Author's Note: I'd go on a re-writing rant, but since you guys are writers (at least I think some of you are) you know re-writing's a bitch so I won't.
ANYWAY...Let's pretend that before Jason and the Junior Rockers (one of my favorite scenes from the movie) sneak over to Camp Star, Tess and Luke decide to spy on Camp Rock again. And while we're pretending, let's pretend that Tess going soft over catching fireflies when they spied along with Axel, never happened, okay? Okay.
Song recommendation for this chapter: "Untouchable" by my personal Jesus, Taylor Swift. If Nate and Dana had a theme song, this would be it in my humble opinion.
Dana's POV
"Wake up! Wake up! Dammit, Turner, wake the hell up!"
From a distance, as if she were at one end of a tunnel and I was at the other, I could hear Tess' voice hissing at me to wake up. I wasn't sure why and I really didn't want to know. The only reason she was probably up is because my Dad was sending her and Luke on some spy mission across the lake since Camp Wars was only two days away.
And a spy mission to Camp Rock, definitely wasn't something I wanted to be a part of so I ignored her insistence to wake up.
Groaning sleepily, I swatted my hand in what I assumed was her general direction before attempting to roll over onto my side so I could continue sleeping, and I say attempting because I could feel her on top of me, and was unable to move. "Tess.." I mumbled absently as I tried to get her to move by kicking my legs.
"Ow! You bitch!" She yelped after one of my feet harshly made contact with one of her legs. "You know what? If you're going to be this way, sleep through your last chance to see your Camp Rock Romeo before Camp Wars, for all I care! Just so you know, this is the last time I ever try to do anything nice for you."
The last part of her sentence was muttered darkly and shadowed by the sound of my sheets rustling as she climbed off of me in a rush. Slowly, I fought the natural urges of my body that told me I should still be sleeping, and sat up in my bed. My newly opened eyes blinked repeatedly as they tried to adjust to the darkness and while I let out a heavy yawn, I could make out Tess' tiny figure storming out of our cabin and I winced when I heard the door slam.
Sighing heavily, I shook my head as I climbed out of bed, wondering why she had to be such a drama queen before I made my way outside.
I shivered slightly as the bare skin of my arms made contact with the cool night air. Rubbing them absently, I moved closer to Tess who held up her hand and shook her head sharply. "Don't even think about it. If you want to go see your precious Nate, you'll have to figure out how to do it on your own."
"Tess..."
"I said don't!" She screeched before she slipped her small hand into the pocket of her skinny jeans and pulled out a compact. After fluffing her bangs, she added another coat of lipgloss to her pout and slammed her compact shut. Her eyes narrowed darkly and with an air of disdain said, "You're still here."
Now who's being a bitch, I thought but left the remark unsaid, knowing it was better that way.
"Is there a reason you're still here? Because Luke's going to be here in about five minutes and he knows there's no way you're coming with us on our little spying expedition. It's so not your style."
"I'm..." I started to apologize, but stopped myself when I realized I didn't have anything to apologize for. It's not like I had kicked her on purpose. I just wanted her to get off of me so I could go back to sleep. Not to mention, I didn't know she was planning on helping me sneak over to Camp Rock to see Nate before the competition. How was I supposed to know if she didn't tell me?
Biting the inside of my cheek, I rolled my eyes as I regrouped and prepared to apologize, even though I technically wasn't apologizing for anything. Clearing my throat, I said softly, as I moved just a little closer to the tiny blonde, "I'm sorry for kicking you earlier. Are you okay?"
Skepticism reigned in her ocean eyes and her pouty lips were pursed into a thin line. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing. I know exactly what you're doing. You're apologizing because you think that's what I want you to do and if you apologize, I'll tell you how I was going to help you sneak over to see your boyfriend."
I couldn't deny that she was right, but the way she explained what I was doing made it sound so...bad.
Blinking for a moment, I breathed in the fresh air from the pine trees that surrounded our cabin and then let out the same breath. "You're not wrong," I told her. "But you're not exactly right either. We both know you want me to apologize, but that's not the whole reason, I'm apologizing. I am sorry for kicking you. Really, I am. But instead of sitting on me and insisting I wake up in the middle of the night, you could have just told me you planned to help me sneak over to Camp Rock tonight."
Her mouth opened in an attempt to protest my point, but quickly she closed it when she knew she couldn't.
"Why the hell is being nice so fucking hard?" She grumbled, her eyes drifting upward for a moment.
Her eyes then drifted to the sparkling, thin strapped watch on her wrist before looking back at me. "Okay, first of all, I am not pulling an Ari from Entourage so don't expect me to say let's hug it out. That is so not happening. We're cool. Trust me. Second of all, just do what I say. I know how to get you over to Camp Rock, which means no back talk or I'll totally run to your Daddy first thing tomorrow. Or I'll make an announcement to the entire camp that you've been sneaking off and planning secret make out sessions or whatever with the enemy. And don't think I won't. I'm a bitch, okay? It's what I do."
All I could do was nod, her voice was a deadly kind of serious and shadowed in a tone that made her statement an undisputed fact. Quickly, she grabbed my wrist and harshly ushered me back into our cabin.
*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*
Nate's POV
Hey Jude, don't make it bad...Take a sad song and make it better...Remember to let her into your heart...Then you can start to make it better...
"Huh?" I mumbled as the familiar words to my favorite Beatles' song "Hey Jude" interrupted my slumber.
Absently, I fumbled for the extra pillow I had brought from my bunk in the bus and haphazardly placed it over my head to drown out the sound of Paul's voice and George's guitar. My eyes were slowly closing again and just as I felt my eyelashes rest against the tops of my cheeks, the volume of the song seemed to increase. Confusion, no doubt brought on by the fact that I was still half asleep, fogged over my brain as the song got louder and louder while the seconds (minutes?) ticked by.
I groaned in frustration when I realized I forgot to turn off my phone before I went to sleep.
Stretching my arms above my head, I lazily climbed down the ladder of the bunks and ambled toward the desk where my phone was laying. The light that was emanating from the device was a shock to my half-closed eyes and I had to squint to see the number that was flashing on the screen.
Suddenly, as if Uncle Brown had doused his trusty bucket of water (the one he reserved only for Shane) on me, I was wide awake.
The number that was flashing on the screen was Tess Tyler's.
I could feel my brows furrowing as I debated on whether to hit the green connect button that was displayed on the screen of my phone. It would be a fairly severe stretch to call myself and the pretty but frigid blonde acquaintances despite our various connections to the same people (her Mom is TJ Tyler after all), but that didn't mean I was above giving her my phone number. She had, after all, saved me from abject boredom at quite a few parties back in L.A.
Of course the whole reason I was hesitating to answer my phone was because she had been one of the few campers who had defected across the lake to Camp Star. For a moment, I felt as paranoid about her as Brown did about Axel. Shaking off the feeling, I pressed the connect button and winced as her screeching voice filled my ear.
"Finally!" She shrieked shrilly. "God, I thought I was going to have to keep calling you and calling you like some fucking stalker fangirl freak!"
"Hey, Tess." I grumbled, rolling my eyes. "Thanks for the wake up call."
"Don't get cute with me, Grey. Just listen up. Axel sent Luke and I on another spy mission across the lake tonight and for whatever reason, I decided to give you one last chance to see your girlfriend before Camp Wars. All you need to know is Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall."
My eyes went wide as Tess' words sunk in...Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall. What? I didn't realizing I said that out loud until Tess' stressed out hiss filled my ears. "What are you? Deaf? I told you, you're little girlfriend is hiding out behind the mess hall. Do you have to be wide awake for your brain to be firing on all cylinders or something? Ugh! Look, I don't have time to explain something so simple to you, okay? Just get your ass over to the mess hall now!"
Before I could utter even a syllable, all that was ringing in my ear was my phone's dial tone and for a moment, all I did was stare at the blank screen of my phone while blinking repeatedly.
Then as Tess' words filled my ears again – Dana's hiding out behind the mess hall – I nearly dropped my phone as I rushed over to my open suitcases near the bedside table on my side of the cabin. As quickly as I could, I changed out of my pajamas and found a pair of sneakers laying by the door, which I put on before I grabbed the flashlight on the desk and left the cabin.
*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*
Dana's POV
Hiding out behind the mess hall was seriously stressing me out.
All I could think about was Nate's Uncle Brown might be wandering around or some of the counselor's could be doing bed checks and find me crouching in the bushes. Of course there was always the chance that another camper could spot me or one of Nate's brothers. And then there was the fact that Luke was lurking around somewhere.
Sure, he was with Tess but if they made their way over here, she would sell me out in a hot minute. Biting down on my lip, I nibbled nervously on the skin and let out a distressed sigh.
"Nate," I mumbled, my voice sounding frantic to my own ears. "Where are you?"
Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my racing heart, but it only seemed to pick up speed as I heard the rustling of grass from behind me.
I closed my eyes, tightly, before taking the risk and turning around, slowly. I didn't realize my eyes were still closed until I heard the low, throaty sound of a chuckle that was becoming increasingly familiar to me. Goosebumps erupted across my skin and my stomach filled with a million butterflies while my eyes began to open and when I met his pretty brown eyes, I could feel my lips curving upwards.
"Hey." I murmured as he closed the foot or so of distance between us.
"Hey." He murmured back.
My cheeks heated up as I inhaled his perfect smell and I nervously shifted on my feet as I peered up at him from behind my eyelashes. "For a little bit, I was afraid you wouldn't believe Tess when she called you and then I was worried someone would catch me hiding out back here before you showed up, if you even did."
He nodded as he reached for my hand. Sparks raced up my arm as I felt his fingers lace themselves with mine and the heat in my cheeks only burned hotter. "For a second, I channeled my Uncle Brown's paranoia because Tess' number came on my phone's screen. We're not close or anything – she's just kept me from slitting my wrists at some of the same parties we've been at back home. But when she told me you were hiding out behind the mess hall, I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't come see for myself. And here you are."
"Here I am." My voice shadowed by bubbling giggles. When my giggles faded away, I couldn't help but ask, "So you would have been here anyway? Even though you didn't know for sure that I was here?"
"I would have been here anyway." The certainty in his voice had my body being taken over by an intense shiver. "Seeing you isn't exactly easy, but I'll take the chance every time I can."
I always thought the girls in books and the movies were always exaggerating when they said a boy would make them melt, but after Nate said what he did, I finally knew what they were talking about. I knew it was possible for a boy to make me melt, and the feeling only spurred me to move closer to him. I felt that intense shiver from before when the length of my body brushed against the length of his and I dropped my face in the crook of his neck, placing a soft kiss against his skin.
"Dana..." My name fell from his heart-shaped lips in some kind of half-groan, half-whisper and in that moment, I wanted to do whatever I had to, to make him say my name like that again.
(It's half full and I won't wait here all day
I know you're saying that you'll be here anyway
But you're untouchable
Burning brighter than the sun
Now that you're close I feel like coming undone) ("Untouchable" - Taylor Swift)
My head was swirling as I felt his arm wind around my back and pull me closer.
The softness of my body melted into the hardness of his and I was suddenly warm all over as I saw him leaning in closer. It seemed like he was going to kiss me, but instead his head drifted away from my lips and I could feel the cinnamon of his breath lightly tickling the skin just below my ear. I felt unsteady and I slowly slid my hands up his chest, stopping for a moment to revel in the firm and solid strength I could feel beneath the fabric of his shirt and then my hands formed to the curves of his strong shoulders.
I felt a rush of what I could only describe as pleasure hit me hard in my stomach once his mouth descended to my skin. I closed my eyes and my breath hitched as I felt him shiver against me. I don't know how, but his breathing was easy and as each slow puff warmed my skin, I got increasingly unsteady on my feet. I wasn't quite sure what I was feeling as we stood there; pressed body to body and mouths on each others necks.
I had never experienced anything like this before and all I could do was moan his name against his skin, "Nate," and hope that he knew I never wanted to move away and for him to ever stop breathing against the skin of my neck.
(In the middle of the night
When I'm in this dream
It's like a million little stars
Spelling out your name
You gotta come on, come on
Say that we'll be together
Come on, come on)
*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*
Nate's POV
As I stood there with one of my arms wound around Dana's back, my mouth against the alluring curve of her neck and her soft body pressed into mine, I thought there was no way I could be any warmer than I already was. Then my name – with several extra syllables added – passed the plump peach petals of her lips in a moan and I felt like I did the of our almost kiss on the docks. In an instant, my entire body was hot and my blood was rapidly pumping through my veins.
My stomach clenched tightly as I replayed the sound of her voice in my head over and over. My head spun wildly from being able to smell the freshness of her perfume and I briefly nuzzled my nose against the silkiness of her neck, before pulling back slightly.
I reached up with my hand that wasn't pressed into the small of her back and I shuddered as she looked at me from behind the dark fans of her eyelashes. I could see the warmth in her chocolate eyes and all I wanted was for her to keep looking at me like that – the depths of her eyes looking like melted pools of chocolate and shimmering with what I could only qualify as – want.
I didn't realize my hand was sort of suspended in mid air until, I felt one of hers leave my right shoulder and bring mine to cup her cheek. My cheeks burned from embarrassment and she giggled as she stood on her toes, her lips hovering just above my ear. "It's okay," She assured, the husky tone of her voice making deep heat bloom in the pit of my stomach. "I don't really know what I'm doing either. I've um...yeah..."
Her voice trailed off and she pulled back just a little, making me immediately miss the minty sensation of her breath hovering over my ear. Her milky cheeks flushed a pretty pink and I let my thumb brush over the silky skin, causing the pink to turn a deeper shade and as her teeth sunk into the peach flesh of her lips, I couldn't stop myself from letting out a low groan.
"I've never felt like this. Not that I know exactly what this is. Because I don't. I mean like I said I've never..."
Before she could get carried away with her rambling, I brought my thumb away from her cheek and pressed the peach petals of her lips together, effectively stopping her. The softness of her lips against the roughness of my thumb made the deep heat in the pit of my stomach spread everywhere else and the way her lips parted as I traced their petal shape while she was looking at me from underneath half-lidded eyes wasn't helping.
The need to kiss her was racing through my body and I used the arm that was still wrapped around her back to draw her back to me. Her breasts became crushed against my chest in the process and it was hard to ignore the soft weight they carried and how good that weight felt. Her teeth were biting down on her bottom lip again and I could hear her breath hitch in her throat just before she asked, "Have you ever felt like this?"
Being the prolific songwriter that I was, there were a million ways I could answer her question. But instead of using any of them, I gave her the simple answer. And the only answer that seemed right.
Just before my lips descended on hers, I told her, "No."
(Oh, in the middle of the night
Waking from this dream
I wanna feel you by my side
Standing next to me
You gotta come on, come on
Say that we'll be together
Come on, come on
Little taste of heaven)
Before this kiss started, Dana had asked if I had ever felt like this before and I told her no and as she titled her head back so I could deepen the kiss, I wanted to tell her I had never been kissed or kissed anyone like this either.
Every sweep her lips made across mine was perfect; the amount of pressure she applied, the way she eased my lips open with the very tip of her tongue and how she had engaged mine to tangle with hers. Her fingers found their way into my curls, sinking deeply amongst their thickness and tugging slightly and the feeling of a girl's fingers in my hair had never felt so good.
My hand roamed her back, feeling the warmth of her skin through the fabric of the T-shirt she was wearing and all I could think about was actually feeling the warmth for myself. As badly as I had wanted to kiss her, somehow I wanted to feel the bare skin of her back even more. My hand drifted just a little lower and my fingers twitched as they found the hem of her shirt. With just the slightest nudge, I would be able to feel the warmth I so badly wanted to.
Just the thought of actually touching her skin – feeling its silky texture underneath the rough pads of my fingers – had my head spinning more wildly than before.
She broke our intense kiss in a slow manner, dragging out the parting of our lips as long as possible and I felt my stomach tighten along with my jeans as my eyes took in the beautiful picture she painted. Her hair was slightly mussed and tumbled down her shoulders and back with a slight curl (I hadn't noticed till now), her milky skin was alive with the deep pink hue my thumb had coaxed from her cheeks, her soft breasts were heaving as she tried to catch the breath our kiss had stolen and the plump petals of her lips were crushed and full.
Her tongue snaked out, briefly, to wet her lips and I let out a similar low groan to the one from earlier. Her lithe frame shuddered and I couldn't help but wonder if it was from the way I was staring at her.
She swallowed slightly before a tentative whisper fell from her now slick lips, "No one's ever looked at me the way you are right now. I don't know what it means or what you want exactly, but um...don't...Don't stop."
"I won't." I told her simply before clearing my throat. Now it was my turn to be tentative. I had never asked a girl if I could touch her and I wasn't sure how she would react. My throat was thick and somewhat tight and I had to clear it again. My hands shook by my sides and I stumbled over the question I so desperately wanted to ask her.
"Do you...Um...Would it...Ugh!" I groaned in frustration at my own ineptitude and roughly raked my fingers through my hair. When my hand came back to rest at my side, she took it and gently trailed her fingers over my knuckles as she said softly with a teasing air, "How about you breathe, tiger? I'm going to be here until the last possible moment when I absolutely have to leave."
The melodic tone of her teasing voice eased my uncharacteristically frazzled nerves just like her touch did. Giving her one of my usual half smiles, my voice was low and I hoped she could hear it when I asked her, "Can I touch you, Dana?"
(Oh, oh I'm caught up in you
Oh, oh, oh
Untouchable burning brighter than the sun
And when you're close I feel like coming undone)
*~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~N&D~*
Dana's POV
My heard thudded against my ribcage and each resounding thud reverberated in my ears to the point that I would have sworn on anything – even the biggest stack of Bibles ever – that he heard each thud too. I never thought his question – the one he had been struggling to ask – would have been about touching me. I had felt unsteady on my feet before this, but now, I was surprised to still be up right at all.
I wasn't sure if you could technically "shake" on the inside (you know in the truest sense of the word), but I felt like my whole body was shaking – even the inside – as I stood there. I bit down on my lip again (my go to nervous habit) and since I didn't trust my voice, I just nodded my head.
Nodding, though, wasn't good enough for Nate. "You have to say yes. I need to hear you say that you want me too. I've never asked a girl to touch her before...Uh, in case you hadn't noticed."
He awkwardly shifted his weight from one leg to the other and without realizing I had been holding my breath, a long rush of air escaped my lips. His neutral skin was flushed (the way it was after he had performed) and I could see the flush seeping lower into his neck and the way his nerves manifested themselves physically made me feel a lot better about my own. Bravely, I closed the small amount of space between us and although my voice sounded shaky to me, I hoped he didn't infer anything by it when I told him, "It's okay. You can touch me."
I wasn't exactly sure where the touching was going to happen, but when I felt his hand hesitantly drift underneath the hem of my shirt to touch the small of my back, I realized I didn't care. His hand was wonderfully warm and the way his fingers danced across my skin, had the butterflies in my stomach fluttering more than they ever were before.
(In the middle of the night
When I'm in this dream
It's like a million little stars
Spelling out your name
You gotta come on, come on
Say that we'll be together
Come on, come on, oh oh)
My head fell against the solidness of his chest and I buried my face inside the opening of his plaid shirt, inhaling his perfect smell. I could feel his hand moving further up my back and suddenly I felt the sensation of something cool against my heated skin, which caused me to shudder. He noticed and his hand slipped out from underneath my shirt while he stammered adorably in my ear. "A-are you okay? W-was that..." He paused to swallow and then finished asking his question. "Good or bad?"
I didn't want to pull away from his chest, but to answer him I had to. I could feel my lips curving upward and I couldn't stop the giggles that fell from them at the sight of his somewhat frantic soft brown eyes. "Relax," I teased. "Don't you know? When it comes to you, everything's good."
I don't know why I was just now noticing the plain silver band that adorned the ring finger of his left hand (it's not like I didn't know all about it), but as he reached out to cup my cheek, suddenly I did. It didn't take me long to realize, the shudder from the cool sensation that I felt against my back came from the feeling of his ring. Unlike his hand, the metal around his finger was cool and when it hit the warmth of my back, I felt something incredible, which made my whole face heat up.
"I felt your ring." I told him, which sounded really stupid in my head. "That's why I shuddered. It's the only part of your hand that isn't warm."
His eyes drifted away from mine and focused on the jewelery on his finger. He twisted it around and suddenly I was nervous that I had said something wrong. Like I said, I knew all about his ring – what it meant and all that – but that didn't mean I should have said anything about it. Something like that was obviously sacred to him and not to mention private.
"You um...You know what it is don't you?"
I nodded and ran my fingers through my hair as I was the one who was now shuffling awkwardly on their feet. "Yeah." I answered softly. "I um...I've heard people's speculations about it and I've heard what you and your brothers have said. And just between us," I stepped just a little closer and raised myself on the tips of my toes. "I believe what you guys have to say vs. what Perez and oceanUp blog about." I murmured, in an attempt to lighten the mood.
Obviously, it worked because I was rewarded with one of his low, throaty chuckles; the kind that skated along my nerve endings and made them come alive. I pressed a warm kiss against his ear and then lowered myself back down onto my feet. I gave him another smile and reached for his hand, allowing my finger to dance along the silver band for a moment and looking at him from behind my eyelashes I told him, "It's a beautiful ring."
"Thanks."
Giving his hand a squeeze, I leaned in and pressed my lips to his, initiating a warm, wet kiss. It was a total in the moment move, that I was, honestly surprised by. I usually wasn't so aggressive when it came to that sort of thing, but I wanted to make things less awkward for him. I knew things had gotten kind of heavy and now wasn't the time to talk about vows and beliefs, so I did the only thing I could think of and kissed him.
His lips moved easily across mine and for the briefest of moments our tongues tangled together. The cinnamon of his breath was immediately missed when he broke the kiss, but it was missed just a little less when I became wrapped up in his arms and pressed against his every inch like I had been before.
(Oh, oh in the middle of the night
Waking from this dream
Wanna feel you by my side
Standing next to me
You gotta come on, come on
Say that we'll be together
Come on, come on
Little taste of heaven)
Our foreheads were resting against each others and it was like somehow we knew – even though we weren't being interrupted or we heard no tell tale signs of someone coming – that we should break apart and go our separate ways for now. I breathed him in one last time and after slowly slipping from his hold, I made my way out of the bushes from behind the mess hall.
I stopped for a moment to call out his name, "Nate," and when he turned around, I blew him a kiss. I giggled as I saw him reach up and catch the imaginary kiss before I disappeared from his view and made my way back across the lake.
(Like a million little stars, spelling out your name
Spelling out your name)
Song used in this chapter: "Untouchable" by Taylor Swift lyrics by Taylor Swift
End Note: The whole Nate/Tess trading numbers thing is totally a plant by me for a sequel that I can't stop thinking about for this story. If the sequel actually happens, you'll find out just how much of a soft spot I have for Ness. Seriously.
ANYWAY...So Nate just like his alter ego, has the infamous purity ring going on. I thought about him having one vs. not having one way too much as I was planning out and then ultimately re-writing this chapter, and I decided he should have one.
This is sort of a self-issued challenge, honestly. I've never written a character who's made a vow of chasity before – probably because I rarely (if at all, actually) write teenagers. So I'm testing the limits of my writing since normally, I would just have Nate and Dana have sex, but that seems too easy, you know? So I'm doing something different.
And I"m sure I don't have to tell all of you what's coming up next. But I will, anyway. It's Camp Wars...Dun-dun-dun. And things will definitely be tweaked. Definitely.