“Hey Nick, have you seen Isabelle anywhere?” Brady’s voice interrupted Isabelle’s thoughts as she quickly wiped at her mouth. She didn’t want to get rid of the feeling of Nick’s lips on hers, but she knew she needed to. Brady poked his head around Nick and smiled when he saw her standing there, not even questioning the fact as to why she was there. “Beautiful! There you are. I’m sorry I had to take that call. I thought you had disappeared,” he chuckled.
“Yeah, I just ran into Nick in the hallway and he invited me in to keep me company while I waited for you,” she nodded and smiled at Nick. “Thanks.” She tried to play it off. Nick swallowed hard to try and rid himself of the feeling of her next to him.
“N-No problem,” he stuttered. “So, I’ll meet you guys out front of the hotel in a few minutes? Izzie, don’t forget to grab a coat or something…” he reminded her.
“Thanks,” she grinned and hurried out of the room before things could get any more awkward. She glanced at Brady who had a rather large and apparent frown over his brow. Oh no. Had he figured it out?
“Izzie? Why did he call you that?” He placed his hand protectively on the small of her back as they went back to their room so she could get a coat.
Isabelle shrugged. “Just a silly nickname, I suppose.” She said softly. Brady didn’t realize it, but that nickname made her feel so unique and so individual – unlike whenever she was with Brady. She felt like she belonged to someone in a negative way when she was with Brady.
“Oh, okay,” Brady shrugged it off as if it was nothing. “Let’s grab you a coat and then we’ll meet the guys downstairs. Johnny wanted to talk to me about some venues in the states that we’re going to be going to. He needs me to make some phone calls tonight and tomorrow about reserving different locations.” He explained with a heavy sigh. “I hate to keep doing this to you, but you might want to see if you can find something to do later on.”
“Are we driving or staying at the hotel?” Isabelle asked. She wasn’t upset about Brady spending more time on work than with her this time, surprisingly. She was hoping Nick might be available to hang out with later on.
“We’re crashing here for the night and then driving tomorrow,” he explained.
“Okay,” Isabelle nodded and grabbed the heavy black pea coat Brady had brought along for her. “I’ll probably see if Nick’s up for a game or something.” She shrugged. She was hoping Brady hadn’t caught on to her little escapade just yet. She really liked Nick, but she also had strong feelings for Brady. He was someone that would really take her places in life. He was a business man. Her parents absolutely loved that about him. Nick was the complete opposite. However, she was starting to wonder if she found him more attractive because he was more her type. Brady was someone she couldn’t relate to. He was infatuated with his work.
“I’m glad you two get along so well,” he beamed. If you only knew, Isabelle muttered in her head. She plastered a smile across her face and nodded.
“Yeah, me too,” she smiled as Brady opened the door to her and she stepped out into the hallway, almost trampling Nick. “Sorry.” She laughed lightly.
“You’re fine,” he winked with a smile. Thankfully, Brady missed it as he closed the door behind them.
“So, any idea where we’re headed for dinner tonight?” He asked as he shoved the room key into his back pocket and pulled his jacket on around his body.
“I’m pretty sure there’s a quiet bistro down the street. Hopefully we won’t get recognized,” Howie joined in the conversation as he was closing his door the same time Brady closed theirs.
“That sounds nice,” Brady smiled as they all piled into the elevator. “I was hoping I could sneak away with Isabelle for a little while after dinner. Maybe we could tour Cologne?” He was practically asking the guys. Isabelle felt a twinge of annoyance fill her when she realized he wasn’t even going to ask her first if she wanted to tour. “The city’s beautiful. You’ll love it.” He winked at her.
“I’m sure,” she mumbled softly and glanced around the elevator. Both Nick and Howie were staring at her. Nick was used to Brady making decisions for her, but Howie wasn’t as much. He was waiting for Brady to ask her if she actually wanted to go. “So, Howie, are you getting excited for your wedding?” Isabelle smiled happily at him to try and change the subject.
“Absolutely,” he beamed back. Isabelle loved the fact that his entire face lit up whenever he talked about his wife-to-be. His eyes had this glow to them that she couldn’t even begin to understand, simply because she had never felt that with anyone before. “I feel so bad that I left Leigh to make all the arrangements, though sometimes I think she might like it that way better.” He chuckled, causing everyone else to laugh. “She’s enjoying making all the plans and everything.” He nodded. “You guys are coming to the wedding, right?” He asked and looked back and forth between the two. “It’s the Saturday we get back.”
“We’ll be there,” Brady answered for the both of them.
“Thank you for including me,” Isabelle nodded with a smile. “I’m so excited to meet Leigh.” She said honestly. Brady had told her that once they started up the US leg of the tour, all the wives and families would start to tour with them.
“I’m excited for you to meet her. You’ll get along great,” Howie smirked as the elevator doors opened up to the lobby.
“Are we taking a van?” Brady asked as he took Isabelle’s hand in his own to maneuver through the crowds of people. The boys had only been in Germany for a few hours and already they were found by the fans. Nick couldn’t help but stare at Isabelle and Brady as they stayed close. His eyes caught Isabelle’s and she gave him a small smile.
“Yeah, Brian’s already out there with Johnny and some of the crew,” Howie explained. Q, Drew and Marcus came to escort them from the lobby to the vans. As soon as they piled in, the driver took off. Because of all the people and the close proximity, Isabelle was sandwiched between Brady and Nick.
“Jeez, could these vans get any smaller?” Brady chuckled. He still hadn’t caught on to Isabelle’s closeness to Nick.
Isabelle licked her lips slowly and made a side glance over to Nick. She could practically feel the warmth coming off of his body. She wanted so badly to be in his arms again. She missed that. She had never felt that way with Brady before. Everything was so perfect with him – perfect to the point where they never argued, they never had a falling out. It was too perfect.
As soon as the van pulled up to the bistro, everyone tried to get out as quickly as possible so the van could pull away. They knew some fans had followed the guys out of the hotel and they were hoping to dodge most of them. They just wanted to have a relaxing evening after their traveling and their first show.
“This place is quaint,” Isabelle grinned as she pulled her gloves off her hands and stuffed them in her coat pockets. The restaurant was dimly lit, with only a few tables up front by windows. The tables were separated by curtains in the back to give off more privacy. She glanced over at Nick discreetly. “I’m going to find the ladies’ room.” She muttered and went to ask a server where to go in the best German she could.
“Quaint,” AJ shook his head with a chuckle. “Could she get any cuter?” He smirked at Brady who smiled back. While they were distracted, Nick muttered that he, too, had to use the restroom and disappeared in the direction Isabelle was headed.
“Izzie,” he hissed as he came up behind her in route to the restroom. He gently grabbed her by her forearm and pulled her into the woman’s restroom.
“What are you doing?!” She whispered as she glanced around the empty room to make sure no one was around. He pushed her into the largest stall there was and locked the door. “Nick! W-What—“
He cut her off with a kiss. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, his breathing was heavy. “I couldn’t resist. I…I…” He didn’t know what he was trying to say. He licked his lips to try and form thoughts.
“I missed you,” she whispered, beginning to calm down a bit. A grin pulled at the corners of Nick’s lips as he bent down to kiss her again. He deepened the kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist. She entangled her arms around his neck, her fingers playing with the hair on the back of his head.
“I missed you too,” he sighed, kissing her one last time. “I need to get back there before someone gets suspicious. But…I just wanted to say hi.” He grinned seductively and she giggled. She rolled her eyes and gave him a little shove, unlocking the door behind him.
“Hi to you too,” she joked and opened the door. She walked past him swiftly and adjusted her hair and dabbed at her lips in the mirror before opening the bathroom door.
“Hey…” he stopped her. “Meet me tonight? After Brady goes to bed. Just knock on my door…”
Isabelle knew it was risky. She knew it was wrong. But her heart was yelling at her to say ‘yes’. So instead of thinking about it any longer, she bit her bottom lip and nodded her head, hurrying back to reality.
Author's Chapter Notes:
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