know that you've got all kinds of things to take care of,” I smiled.
"Baby, you will never be a waste of my time. Not ever."
"Okay, thanks," I said. "But I'm fine. I'm used to traveling all over the place at the drop of a hat, remember?"
He frowned, shaking his head. "Unfortunately, yes," he grumbled. He rolled my suitcase to the sidewalk where we flagged down a cab.
Sneaking a look around, I didn't see anyone with their phones out, so I threw my arms around him for a deep, soft kiss that made my insides melt.
"I'm going to miss you so much," he murmured.
“I'll see you soon." I said. "You just get that album written and recorded, then we'll figure everything else out."
He squeezed me tightly, whispering into my ear, “I love you, baby. Text me the second you're home safe."
"I love you too."