Final Project
XXVI.
"Can't you just give me a small, little hint…please?" Tori begged Shiori as the girls looked at each other in a mirror in Tori's bathroom. Shiori was busy doing Tori's hair, adding curls and hairspray like crazy.
"Uh-uh, I don't think Beck would be very happy with me if I gave away the surprise," Shiori grinned at her friend as she released the curling iron the sent a bouncy curl floating down the side of Tori's face.
"Aw, c'mon…I'm an actress, I can fake complete surprise!" Tori countered as she reached up to feel the new curl.
Shiori spun a new strand of hair around the curling iron, "And you're also Beck's girlfriend, so you should be truly surprised."
Giving her the title of "Beck's girlfriend" made her stop. It still felt so foreign hearing herself called that. For as long as she's known her group of friends at Hollywood Arts, Jade had been the only infamous person known as "Beck's girlfriend." So was it strange that she hardly recognized herself in the mirror when Shiori said the words? Tori reached up and touched her face gently, careful not to mess up the awesome make-up job Shiori did on her.
"What's wrong, Tori-chan?" Shiori asked softly as she caught the far off look in Tori's eyes.
Tori blinked, catching Shiori's eyes, "N-nothing, I just…everything's still feels so…not real."
Shiori giggled, mistakenly taking her words to mean that being "Beck's girlfriend" was too good to be true. And Tori supposed that under any other circumstance, that may have been the case. But truth was, she was too worried about…everything to really enjoy the title. Worried about what everyone was going to think of her once she stepped foot inside Hollywood Arts. Worried about what Jade was going to do to harass her. Worried about Andre in general…
"Shiori…can I ask you something?"
"Ask away!" Shiori exclaimed as she once again let a soft curl frame Tori's pretty face.
Tori chewed on her bottom lip gently, knowing that she would like her look a whole lot better if there was happiness in her eyes, "Have you ever done something you really wanted to do, but still felt bad about doing it?"
Shiori was silent for a long moment as she started ironing another curl. Tori was beginning to think that she wasn't going to get an answer, when Shiori finally responded, "Yes. But it was not like your situation at all."
Though she didn't want to pry if Shiori didn't want to talk about it, Tori still heard herself asking lowly, "What kind of situation was it…?
Once again, Shiori didn't respond immediately, but once she started, she made sure to focus intently on curling Tori's hair and not have any eye contact, "My mother was a singer. But when she…left after I was born, my dad took it pretty hard. I started singing almost around the same time I started to talk. My dad asked me to stop on more than one occasion. He never told me directly, but it didn't take me long to realize that it was because my singing reminded him of my mom." Shiori stopped, let the curl bounce freely, then wrapped up another strand, "I knew it hurt him, but I just loved singing so much that I didn't want to stop. He tried to get me into things that were all about him, such as karate, working at Shi-chan's, stuff like that. And I did all that because I knew it made him happy, but I still never stopped singing."
"Because singing made you happy," Tori concluded for her friend.
Shiori finally caught her gaze in the mirror and smiled softly, "Exactly. It's good to try to make other people happy, but if you don't make yourself happy first, there's no happiness to spread."
Tori grinned, "I'm gonna use that line now, right after I introduce it with 'A wise woman once told me…'"
Shiori chuckled, "If you wish. I just hope my story helped you a little."
"I…I think it did…" Tori answered truthfully, watching Shiori begin making the last curl.
"Good. 'Cause I would hate to see you and Beck not stay together after everything that happened."
Tori tried to smile at that, but it was very forced. She blinked a few times as her eyes glazed over in thought. It would be a shame…her and Beck not staying together. She lost a few friends because of their relationship (though Jade's friendship status was always an iffy anyway), so them not working out would be a triple slap in the face. She wondered if Beck thought this way, too. Should she even be thinking about this? Is she forever going to grasp onto their relationship simply because she didn't want all her sacrifices to be in vain?
"Tori!" Shiori's voice snapped Tori out of her thoughts. She glanced at Shiori in the mirror, but Shiori was quick to grab her shoulders and spin her around to face her. Shiori was shaking her head, "Don't cry, honey, you'll not only ruin your make-up, but your mood. Why are you so upset right now?"
Tori closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath, using all her willpower to not cry, "I'm just scared that…after everything…what if this isn't what I want?"
When Tori opened her eyes again, she was shocked to see Shiori smiling, even shaking a bit to hold in laughter. Tori almost took this personally, but didn't want to appear that way, "What's so funny?"
Shiori fingered a few of Tori's fresh curls, "Tori-chan, you sound like you're about to marry the guy. I know it's easy to want to think about forever with someone, but that's when we start setting expectations that usually end up as disappointments. You and Beck just got together. Live in the moment. Enjoy being young together while you can. And if you two are meant to be together forever, then it'll happen. But don't think about it. Live each day like it's your last day together. You'll never get bored then, right?"
Tori felt her vision get blurry as Shiori spoke, but made sure to hold her finger under her eye to catch whatever tears may fall, "You're only slightly older than me…how'd you get so wise?"
Shiori fluffed a few more of Tori's curls before taking a step back to look at her, "That's a story for another day, kay?"
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door that could be no other than Beck. Tori instantly straightened up and turned around to look at herself in the mirror again. She was glad her eyes instantly cleared and was placed with genuine excitement. She ran her hands down her figure-hugging deep-purple dress that stopped at her knees. The left-shoulder-strap was thick and glittery as it shimmered like a million diamonds.
Shiori happily opened the door for Beck, doing a low, exaggerated bow as she let him in, "Your lady awaits."
Beck chuckled softly as he stepped into the room. Since the bathroom was immediately to the entrance's right, Tori saw him right away and instantly stopped smoothing out her dress. Their eyes met, and Tori's hands went straight to her sides, then clasped in front of her, then behind her, then pressed to her sides again.
"Hey, Beck," she greeted with a smile, wondering why she was suddenly so nervous.
"Hey…" he trailed off, left speechless at how gorgeous his girlfriend looked.
Tori blushed at his lack of words as her hands came together again to allow her fingers to fiddle with each other. She heard Shiori clear her throat, and when she looked at her, she saw that Shiori was pointing down at her feet.
Tori looked down to notice that she had yet to put on her heels. Though it was silly, she suddenly felt naked, "Heh…oops, guess I'm not quite ready."
"I think you're perfect," Beck disagreed, taking a step back so Tori could get out of the bathroom and get her black heels that were waiting for her at the foot of the bed, "You look like a…a sophisticated Pocahontas without shoes."
Tori laughed quickly at his joke, sitting on the edge of the bed to slip her feet into the final pieces of her outfit. As she stood up, she took a quick peek at her laptop that was open, revealing her homepage. This would be the first time since her and Andre broke up that she would be leaving her room. She had continued to hope that Andre would calm down enough to talk to her, but that luck never came into fruition.
This glance didn't go unnoticed to Beck, making him shove her hands into the pockets of his slacks. He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt out of place in his three-piece suit, and he could tell Tori felt a bit out of place as well.
"Come on, you two!" Shiori yelled from the door, snapping them out of whatever it was they were in, "Let's show the world what a beautiful couple looks like!"
Tori and Beck couldn't help but grin at each other due to Shiori's exuberance. Beck finally reached out a hand for her. Smiling, Tori grabbed her small hand purse before placing her opposite hand into his. Though she should have been used to the feel of his skin against hers, feeling their hands together now ignited a whole new feeling inside of her. Maybe it was because this was their first time going out on a real date. Yes, this wasn't them going out as just friends. Or going out as friends sneaking around. This was them for real. And for Tori, the reality of her and Beck finally smacked her in the face. And she didn't even have a chance at hiding the huge smile that lit up her whole face.
"You ready?" Beck asked, pulling Tori closer to him, getting more courage when he finally saw the Tori he recognized.
She grinned and shook her hips playfully, "Show me what ya got!"
He laughed and pulled her flush against him, lowering his lips to hers for a brief kiss, "Thanks for doing this, Tor."
She cocked her head to the side, but didn't have time to question him as he started for the door, her hand still in his. Shiori closed the door behind the couple, then they all made their way to the first floor and out to Shiori's car.
Shiori opened the back door and ushered them in, "Your carriage."
Shiori and Tori shared a giggle as Tori and Beck slipped into the backseat. As soon as Shiori started driving, Tori turned to Beck, "So I'm not gonna get blindfolded or anything, right?"
Beck snapped his fingers, "I knew I forgot something! Guess I'll have to use my sock…" He reached down to pretend to take off his right shoe.
Tori slapped him playfully on the arm, "Ew! Then my face will smell like feet!"
"Hmm…yeah, that wouldn't be good," Beck sat up straight again before scooting closer to her, "Would you be willing to close your eyes if I asked?"
She grinned and poked him in his side, "I dunno, I'm kinda liking the view."
Beck's eyes softened at this. He was glad the anxiety between them was lessening, and it was most likely due to getting her out of her hotel room. He wondered, however, if she would go back to being reclusive after her surprise was over and they returned.
Their destination turned out to be about forty-five minutes away, but it was totally worth it as soon as Tori set eyes on what her surprise was (or, at least, part of it). There was a huge ship parked at the dock with the words "Jumbo Floating Restaurant" written below its counterpart Japanese symbols.
"We're gonna have dinner on the water?" Tori asked excitedly, pressing her face against the side of the window to get a better view.
"Right on the water!" Beck added, grinning at how excited Tori was getting.
"Ha, definitely should have blindfolded her," Shiori commented from the front seat as she parked her car close to the dock.
"No, no, I like seeing it like this," Tori said, grabbing Beck's hand as she did. She glanced at him, smiling shyly, "With you. Like this."
As Beck mimicked her smile, Shiori opened the door for the two of them, grabbing them both into a group hug, "You kids have fun. I'll see you soon and you can tell me all about it."
"Thanks for everything , Shiori," Beck said, patting her on the back, "I'll make sure Tori continues to be surprised."
Tori's eyes widened, "You mean this isn't the only surprise?"
"Nope," Beck shook his head, "But I'll make sure to cover your eyes for the others."
Tori squeezed his upper arm affectionately as they both waved a goodbye to Shiori as she hopped back in her car, ready to give Beck and Tori their time together.
"Ready?" He asked her as they watched Shiori drive away.
"Always," Tori answered, her face beginning to hurt from how big her smile was.
"Then let's get this show on the road," Beck looped his arm for her to grab onto.
"You mean 'on the water'," Tori grinned as she slid her arm through his, the two walking toward the bridge that would lead them onto the boat.
Beck nodded, "Of course." Once they reached the entrance of the boat, Beck produced two tickets that he handed over to the man on board. Beck and Tori bowed to him after her bowed to them. The inside of the boat was even more glorious than the outside, as the walls seemed to be aligned with the brightest gold they've ever seen, a stark contrast to the red carpet they walked on. They heard chatter in all the rooms they passed, and it seemed like every room was a private area for each couple to have dinner in. Tori couldn't hide her excitement when she began wondering what their private dinner room was going to look like.
"Want to head up to the top deck to watch us leave port?" Beck asked when they walked by an elevator.
"I like the way you sound all…piratey!" Tori teased, pulling Beck to the elevator to answer his question.
He laughed, "And I like the way you sound when you're all… thrilled!"
They entered the small elevator that took them up three decks. When they reached the top, they saw that there were about twenty tables on the roof, all with two chairs each. Tori bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling knowingly, "Ah…so this is why you wanted to come up here."
Beck looked at her with feigned ignorance, "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Uh-huh…" her eyes sparkled, and she allowed him to walk her toward the edge of the boat so they could stand by the railing.
She stared out at the water for a long moment before turning to him. He was leaning on the railing, hardly a way anyone else on the boat was standing, what with their sophisticated suits and all. And even though Beck was in his Sunday best, he still looked right being in such a casual position. The wind from the water blew slightly heavier so high up, causing his hair to blow away from his face. She smiled softly at this.
Reaching out, she ran a hand through his hair, the way she's always seen him do it to himself. She practically melted when he gave her a genuine smile. He stood up straight, both of his hands grasping onto both of her arms, "You…look absolutely stunning."
Shyly, she looked down for a quick moment, laughed breathily, then stared into his eyes, "You don't have to keep complimenting me."
"Didn't realize I was," he answered truthfully, taking a step forward to close the gap between them. Tori's heart started to beat heavily in her chest at their closeness. It felt so much like the first time he's ever gotten this close to her. Why? Why did everything feel so new despite all the intimate nights they've had thus far?
When their lips met, her heart went from pounding to fluttering. She could barely feel his hand that was on the back of her head, no doubt being gentle so as not to mess her curls up, but his hand that gripped her waist was sending her reeling with emotions. Her own hands slid up to around his shoulders and she had to momentarily wonder why she was so unhappy these last few days. She had everything she wanted with Beck…what more could she ask for?
She felt like she was flying, but quickly realized that it was the boat that started to pull away from the dock.
"Here we go," Beck said against her lips, their foreheads pressed together as the scenery began moving around them.
()()()()()()
YES! The semester finally ended, thus giving me free time to once again write. I've had so many ideas enter my head these last few months, but wanted to make sure this story took precedence over all else...because you fantastic people are still reading, reviewing, and messaging me like crazy about this story. Most of my reviewers gave up on me after a few months of no updating on my other stories, but there was no giving up with you guys. So here's your Christmas present! I'll try to get the next chapter out within the next few days.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!