Chapter 7

"So, um, are you enjoying the tour life so far?" Aaron asked, trying to make small talk.        

"Oh yeah!" Lyssa replied, avoiding eye contact.  She was afraid to see if the look in his eyes from when he sang to her had left them.  "It's what I've always dreamed of."      

"That's good. I'm really happy for you," he said sincerely.    

Lyssa was surprised to hear the sincerity in his voice.  And for the first time since she's met him, she believed him.    

"You ready to get your ass kicked at some video games?" he asked mischievously.      

"You better ask yourself that question," she shot back.      

They left his dressing room and headed tour Aaron's bus in silence.  "Why won't she make eye contact with me?" he asked himself. "I definitely have to get through to her."  Aaron silently prayed that Nick wasn't on the bus because he really wanted to spend some one-on-one time with Lyssa.      

"Nick?" he called out as they got on the bus.  When no one answered, he sighed with relief.  They made their way to the back of the bus where the Playstation was.  As Lyssa got comfortable on the couch he asked," Do you want anything to drink?"      

"I guess, um, I'll just have some water," she answered.        

As he went to go get the drinks, she decided that she was going to ask him.  "I'm going to do it," she determined.  "I'm going to find out."      

After he set their drinks on the table, he turned to his collection of video games.  "What game do you want to play?"      

"Do you have any racing games?  I'm good at those."      

"Sure I do!"  He pulled out Mario Kart and put it in.  "Get ready cause I'm gonna leave you in my dust!"      

"We'll see," she grinned as she picked up her controller.      

The first game was close, but Aaron came back in the end to beat Lyssa by a little bit.  "Ah-ha!  I won!"  He got up to do a little victory dance.      

"That's OK," she said.  "I'm just getting warmed up."      

And she was right.  She left Aaron far behind her with no way of catching up.  "Ah-ha!  I won!" She mocked him and got up to do a victory dance of her own.      

As she sat down, she decided to ask him then.  "Aaron, were you really singing that song just for me?"     

 He turned to look at her and found himself looking straight into her eyes for the first time.  "Yes, I was," he said softly.  "But right now, let's play one more game of this to see who the real winner is!"      

Lyssa sighed as she got ready to play another race. Aaron was ahead of her the whole game.  "I'm gonna win!" he said.      

"Watch this!" Lyssa came back and knocked his car over.  She sped past him and beat him.  "Oh yeah!  Who kicked who's ass?" she laughed in his face.      

"I let you win."      

"I don't think so!  I knocked your car out!"  She shoved him playfully.      

"Two can play at this game," he threatened.      

What started out as video game playing, turned into an all-out tickle war.  For what seemed like hours, they tried to be the winner of the war.  But finally, Lyssa couldn't take it anymore; she couldn't breathe and Aaron had her pinned down.  "I give up!" she cried.     

"I knew I'd win!" he smiled.      

"I only let you win...." she trailed off.  She found herself lost in his eyes as his lips met hers.  If only he knew that she meant not only the tickle war, but the fight they had as well.