Chapter 1: America, Here We Come
"I knew this was a bad idea…"
"Shut it, Astley. I can handle me-self."
'Quarter passed four; damn it…I'm still stuck on this bloody plane with a nauseated John sitting beside me.' Rick thought to himself, crossing his leg over the other as he looked at his friend, John – one of his crew members who was currently refraining from throwing-up on the airplane's floor.
"Well…what should I do, then?" Asked Rick, who had no idea how to comfort his friend. John groaned, "Ugh…I don't know, mate. Sing to me, perhaps." He deadpanned, and Rick couldn't help but suppress a subtle chuckle.
Turning to face John, Rick raised his eyebrows fleetly as a mischievous smile rested on his lips. "Just wait until tour begins; you'll get a handful of my singing then." He said, smiling.
It was true; after the release of his debut album, Rick was bound to go on a world tour, starting off in America – a country he had wished to visit since he was a little boy. However, his only con was flying – he hated it. He couldn't quite understand why people would ever feel any optimism or joy in being high off the ground; nonetheless, he managed to think of the positive side of the matter and complained a little less than he did before. After all, he was living his dream of sharing his music with the world.
"Oi, Rick! Mate, I forgot to tell you," John piped up after moments of groaning in pain; catching Rick's attention almost instantly. Rick hummed in response, raising his eyebrows slightly. "What?" He inquired.
"We're going to have a tour guide – and she's a woman." He smirked; his expression switching from agitated to mischievous in an instant, causing Rick to slightly shake his head at his friend's remark. "Oh sweet lord, how beautiful she is. Even me own self can't keep my eyes off her." He added.
Rick rolled his eyes. "You can't keep your eyes off of any woman, really." He muttered, and John suppressed a raspy chuckle. "Yer right about that, lad." He declared proudly.
"Well, that helped you get your mind off the nausea. But then again, how do you know we're going to have a tour guide?" Rick asked curiously.
John shrugged. "Liz told me." He said, pointing to one of Rick's backup singers; Elizabeth – who was staring outside the airplane's window with her ankles crossed. "What? Jenny told me!" The blonde singer gushed, and instantly caught the attention of Rick's other backup singer, Jenny.
Jenny shrugged, "Yeah, I did." Was all she said; seeing as she was quite busy with the magazine she was holding. Rick chuckled, "Just a rumor passed along, I suppose." He said, but was taken aback when he heard his manager, George, fired back.
"No, it isn't a rumor. We're going to have an American tour guide." He simply stated, and everyone sitting on the airplane stared at him with confusion written all over their faces.
"…An American?" Rick, Jenny and Liz asked in union; earning a nod from the older man.
"Why do we need a tour guide?"
"Don't you want to discover America? It's your first time here!"
When Rick heard George's response, he could see the logic in the matter. America wasn't a place you just perform in and leave; it had to be discovered – and what would be better than having an American as your tour guide?
"Oh, I see. Makes sense, I suppose." Rick calmly said, sounding more like he was talking to himself rather than responding to George.
"Lord, Rick, when you look at her, it'll be as if you're dreaming; trust me." John cooed, leaning back on his chair. "Honestly John, I don't really want to-"
"-shut it, boy! You're willing to miss a chance of snogging an American? Tch, pathetic." John interjected, ticking his tongue in disappointment. Rick raised his eyebrow, "…That's disgusting."
"I beg to differ, to be quite frank." Said John.
Rick laughed, and it made John laugh as well. With only a few hours left before they landed, the ginger-haired singer decided to get a bit of shut-eye; despite looking forward to a day filled with surprises. As the atmosphere quieted down, most of the crew had already fallen asleep, it was only Rick's turn to simmer down.
Leaning on his side, Rick placed his hands under his cheek and took a deep inhale, smiling radiantly at the mere thought that in a few hours, he was going to be in America.
'America…here we come.' He thought to himself, and slowly drifted off into a deep slumber.