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Chapter Forty-Six
Point of View: Nick

It was so strange.

At one point, I literally just sat there and watched Zoe and Kayla as they talked and ate. I poked at the instant potatoes Zoe had made, and the portion of the can of cream corn that Kayla microwaved with my fork, studying the rarity that was a homemade meal.

"You okay, Nick?" Zoe asked at one point, noticing me staring at my corn.

I smiled, "Yeah, I'm great."

"Do you not like the corn?" she asked, concerned.

"I love the corn," I answered, scooping a big mouthful of it into me. She smiled and turned back to Kayla, who was looking at me. I looked up at her with my eyes, not moving my head from its apparent downward glance, and she smiled.

I couldn't remember the last time I had a dinner like this. Not because of the meat and potatoes or whatever, 'cos I get meat and potatoes all the time at restaurants when we're on tour or I'm out on a date or whatever. But I mean like an actual sitting down with people and talking and enjoying each other's company and eating good food that you all pitched in together to make... Like an actual -dare I use the word?- family dinner.

"So, where did you grow up, Nick?" Kayla asked, smiling and turning the attention to me after Zoe had been on a long tirade about some students at her school who were probably not going to pass the driving test.

"Florida," I answered, "And New York a little, but mostly Florida."

Kayla smiled, "I always wanted to go to Florida, is it nice there?"

Zoe laughed, "Its probably relatively similar to here," she said to Kayla, "Sunshine and beach bums."

"Except in Florida the beach bums are usually 80 year old men in speedos and banana hammocks," I said. Zoe, who'd been just about to take a sip of milk, spit into her cup at the word 'banana hammock' as Kayla cracked up and clapped her hands as she laughed. I smirked.

Zoe shook her head, wiping her mouth with a napkin and got out to dump her milk and get a new gallon. "So Florida, huh? Your parents must've been well to do."

I looked up at her, "Why's that?"

"Florida taxes have got to be astronomical," she answered.

I shrugged, "We lived out of a van when we first moved down." Zoe froze at the sink, but didn't say anything. The water was running into the cup she was holding, overflowing with foggy water as it mixed with the remains of the milk. "We were never really well off," I added, "I mean it wasn't a big deal, we just didn't have as much as most kids."

"What made you decide to go into music?" Kayla asked, resting her elbow on the table, her chin in her hand.

Zoe stayed at the sink.

"I loved it," I said, "I loved singing and listening to music and I loved being in the center of attention, for performing of any kind. It made me happy. And it helped earn money to keep the bills up at the house. I mean I was only like nine when I started, but they pay pretty good, even for little parts."

Zoe turned and pulled the milk out of the fridge and sat back down at the table with it, not looking at me, but concentrating on the carton before her. Kayla nodded, "I love music, too. I've always wanted to be a singer, ever since Madonna performed Like a Virgin on the VMAs."

"Classic," I answered, grinning.

"Your parents let you perform at nine?" Zoe asked suddenly, backtracking the conversation.

"Nine was just when I started getting breaks," I answered, shrugging, "I started auditioning when I was eight. Then I was getting small parts, and I actually did some recording in the late eighties early nineties... I mean I had a lot of experience before I started with BSB; I did a lot of stuff for the paychecks, you know? 'Cos we needed it to help pay lights or rent or buy food that month." I shrugged, "It sounds a lot more dramatic than it was..."

"How the hell old were you when you joined BSB?" Zoe demanded.

I could feel Kayla's gaze, concerned, staring between Zoe and I. "Thirteen," I answered.

Zoe closed her eyes, "When the hell did they let you be a kid?"

"Sorry?" I asked.

"When did you get to be a child?" she asked, opening her eyes again and looking at me with a sad expression, "Nick, you went from crawling to performing on stage in a pop band. When did you get to just be a kid?"

I looked down at my empty plate and fork. My heart felt funny about that question. I didn't know why exactly, it just... did. I tucked my lower lip up under my teeth and shrugged, studying the plate carefully, "I dunno," I mumbled without letting my lip loose.

Zoe let out a heavy sigh and got up, opening the freezer and taking out a pint of ice cream before moving to the cupboard for bowls and spoons. Kayla looked across the table at me, her eyes also saddened. She slid her foot across the floor and I felt her stocking feet touch my shin gently and start to rub in a soothing manner.

Zoe dropped bowls of ice cream in all three places at the table and picked up the plates, which she put in the sink before sitting down again. We sat there in silence for awhile, the only sound the clinking of the silverware against the bowls and our chewing. Kayla's foot remained against my leg the rest of the time we were sitting there.



After dinner, Zoe yawned and stretched. "I'm sorry to make you eat and run," she said to me gently, "But I'm exhausted and I need to drive you home before I fall asleep." She started to get up from the table.

"I can drive Nick home," said Kayla quietly.

I looked from Zoe to Kayla, the tension between them was palpable as they stared into each others eyes - a million questions and answers passing between them. Finally, Zoe relented, "I really don't feel like driving anymore tonight," she agreed.

Kayla smiled, "See? It works out then, Aunt Zoe."

I helped Zoe and Kayla clean up the kitchen after that, rinsing the dishes and putting them in the dish washer and using a sponge to clean up the blue and gold flecked counter top. Kayla sang quietly with the radio as she worked and I smiled to myself, listening to her as she swished around the room with the Lysol spray and paper towels, cleaning the stove and counters.

Finally, Zoe walked with us to the door. Kayla grabbed her keys and kicked on a pair of flats she had sitting by the door. I turned to Zoe, "Thanks for dinner," I smiled.

"It was nothing," she answered, "You're too skinny."

I laughed, "I really enjoyed it, thank you."

As Kayla and I went out the door to Kayla's Aveo, Zoe caught Kayla's hand and whispered something in her ear. Kayla snorted, "Aunt Zoe, seriously," then trotted after me quickly, her cheeks red.

When we got in the car and Kayla was backing up from the house, Zoe waving in the light spilling out of the front door, I laughed, "What did she tell you there?"

"She reminded me that she put pepper spray in the pouch beside my seat in case you tried anything funny," Kayla muttered, embarrassed.

I laughed. "Shit, she knows me well."

Kayla glanced at me, "She does, huh?"

I nodded, "She knew I'd try something."

Kayla's cheeks turned pink, and I grinned, enjoying my newfound favorite toy to play with - Kayla's blush. "Well now you've been appropriately warned," Kayla said, "I'm armed with pepper spray."

"It would be worth being sprayed for," I answered.

We were silent the rest of the way to my house. I'm not sure what Kayla was thinking about, but I was thinking about how I really could try something, wondering if Kayla had flushed because she wanted me to try something or because she didn't want to have to use the pepper spray.

When we pulled into my driveway, she came to a stop and we sat in the continued silence for a few moments after she'd cut the engine. "Do you want to come inside for a second?" I asked.

Kayla looked at the house, hesitantly. "I'll walk you to the door," she answered.

I laughed, "Okay."

We got out of the car, and started toward the door. "I had a good time tonight," she said, "Aunt Zoe really's taken a liking to you, it's bizarre."

"You mean she doesn't usually take her driver's home with her?" I laughed.

Kayla laughed, then said in a serious tone, "She seems to like you in every way except for one."

"What way is that?"

"In a approved-boyfriend for me sort of way," Kayla answered.

We were at the door stoop now. "Does everything have to be Zoe approved?" I asked.

"It's safer that way," she whispered, "For you."

"I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf," I said.

Kayla's eyes twinkled, she smiled, "You'll just have to earn her trust that way if you want it." She turned and started walking back to her car. I stood there for a second, then bolted to walk beside her.

"What are you doing?" Kayla demanded.

"Walking you back to your car," I answered, smiling.

She stopped and looked up at me. "Nick..."

But before she could say anything else, I put my hand on her lower back and pulled her toward me, my other hand on the side of her face, tilting her head up to meet my mouth as I started kissing her. It only took a second of hesitation before her arms were around my neck and she was kissing me back, her teeth pulling at my lower lip playfully, her hands running through my hair and grabbing on.

When we broke apart, her lipstick on her mouth was smeared and her face was glowing. She stared at me a moment, then, in a snap motion, jumped into her car and drove away.

I stood there dumbfounded. I gotta keep this girl from disappearing on me like that, I thought, staring down the driveway, wishing I'd gotten to hold her for just a little bit longer...