Chapter Twelve
“You need to eat something.” Brittany said forcefully. The two girls were sitting in the cafeteria at the University. It had been about a week since Nick had left, and things weren’t getting much better.
The two of them had talked on the phone a little, but the conversations were nothing more than that of a couple of greetings and then more silence. Camille would start to tell Nick about her day, and he wouldn’t respond with much. Whenever Nick began to talk about what he was up to, Camille grew somewhat irritated and found she didn’t want to listen to it.
That, and every single time they’d talked was when Camille called him. He hadn’t called her once.
“I’m not hungry.” Camille replied, slouching in her seat.
Brittany rolled her eyes. “Look, I know you miss Nick. But you can’t keep doing this to yourself. He’s out there in LA having fun! You should try to have fun while you’re still here.”
“I guess.” Camille muttered, not really interested in what Brittany had to say. All she wanted was for Nick to show some interest in her. She didn’t quite understand what had gone wrong.
“Come on, I’ll buy you lunch.” Brittany prodded, feeling sorry for her friend. She hadn’t expected Camille to take Nick’s absence this hard. Especially since she’d been the one who decided to stay in Florida without him.
“I really don’t want anything.” Camille replied, taking her cell phone out of her back and looking at the screen.
Brittany took the phone from Camille’s hand and put it in her pocket. “Okay, well I’m just going to go buy two taco salads for myself and if you eat one, that’s okay.” She grinned, getting up from her seat and walking towards the counter.
Camille smiled a little at Brittany’s attempt to make her feel better. She had to admit, she was acting a little childish when it came to the Nick issue. She knew he was busy and probably excited to be with his friends again. However, she also didn’t think it was fair of him to completely ignore her.
Either way, there was nothing she could do about it at the time being. Brittany had taken her phone, and even if she hadn’t, she knew Nick wouldn’t be calling her. He was far too busy in the studio during the day.
Nick and the other four Backstreet Boys were sitting in a meeting that afternoon. The topic at hand was the direction that they were planning to take with the new album. However, after about an hour the original topic had been lost and they were now talking about random things. Not so coincidentally, this had happened around the same time that Kevin had stepped out of the room momentarily.
And once the conversation had drifted towards their own individual relationships, it wasn’t long before Nick was asked about Camille. It was still a bit of an uncomfortable topic for him, especially since he didn’t know the status of their relationship.
“So, how long have you guys been together now?” Howie asked, ruffling Nick’s hair a little. Nick quickly batted him away, not really wanting to reprise his role of “Nicky the youngest Backstreet Boy”.
“Uh, a year and a bit.” Nick said, playing with the water bottle in his hands.
AJ whistled. “Damn Nicky! I think it’s time to go ring shopping.”
Nick glared at him. That certainly wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. Of course, there was no way for the other guys to know that. “Shut up.” He muttered.
AJ laughed. “Chill out, Nick. I was only joking.” He said upon noticing the disturbed look on the blonde’s face.
Nick rolled his eyes. This was typical, the other guys would make a joke, he’d get offended and it would turn into a serious conversation. He sighed, sitting upright in his chair. “I’d really rather not talk about her, thanks.”
Brian raised an eyebrow. Nick wasn’t usually the type to keep his issues bottled up inside. “You guys having problems?”
Nick shook his head. What didn’t they understand about the fact that he didn’t want to talk about Camille? “No.” He answered simply, though anyone could see that it was a lie.
“Nick, you know that if you need to talk-” Brian started, but Nick cut him off before he could finish.
“Yes Brian.” Nick replied harshly. “I know what you’re going to say. If I need you, you’re here for me. But some things aren’t so simple.” He said angrily, before storming out of the room.
When he was far enough down the hall Nick took his phone out of his pocket and promptly dialled Camille’s number. He didn’t need the other guys giving him advice in relationships. Especially when they knew nothing about what was going on with Camille. The phone rang two times before an unfamiliar voice answered.
“Nick!” Brittany nearly shrieked. She’d still been waiting in line when she’d felt Camille’s phone vibrate in her pocket. Needless to say she was pretty floored when she saw that it was Nick calling. “Hold on, okay? I’ll go get her.”
Brittany ran back to the table and handed the phone to Camille. She still looked glum, but her expression completely changed once Brittany told her that Nick was on the phone.
“Nick?” Camille asked, shocked that he’d actually phoned her, in the afternoon no less! “How are you? What are you doing?”
Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I just missed you.” He said, looking at the walls around him. It would only be a matter of time before Kevin dragged him back to the meeting.
“I miss you too.” Camille said softly. This was the first time she’d heard him say those words, and she had it admit, it was nice that he seemed to miss her so much that he would take time out of his schedule to call her. “No work today?”
Nick laughed. “There’s always work.” He said. “I just got pissed at the other guys and needed to talk to you.”
Camille frowned. She didn’t think that sounded very good. Trouble in paradise already. “Why? What happened?”
Nick bit his lip for a moment. The reason that he was upset with the others was the fact that they’d been badgering him about his relationship. Perhaps it had made him feel a little guilty and that’s why he’d called her. Nick wasn’t really sure what to tell her, he didn’t really know himself. “It’s nothing. Just stupid work stuff. I just wanted to hear a familiar voice. I should really go back now though, I love you.”
“I love you too.” Camille replied before she heard Nick hang up. The fact that Nick had called made her feel quite a bit better, and by the time Brittany returned with their lunch Camille was more than willing to scarf it down.
