| Close To You |
| By Mattie Scott |
| **** Four Years Later **** "Pass me the antibiotics." I called out to Melissa, my co-worker as I held a lion cub. "Here!" Melissa tossed me a bottle and I slipped a pill under the cub's tongue. After administering the lion cubs' medicine, Melissa asked if I had any plans for the following afternoon. "I can't. The zoo is sending me to Much Music with the tiger cubs. Apparently, some famous group donated money to the Emergency Fund for the zoo, and I'm bringing the white tiger cubs as a thank-you note." I told Melissa. "Already? We've only been working here for co-op for only like two months and you get to meet a famous music group!" Melissa exclaimed. I laughed. "As long as it's not Hanson." I was actually looking forward to the opportunity. Melissa and I had been working at the Toronto Zoo as part of our training for veterinary school. **** Later that afternoon **** "Rajah!" I scolded the only male tiger cub as he gnawed on the couch leg. It was a big struggle to be the only caretaker of five rowdy tiger cubs. "Ow!" I exclaimed as Sumaja, a female cub, bit my finger as I held her in my lap. I sat on the couch in a room, waiting impatiently for an executive producer to come by and get me when the cubs were ready to come on stage. Five minutes later, I saw a woman's head peak into the room. "You're on in two minutes." I picked up another female cub named Indira and held the leashes of the remaining three - Rajah, Rami, and Taja. **** Meanwhile **** "Everyone, please give a warm welcome to one of the hottest bands in the world today, all the way from Ireland, Westlife!" the VJ said. Mark was looking forward to the interview. This would give him and his four bandmates the opportunity to hit it big in Canada. What better place would be the number one music channel in Canada, similar to MTV, Much Music. "For the people that are unfamiliar with you, can you please introduce yourselves?" the VJ, whose name was Rick, asked them. "I'm Shane." "I'm Bryan." "Hi, I'm Nicky." "I'm Mark." "Hey! I'm Kian, and I would just like to say hello to all the Canadian ladies out there!" There was a loud response to that introduction by Kian. Mark and the other guys spent a while talking about their new Greatest Hits CD and the promotion tour in USA with the VJ. At the end of the interview segment and a performance, the VJ announced he had a surprise for Mark and the rest of the guys. "I would like to thank Westlife for taking the time out of their busy schedules to come to Toronto. Everyone should also know that they have made a generous donation to the Toronto Zoo in support of the Emergency Fund. So, we have a couple of surprises. Bring them out!" the VJ yelled over the loudness of the crowd. "You're on." The executive producer informed me. I made my way onstage with the tiger cubs. On the way there, I spotted a cute blond-haired guy smiling at me as I handed him Indira. "Hello." He greeted me in a husky voice that wanted to make me melt. "She won't bite." I smiled back at him and went on down the row handing the cubs to each person. I got the biggest shock of my life when I recognized the tall dark-haired guy on the end as Mark. When he looked up at me to receive his tiger cub, I saw his jaw literally drop to the floor. I realized I had to leave the stage immediately, so I quickly handed Mark the last of the tiger cubs, which was the feisty Rajah. **** After the Much Music Interview **** I waited offstage as the guys started to walk towards me with the restless cubs in their arms. The cute blond-haired guy that was nice to me earlier approached me first with Indira nibbling on his finger. "Here's your tiger. She's pretty cool." He handed her to me and smiled again. "Thanks." I said softly and put her in her crate. "By the way, my name's Nicky." Nicky introduced himself. I saw that his eyes were a gorgeous light blue colour and his blond hairs were in spikes. "Uh� Yeah, my name's Michelle." I extended my hand for him to shake, as a politely gesture. "Take my hand!" I thought to myself, hoping he would accept it, and he did. Sadly, our conversation ended when the rest of the guys including Mark walked up to me, dropping off the tiger cubs. "Carrots?" Mark whispered to me as he looked up and down at me. "You guys know each other?" Nicky was confused. I didn't pay attention to Nicky. "Mark! It's so good to see you. How long has it been?" I hugged him. "Too long Carrots. Too long." Mark grinned. "My, you've grown a lot. Handsome now!" I pinched his cheeks. "I see you still have your red hair and your tough attitude." He laughed. Some guy came up to the three of us. "The limo's waiting outside. Let's get a move on lads." Mark and Nicky looked at me for a moment. Nicky took out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it. "Here's where we're staying. Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?" Nicky shyly asked me. I was taken aback. Mark stared at the two of us and I took notice of that. "Of course. Let me get a piece of paper and I'll write down my number." I ignored Mark's looks and took out a scrap of paper and wrote my number down and handed it to Nicky. Nicky graciously took it and smiled at me before going back to the limo. "So, you fancy him, eh?" Mark chuckled forcefully. That made me blush. "Don't start Mark. We should really catch up with each other about what has been going on with us lately." Mark nodded. "I'll see you around eventually. But we're only in town for a few nights, so come by our hotel room and we'll have a drink together." Suddenly, I heard a growl coming from one of the crates. That made Mark jump a little bit. "I better go Mark. It looks like Rajah's getting a little moody. Maybe I'll see you tonight I hope." "Alright Carrots. Have fun with Rajah. I wouldn't though since he almost bit my bloody thumb off!" He showed me his thumb, which was covered with teeth marks. "Feehily! Get your arse over here!" a man's voice boomed from the exit door. "That's my cue. See ya later Carrots!" Mark hugged me and quickly left. **** Later that night in Mark and Nicky's room **** "Hand me my wallet, won't you?" Mark heard Nicky call to him as Nicky changed his shirt. Mark picked it up and threw it over. "Hey!" Nicky exclaimed when his wallet hit him in the head. "Be nice!" Mark scoffed and turned on the television. He couldn't believe that after four years, he bumped into Michelle. "She certainly has gotten over you." He muttered to himself. After seeing Michelle for the first time in years, she saw that she had really blossomed and was pretty. Her red hair and green eyes remained the same but there was something more about her that he had not yet discovered. "Now Nicky gets to do that." "What was that?" Nicky asked him. "I didn't hear you loud enough." "Nothing." Mark called back. "Where you guys going anyway?" Nicky walked over to him with a business card. "We're going to this Italian restaurant and later I've arranged for a horse drawn carriage ride back to the hotel." He said in a pleased voice. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "That must be Michelle. Get that for me won't you please? I've got to finish my hair." Nicky ran back into the bathroom. Mark sighed at Nicky's act of vainness. He opened the door and saw Michelle standing there in a gorgeous black strap dress. She was stunning. Her hair was down in a mass of waves - something unusual because he remembered that a few years back, she hardly wore her hair down. "Well Mark, are you gonna let me in or not?" Michelle stood outside the door impatiently. "Yeah, come on in. Nicky will be out soon." Mark held the door wide open and she walked in. "We should do something this weekend. Maybe you can come to my university soccer game. We're playing McMaster University." Michelle asked him as she sat down on the bed. Mark felt his hopes lift up. "Great. That sounds good." "Okay, I'll come by before the game and pick you up." She smiled at him. Mark and I sat down waiting for Nicky to come out. "I'm here! I'm here! Sorry!" Nicky ran out of the bathroom. "Someone obviously used up all my gel!" he directed a stare at Mark. Then he looked at Meagan, who looked incredible. "Wow!" he gasped, forgetting about the gel. "It's not too much isn't it?" I asked, hoping he would like my outfit. "You looked gorgeous!" he finally said and picked up his jacket. "You ready?" he stuck out his arm, and I linked mine with his. "Don't wait up for us Mark." Nicky laughed as we left the room. Mark was seething through his teeth. He knew he was jealous because he never stopped loving Michelle, even long after she left Ireland. He looked outside the window and saw Nicky guiding Michelle into a taxicab and it seemed like Michelle really liked him. "Face it. She was never mine and she will never be." He said sadly to himself as the taxicab sped off into the busy streets of Toronto. **** End of the night **** "You cold?" Nicky asked me as we rode in a horse drawn carriage. I was cold, just a little bit. "Yeah, I guess." I saw him take off his jacket and wrap it around me. I smiled in response and Nicky put his arm around my shoulder. I really liked him. He was handsome, charming, funny and sincere. We had a lot in common. We both have a huge passion for soccer and I saw myself falling in love with him even more every second that had gone by. Why do birds suddenly appear Every time you are near Just like me, they long to be Close to you�� Nicky looked into Michelle's beautiful green eyes and he pulled her close to him. He knew he liked her from the moment he first saw her walking onstage with a tiger cub in her arms. There was something about her that made his heart skip a beat. Why do stars fall down from the sky Every time you walk on by Just like me, they long to be Close to you�� I saw Nicky leaning in closer and I felt his lips touch mine. He put his hands on my face and slowly kissed me, with passion in each and every one of them. On the day that you were born The angels got together and decided to create A dream come true So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold And star light in your eyes of blue That is why all the girls in town Follow you all around Just like me they long to be Close to you�� Underneath the starry night, the loud noises of the horse's hooves beating down the streets of Toronto, Nicky and I didn't seem to notice the city going rushing by. I felt his finger running through my hair. "You're so beautiful." He murmured huskily as he kissed me again. I smiled at him and kissed him back with a butterfly kiss of my own. Close to you�� "I'll never forget this night." I whispered to him as he played with my fingers. "I wanna be with you, exclusively you know what I mean?" he whispered back and kissed my hand. "Me too." I looked into his blue eyes and my heart raced. Close to you�� song performed by: The Carpenters |