C Minor // R5

More Bitter, Less Sweet

"Riker! Riker!" I yell as Riker and I run down the street, but he doesn't seem to be answering any of my questions.

"Quick! He's in there!" Riker says, motioning to the restaurant. It's the restaurant Ross and I came to for our not-date. But with out hesitation, I bust through the doors, only to find an empty restaurant.

"Ross?" I ask. No reply. I turn to Riker, only to see that he isn't there. Oh, and the doors are locked.

"Hi Nina." I hear Ross says. I turn to see him with a bouquet of flowers and I rush up to him. I hug him, possible squishing the flowers, but pull back quickly and put my hands on his cheeks.

"Oh my god are you okay? You don't look bloody or beat. Are you all right?" I ask observing him, as if he is a specimen in a lab. He laughs.

"I'm fine." He says. I hit his arm softly.

"Don't scare me like that!" I say.

"Sorry, it was Rocky's idea!"

"Of course it was." I say, sighing and letting out a breath I've been holding since Rocky left me in the middle of downtown. Ross motions the flowers towards me. I smile at him.

"Thank you." I say.  We both take a seat, and I put the flowers and my clutch on a table next to us. "Hey, how did you rent this whole place out?" I ask.

"Nina, I have my own TV show. I've got a little bit of spending money." He says, leaning back.

"This isn't a-"

"Date?" He interrupts. I nod and he laughs. "No Nina it isn't. It's our second not date." He says.  laugh a little.

"Well I am ready to eat. I just ran like a mile!" I say. Ross laughs.

"Sorry about that, my little runner." I can't help but smile when I'm around Ross. "So, are you coming to the ball Friday?" He asks.

"Ball?" I ask. What Ball?

"The ball. Maia and Grace organized it. It's masquerade, kinda like Romeo and Juliet." He says. "I came up with the idea."

I nod. "Makes sense." I say.

"They figure since most of us are really young we could throw a little ball on the beach. There will be a dance floor and food. It's gonna rock." He said.

"Yeah, I don't think I'm gonna go." I say.

"What?"

"I don't know Ross. I don't have a mask." I say.

"Grace, Maia and Rydel have tons of extra. You can borrow one from them." He says.

"It's just not my thing." I say.

"It's a dance. Dance." Ross says. I laugh a little.

"I do choreography. I can't just dance." I say.

"It's mostly slow dancing."

"I'll think about it." I say, just to get him to stop. But I know the answer already. Suddenly a waiter brings us salad.

"So, are you happy to being going home?" Ross asks.

"Are you?" I ask.

"Yeah...I mean, it'll be good to eat normal food and start performing and working on the album with the band." He says. "But I asked you."

"It's bitter sweet." I say. But in reality, I would stay in Puerto Rico forever if I could. With Ross, and filming and all the Lynches.

But that couldn't happen.

It's not that my family was bad or anything. I loved my family, I would bring them here. It's just Boston. Boston has nothing for me to offer. No auditions, no critically acclaimed schools, no movie shoots, no friends, no Ross.

Just me, kinda alone.

"Maybe if you guys ever come to Boston I'll see you." I say.

"Sick! I totally make sure of it!" Ross says. That makes me a little warm inside, knowing that even though it is long away, I have a better chance of seeing Ross.

Although, hate to be a downer, but that'll be for two days, and then I won't see him for a long time again.

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When Ross and I finished dinner, we went back to the hotel beach. We laid in the sand and listened to the waves, kinda like the first not-date.

"Have you finished your vows?" I ask.

"Yes. Have you?" He asks back.

"Yes."

"I hate that this is our last happy weekend." Ross says. I look at him.

"No it's not."

"It's not?"

"We'll have lots of happy weekends. None together physically, but we'll have late night phone calls. Skype with your brothers and Rydel and Ratliff. Letter writing together. We'll have lots of good weekends. Together and apart. It's just the last happy one in Puerto Rico." I say. He looks at me and smiles.

"You think?"

"Rydel keeps telling me we'll see each other again, and I don't know if that's true. But I know what I just said is true." I say, looking away.

"Nina, I don't care if I never see you again. You'll always be my C Minor chord." He says.

"I never thought I would become best friends with the idiot who called me a guitar chord." I say.

And we just laugh.

Because that means the last laugh wasn't the last.