Chapter 55
“Elizabeth!” Lucky gasped, pulling away from her. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Rum, brandy, whatever that brown stuff was....” she giggled, grabbing the bed next to her, pulling herself onto her feet. She was a little unsteady, but managed to stay upright. She held out her hand to him. “You should get up, you look silly sitting on the floor.”
He took her hand and tried pulling himself up, but only succeeded in pulling her back down onto the floor. They both laughed, struggling to get up again. Finally, after numberous tries, they were both on their feet, out of breath.
“Well, that was fun,” he gasped, heading for the bathroom to retrieve his shirt. “You better get dressed, the cab’s going to be here soon.”
Liz looked down at herself and frowned. “Hey, where’s my shirt? I was wearing one before, wasn’t I?”
“It’s on the bed,” Lucky called out from the bathroom. “It was cold.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, as though the explanation made perfect sense. She looked around, finally spotting it crumpled up on one of the beds. She smoothed it out, then slipped it back on, grimacing as the damp fabric hit her skin. “It’s still cold!”
“So’s mine,” he whined, coming out of the bathroom, pulling it over his head. “I’m going to go check us out, meet me out front in a few minutes.”
She giggled and mock-saluted him. “Aye, aye, cap’n!” He laughed and grabbed his wallet, then staggered out of the room, trying to act as sober as possible as he made his way downstairs to the front desk. He approached the receptionist and dropped the room key on the counter.
“I need to check out. I’m going to Vegas.”
The woman smiled, noticing the slight slurring in his speech. “All right, sir. How will you be paying.”
“Don’t leave home without it,” he said, slapping his American Express card onto the counter. She chuckled and picked it up, wondering just how much he had to drink that night. She had recognized him as soon as he walked up, and was now thinking of the stories she could tell her friends. Lucky, the famous rock singer, stinking drunk!
She quickly finished the transaction and handed the card back to him with the receipt. He managed to sign it on the first try and slid it back, grinning.
“You’re not driving anywhere, are you, sir?” she asked, concerned. He was in no condition to do much of anything, and she had heard plenty of stories about celebrities who drove drunk.
Lucky shook his head vigorously, the grabbed the edge of the counter to steady himself when the room began to spin. One his equilibrium was back, he leaned forward. “Don’t worry, I called a caxitab.”
The receptionist stifled a laugh. “You mean a taxicab?”
Lucky frowned and stepped back. “That’s what I said. Sheesh, no one listens anymore!” He turned around and started for the elevator to go back to the room, when Liz stepped off. She hurried over to him, then followed him outside to wait for the cab. Once they were out of the building, she giggled and nudged him to get his attention.
“Huh?” he asked, turning to look at her.
She opened her purse, revealing about ten more bottles of liquor that she had taken from the room. “For the road.”
“What, you’re not drunk enough yet?” he asked with a laugh, straining his eyes to see if the approaching headlights belonged to a taxi.
“It’s a long flight, I might get thirsty,” she explained. “If you’re going to make fun of me, then I won’t share them with you!”
The cab pulled up to the curb and honked, startling Liz. She turned and glared at the bumper, then looked back at Lucky. “That was unnec-, unnessec-...That was rude!”
He opened the door and nudged her towards it, waiting for her to crawl inside, then followed. Once they were settled, he told the driver to take them to the airport. It wasn’t very far from their hotel, so the drive was relatively short. He paid the driver, giving him a big tip since he didn’t feel like counting the money, then pulled Liz out of the car and to the doors of the airport. They made their way to the terminal where the private planes were, and searched for his. Finally, he spotted it. Within minutes, they were on board, buckling themselves into their seats while the pilot began to taxi down the runway.
Liz glanced around the cabin in awe. “Wow, I’ve never been in a private plane before. Is this what Air Force One is like?”
“I think that one’s a little bigger,” Lucky responded. He looked out the window and smiled as they began to take off. Liz opened her purse and dug around in it, retrieving two bottles.
“The beverage service is now starting,” she announced with a giggle. “Clear?”
Lucky turned to her and shook his head. “No, I want brown this time. Clear was kind of nasty.”
“Mm, okay,” she mumbled, holding out the other bottle. He took it and unscrewed the cap while she rummaged around for something for herself, not wanting to drink the vodka. “So, how long is this going to take, anyway?”
“Hours,” he answered. “Might as well get comfortable.”
“I wish I brought a book or something,” she grumbled, looking at her watch. “I’m already bored.”
“Wanna watch a movie?” He hit a button next to his chair, and a panel on the wall in front of them moved aside, revealing a large-screen TV set.
“Oooh, an in-flight movie and everything!” she exclaimed happily. “I could get used to this.”
“I guess being rich and famous has a few perks,” he said modestly. He hit another button on the remote, and a list of movies appeared on the screen. Liz read through them quickly, finally choosing one.
“Austin Powers! I love that one!”
He nodded and hit the number for that movie, then sat back to watch it, finishing off the rest of his bottle of liquor. Liz stared at the screen, captivated by the movie, practically forgetting that Lucky was even there. When it was over, she sighed, then turned to look at him. “Now what?”
“I think we’ve still got a few hours to kill, want to watch another one?”
“Yeah, sure, nothing else to do,” she answered, studying the list on the screen again. “Um, how about Wedding Singer? I love Adam Sandler.”
They both settled back to watch that movie, laughing at everything, even parts that weren’t meant to be funny. When it was over, Liz turned and looked out the window. “Aren’t we there yet?”
Lucky glanced at his watch to see how long they had been in the air. “Almost, I think. There probably isn’t time for another movie, though.”
She frowned and looked in her purse. “Uh-oh, we finished all the booze.” She giggled, looking over at him. “Booze, what a silly word.”
“You’re silly,” he said, grinning at her.
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
They both lapsed into silence, staring at one another. Suddenly, Lucky hit another button on his remote, and music filled the cabin. “Music! We need music!”
Tonight you're mine completely
You gave your love so sweetly
Tonight the light of love is in your eyes
But will you love me tomorrow?
“Ooh, I like this song. Let’s dance!” Liz exclaimed, unbuckling her seat belt. She pushed herself out of her seat, almost falling over. Lucky stood up as well, and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to him. They clung to each other, using each other as crutches to remain on their feet.
Is this a lasting treasure?
Or just a moment's pleasure?
Can I, can I believe the magic of your sigh?
Will you still love me tomorrow?
As they danced, Liz rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. Something about being there in his arms felt so right, even in her alcohol-induced delirium, she could still recognize that there was something between them, something neither of them had recognized before, that neither was willing to admit.
Tonight with words unspoken
You say that I'm the only one
But will my heart be broken, baby,
When the night meets the morning sun?
Lucky tightened his arms around her as they swayed to the music. He closed his eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair. At that moment, he couldn’t remember why he insisted on hating her so much. He tried to tell himself it was the alcohol talking, that he would come to his senses tomorrow, but something was nagging at him, saying that what he was feeling was real, that it wasn’t just because he was drunk.
I'd like to know that your love
Is a love I can be sure of
So tell, tell me now, and I won't ask again
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Liz pulled her head back enough to look at Lucky. He felt the movement and opened his eyes, smiling when he saw her looking back at him. She had a distant, wistful look on her face, like she was dreaming.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly.
“Mm, just stuff,” she answered cryptically.
“What kind of stuff?”
“You. Me. Stuff like that,” she replied, her eyes locked with his.
“Me too,” he murmured, leaning closer to her. “Maybe it’s just all the alcohol talking, but I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Liz’s face broke out in a broad smile. “Really? You know what’s funny?”
“Hm?”
“I was thinking the same thing,” she whispered, lifting her face slightly as he brought his lips down on hers.
Tell me now, and I won't ask again
Will you still love me?
Will you still love me?
Will you still love me tomorrow?
Just as the song ended, the pilot announced their descent, urging them to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. Lucky slowly pulled away from their kiss and led her back to their chairs. When they were finally belted back in, she turned to him and smiled.
“So, will you still love me tomorrow?” she asked with a soft giggle.
“I hope so, because by tomorrow, we’re going to be married!”
[Song Credit: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” by Gerry Goffin & Carole King. © Screen Gems-EMI Music.]
