“Open your eyes.”

Fuzzy. Heart beating. Ringing.

“Open your eyes.”

Fuzzy noise filled her ears, as if she were caught in a whirlwind storm. Her senses slowly collected the information around her in her awakening state. They were once only words, but now they were words with meaning.

“Open your eyes.”

She could hear her heart beating, could feel the blood pumping through her veins. She felt her life coarse through her like runaway electricity. It was there and it was real, but then it wasn’t. The fuzzy noise, the ringing, wasn’t real.

“Open your eyes.”

She opened her eyes. Blurred images greeted her, overwhelming her senses. The fuzziness was fading, but it still wasn’t real. The world was becoming clearer, her eyes blinking as the sunlight of the room shone down upon her.

If only she knew this wasn't real.

Her eyes adjusted. She tried to remember where she was. She knew only facts. She knew only what her body was experiencing. She knew that the world seemed hazy; clear, but hazy, as if a light fog had settled down over everything. It was hazy, but it was subtle. It was still bright, but then it wasn’t. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real.

She knew that her heart was beating and that her life radiated through every pore and molecule of her body. She knew she was lying flat on her back, staring up at a ceiling. She knew that a mattress supported her from beneath and that a soft pillow cupped her head. She knew these things because they were fact, but they weren’t real.

She slowly turned her head to the left and immediately locked her eyes with the brightest and most beautiful color of blue anyone could ever witness. She knew that she should be shocked and that she should be scared, but she also expected this. She’d been waiting for this for so long. She’d asked for it night and day for what seemed like an eternity, and now here it was. Here he was.

“You’re here,” she whispered, tears immediately springing to her eyes. A small smile danced across his lips and that beautiful color of blue that mixed in his irises searched over her face sadly. He whispered softly, “I’m here.”

“Where have you been?” she asked quietly.

"Here," he responded.

The peace she had been yearning for crept up through her stomach and inched its way over her soul. She searched his face eagerly, an empowering happiness sweeping through her heart.

She’s waited for this moment since the day it happened.

His body lied there next to hers on that foreign mattress. He was so very close. She could see him. She could smell him. Not his cologne persay, but him. His very essence.

God, this couldn't be real.

She tried to move, to reach over and touch him to know that he was really there, but she was surprised to see that she could not. She tried lifting her arms but they lied against the bed like lead. She tried lifting her legs, but it was fruitless.

“You need to wake up,” he said tenderly. She stopped trying to move, not wanting to waste the time she had with him. This was just too good to be true.

She smiled at him, her voice was calm and overflowing with wonder, “I am awake.”

“Open your eyes Julia,” he stated gently. His eyes were a stunning blue. His eyes were sad. His eyes were full of love. “Open your eyes.”

“Open your eyes Julia,” a woman’s voice. Julia's body jerked, not expecting the harsh interruption.

“Wake up Julia,” the woman’s voice again. Julia jumped, her eyes clinching shut involuntarily. It was such a harsh sound and yet it was incredibly calm and soothing.

“Open your eyes,” it demanded gently.

The fuzziness was gone. The haziness was gone.

Julia’s eyes snapped open. Her heart lurched in her chest.

Nick was gone.

Panic and confusion pierced her. She searched the spot where he once lied and all at once pain came crashing down on her. Her head pounded. She could feel it pulsating behind her eyes. She felt restrained and paralyzed. Her arms screamed out in agony. Her lips were dry and chapped and her throat felt like she hadn’t taken a drink of water in days.

This was real.

“Where is he?” she croaked. The sunlight was still there, but the fog had gone.

“He’s not here,” the woman replied. Julia turned her head towards the voice, her arms and legs writhing involuntarily. She became suddenly, keenly aware that she was strapped down.

“He was here,” Julia stated, the panic echoing through the small, hollow room.

“He’s not here,” the woman repeated. Julia couldn’t see her, but she was there.

Julia felt like crying. She felt her heart bursting in her chest. Felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. But most of all, she felt fear.

Julia stopped struggling. She whispered, “Where am I?”

The woman appeared then, stepping up to the side of the bed, a chart in her arms. She smiled down at Julia, a look of sympathy clearly etched over her features. Her hand reached out to gently touch Julia’s and though it was meant to soothe her, it only scared her more.

Julia repeated again, though now more forcefully, “Where am I?”

The woman squeezed her hand tenderly, “You’re safe now.”

“Safe?” Julia whispered fearfully. The fear came from deep inside. It felt like a sickness, an unwanted, unrelenting disease. It passed from her consciousness to the surface with a boiling ferociousness. There were too many unknowns, too little facts. What she did know was that this was real. This pain and this fear were incredibly real. She could feel it through the tips of her fingers. She could touch it.

Questions raced through her mind and she barely had time to comprehend any of it. Everything was a blur. Nick was here and now he wasn’t. That was cold hard fact. Where did he go? Where was she? Why was she tied down? Who was this woman?

She knew none of these answers and this harsh reality settled slowly into her thoughts, aiding her rise in panic. The woman by the bed only stood staring down at her with a mixture of pity and compassion.

Julia felt the bare, cold walls closing in on her. This inhumane room only made her more frantic. She began to fight against her restraints again, but now more forcefully. She needed to get free. She needed to get out. This couldn’t be right. All of this couldn’t be right. This can’t be real. She had escaped this. She had made a decision and she had escaped.

Didn’t she?

This subtle doubt that slipped into her thoughts made her heart freeze in terror. Did it not work?

She immediately disregarded the ridiculous thought. He was here. He was just here! It had to have worked.

“Where am I!?” Julia exclaimed, feeling her skin break out into a cold sweat. Her brown hair lied flatly against her scalp, wild and disarrayed. From an outsider’s point of view, she looked like a tired, broken woman. The beauty that was once there was now hidden beneath a blanket of pain and sorrow. She was merely a shadow of her former self. She was a woman that had degraded into this empty shell that yearned so much to be filled whole again, and all because of just one fateful night. One night and Julia Kiley’s life shattered into a billion miniscule pieces, never to be found again.

The woman with the clipboard pressed down on her hand firmly, “You need to calm down Julia.”

“Calm down!? How can I calm down!? Where am I!?” she yelled. “Who are you!? Where’s Nick!? Where’s Nick!?”

Julia found herself choking up almost instantly. She cried out, “Where is he!? He was here! He was just here!”

The woman barely seemed fazed. She watched as Julia thrashed about, yanking her arms as hard as she could, twisting her torso painfully to gain leverage. The woman was used to this. Every patient tested out the boundaries. In time, Julia would give up. What always varied, however, was how long it would take.

“I told you already dear. He’s not here,” the woman said calmly. “And you’re safe. You can’t hurt yourself here. Not with us watching over you.”

“Us?” Julia asked. This statement distracted Julia momentarily and she stopped struggling. Her wrists were red and raw from her distress, and though she couldn’t see it, the bandages on the palm side of both her arms were beginning to bleed through. Her body was already on fire or else she would have felt the heated throbbing of her wounds.

“We’re here to help you, not hurt you,” the woman soothed. Julia shook her head slowly at first and then faster until she was finally screaming. Julia opened her mouth and forced all her energy into her cry for help. Her throat was already raw and the pain seared through her throat, but she unleashed her screams anyway.

Julia couldn’t accept this. She couldn’t. Not when she’s gone through so much already. It wouldn’t be fair for this to be real.

Where was he? He couldn’t leave her again, not when she had finally found him. She’d been looking for so long, and then there he was. He was here. He was right here lying beside her. His crystalline blue eyes were staring into hers and she could see the smile in them. She could see the recognition and the memories and the life and the love. She could see it all because he was there. She could smell him. Not his cologne, not his deodorant, or his favorite shampoo, but him as a living, breathing human being. She could smell him because he was there. He was right beside her, looking at her, speaking to her. He was there! He was right there! He was real. All of that was real.

This is what’s fake. This woman isn’t reality. This room and these straps and this bed and the cold and the stink aren’t true. They can’t be, because no God is that cruel. Why give something so desperately needed and then take it away only moments later?

No, such cruelty couldn’t exist. He was here, he was real, and this is not.

Julia screamed, and screamed, and thrashed, and screamed some more. Her high pitched screeches filled the small, bare, empty room. It reverberated off the walls in waves of heartbreaking intensity.

The woman with the clipboard flinched and stepped back from the bed, trying to yell over Julia’s screams for her to calm down. She was safe now, there was no need to lose her control. Julia only screamed louder at this. She threw her body every which way, not caring as her limbs screamed their own pain for her to stop.

The door of the room flung open then and two men in white uniforms came rushing in. They lost no time in grabbing Julia’s arms and feet, pinning her down to the bed forcefully. Julia fought against them, but they were too strong. Her body resisted any further movement, but she pushed on anyway. She couldn’t give up. This was just a test. This was only a test. She had to get free!

She barely noticed that the woman had set down the clipboard and had taken out a needle from her white skirt pocket along with a vial of clear liquid. The woman calmly drew the medication into the syringe, pushing up slightly on the end to eject any air within the small tube.

Julia stared wide eyed as the woman approached her, trying to squeeze between the two men that were strongly holding her down, diminishing Julia’s movements extensively. In only a few seconds, the woman’s hands were on Julia’s hips, pulling away clothing to reveal the soft flesh of her hip and thigh. In one swift movement, the woman plunged the needle into her skin, and almost instantaneously, Julia’s muscles began to weaken. She could feel the drug pass through her system at an alarming speed and in only a few seconds time, she had completely stopped fighting. She had completely stopped screaming. She felt her heart rate decrease substantially and the room around her began to blur. She fought to keep her focus, but to no avail. The woman with the needle and the two men stared down at her expectantly, but all Julia could make out were their blurred figures, until finally, blackness enveloped her.

~~~~~~~

4 Years Earlier

“Shit,” Nick breathlessly cursed as he slipped through the front door of Gucci on Rodeo Drive. The clicking of the photographers' cameras and the photographers' taunts were silenced by the barrier now between them, but the flashing of the lights could still be annoyingly recognized.

Nick slipped his sunglasses off of his face and hooked them to the front of his neck collar. His eyes swept the familiar, quiet store until he spotted where AJ had gone off too. He made his way past the tables full of bags and displays of watches before being able to elbow AJ in his side, “You owe me.”

AJ tore his eyes away from the display of shoes. He rolled his eyes, “Carter, you didn’t have to come.”

Nick grumbled, “I didn’t know the vultures would be out.”

“Neither did I,” AJ shrugged, turning his attention back to a nice pair of leather shoes. Nick glanced back behind him to the throng of photographers waiting outside. They were still feverishly trying to take pictures of them through the window, but they had substantially cooled off since the view was anything but spectacular.

The only reason why Nick was even here in the first place was due to his sheer boredom. Nick had been going crazy alone at home. The boredom was getting a little too overwhelming, so when he had called AJ to see what he was up to, he jumped at the opportunity to tag along while him as he went shopping. His excitement to just be doing something overshadowed his memories of just how intruding LA could be.

He was just surprised at the intensity of the photographers themselves. They were definitely not as popular as they once were, so Nick could only credit today's happenings to their new CD coming out and the hype surrounding it.

A couple of sales associates spotted the two of them from across the store and immediately made a beeline for them. Even if they didn’t know who they were from first glance, they knew they had to be important if the photogs were so interested in them.

“Good evening,” the blonde one smiled politely. Her eyes swept over Nick. They lit up with recognition, but she didn’t give off any other hints that she knew who he was. She was a professional. She worked with celebrities nearly everyday, and she knew damned well that they didn't want to be gushed over.

“Evenin’,” AJ said distractedly as he examined the shoe in his hands. The woman looked down at his selection and commented, “That’s one of our finest leathers. We also have it in black.”

AJ was definitely intrigued at this, “Really? Same price?”

She nodded, turning all her attention now on him, “Yep. I could go grab a pair for you if you want.”

“Actually, I was hoping to look at a few pairs,” AJ explained.

“That’s definitely no problem Mr. McLean,” she said happily. Nick smirked, standing off to the side to glance at a few shoes himself, though he wasn’t interested in purchasing anything. So she did know them. It’s sly how she slipped that in there.

She questioned, “What would you like to look at?”

AJ turned to the wall and did a large sweeping motion with his hand to encompass a good chunk of the selection, “All these. My dogs got a little frisky with my closet this past weekend. I lost a lot of good shoes.”

She chuckled lightly, “It happens from time to time. So, I’ll bring a few out at a time then and we’ll just eliminate the ones you don’t want. Got any preferences?”

“This,” AJ motioned at the shoe in his hands.

“Got it,” she said. She turned to the girl who silently waited patiently behind her. She whispered to her and almost at once, the girl was off to the backroom. The blonde turned back to the two of them, “Would you like to look at anything Mr. Carter?”

Nick shook his head, “No thanks, just along for the ride.”

She nodded in understanding, “Great. Can I get either of you a drink?”

“No thanks babe,” AJ said sweetly. She smiled once more before rushing after the girl who had left only moments before. Once out of earshot, Nick mimicked the girl to AJ, “Can I have your babies Mr. McLean? Can I service you in bed Mr. McLean?”

AJ retaliated, “Can I lick your face Mr. Carter?”

“Lick my face?” Nick asked, staring at AJ oddly. AJ shrugged with a sly smile on his face, “Some girls get turned on by that.”

“Good thing I’m not really interested in the same girls you are,” Nick shuddered. AJ laughed heartily and punched Nick in the arm playfully.

It wasn’t long until the two girls came back out, shoe boxes stacked in their arms. They directed AJ over to a sitting area with a nice array of different angled mirrors and began showing him the different pairs, commenting on the type of leather and other small details that they thought he would be interested in knowing.

Nick watched this spectacle for only a minute or so before growing bored once more. Nick’s attention soon wandered from AJ and his shoes to the nice marbled floor to a display of wallets. Nick’s eye caught an especially nice looking wallet, so he turned away from AJ and picked it up to flip through it idly. He lost interest soon after, and he shrugged, placing it back in its original spot.

He continued to slowly make his way from table to table, stopping occasionally to inspect certain objects. He scanned the racks of men clothing with indifference. At one point however, he spotted a potentially worthy black trench length coat. He took it off the wall to examine it more closely when he heard the front door open once more. He could hear the photographers bustling about outside and just out of human instinct, he raised his head to look out of curiosity. An older looking woman with a pair of large sunglasses and a large designer bag waltzed in, looking completely exasperated. He barely noticed the petite brunette approach her when he began to lower his gaze back to the coat in his hands.

Where most people, men in particular, would have forgotten the scene nearly as soon as it was presented to them, Nick experienced something that everyone experienced at one point or another. With just one glance, without his initial knowledge, something had caught his attention. It wasn’t until he was looking away that this was made clear, and almost instantly, his head snapped back up to look over at the old woman and the brunette.

And just like that, he saw her.

He watched transfixed as the brunette greeted the woman. He had nearly forgotten that he held an article of clothing in his hands, and without a second thought, he absentmindedly placed the hanger back on the rack, not even caring to notice if he had put it in the right place.

He kept his eyes on the brunette, watching as she talked and motioned around the store. He approached a table of scarves and acted as if he were interested, fingering a rather grotesque looking pattern. If asked to look back on this moment and describe all that he looked at in between his sly glances to the girl, he would only just shrug and flatly say that he remembered nothing. Though he was going through the movements, his entire attention was fixed on her and only her.

He noticed the old woman lose interest in the brunette and ultimately shoo her off. He set down the scarf to move to a table closer to where the two women stood. He picked up a newsboy hat and acted as if he were examining it, but his eyes looked past it to the brunette who now was walking away from the old woman. Nick smiled when he saw how annoyed she was.

He lingered there, debating within himself to approach her or not. He knew the photographers were watching carefully and if he showed any kind of interest, they would resume their clicking in an instant. He shuddered to think of the rumors that would fly as a consequence.

He gnawed on the inside of his cheek, about to step forward, and then not. He continued with this absurd game, his eyes still transfixed on the girl now standing by a display of watches. She stood there, her arms crossed over her chest loosely. She looked just as thrilled as he was to be there.

With this thought, he found his legs propelling him forward unexpectedly. He made his way nonchalantly over to where she stood and commenced to glance down at the watches held within the display case. He smiled to himself when he saw that she hadn’t noticed him, but in only a few minutes time, she caught him out of the corner of her eye. She looked slightly surprised, “Oh!”

“Oh?” Nick asked, looking up at her innocently. She blushed slightly at the noise that slipped out of her mouth, “Sorry, I didn’t see you here.”

“It’s okay,” he smiled. He glanced back out at the photographers and was relieved to see that they hadn’t changed their behavior at this new development.

“Looking for a watch?” she inquired coming closer to him.

He felt his skin tingle as her presence radiated towards him. It was then that he noticed that she had deep green eyes. He had not expected this, only assuming that they would match the color of her hair. She saw him staring, unblinking, and she grew a bit puzzled. She raised her hand slightly to touch her face, “Do I have something on my face?”

Nick snapped out of his reverie, “What? No! No, of course not. Sorry.”

She looked relieved at this and lowered her hand to settle on the top of the glass. Nick cleared his throat, embarrassed that he had been caught staring, “It’s just that you have green eyes.”

She was amused by this comment, “Yep, since birth.”

Nick laughed sheepishly, “I guess it would have been cool if you could change your eye color to whatever you wanted every morning.”

“I guess I could. They have contacts for that nowadays,” she mused. Nick fought to keep from blushing. He cursed inwardly at how stupid he must be sounding, “Oh yeah.”

Nick turned his head away from her to mouth ‘Fuck’ to the air before turning back to her with a smile on his face. She laughed lightly, “So, watches?”

Nick’s eyes brightened at the change of subject, “Watches, yep.”

“See any you like?” she asked. Nick looked down into the case and frantically scanned the selection to make it seem that he had something in mind. He didn’t want to come off as if he were hitting on her.

“That one looks nice,” he said, pointing to one. She made her way around the counter and slid back the glass, reaching in to pull the watch out, “This one?”

“That’s the one,” he said dismissively, unable to stop himself from watching her loose curls fall over her shoulders as she bent over.

Man, she was beautiful.

She came back around the counter and handed the watch over. Nick took it gingerly, noticing her well manicured fingers, which was something he would have never noticed before. Small details like that didn’t matter to him. Usually if the girl was cute, had a nice body, and a nice personality, it was good enough for him.

She began to explain the features of the watch; where it was from, how it told the date, could be customized in a certain number of ways, etc. He barely heard a word, glancing from time to time from the watch to her face as she animatedly talked the watch up. It was amazing she knew all this in the first place, but he guessed she had to. Part of her earnings were from commission alone. She had to know her stuff if she had any chance of selling anything, especially around here.

He searched her face, taking in every detail he could. Her complexion was soft and creamy, her eyes were a stunning, sparkling green, and her lips, oh God, her lips. They were the most kissable lips he had ever seen.

In the middle of her spiel, he found himself interrupting her suddenly. He blurted, “What’s your name?”

She was startled at this, stopping suddenly in mid-sentence. She stared at him for a second, trying to regain her composure, “My name?”

He nodded, “Yeah, what’s your name?”

He grinned when he saw her blush slightly. She reached up and tucked some hair behind her ear, “Julia.”

“Julia,” he said softly. It was a beautiful name for a beautiful woman. She looked like a Julia.

He held out his hand then and she looked at it warily. He laughed, “Not a hand shaker?”

She took it sheepishly, shaking it lightly. Happiness swept over him at this, “I’m Nick.”

“Hi Nick,” she said with a smile.

“It’s nice to meet you Julia,” he said sincerely.

She bit her lip, trying to get back on track of what they were doing, “You don’t want the watch do you?”

“How’d you know?” he asked with a cute grin.

“Cause you weren’t listening to a word I said,” she explained. Nick handed back the watch for her to put back, “Sorry. It’s just that my friend is over there trying on a mountain of shoes. Saw you over here not doing anything, so I figured why not put you to work?”

She laughed lightly, “Well thank you. That was most kind.”

“I do my best,” he replied. He watched as she bent down to put back the watch. He cleared his throat once more, “So how long have you been working here?”

She closed the case and stood back up, “Uh, about 3 months now? I think.”

“Nice,” he commented, leaning against the cases comfortably. She drummed her fingertips against the glass. She was clearly amused, “What do you do for a living?”

“You mean, you don’t know?” he asked with a look of surprise. She scrunched up her nose, “Actually I do. I figured I should just humor you a little.”

Nick grinned, “Well, in that case, let’s pretend.”

“Alright,” she laughed.

“I’m a singer,” he announced proudly.

“Oh?” she acted surprised and highly impressed. “What kind of singer?”

“I’m not a solo act or anything. I’m in this group. We’re kind of on the pop music side. You may have heard of us,” he dramatically explained. “The Backstreet Boys?”

Julia looked thoughtful for a moment, “I’m not so sure. Would I know one of your songs?”

Nick liked that she was going along with his banter. It showed him that she had a playful side, and the fact that she really was unfazed by his career status impressed him as well. Most girls acted star struck, and though she was a little bit shy, she pulled off treating him like a normal human being very nicely.

“Ever heard of ‘I Want It That Way’?” he asked. Her eyes lit up playfully, “Is that the one where it goes ‘Tell my why, ain’t nothing but a heartache’?”

He nodded, unable to hide a goofy grin as she sang the last part softly. He continued on with the lyrics, singing back, bobbing his head lightly, “Ain’t nothin’ but a mistake, tell me why.”

Her eyes sparkled as she laughed, “Well Nick, I must say I have heard of you.”

“Who would of thunk it?” he joked. She smiled back at him and Nick took a deep breath. He opened his mouth to speak again, feeling brave suddenly. Unfortunately, before Nick could carry on with his plan, AJ bumped into him, wallet in hand, “They have the greatest fucking shoes here.”

Nick silently cursed AJ’s interruption. He looked over at Julia before addressing AJ, “You done?”

“I better be. If I get any more, I’ll probably max this baby out,” he said, waving his credit card in the air with one swift movement. Nick felt his heart sink in his chest at the prospect of him having to leave. Here he was not really wanting to be here in the first place, and now he was disappointed to be leaving so soon.

“You pay already?” he asked. He noticed Julia shuffle uncomfortably, unsure if she should walk away or stay.

“Yeah, they’re packing them up now,” he said, following his gaze to where Nick kept glancing to. An evil grin spread across his lips then, and he turned his attention to Julia, “Hey beautiful, what’s your name?”

Nick rolled his eyes quite noticeably as AJ leaned over the counter slightly.

“Julia,” she announced, lightly taking AJ’s hand. AJ replied huskily, “AJ.”

Nick grabbed the back of AJ’s arm, digging his fingers into sensitive part of his flesh. AJ jerked back, cursing in pain, “Fuck man!”

Julia hadn’t seen what happened and her brow furrowed in puzzlement, “What?”

Nick hastily pushed AJ off to the side, “Oh nothing. He does that sometimes. Kind of a Turrets thing.”

This explanation didn’t help in Julia’s puzzlement. AJ interrupted, “Fuck you Carter,” before turning back to Julia, “I don’t have Turrets.”

“Of course not,” she laughed.

Nick was relieved to see the two associates who were helping AJ come out with two large bags in their hands. He pushed AJ in their direction, desperately wanting to get out of an embarrassing situation that was bound to present itself. Nick smiled at Julia, waving slightly, “It was nice to meet you, Julia.”

“You too, Nick,” she replied.

Nick pushed AJ once more to give him the clue to go over and pay for his things. He followed closely behind, feeling his cheeks heat up. When they got out of hearing shot and AJ was handing over his credit card to the blonde, Nick hissed, “Thanks a fucking lot for that.”

“For what?” AJ asked innocently. AJ then lightly shoved Nick, “That’s for pushing me around. I’m not a damn rag doll or your bitch.”

“I had to get us away somehow and I sure as hell wasn’t going to go ‘Hey AJ, we should walk away now, since you’re embarrassing the hell out of me.’”

AJ smirked, taking back his credit card from the blonde, “She doesn’t care.”

AJ glanced over Nick’s shoulder to see the brunette off greeting another customer. He asked, “Why don’t you ask her out?”

Nick sputtered at this question, “Ask her out?”

AJ raised an eyebrow, “To dinner, or I don't know, if you're feeling really brave, maybe even a movie? Damn Nick, it's not rocket science. Has it really been that long since you’ve been out on a date?”

“I can’t ask her out,” Nick said, ignoring AJ’s jabs at him.

“Why the hell not? She’s cute,” AJ said nonchalantly. He smiled at the blonde and told her thank you as he took his receipt. Nick grabbed the bags lying on top of the counter and shoved them at AJ, “Because.”

“Because?” AJ pressed, taking the bags into his hands.

“Just because alright?” Nick said exasperatedly. Truth of the matter was, he felt his pride had been stepped on because of AJ. He was about to ask what plans she had that night when AJ had so rudely interrupted. He now lost his courage and he knew he wasn’t going to get it back, not right now anyway. You’d think him being the famous blonde cutie Nick Carter would boost his ego enough for him to never be afraid of rejection, and normally he wouldn't be, but something struck him differently with Julia.

“Let’s just go,” Nick grumbled. AJ shrugged, “Alright man,” before mumbling, “Pussy.”

Nick punched his arm as they made their way toward the exit, “Shut up!”

AJ laughed, “I’m just kiddin’, I’m just kiddin’. You need to go anywhere?”

Nick glanced back behind his shoulder, seeing Julia engrossed in helping another customer. It took him a moment to comprehend what AJ said. He tore his eyes away from her, “Nah, not really. I know Bri wanted to play some ball, wanna come?”

"Sure, I got nothin' else to do," AJ said with indifference.

And with that, they left the store and stepped out into the excited throng of the paparazzi. To an outsider, Nick and Julia’s encounter seemed like a harmless meeting, but as fate would have it, this was only the beginning for them, for this was how they met. This was how they eventually fell in love.

This was the beginning of their eventual ruin.

Julia stared dully out the barred window. She could see the sun shining brightly in the afternoon sky, the white clouds passing lazily by. She yearned to get to the other side. She was smothered in this lifeless room. She was numb.

If she could only get to that freedom on the other side of the window, she would see him again. He would be hers once more and she would be his. They would continue on with their story. They would continue on loving each other, as if nothing had ever happened; as if nothing had ever come between them. They would continue on just being.

These were her thoughts. They were real and they were whole and that was fact, but the idea of these thoughts, the very essence and the very depth and the very core of these desires, is what wavered.

Were her dreams possible? How could they be when she was trapped in such a dark place with no comprehension of why?

The answers seemed to be in the blinding yellows and in the dazzling blues and the flickering whites beyond her hell that taunted her so evilly. The answers were on the outside, not only of this place, but of her mind.

There was once a time when Julia Kiley knew her life and knew her path. There was once a time where she knew everything any other person knew, but now things had changed. Now everything was skewed. Now everything was slanted and blurry and torn at the edges. Now everything was mixed up and pieces were missing. Now reality wasn’t reality any longer, for she was now broken. What once was real now wasn’t.

However, through all her heartache she had managed to hold on to a few pieces of her life that had meant so much to her. These pieces were real. These pieces were truth. Through every word and every breath and every blink and every touch, these pieces never wavered.

These pieces echoed in her mind daily. They were put on repeat. Though other thoughts surfaced, these still played beneath as an everlasting taunt of what once was. They never stopped and they never changed, for they were truth.

These things she knew with no doubt.

She knew she was hopelessly in love with a man named Nick Carter. She knew that she was once his wife. She knew that he had promised her the world. And above all, she knew that he had left her.

These pieces were real.

These pieces were truth.

~~~~~~~

4 Years Earlier

Nick squinted at the blinding sun as his head followed the ball through the air. He raised his hand to shield his eyes as he used his other arm to reach out and snatch the basketball from the air.

He dribbled the ball against the asphalt and lowered his gaze, glancing over at his friend who was bent over with his hands on his knees, sweat rolling down his face, his breathing heavy.

Nick swallowed in a gulp of air, continuing to idly bounce the ball.

“What’s that, 42-50?” Nick asked.

Brian nodded, barely glancing at his tall friend.

Nick smirked, “You scared?”

Brian rolled his eyes, taking a few steps towards Nick and snatching the ball out of his hands, “I’m only 8 points behind dumbass.”

“So?” Nick shrugged. “It’ll soon turn to 30.”

Brian laughed, bouncing the ball once, before tucking it under his arm, “Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Lemme get some water,” Nick breathed out, ignoring Brian’s comment. Brian nodded, silently welcoming the extended break from their game. The sun was unusually fierce today and the heat could be felt both from the sky above and the asphalt below.

Nick snatched a couple of water bottles from his bag and ran back to Brian, tossing him one in the process. Brian gratefully snatched it from the air and took a few gulps.

“So how’s Baylee?” Nick asked.

Brian swallowed what he had in his mouth, nodding, “He’s good, considering.”

“Still got that nasty cough?”

“It’s getting better. You should come by this afternoon and see him. He’d love to see you,” Brian offered.

Nick swallowed the water in his mouth, “Yeah man, sure. I miss the little guy.”

Brian seemed content with this and didn’t feel the need to respond. A few moments of silence drifted between the two sweating figures until Nick tentatively brought up another subject that had been eating away at him the past couple of days. He had not talked to anyone about it, thinking himself foolish.

“So I met this girl the other day,” Nick said, watching Brian’s expression warily.

Brian raised his eyebrows at his friend, “Oh?”

“Yeah,” Nick continued, trying to stop any embarrassment from sneaking forward. “Her name’s Julia. She works at Gucci.”

Brian looked thoughtful for a moment, before saying, “So why are you telling me this?”

Nick knew this question would arise, so he tried not to let it bother him, “Because it’s different.”

“How so? I mean, I can kind of figure since you’re even mentioning the girl in the first place. It’s been awhile.”

Nick shrugged, “I don’t know, it’s hard to explain.”

“You sleep with her yet?” Brian asked.

This question was standard really. Nick was hardly one to settle down with just one girl. He took his bachelorhood very seriously. That’s not to say that he wasn’t sentimental or romantic, it’s just that he never stayed in one place long enough to really start any kind of serious relationship. Instead, his philosophy was to have as much fun as possible until the right woman came along.

“No,” Nick said honestly.

Brian looked surprised at this, “Did she push you off or something?”

Nick rolled his eyes, “It’s not like I pounce on every girl I see Rok.”

Brian chuckled, “I’m just messing with you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Nick grumbled. “We’ve only talked a few minutes.”

“Wait, so you haven’t done anything at all?”

Nick shook his head, “Nah. I was going to ask her out but AJ interrupted me when I was about to and then I lost my nerve.”

“You lost your nerve?” Brian was flabbergasted. “You’re kidding.”

Nick felt himself blush against his will, “I couldn’t help it.”

Brian tossed the water bottle off to the side and addressed his friend, “So what are you waiting for? She’s obviously caught your eye.”

“I don’t know. I mean, she’s really nice, absolutely gorgeous… you should see her eyes Rok,” Nick said distractedly. “But we hardly even spoke to each other and I don’t even know if she likes me.”

Brian was highly puzzled by this developing conversation. It was out of Nick’s character to be so hung up on a girl he only met in passing, but even more so by the fact that he was afraid of being rejected. It was something that Brian never thought he’d see from Nick. But for Nick to even mention this girl said something in itself. It was clear she had made a deep impression on him.

Brian smiled lightly at his friend, “You know, honestly, what’s there to lose? You live only once Nick. If she says no then she says no, but how are you going to know unless you ask her? Who cares if you two have barely talked? That’s what a date’s all about; getting to know each other. And if it doesn’t work out, then fine, but at least you tried. If I didn’t ask out Leighanne when I did, who knows where I would be right now. Who knows if I would be married or not, and I sure as hell wouldn’t have Scooter. Life’s all about taking chances.”

Nick listened to these words carefully, finding some comfort in them. He knew Brian was right, but at the same time he still had reservations. It was ridiculous, he knew, but he couldn’t help it all the same. He didn’t even know if she had a boyfriend or not.

“Besides, you’re Nick freaking Carter, she’s gotta like you,” Brian joked.

Nick let out a laugh, joking back, “Damn right.”

“So her name’s Julia?” Brian asked. If Nick was so interested in this girl, Brian knew that he would have to be too.

Nick smiled, nodding, “Yeah.”

“And she works in Beverly Hills?”

Nick nodded once more.

“And she knows who you are?”

Nick cringed a bit at the question, knowing what Brian was trying to find out. He was worried that Julia might not be sincere.

“Of course she does,” Nick said dismissively. “How could she not? But that’s not the point. She was cool Bri. She wasn’t trying to impress me, she wasn’t trying to shower me with attention or compliments. She was just this girl who was doing her job and she knew who I was and what I did, but she didn’t make a big deal out of it. She’s cool Rok, real cool.”

Brian seemed satisfied with this, and Nick continued, “And she’s beautiful. Brown hair, this great smile, these dark green eyes…”

Brian threw the basketball then and Nick caught it against his stomach, letting out an ‘Umph’ as it collided with him.

Brian laughed at the awkward noise, interrupting Nick’s rambling, “Come on lover boy. I can’t let you lose your concentration now. Not when I’m losing.”

Nick smiled sheepishly, knowing it was time to get back to the task at hand, “Alright. You ready for this shit?”

“No, no, the question is are you ready?” Brian shot back.

Nick smirked, dribbling the ball once more against the concrete.

“Your victory days are at an end my friend,” Nick taunted as he sprung into action. Brian followed closely behind.

And, as fate would have it, just an hour later Nick was walking off the court scowling, with Brian beside him grinning. The score was 102-90. Brian had won.

Later That Afternoon

After his game with Brian, Nick went directly home and took a quick shower, stopping more than once by the mirror to make sure he looked presentable. After his talk with Brian on the court, he had this gnawing urge within him to go talk to Julia. He had put it off long enough. Brian was right; he had to live a little.

Now here he stood across the street from Gucci on Rodeo Drive. He had caught a glimpse of her as customer’s waltzed in and out of the store. He had been relieved to see that she was working that day, but at the same time he felt his nerves go into overdrive at the very prospect of going inside and seeing her once again.

He had one thing going for him, however, and that was that the paparazzi seemed to be busy elsewhere.

For nearly ten minutes, Nick found himself hesitating. He would pace back and forth from one parking meter to the next, every so often looking over to the store that she was now presently standing in. Just when he would find the courage to step into the street, he’d find himself just as quickly stepping back. He was second guessing himself. His nerves and his doubts were holding him back, and he was trying desperately to talk himself into taking the plunge.

Finally, he was propelling himself across the street, looking up and down the drive to make sure no cars were in hitting range. He knew that if he stopped now he would never be able to go through with it, so he pushed blindly through the front doors, and it wasn’t until they clicked shut behind him that he had a sense of dread seep up through his stomach.

He took a deep breath and slipped off his sunglasses, letting his eyes adjust to the softer light of the store. His eyes swept across the tables and the racks, and for a split moment, he found his heart sinking in his chest, thinking that he had taken too long and she had gone home without him noticing.

He relaxed then as he spotted her. She was in the far corner, busily rearranging the clothes against the wall. He made a beeline for her, slipping past customers and associates and tables full of merchandise. His entire attention was fixated on her and only her.

When he approached her, he found his nerves subside slightly. Her beauty calmed him. He could faintly smell the scent of her perfume, and it made him smile.

He cleared his throat lightly, waiting for her to look up at him. She turned her head at the sudden noise and looked almost shocked to see him standing there. She finished hanging the clothes back on the rack and smiled at him, “Hi. Didn’t think I’d see you again so soon.”

Nick smiled back at her, poking fun, “I was just in the neighborhood you know.”

She nodded, taking a moment from her tedious task to speak with him. It was obvious he wanted to speak with her and only her, or else he would have flagged down someone who was free to help him.

She asked conversationally, “How does your friend like his shoes?”

“Ah, he loves them no doubt. He takes his shopping very seriously,” he said.

Julia laughed lightly, “Yeah, I could tell.”

Nick stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and looked over her quickly. She was more beautiful than he had remembered her, and in a way, this only encouraged him more. He had nearly forgotten how stunning her eyes really were, and he found himself staring all over again.

The lull between them amused her, and she found herself wondering what it was that he wanted. She noticed his stares, and she once again found it her duty to continue on with the conversation, “So did you come back for that watch?”

“Huh?” Nick snapped back to reality, replaying what she had just said in his head. “Oh, no," but then thinking he may have offended her by declining, he rushed to elaborate, “Though it was a great watch. Really. I would buy it, it’s just that I already have plenty,” he raised his arm and tapped the watch around his wrist, “And if I bought another one I doubt it would ever see the light of day, but really, it’s a great watch…”

Julia started to laugh at his nearly incoherent rambling. It was at that moment she realized that he was nervous, but about what?

“It’s okay Nick, I was only teasing,” she giggled. “It’s not that great of a watch anyway.”

Nick was clearly embarrassed by his outburst and he quickly tried to find a way to salvage himself. Before he could stop himself, he was already blurting out, “Do you like food?”

When the words left his mouth, he wanted to reach up and smack himself on the forehead, but instead all he could afford to do was cringe at the absurdity of it. He was making great headway, that was for sure.

Julia looked at him oddly, and tried not to smirk.

Nick scrambled to rephrase what he had just said, “Well, of course you like food, you sort of have to, unless your anorexic, which you clearly are not, and I’m definitely not saying you are, because it’s obvious you like food since you aren’t, but shit, I’m not saying you look fat because you’re definitely not…”

Nick groaned when each word that came out of his mouth dug a deeper hole.

Julia crossed her arms and watched on with amusement, “I love food actually.”

Nick stopped and looked relieved at her happy expression. He was clearly entertaining her, and this set him at ease slightly, though he still wanted to kick himself in the ass for being such an idiot.

“Yeah? Cause I do too,” Nick announced. Nick then rolled his eyes at himself and breathed out, “Fuck, I’m just rolling right along aren’t I?”

“Are you normally like this?” Julia asked curiously.

Nick bit his lip and shook his head, “No, not really. It seems to be a recent development. You ever have this affect on other guys?”

“Me?“ Julia asked in surprise. She wasn’t expecting herself to be a factor in this.

“Yeah, you. You have to know that I’m all jittery because of you,” Nick admitted.

Now it was Julia’s turn to be nervous, “But why?”

Nick smiled lightly at her for a moment before finally spitting out the one question he had wanted to ask since the very moment he met her, “Would you go to dinner with me tonight?”

Julia was stunned. Did Nick Carter just ask her out on a date? No, that’s not possible. She was just this normal girl that worked a shitty job. There was no way in hell that a celebrity would ask her out; no way. She was a commoner. She was a nobody.

“Uh,” Julia was speechless. She averted her gaze from Nick’s hopeful eyes and found herself grasping at nothing. She didn’t know what to say. She didn’t know how to react. She had never expected this. When she had met him the other day, she thought that he was flirting, but she knew it was harmless. She had heard countless stories of him through tabloids and from fan sightings of his partying escapades that she didn’t think him to be sincere. He was a pop star that was adored by millions of girls across the world and he had adapted his lifestyle to fit these developments, and she couldn’t blame him for it.

She thought he was handsome and cute, she thought he had a lovely voice and a charismatic personality, and she liked him, but she couldn’t see herself giving into something like that. She wasn’t that type of girl.

The first thought that came to mind was that she would just be another girl on his list. He would seduce her and then move on, and though she couldn’t deny that she wouldn’t have minded spending the night with Nick Carter, she still couldn’t bring herself to being one of those girls. Her conscience wouldn’t allow it.

“Nick…” she started out, looking at him apologetically. From her expression and the way she said his name, he knew that he didn’t want to hear what was about to come out of her mouth.

“So, what do you say?” he pressed anyway, holding onto some glimpse of hope. “I don’t bite, honest. And we can go wherever you want. I know you don’t know me, and I know I don’t know you, but we can fix that. I’d love to get to know you better.”

She was touched by these words, but she still held onto her convictions, “Nick,” she shook her head slightly, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Her rejection was like a slap in the face. He silently cursed Brian for convincing him to do this. He cleared his throat, trying to not show his embarrassment, “Why not? If you have a boyfriend, I’m sorry I didn’t-“

Julia quickly corrected his misconception, “No, no, it’s not like that. I don’t have a boyfriend, it’s just…”

She sighed, trying to figure out how to put what she needed to say without sounding like an idiot, “I just can’t. It’s not like I don’t like you, cause I do. From what I can tell, you’re a very nice guy, and like you said, I don’t know you, and I’m sure you’re great, really, but it’s just not for me.”

“What’s not for you?” he asked puzzled.

“I’m not really into the party scene,” she admitted tentatively, though her words had a deeper meaning.

Understanding of her reservations flooded over him. He had to stop himself from cursing. How had he dismissed the fact of what she had probably heard about him? Most of the things were true, but still others were absurd, but how could he tell her that without blatantly admitting to his crazy lifestyle?

He wished he could deny the underlying implications she had presented, but he couldn’t, and he felt sickeningly defeated. Under normal circumstances, he would have rushed to defend himself, to tell her he wasn’t like she had heard, but he found himself struggling to find the words.

“Julia, this isn’t what you think,” he tried to explain.

“It’s not?” she challenged.

“Not at all. I just want to have dinner with you, that’s all. There’s no strings attached, I swear,” he desperately wanted her to say yes.

She lowered her gaze, “I’m sorry, I am. I just can’t.”

He didn’t want to push her, so all he could do was nod, his features falling in disappointment, “I understand.”

And he did. The fact that she doubted him and his intentions was actually comforting. It showed him that she wasn’t some secret gold digger. She was a genuine girl with genuine morals and genuine intelligence.

“I really am sorry,” she said sincerely, looking up at him carefully.

He smiled lightly at her and turned to walk away, “Well, hey, I tried right? Maybe I’ll try again in the next couple of days,” he said, trying to lighten the situation. “Maybe I’ll see you around?”

Her face softened at this, “Yeah, of course. It was nice seeing you again.”

“You too,” he said. He gave her a friendly wave and then turned and walked to the front door, trying to keep his pride intact.

Though he had been rejected, he couldn’t help but still feel some hope. She had admitted to liking him; the only thing she didn’t like was what she had heard about him. She was afraid that all he wanted was to sleep with her, and that she would be discarded soon after. Given, he had done that in the past, but he didn’t feel that way with her, but how was he going to show her that?

All of his life Nick always got what he wanted. Some things came easily to him, while others he had to work for to get, but in the end, he always got what he set his mind to. As he walked out of the store into the blinding sunlight once more, he found himself wanting her more now than he did on his way there in the first place. Where she had kindly declined him, it had only lit a new fire within him. Most men would have given up, thinking it not worth the time or effort, but Nick thought differently.

Nick wanted her and he wasn’t going to stop until he got her.

Julia felt her body meld into the bed beneath her. She felt incredibly exhausted, more so than she had been in days. Her throat was raw, her body was overheated, and her nerves were shot. She needed sleep. She yearned for it, cause then maybe she'd see him again, even if just for a moment.

She was barely aware of the door behind her shutting, a loud latch clicking into place to lock her in. A man had just left her, but she couldn't remember why he had come. He had asked her a couple questions, but she couldn't remember what they were. Her mind wouldn't let those truths out. She was sinking, sinking so quickly, but she wasn't fighting it. She was welcoming it.

Julia felt the hazy fog settle over her again. She was conscious, she knew. She had to be. The sunlight streaming in through the bars turned blurry somehow, yet it sparkled.

She was no longer tied down. Or, was she? At that point it didn't really matter. Nothing mattered except the haze, except the fuzziness.

She laid on her side, letting the soft pillow beneath her head cup her face. She thought she heard the door open once more, but she ignored it. She was still sinking, sinking and yet floating.

She breathed in and her heart immediately skipped a beat. She was surprised, and yet, at the same time she wasn't, to suddenly take in the familiar scent of the cologne that she loved so much. She didn't move. She couldn't. Was it a dream? It could have been, but how could a dream be so vivid?

She breathed in again, wanting to savor the moment. And then she felt it - a presence behind her. Soft, solid, real. It had to be real.

She could feel him. She could sense him.

And then there he was. His arm slid around her waist, his face nestled in the back of her neck. She felt his warm breath on her skin and it made her shiver. She closed her eyes tight, feeling her body freeze up. Hot tears sprang to her eyes.

She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. She was too afraid. One breath, one inch of movement, and he would be gone. He'd have to be. She couldn't risk it. She couldn't bear it.

"I love you," he whispered ever so softly in her ear.

She couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a shaky breath, her tears overflowing from her closed eye lids. She reached down and oh God, she touched him. He was there. He was right there! Right here beside her, holding her like he had done so many nights before.

"Nick," she managed to breath out.

"I love you," he repeated. "So much."

Her heart shattered. She never thought she'd hear those words again. Could this be real? How could it?

"I love you," she replied desperately, still terrified that it would disappear. It. Not it. Him. She frantically wanted to turn and face him. She had to see him, but she was too afraid.

She felt his nose nestle the back of her neck like he had done hundreds of times before. She loved it when he did that. She felt safe when he did that.

More tears seeped out. Tears of joy, tears of heartbreak.

"Don't leave me," she cried out.

"I can't," he replied. He sounded so sad.

"Don't leave me," she whispered again.

There was a pause, before, "Open your eyes Julia."

"I won't," she refused. "Please don't tell me that."

"Open your eyes," he whispered softly against her ear. She shivered as his breath floated across her face.

She couldn't resist him. But she was so afraid.

She opened her eyes and-

...he was gone.

~~~~~~~

4 Years Earlier

“And what, may I ask, was that about?”

Julia jumped slightly at the unexpected voice. She tore her eyes away from Nick’s retreating figure, and turned to her friend and co-worker, “What was what?”

Beth smirked, “Did he really charm you that much?”

Julia scowled, “Of course he didn’t.”

“What did he want then?” she asked curiously.

Julia debated if she should really tell Beth the truth, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. Beth always seemed to find out everything. The girl was amazing in that regard. So Julia sighed, and turned back to organizing the clothes on the wall, “He was in the neighborhood and thought he’d stop by to say hello.”

Beth’s eyebrow rose in skepticism, “He was in the neighborhood and just happened to get the urge to just waltz in here and say hi?”

Julia nodded and Beth continued, “To you?”

Julia nodded again.

Beth stomped her foot, “Jules, don’t sugarcoat this! Nick fucking Carter just came in here to talk to you. Not me, not Mel, not Sophie, but you. Now what the hell did he want?”

Julia groaned, “You’re so damned persistent, you know that?”

Beth leaned against one of the table displays, “That’s what I’m told.”

When Julia saw the determined look on her friend’s face, she knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She sighed once more, trying to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal, “He asked me out to dinner alright?”

Beth’s mouth immediately fell open, “No way.”

“Yes way,” Julia rolled her eyes.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Julia let out a laugh and stared at Beth, “You’re begging me to tell you what happened and when I do you don’t believe me. What’s so hard to believe anyway? Am I really not that appealing?”

“It’s not that, it’s just… wow,” Beth was blown away. Julia didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. It wasn’t that big of a deal in her eyes.

“If you run after him, I’m sure he’d take you to dinner,” Julia muttered.

“Yeah, right,” Beth breathed out. “He wanted to take you! This is so crazy Jules. And exciting! When are you going?”

“Going?” Julia asked absentmindedly as she hung up another set of clothing.

Beth let out a sigh of exasperation, “I feel like I’m talking to myself. When is he taking you?”

“He’s not,” Julie said simply.

Beth’s smile immediately vanished, “Wait, why not?”

“Because I turned him down.”

“You turned him down?” Beth was stunned. She quickly snapped out of her trance, “Why the hell would you do that?”

“Come on Beth, you know me better than that. You’ve heard just as much as I’ve heard about his little escapades. I don’t want to be just another one of those girls,” Julia explained.

“How do you know that’s what he was looking for? Maybe he genuinely likes you,” Beth countered.

“He doesn’t even know me.”

“That’s what a date is for moron! You’re passing judgment before you even give him a chance,” Beth exclaimed.

Julia frowned slightly. Beth did have a point. Julia tried to reason more with herself than with Beth, “Seriously, even if I wasn’t passing ‘judgment’, can you really see little ol’ me lasting with him? It’s a ridiculous thought.”

“It’s not ridiculous at all. Celebrities date non-celebrities all the time!”

Julie bit her bottom lip, looking down at the clothes in her hands, “It’s not a big deal. It’s over and done with.”

“Yeah, now it is. He’ll probably never be in here again,” Beth pushed off the table she was leaning on. “But anyway, that was fun while it lasted. I guess I should get back to work before Matt comes out and bites my head off.”

Julia smiled at her, trying to make it seem like her mind wasn’t elsewhere. Should she have accepted his invitation? Beth was making her doubt her decision.

“Have fun,” Julia teased.

Beth let out a harsh laugh, “Yeah, you know I will.”

Beth started walking away, but then stopped, her face contemplative. She let out another laugh then and continued walking away. Julia called out curiously, “What?”

Beth turned and walked backwards slowly, “You know, you’re probably the first and only girl that’s turned Nick Carter down. You’ve always been a freak Jules. It’s good that you didn’t change your colors now.”

Julia watched as Beth turned back around and made her way across the store to help a customer. Julia couldn’t even reply to Beth’s comment, because she barely even heard the last part. She was too focused on what Beth initially said. Could she really be the only girl to ever turn the guy down? She found that highly doubtful, but it was an intriguing idea all the same. She wasn’t the only girl in the world that had enough sense and willpower to stick to their morals, but still. He was definitely charming, and he seemed genuinely nice. Would going on a date with him really have hurt anything? Probably not, but she couldn’t help that now.

~~~~~~~

The Next Day

“It’s beyond dead in here today,” Beth whined.

Julia spun a pin across the counter, watching it twirl and smack into a necklace display. It careened off the side and went flying off the ledge to the floor. Julia watched it sadly, too lazy to walk around the counter to pick it back up.

“Tell me a story or something,” Beth demanded.

Julia groaned, “You do this to me constantly. How many stories can a girl have? I can’t entertain you all the time.”

“Why not? It’s in your friend contract.”

Julia laughed at this, “Is it now?”

“At the bottom, in small print. It says ‘Must entertain Beth whenever demanded upon’.”

“I never agreed to that,” Julia continued to chuckle at her friend.

“Yeah, I guess not, but still. I’m bored!” Beth leaned her chin in the palm of her hand. Julia followed suit, glancing over at Beth with a smile on her face. Beth saw the look out of the corner of her eye and turned to look, “What?”

“I adore you, you know that?” Julia beamed.

Beth rolled her eyes, unable to stop the huge smile that spread across her face, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I adore you just as much. I’m glad I can amuse you with my whining.”

“You amuse me always,” Julia announced.

“Oh great, that’s good to hear. Now why can’t you amuse me like that?”

“Are you saying I’m boring?” Julia asked.

“Well, if you want to get technical…”

Julia opened her mouth to retort, but suddenly stopped when she heard the entrance door open. Both Beth and Julia turned their heads, eager to assist a customer, any customer. Who knew that a Friday could be so dead?

It was to Julia’s dismay that the man that entered the store wasn’t a customer, but a delivery boy. The man spotted the two of them by the check counter and made a beeline for them.

“What the hell?” Beth muttered. “Is he lost?”

Julia shrugged, “Beats me.”

Beth spoke up, “Can we help you?”

The man finally approached them and he reached out, setting down the contents in his arms onto the counter. He then looked down at a piece of paper crumpled in his hands, “Yeah, uh, is there a Julia here?”

Julia was immediately taken aback. Beth quickly glanced at her with her mouth slightly open, a small smirk suddenly appearing on her lips, “Indeed there is.”

“Perfect. We’ll here ya go,” the man announced and then turned on his heel to walk away.

Beth and Julia looked at each other in confusion. It was Julia that spoke up now, “Hey, wait!”

The man stopped and turned towards them. He waited, and Julia continued, “Who are these from?”

He shrugged, “Says here that it’s anonymous, but there’s a card.”

Julia nodded, turning her attention back to the object on the counter. She didn’t say another word, barely noticing that the door had opened and shut once more, leaving Beth and Julia alone yet again.

Beth stared at Julia expectantly, and when she saw she wasn’t getting the desired response, she quickly reached forward and plucked the card from the bouquet of roses. Julia didn’t object. She was still caught up on the fact that they were even there in the first place. She’d never received flowers before, and she couldn’t think of a single soul that would go out of their way to send them. And they were so beautiful.

She heard Beth gasp and then chuckle, forcing her to tear her eyes away from the blooming roses to her friend’s mischievous grin.

“What’s it say?” Julia asked.

Beth handed the card over to her slowly. Julia reached to take it from her, but Beth quickly snatched it back. They played this quick game of tug-a-war before Julia screamed, laughing, “Dammit Beth, give it to me!”

Beth giggled and finally let Julia take it. Julia quickly scanned over the card, not yet reading it. She didn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but then... it happened. Her stomach suddenly lurched, her face turning bright red.

She dropped the card and covered her cheeks with her hands, turning away from the scrawl of words glittering up at her.

“You have to call him!” Beth exclaimed.

Julia couldn’t help it, but she was embarrassed. She didn’t understand it. Why would he do this? She was a nobody. She was nothing special. Why would he take the time, effort, and money to pursue her when she had already declined him?

I told you I’d try again…

Please, come to dinner with me.

And his number was scrawled just as perfectly below that simple little request.

Julia shook her head, mumbling, “I can’t.”

“Jesus, why the hell not?”

When Beth wasn’t getting an answer, she shoved Julia in the side, “If you won’t, I will! I’ll set this thing up for you.”

Julia saw Beth reach for the phone and she yelled out, “Don’t!”

Beth sighed, “Come on Jules. He sent you flowers. How sweet is that? Just go to dinner with the guy.”

Julia pursed her lips, staring at the gigantic roses in front of her. She barely had time to think. This was entirely unexpected. It was moving all so fast, “What if this is some sort of elaborate seduction?”

Beth rolled her eyes, “You’re being ridiculous.”

“Maybe I am, but I already told him my answer. I’d look like an idiot if I went against that now,” Julia explained.

“Don’t be a drama queen. You’re pride has nothing to do with this. When’s the last time you went on a date?”

Julia eyed Beth carefully. Julia’s silence was enough of an answer and Beth continued, “Exactly. Now call him.”

Julia pondered this for a moment, before sighing. Maybe it was shyness, maybe it was stubbornness, but she softly said, “I can’t.”

Beth about screamed in frustration, “You’re absolutely hopeless! I love you Jules, I really do, but that doesn’t mean I understand you. You’re a complete mystery to me.”

“I don’t even think I understand myself,” Julia kidded.

Beth drummed her fingers across the counter, glaring at her friend. She was completely flabbergasted at this entire situation. If it were her, she’d be jumping at the chance to go out with him. He was a celebrity! Stuff like this didn’t happen to normal girls like them often. And besides, he was cute, and seemingly sweet and romantic. What was so wrong with this? She just didn’t get it, but she wasn’t about to push the subject.

“Well, shit, I’m taking a flower for myself then,” Beth grumbled.

~~~~~~~

Nick set down his beer and glanced down at his silent phone yet again. He pressed one of the front buttons to light up the screen, hoping to find a new message, though he hadn’t felt it vibrate. He was disappointed, yet not surprised, to find that there was nothing. He sighed and turned back to the table, glancing down at his cards yet again.

“What the fuck do you keep looking at?” AJ demanded.

Nick shrugged, fiddling with his cards, debating what to do, “Nothing. And I fold.”

“Nothing my ass. You keep checking your phone like the world’s about to end.”

“Seriously, it’s nothing. Just wondering what time it is,” Nick tried to sound casual. The fact of the matter was, it had been 9 hours since he had sent flowers to Julia, and he had yet to hear from her. He had been hopeful, but his confidence was diminishing by the minute. He thought that flowers would do the trick, but apparently it did just the opposite.

Not only was he frustrated from not hearing from Julia, he was frustrated with himself. He couldn’t understand why he was so wrapped up in this girl. All he could think about were her eyes. He couldn’t seem to get away from them, and it was driving him crazy. But the fact that she was resisting him was another thing entirely. It made him feel something he wasn’t used to feeling. He wasn’t used to rejection, so it was no wonder that he wasn’t taking it well. He felt nervous and antsy. He felt… hurt.

“You sure you’re not waiting for someone to call?” Brian asked softly.

Nick looked over at his friend over the cloud of smoke that hung over the table, “Of course not.”

Brian eyed him skeptically. Brian could see through a lie so damned easily.

“Wait, who’s he waiting for to call him?” Howie asked, setting down his cigar.

Brian shrugged and Nick rolled his eyes, “Am I invisible or something? I said I’m not waiting for anything. I was just wondering what time it was.”

“You gotta be somewhere or something?” AJ asked.

“No…”

“Then why do you need to know what time it is so bad?”

Nick groaned loudly, “Just deal the cards AJ!”

AJ chuckled, “Touchy touchy.”

“It’s that one girl isn’t it?” Brian asked suddenly.

Nick’s head snapped up and he looked at Brian in surprise. He tried to act dumb, “What girl?”

“The girl you were talking about yesterday.”

“Shut up Brian,” Nick said through gritted teeth. He wasn’t in the mood for AJ’s reaction. He knew he would jump on this the first chance he got.

“Wait, what girl?” AJ perked up.

Howie was even curious, “Yeah, what girl? You dating someone Nick?”

“No, I’m not,” Nick grumbled.

“Wait, what girl?” AJ asked once more, sounding more frantic.

“There’s no girl!” Nick exclaimed.

Brian rolled his eyes, “Come on Nick, it’s not a big deal. You don’t have to hide the fact that you actually like someone for once.”

“I hate you,” Nick glared.

Brian chuckled and AJ looked between the two of them in frustration, “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”

“He met some girl the other day,” Brian scrunched up his forehead in concentration. “Julia… right?”

“Julia who?” AJ immediately asked.

“Oh hell, do you not remember anything?” Nick asked. He was giving in. It was pointless to keep anything from these guys. They were like vultures.

AJ stared at Nick blankly. Nick continued, “Gucci, shoes…”

A light seemed to dawn on AJ then, “Pretty little thing with green eyes?”

Nick’s heart fluttered. He replied quietly, “Yeah, her.”

“I remember,” AJ grinned. “I cock blocked you.”

Howie choked on his drink in laughter and Brian let out a loud laugh.

“If that’s how you want to put it,” Nick stated lowly.

“Sorry man, I didn’t know. So what, did you slip her your digits when I wasn’t looking?” he asked.

“Do we really have to talk about this?” Nick asked, looking from face to face.

“No, but why not talk about it? It’s harmless and we’re interested. It’s clear you like the girl,” Brian commented.

Howie jumped in, “It’s actually refreshing Nick, to tell you the truth. She must be something if she caught your eye.”

“She was something alright,” AJ winked. Nick reached over and punched his arm and AJ threw his hands up in surrender, laughing, “I’m just joking with ya.”

“Did you ask her out?” Howie asked.

Nick nodded, “But she said no.”

“You’re kidding,” Brian asked in surprise.

“Nope,” Nick said simply.

“See, I knew I liked her!” AJ exclaimed happily.

“You didn’t even talk to her,” Nick countered.

“We introduced ourselves,” AJ argued.

“Why’d she say no?” Brian asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.

Nick glared at AJ one last time before turning to Brian. He couldn’t believe this conversation was happening right now. It was making him uncomfortable, “She thought my intentions were different than they really were.”

“Different how?” Howie asked.

Nick looked at Howie knowingly, and it only took Howie a second to figure out what his look meant, “Oh. Right.”

“Okay, so she said no. So why are you staring at the phone waiting for her to call?” AJ asked.

“Because I asked her again,” Nick said simply.

“Stalker much?” AJ mumbled.

It was Howie that hit him this time, “Shut up! Give the guy a break already.”

“Alright, alright, sorry.”

“How’d you ask her this time?” Brian asked.

Nick sighed, “I sent her flowers. Left her a note to call me.”

Brian nodded, not saying anything.

“You think she’ll call?” Howie asked.

“Doesn’t look like it,” Nick said sullenly.

AJ, Howie, and Brian all exchanged glances. Was this seriously happening?

“Jeez Nick, what’d she say to you to get you so hooked?” AJ asked sincerely. He hadn’t seen Nick like this in years.

“That’s the thing. It’s nothing she said. I think I was hooked on her even before she said anything.”

“So what if she doesn’t call?” Howie asked.

Nick thought about that question for a moment. As much as he’d like to say that he’d let it go and move on to his next prospect, he knew he couldn’t. Without even thinking about it, he knew that he would keep trying. He just had to get her out to dinner. He had to show her who he was, and not what the media portrayed him to be. She would have to like him, cause how could he like her so much and not have some of that reciprocated? She even admitted to liking him, maybe not like that, but him as he had presented himself to her those two times he had talked with her. That was a good starting point, and he was completely capable of branching off from that. She was just hesitant. She was nervous. He just needed her to say yes and until then, he would keep trying. He had to.

"I'll just send her more," Nick smiled slyly.