“Okay guys, the first show should hopefully go rather smoothly,” Brady said from his position in the doorway holding a folder with all the venue information in it. “The fans aren’t allowed to get up near the stage; they’re a good four feet away. There will be security all over this place. If any of you have an issue, signal Q or Marcus.” He instructed. The guys nodded in unison.
Isabelle watched from behind Brady. It had been four days in Germany already and she and Nick were becoming much closer. After their Guitar Hero tournament, she had returned to Brady’s bus for some rest. But she had spent a lot of time with Nick whenever Brady was too busy for her or working on something. She watched him sit on the edge of the couch in his baggy jeans and form-fitting black t-shirt with a white guitar stretched down the front. His blonde hair was spiked all over the place and his ear piece was in place, just waiting for the show to start. He downed the rest of his water and smiled over at her with a wink.
“I’ll be out at merchandise,” Isabelle smiled slightly and turned before she was noticed again. She didn’t want Nick to think she was interested in him. She had Brady.
“Okay, beautiful,” Brady kissed her before she left and turned back to the stage. “So, are you guys all set?” He asked with a smile. The guys nodded and they all gathered around with the rest of the crew to pray before the show.
As Isabelle made her way out to merchandise, she ran into one of the other girls from Cologne she’d be working with. “Lieselotte,” she called out with a smile. The German girl turned and waved.
“Hey! Are the guys about to go on?” She asked. Though Lieselotte, known as Lotti, was born and raised in Germany, her English was very good.
“Yeah, they just finished up backstage so I thought I’d come out here and help you guys set up,” Isabelle smiled and pulled her long dark hair behind her at the nape of her neck in a low ponytail. “I figure since I don’t know any German, I’ll allow you to cover the fans. I’ll just hand you the merchandise from the back and unpack boxes.” She opened a box of t-shirts.
“Sounds good,” Lotti smiled with a nod. “Have you ever seen them perform?” She asked curiously as she set up the cash register. There were other women there, as well, helping them sell merchandise.
“Nope,” Isabelle grinned. “Hopefully I’ll be able to see a show during this tour. I’ve read online about how incredible the concerts are.” She continued to unfold t-shirts and hang them up. She smirked when she saw Nick’s face on one of the shirts. She had realized the past few days how passionate he was about singing.
“You should go out there! Watch the open,” Lotti encouraged with a nod. “We can handle the crowd over here for a little while. You should see the show! Or at least part of it.” She smiled. Isabelle sighed and glanced over her shoulder at the booming arena. She really was interested in seeing the show and hearing the music. She was interested to know what it was all about. “Go!” Lotti saw the unsure expression on her face. After a bit of contemplation, she headed towards the backstage portion.
“I’ll be back,” she promised with a grin and hurried down to see Marcus standing to guard the backstage. “Hey Marcus!” Isabelle grinned.
“Hey B,” he winked. Marcus had already come up with a nickname for her – B for Belle, she supposed. It made her giggle.
“Hi!” She grinned. “Is there any way I could sneak backstage to watch the show for a little while?” She asked and bit her bottom lip, not sure if that was allowed or not. She knew she was hired to maintain merchandise, but she was sure she could sneak away for at least a little while.
“Absolutely! How about I call in another security guard and take you up front, though? It’s much more fun watching the show from the crowd,” he smirked and grabbed his walkie talkie off his belt. He radioed in for someone to come over and cover his entrance to the backstage of the arena.
“Are you sure?” Isabelle didn’t want to be an inconvenience of any kind. Marcus chuckled and took her by the hand as soon as someone came over to relieve him.
“You are one of the greatest people around this place,” he said kindly. “You make each and every one of us smile. It’s not a problem at all.” He grinned. Isabelle blushed and kissed his cheek politely.
“Thanks, Marcus. I appreciate it,” she beamed as he led her through the mob of fans. They all shot her nasty looks and said things about her in German that she didn’t understand. She didn’t allow it to bother her any. She watched as the lights dimmed and the intro to “Everything But Mine” began to blare out over the speakers. The fans went crazy as the boys came out on the stage.
Isabelle grinned when she spotted Nick make a silly face as he approached the fans. The girls were going crazy for him. Isabelle hadn’t realized how beautiful their voices were.
Walking along the sky
Chasing a glimpse of you
Painting a world with stars I found inside your eyes.
Up here above the haze
Everything looks so clear
Wondering what it would be like if you would be here
Brian’s voice was incredible. Isabelle had never purchased their CDs. Brady mentioned they had talent, but he never went on to say just how amazing they were. She was blown away when Nick opened his mouth.
And time takes time,
But I can’t wait
To tell you how I feel.
As soon as he finished his part, his eyes got caught in Isabelle’s and he couldn’t help but smile. These words seemed to fit right along with how he was feeling at the moment. When he saw her staring back at him, he couldn’t help but allow his heart to skip a beat. She smiled and waved and he waved back. This only caused more death glares from the girls around her. She just rolled her eyes and listened to the rest of the words.
Oh, you’re the calm when my world is crashing
My heart, my blood, my passion
Why, tell me why
You’re everything but mine.
I hold you close when it all goes crazy
And through it all, you’ll be my lady.
Why, tell me why
You’re everything,
Everything but mine.
Isabelle closed her eyes and listened closely to the lyrics. The irony between the fact that she had been flirting with Nick the past few days and these lyrics really hit her close to home. She felt chills form up her spine as she listened. She couldn’t help but continue to stare at Nick. It seemed, to her, that he couldn’t take his eyes off her, either.
You don’t have to be afraid
Of somebody else’s touch
Just gimme a chance to prove
Just how you should be loved.
AJ sang with such passion, such strength. The entire situation brought tears to Isabelle’s eyes. These words and sounds were so powerful to her and she couldn’t control her emotions. It wasn’t necessarily the song that made her emotional, rather the way it made her think about her relationship with Brady.
“I-I think I’m gonna head back to merchandising,” Isabelle leaned in to speak loudly in Marcus’s ear as the song ended and the crowd went crazy.
“You sure? You only heard one song,” Marcus seemed confused. He could see the tears in her eyes and just how fastened her eyes had been on Nick during the entire song and vice versa. He didn’t want to ask if there was anything going on. He knew the way Nick could be sometimes, but he also knew Brady and sometimes wondered how he got so lucky. Brady wasn’t exactly the most exciting person to be around.
“I’m sure,” Isabelle nodded and tried to form a smile to assure Marcus she was fine, but it didn’t work out so well. He pretended as if he couldn’t tell she was affected by the song and walked her back towards the merchandise table. “Thanks.” She gave him a small smile and hugged him. “See you after.” And with that, she turned back and tried to rid her mind of the man dancing around in her mind. The man named Nick Carter.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Thanks for the reviews! Keep them coming =]
