STILL THE ONE

Chapter 17 - We Don't Have To Be Ordinary

We don't have to be ordinary
Make your best mistakes
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party
I'm telling you to take your shot it might be scary
Hearts are gonna break
'Cause we don't have the time to be sorry
So baby be the life of the party

"I think I'm going to throw up," Camila said, pacing backstage. It was the first night of tour and she was with her Mom. Her Dad and sister were already in the VIP section along with Shawn's family and a few other friends and VIP fans. Where was Shawn? She needed him right now. They had got through sound check without a problem. Shawn already knew just about everybody in the crew by name and greeted them all. He kept busy chatting with them, he asked them about what their job was, and asked them what they were doing, he liked to know everything. Camila was just as friendly, just slower off the mark, and more physical. She was a hugger, and everybody got a hug from her eventually. They tried to stay apart because they felt like magnets, and once they were in range they gravitated towards each other and couldn't help but touch and share glances. On stage it was different, everyone loved their chemistry and they kept it professional. But she needed him right now, she was about to pass out from anxiety.

"Hey, you ok honey?" There he was, she flung her arms around his waist and hugged tight. Nobody even blinked, after all, it was Camila, and everyone knew she was a hugger.

"Breathe, ok?" he helped her breathe and she met his eyes and felt herself calm immediately. She was never alone, Shawn was always somewhere nearby. She felt her heart slow and the nausea subside.

"Your band is amazing, your dance crew is impeccable, the audience is full of your fans, they love you and so do I." Nobody even blinked. Shawn was always telling people he loved them. Sinu rolled her eyes, being the only one around who actually knew the truth. Camila let go and took another deep breath.

"You were so good, did you enjoy it?" she asked.

His face lit up in a way she'd never seen before. "It was fucking amazing. I'll see you out there at the end, ok?"

She followed the stage manager to the catwalk where the moon was ready and the harness was attached so she was ready to be lowered onto the stage. The lights were going crazy, the search light was skimming over the audience, the music was building and then they saw her and they went crazy.

Every song was a new emotion, her dance crew were on point, they didn't make a single misstep and they lifted her to new heights. She reached her finale with a sense of shock. The crowd roared and stamped their feet, chanting for them, and Camila stood at the mic as the spotlight hit her and made the intro for Shawn as rehearsed. He walked out with a wave and now the roar was deafening. He had his acoustic guitar and they sat on the stools provided and sang "Kiss Me", with the crowd singing along. They had talked a lot about what they were about to do, and they weren't sure what their managers or PR people would think, but they didn't care. It was no admission to anything, it was just something to work up the fans. As the the echo of their last words "falling in love" rang out, they leaned forward and gave each other a quick, soft kiss. If the roof could have lifted off it would have. While they had the momentum, they stood up and the stools were removed and they launched into their single. The crowd sang along and they held hands and bowed at the end and then ran off. When they finally got backstage they hugged hard, but refrained from anything more. Everyone came to congratulate them, there were a lot of hugs, high-fives and comments on the kiss, the high was like nothing she had ever felt before and she knew a lot of it was because she had shared it with Shawn.

It was early morning by the time they got back to the hotel and Camila was in Shawn's room, which they decided would be their room, at least here in Vancouver. They showered off the sweat and makeup and then slid into bed, and as she stared out at the city, she remembered their day at Victoria two days before. He had been dying to take her on the water, which had been so peaceful and stunning, and then they had walked around the Butchart gardens, it had been a beautiful day. Their families had arrived the next day, and they all spent the day together and had a big dinner that night. They were off to Seattle after Vancouver, Shawn's family was heading home, as was Camila's father and sister.