Story Notes:
Sorry the summery isn't that great. Not sure where this story is going yet as I just started writing it out of the blue. I Haven't written anything in such a long time and just really needed to. I hope you enjoy it though. Hope I'm not too rusty on the writing.
Nick was on his way to a meeting with guys about starting to work on their next album for their 20th anniversary. He decided to stop and get something to drink at a local coffee shop down the road from where the meeting was being held. Deciding against something caffeinated, the guys would go nuts if he was bouncing off the wall with ideas right now, he just got a strawberry mango smoothie.
While he was waiting for his drink he saw a girl get up from the corner of the coffee shop, throw something in the trash and head out the door. Nick could have sworn she looked so familiar.
Hearing the barista call out his name he grabbed his drink and headed out the door to see if the girl was still outside somewhere. Unfortunately, she was gone.
Damn, he thought to himself. Looking at his phone he knew he should get going or the guys would be mad if he was late.
The next day AJ had invited Nick over to hang out. Apparently, Rochelle was out shopping with a friend and he wanted some company.
The guys were sitting in the living room watching ESPN when they heard someone coming in the door.
“I am so not carrying all these bags all the way up those stairs myself” Rochelle yelled through the house.
AJ jumped up immediately and Nick laughed at how AJ was acting like an obedient dog.
“That means you two Mr. Carter, don’t think I can’t hear you laughing at my husband for doing something to help his pregnant wife!” Rochelle yelled again.
AJ covered his mouth, knowing not to say anything.
That woman was something else, Nick thought to himself.
“Dude, did you buy out the whole damn store or what?” Nick joked as he saw all the bags sitting in the kitchen.
“That’s not all of them, there is more still in the car” Rochelle informed him, smiling.
“What can I say Nicky, my daughter is going to be a spoiled princess” AJ stated boldly and kissed his wife before grabbing a bunch of bags and heading upstairs.
“I swear to god Rochelle, you act like you are having triplets, I don’t think I want to go shopping with you ever again” Came a voice that Nick did not recognize.
Just then he saw someone walk through the door with more bags in their hands.
It was the girl from the coffee shop yesterday. The same familiar girl that he tried to catch another glimpse of.
“Oh Nick, this is my friend, Harper…. Harper, this is Nick, but I know you already know that” Rochelle introduced the two.
Why did that name sound so familiar? This was going to drive him nuts, but he didn’t want to scare the girl by just coming out and asking why she looked familiar to him.
“Nice to see you again” Harper said. She was studying his face to see if it would register to him who she was. It wouldn’t surprise her if he didn’t remember her considering he hadn’t seen her in about 10 years. He meets so many people in his line of work.
“Yea…” Nick replied slowly while grabbing some bags.
“Hey Harp” AJ said when he came back down.
“I am never going shopping with your wife again” She told AJ.
“Didn’t you say that last time?” AJ laughed at her comment.
Nick was still just standing there holding bags watching the two interact.
“Dude, they didn’t invent teleportation yet, your gonna have to actually walk those bags up yourself” AJ joked with Nick.
He followed AJ up to the nursery.
“Where do I know Harper from? She said it was nice to see you again. I saw her at the coffee shop yesterday and thought she looked familiar” Nick asked AJ to enlighten him so this would stop bothering him.
AJ just laughed.
“She was a dancer on the Black and Blue tour, you had the hots for her but she was dating one of the other dancers at the time”
It hit Nick like a ton of Bricks “Oooh yea…”
AJ was oblivious to this as he was digging through the bags.
Nick thought back to the day he first saw Harper.
It was the start of rehearsals for the black and blue tour. All the guys arrived to see that the backup dancers were already there. Nick and Brian arrived together. Followed by AJ, then Howie, and finally Kevin walked in with the choreographer. Which meant he hadn’t been the last one to arrive, he had probably been there before the backup dancers even. Nick noticed that AJ had changed his hair color yet again.
“Is he trying to go through every color in the rainbow?” Nick whispered to Brian, not wanting AJ to hear him. AJ’s easygoing and fun attitude had started changing recently and didn’t find a lot of things funny lately.
“Who knows with him anymore” Brian replied.
They started stretching while waiting to begin rehearsals. One of the backup dancers caught Nicks attention. She was a petite blonde with a gorgeous smile that made her face light up like a light. Howie came over and started stretching with them.
“So, who’s the blonde over there?” Nick asked to anyone in general.
“Her name is Harper, and don’t even think about it cause she is dating the guy she is sitting next to, his name is Jax” Howie informed him.
“Jax, what kind of name is that, and how do you know all of this?” Nick asked.
“Lizzy, the one with extremely long platinum blond hair over there gave me the 411 on all the dancers” Howie explained and gave a little wave to Lizzy. She smiled back and lifted her leg up on a chair to stretch.
“Damn D, she doesn’t seem like your type” Nick joked with Howie.
“Haha Nick, your just jealous” Howie shot back.
“Will you two cut it out” Brian laughed at them.
“But seriously though Nick, don’t even think about getting between the two of them, this is going to be a long tour and we don’t need that kind of drama, this is business, not pleasure” Howie tried to scold Nick.
“Look who is talking” Nick looked at him Howie like he was nuts for just saying what he said.
“Dude, its different when they come to you, I can’t help it if she finds my Latin looks irresistible” Howie looked proud of himself. Nick and Brian just laughed at him.
“whatever” Howie mumbled and went back to stretching.
“He is right though Nick, don’t go starting any drama, there will be plenty of other girls you will meet” Brian agreed with Howie.
“Yea, I know, fine, let’s just get this over with” Nick said obeying his friends and bandmates.
He knew it wasn’t going to be easy but he also knew she would be one of them girls that would be hard to forget. Brian was also right though, he would be meeting plenty of girls. There was no point in getting caught up in just one. He was young and wasn’t ready for what Kevin and Brian had with their wives. He knew it would happen someday, just nowhere in the near future.
“Hello!” Nick heard someone yelling and snapped out of his memory.
“Huh?” Nick was dazed for a moment.
“What’s up with you?” AJ looked at him quizzically.
“Just thinking” Nick mumbled.
“Well don’t hurt yourself” AJ patted Nick on the back while he walked past him. Nick went to hit him in the arm but AJ scooted away too quickly.
When they got back down to the kitchen, the two ladies were sitting at the kitchen table looking through binders.
“I’ll start dinner” AJ said and walked to the fridge and began pulling stuff out.
Nick stopped by the table and looked over at what the girls were looking at. It was picture after picture of models or something.
“What are you guys looking at?” Nicks curiosity got the best of him.
“Harper’s work” Rochelle answered without looking up.
“I thought you were a dancer though?” Nick blurted out.
Harper looked up at him and had a somber look on her face.
“I used to be” was all she said and looked back to the book.
“what do you do now?” Nick kept opening his mouth but then realized he was probably starting to annoy this girl.
“She is an absolutely amazing special effects makeup artist” AJ spoke up before she could.
“I’m not that amazing AJ” Harper said cynically.
“Are you kidding me? Do you have your other binder here?” AJ exclaimed.
“It’s over on that counter” Rochelle pointed out.
AJ grabbed it and brought it over to the table. He motioned for Nick to sit and look at it.
“Holy shit, you did these?” Nick exclaimed as he looked through the pictures. He looked up at Harper and she slightly shook her head. He could have sworn he saw her blush a little.
“I started with just makeup and hair and kinda grew from there” Harper informed Nick.
“You could be on that show on the SyFy channel, whats it called…. Face Off” Nick told her being engrossed in the pictures.
“Dude, that’s what I keep telling her!” AJ Said loudly from by the stove.
“I am so not good enough to be on that show” Harper kinda laughed.
“You need to have a little more confidence girl!” Rochelle told her.
Harper examined Nick while he continued to look at the pictures. He was still as good looking as he ever had been. She had to admit that she still found him attractive. If only she hadn’t been dating that one guy at the time. The only reason she dated that guy was that she was young and stupid, and cause he got her an audition for the tour. Harper had actually had a huge crush on Nick, but never told anyone about it.
“Hey, this one kinda looks like AJ” Nick pointed at one of the pictures. AJ looked over.
“That’s because it is me” AJ told him. Nicks eyes widened is shock.
“I needed a model to work on so Rochelle and I begged him to do it” Harper explained.
“You actually look better like this” Nick joked and next thing he knew a piece of carrot hit him the head. But Nick just kept laughing.
After Nick was done looking the pictures he closed the book and looked at Harper.
“AJ is right though, these are amazing” Nick told her.
“Thank you” Harper replied while fidgeting with the rings on her fingers.
Nick could tell she wasn’t the kind of person that really liked getting complimented. Not wanting to make her anymore uncomfortable, Nick got up to help AJ with the food.
Nick's mind wandered after AJ gave him the task of finishing cutting up the rest of the carrots.
Harper seemed very different then the girl he met so many years ago. Its to be expected with many people though, a lot can happen in that amount of time. It just bothered him that she didn’t seem as confident as she used to when she danced. He remembered watching her in rehearsals and could see her radiate with happiness whenever she danced. Nick really wanted to know what happen for her to change so much. Maybe he could ask AJ next time he was around, when Harper wasn’t there.
They all ate dinner together, making small conversation. AJ and Rochelle did a lot of the talking though. Nick didn’t want to take the risk of his head to mouth filter malfunctioning, so he tried not to say much.
Harper just wasn’t really in the mood to talk much. She felt awkward around Nick. It wasn’t like he wasn’t being a nice guy, she just felt weird seeing him after all these years. It made her remember the secret admirer notes that she wrote to him. As far as she knows he, or anyone, never knew that it was her that wrote them. She had overheard Nick talking to Brian about it once backstage.
“man, I got another secret admirer not last night” Nick told Brian quietly.
“Are you ever gonna let me read one of them?” Brian asked.
“No”
“Why not?”
“Cause I don’t know, they just seem too personal to share with anyone”
Brian raised an eyebrow at Nick.
“Not like that dude” Nick laughed.
“ How many have you gotten now?”
“I think like 3 or 4”
“Doesn’t it creep you out?” Brian asked. Nick thought for a moment.
“I mean, a little, but its kinda interesting, the things that they write about…”Nick trailed off.
“Do you have any idea who it could be?”
“Not a clue and I don’t think ill ever find out unless the reveal themselves to me”
“Yea next thing you know you wake up in dark room tied to a bed” Brain joked. The two started laughing and then someone called for them.
“Earth to Harper” AJ said loudly.
“What?” she looked around at the people at the table getting a little embarrassed.
“Are you done eating?” AJ asked getting up with his plate, signaling that he wanted to take hers too.
“oh, uh yea, thank you”
“I swear you and Nicky are two peas in a pod when it comes to being space cadets” AJ said as he took the plates to the sink.
Harper was hoping that she wasn’t blushing while Nick gave a weak smile.
AJ found it a little strange that neither one of them made some kind a retort back at him.
Harper left shortly after dinner. Nick didn’t stay much longer after that. AJ wouldn’t be able to find out why Harper was so quiet but he knew he could try to find out why Nick had been.
“So what gives?” AJ asked when he walked Nick out the front door.
“What do you mean?”
“You were quiet at dinner”
“I was just tired, we just did one hell of a tour you know” Nick tried to play it off so AJ would stop being nosey. He wanted to ask AJ about Harper but thought it would be too soon.
“Did it have anything to do with Harper being there?” AJ knew his friend all too well.
“I don’t know, maybe a little” Nick admitted.
“Why? I have never seen you be so quiet around a girl before, unless…” Aj started laughing.
“You like her don’t you?” AJ asked.
“I don’t know, this was my first time seeing her in how long” Nick told him hoping that would satisfy him and he would stop asking questions, but Nick knew better.
“Nick, Its ok if you do, ill even put in a good word for you” AJ patted Nick on the arm.
“No, don’t” Nick exclaimed.
AJ laughed.
“ok, fine, maybe a little, I had a crush on her back during the black and blue tour but I was warned to stay away from her cause she was dating one of the other dancers at the time and didn’t want me starting any drama” Nick confessed to him. AJ nodded his head.
Nick knew AJ didn’t like to talk about that tour much considering he missed like half of it being in rehab.
“Well, ill find a way to get you guys in the same room again, but then you gotta pick up your game dude” AJ told him.
“She isn’t dating anyone?” Nick asked a little surprised.
“As far as I know ive never heard her talk about a boyfriend or dating anyone, but ill check with Rochelle to make sure”
“No, then Ro will know and probably say something to her” Nick protested.
“I will make sure she doesn’t”
“Fine, I gotta get going”
Nick gave AJ a quick hug before getting in his car and leaving.
About an hour later Nick got a text from AJ saying that Harper was very single and that Ro promised not to say anything to her friend, And that Ro also said she thought they would make a cute couple.
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you for reading and a quick review would be greatly appreciated! I really hope you enjoy this story. Let me know that I don't suck at writing anymore lol :)
