~Hey guys…OK, I am going to put this thing up someplace (or someplaces)
permanent (thanks so much to all of you who want to host it!)…I'll post the
address as soon as I get it up, but I will continue to post here through
this week! And if anyone would prefer to have chapters sent to them, just
let me know. My email address is kcameron15@hotmail.com, if you want to
contact me…or you can leave any questions/concerns etc in the review board
this week. Alright, on with the chapter! (in which, once again, I still
don't own anybody!) *Drendel~
Chapter 21: Stargazing and Orli Gets None
"Hello? Hey, we're back! Hi? Where is everyone?" Reilly called as she and Dom walked into the house. "Hm," she muttered, looking around, then shrugged. "Looks like we have the place to ourselves!" she announced, casually tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Ooooh, already?" Dom growled excitedly, and Reilly tried valiantly not to crack up laughing. It was a good attempt, but it didn't work. "What?!" Dom demanded, and she swallowed her giggles and took his hand.
"Nothin'" she replied innocently. "Oooh, ouch – you got a sunburn!" she announced, noticing the color in the dimmer inside light. She pressed her palm against his chest, then removed it and indicated the white mark it left on his red skin. "See, I told you to keep your life jacket on!" she scolded. Dom looked down at his sunburn kind of pitifully, then grinned at her.
"Well, you'll just have to help me take care of this, then won't you? I'm thinking massage, with aloe…hey! Watch it!" he cried as she began to tickle him. "Easy with the sunburn!" he insisted, and she backed off, resting one hand gently against his stomach and slipping her other arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek against her hair. Caught up in themselves, they both jumped a little when they heard Emma's voice.
"Oh, hey you two! I didn't hear you come in," she told them as she walked in drying her hair with a towel. "Yikes, Dom. Ouch," she winced painfully at the sight of his shirtless, sunburned body. "Everyone's down the beach, we're supposed to join them whenever. Stargazing tonight, Ri?" she winked at her best friend, and Reilly laughed. Stargazing was Emma and Reilly's idea of a perfect date, but since they had always managed to end up with the most un-romantic of guys, it was a running joke that they always had to go stargazing together. Until now…Reilly thought to herself as she gazed up at Dominic.
"Definitely stargazing," she replied to Emma, who smiled.
"So, how was sailing? Are you two still friends? I've heard that if there's one way to destroy a friendship, it's to put two people in a sailboat and tell them to make it go!" She looked at them curiously as they glanced at eachother and then started laughing hysterically. "What?" she asked, dumbfounded. Dom shook his head, and placed a soft kiss on Reilly's temple.
"I'm gonna go get dressed, I'll see you two in a few," he said. Reilly nodded, letting her fingers trail slowly as she slid her hand off his stomach. Lightbulbs bursting on inside her head, Emma's jaw dropped and she stared at Reilly with wide eyes as Dom made his way upstairs.
"Um, wait…you…are you two? Did…" she stuttered. "So I take it sailing went well then?" she finished, and Reilly laughed again.
"Oh yeah, it went fabulously!" she announced, a huge smile spreading across her face as Emma squealed and hugged her.
"Oh, Reilly, I'm so happy! See, you loser! I TOLD you that you two were supposed to be together!" she smiled at the luster in Reilly's eyes. "He's meant for you," she finished softly. Picking up her black cardigan, Reilly glanced over at the stairs Dom had gone up.
"I think you're right," she responded.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Nuh-uh! British actors are so way more pretty boys than American actors!" Reilly argued to Billy as the two of them, Emma, Dom, Tricia, Elijah and Orlando sat around a small bonfire on the beach. Billy shook his head vehemently.
"No, no!" he insisted. "I think you are confusing good taste with pretty-boy-ness!" he told her, and Reilly shook her head.
"No way! I mean, look at American actors like Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck…they're rugged. And then take like Jude Law and…well, Orli! So not rugged!" she retorted, and Orli's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me, but did you just call me 'so not rugged'?" he demanded. Reilly giggled and nodded, as he made pretend-insulted noises and turned away from her, pouting.
"Hey!" she protested. "I never claimed to have anything against pretty boys! I love pretty boys! Especially British pretty boys!" Orli turned back around at this and looked pleased. Beside Reilly, Dom cleared his throat. "But I mean, I don't JUST love pretty boys…" she whimpered as he mock-glared down at her, and he laughed. Across the fire, Tricia shook her head, still in shock. She had been waiting and waiting for it to happen, but she had still nearly fallen over into the sand when Dom and Reilly had walked up, looking like…well, like Dom and Reilly, but like the whole world had fallen in their laps and they suddenly realized how beautiful everything was. She was so happy for them.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Elijah whispered to her, reading her mind as he too gazed over at Dom and Reilly. Smiling, Tricia leaned closer to him. "Oh, it's more than nice," she replied. "It's wonderful."
Finishing her second Corona, Reilly crawled over to the cooler to get another one. Billy picked up her empty bottle, holding it up, and he, Orli and Elijah shared a look.
"Aw, yeah!" Elijah announced, as Tricia looked at him quizzically. Simultaneously getting it, Reilly and Emma looked at eachother and giggled.
"Oh, I don't know…" Reilly began.
"You know, sometimes that's not a good idea…" Emma started. Dom just looked confused, as Orli shook his head grinning wickedly and held the bottle out to Reilly.
"You wanna go first, Ri?" he asked her with a wink. Dom's eyes widened in realization, and Elijah cracked up.
"Awwwww," he teased. "Lil Dom doesn't want his new girlfriend kissing any pretty boys!" Laughing, Billy joined him and they began singing:
"Dom and Reilly, sittin in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!!!" Dom couldn't help but smile as the two of them just cracked themselves up and fell over laughing. Then, noticing that Reilly had a rather terrified look on her face, he leaned over to her and said quietly:
"Hey…don't pay them any attention…we don't have to have any, um, labels or anything like that until you think you're ready to call yourself someone's girlfriend again." He smiled gently, and Reilly felt relief flood over her that he wasn't upset that she had reacted so oddly to being called his girlfriend. Then she felt her heart almost ache she was so touched by how unbelievable he was. Kissing his cheek, she whispered back:
"Thank you. And don't worry, I've got this all figured out," she added, indicating to the Corona bottle in her hand. "Ok," she announced to everyone, sitting up straight. "I'm first!" Dragging the cooler over, she motioned everyone to circle up on one side of the fire, then she placed the bottle on top of the cooler. "Here goes," she said, biting her lip, and spun, giving Dom a sideways glance. Knowing what she was thinking, he nodded slightly and tried not to smile. The bottle slowed, and just as it came to a rest pointing at Billy, Dom stood up and ran around the circle and dragged a protesting Billy out of his spot, quickly sitting down in it.
"Will you look at that?" he said in mock-amazement. "It's me!" Reilly giggled.
"What are the odds?" she asked, winking, and he ran back around, lifting her up off the sand and into his arms. He kissed her gently, and they were met with a resounding:
"AWWWWWWWWW!!!!!" from Tricia and Emma. As they broke apart, Billy pouted:
"But I wanted to kiss Reilly!" Dom shook his head apologetically.
"Sorry, mate, guess it just didn't spin your way!" he replied, shrugging, and Reilly laughed again.
"Besides, you don't want to kiss Reilly anyway!" Emma announced, leaning over to plant a kiss smack on Billy's mouth. Dom and Reilly gasped collectively, and it took all of his effort to set her back on her feet rather than just drop her in the sand out of shock. It was in vain, though, because Reilly pretty much collapsed anyway, staring openmouthed at her best friend macking on Billy Boyd.
"What?" Emma asked when she broke from Billy, looking at Dom and Reilly gaping incredulously at her. "You guys were sailing ALL DAY LONG! A lot can happen in a day, as you might have noticed!" she stated, and Billy smiled widely at them.
"Oooh, stars!" Emma cried suddenly, pointing up at the dark sky. The slight haze had broken, and the sky was now covered with glittering stars. She tugged on Billy's hand. "Stargazing," she said plaintively, pulling him to his feet, and the two of them began walking one direction down the beach.
"So I guess we're stargazing down this end," Reilly indicated toward the opposite direction, and Dom grinned, taking her hand. Tricia and Elijah looked at eachother.
"Hmmm," Tricia said thoughtfully, and Elijah shrugged and gave her a look. "Yeah. I'm not much for stargazing either!" she agreed, and they stood up.
"To the house!" Elijah announced, dragging her laughingly along. Orli looked around in dismay, then pouted.
"So, I guess that means Orli gets to stay right here," he stated dismally. Billy let out a whoop of victory.
"Hold up! Stop the presses! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just gone 3 and 0 Hobbits, with Legolas the certified loser! And the pretty boy DOES NOT get the girl this time!!!" he cheered. Orli looked shocked, then his face fell so sadly that even though they knew he wasn't serious, the three girls couldn't help it…
"Awwwww! No! Orli we love you too!" They all piled on top of him, covering his face with kisses as he laughed. Reilly was the last to remain, and as he sat up she lingered in his lap for a minute. Looking into his shiny dark eyes she saw a hint of sadness and frowned, but he shook his head and smiled at her, leaning forward so that their foreheads rested together.
"Dom's very lucky," he told her softly. "To have found someone as amazing as you are to love him." He watched as her eyes sparkled at his kind words.
"You'll find someone, too," she told him, and he laughed a little and cast his eyes down, thinking of his past relationships. "Hey," Reilly lifted his chin so that he'd meet her eyes again. "You WILL. And if you find any more wrong 'someones' along the way, come tell me and I'll beat the crap out of 'em for ya!" she winked, then hugged him tightly. "You can come stargazing with us," she offered as she rubbed his back gently. "Really. I want you to." She felt him smile against her shoulder, and shake his head.
"Thanks, but it's ok. Trish and Lij can't possibly need the entire house! Besides, this is a big moment…you and Emma are both going on your first real stargazing dates!" he answered, and she laughed. Giving him one last squeeze, she put her mouth to his ear:
"'Night Orli. Love you," she whispered.
"Love you too," he mumbled against her shoulder, then smiled slightly as they pulled apart, and he stood up, patting Dom on the shoulder as he passed him on his way back toward the house. Reilly stood up and crossed the sand to Dom, who put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him. Leaning against him she sighed a little as she watched Orli disappear down the sand.
"I worry about him a little," she said quietly, then laughed at herself. "I'm like a mom!" Dom laughed as well, playing with her hair.
"You're not like a mum, you're just a good friend. It's good of you to worry, too…Orli's a brilliant actor, he's good at making it seem like everything's all alright all the time. But he has it pretty tough…don't much think I'd like to be Orlando Bloom, wicked as he is," he said thoughtfully, also still staring in the direction his friend had disappeared. Reilly nodded, then pulled back from him and tugged on his hand, leading him down the beach. Opening her mouth to speak, Dom cut her off:
"I know, I know, stargazing," he laughed, and she nodded, sitting down cross legged in the sand not too far from where the dark water was gently lapping the shore.
"Finally stargazing," she smiled softly to herself, and held Dom's hand, stroking his wrist with her thumb as she kept her eyes fixed on the stars above them. Dom, in turn, watched the stars in her eyes instead.
Chapter 21: Stargazing and Orli Gets None
"Hello? Hey, we're back! Hi? Where is everyone?" Reilly called as she and Dom walked into the house. "Hm," she muttered, looking around, then shrugged. "Looks like we have the place to ourselves!" she announced, casually tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.
"Ooooh, already?" Dom growled excitedly, and Reilly tried valiantly not to crack up laughing. It was a good attempt, but it didn't work. "What?!" Dom demanded, and she swallowed her giggles and took his hand.
"Nothin'" she replied innocently. "Oooh, ouch – you got a sunburn!" she announced, noticing the color in the dimmer inside light. She pressed her palm against his chest, then removed it and indicated the white mark it left on his red skin. "See, I told you to keep your life jacket on!" she scolded. Dom looked down at his sunburn kind of pitifully, then grinned at her.
"Well, you'll just have to help me take care of this, then won't you? I'm thinking massage, with aloe…hey! Watch it!" he cried as she began to tickle him. "Easy with the sunburn!" he insisted, and she backed off, resting one hand gently against his stomach and slipping her other arm around his waist, leaning her head on his shoulder. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head then rested his cheek against her hair. Caught up in themselves, they both jumped a little when they heard Emma's voice.
"Oh, hey you two! I didn't hear you come in," she told them as she walked in drying her hair with a towel. "Yikes, Dom. Ouch," she winced painfully at the sight of his shirtless, sunburned body. "Everyone's down the beach, we're supposed to join them whenever. Stargazing tonight, Ri?" she winked at her best friend, and Reilly laughed. Stargazing was Emma and Reilly's idea of a perfect date, but since they had always managed to end up with the most un-romantic of guys, it was a running joke that they always had to go stargazing together. Until now…Reilly thought to herself as she gazed up at Dominic.
"Definitely stargazing," she replied to Emma, who smiled.
"So, how was sailing? Are you two still friends? I've heard that if there's one way to destroy a friendship, it's to put two people in a sailboat and tell them to make it go!" She looked at them curiously as they glanced at eachother and then started laughing hysterically. "What?" she asked, dumbfounded. Dom shook his head, and placed a soft kiss on Reilly's temple.
"I'm gonna go get dressed, I'll see you two in a few," he said. Reilly nodded, letting her fingers trail slowly as she slid her hand off his stomach. Lightbulbs bursting on inside her head, Emma's jaw dropped and she stared at Reilly with wide eyes as Dom made his way upstairs.
"Um, wait…you…are you two? Did…" she stuttered. "So I take it sailing went well then?" she finished, and Reilly laughed again.
"Oh yeah, it went fabulously!" she announced, a huge smile spreading across her face as Emma squealed and hugged her.
"Oh, Reilly, I'm so happy! See, you loser! I TOLD you that you two were supposed to be together!" she smiled at the luster in Reilly's eyes. "He's meant for you," she finished softly. Picking up her black cardigan, Reilly glanced over at the stairs Dom had gone up.
"I think you're right," she responded.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Nuh-uh! British actors are so way more pretty boys than American actors!" Reilly argued to Billy as the two of them, Emma, Dom, Tricia, Elijah and Orlando sat around a small bonfire on the beach. Billy shook his head vehemently.
"No, no!" he insisted. "I think you are confusing good taste with pretty-boy-ness!" he told her, and Reilly shook her head.
"No way! I mean, look at American actors like Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck…they're rugged. And then take like Jude Law and…well, Orli! So not rugged!" she retorted, and Orli's mouth fell open.
"Excuse me, but did you just call me 'so not rugged'?" he demanded. Reilly giggled and nodded, as he made pretend-insulted noises and turned away from her, pouting.
"Hey!" she protested. "I never claimed to have anything against pretty boys! I love pretty boys! Especially British pretty boys!" Orli turned back around at this and looked pleased. Beside Reilly, Dom cleared his throat. "But I mean, I don't JUST love pretty boys…" she whimpered as he mock-glared down at her, and he laughed. Across the fire, Tricia shook her head, still in shock. She had been waiting and waiting for it to happen, but she had still nearly fallen over into the sand when Dom and Reilly had walked up, looking like…well, like Dom and Reilly, but like the whole world had fallen in their laps and they suddenly realized how beautiful everything was. She was so happy for them.
"It's nice, isn't it?" Elijah whispered to her, reading her mind as he too gazed over at Dom and Reilly. Smiling, Tricia leaned closer to him. "Oh, it's more than nice," she replied. "It's wonderful."
Finishing her second Corona, Reilly crawled over to the cooler to get another one. Billy picked up her empty bottle, holding it up, and he, Orli and Elijah shared a look.
"Aw, yeah!" Elijah announced, as Tricia looked at him quizzically. Simultaneously getting it, Reilly and Emma looked at eachother and giggled.
"Oh, I don't know…" Reilly began.
"You know, sometimes that's not a good idea…" Emma started. Dom just looked confused, as Orli shook his head grinning wickedly and held the bottle out to Reilly.
"You wanna go first, Ri?" he asked her with a wink. Dom's eyes widened in realization, and Elijah cracked up.
"Awwwww," he teased. "Lil Dom doesn't want his new girlfriend kissing any pretty boys!" Laughing, Billy joined him and they began singing:
"Dom and Reilly, sittin in a tree…K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!!!" Dom couldn't help but smile as the two of them just cracked themselves up and fell over laughing. Then, noticing that Reilly had a rather terrified look on her face, he leaned over to her and said quietly:
"Hey…don't pay them any attention…we don't have to have any, um, labels or anything like that until you think you're ready to call yourself someone's girlfriend again." He smiled gently, and Reilly felt relief flood over her that he wasn't upset that she had reacted so oddly to being called his girlfriend. Then she felt her heart almost ache she was so touched by how unbelievable he was. Kissing his cheek, she whispered back:
"Thank you. And don't worry, I've got this all figured out," she added, indicating to the Corona bottle in her hand. "Ok," she announced to everyone, sitting up straight. "I'm first!" Dragging the cooler over, she motioned everyone to circle up on one side of the fire, then she placed the bottle on top of the cooler. "Here goes," she said, biting her lip, and spun, giving Dom a sideways glance. Knowing what she was thinking, he nodded slightly and tried not to smile. The bottle slowed, and just as it came to a rest pointing at Billy, Dom stood up and ran around the circle and dragged a protesting Billy out of his spot, quickly sitting down in it.
"Will you look at that?" he said in mock-amazement. "It's me!" Reilly giggled.
"What are the odds?" she asked, winking, and he ran back around, lifting her up off the sand and into his arms. He kissed her gently, and they were met with a resounding:
"AWWWWWWWWW!!!!!" from Tricia and Emma. As they broke apart, Billy pouted:
"But I wanted to kiss Reilly!" Dom shook his head apologetically.
"Sorry, mate, guess it just didn't spin your way!" he replied, shrugging, and Reilly laughed again.
"Besides, you don't want to kiss Reilly anyway!" Emma announced, leaning over to plant a kiss smack on Billy's mouth. Dom and Reilly gasped collectively, and it took all of his effort to set her back on her feet rather than just drop her in the sand out of shock. It was in vain, though, because Reilly pretty much collapsed anyway, staring openmouthed at her best friend macking on Billy Boyd.
"What?" Emma asked when she broke from Billy, looking at Dom and Reilly gaping incredulously at her. "You guys were sailing ALL DAY LONG! A lot can happen in a day, as you might have noticed!" she stated, and Billy smiled widely at them.
"Oooh, stars!" Emma cried suddenly, pointing up at the dark sky. The slight haze had broken, and the sky was now covered with glittering stars. She tugged on Billy's hand. "Stargazing," she said plaintively, pulling him to his feet, and the two of them began walking one direction down the beach.
"So I guess we're stargazing down this end," Reilly indicated toward the opposite direction, and Dom grinned, taking her hand. Tricia and Elijah looked at eachother.
"Hmmm," Tricia said thoughtfully, and Elijah shrugged and gave her a look. "Yeah. I'm not much for stargazing either!" she agreed, and they stood up.
"To the house!" Elijah announced, dragging her laughingly along. Orli looked around in dismay, then pouted.
"So, I guess that means Orli gets to stay right here," he stated dismally. Billy let out a whoop of victory.
"Hold up! Stop the presses! Ladies and Gentlemen, we have just gone 3 and 0 Hobbits, with Legolas the certified loser! And the pretty boy DOES NOT get the girl this time!!!" he cheered. Orli looked shocked, then his face fell so sadly that even though they knew he wasn't serious, the three girls couldn't help it…
"Awwwww! No! Orli we love you too!" They all piled on top of him, covering his face with kisses as he laughed. Reilly was the last to remain, and as he sat up she lingered in his lap for a minute. Looking into his shiny dark eyes she saw a hint of sadness and frowned, but he shook his head and smiled at her, leaning forward so that their foreheads rested together.
"Dom's very lucky," he told her softly. "To have found someone as amazing as you are to love him." He watched as her eyes sparkled at his kind words.
"You'll find someone, too," she told him, and he laughed a little and cast his eyes down, thinking of his past relationships. "Hey," Reilly lifted his chin so that he'd meet her eyes again. "You WILL. And if you find any more wrong 'someones' along the way, come tell me and I'll beat the crap out of 'em for ya!" she winked, then hugged him tightly. "You can come stargazing with us," she offered as she rubbed his back gently. "Really. I want you to." She felt him smile against her shoulder, and shake his head.
"Thanks, but it's ok. Trish and Lij can't possibly need the entire house! Besides, this is a big moment…you and Emma are both going on your first real stargazing dates!" he answered, and she laughed. Giving him one last squeeze, she put her mouth to his ear:
"'Night Orli. Love you," she whispered.
"Love you too," he mumbled against her shoulder, then smiled slightly as they pulled apart, and he stood up, patting Dom on the shoulder as he passed him on his way back toward the house. Reilly stood up and crossed the sand to Dom, who put his arms around her shoulders, pulling her to him. Leaning against him she sighed a little as she watched Orli disappear down the sand.
"I worry about him a little," she said quietly, then laughed at herself. "I'm like a mom!" Dom laughed as well, playing with her hair.
"You're not like a mum, you're just a good friend. It's good of you to worry, too…Orli's a brilliant actor, he's good at making it seem like everything's all alright all the time. But he has it pretty tough…don't much think I'd like to be Orlando Bloom, wicked as he is," he said thoughtfully, also still staring in the direction his friend had disappeared. Reilly nodded, then pulled back from him and tugged on his hand, leading him down the beach. Opening her mouth to speak, Dom cut her off:
"I know, I know, stargazing," he laughed, and she nodded, sitting down cross legged in the sand not too far from where the dark water was gently lapping the shore.
"Finally stargazing," she smiled softly to herself, and held Dom's hand, stroking his wrist with her thumb as she kept her eyes fixed on the stars above them. Dom, in turn, watched the stars in her eyes instead.