She sighed again when she reached the door and went to place the key in the lock but couldn’t. She took the folded piece of paper that was stuck over where she wanted to place her key and eyed it curiously before unfolding it.
It simply stated “KITCHEN.” She unlocked the door and called out a hello but unsurprisingly got no reply so she did as the note had told her and headed to the kitchen. Once there she found the red wine, a glass already poured and the rest of the bottle set out alongside another note.
“Take the glass and the rest of the bottle to the bathroom, and straight to the bathroom only.” She took a sip and savoured the taste before she swallowed a smile playing on her lips as she left her bag on the counter and picked up the bottle and followed her “instructions.” She opened the door to the candle lit bathroom and inhaled the relaxing smell of the lavender and vanilla scents becoming slightly disappointed when she looked to the filled but also empty tub, she had been hoping that he was going to be in there. She placed the glass and bottle of wine down on the side of the bath and proceeded to shed her clothes, leaving them in a messy pile on the floor before she submerged herself in the warm water and bubbles, her bad day already seeming to ebb away. She relaxed back into the water and sighed in ecstasy, revealing in the feel of the warm water around her body.
She wasn’t sure how long she was in the tub for but she must have dosed off because the water felt cooler and she could hear him singing to her lightly before she felt his hand stroke her face tenderly. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him as he softly carried on singing along to the music that was drifting in from the open door.
Theres no one in the place cept you and me
So set em up joe
I got a little story I think you oughtta know
Were drinking my friend
To the end of a brief episode
So make it one for my baby
And one more for the road
She loved this song, this whole type of music, it was just so relaxing and romantic and what was even better was that he was there singing the words to her, almost making her feel they were lyrics he had written about her and her only and suddenly she was back to the moment when she knew that she was in trouble, that there was no way she was going to be able to resist him.
AUGUST 2005
“They sure seem to have hit it off,” Nick said handing her a drink as she sat backstage, as she watched her sister and Alex flirt like there was no tomorrow.
“I am so gona beat down on her ass later, she complained so much about her street cred coming to this concert,” she blurted out without thinking, “Oh god I didn’t…it’s not really her type of music then again I’m guessing that you knew that from all her tattoos, maybe that’s what they’ve hit it off I mean he has a lot of tattoos doesn’t he? Why am I asking you that? You know that, you see him everyday and now I’m rambling, I’m just gona drink my drink and shut up,” she said as she stuck the straw in her mouth and started to suck hoping that the alcohol would soothe her nerves. Why she was nervous she had no idea.
Maybe this had been a mistake. As soon as he had arrived in the ER she had known who he was, hell she had been in England when they exploded over there and explode they did. Nineties music in Britain had been all about the battle of the boy bands, being in London she had seen her fair share of boy bands in concert with her girlfriends during that time but some how had managed to miss them. He was definitely a charmer, but then again she wasn’t surprised he had probably had his fair share of women, he had been with Paris after all hadn’t he? God maybe she should have asked for a blood sample to see what STD’s he was harbouring when he had come in the other day. “Shit now I’m looking at his crotch,” she thought to herself.
She quickly averted her gaze but he had to have seen her, she totally zoned out in totally the wrong area. “Shit, Shit, Shit” she chanted in her head. This was such a mistake, Rachel had even said so. Ever since the flowers and tickets had arrived at the ER yesterday she had been in two minds about coming but who was she to give up free stuff? Then again this wasn’t really her type of music either. Bubble gum pop had all but died a death and she had to admit she was more of a 5ive girl herself being that she had been in England during the whole boy band phenomenon. She knew she was here because of the attractive blonde in front of her, who was now laughing at her. Great.
“Are you laughing at me?” She meekly asked and his smile widened.
“I might be. You can relax you know I don’t bite…hard,” she stiffened at his joke and blushed. “Adie, I can call you Adie right?” he asked and waited for her nod before he continued. “I think your really refreshing, it’s been a while since I’ve met someone like you.”
“I’ve barely said two sensible words all night, this is so not the real me,” she said.
“Then show me the real you,” he shrugged and she bit her lip as she looked around. “You want to blow this joint?” He asked obviously sensing her uneasiness about her current surroundings.
“Do you mind? It just all seems a bit surreal to be sat backstage with five backstreet boys,” she said biting her lip.
“Sure you know some place where we can go? I don’t really know Nashville very well,” he said as he got up and held his hand out to her which she accepted.
“There’s a bar not to far away,” she offered looking back to her sister who was still laughing at something Alex had obviously said.
“Are you going to say goodbye?” he asked her.
“She’s a big girl,” she shrugged not even managing to catch her sisters eye as she followed Nick out of the room.
***
She couldn’t believe she was doing this, this was not her. She just didn’t invite random strangers into her house and start making out with them on her couch, for all she knew he could be some serial killer. “Yeah right Adie,” she stupidly thought to herself. He’s a backstreet boy how the hell would he get away with that? Then maybe it was the perfect cover up, who would suspect sweet, angelic, blonde haired Nick here of hurting a fly, if it was going to be anyone it would be A.J. SHIT her sister was with A.J.
“You okay?” he whispered huskily as he pulled back from their kiss.
“Fine why wouldn’t I be?” She replied quickly as the room began to spin that was never a good sign, she knew she would be bowing to the porcelain god soon.
“You seem a little tense,” he said as he leant back against the couch, resting his hand on her thighs and she had to hold on to his shoulders to keep from falling of his lap when he moved.
“I…” she swallowed harshly. “I..” she started again, “Oh god,” she groaned as she all but fell off his lap in her haste to make it to the bathroom.
She made it just in time, puking up the drinks and shots she had knocked back in a vain attempt to calm her nerves and let her hair down a bit. It was ironic really, the drinks had worked wonders at the beginning of the night, she had managed to let loose and have fun with him. They had talked for hours in the bar, getting to know one another, laughing at each others anecdotes, flirting back and forth. Finally at quarter to three they had been asked to leave by the more then patient bar staff and he had insisted on seeing her home safe. It was on that walk home she had become more daring, reaching out to interlock hands with him, she had instigated the first kiss when they had reached her apartment building, she had been the one to invite him up, she had been the one to sit in his lap and now she had to suffer the embarrassment of her “courage” making a reappearance in her toilet bowl.
She could hear his approaching footsteps but knew that if she turned to close to bathroom door so would hurl all over the floor and she knew that was worse then him seeing her in this state.
***
When your head hurts before you even open your eyes you know that you had a great night but you also know that you are going to pay for that great night you can only remember snippets of for the rest of the day. She took a deep breath in and opened her eyes, lazily looking around the room trying to piece together the night before. Okay yesterday what had she done yesterday? The drinking had started at Rachel’s, she vividly remembered her elder sister saying that if her ears were going to bleed she needed something to numb the pain before hand. Okay there the start of the night that was good. So why were her ears going to bleed again? Concert.
That one word made the whole night come screaming back, well parts anyway and she quickly sat up in bed wishing she hadn’t moved so quick when her head hammered in pain and the contents of her stomach churned uneasily. She looked down at herself, still fully clothed apart from her shoes, she looked across to the other side of the bed and found it empty, it had definitely not been slept in. Then the smell of stale vomit hit her nostrils.
She lay back against the pillows. Nick would be long gone. There was no way Mr Pop star was going to hang around after that, hell he probably had only been hoping for a quick one night stand anyway. She would just lie here for the rest of the day and sleep off this hangover, maybe even get some food in her stomach later. She needed to get out of these clothes though, the stale smell of last nights escapades were doing nothing to ease the nausea she was currently feeling.
She hauled herself up and off the bed and stripped down to her bra and panties when she heard her front door open and close.
“Rach? Please say you have…oh” she said turning totally beetroot red as she walked into the living room in nothing but her underwear. She quickly grabbed the throw that was on the back of the couch to try and cover herself but he had already seen.
“Hi, I’m not Rach but I do have coffee,” he said holding up the take out star bucks cups.
“I uh…I’ll be right back,” she said as she walked backwards into her room. Once she was in the privacy of her room she covered her face with her hands all the while mouthing "fuck, fuck, fuck! She quickly threw on a pair of sweats and a tank top, pulled her hair into a ponytail and scrubbed the smeared make up from her face with a wipe. Then after taking a few deep breathes she finally made herself walk back out and face him.
“Hi,” she said shyly.
“Hi,” he smiled back warmly. “I didn’t know whether you were a latte or cappuccino girl so I just got a black Americano, figured if you liked it white you could always add the milk here,” he said as he handed it to her.
“Thanks, I don’t mean to be rude but uh…” she trailed of.
“What am I still doing here?” He finished for her as he took a seat at her table.
“Well…yeah. I didn’t expect you to hang around after my impromptu barfing incident last night,” she said feeling the blush creep into her cheeks.
“Thought it was probably a good idea to stick around in case you chocked on it,” he smiled smugly as he took a sip of his own coffee.
“Oh god,” she groaned as she covered her face with her spare hand as he laughed. “I don’t usually, I mean I’m not…I don’t drink that often,” she explained.
“Yeah that was pretty obvious.”
“I’m so sorry,” she apologised as she sat down across from him.
“Don’t be. So what are you doing tonight?” He asked.
“You mean apart from sitting in a state of hangover induced pity where I remind myself that alcohol is the devil?”
“Yeah apart from that,” he said to her.
“Nothing,” she said as she took a sip of her coffee.
“Fancy grabbing something to eat? Not right now,” he added quickly when he saw her face.
“Seriously?” She questioned quite perplexed at his proposal.
“Yeah. I had fun last night, well up until the barfing episode,” he said when she raised her eyebrows up at him. “But I still don’t think I know the real you. You’ve intrigued me Adrianna.”
“Trust me I’m the least intriguing person in the world, you wouldn’t want to waste your time.”
“You owe me,” he cockily told her.
“How?” She asked indigently.
“I had to spend the night on your incredibly small and uncomfortable couch when I had a nice soft queen sized bed waiting for me back at my hotel.”
“Well I suppose as I deprived you of your beauty sleep I better humour you huh. Just one condition,” she said.
“Shoot.”
“No alcohol.”
***
He held the towel up for her and she stood and let him wrap it around her before he wrapped his own arms around her in a hug.
“Hey you,” she said as she snuggled into his shoulder.
“Hey. Did your day get better?” He asked placing a small kiss to her head.
“Work didn’t but coming home to this has, thank you,” she smiled up at him.
“Your welcome,” he whispered as he let her go and walked out into the their room. “Throw that on, it’s a bit chilly out there,” he said motioning to her sweats and jumper that he had obviously placed on the bed for her before he walked out onto the balcony.
She quickly dried and changed, and followed him smiling widely again when she realised that he had all of her favourite comfort foods laid out on the blanket, more candles spread about the balcony.
“Okay you’ve either done something wrong or your looking to get some nooky so which is it?” She joked as she sat next to him, laughing at his scandalised face.
“See that’s what I get when I try to do something nice for you,” he mock frowned acting hurt at her words.
“I was joking baby,” she said as she plonked herself down against him and picked at the cheetos, savouring their cheesy taste.
How could she ever doubt his love for her? Maybe he didn’t want to get married, but that did not mean he was not committed to her, that he wouldn’t do anything for her. Sure sometimes he could be messy, a bit of a slob, sure there were occasions where he was insensitive, damn right annoying but nobody was perfect, she was far from it. She looked over to him, his profile shimmering in the candle light, he hadn’t shaved since the weekend and his chin was covered in dark rough stubble, wisps of his blonde hair were peeking out from his skull cap and he had orange powder around his lips from the cheesy Doritos he was munching on. He looked nothing like the picture perfect pop god that had been put on a pedestal by millions but she didn’t care, the person in the pictures wasn’t the real him anyway. She had the real him.
“What?” He asked when he noticed she was staring.
“Nothing,” she shrugged.
“You were staring,” he pointed out through a mouthful of chips making her scrunch her nose up at him. “Bluergh,” he went sticking his tongue out so she could see all of the partially eaten crisps.
“Your disgusting,” she groaned pushing at his shoulder and he fell back against the blanket that he had laid out making sure to grab onto her so she would land on top of him. “I knew you had ulterior motives,” she told him before she leant down to kiss him, tasting the cheese that was still on his lips. His hands travelled down her back coming to rest on her butt as he pushed her down into his hips groaning against the friction it caused.
Their kiss intensified and she let her hands trail down his side before they edged their way into the front of his sweats, she smirked when she came into contact with his hard dick, he was so predictable, no underwear. He groaned as she stroked up and his own hands travelled back up and under her top but he stopped abruptly when she winced and hissed in pain.
“What I do?” he asked quickly as he broke away from their kiss and she sat up, holding her side.
“Nothing, I just got smacked at work, my sides a bit tender is all,” she said leaning back down to him but he wouldn’t let her kiss him.
“Who hit you?” He asked sitting up his hands going to her side again to lift up her jumper slightly to get a look astonished at how he had missed the deep angry purple mark on her side when she had been in bath.
“Just a patient,” she shrugged leaning in to kiss him again but again he resisted wanting to know more details.
“Did you press charges?” he asked.
“What? Nick it’s nothing. He was a psych patient we were putting him in restraints and I just wasn’t strong enough he just moved his arm to stop me putting it in the restraints. He wasn’t intentionally setting out to hurt me,” she shrugged.
“That’s not the point. I cant believe your so complacent about this, have you not seen the mark he’s left?” He asked his tone angry and although she knew he was only angry at the patient and not at her his over reaction still pissed her off.
“Can we just drop it? I’m fine okay.”
“Yeah but how long is it until you end up getting really hurt? I don’t see why you can’t work somewhere safer,” he said and she rolled her eyes knowing where this was heading yet again.
“Here we go again,” she muttered as she climbed off him.
“What?” He almost hissed getting up quickly.
“It’s the same every time Nick. I just wish you could understand that this is part of the job,” She said.
“Part of the job? So getting beaten up is in your job description?” He asked sarcastically.
“Don’t start alright.”
“Don’t start? Do you not care that I’m worried about you?” He said moving towards her but she just backed away.
“Yeah but you don’t have to be, I’m fine. You don’t see me getting this het up when your surrounded by thousands of screaming girls and you only have Josh with you,” she retaliated making him sigh.
“That’s different.”
“How? How is it fucking different?” She yelled getting frustrated again.
“It just is, I’m not dealing with psycho’s who could do anything to me given half the chance. You’re a paediatric nurse but today you were pulling something out of some perverted guys ass!” He yelled back at her quickly standing from where he was sitting.
“So that’s what this is about.”
“No it’s not I just…I don’t see why you can’t work upstairs where it’s safer,” he said trying to keep his cool.
“Because I love the environment where I work,” she tried to point out.
“An environment where people puke at you, piss on you, verbally degrade you, hit you?” He questioned.
“Look I don’t expect you to understand. We’ve been through this you’re not going to change my mind so I wish you would just stop trying,” she told him angrily as she stormed into their bedroom.
He leant against the railings of the balcony and tried to calm himself down, there was no point in following her in straight away, the argument would only continue if he did that like it had done so many times before. They were both hot headed, both stubborn and neither would ever cave on a subject like this.
It wasn’t that he hated what she did. He admired her for the work she choose to do because there was no way in hell he would ever be able to do, first off he didn’t have the stomach for it and secondly there was no way he would be able to put up with all the shit that got thrown at her, fugitively and, quite grossly, literally. You definitely had to be a special sort of person to work in the ER or in any hospital environment and she was a fantastic nurse. He just didn’t like the environment she was in every day, the fact that there were metal detectors before patients could get treatment was just diabolical, it seemed stupid that people would want to hurt the doctors and nurses who were trying to help them but they did.
This hadn’t been the first time she had returned from work with marks on her. He had given up counting now, but he still argued with her about it, god the first time it had been a huge fight he had been livid but the more he remembered the more he realised he was more angry at her deceit then anything. He had assumed that it had been a child, a scared child who had lashed out when she had been trying to draw blood, that seemed more acceptable for some reason. Bruising from a child was better then bruising from an adult who had intentionally set out to hurt her, but she had lied and he found had found out a few days later from one of her colleagues. The MAN in question was a convicted felon, had raped three women and she had been in the room with him by herself, sure the cops were only stationed outside but he had still managed to grab her, managed to leave bruising.
The thought of what could have possibly happened to her, of what that bastard could have done to her….it sent chills up his spin. He sighed trying to rid his head of the horrible thoughts as he blew out the candles that littered the entire balcony before he made his slowly into the bedroom.
She was laying on the bed, on her left side facing away from him, the duvet covering most of her body, in fact the only thing he could see was her hair sticking out at the top. He undressed quickly but when he pulled back his side of the duvet she startled him.
“I hope you don’t think your sleeping in here.”
“Don’t be like this,” he said as he sat down. She moved quickly and grabbed his pillow throwing it across the room before she settled back into her resting position. “That’s mature,” he sighed as he went to retrieve it before coming back to the bed and as soon as he got himself settled she moved up and off the bed and walked out of the room.
He knew she wouldn’t be back, that she would spend the rest of the night in the guest room and he wanted to follow her, to try and work this out. He however had learnt long ago that until she was ready there was no point pushing her, it would only make her more stubborn and would draw out the fight. It was an aspect of her personality that he disliked immensely but he knew he was never going to be able to change it and so he fell back against the comfy pillow and let sleep overcome him.
