The blond boy looked around the carnival his parents dragged him to unwillingly. His eyes rolled back in his head as his siblings begged to be taken on the different rides and being shushed by his parents. It was one of the few times his parents took them somewhere where he wasn't preforming but he didn't want to go, he wanted to stay home and play his Game Boy, his friends were all jealous he had one but what they didn't know is he barely got to play.

He looked around the carnival and tried to figure out what he wanted to do, what he could ask to do away from his family. He hoped he would not be hindered with Aaron, he loved his brother but he did not want to be around him today.

He glanced around at the rides, they could be fun, but then he would probably be asked to take one or more of his siblings with him, that would not be fun.

He noticed the rows of games and food tents, inviting, but again he risked a sibling wanting to travel with him.

The stench of the animals was hard to avoid and the were not standing anywhere near the elephants and llamas, he definitely did not want to move closer.

His eyes caught a glint off one of the run down tents, near the back of the carnival. Even from the distance he was at, he could tell the canvas on the tents was worn. They did not look inviting at all, but it could be the one place he could go where a sibling would not want to follow.

“Mom,” He called. “I want to go over there.” He pointed at the tents.

“Those?” his mother asked perplexed. “Are you sure you don't want to go on the rides with your sister?” a hint of pleading in her voice.

He shook his head. “Jane, let him go on his own for a while.” His dad interjected on his behalf. “Meet us at the hot dog stand in one hour.” He told his son, patting him on his head and shoving him on his way.

He moved towards the tents with some apprehension, but curiosity was starting to get the better of him as he saw signs for “freaks” and promises of something he never saw before and would likely never see again. He moved towards the tent with the curiosity behind it's flaps but before he could reach the tent another voice caught his ear.

“Have your fortune told?” a clear voice sounded in his ear. The voice sounded as if it was speaking right into his ear but when he looked towards the voice, she was at least a yard away. He turned away from her and back to his original destination.

“Nickolas Carter, don't you want to know what your destiny will be?”

The sound of his name startled him. “What, how?” he completely forgot about the “freaks” and amazing items in the tents down the row, he needed to know how this woman knew his name.

“Ah so you want to know what your future holds after all.” The woman beckoned him towards her own tent and waltzed inside. Curious, Nick followed the woman and sat down in the chair she indicated was for him. The inside looked as any tent belonging to a fortuneteller might look. Colorful fabric draped around the a table with two chairs sitting in the middle. Nick half expected to see a crystal ball in the middle of the table, but it was not there, instead he spied it on one of the shelves near the back of the tent. On the table was simply a deck of cards.

The woman sat across from him and started to shuffle the cards. Her hair was straight and red, hanging just below her shoulders. The woman wore an outfit that was stereotypically gypsy, her shirt hung off her shoulders, a scarf tied around her waist where the shirt and skit met. The deep purple skirt reached the floor where Nick managed to notice she wore no shoes.

“Now you want to know what your future holds for you? It is what I promised.” She spoke holding out her hand.

Nick looked at her confused for a moment. Of course, he knew it wouldn't be free. He reached in his pocket to pull out some cash. “Tell me how you knew my name.” He spoke pulling out a five dollar bill and placing it in her hand.

She only smirked and continued to hold her hand out. “If you would like to know what is in store for you...” she dropped her sentence leaving him to understand that it would take more than five dollars for him to know what life held for him. He pulled out two more five dollar bills and placed them in her palm. She closed her hand, satisfied. Nick groaned to himself, he only have five dollars left, his day might as well be over, the money he was given by his parents was almost gone and they would lend him no more.

“Think of a question, and hold it in your head.” She handed him the deck. “Shuffle.” she ordered. When he finished he placed it down in front of him then she simply said, “Cut.” He took the stack and split it in two. “Again.” She pointed to the pile he removed from the top. He followed his direction and leaned back when she piled the cards together again and started to lay them out, in the end it looked like a plus sign with a vertical line to the side and one card sideways on top of the middle card.

She started to mumble to herself as she viewed the cards. “Young man,” she spoke. “I do not think your mind was thinking clearly of one question.”

It was true, from the moment she asked him to think of a question two thoughts flew through his mind. His first school dance was coming up and he wanted to know if the girl he had his eye on would say 'yes' if he asked him. Then again, he wanted desperately to know if he was making a fool of himself auditioning and singing, was that going anywhere?

“Sorry.” He muttered.

Nick could feel the green eyes pierce through him, he could tell this woman had a sixth sense, a second sight, he could feel it in her gaze. He shifted uncomfortably, unable to sit still under her scrutiny.

“Do not worry, the cards have answered both questions. It is unusual for it to happen, but then again, it does happen.” Her voice was sweet again, her eyes softened and she returned to the welcoming figure that coaxed him into her tent. He sat forward, wanting to know the answers.

“There will come a time in your life when you will have to make a decision. This decision will steer the course of your life. For you I see one of two things but not both. Fame and riches will come your way down one path you take, the other, the greatest love of your life you shall receive.” Finished with her prediction, the woman sat back, one arm resting on the back of the chair.

“Can you be more specific?” Nick asked.

“I am afraid I can only speak what the cards reveal to me and this is all they have told. I believe it answers your questions?” She smirked at the young man across from her.

“Yes,” the word tumbled out. “I suppose.” Her gaze was on him again, making him feel as if she was casting a spell with her eyes. He looked down at his watch and gasped, his hour was up. How did that happen? He wondered.

“I gotta go.” He bolted from his seat and out of the gypsy's tent.

The woman watched the boy leave her tent and run through the grounds, “I will be watching your future Nick Carter.”

“Nick you can't be meaning what you are saying.” the voice on the phone pleaded.

“Jess, it just wasn't meant to be. We had a great couple of dates but there was no spark for me.” Nick replied. This woman was sorely in need of some counseling. When he met her at the restaurant her eyes lit up, excited that her online hook up ended up being a singer, a singer she was a huge fan of his group, The Backstreet Boys, none-the-less.

“I feel as if this was fate.” She said on their first meeting. They sat across from each other at the table in the cafe they decided to meet at. “I've been a fan of your group going on twelve years now, since I was a junior in high school.” She rambled. “Been to every one of your concerts that were near me, I drew the line at following you around on tour. When I first saw you in the Quit Playing Games video I just knew that one day I would meet, that it was meant to be.”

He had to admit that when she got the fan girl out of her, she was very easy to talk to. She listened to his every word, hung on his every word more than any of the other women he'd been seeing lately. It had to be feeling good after having a great meal, but he actually agreed to meet her for lunch the next day. The next morning he regretted it, but after talking with Brian the next day he felt guilted into meeting her again.

The second date, she started talking about marriage and how her friends were going to flip out when they found out she was dating a Backstreet Boy. He knew then it was over, that he couldn't do it again. Of course the next time he spoke with Brian he made sure to mention that he would have canceled the second date if it wasn't for Brian making him feel guilty about not giving the girl a shot even if she was a fan.

“But Nick, I ended my marriage just to be with you.” The woman bawled on the phone.

“Jess... “ Nick was at a loss for words. The woman was in tears, he was tempted to hang up. “It wasn't meant to be. I'm sorry. I have to go.” Nick couldn't think of any other words to make it alright for her.

When he hung up the phone he rolled his eyes. He couldn't believe after what he went through with the last girl he met through an online dating site that he was about to meet yet another girl off of the site. He didn't understand why he was putting himself through all of this, no that was a lie, he knew why he was doing this.

It was half a year ago, Nick was at a barbeque at Brian's with his band mates and their families. He watched as the guys shared secret smiles with their wives and loving embraces with their children. He had convinced himself that marriage and children was not a goal of his, but that was before he got sober. When he got home the memories of the time spent with his friends kept him up. One sleepless night, Nick sat up on his computer toying with the idea of a dating website until the curiosity got the better of him and he signed up for one under an alias.

It wasn't his intent to actually use the site, but he found himself drawn to the site nightly to check out his matches and the next thing he knew he was e-mailing some of his matches and arranging dates. After meeting the first woman, Nick caved and told Brian what he'd been doing.

“Nick, I think it's great you want to meet someone, but are you sure this is the right method?” His friend questioned.

Honestly Nick didn't have an answer for his friend and so he didn't answer. He let the conversation peter out talking about Baylee and school or something like that.

Now he'd been on seven dates with four different women and was on his way to his eighth date with yet another woman. A date he neglected to tell anyone he was going on. He knew that Brian and his family were only concerned for his well-being and the whole internet dating was scarey, you never knew if people were being truthful, especially when he, himself gave a fake name and omitted his real career from the women he arranged dates with. None were extremely upset when they found out, and one, well Jess, was another story completely.

Nick looked down to glimpse at his watch, he was running ten minutes ahead of schedule which was good, he wanted to arrive early and watch for the girl to arrive. This girl seemed different during their online conversations, he felt that she was someone he could connect with offline too. More so than with the other girls. 'Save the best for last,' he thought.

The screeching tires brought him back to the moment as his eyes flew to road. He looked up just as his car slammed into the passenger side of a car crossing the intersection. Gut reaction had him slamming both of his feet onto the break pedal in an attempt to stop his car from further crashing into the other vehicle. His heartbeat raced as his car came to a complete stop. Nick managed to flick his eyes towards the stoplight before getting out of the car. His light red, 'shit' he thought as he glanced around searching for any body with cameras or who looked like they were taking pictures.

“Are you alright?” Nick questioned the woman sitting behind the wheel.

“What do you think jackass?” she shot back. “You ran the damn light and went straight into my car.”

Nick looked at the woman and noticed a large gash above her left eye, probably from hitting the window that was shattered on the ground at his feet. Her left arm was already purple from bruising and Nick wouldn't be shocked to find out if it was broken. That seemed to be all the external injuries he could find, but without x-ray vision he wouldn't know what internal injuries she possessed.

“Shit head, are you just going stand there and gawk or are you going to call the fucking police?” The woman spat out. “If you are waiting for me to do it....” she mumbled the rest of the statement.

Sirens could be heard from the distance, a bystander probably called 911 before Nick even emerged from his vehicle. “Ma'am, help is on the way. Where are you hurt?” Trying to initiate any conversation to help the woman to keep from going into shock. “I am going to reach in and undo the emergency release of your seat belt.”

Surprised he did not receive a pithy remark, he reached into the car carefully and found the emergency release at the top of the belt. “What's your name?” He asked. When no response came he started to worry a bit. The woman's skin was starting to become increasingly pale as the blood poured from he head wound. The sirens were getting closer and Nick hoped they would arrive soon, he was not trained but he was pretty sure this woman would be going into shock soon if she did not receive help. Now he was going to be late to his date.

Nick sat on the bumper of his car from a nearby parking lot as he watched the medics help the woman out of her car and strap her down to the board, securing her head in case of a concussion. The police officer in front of him was talking but Nick wasn't listening to the words that were being spoken. He kept watching the young woman being loaded into the ambulance and hoped that there was nothing seriously wrong.

“Mr. Carter, I need you to answer these questions.” The officer was snapping his fingers in front of Nick's face to bring get his attention to answer the questions.

“What? Sorry.” Nick apologized and looked back to the officer. “What was the question?”

“We have several witnesses that say you ran the red light. What were you doing?”

He ran his hands through his blond hair and sighed. He could try to talk his way out of this then have his lawyers settle with the girl and the insurance companies, but ever since he got clean he'd been trying to do the right thing. “I wasn't paying attention officer. It was my fault.”

“Well there's something new, a famous persona taking responsibility.” The officer said with a cocky smirk. “It's a good thing, really.”

The officer took the rest of the information and then wrote up the ticket, the officer handed him the ticket and then got back to the scene of the accident. Nick sat watching the scene a little longer then decided he needed to try to salvage his date. Since he agreed to meet the woman online, he did not have her contact information and he did not give his out unless he was certain he would not have another Jess on the other end. The only thing he could do was go to the restaurant they were planning to meet at and hope she was still there, it was a long shot but he would give it a chance.

When he arrived at the restaurant he told the hostess that he was meeting someone and looked around the for the flower that the girl said she'd have with her. Glancing around it was apparent that the woman was no longer in the restaurant or never showed up at all. He sighed to himself and left the restaurant, there was nothing he had to be doing, nothing planned for the rest of the evening so he drove around, careful not to let his thoughts get the better of him again.

Unfortunately, his mind had better ideas and started to wander on its own. His thoughts moved towards the woman from the car he hit. She was close to shock when the ambulance arrived. Soon he found himself turning down the roads that lead to the hospital. He pulled into a spot and looked around wondering what he was doing there.

Swallowing hard, Nick got out of his car and wandered into the hospital.

“Hi, there was a girl brought in about an hour or two ago and I was wondering how she was doing?” Nick asked the lady sitting behind the counter in the ER.

The nurse looked up over her glasses. “And you are?” Her nasal, overworked voice asked.

If you asked him later, Nick would not be able to explain why he did what he did next. It's not like he needed to make up a story, he was sure he'd be able to visit her if she wasn't in intensive care. “I'm not related to her yet. We've been dating for about a year now and I was hoping to ask her to marry me, she's was on her way to meet me when...” He paused for dramatic effect.

“Well,” the woman glanced down at the paperwork in front of her. “Follow me.” She started walking away from the desk, turned slightly, “You coming?” She asked.

Glancing around to make sure no one he knew could see what he was doing, he followed the nurse through the ER corridors and into a room with a few beds, curtains drawn around each. “She's here.” The nurse pulled the last curtain slightly and let him slip inside.

“Thanks,” he murmured and shuffled into the chair that was near the bed. The woman had her eyes closed on the bed, her breathing was steady. He noticed her head had several stitches and her left arm was in a cast. He wasn't sure what was in the IV bags dripping into her arm but he was sure it had something with pain killers in it.

“What are you doing here?” The woman's voice snapped him out of the nap he'd been taking. “Didn't feel you'd done enough damage you had to come visit me and see what else you could do?”

The blond man sat in the chair speechless. “I...” he started to speak.

“I suppose you can find your way out?” She asked cringing as she moved to sit up on the bed.

“I just came by to make sure you were okay. I feel extremely bad about what happened.” He ran his hands through his hair.

Before she could answer or he could leave, the curtain was pulled back and a nurse came walking into the area. “Well now, sitting up and with such a good looking visitor.” The nurse, whose name tag read Meg, winked at the woman in the bed. “How are we feeling now Lindsey?”

“I'd feel better if 'he' would leave.” Lindsey jerked her head in Nick's direction.

“I was just on my way out.” Nick hung his head and moved to leave. He left the hospital unsure why he went in the first place. What did he hope to accomplish with that anyway?

The drive home was uneventful, thankfully, as Nick’s mind continued to wander. He urged his thoughts to think of the girl he was supposed to meet this afternoon, and how upset she would be. He drafted several e-mails in his head as he drove. Inevitably though, his thoughts would veer back to Lindsey and the accident.

He was not used to feeling so bad about something he’d done to someone else before. Numb to how he affected anyone and their feelings was a side effect of his drug habit. Kevin would be proud of how mature he was being about the situation, that he stayed to speak with the cop, that is if he and Kevin were still on speaking terms. They were civil to each other when they were invited to the same gatherings, but he’d burned that bridge, yet another side effect of his drug habit.

Still in a haze, he unlocked the door to his condo and found his way to his computer. He logged onto the dating site ignored the pop up telling him he three new matches. There were no new messages in his in box, he hoped there might have been one from the girl he was supposed to meet, but it appeared Veronica had not sent him a message.

He should have asked her for a phone number so that he could call her, but since Jess, he did not give out his number unless needed. As it was he was probably going to have to change his number, he had four new voice messages and ten new text messages he was willing to bet were all from Jess.

Grabbing a soda from the fridge, he sat down in front of the computer ready to compose his e-mail apology to Veronica.

‘Veronica,
Sorry about today. I hope you believe my reason for not being there. I was thinking about our date, got distracted and ran a red light right into the side of an oncoming car. I have an awesome ticket to prove it if you’d like proof during our date, that is if you agree to meet me again.

I had several ways of apologizing to you drafted in my head but when I sat down to type, I thought simple and straightforward would be the best approach. I hope you will agree to meet with me again. You can choose the place.’

He threw in the last line because he had mentioned how anal he was about choosing where they would meet. She mentioned several different places that she would like to show him but he nixed all of them opting for something he was more familiar with. He hoped that giving up that control and letting her choose would be a point in his favor and she would relent to give him another chance.

He slurped his soda, a nasty habit Brian told him, as he skimmed his new matches. He tossed them aside without a second thought, he didn't want to meet any of the new matches.

It came as a total surprise to him when he received a new message from Veronica only a few minutes after he sent his apology. She agreed to meet him a week from today, same time same place as they agreed on before. He smiled and sent his reply agreeing to the terms throwing in that he would take a taxi so he wouldn't have to worry about thinking and driving at the same time.

He smiled to himself and moved to the room he reserved for his elliptical and weights, deciding that he really could use a work out tonight, it might keep his muscles limber enough so that he would not feel sore from the accident tomorrow.

Thinking about the accident brought Lindsey back to his thoughts. The way she glared at him in the hospital room, he needed to explain to apologize again. He decided tomorrow he was going back to the hospital, with hopes of catching her before she is released so he could explain, perhaps buy her a apology meal.

Nick wrung his hands as the elevator counted the floors rising. He could honestly say he had never felt this nervous before. He was nervous that Lindsey would be gone already, nervous that she would throw a tantrum about him being there again and throw him out of the room. He couldn’t understand why this girl was making him nervous.

The elevator doors opened when he reached Lindsey’s floor. He exited and looked around; the door to Lindsey’s room was closed. He knocked gently and heard a muffled “come in”.

He entered and found her standing with her back to the door struggling to zip up a bag with her one good arm. A friend or family member must have brought in a change of clothes and some toiletries for her.

Silent, he moved towards the bed and held the end of the bag so she could get a grip on the zipper and close the bag.

“Thanks,” She warmly said and turned around to greet her aide. She must have thought his arm belonged to a nurse or someone else; her smiling face fell into a scowl when she saw him.

“Please before you yell at me to get out, let me explain about the other day.” Nick quickly got the words out, hoping she would listen.

“Fine, I promised everyone I would hear you out if you tried again.” She sat back on the bed and leaned on her one good arm, waiting for his explanation.

“You talked about me with other people?” His voice had an air of cockiness to it that he hadn’t intended.

“Nothing good, I promise you that.” Was it his imagination or did he hear a hint of playfulness in her voice just now. “I noticed you managed to walk away without a scratch.” The playfulness was gone, back was the girl on the verge of yelling at him to get out.

Nick shrugged. His eyes flashed to her head and arm again. “Are those your only injuries?” He asked.
“A few bruised ribs and a monster headache can be added to the list.”

“I’ve told the insurance not to dispute the claim, to just outright pay. And if there is anything they don’t cover,” Nick paused unable to believe what he was about to say, “If there is anything they don’t cover, I will pay out of pocket.” He looked at her expecting a smart ass comment to be flung his way but she sat staring at him open mouthed.

“You say that now.” She finally responded.

“There’s the comment I was waiting for.” He pulled a card out of his pocket and handed it to her. “This is the number for my finance guy. Give him a call when you find out if there are any bills insurance won’t cover, he’ll cut a check.”

“Just like that?” Her disbelief apparent on her face.

“Well I’m sure he’ll want to see some bills or something for proof, but yah, just like that.” Nick saw a smile creep onto Lindsey’s face, he instantly felt relieved when he saw her put the card into her wallet.

“Thanks.” She sat on the bed looking at him. They stayed like for a few minutes, Nick unsure of what to say next.

“How are you…”

“What’s next…” They spoke at the same time. Lindsey’s head dropped into a little chuckle, Nick was pleased that she seemed to have warmed up to him a bit.

“You first.” He told her.

“I was just wondering if you had more or if you were finally going to leave.”

Maybe Nick misjudged the chuckle. He continued what he was going to say anyway. “I was curious as to how you were going to get home today. Did you have someone that is going to come get you?”

“I was going to call a cab before you came in.” Lindsey shrugged her good arm and moved to get off the bed. “I should do that before it is too long so I can get out of here at a decent time.”

“I'll take you home.” Nick offered before he could stop himself.

“You?” She questioned. “I don't even know you, except for the fact that you run lights and t-bone oncoming cars.”

Nick stuck out his hand as a greeting. “Hi, my name is Nick.” He was pleased that she took his hand and shook it warmly.

“Nice to meet you, I think. So about that ride....”

“Yes?”

“It's not the same car you ran into me yesterday is it? I am not sure I could handle being in that car.”

“Nah, I am taking that one to get repaired at some point, I am in a different car today.” Nick moved to grab her bag from her to carry out. “We could stop and get some lunch or something too? I'm buying” He added on.

“Sure, that could be okay.” She smiled.

Nick smiled back. He carried her bag to the door and waited for her to double check that she had everything then they left and rode the elevator in silence. They walked to Nick's car and he held the door open for her.

“Okay, where do you want to eat?” He asked her when he slid behind the steering wheel.
She gave directions to what she was saying was her favorite spot. They got a table and sat down.

“So,” Lindsey said to Nick after they ordered their food. “What do you want to talk about?”

Nick played with his napkin. He really didn't know what he wanted to talk about. He told her about the insurance, he offered her a ride home, what else should he talk to Lindsey about? “So what do you do for a living?” He finally asked.

“I work in the fascinating world of retirement services.” She rolled her eyes.

“So you advise people how to invest their money? That has to take some brains.” Nick meant it to be a compliment but it did not come out how he meant.

“No, I don't have my series six license. I mainly work in the processing side, in fact I scan the documents into the program so that the cash processors can allocate the cash. It's not complicated but I work an early shift and am able to leave by three and have a good bit of the afternoon to do other stuff. I would like to become an account manager or work in our investment group one day.” She replied and then looked away unsure if she should have said that much about her job.

“Do you like what you are doing?”

“It's employment and is a stepping stone to something I might like to do. I am not sure if I get an account manager job if it will be what I want to do forever either.” She laughed uncomfortably.

“So still don't know what you want to be when you grow up?” Nick laughed at his own comment but she didn't seem to amused. The food arrived shortly after and they ate in silence. When the finished he drove her home in almost silence. The only speech was from Nick asking where to go and from Lindsey replying to him when to turn.

“Here you are.” He said as he pulled up in front of her building.

“Thanks, I guess. I mean thanks for the ride and for offering to cover what the insurance won't, not for putting me in the situation to begin with.” Lindsey moved a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Despite some of the eerie calm we had during lunch, I had fun. Can I get your number so we can hang out again?” Nick chanced.

“Nick, that might not be a good idea.” She grabbed her bag and opened the door and moved as quick as she could inside her apartment.

Nick sighed and slammed his hands on his steering wheel. “Smooth Carter.” He shrugged it off, what did he expect from a girl he injured in a car
accident.

Nick's knuckles were turning white from gripping the steering wheel as tight as he was. He was on his way to meet Veronica for their do-over date and he was not going to let anything stop him from being there on time, even early. He was driving very cautiously, probably a little too cautious. Several cars behind him had honked their horns at him as they drove by him. He didn't care, however, he intended to make this date.

As Nick neared the intersection that the accident last week occurred his mind flew to thoughts about Lindsey. Wanting any information he could get about her he called his finance guy to see if she had contacted him about a check for any outstanding bills. He was told that it was probably too soon for the insurance company to settle any claims yet but she had called to see if Nick's offer was legit.

“Did you get any contact information from her?” Nick had asked. He didn't know why he was asking, he was sure she didn't want anything to do with him. He had, after all, ran through a red light and into her car giving her injuries.

A car horn blaring behind him brought him back to the present, the light was green and he was just sitting here. He waved apologetically to the car behind him and proceeded through the light.

“You really gotta stop zoning out Carter,” he chastised himself as he turned into the parking lot for the restaurant he was meeting Veronica at. He entered the building carrying the flower they agreed to bring to identify each other, as cheesy as it was they had decided on a red rose. When he didn't see a rose on any of the occupied tables he asked the hostess to seat him.

Nick was specific about the table he wanted. He asked for table somewhat near the back and then sat facing the door so that he could see her when she walked in he wanted to be able to greet her.

He sat fiddling with the napkin on the table, sipping the water in the glass. It was something to do while he waited. He watched several women enter the restaurant, none of them carrying the required red rose. He was starting to feel anxious, what if Veronica was going to stand him up now to let him know how it felt.

He sighed in relief as he saw a woman with red rose walking coming through the door. He stood up before she could talk to the hostess and approached her. As he got a better look at her he realized she was beautiful. Her blond hair was slightly wavy and reached just past her shoulders. As he got closer he could see just how green her eyes were, they were shocking but beautiful. The outfit she was wearing was a tight fit and hugged her small curves accentuating what she had. He had, indeed, saved the best for last.

“Veronica?” He questioned as he approached her. Her smile was warm and inviting as she looked towards him.

“That's me, you must be Steve.” She smiled calling him by his alternate identity from the site as she stuck her hand out to greet him. Nick smiled and shook her hand, directing her back to the table that he was already sitting at.

“Actually,” he started off better to get the name thing cleared up. “My name is really Nick.” He chuckled to himself.

Veronica made a face at his confession. “I don't get it, are you a friend of Steve's sent here to check me out to see if I am good enough for him?” She looked like she was going to stand up and bolt. Time for Nick to come clean.

“No, no, that's not it at all,” he ran his hands through his hair but regretted it when he felt the sticky hair gel come out of his hair and coat his fingers. “I am Steve.” He admitted looking at her face which still only showed confusion. “I have an online identity that is different from my real one. It's not easy to meet people online you want to actually get to know you if your name is really Nick Carter.”

Veronica scrunched up her nose, “I don't get it. Nick Carter?” She looked at him and shook her head. “I don't know anyone with that name.”

Nick took her hand in his and was happy that she did not pull her hand away. This girl really was perfect. He told her all about who he really was, what he did for a living and she listened aptly as he explained it all. No judgment came out of her mouth, she only sat and listened.

After they received their food, Nick realized he'd been doing all of the talking. “So tell me more about yourself. What did you do for a living again?”

Veronica smiled, a dimple appearing on her right cheek. “I work in retail. Currently I am with Macy's in the ladies intimate apparel department.”

“So you sell bras and panties all day long?” He asked trying not to keep the smirk of amusement off of his face.

“Yes. I know it sounds like a silly job, but I am on the track to become the manager of the department soon and from there it is only a matter of time before I manage the entire store. That is if I can ever afford my management classes.” She shrugged.

“Oh?” Nick asked to continue the conversation.

“I need to take some business classes before they will accept me into their management program. Thankfully I won't need those to be department manager so I am hoping that when I become the department manager I can start taking the necessary classes to move up. If only my car would stop breaking down.” She laughed and shook her head. “I shouldn't bore you with my problems though that's not why we are here.”

“Do you like sports?” She asked after it was silent for a few minutes. “I personally like football. I am originally from Florida so I am an avid fan of the Buccaneers.”

Nick's smile could not get any larger, he thought he had died and gone to heaven he had finally lucked out meeting someone online. They sat and talked for the next couple of hours, only ending it because Veronica had made plans that night with her family and she needed to get ready. Nick returned home on cloud nine.

Nick woke up the next morning completely relaxed. After he'd gotten home from his date with Veronica he had worked out for a couple of hours and played video games for a few hours after that. It was an overall great day. He smiled as he recalled making plans with Veronica for dinner tomorrow night, he even let her choose the place.

He looked at his calendar schedule for the day, unsure what he was going to do with himself. He and the other guys in his group, The Backstreet Boys, were on a much needed rest and relaxation. They had decided against touring with The New Kids on the Block over the summer and he wasn't regretting the decision. He had more time to go over songs for his own album.

He picked up his guitar and spread some of the songs out in front of him, strumming along he was trying to decide which of the songs he might choose to record. After a few hours his stomach was starting to growl and he decided he needed to take a break. He went to the fridge and opened the door, he had very little food inside. He groaned and shut the door.

Nick stood in his kitchen wondering what he was going to do about food. He grabbed his keys from the counter and got in his car. It was almost like he was on autopilot. He really had no idea of what he wanted and when he parked he realized he was at the restaurant he and Lindsey stopped at the day he took her home. “What are you doing Carter?” He asked himself. It was becoming a nasty habit of his, talking to himself. He mentally slapped himself and decided since he was here he might as well get some food, to go.

Laughter erupted from a table of women when he entered causing his eyes to shoot in their direction. He smirked when he saw Lindsey sitting amongst the ladies. Her eyes caught his and she excused herself and made her way over to him.

“Now you are stalking me?” She asked with the same attitude she had with him while she was in the hospital.

He laughed and shook his head. “No, I sort of just drove here. I was hungry and well thought I'd get some food. I didn't know you would be here.”

“Well since you are, would you care to join us?” She indicated the table full of women, many of which were looking in his direction and whispering amongst themselves.

“Nah, looks like it's a ladies day out, I'd hate to interrupt.” He really did not want to sit with that group of women and listen to them talk about guys, or worse talk about him. He didn't want to deal with women fawning over him today.

Lindsey looked back at the table of women and waved her hands at them indicating they should look somewhere else. She turned back to Nick, “Are you going to eat alone?”

“I was just going to pick some stuff up and take it back to my place to eat,” He looked around for the hostess so he could place a to go order. He knew that at least one of the women behind Lindsey knew who he was and he really wanted to get out of there before the rest of them realized and wanted autographs or pictures. He groaned when he realized that she'd probably told them all that he was the guy who ran his car into hers. Twitter had probably erupted with people tweeting about it already.

“What?” Lindsey was asking him looking confused.

“What do you mean what?” Nick asked equally as confused.

“You tell me, you are the one that groaned. If I'm boring you I'll just return to my friends,” Lindsey turned to leave but Nick grabbed her good arm.

“No it wasn't that, I was just remembering that I forgot to,” he paused trying to think of something, anything he could tell her besides the fear of being everyone in the Twitter world knowing that he ran into a car. “I forgot to walk my dog this morning.” He nodded hoping that she would buy it.

“Oookay,” She said, he could tell she didn't quite believe him. They stood looking at each other for a few more minutes. “Was there something else you wanted to share besides forgetting to walk you dog?”

“Can I get your number?” He blurted out. He knew she refused before but he hoped she would change her mind.

“Girl you better,” he heard one of her friends shout to her causing her to blush. The rest of her friends continued to goad her and finally she grabbed a pen off the hostess stand and grabbed Nick's hand writing down her phone number on the palm of his hand.

“Don't call it,” She warned.

“Why is it the number for some sex chat line you work for,” he laughed at himself but stopped short when he saw her icy glare.

“And there's the reason I didn't want you to have it.” She turned and made her way back to the table. Her cheeks were bright red by this point from all the comments her friends were making when she arrived back.

“Dammit, Lindsey,” he called after her. He turned and left the restaurant getting back in his car and looking at the number on his hand. He quickly punched the number into the phone but as he expected it went straight to voice mail. “Lindsey, look, I'm sorry for that comment. I hope we can talk soon.”

He turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the lot. He was halfway home before his stomach growled reminding him that he forgot to order food while he was at the restaurant.

Nick stood leaning on his sink wrapped only in a towel.  He swiped his hand over the steam on the mirror to clear a spot so he could see his face.  He only had a couple of hours left to get ready and it seemed like it would not be enough time for him to prepare.  He had dark circles under his eyes making it apparent he’d hardly slept the night before.

Of the girls he’d dated off the dating website, not many of them had impressed him enough for a second date to happen. And Jess, well Jess was just an accident that it got to a second date.  Nick ran his hands through his wet hair as he remembered the dream that had him tossing and turning the night before.

It was the same dream he had every night before a second date and a few times before the initial first date.  He was sitting across from a woman with red hair; her piercing green eyes seemed to see into his very soul.  There were cards in between them on the table and without looking the woman talked about the cards. 

“You will never find love; you have chosen your path already.  You are doomed to roam this planet alone in this life and the next.”  She spoke the words, never breaking eye contact with him.  The rest of the night he would only see her eyes staring at him, invading any other dream he might have. 

Nick rubbed his eyes trying to shake the image of the woman’s intense gaze.  He dried his hair before moving into the bedroom to decide on his clothes and finally get dressed.  He was determined not to let the memory of that woman and her words haunt him and ruin this date.  Tonight would be perfect he kept telling himself.

He knew he left early but with everything that happened the last couple of weeks and on previous second dates, Nick wanted to try to be prepared.   He arrived at the restaurant and sighed in frustration when he was informed that they did not have a reservation for a Nick Carter.  He knew he made the reservation; he called that day after he met Veronica and they agreed to a dinner date.  He wanted to make sure he got the reservation before he told her definitively where they would be going.

He was still standing in front of the hostess stand, hands on his waist, when Veronica entered the restaurant.

“Hello Nick,” she said as she snaked her arms around his waist.  “I’ve never been here before,” She smiled up at him but most have noticed his concerned face.

“What’s wrong?” She asked, dropping her arms.

“They lost my reservation,” He sighed.  “They were able to find us a table though.” He shrugged. “They are just getting it ready now.”

“Well that’s not so bad.” She smiled and Nick started feeling better.  Maybe this wouldn’t be the start to a horrible evening like he’d imagined when he first heard the news.

“Mr. Carter,” The hostess said as she came back. “If you and your guest will follow me,” She turned and started walking towards the back of the restaurant.   Nick groaned internally as he noticed the table sandwiched between the small area that lead to the restrooms and the kitchen.

“This is fine,” Veronica spoke up taking a seat at the table.

Nick looked at the hostess and tried to smile.  “Thanks,” He muttered before taking his seat.  He looked at Veronica who sat smiling at him.

“I am sorry,” He apologized.  “This table is the worst table possible.” He watched as several servers walked by them on their way towards the kitchen.

Veronica reached her hand across the table and took his hand.  “Nick, we are here, we are sitting. Let’s just ignore the traffic and focus on each other.”  Her smile made Nick smile in return. She was right after all.

“Yes, let’s.” He returned her smile and hoped this was a good sign on how the rest of the date was going to be. 

“Hello,” a young woman came to the table.  “My name is Patty and I will be your server this evening. Would you like to see our wine list?”

Nick nodded and took the list from the server deciding on a Shiraz.  Veronica held her hand up when Nick tried to offer her the list.  “No thanks,” She said politely declining.  “I’ll have a diet coke,” she told the server.

They sat waiting for the drinks, the silence between them was not uncomfortable but he really should start talking.

“So, how is your job going?” He asked.

Veronica smiled and nodded.  “It’s going. I have a few co-workers that get on my nerves, but we all have one of those right?”

Nick thought about it.  The guys and he would have little arguments every now and then but they were like family, it was to be expected.   He shrugged as a response to her comment.   Their beverages arrived and Nick asked for a water to sip as he didn’t want to drink all of his wine before dinner.

He glanced at his menu and Veronica followed suit.  “Everything looks so good.” She spoke from behind her menu. 

Nick had to agree, the selections were varied and each looked as appetizing as the next.  “I know I don’t know what I’m going to have.”

“I think I am going to have the salmon with garlic mashed potatoes,” Veronica decided as she put her menu down. 

Nick glanced back at his menu and decided he would play it safe tonight, nothing outrageous for dinner that might make him sick.  “I think I am going to stick with the sirloin.”  He smiled and put his menu down, knocking over his wine glass in the process.  Wine flew straight onto Veronica’s chest; Nick stared at her chest in shock.  When his eyes ventured to her face she was red, from anger or embarrassment he couldn’t tell.

“I’m so sorry,” He started to say; leaning across the table he started dabbing the wine off her chest with his napkin.

“No, no,” Veronica stopped him and pushed his hand away. “I will take care of this, thanks.” She smirked at him and dabbed her own chest.  Nick pulled his napkin away feeling incredibly stupid for spilling his wine on her.  He set his napkin down on the table.

“Is there anything I can do?” He asked. 

“No, it’s okay.” She laughed.  “Now I’m glad I didn’t wear my favorite top.”  Nick looked at her upset that she was laughing about the situation.  

“Nick, no, don’t make that face.  This is my bad luck shirt I swear.  I thought by wearing it to dinner tonight my luck would change when wearing it because I liked you so much.”  She smiled and continued to dab her chest.

Nick started to relax, sitting back on his seat.  He grabbed the napkin off the table. “Oh shit,” she yelled out dropping the napkin on the floor and stamping on it.  In his haste to put his napkin down he did not realize he’d set it right on top of a lit candle.  “Dammit,” he muttered to himself when the fire was out.  What else could go wrong on this date? Frankly, he was still surprised that Veronica was still sitting across from him smiling.

“Nick, relax.  This can’t be your first time at a nice restaurant with a girl. Really, you don’t have to work hard to impress me, just relax.” A small chuckle escaped her lips and he nodded.  Yes, relax.

The server came back and when she saw the napkin and Veronica’s shirt she gasped slightly.  “Do you need some soda water?” she asked as she picked up the napkin.  Nick blew out the candle on the table and smiled awkwardly at the woman.  He mouthed ‘sorry’ to her. 

“That would be great,” Veronica replied about the soda water.  The woman took their order before she left, coming back with the water in which Veronica started to dab onto her shirt.

Nick sat back in his seat and watched as she cleaned her shirt, there was no conversation between the two of them.  Nick hoped their dinner would arrive soon to alleviate some of the awkwardness.

Nick took a swig from his beer bottle as he punched Brian’s number into his phone.  His night had ended earlier than he planned so he hoped that Brian would still be awake and willing to talk.  He needed to talk to someone.

“Hello Nick,” Brian answered after the first ring.  “Aren’t you supposed to be on a date?”

“It’s over already,” he replied as a slight sigh escaped his lips.  He took no time to recount the beginning of the evening to his friend who listened patiently on the other end.  “And that was only the beginning.” Nick stated when he finished talking about the napkin fire.

“Nick those things could happen to anyone who is nervous,” Brian tried to talk some sense into his friend.

“Bri, there’s more.  It was so quiet I started talking; I was doing all of the talking.  I didn’t notice at the time but every time she started to say something, I would cut her off and talk about me or my life. And one time she had to tell me to be quiet so she could tell me I had a piece of lettuce stuck in my teeth.” Nick took another drink of his beer; he knew he ruined it with Veronica.  He wouldn’t be surprised if she never spoke to him again.

Brian chuckled lightly on his end; Nick glared at his phone before bringing it back up to his ear.  “I’m sorry,” Brian apologized.  “You have to admit that is funny.  You sitting there talking while you have something in your teeth.”

“Brian, it’s not funny. I’m cursed.”  Nick retorted.  “I told her about all my other dates and told her I hoped she was psychotic.”  He slapped his forehead remembering the discussion about Jess and how crazy she had gotten.  He had been serious when he turned to Veronica and asked her if she was going to become psychotic on him too.

“When we finally left I dropped her coat.” Nick cringed.

“How is that a part of this so called curse?” Brian asked.  Nick could almost see the grin on his friend’s face and though he wanted someone to talk to he cursed himself for thinking of Brian first, Leighanne would surely know about his date as soon as they got off the phone.  He groaned  he needed single friends that would discuss him during pillow talk.

“It wouldn’t have been so bad if it had happened inside but it happened on the way to the car and I dropped it right into a puddle of water and who knows what else.  I told her I’d pay for it to be cleaned and she said she’d be taking me up on that offer. Then at the end of the date she stood smiling at me and playing with the collar on my shirt so I assumed she wouldn’t mind a good night kiss no matter how bad the date was.  I leaned in to kiss her and our noses collided. I tried to make sure she was okay but she held her hand up and pushed me away walking inside quickly.”  Nick leaned back in his seat and chugged the rest of the beer.  It felt good to talk to someone about how horrible the evening had been.

“Nick I still think you are over analyzing the entire evening.  Stuff happens.  You should call her, apologize and see if she is willing to have a makeup date.”  His friend advised.

“Brian I am cursed.  I have never had a second date go well and the girls never want to hear from me again.  I know Veronica won’t want to talk to me ever again.”  Nick turned on his television and began to flip through the channels making sure it was on mute so his friend wouldn’t know what he was doing.

“What do you mean?” Brian asked.

Nick sighed and explained the fortune teller he met when he was eleven explaining what she told him and even going so far as to tell him about his dreams with the woman with green eyes staring at him.  When Nick finished with his explanation he was happy that his friend had not laughed at his comments.

There was, however, silence across the phone from both of them for  a few minutes before Brian started talking again.

“Nick, I think you are letting what the gypsy told you get to you. I think you have it in your head that since you have fame you cannot have love too.  You need to forget about what she told you.  You are a great guy, you turned your life around.  You are worth loving, remember that always.” 

“Brian, I don’t want to use that site anymore.  Veronica was my last attempt, my last blind chance.” Nick had always been contemplating never using the site again. He felt foolish relying on a website to find him someone to love, he was a Backstreet Boy and he was using a dating site!

“Nick, do you like her?”

“Yes.”

“Then call her.  Tell her what happened tonight, though you might want to leave the words of the fortune teller out of it.   Just tell her that you were nervous and you let your nerves get the best of you.  It is the truth after all.  If you are meant to spend more time with her, then she will understand.” 

Nick sat silent for a minute contemplating what his friend just told him.  “Thanks Brian.”  His friend had given him sound advice and he would try it, call and explain. It sounded simple enough.  “Can I ask you one more thing?” 

“Sure, anything Nick.” Brian replied, his voice upbeat.

“Don’t talk to Leighanne about this. I already feel foolish enough that you know, I don’t need your wife looking down on me more than she might already.” 

“Nick, you know Leighanne doesn’t look down on you, but since you asked, I will keep this between us.  I gotta go now.  Call me later and let me know how the girl takes what you tell her.” 

“Sure thing,” Nick replied and waited for the click of the phone telling him Brian was gone.  He sat staring at his phone.  Should he call her now or wait.  He glanced at the clock on his phone and decided it would be better to call her later.  Their date had ended a little more than an hour ago, he didn’t want to see desperate to her.  Tomorrow, that would be a better day to call her.

“Pick up, pick up…” Nick chanted into the phone as he waited for Veronica to answer her phone.

“Hi, you’ve reached Veronica. I probably didn’t hear my phone since I never take it off of vibrate only.  Leave me a message and I will call you back.”  Nick groaned as the recording came on and told him wait for the beep.

"Veronica, I just wanted to talk about last night.  I like you and I was very nervous.  I am sorry about your coat, your shirt and anything else I destroyed last night.  I hope this won’t keep us from having another date soon. I really enjoy your company.  I’ll talk to you later.” Nick hung up the phone and threw it on the table, falling onto the couch himself.

He turned on his X-Box and loaded his game. Maybe killing some random people will make him feel better about the night before.  It would certainly help him work out any frustrations he had and get his mind off of that gypsy woman and her prediction for his future.

“Gotcha!” Nick called out as he killed user CudaFish141 and the round ended. As he waited for teams to be formed again he felt an urge to munch on some food until he realized that he still did not have any food in the refrigerator. He decided now would be a good a time as any to pick up some food.  He turned off the game and stretched as he stood up.

His phone rang as he started to leave his condo.  “Hello,” He answered after seeing the number was his finance guy.

“Nick, I just wanted to call and let you know that the check has been mailed to that young woman for the difference in her bills.”  He said.

Nick sighed in relief. “So everything’s been taken care of?”

“Yes,” he replied.  They spoke a little longer about various other items before Nick hung up the phone.  It was good that Lindsey got what she needed to get better and replace her car.  He scrolled through his phone and stopped on her number as he thought briefly about calling her and making sure she was doing alright.  He could see the last time he saw her that her arm was still in a cast but he didn’t know how her ribs were doing and if she was feeling okay. 

He hit the home button on his phone and turned the screen off as he put it in his pocket.  She never even texted him after he called her voicemail the other day.  She was probably still upset, it would be best to leave her alone. With those thoughts he headed out the door and to the farmer’s market.

There was a slight breeze as he walked among the stalls at a local farmer’s market he liked to visit every now and again. They offered the freshest produce and had some various other items he enjoyed browsing.  He never told any of the other guys he enjoyed coming to these things and fans had yet to figure it out, it was a little escape for him.

Nick had purchased a few items and was walking around munching on an apple when he saw a familiar face heading his way.  As she approached he turned to look at the stand he was in front of, and groaned when he noticed he was handmade dresses and purses.

“I think that one would look absolutely stunning on you,” He heard Lindsey’s voice come from behind and noticed the dress she was pointing at, a blue floral, strapless dress.

Nick turned to look at her. “I was thinking more along the lines of the purple one.” He motioned his head towards a frilly purple dress.  He leaned closer to and told her, “There’s a purse to match.” He stood straight and took another bite of his apple smiling at her.

“It’s interesting I run into you here,” She smiled at him as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. 

“Oh?” Nick asked and motioned to her that they continue to walk instead of standing in front of someone’s booth.

They walked together in silence looking at the various vegetables and fruits as well as a few salsas and dips.  “So, how is it interesting you ran into me?” Nick asked after they were silent too long for Nick’s taste.

Lindsey looked at him and chuckled. “I just thought it was interesting.”  She turned back to the booth she was looking at. 

Nick shook his head.  He could have sworn there was more she was going to say to him.  “How’s work going? Are you still scanning papers?” Lindsey turned to him and looked surprised.

 “What?” He asked. “I can’t remember what you do for a living?”

Lindsey shrugged.  “It hasn’t been too bad, though typing is a bit of an issue.” She held up her cast which had a few pictures drawn on it now.

“I’m sorry,” Nick apologized again.

“Actually, I start a new job next week.  I will be in training for about six weeks so it is kind of perfect timing.” She laughed.  

Nick still felt bad about her arm and running into her but she didn’t seem to be that angry girl from the hospital anymore.   “How come you are being nice?”  He had to ask, he had to know.  She went from hating him to making snide comments, to being congenial and it was confusing him. 

Lindsey paid a woman for the flowers she was holding in her hands and continued walking.  “I could be upset about the situation and gripe but it’s not worth my effort to constantly be mad at you.  Shit happens and I realize now you did more than most people who could’ve run into me.” 

“You mean the money?” He asked remembering the call he got before he left saying that her check was in the mail.

Lindsey shrugged one shoulder.  “There was that, but you came to check on me, you drove me home bought me lunch.  It was above and beyond.  You were trying to make amends, I told myself I would tell you the next time I saw you.” 

It was silent for only a minute as Nick pondered what she said.  “You could have called me.” He said quietly.  “This would have been good to hear.”

“What number was I supposed to call?” She asked.

“I called you the other day, left you a message.”  Nick shot back.

“Nick, your number came up as ‘unknown.’” She smirked at him as he looked at her dumbfounded he had forgotten that his number was blocked.  His thoughts flew to Veronica; he’d called her yet had not given her a return number either.  He groaned at his stupidity.

“What was that for?” Lindsey asked him as they took a seat at a picnic bench.

Nick looked at Lindsey, she looked open to what he was about to tell her.  “A girl that I went on a date last night where anything and everything that could go wrong did go wrong, I called her and left her a message but not my call back number.”

“Everything went wrong? Did you run into her car before the date?” She laughed at her own joke; Nick rolled his eyes not amused by the comment.   “Sorry,” She muttered.

He recounted to Lindsey everything that happened.  It sounded worse when he told her then when he had told Brian the previous night.  Lindsey sat nodding and getting him to continue but without making any snide remarks or jokes about what had happened.  When he finished he put his hands in front of him, playing with the bag his produce was in.

Lindsey at there for a few moments, she appeared to be taking in everything that he has just told her.  “Well,” she started and then paused.  “Well, if you like her then it is good that you called her.  Maybe, since she won’t have your number, try again later tonight?  If she likes you Nick, she will overlook last night and give you another shot.”

Nick too out his phone and looked at the time.  He’d been walking and talking with Lindsey for close to three hours.  It hadn’t felt like it. “Hey Lindsey. I need to get going, I actually have something scheduled this evening, work related.” He smiled apologetically.

She looked at her own watch and gasped. “Lord, I’m late with dinner with my parents.” She stood and grabbed her items that she purchased; Nick took hold of his own bag and then took hers from her.

“Let me carry those for you.”  

She smiled and told him thanks as they walked to her car, it was probably a rental since she would not have received the check yet.  

“Lindsey?” Nick asked, she looked up in his direction.  “Would it be okay if I called you again sometime to talk?”

Lindsey smiled at Nick and started to roll her window up.  “Can’t stop you from calling,” She said before she pulled out of the parking lot leaving Nick standing there watching her leave.

Nick was reclining on the couch in front of the television; his mind was engrossed in the slaughter that was ensuing on the screen in front of him.  “That’s bullshit,” he yelled at the television, sitting forward in his seat and gesturing at the screen.  “I fucking stabbed that guy.”  He yelled as the screen counted down the seconds until he would spawn again on his game.

Sitting on the edge of his couch now he had a mission.  He was determined to find the call name that had killed him and get his revenge.   Before he could, the screen paused and a voice said “We have been victorious.” signaling the end of the game.

“Damn,” Nick muttered and he took a drink of a beer in front of him.   He sat watching the screen waiting for a new game to start when his phone beeped alerting him to a new e-mail.   He picked up his phone and looked at who it was from.  A smile spread across his face as he saw it was from Veronica.

He glanced at the screen and saw he still had some time before another game started so he opened the e-mail, anxious to know what her e-mail said.

‘Nick,

       I didn’t have your number to call you back so I decided to try sending you an e-mail.

       I understand what happened the other night and nerves.  I like you and was nervous that I would mess up the date myself.

       I would love to meet with you for a do over date.  Maybe we can try a ball game or something this time?

                               Veronica’

Nick held onto his phone and smiled.  She agreed to meet with him again.  He couldn’t believe how lucky he was that he’d messed up twice already and this girl agreed to give him a third chance.  

Lost in thought about what game they could go to or other places he could take her, he didn’t realize that the game on the screen had started.   His character stood still as another soldier on the screen shot him at close range.

He silently excused himself from the game and turned the console off.  He wanted to tell Brian the good news; he had been right after all.  He listened as his friend’s phone continued to ring, but with no answer.   

When the voicemail started, Nick hung up and stared at his phone.  He wanted to talk to someone, to tell them the good news.  None of the other guys knew what Nick had been doing, online dating, so he didn’t want to have to explain Veronica and how they met with them.  If this lead anywhere, like he was confident it would now, then he would tell them.

He knew who he could call, Lindsey.  She helped make him feel better the other day when they ran into each other at the Farmer’s market. He couldn’t chance going out and running into her again, though it seemed running into her was becoming a common occurrence. 

He hit the button to call Lindsey and waited for her to answer.  If he took the time to admit it to himself, he was a bit nervous as to how she would reach when she answered and it was him.

“Hello,” a female voice asked on the other line.

“Hello, Lindsey?” Nick questioned.  He hoped this was Lindsey; he didn’t want someone else answering her phone and trying to figure out that he’d been calling.

“Yes. Who is this?” She asked but before he could answer she answered. “Nick?”

“Yup, it’s me. Do you have psychic powers?” He laughed to himself; though with the mention of psychic his thoughts flew immediately back to the gypsy that haunted his dreams.

“Not many people call me, especially with unknown numbers.” He could hear the smile in her voice.  “What’s up?” she asked him.

“Well I was hoping I could talk to someone, my friend didn’t answer his phone and I can’t wait for him to call me back. I have to tell someone.”  Nick spoke. He couldn’t believe how excited he was about Veronica’s e-mail.  He felt like a kid who had been asked to his first birthday party.

“So talk,” She said.

“Oh,” he said after realizing her had become mute after saying he wanted to talk to someone.

“Wait, you know what. I gotta get out of my place.  My neighbor is being extremely loud and I can’t hear myself think.   Do you want to just meet somewhere?”  She asked.  He could hear the sounds of loud music behind her probably from her neighbor.

“Sure,” He agreed.  They agreed to meet at the restaurant they had eaten at after he took her home from the hospital.

Before he left the house to meet up with Lindsey he decided that he should call Veronica to make plans for their next date.  The restaurant wasn’t far; he would make it in plenty of time even with calling Veronica.

He dialed her number and waited for her to respond.  Thankfully, she picked up after the second ring. “Hello?”

“Veronica? It’s me Nick.” He smiled as he spoke.  He could see her face beaming as he introduced himself on the phone.

“Nick, it’s so great to hear from you. Did you get my e-mail?” he was right about her smile.  It was apparent in how she spoke that she was grinning.  Nick couldn’t wait until he could see her smile again.

“I did, that’s why I’m calling.  Thank you for giving me yet another chance.”  He twirled his keys in his hands as he spoke, keeping his eye on the clock.

“Of course, Nick.  I enjoy your company.  I am glad you called anyway.  I know I had mentioned something about going to a ball game or something, but I am having a party and would love it if you could come.”

“Party?” Nick questioned. He wasn’t sure he wanted to be introduced to friends yet.

“It’s really a small gathering, just a few of my friends getting together with some chips, dip and beer.” She paused and then in a sing song voice “We are going to play some Call of Duty.”

Nick’s heart pumped.  A Call of Duty party sounded like his kind of party.  “Do I need to bring anything?”

Veronica told him what he would need to bring to join in on the party and soon Nick was off the phone gathering what was needed. He’d gotten Veronica’s address and punched it into his GPS.  It wasn’t long before he was in his car heading towards Veronica’s place.

 Nick was standing in Veronica’s kitchen taking a break from playing the game.  He watched from a far as the others gave each other high fives for winning the most recent game.   He munched on some chips and dip that Veronica had made for that night.  He just took a huge bite when Veronica approached him.  He smiled and she laughed a little bit at him.

“Cute,” She said as she took a napkin and wiped some of the dip from his face for him.  “Are you enjoying yourself?” She asked as she dipped an apple in the caramel dip.

Nick nodded as he finished chewing the food in his mouth.  “It’s fun.  I don’t remember the last time I played the game as part of a party.  I’d wanted to do this again for some time, it’s like you read my mind.”  He smiled and started to dip another chip into the dip. 

Veronica trailed her fingers lightly over the back of Nick’s hand.  “I am so glad you called.  We try to have these parties once a month.  I forgot to tell you about them at dinner, I wanted to invite you then but you were having a tough night.” 

Nick took her hand in his and kissed it before placing it back on the counter.  “Now that I think about it, I think you did mention these parties in an e-mail or one of our chats online.” 

Veronica nodded and turned her attention back to the group behind her.  They were now cussing out the team they were playing and shouting orders to each other so that they could ultimately take the other team down.

“Veronica, I wanted to ask you. What made you decide to give me another chance after that horrible date? Not to mention you probably thought I stood you up after missing the first one.”

She turned back and looked at him.  “Nick, I know we have something special just from getting to know each other online.  I can definitely give you another chance; everyone has a bad date every now and again.”  She turned back around to watch the others again.

Nick smiled to himself and finished the water he was drinking as he munched.  He headed back to the group, and picked up his controller.  Veronica was gearing up to get back into the game as well.   

The rest of the evening was a blur.  Nick got into playing the game with the others that the night just flew by.  At some point they ordered some pizza and it soon disappeared, not that anyone remembered actually opening the boxes and eating the slices. 

When he woke up the next morning the sunlight streamed in on his face. He bolted up quickly when he realized it was coming in from the wrong side of the room.  He slowly opened his eyes only to see himself in bed with Veronica.  “What the hell,” he said as he jumped out of bed, relieved that his jeans were still on.

Veronica stretched and opened her eyes. “Hello,” she smiled when she saw him.  “Sleep well?” She purred.

“What the hell happened?” He asked, kicking himself for not being able to remember. 

“Relax Nick.” She said as she threw back her covers, revealing that she was fully clothed.  “Nothing happened.  You don’t remember?”  She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow.

Nick shook his head and thought back trying to remember the night before.  “We were playing Call of Duty and it was really late.  You were so exhausted you started to fall asleep as you were playing.  I told you that you could crash in my bed.  You took me up on it and you were practically sound asleep when I came in to go to bed myself.  I didn’t think you’d mind if I slept next to you.” She shrugged.  “Was I wrong?”

Nick shook his head.  “I can’t remember the last time I couldn’t remember the night before.” He said, running his hands through is growing blond hair.

Veronica laughed at his statement but sobered up and stopped when he stood looking at her, his mouth agape, upset that she was laughing at him.

“I’m sorry,” she muttered, covering her mouth with her hand. “It’s just … never mind.” She shook her head trying to conceal her smile. 

Silence fell between them as Nick started to search for his shirt.  He looked on the floor, on the chairs nearby, he even started opening dresser drawers, crimson flowing into his cheeks as he opened Veronica’s underwear drawer.  “Sorry,” he muttered.

“No problem,” Veronica responded.  Nick refused to look in her immediate direction after shutting the dresser drawer, he could tell by the way she answered that she had a smile on her face.  He didn’t want to give her the wrong impression.  He couldn’t deny that Veronica turned him on, but for some reason his head was telling him to hold off and for once he listened.

“Did you try the bathroom?” Veronica asked.

Nick turned and went in the direction she pointed to the restroom.  Sure enough, his shirt was crumpled on the floor in front of the toilet.  He groaned as he picked it up.  He really hoped nobody had used it to mop up any messes.  He sniffed the shirt and cautiously opened it up. There was nothing inside the shirt and it smelled okay, so he pulled it over his head. 

“So…” he started when he walked back into the room Veronica was still in.

“Nothing happened.” She reiterated.  “I wouldn’t lie; I don’t want to mess this up Nick.” She smiled and moved closer; wrapping has arms around him and hugging him tight.   “Can I ask you something though?” She released him and looked up into his eyes.

Nick decided then that he liked looking into her eyes.  Her green eyes reminded him of pictures of grassy hillls in Ireland.  “Yes?” he asked.

“Well you talk in your sleep and well… I…. who is Lindsey?” She finally blurted out. She didn’t look upset, just inquisitive.

At the mention of her name, Nick slapped his forehead and turned to gather his stuff so he could leave. “Dammit, Lindsey.” How could he have forgotten he made plans with her for last night and instead of meeting with her, he had called Veronica and ended up at her place all night?

“I gotta go,” Nick called out towards the bedroom where Veronica stayed.

“Okay,” She called back.  “Do you need any help? I was going to take a shower,” she added the last part in a sing song voice that Nick knew was to tempt him.  He was tempted, but he needed to call and at least apologize to Lindsey and he thought it would probably be best not to call and apologize to one girl for not meeting her while in another girl’s apartment.   

Once Nick had all of his stuff, he opened the door to leave, the sound of Veronica singing in the shower made him smile before the door shut completely. 

 “Lindsey, please don’t hang up,” Nick pleaded.  “Hear me out.”  He had waited until a reasonable hour to call Lindsey.  He lucked out that she actually picked up the phone; he feared he would be apologizing to her voicemail.

“Nick, there is nothing for you to say.  I thought you were someone you obviously aren’t.  Just proves to me I should always go with my first impressions.”  Lindsey whispered into the phone.

Nick cringed as he remembered her first impression of him.  Nobody thinks highly of a person who t-bones their car.   “I was getting ready to leave to meet with you when Veronica called.”  He started not waiting for her to tell him he could continue.  He had to get it off of his chest.  “She invited me over and I forgot I was meeting you. There is no other explanation other than I am an idiot.” 

There was a pause on the other end.  Nick thought that maybe she had hung up, but he could hear the steady sound of her breathing after awhile so he stayed on the line.

“Well you are an idiot.” She said with both vehemence and playfulness in her voice. 

“I know, and I am sorry.”  Nick apologized wondering why she was whispering.   “Were you there long before realizing I wasn’t coming?”

“Actually I ran into a friend and he waited with me and when you didn’t show up we went to a movie.” There was warmth to her voice as she spoke.  He could see her smiling and possibly blushing as she spoke about the other guy. 

“So it turned out for the best?” Nick questioned hoping that she enjoyed her time with the other guy well enough that she would forgive him for standing her up. 

“So you think because I was able to salvage my evening that it would let you off the hook?” She scoffed in the phone.  Nick wondered how she did that, could she read his mind or was he that transparent?   “Nick, forget about it. You were excited the girl you liked asked you over.  It’s not like we were doing anything but hanging out as friends.”

“Friends…” Nick said the word, it didn’t sound too bad. 

“How about you take me out to lunch to make it up to me?  Do you have free time today?” She asked still whispering. Nick told her that he could meet with her and asked if she needed him to pick her up. She agreed to him picking her up and they set a time and she gave directions to where she worked.

 “I will see you then.” Nick smiled as he hung up the phone.  He picked up his guitar and started strumming a few chords, determined to get some work done before he met with Lindsey.

The hours passed like a blur and soon Nick was rushing out to get Lindsey at the time they agreed.  He sped some but was careful not to run any red lights.  As he sat at one light waiting for it to change to green he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.  He never thought he’d be meeting the girl whose car he hit for lunch.  He never thought the girl would give him the chance, but it seemed that she had forgiven him for the accident and she should have plenty of money to cover any expenses the insurance wouldn’t cover since she did call his finance guy to get a check.

Nick pulled in front of the building Lindsey was standing in front of, a smile on her face.  “Sorry, running a bit late.”

She shrugged and put her seatbelt on. “I knew you weren’t going to forget about me.” She laid her head back on the back of the seat and closed her eyes.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“Just a rough day at work, I found out today that I didn’t get a job I had interviewed for.”  She shrugged again and gave him directions to the restaurant.   “Hard to work with this,” She held her arm with the cast up and glared in his direction.

Maybe she hadn’t fully gotten over the accident like he’d thought she had.  When they arrived, Nick hurried out of the car to open the door for her.  “M’lady,” He bowed and laughed as he saw a smile break out on her face.

“Dork,” She muttered in an annoyed tone, though her bright red checks were saying something else.

They sat down, ordered and received their food somewhat faster than Nick had hoped.   Lindsey was quiet during as she started to eat. She had been quiet since they got there.

“Is there something else wrong?” He asked.

Lindsey sighed and shook her head.  “Just upset about not getting the job.” She attempted a smile.

Nick put his hand on hers and looked her straight in the eyes.  “I am sure you will find another.  Think of it this way, it was practice for another interview.”   He nodded confident that he had just made her feel much better.  When she pulled her hand away and kept eating in silence he realized it hadn’t worked.

He shoved his fork in a piece of lettuce and shoved it in his mouth trying to figure out what else he could say or do to make things up to her.  She said that standing her up wasn’t the problem that it was the interview but he still felt he needed to make it up to her.

“Hey, did I ever tell you that I record music?” He couldn’t remember if he had told Lindsey anything about his career or not. 

“No. You do?” She asked sitting up a little straighter.

Nick nodded.  “I was thinking maybe you would like to hang out while I record some stuff, maybe tomorrow?” 

She shook her head.  “Work.” She replied. 

Nick mentally slapped himself.  How could he forget that she worked a job during the week?  “What if I set a time up for this weekend?”   He asked grinning when he saw a smile break out on her face.

“That would be fun.  I’ve never been in a recording studio.” She didn’t ask him what kind of music he recorded, she just seemed excited for the experience and maybe, to spend time with him.  He found he was hoping for the latter he could always use more friends.

Nick dropped her off back at her workplace after they set up a time to meet for dinner before they would hang out in the studio.  Nick playing his music, Lindsey listening.  He really hoped she would enjoy the experience.

Nick watched Lindsey walk into her building and smiled.  Maybe he helped brighten her day, he hoped he had.  He was only a mile away from her place of employment when his phone rang.  “Hello.”

“Nick, it’s me Veronica.” Nick paused before he replied.  Had he given Veronica his number?  “Before you wonder how I got this, well I admit I looked up your number on your phone last night.  Don’t be mad, I just wanted to be able to call you with information about any more gaming nights or call you to invite you over, like now…” she let her voice trail off.

Nick still didn’t respond.  He wasn’t sure how to respond. She had gotten his number without his permission. 

“Nick, please don’t be mad.  I just didn’t want to have to wait until you called me by chance or e-mail you and wait for a reply.  I’m sorry.” 

“It’s okay Veronica.” He sighed.  There was no point being upset.  She had called him once; she had not called repeatedly or sent him thousands of texts within the first hour of having the number like Jess had. 

“So did you want to come over?” There was a sexual undertone in her voice and it turned him.

“What were you thinking about doing?” He asked in a low tone, even though he was in his car and nobody was around to hear him.  He listened as she told him what she had planned.  His breathing became heavy and he was hardly paying attention to where he was going.   He slammed on his breaks just in time to stop for stop sign; a man on a bicycle flipped him off.  

“Veronica, can we continue this when I’m there, you are going to make me have a car accident.”  He sat at the stop sign, his heart still racing. He couldn’t believe how close he had come to hitting the man on the bike.

“Sure,” her voice was soft with a seductive tone.  He needed to get to her place quickly.  He hung up the phone and looked every direction before he started to drive again.  It was a short while later before he arrived at Veronica’s.  He was surprised he remembered how to get there, never underestimate a man on a mission.

He rang the doorbell and tried to wait patiently on the front porch.  When Veronica answered the door he gasped.  She was draped in a black, silk robe, one side falling off her shoulder the top of her breast peeking out from under the fabric.   The robe was not tightly closed, it gaped enough in the front that he could see her thighs, it left him wanting to untie the robe explore further up those legs.

“Hi,” she smiled and motioned for him to come inside.  

Nick followed, shutting the door behind him. She wandered back to her room, pausing every now and then to turn and beckon him forth.  Not like he needed to be prompted to follow. 

When he entered the room he saw Veronica standing in front of the bed, her hands on the belt of the robe.  With one quick movement she untied the robe and let the silk fall to the floor at her ankles.  Nick took in her naked body standing before him.

Her blond hair was just long enough to brush the tops of her breasts, her slim stomach moved as she breathed easily waiting for him to make the next move.  His eyes reached the area above her legs that he was hoping for a glimpse of earlier.  She was perfectly shaved, just the sight of it turned him on and he could feel himself getting hard.

“Well?” She asked her hands on her hips.  “I showed you mine…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes looked Nick up and down. 

He got the hint and tore his shirt off over his head and quickly dispensed with his pants and underwear.  He stood in front of her with nothing on but a grin from ear to ear as her eyes took their turn to take in his nakedness.

He didn’t know why, but he felt exposed as her eyes lingered on his chest and as her eyes moved downward.  Her tongue flicking out to moisten her lips as she took in his already hard cock was the last straw. He moved towards her and wrapped his arms around her body, their lips colliding in fervor of desire.

Nick’s head told him to take his time, to go slow to be patient, but his body and hers were saying something else.  They fell to the bed, their tongues exploring each other’s mouths. 

“Fuck me,” Veronica whispered into Nick’s ear.  She could feel her hands trying to guide him inside of her.  If he had time to stop and admit it to himself, her guiding him was a huge turn on for him. 

Once he was inside he thrust further inside and she let out a gasp of pleasure. They rocked together in a frenzy of passion until her screams of desire sent him over the edge.

He rolled off of her and collapsed next to her, sighing in contentment.  He felt Veronica’s leg snake around his as she rolled next to him. 

“That was great,” She sighed, her head resting on his chest, rising and falling in time with his breaths.

“Mmm,” Nick responded.  He looked down to see her face looking up at him, he leaned down and kissed her before she rolled out of the bed and put the robe back on.

“Would you like a snack, something to drink?” She asked.

He wasn’t hungry since he’d just come from lunch, but Nick readily accepted the offer for something to drink.  “I’ll take water.”  He told her as he sat up and went to move off of the bed to get his clothes.

Veronica walked over to him and pushed him back on the bed.  “Stay put,” She smirked.  “I’ll be back, and then perhaps we can find other ways to give each other pleasure.”  She winked at him.  “Are you going to stay put, or do I need to get some restraints out?”  Her laugh was teasing and with a musical tone to it.

“I’ll stay put,” He said and lay back down on the bed, pulling a sheet up.  He curled up with the pillow, smiling in contentment waiting for Veronica to come back, eager to take her up on her offer of more pleasure. 

Nick woke up to see the surroundings in Veronica’s room for the second time in two days.  This time, however, he remembered why he had been there.  He smiled as he stretched remembering the afternoon and evening prior.  When Veronica told him that they would find multiple ways to find pleasure with each other, she hadn’t been kidding.

“Morning,” Veronica’s voice came from the doorway.  “How did you sleep?”

Nick looked in her direction, she still only wore the black silk robe from the day before, but her hair was somewhat damp.   She stood next to the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. 

“Last night was fun,” He said to her as he ran his hand up and down her thigh.  “I’m glad I met you and you looked past that really bad date.” Nick laughed feeling silly that he had believed those gypsy’s words.  She could have known he was at the carnival to perform, she could have just guessed. 

He still couldn’t shake the look in her eyes and how she knew that he had two questions, and she answered both.  The thoughts unnerved him, but he was with Veronica now, at least he planned to be with her now.  Everything would be alright, she was wrong.

“Earth to Nick,” Veronica said laughing. 

He blinked and looked at her.   “Sorry,” he muttered.

“You looked a million miles away." She commented in a tone that implied she wanted to know what he was thinking about.

He gave her what he knew was his signature smirk, “Last night, what else?” He pulled Veronica down on top of him and kissed her.  It was amazing how much this woman turned him on, he could feel himself getting hard again.  They got along through e-mails before she knew who he was, now they connected in person. 

Nick removed her robe, excited to find out she was still completely naked beneath it.   He entered her easily and started moving her back and forth, setting the pace himself.  She cried out in pleasure shortly before he felt himself release.

She collapsed on his chest breathing heavily, sighing in contentment.  “I wish we could stay locked up in my room all day, but I have to be at work in three hours,” She paused and looked at the clock.  “Make that two and a half hours.” She smiled rolling off of him.

“I am going to freshen up,” She disappeared into the bathroom and he could hear water turn on.  He rolled off of the bed and grabbed his clothes.  

When she came out of the bathroom, she leaned against the door frame and watched him pull on his clothes.   “You know you can take a shower here if you like,” She winked at him.

“Tempting,” He said as he cocked his head to the side.  “But, I should get home.  I have a few work related meetings this afternoon myself and I just really want my shower.”

“I can understand,” She smiled and walked towards the door out of the room.  “Want something to eat before you go?”

“Sure,” He followed her out the door and into the kitchen area. 

“Egg white omelet with bell peppers and onion?” She asked.  “I eat meat rarely and when I do it’s primarily fish.” She smiled at him as she pulled out the ingredients to make the omelets.   “So do you want one?” She turned to look at him holding the carton of egg whites in her hand.

“Sounds fantastic,” he admitted.  It really did.  He couldn’t recall if he had much of anything back at his place to eat.  He really did need to order his groceries soon. 

When she finished making his omelet she placed it on a plate in front of him and watched as he took the first bite.  “What do you think?” She asked as he started to chew his food.

“Delicious,” He finished eating and carried his plate to the sink rinsing it off. 

“You can just leave it, I’ll clean it later.” She smiled as she took a bite of her own omelet.  Nick took a seat to be polite and wait for Veronica to finish her breakfast, but he had a feeling he was going to be running late today if he did not start getting a move on.

He checked his watch when she only had half way through and she noticed.  “Don’t let me keep you from leaving? If you have somewhere to go, please by all means.” She smiled at him as he sighed in relief.

“Thanks, I need to get ready for my meetings.” He leaned in and kissed her good-bye. Patting his pocket he made sure he had his keys before heading out the door.  “I’ll call you when I’m done.”  

She waved and blew him a kiss, and he pretended to catch it.  Once the door was closed he cringed at himself.  “Fuck, Carter.  You are such a girl.” He shook his head and left to make his way home.

He had a hard time concentrating on the meeting with his manager and the record label. His thoughts kept wafting back to Veronica and the night they had spent together.  He lucked out with online dating; her couldn’t believe how lucky he had been. All of the mistake dates, especially Jess, seemed worth it for bringing him to Veronica.

When the meeting was over they had decided on a general direction for his next album and decided on a few of the people he’d like to work with.  He also confirmed which song he would be recording that coming weekend. His manager was going to be calling around to see who also wanted to work with him.  Despite his mind drifting in and out of the conversation, he felt that they had achieved quite a bit. 

When he checked his messages sitting in his car, he had one from Brian and one from Veronica.  Brian wanted to know if he wanted to get together and shoot some hoops while he was in town the following week and Veronica wanted to know if he was free for dinner.

“Hey Brian,” He said as he called his friend back.  “You are on next week.”

“I hope you want to hang out a little more than just a game while I am there.” His friend laughed on the other end.

“Of course! Are LeighAnne and Bailey coming out with you?”  Nick asked.  He didn’t mind seeing them, but he hoped he would get to hang out with his friend without a bed time for Bailey hanging over their heads.

“Work trip.” He replied but gave no further explanation.  The last time he and Brian had talked he had not been planning a second album yet, maybe that had changed.

They hashed out the details for the following week for the two days he would be in town.  When they got off the phone, Nick groaned as he realized he forgot to tell him the recent development with Veronica.  He knew Brian would be happy for his friend finally finding someone.  Nick had a grin on his face the rest of the way home admitting to himself that he could fall in love with this woman.

Nick pulled into the parking lot of the diner they agreed to meet at right on time.  He was impressed with himself.  Between working on the song he was going to record and hanging out with Veronica, his meeting with Lindsey had not slipped his mind.

The diner was the kind of place where his diet would go out the window.  The outside of the diner reminded him of a train car.  It looked like it had been around for awhile and he was a little scared to see what the inside would be like.  When he entered, he was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness of the tables, chairs and floors.  He was greeted immediately upon entering and he smiled, it wasn’t often someone went out of their way to make sure they smiled and said ‘hello’ when you first entered a restaurant anymore.

“Take a seat wherever you like young man, someone will be over shortly.” The lady standing behind the counter who had greeted him motioned around and smiled. 

There were several people sitting at the counter and at a few of the tables. They were not packed yet they were not empty. Nick took a table in the corner, facing the door.  He was almost afraid to open the menu.  This looked like a place that served grease in abundance.  A place that would serve you fries covered in gravy and cheese.  He could feel his chest tightening with the thought.   But, Lindsey had been the one to suggest it and he was willing to give it a try to help make amends for standing her up the other night.

The door chimed and the lady behind the counter greeted another person, this person received an even warmer welcome and when he looked up he saw Lindsey walking in.  The lady behind the counter came around and gave her a hug. They stood talking for a few moments, Lindsey’s eyes darted towards Nick and she smiled at both him and the other lady. 

Nick watched her talk with the other woman and couldn’t help but smile.  She knew she was talking about her accident to explain the cast on her left arm but she didn’t look upset as she talked.  The two finished talking shortly after and found her way over to the table Nick was at. 

“Sorry about that,” She said, her grin still on her face.

“You come here often?” He asked her with a slight chuckle.

Lindsey blushed slightly and opened her menu.  “I worked here every day after school when I was in high school.”  She offered up.  “Gretchen is like my mom.” She looked back towards the woman for a brief second before turning back to face Nick.

Nick never let the smile drop from his face at the mention of mothers.  He would not nominate his mom for mother of the year any time soon, no, that was an understatement; he would feel that it was all too soon if he saw her again at any time.   Any mother that acted how she did with him, pushing him to be the bread winner of the family deserved to lose their mother license as far as he was concerned.

“So then you have like, two moms?” He asked trying to get his thoughts away from his own mother.

Lindsey’s face dropped.  “Sure,” She muttered and looked down at her menu.  

“Crap, I just said something stupid didn’t I?”  Nick flipped open his menu deciding it was time to look over the items and decide which item was least likely to give him a heart attack.  He was pleasantly surprised by the menu.  They had burgers and fries but they also had several items that were lower in fat and calories.   

“Surprised?” Lindsey asked the shock was probably apparent on Nick’s face. 

“A little, yes.” He admitted.

“I worked on getting them to update the menu a lot when I started.  The place screamed burger and fries to me when Gretchen asked me but they had some other items on the menu that got overlooked.  We worked on trimming it down and highlighting some of the other food.  In four years we found a good variety of burgers, home cooking and healthy to have on the menu.”   Lindsey beamed as she talked about the menu.

“You seem like you enjoyed what you did here.”  Nick spoke up.  She didn’t smile this way when she talked about anything to do with her actual job, not even when she spoke about what the job she had interviewed for.   “Why didn’t you stay working here?”

Lindsey shrugged.  “As much as I love Gretchen and Bill, I couldn’t see my life here.” 

Nick nodded.  “You look like you enjoyed working here.” 

“I did.” She dropped her eyes again and he could see her scanning the menu though he knew that she could probably recite the menu to him.

“So Lindsey, you going to introduce me?” Gretchen was now standing over them, her eyes focused on Nick.

“Gretchen this is Nick, Nick, this is Gretchen.” She smiled at both of them as Nick held his hand out for Gretchen. 

“Nice to meet you, I’ve just been told a little bit about you.” He smiled.

“Nick?” Gretchen asked.  Her eyes turned to Lindsey.  “Wasn’t the name of that asshole that put you in that cast named Nick?”

Lindsey’s cheeks flushed crimson as averted her eyes from Nick.  “Yes, that’s his name.” She held up her hand hiding her face from Nick further.   

Gretchen was smart and picked up on what was going on immediately.  “I know I told you to hear the guy out sweetie, but what are you doing here with him, on a date?” She added that last part with a hiss.

“Would you two like me to leave?” Nick asked as the two started speaking in half sentences and rather quickly to each other obviously about him. 

“No, Nick stay.” Lindsey spoke to him firmly and glared at Gretchen.   “Gretchen, he has been very nice to me since and I see no reason he and I cannot be friends.”

Gretchen huffed.  “Friends?”

“Yes, friends. Nick has met a very nice girl. He told me the other day that he wanted to tell me about her. So here we are, as friends, having dinner and discussing our love lives.” Lindsey was calm but firm; Gretchen took the hint and dropped the subject.

“What can I get you two?” She turned into waitress mode. The friendly woman that greeted Nick was still there, but there was sadness in her eyes and a cold tone as she spoke.

After she was gone there was quiet between the two until Nick spoke up.  “If you had told me that the girl spitting insults at me in the hospital, quite righteously I might add, would turn around and defend me in a few weeks time I would think you were crazy.” 

Lindsey’s face broke out in a large grin, and a small laugh escaped her lips.  “If you had told me I would even be here with the guy who ran through the stop light and crashed into me, I’d tell you that you would be crazy.” 

“Hey, Gretchen was just looking out for you.  Are you sure you don’t want to go talk to her?” Nick looked at her straight, no smile, no playfulness.  He would not be the reason for a rift between them. 

Lindsey nodded her head and got up. He watched as she moved to Gretchen, hugged her and started talking.  He smiled as he remembered her calling him a friend.  You could never have enough friends.

“So tell me about this Veronica girl,” Lindsey spoke breaking the silence they had ever since they received their food and started to munch.  “I mean that was the reason we were supposed to have drinks the other night right? You wanted to talk about her with someone?”  She asked smiling.

“Of course, she’s great!” He quickly thought about everything he could tell Lindsey.  She would not want to know the details of all the nights spent together, that would be a conversation better suited to have with one of his other, male, friends. 

“She’s fantastic,” He started still trying to figure out what he could tell her.  “We have a lot of the same ideals and thoughts on topics.  She and I like a lot of the same things.  Did I tell you, that night I stood you up; it was because she invited me over for a video game night.  I can’t let this girl slip through my fingers.” His smile broadened as he talked about her, Lindsey continued to smile though Nick noticed it appeared more plastered than genuine.  

“What does she do for a living?” She asked before taking a bite of her fry.

“She works in retail.  I believe the lingerie department.”

“Bonus for you,” Lindsey interrupted with a chuckle.

Nick laughed.  He agreed with her though he wasn’t going to say that most of the time Veronica just wore silk robes with nothing underneath.   He decided to swerve around that subject matter. “We just really seemed to connect online and then when we met even more so.  She is perfect.”

Lindsey raised her eyes and looked at him. “Perfect? You don’t believe that anyone can be perfect do you?”

Nick shrugged then moved the conversation away from Veronica. “Are you excited to visit the recording studio?” Nick wondered.  He knew that many girls would find it a privilege to get to sit in on recording time with him but Lindsey never acted like she knew who he was, he just assumed she didn’t know that he was a member of The Backstreet Boys.

“Like I said, I’ve never been to one so that experience will be cool.  What are you recording?”  She asked as she pushed her plate away and continued to sip her drink.

“I am currently working on a solo album, it will be my second solo release and I want it to be perfect.” He beamed just thinking about what songs he’d been working on for the album. He knew his fans would listen and perhaps purchase it because of who he was, but he really wanted them to enjoy it for the music, not just because he sang the songs.

“Second?” She asked with a glint in her eye.

Nick took a deep breath now was the time to tell her about who he was. He hoped that she wouldn’t freak out.  He couldn’t be that lucky to find two women that he enjoyed spending time with that didn’t know who he was.

“Lindsey, I have several albums released, just not all solo.” He looked down at his plate and then back up to her.  She was grinning broadly as she watched him. 

“Really?” She started to hum a tune waiting for him to continue speaking. 

“Yes,” he replied playing with his hands.  Why was he so nervous confessing this?  He was about to speak when he caught on to the song she was humming, she was humming ‘I Want it That Way’, probably their most well known song.

“You know?” He asked her and she stopped humming.

She nodded the grin still on her face.  “I’ve known the entire time who you are.” She confessed.

“Why didn’t you tell me that you knew?” He asked, he could feel the heat rise in his cheeks, he was upset.

“Would that have made a difference? You hit my car remember?” She threw the words at him, he guessed she could tell that he was upset she hid the fact that she knew from him.  He couldn’t blame her for being upset back.

He shook his head and stood up.  “Are you enjoying your fifteen minutes?” he asked her throwing his napkin on the table.

“Why are you getting this upset?” She asked standing up blocking him from making an easy escape.

“I talked to you about private things that you have probably sent all over the internet through twitter and facebook.” He moved to step around her but she stepped in front and blocked him.  

“Will you please sit down so we can talk about this?” She asked him calmly.

Nick looked around at the faces of the other customers looking their way, Gretchen’s eyes, even from across the room, were boring into his head.  He sat back in the booth and crossed his arms waiting for the lies she would spew to cover this up.

“Nick, you hit my car.  You came to my hospital room.  You took me to lunch and then home.  We ran into each other at that same restaurant where I reluctantly gave you my number.  We ran into each other at the Farmer’s Market where we talked.   You called me for drinks. You stood me up.  You took me to lunch.  We are here now because you asked me to dinner and to watch you record.”  She stated the nature of their entire relationship and he saw where she was going.  She never forced herself upon him; she did not initiate the friendship they now had.

Nick sat and thought about their time together. She hadn’t acted like a fan trying to get close to him so that she could tell the world that she was hanging out with Nick Carter.  He hadn’t really seen anything about the accident except for the initial news coverage that he’d been in an accident.   That didn’t mean much though, he wasn’t big on social media, and his manager tweeted most of the time for him.

“You didn’t say anything, why didn’t you say you knew me?” He asked.

Lindsey shook her head.  “You hit my car.  If you recall I wasn’t the most cheery person to be around.  Did you want me to turn into a rabid fan in the hospital and ask for your autograph then?”

“Are you… a rabid fan?” He asked seriously. 

“If I was don’t you think I’d lie anyway?”  She laughed uncomfortably. Nick had to admit she had a point.

“Look, I know who you are.  I have your albums, I am a fan.  I admit I was flattered you wanted to hang out with me so I continued to hide that I knew who you were because I didn’t want you to react, well, like this.” She shrugged.  “I am sorry you think that I was trying to deceive you.”   She slid a piece of paper across the table with a couple of names scratched on them.   

“What’s this?” He asked holding the paper up.

“Those are my internet names for twitter and facebook, so you can see what has, or hasn’t been said about you.” She stood and grabbed her stuff.  “Nick, I enjoyed hanging out with you for what it’s worth and I hope you and Veronica work out, you deserve to be happy.” She smiled at him and then waved to Gretchen as she exited the diner.

Nick sat in the booth a while longer staring at the piece of paper in his hand.  As he cooled down he muttered to himself.  “Shit.”  Did he really just overreact because she was a fan? He felt like shit.  He threw money on the table to pay for the food and stood to leave.

“Your money is no good here.” Gretchen shouted at him. 

“Are you going to yell at me now?” He asked under his breath as she started to pick the plates up off the table.

“No, I think Lindsey handled herself.  You just don’t owe anything. Lindsey already took care of the bill before you two even showed up.”

“How did she know what we would have?” Nick questioned out loud.

“Hun, she didn’t pay with money.  She helped cover my shift so I could have some time with my husband.” She smiled at Nick and walked away.  Nick cursed under his breath, he might have just fucked up a good friendship, whether she was a fan or not.

Disappointed with himself, Nick dived into his work and his blossoming relationship with Veronica.  He was hardly home anymore, he was either in the studio recording or he was at Veronica’s place hanging out or attempting to quench her insatiable appetite for sex.  And he had thought he was a sex addict.

“Nick,” Veronica purred into his ear one morning a few weeks after he had upset Lindsey.  He’d looked into the information she had given her.  She mostly shared stuff going on in her life, the accident, making a new friend because of it but none of it had mentioned who her new friend was.

“Nick,” Veronica purred again.  She started to crawl on top of him. He hugged her put moved her back to her side of the bed. 

“Not right now,” he said as he sat up running his hands through his hair. 

“Is anything wrong?” Veronica asked him as she got up and started to get dressed.  Nick had never mentioned Lindsey to Veronica so she never knew about the ass he made out of himself and he kept it that way.  No need to dwell he kept telling himself.  He’d tried calling Lindsey to apologize a few times, but she’d not answered her phone.  He was still wary about giving out his number; especially now that he found out she was a fan. 

“No, babe.  I’m okay, just tired.  I think I am going to stay at my place tonight after I finish at the studio.”  He really wanted a bed to himself, a bed where he wouldn’t have to worry about a girl crawling all over him during all hours of the night.  

“Okay,” she pouted giving Nick her best puppy dog face.  “It’s cool anyway, there are things I can get done tonight without you around, things I want you to think are magically taken care of.” She winked at him and headed into the bathroom.

Nick sighed as he pulled his shirt over his head.  He had plans to go home, take a shower and head to the diner that he’d met Lindsey at.  Maybe he could crack Gretchen and get some information out of her.  He had to at least apologize to Lindsey in person and then she could decide if she wanted to forgive him or not, he was ready for whatever she decided.

 “Bye,” he peeked his head into the bathroom to see Veronica behind the shower curtain.

She stuck her head out from behind the curtain and smiled warmly at him.  “Call me later?”

“Sure, I’ll talk to you tonight before bed.” He walked over and gave her a kiss before heading back to his own place.

He opened the door and took a deep breath and let out a huge sigh of relief.  He threw himself down on the couch and picked up his TV remote.  He turned it one and flipped through the channels, settling on Cartoon Network.  He hadn’t meant to but he closed his eyes, his phone buzzing in his pocket woke him up. 

“Hello?” Nick asked.

“Nick, did you forget something?” Brian’s voice came over the other end of the phone.

Nick sat straight up and looked at the date on his phone.  “Oh shit.” He cursed into Brian’s ear.  “I’m sorry Bri. I am heading out the door right now to meet you.”  Nick had forgotten the conversation with Brian earlier in the week where he said he would be out his way for business for a day and that they should get together and hang out.  They were supposed to meet for dinner before heading back to his place to play some Xbox together. It was a good thing he told Veronica he was busy that night, Brian was going to stay in his guest room until he left the next day. 

“I’ll see you in a few.”  Brian commented in his ear, he sounded a little upset but Nick couldn’t blame him. He had spaced their plans. 

He pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant to see Brian standing out front tapping his phone.  He was probably texting his wife or tweeting the fans.  He was sure there would be some smart ass comment about him being late blowing up twitter for the next hour.

“I’m sorry.” He said as soon as he reached Brian.

“Hey, I understand.” He held up his phone with twitter open.  There were a few tweets about Nick having a new girl in his life.  A few pictures of him and Veronica had been posted.  He smiled at the pictures.  They were taken paparazzi style but he did not mind that they had caught him enjoying his time with Veronica. 

“Fans work fast.” Nick laughed. 

“Tell me about it.” Brian patted Nick’s back and directed him towards the inside of the restaurant.  

Their dinner was full of conversation about Brian’s family, Bailey mostly, and about Veronica.  Nick couldn’t stop talking about her. Telling Brian all the things they shared in common, what a great girl she was.   

“I should take you to this diner my friend Lindsey introduced me to.” He said not meaning to bring up the topic of Lindsey.

“Lindsey? Don’t you mean Veronica?” Brian asked him obviously confused.

“No I meant Lindsey. I told you about the girl whose car I hit right?” Nick asked.

Brian nodded. “The one you generously offered to cover everything the insurance company didn’t?” Brian had told him what a bad idea that had been when he first told him about it but Nick hadn’t cared then and he didn’t let it faze him now.

“We ran into each other a few times after I took her home…”

“You took her home?” Brian asked.  “You didn’t tell me that.  Nick what were you thinking?”

“Brian, I hit her car.  I wanted to make sure I did everything I could to make amends.  We hung out a few times afterwards and enjoyed each other’s company, I thought of her as a friend.  She’s not talking to me anyway.”  He shrugged pushing his empty plate away.

“She’s a fan,” Nick started.

“So.” Brian interjected.

“She kept that from me.  All the times we hung out she kept the fact that she knew who I was and was a fan from me.”  Nick shot back. 

“Nick, what did you want her to fawn all over you and tell you how great you were?”  Brian laughed at his friend.

Nick shrugged.  “I know I overreacted.  She treated me like a normal person and I liked that, I was open with her and told her things I would never have told her if I knew…well if I knew she was a fan.  Fans work fast.” 

“As funny as it may be, I watch what the fans tweet every now and then.” Brian laughed at himself.  “I don’t remember seeing any mention, even rumor about you hanging out with anyone named Lindsey and today was the first day I saw anything about Veronica.”  Brian shrugged. 

“Brian, I told you I know I overreacted.  It just scares me how much I could have given away to her without knowing.  She was going to go into the studio with me; I was going to let her hear a song that I planned to have on my new album.” Nick shook his head.  “Doesn’t matter anyway, I have Veronica and plenty of other friends.”

Brian nodded and started to talk about something else.  Nick knew he had just lied; he hated that Lindsey thought so badly of him now.  Not only because she could tell hundreds of others with a few words in a matter of seconds, but because for some reason he couldn’t understand he wanted her to have a good opinion of him.

Nick sat at the counter at the diner tapping his fingers.  “Gretchen, please,” he begged the woman who was carrying plates of food to other customers.   She glared at him before she put a huge grin on her face to serve the other people. 

She returned a few minutes later and her glared returned for Nick.  “I will not talk to you for her.” She stated adamantly.  “She was always too good for you, even to be your friend.”

“Gretchen, I know that.  I want to apologize to her in person. Once I do I plan to leave her alone, I swear.”  He tried his most charming grin on her hoping it would melt her enough that she would give in.

The woman tried to fight the smile breaking out on her face.  “Just git.” She swatted the air in front of her and turned back to the window where food was appearing to be delivered.  He heard her groan as she went to pull a plate down to deliver. 

Before he could think about what he was doing he was standing behind the counter taking plates off of the shelf. “Let me help.” He offered.

Gretchen stood staring at him; she hesitated as he loaded up a tray sitting nearby.  He held the tray and looked at her expectantly.

“Where do I take these?” He asked.

Gretchen sighed with resignation and told him what tables to deliver the food too.  Nick dropped off the food.  He returned and beamed at Gretchen as he took more plates of food to be delivered.  

“This won’t change my mind.” She stated. Nick only smiled at her and winked to which she broke out in a huge grin and let a small laugh escape her lips.

Nick carried the tray of food out to each table. Gretchen filled drinks and took the orders.  They worked side by side for a couple of hours until the door opened with a chime and Nick saw Lindsey dressed as a server walk in.

“Hey,” he smiled and waved as he placed a plate of food down on a table.

“What’s he doing here?” She asked Gretchen.

“Helping,” the woman sighed and took a drink of water.  The two women spoke in hushed tones as Nick finished taking the orders around and filled a few drink requests.  

“Nick,” Lindsey’s hand touched his arm lightly as she looked up at him.  “We need to talk.”

Nick nodded and put the tray down.  He told Gretchen the few tables that still had outstanding requests and she set off to fill them.  “I wanted to apologize.”  He started to talk but she held her hand up to silence him.  She pulled him into the backroom where a few lockers decorated one wall, and a table sat in the middle of the room with a few chairs. 

“Lindsey, I am sorry for how I acted when I found out you were a fan. “ He started again.  He really wanted to make it better, even if they never hung out again; he wanted to make sure how sorry he was that he was a jerk to her.

“Nick, before you continue, I need to tell you something.”  She bit her lip and sat down looking anxious.  “You will want to sit.”

Nick took a seat across from her, a slight look of concern on his face.  “What?  Did something happen with the check you got from me?” 

Lindsey shook her head.  “No, it’s not about that at all.  You now know I am a fan, and after what I say you might be more upset with me because I can’t prove to you that I had nothing to do with it.”

“What is it?” He asked now very nervous as to what she was going to say.

She took out her phone and tapped the screen a few times.  When she handed him the phone he saw a webpage loading on her screen.  She sat with her hands crossed in front of her, she was obviously nervous about what she was showing him too.

Nick’s eyes started to scan the article.  It was an article about him and how he was meeting women that he was dating online.  It mentioned a source coming forward, someone he had met had given information about his recent attempts to find love.  “What is this?” He asked Lindsey.

She shook her head.  “I have no idea, it was a link posted in a few tweets and I followed them to that article.”

The article was short but was obvious in its intent that Nick was using the site simply for booty calls.  He handed the phone back to Lindsey; it wasn’t the worst thing that could have been said about him. There had definitely been worse things said about him.  

“The fans are going nuts about this article.  Many have said they’ve joined dating sites and have been looking around for you.  Some have said they think they might have found your profile and believed they were talking to you.” Lindsey put her phone in her purse as she talked.   “I just wanted to let you know if you are still meeting people that they…”

Nick laughed. “Thanks for your concern Lindsey, but I haven’t actually checked my profile in a few weeks.  Veronica was the last girl I met that way and I don’t think I will need to look any further. And I’m pretty confident you did not leak anything, I met a crazed fan using an online dating site and she felt pretty burned when I wouldn’t continue dating her.  I am sure it was her that was the source for this article.”  He reached out and touched Lindsey’s hands gently. 

They sat in the room quietly, Nick’s hand covering hers.  Lindsey was looking down at his hand and when she looked up, Nick’s eyes were right there looking at her. 

“Thank you for looking out for me even after I was a jerk to you.  You are a good friend and I don’t deserve you.” He smiled and stood moving over to her and pulling her out of the chair she was sitting in.  “I hope that you can forgive me and we can be friends again.” 

“If I say no, will you hit me with your car again?” Lindsey laughed and pulled Nick into a hug.  “Friends.” She whispered. 

Nick smiled and pulled her closer, he was happy that she forgave him and agreed to still be friends so why did he still feel bad?

Nick stood looking in the mirror as he shaved.  The smile on his face never seemed to disappear.  He had been spending a vast majority of his free time with Veronica and he still managed to find time to call and hang out with Lindsey. 

Lindsey had become a confidant and he enjoyed her company.  His initial worry that she was a fan was gone completely now.  At first, he set up a second twitter account and followed her, he felt sneaky about it but he wanted to make sure that she wasn’t saying anything about their time together. After so long he stopped even monitoring, she hadn’t said anything and probably never would.

“Take that gypsy woman,” Nick said to his own reflection.  He hadn’t been plagued by a dream of her haunting face since he and Veronica had really started to hang out.  He broke whatever spell she had over him.

Other than the massive amount of information floating around the internet about Veronica from various sources, their relationship had been going strong.  Veronica didn’t mind the positive or negative attention that she gained from dating Nick Carter, Backstreet Boy.   She laughed about the few times she was recognized at her job and didn’t mind. The girls who had recognized her had made expensive purchases from her.

Despite being with Lindsey in public and seeing her frequently, there did not seem to be anything floating around about her.  Nick was thankful for that; Veronica still did not know that he had a friend who happened to be a girl and if she happened to find out from the media that would not be good.  Nick knew he needed to tell her but he didn’t want her to blow up over a friendship. The best thing he could think of was to plan a double date.  Lindsey said she’d been seeing a guy for the last few weeks now and what better way to introduce the women and let Veronica know there was nothing else between them?

He told Veronica that morning that he had made plans for them to go to dinner with a friend of his and she seemed incredibly excited.  She told him she had been waiting to meet his friends, now she knew he was thinking about her seriously. 

He pulled a clean shirt over his head and looked at himself in the mirror again.  “Nick, things are finally going your way.”  He formed his fingers into the shape of guns and winked at himself in the mirror. Laughing at himself he grabbed his keys and his wallet and left to pick up Veronica.

“So who are we meeting?” Veronica asked as she got into Nick’s car for the evening.   “B...” she started before she stopped herself and looked at him waiting for his response.

“What were you going to say?” He asked her curious as to who she thought they were meeting.

“I was starting to say Brian, but then I remembered lived in another state and it was unlikely.” She shrugged at him.

Nick nodded and tried to recall when he had mentioned Brian to her, but then again, they talked so much and with his recent trip he was sure to have told her all about him.

“No, we aren’t meeting up with him and his wife. We are meeting my friend….” He paused and took a deep breath, better that she find out before meeting them that his friend is female.  “My friend Lindsey.” He said sheepishly as he looked slightly in her direction.

Her face showed no emotion one way or the other, she still had the same look plastered on her face as when she got in the car.  “Lindsey?” She asked.

“Yes, her and her date David.” He nodded again, making sure to mention that she was brining her own date, that she was dating someone else.

“Okay,” She answered cautiously and turned to look out the window.  They were quiet the rest of the drive to the restaurant. 

When they arrived, Nick hurried out and opened Veronica’s door for her before tossing his spare key to the valet.  He hooked her arm through his as they walked into the restaurant.  Lindsey and an awkward looking man were waiting inside.  Lindsey’s face lit up when she saw the couple enter the room.

“Nick, they wouldn’t seat us until you got here.  Thought we were trying to steal your reservation or something.” She laughed and hugged him.  He patted her back quickly and pulled her away so he could introduce the two women in his life.

“Lindsey, this is Veronica.” He said and watched as Lindsey stuck out her hand to greet Veronica.

“Nice to meet you, Nick has told me so much about you.” She smiled genuinely at Veronica and waited for a response with her hand out.

Nick nudged Veronica slightly and she got the hint.  “Yes, I’ve only just learned about you tonight.” Her smiled was strained but she took the other woman’s hand and shook it. 

Lindsey didn’t seem fazed by it; instead she turned to her date. “Nick, Veronica, this is David,” she said as she pulled the other man closer so they could say their greetings. David stuck out his hand to greet the other two.  Veronica made it obvious his hand was a bit sweaty by wiping her hand on her coat.   Nick could see the look the two women gave each other over this small gesture.

“Shall we sit?” He asked hoping that they could sit and talk and the girls would find out just how much they shared in common and become great friends.  Nick would like them to get along so he could invite Lindsey out to do more with them.

The group took a seat at the table the hostess directed them to. Nick sat between Lindsey and Veronica so he could talk to both, David was across from him.  His eyes constantly darted from side to side, seemingly unsure of what he was doing.

“Hey bro, you okay?” Nick asked him after David chugged his glass of water and had it refilled before the server left. 

David nodded but didn’t say anything.  Nick turned his attention back to Veronica. “Veronica, Lindsey works in the retirement industry.”

“Oh, does she help senior citizens use the restroom?” She asked with a sweet smile on her face directed at Lindsey.

Lindsey laughed at the comment and shook her head.  “Nothing so rewarding as that.” She laughed again before she explained that she worked at a retirement company where 401k plans were administered.  She made sure to mention she had nothing to do with any of the investing. 

“So what do you do David?” Nick asked the man who was sitting mute across the table.

“I, well,” he started.

“David works at the Starbucks near my job.” Lindsey interrupted and smiled.  “It’s how we met, I get coffee every day and he’s there.” 

“However did he talk to you? He doesn’t seem to be able to talk now.” Veronica noted.

An awkward silence fell on the table after Veronica’s comment.  Lindsey was the one to finally break it. “So Nick, how is the recording coming?  I’ve told David you were recording an album.”

Nick sighed in relief and easily fell into a conversation about his album and what he was currently recording.  He hoped to have his album released in the early fall. He talked about how he was going to release out of the country first, and then release it to the United States. 

“I love my fans everywhere,” Nick’s eyes darted towards Lindsey briefly, his hand rested gently on hers, before continuing. “But I don’t seem to get the air time in the states.” He shrugged and took a drink of his water.

“Nick,” Veronica started.  “Lindsey, I apologize, but I am suddenly not feeling too good.” She was holding her hand towards her mouth, the other hand on her stomach.  “I felt ill earlier and thought I could push through to meet someone important to Nick, but I am sorry, I just don’t think I can sit through an entire meal.”  Veronica stood and grabbed her purse off the back of her chair.

“It was nice to meet you Lindsey, David.” She nodded at them and turned to leave.  “Nick?” She asked turning back realizing Nick had not moved.

He moved his hand off of Lindsey’s quickly and stood to join Veronica.  “I’m sorry.  I’ll call you later Lindsey, we can reschedule?” He moved quickly through the tables to catch up with Veronica who had already started to leave the restaurant.   

Nick pulled the covers up under Veronica’s chin and kissed her forehead.  She did feel warm and he was pretty sure he heard her getting sick in the bathroom earlier.  When she first mentioned she felt sick he thought that perhaps she was only saying it so that they could leave the dinner early.  He could tell that she was not enjoying her time and was probably not too happy with Nick’s friend being Lindsey.  He decided he would talk to her about it when she felt better.

“Do you need anything right now?” Nick asked her. 

In reply she shook her head, closing her eyes.  “No, I think I just want to sleep.”  She smiled even though her eyes were closed.

Nick kissed her forehead and quietly left the room.  He threw himself on Veronica’s couch and turned on her television.  He could probably run home and get a few things but he wanted to make sure he was here in case she woke up and needed something.  He thought it best to stick around until she woke up and he could tell her that he was going out for a bit. 

The screen in front of him flickered with images but he was not focusing on them.  He wanted to call Lindsey to apologize for the evening and ask if she and David were able to salvage the evening and have a good time after they left. 

He picked up his phone and scrolled through his recent calls to find her number. He was about to hit the call button when his phone started to ring. He cursed himself for not putting it on silent as he answered.

“Nick I have some potentially great news for you,” the voice of his manager came through on the other end before he could even say hello.

“What?” Nick asked trying to be quiet, but it was hard since his manager was excited, he felt he should mirror that excitement.

“I will tell you more when you come into the studio tomorrow, I just wanted to call and let you know that it is big!” His manager said goodbye and got off of the phone leaving Nick to stare at the phone and wonder why he had to call and tell him about it now, make him wonder until his next session.

Nick looked up at the TV laughing about his manager’s strange call. He watched as an advertisement for a traveling fair came on the screen letting the city know that they would be in town the next week and the next week only.  Nick laughed and shook his head.  Maybe he could take Veronica to the fair next week.

He leaned back in his seat and dialed Lindsey’s number.  “Hey,” he said when she picked up.

“Hi Nick,” her voice came back cheerful. She sounded happy to hear from him that was good at least she wasn’t upset about how the evening turned out.

“I’m sorry about tonight. How did the rest of your evening go?” He asked.

“David and I decided to call it a night after you and Veronica left.  He had some work he needed to get done anyway and had been stressing about it all night in the first place.”  She replied casually.

“I didn’t mean for it to be an inconvenience for anyone. We could have set it up for another day he wasn’t busy.” Nick offered.

“Oh no, that’s okay.” Lindsey quickly responded.  “Tonight was fine.”

“Well, it was a bust.  Do you want to reschedule?” Nick asked.

“We could try, but I am not sure how much your girlfriend will want to.” Lindsey answered honestly.

“It was my fault she acted that way, I hadn’t told her about you until the car ride to the restaurant. I am sure it was a shock to find out something like that.  Veronica has guy friends but I’ve met them all. I am sure if I didn’t know them and she sprung on me that we were meeting her best friend and he was a male then I might have acted the same way.” He confessed.  He didn’t want Lindsey to think badly of Veronica. 

“I am up for whatever, but you will have to check with her.” Lindsey stated with finality.  The two talked a little more, Nick brought up his short conversation with his manager and what it could mean.  They speculated what the news could be until Nick heard Veronica calling for him from the next room.

“I’ll call you later,” Nick told Lindsey as they got off of the phone.  He stood and dropped his phone on the coffee table before going into Veronica’s room.

“Hey,” he said softly as he moved closer.  “What do you need?”

“I was hoping for a popsicle,” She said in a quiet and almost child-like voice.  “But I don’t have any in the apartment.”  She batted her eyelashes, Nick knew what she was asking.

“I can get you some, any in particular flavor?”

“Banana,” She smiled at him sweetly. “Thank you so much Nick.” She rolled over and closed her eyes again and he quietly left the room.  He made a mental note to get some banana popsicles and maybe some ginger ale and chicken noodle soup. 

He walked out and started his car before mentally slapping himself that he’d forgotten his phone.  He made his way back to Veronica’s place and quietly opened the door and spotted his phone on the table. He moved quickly but quietly, he didn’t want to wake Veronica up.

“I have to talk fast, he’ll be back soon.” Veronica’s voice came from the other room. Gone was the voice of someone who sounded sick.

Nick crept closer to the door, wondering who she was talking to, maybe her mother.

“There is another woman in his life.  I don’t like it. What if he leaves me for her?”

Nick smiled, she was simply concerned about Lindsey.  He would have to make sure she was aware that he did not think of Lindsey that way, that she was the only one for him.  He was about to knock so that he could enter and tell her when something she said caught his attention.

“Of course he doesn’t know.” Her voice sounded harsh as she spoke to the person on the other line.  “I’m sure of it, if he did know he wouldn’t be taking care of me now he would have left long ago.” She paused, probably for the response on the other end.   “No, I’ve not met the others yet.  I will I am sure.” Veronica paused again.  “You just let me handle that.”  She answered before going silent.  He heard her feet hit the floor and footsteps start to approach the door. 

He moved fast and was able to make it out the front door before the door to the bedroom opened again.  He got in his car and drove off, hopefully before Veronica noticed it still in the parking lot.  He drove without thinking and ended up pulling in front of Lindsey’s place.

He knocked on the door loudly, willing her to be home.  He’d forgotten it was the middle of the day on a weekday and Lindsey would be at work.  Much to his surprise the door opened and Lindsey stood looking agape at him.

“Nick?” She questioned as she opened the door wider for him to come inside.  “What’s going on?”

“You are home?” He questioned as he sat.  He didn’t want to jump right into what he’d heard.  Who was he kidding, it was killing him but he was also curious as to why she was home.

“I took the afternoon off.” She said sitting next to him and putting her hand on his arm. “What is wrong? You look angry.”

This was all he needed to release. “I am angry.  I was taking care of Veronica and I heard her talking when she thought I was gone.   She said there was something that if I knew it I wouldn’t be with her. And the rest of her conversation after that made her sound highly suspicious.” 

“Calm down, Nick.” Lindsey spoke in soothing tones.  “Maybe it’s a misunderstanding.  Maybe she was talking about what she had.  If you knew she had a certain sickness, you might have left her alone.”  She smiled at him. 

He sighed and took hold of Lindsey’s hand. “She talked about meeting the others,” He sighed.

“Your friends, your band mates, they are important to your life.  Wouldn’t she want to meet them, it would make her feel like you really did want to be with her to show her off to them.”  

Lindsey was right, Nick started to breathe easier.  How could he have flown off the handle like that? Nick pulled Lindsey into a hug and held her tight. “Thank you,” he muttered.  He pulled away kept his hands on his shoulders so he could keep eye contact with her.  “I am glad you are my friend.”

Crimson rushed to her cheeks as she smiled at him.  Impulse took over and he leaned in pressing his lips to hers.

Nick pulled back to see shock on Lindsey’s face. “I’m so sorry.” He muttered and stood.  “I don’t know why I did that. I have Veronica, you have David..” He ran his hands through his hair and paced.  “We don’t have to tell them.” He looked towards Lindsey to see her standing there looking at him.

“Nick, you were stressed, it was just a kiss.” She smiled but something in her eyes told him that she was not happy with the words she just said.  He ignored it though, she was probably just upset that she kissed him back. She didn’t want to hurt David, like he didn’t want to hurt Veronica.

“I should go,” He said and turned towards the door.

“Yah, okay.” She sounded disappointed but he didn’t have time to stop and consider it. He needed to get the stuff from the store and get back to Veronica before she wonders where he’d gone.  

Nick got to the store and sat in his car.  He leaned his arms on the steering wheel and leaned against his arms. What had he been thinking. He couldn’t ruin the friendship he had with Lindsey, she was too good of a friend to lose.  How could he do that?  

He should call Lindsey and apologize again and let her know just how much their friendship meant to him.  He reached into his pocket for his phone when he realized he’d left it at Veronica’s place.  He sighed and got out of the car to hunt down the popsicles for Veronica.   He had to get them, he didn’t want to know where he’d been or what he’d just done. 

A few minutes later he was parking in Veronica’s lot and heading up to her apartment.  He grabbed the bag of popsicles and headed upstairs.  As the door knob turned he heard feet walking away from the living room, he sighed and opened the door.  He glanced at the table where he left his phone, he grabbed it as he headed back to Veronica’s room.

“Hello,” He called out softly. He didn’t want to give away that he was sure she was awake.  He was even starting to think she wasn’t sick.

“Hello?” a small voice called out from the bed. 

Nick pushed the door open further to see Veronica under the covers rubbing her eyes.  “Nick,” She smiled and sat up.  “How long were you gone? I must have slept. “ Her smile stayed plastered on her face.  

“Stop playing,” The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them.  “I know you were awake and out of the room.”

Veronica looked at him innocently. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Nick rolled his eyes and tossed the bag of popsicles on the bed. “I also heard you on the phone with someone. What are you taking care of?” He asked her.

Veronica looked at him aghast, “Work related,” she finally answered.

“Yah, I believe that.” He turned and walked out of the room.

“Nick? Wait, what are you doing?” She said as she got out of the bed and followed him.

“Leaving,” He said and walked out the door.  He stood outside the door and waited, it was only a few seconds and she was tearing the door open after him.

“Nick,” She sighed in relief when she saw him.  “Come back inside and let me explain.”  He followed her inside, the least he could do is hear her out.  Maybe she was just in shock he had confronted her about it.

They sat down on the couch, Veronica taking his hands and hold them.  “Have I ever lied to you before?” She asked him.  He cocked his head to the side and thought about it, she had never lied.  Everything she talked about online was who she was in person.  

“No,” he answered cautiously.

“Then what makes you think I’m lying now?” She smiled sweetly at him and he sighed.  She had never lied and Lindsey made good arguments for the rest of the conversation.  He had overreacted.

“I’m sorry I overreacted,” he said as he leaned in and kissed her softly. 

“Forgiven,” she smiled.  “I am sorry I didn’t tell you I was feeling better.” She pouted at him.  “I was enjoying you taking care of me.” She moved so that she was sitting on Nick’s lap, her head on his shoulder. 

They sat like that for only a few seconds before Veronica piped up again.  “Why do I smell perfume?”

“Isn’t it yours?” He asked, his heart beating faster. She must have felt his heart because she stood up and looked at him, hands on his hips.  “I just had to explain to you a phone conversation and you reek of another woman’s perfume.”

“Veronica, I was upset.  I went to see Lindsey and talk about it.” He stood and tried to pull her into a hug, but she moved away.  “She calmed me down enough so that I would return here.” He smirked and tried to pull her close again. This time she let him pull her into a hug.

“Buy me dinner and we can talk.” She whispered into his ear.

“Sure,” he pressed his lips to hers and felt disappointment swell through him. It was not the kiss he’d been expecting, not the feeling he’d been hoping for from her kiss.   The gypsy’s words rung true again, he no longer loved Veronica and he’d probably ruined his friendship with Lindsey, again. 

“Veronica,” He started.  “We need to talk.”  He sighed and sat down.

“What is it?” She asked.

“I don’t think it would be a good idea to see each other anymore.” He spat out quickly in an attempt to just get it over with.

“Is this about the conversation? I told you, it was nothing.” He shook his head in response to her question.  It really wasn’t about the conversation.  Now that he thought about it, he’d not felt the same towards her for awhile now but he’d shoved it aside since he was not sure how he would meet anyone else, and he didn’t want to be alone.

“I think this has been a long time coming, I haven’t felt the same for awhile.” He confessed. 

“Stay with me, I can make you love me again.” She stated flat out, desperation in her voice. “Don’t leave me Nick, I love you.” Tears formed in her eyes.

“I don’t love you Veronica.” He held out his hands palm up.  “I’m sorry.”

“It’s that Lindsey isn’t it? You’ve been seeing her behind my back, sleeping with her?” She asked.

“No, Lindsey is with David.  Our relationship is innocent,” He explained to her as the memory of their kiss came back to him.

“Nick I need you.” She whispered.

“I’m sorry.” He said again as he stood and left the room.  He walked out the door and closed it just in time, he heard something thrown against the door and shatter into pieces on the other side.

Nick shuddered felt a cool breeze come through the hall and shuddered.  He knew his destiny was to truly be alone and he would have to accept that.  He had chosen his path.  He walked to his car and touched his fingers to his lips and smiled.  Lindsey had David, but maybe he could tell her how their kiss had made him feel and everything would turn out alright. 

Nick got into his car and turned it once again towards Lindsey’s place.  This time fully aware of where he was going and what he wanted to do when he got there.

Nick rapped on Lindsey’s door hoping she would answer before he lost his nerve.  She pulled the door open and looked perplexed to see him standing there in front of her.  Before she could speak, he swept into the room and took her in his arms, his lips colliding with hers. 

“Nick,” Lindsey said as she pushed him away.  “What are you doing?” She looked at him concerned.

“I realized something when I kissed you earlier, Lindsey?” He smiled playing with a strand of her hair.

“You were upset Nick.” She said but did not pull away further.

Nick shook his head.  “No, there was something to that kiss.  Tell me you didn’t feel it.” He held her eyes hoping that she felt something too. 

Now Lindsey pulled away.  “Nick,” She started.  “I can’t…” She started.

“Is it David?” Nick asked trying to move close to her again.

Lindsey looked alarmed that Nick brought David into the conversation.  “No…” She said hesitantly.  “It’s not him.” She said firmly.

“You still haven’t told me that you didn’t feel anything.” Nick smiled at her as he stepped closer.

Lindsey backed away again.  “You were just upset about Veronica.” She stated. 

“I was, but you calmed me down.  You were the one to talk sense into me.  You are my friend and I realized that without you, I’d be lost.  You were the first person I thought to talk about when I overheard her conversation.  I did so much to keep you in my life, Lindsey, I even worked as a server for the chance to apologize and get you back in my life.  The kiss only told me what I think my heart already knew.”

She had managed to stop walking and he was able to pull her into his arms.  Holding her just felt right to him now. 

Lindsey shook her head. “Nick,” a tear fell from her cheek. Nick took it a sign that she was happy he had confessed his feelings, he leaned down to kiss her again but she turned her head and his lips fell on her ear instead.

“Lindsey?”  He asked confused. Had he read her wrong?

“You don’t mean this.” She stated. 

“I think I know what I mean and what I don’t mean.” He stated firmly.  Anger rose slightly, how could she stand there and tell him that he didn’t mean his own feelings?

Lindsey shook her head.  “No, I can’t…” She said before moving towards her room.  Before she turned he could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. “Can you please show yourself out?” She asked before disappearing into her room.

Nick approached her door and stood outside, poised to knock.  He held his hand aloft in the air and listened.  Lindsey was sobbing on the other side of the door.  Had his admission of feelings bothered her that much?  He cursed himself for being so determined to share his feelings.  He assumed she felt the same way, but her reaction told her a different story.

Quietly he turned and left her place.  He turned his car towards home and sighed as he entered his condo, a place he hadn’t seen in a few weeks since he’d been spending most of his time at Veronica’s.  He threw himself on the couch and turned on his video game.  Maybe killing some strangers would put him in a better mood.  

After a couple of hours of killing random people, he decided to call Lindsey and at least apologize.  He hoped that they would be able to stay friends, though he doubted after admitting his feelings, that things would ever be the same between them again.

“Lindsey, this is Nick.  I want to talk about today. No pushing from me about anything more.  I want you in my life and if that is only as your friend then it is how I will take you.   Please call me back.” Nick gave remembered to give her his phone number before disconnecting the line.   He tossed his phone down and reached for his guitar. 

He slouched back on the couch and started to strum his fingers on the guitar strings.  “It was just one kiss…” he sang as he hummed a melody along with the sound of the guitar.   His mind lingered on the kiss he shared with Lindsey, he couldn’t help himself. 

The sound of the phone ringing broke him out of his thoughts and he pounced on his phone. His heart sank when he saw Veronica’s name on the caller ID. 

“What do you need Veronica?” He asked.  He knew his voice was cold sounding but he didn’t want to give in to her and he knew with how he was feeling, the chances were high she could get him to come back to her place that very instant.

The other side of the line was silent for a pause before Veronica continued.  “Nick, can we please just talk about what happened today?”

Nick was silent for a good amount of time, he was sure she was looking at her phone to double check that the line was still active and that he hadn’t hung up on her.  “Fine,” He muttered.  It was the least he could do.  Maybe it was a misunderstanding.  He was afraid he’d pushed Lindsey away, would it be so bad to hear Veronica out and give her another shot.

They agreed to meet at the restaurant of their first date the following evening.  Nick needed a day to himself.  He needed to work more on his album, plus he wanted to know this big news his manager was telling him about.

He put his guitar down and picked up his game controller again, hoping that killing more people will calm him before tomorrow evening.

 “I can’t believe he wants to work with me,” Nick was still in disbelief over what his manager had just told him.  One of the biggest producers in the music industry had actually reached out to him with an idea for a song. 

“This could make you explode in the music industry.”  His manager was just as excited as Nick about the prospect.    “Your solo career could really take off.”

The two were too excited to actually focus on any work so after about two hours of attempting to work they decided to call it a day with the intent of picking up where they left off tomorrow.  The day after that Nick would be meeting with the man who could change everything for him.

Nick sat in his car with his phone in his hand. He wanted to tell someone, anyone his news.  The problem he was facing was he didn’t want to tell any of his brothers from The Backstreet Boys since they might not take the news as well.  If he skyrockets as a solo artist, where would that leave them as a group?   His fingers kept making the motion to call Lindsey, he knew that she would support him and be happy for him.

He sighed when he remembered the last time he was with Lindsey.  The sound of sobs from behind the door unhinged him. Why had she been crying, was the thought of him having feelings for her that unappealing to her?

He could call Veronica, she would be happy for him but even though he had agreed to meet her that night and talk things through, he did not really want to get back together with her.  It was like a switch went off in his head, when he realized his feelings for Lindsey he knew he wouldn’t be able to pretend with Veronica.  Still it wouldn’t hurt to have dinner with her and to talk about what was going on with him.

Nick turned his car on and started to drive.  He needed to clear his head and figure things out.  He wanted to know from Lindsey what the tears were all about.  With his mind elsewhere, he drove on automatic and found himself outside the fairgrounds.   He snorted but parked his car and walked to the ticket booth.    He paid for his admission and started to walk around; ignoring the happy couples holding hands he made his way to the Ferris wheel

“Nick Carter,” a voice seemed to call to him.  He looked around trying to figure out which person recognized him and how many autographs and pictures he would have to stand through.  He scrunched his nose in confusion as he saw nobody around him so he resumed walking to the Ferris wheel.

“Nick Carter,” the voice came again and his head whipped around.  That’s when he noticed the rows of tents and the woman standing outside one that had a picture of a crystal ball.   The red-headed woman smiled and motioned him to come towards her.

“This can’t be happening,” He muttered to himself as he started to approach the tent.  The fortune teller beckoning him was the same one that haunted his dreams, the one who told him he could not have fame and love.

He pushed aside the curtain and walked into the room.  Memories from when he was eleven came flooding back as his eyes fell on the woman sitting at the table in front of him, a deck of cards waiting on the table.   The woman looked almost exactly the same as that day nineteen years ago, though when he sat and looked closer he could see wrinkles around her eyes, her face looked older.

The woman chuckled slightly breaking Nick out of his trance.  “You still are unsure?” She asked him.

“You remember me?” He asked her shocked that someone who probably saw hundreds of peoples a day could remember him from several years.

“As you remember me.” She smiled.  “I have been watching you since that day you visited me so long ago.” 

“I chose my path,” he muttered averting his eyes from the woman. 

“You are still on one path, but paths often have forks.” Her eyes twinkled as he snapped his head back to look at her.  

“How did you…” He started to ask her but she simply tapped her head and then the cards.   

Nick pulled out some money and threw it on the table, he didn’t notice how much he gave her, he just needed to know the answers to the questions in his head. 

The woman started to shuffle the deck after using one hand to swipe the money and place it in the satchel at her belt.   Nick watched her shuffle, mesmerized by the movements her hands were making.

“Clear your mind and think of the one question you want the answer to the most.” She said placing the deck in front of him.  “Cut the deck.” She instructed. 

Nick thought of what he wanted to know and cut the deck.  The woman grabbed the cards and started to deal on the table, making clucking noises when she saw certain cards surface.  

“Again, you cannot clear you mind to only think of one question.” She commented when she finished dealing the cards.

Nick shrugged and held his hands out apologetically, she waved her hand in dismissal of this gesture.

“You have achieved much but you have not achieved all you want.” She started speaking as she touched the cards laid out on the table.  “I still see the same.  The fork is in front of you now.”  She looked up at him and held his gaze. “There is something else on your mind.  The fork in the road is clear but who one of the forks leads to is still misty.”

Nick sighed.  He had tried to clear his mind but he knew his recent news mixed with thoughts of Lindsey and Veronica swelled in his head while she dealt the cards.

“There are two women,” He started.  The older lady nodded and waited for him to continue.  “One of them I confessed how I felt and she cried.  The other, I just have a feeling she’s hiding something from me.”

“But if you choose the other fork you will not have to worry about either.” The woman smiled and winked.   “But you aren’t sure about that path either.”

“It’s complicated; if I choose it then I could alienate others who care about me.”  Nick admitted.  The woman was easy to talk to, not the scary demon of his nightmares.  She didn’t seem like she wanted to keep him from the path of his choosing, she seemed that she wanted to help him choose the right one.

“I cannot make the choice for you,” She started.

“I know,” he interrupted.

“I can tell you that no matter which fork you choose, you will lose all chance to go down any of the others so you must weigh all your choices and choose what you feel.”   She finished crossing her arms across her chest.

“If I choose love, how do I know which of those forks?” He asked her not really thinking that she would be able to answer.  She didn’t know the women involved.

“You must find the reason for the tears, and the reason you feel deceived.” She stated simply, it was so simple of an answer that Nick could have slapped his head then and there.  Talk to the girls, find out the answers. Nick stood and started to walk out of the tent.

“Follow the money,” Her voice said from behind.  Nick turned around to ask her what she meant but she was no longer sitting at the table.  He thought she vanished until he noticed a curtain towards the back swaying slightly.   

“What does that mean? Follow the path that leads to money?” He wondered out loud.  She had never told him what path to choose before and her sudden statement stating which to choose threw him off guard.  He took out his phone and looked at the time.  He was only running a little behind if he still wanted to meet up with Veronica.    Nick sighed and decided it would be best to meet with her and talk, maybe the kiss with Lindsey meant nothing after all.  He couldn’t deny the connection he had with Veronica, maybe it could work with her after all?  

There was only one way to find out.  Nick got in his car and headed in the direction of the restaurant where he and Veronica had their first date.

Nick didn’t have to wait for Veronica to show this time, she was already sitting at a table waiting for him. She waved her fingers at him when she saw him enter and he quickly made his way over to her.  He saw the disappointment in her eyes when he leaned down to kiss her on the cheek before sitting down across from her. 

“I’ve missed you.” Veronica started.

“It’s only been a couple of days,” Nick responded.

Veronica shrugged.  “We’ve been communicating in one form or another for almost a year, I missed you.”  She reached out to touch her hand and acted a bit surprised when he did not pull away.  “What’s been bothering you?”

Now it was Nick’s turn to shrug.  “Things have been going through my mind is all.”

“I know something is bothering you and I want you to know that I am here when you feel ready to talk.” She smiled though it looked like the same twinkle she normally had was gone.

“Right,” he said then sighed.  He had come here to clear the air with Veronica.  She had met him after he said he didn’t feel like he loved her that there was someone else.  The least he could do is explain what was going on in his life.  “I don’t know what came over me, you and I fit. We have so much in common and when we met it was like I was meeting my other half.” He admitted.

“I felt the same,” Veronica added. 

“Things seem to be too perfect,” he continued.  He noticed the empty plate in front of Veronica and the check sitting towards his side of the table.  Had she ever paid for a meal when they were together, Nick didn’t think so, it hadn’t bothered him much.  He knew she didn’t make a lot of money and Kevin always told him that the man should pick up the bill on a date, it was just the gentleman thing to do.    

“Can I get you anything else?” A server appeared at that exact moment, Nick saw his eyes fall on the check. How long had it been sitting there?  The server hadn’t even offered to get anything for Nick, how long had Veronica been there.

Veronica shook her head and the server walked away.

“How long have you been here?” Nick asked. 

“I was excited to meet you, I got here a couple of hours ago and had dinner.” She blinked her eyes at him innocently.  “I didn’t think you’d mind you.”

They were supposed to meet for dinner and now he found out that she’d already eaten and by the way the waiter had acted she hadn’t paid yet.  “You haven’t paid?” He asked.

“Not yet, I didn’t want them to try to push me off of the table.  I thought that if I paid they would hound me sooner.” Veronica smiled and pulled out her wallet throwing some cash on top of the check.  “Did you think I was going to make you pay for my food when you didn’t eat?” She asked with a hint of laughter in her voice.

Nick joined in laughing with her, it did seem a bit crazy that she would do that.  “I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” He smiled and pulled her hand close to his mouth and kissed it lightly. 

“I need to use the ladies room, please order something, I will sit with you and talk to you while you eat.” She smiled at him and stood to leave. 

Nick shook his head and picked up a menu. The server came back and took the bill, Nick’s hand covered the top of it.  “We aren’t finished.” He told the man and then picked up the cash.  He picked up Veronica’s phone so that he could put the cash under it.  He nearly jumped when her phone vibrated at that very moment. 

He didn’t mean to, but his eyes glanced down at the text message that was revealing itself on the screen in front of him.

‘this better work out, he’s rich he can afford it.’ The message read.  Nick didn’t know who the text was from but it didn’t matter.  His fears about Veronica were proving true.   Nick stood and left, leaving Veronica to pay her bill and to pay for the food he just ordered as well.

“Follow the money,” he muttered to himself. The option to avoid love and go after the fame and fortune was sounding better every time. Hell, it turned out that even someone who he thought loved him was probably only in it for the money.

Nick stopped for the stop sign in front of him.  He glanced around in all directions and started to drive through the intersection.   He knew he looked in every direction, so where did the car from that slammed into the side of his car?  

Nick groaned as he rolled over on his side.  He ached everywhere, which he normally would hate but it meant the car accident hadn’t killed him.  He blinked slowly as he opened his eyes.  He was lying on a hospital bed, several tubes were running in his body leading to an IV drip.   His mouth felt dry and he smacked his lips trying to get moisture on them.  A straw was directed into his mouth and he drank greedily. 

“Slow down, you don’t want to get sick,” a voice said as the straw was removed from his mouth.  Nick blinked again and opened his eyes to see who was in the room with him. 

“Lindsey?” He asked.  “I am glad to see you, I thought…” He tried to sit up on the bed but a pain in his side forced him to lie back down.  Lindsey must have noticed and began to push the button to raise the head of his bed. 

“I wasn’t sure you’d ever see me again.” He smiled at her.

“I didn’t think I’d see you either,” Lindsey whispered.  It could have been the medication he was on, but Nick was sure he heard sadness in her voice.

“Wait, how did you know I was here?” He asked suddenly confused. He was sure she was not listed on his emergency contact list, despite their issues his bother then his manager should have been called.

Lindsey’s face flushed bright pink, “I .. uh…”

Nick started laughing.  “You were the other car,” He laughed as she nodded in confirmation.  Nick’s laughter grew before he realized the pain the laughter was causing him and he stopped. 

“It’s not that funny.” Lindsey argued.

“Yes, it is.” He insisted.  Their first meeting Nick had hit her with his car, and when he thought he’d never see her again she hit him with her car. 

“About the other night,” She started to talk. Nick looked at her anxious to know the answer, but the door opened and a nurse walked into the room to check on Nick.  It seemed like forever that she messed around with Nick, taking his temperature, checking his vitals, and the level of his IV solution.

“Is there anything I can get you Mr. Carter?” The nurse asked him when she finished.  Nick was lucky, he couldn’t see any external injuries and aside from the pain in his side and head he felt relatively fine.

Nick shook his head. He wanted her to leave, Lindsey was about to talk about that night, the night he confessed her feelings and she started crying.  Both watched as the nurse exited the room, the door closing softly behind her.

“You were saying…” Nick prompted her when she remained silent after the nurse left.

Lindsey sat down on the chair next to the bed.  “The other night when you told me those things, how you felt,” Lindsey paused and bit her lip. She looked unsure of how to continue.   “I couldn’t believe you could have those feelings towards me,” She smiled up at him.

“But you don’t share them?” He asked.  “I stuck around after you went to your room. I heard you crying.” He confronted her about what he heard.  He could see tears starting to glisten in her eyes as she sat there.  He hoped she did not start to cry and run off again.

“Is it David?” Nick asked again.  Maybe she loved David and didn’t know how to handle her friend confessing his wish to be with her as well.

“No, David was a lie.” Lindsey confessed as she blushed.  “I didn’t want you to know how I felt about you when you were with Veronica, so I made up David.  The guy you met, his real name is John.” Lindsey looked away embarrassed. Nick couldn’t help it so he started to laugh. 

“You made a boyfriend up, because you like me?” He asked, his face was beginning to hurt from the grin that was plastered on his face.   He didn’t care that she had made up a boyfriend, he put himself in her shoes.  If he loved her sooner and she was happy with another man what would he have done to help spare his heart?

“Is that the only reason you were crying?” he asked when he noticed she was still on the verge of tears.  She liked him, she had no boyfriend, he liked, possibly loved her, why could she still be sad?

“That night at dinner, I was going to tell you and then things just never seemed to be right…” She started and Nick suddenly got worried.

“Nick, I got a job offer.”  She confessed.

“That’s great, you will finally get to move up and in the direction of another job. It’s what you wanted right?” He said.

“It is, but, it’s in another state with a move to London after the training.” She admitted.

“What?” He tried to sit up but the pain in his side kept him from sitting up even though he really wanted to jump out of the bed and grab hold of Lindsey and hold her tight.  “Are you going to take it?”  He asked, realizing that he was hoping she was going to say no.

“I accepted the day before your confession.  I leave tomorrow.”  Her face was still red after this admission as well.

“Tomorrow, but not to London tomorrow?” Nick asked still hopeful, he could visit her when he had the time.

“I start training Monday and from what I’ve heard it really is all day training for two weeks and then I’m off to London, if I make it through the training the first time.”  Lindsey gave Nick a half smile.

The two sat looking at each other after she finished talking.  Nick watched as Lindsey literally twiddled her thumbs.   “So what are we going to do?” Nick asked finally.

“Nothing,” Lindsey admitted.  “Long distance never works.”

“I can travel…” He started but she immediately started to shake her head. 

“That’s not fair to have you spend your money to come visit me all the time.  You have a life and a career.  It would be too much work to be with me.”   Lindsey stated with finality, standing to leave. “I should get going, I still have to finish my errand I was on when I hit you and I have some packing to finish.”

“What were you out doing?” He asked, he didn’t know why but he did.

“I was on my way to the office that sent me this check.” She pulled out the check from her bag and it was as if something dawned on her.  “Technically, this is your money so I suppose I can give this back to you.”  She handed him the check, he looked down and noticed it was the check made out to her to cover anything the insurance did not cover from their initial meeting, when he crashed his car into hers.

“Why didn’t you cash this?” He asked.

“I never planned on cashing it.” She shrugged.

“Then why did you get the check in the first place?” Nick asked confused.

“I wanted to see if you were being true to your word.   It was this that warmed me up to you and allowed me to open myself up to you and become friends.”  She smiled and moved close.  She leaned in and lightly kissed Nick on the lips.  “Good bye Nick.  At least we know we can’t run into each other with our vehicles anymore.” She smirked and turned to leave the room leaving Nick staring down at the check in his hand.

Nick lay awake after Lindsey had left thinking about her and her move.  She felt the same about him, he knew that now but the timing was horrible and she was leaving him.  She made it clear that she didn’t want to try a long distance relationship. 

When Nick finally was able to drift off to sleep he dreamt about the carnival: the lights, the rides and of course, the fortune teller.  It was his trip into the tent that was the most vivid part of his dream.  He could smell the scents of the different incenses that were burning all around the inside of the tent.  He could hear the tinkling of the bells the gypsy woman wore around her waist as she moved to sit in front of him. 

"What are you doing here?” The woman asked. “Do you have somewhere to be?” Her smiled played on her lips was intriguing.  She knew something that he wanted to know but she would not give up the information easily.

“Where am I supposed to be?” Nick asked it couldn’t hurt to ask right? Maybe she would tell him what he wanted to know.

“The time has come, your fork in the road.  You must choose.” She spoke, she was sure of herself.  Continue on the path you are on and reap the benefits of fame and fortune or take the fork that has presented itself…” With these words the woman’s face started to fade out of Nick’s dream.  His entire surroundings began to fade and the next sounds he heard were that of the beeping heart monitor next to his hospital bed.

Any attempts to get back to sleep after that dream would prove to be impossible so, instead, Nick lay awake with thinking of Lindsey.   Sure he would be able to call her if he needed to, but he wouldn’t be able to show up unannounced to take her out.  He would never randomly run into her again, whether it was with his car or just out and about.  He laughed thinking about the two accidents.

With thoughts of Lindsey he drifted off and was managed to get a couple of hours of sleep.

The next morning after the accident, Nick was released.  He only had a few bumps and bruises, nothing internally was damaged.  Lindsey had not hit his car as hard as he had hit hers.  Nick called a taxi and waited for the taxi to arrive when his phone rang. 

“Hello?” Nick answered.

“Did you forget?” The voice of his manager came across on the other line. 

“Forget what?” Nick asked, he obviously had forgotten.

His manager groaned.  “The meeting today? You and I were going to get together an hour ago to go over stuff to prepare.”

“Oh right,” Nick remembered.  He was supposed to meet with his manager and the producer. This would change his career forever.  He relayed what had happened to him the day before.  He reassured him he was fine several times and that he didn’t need a ride; he had a taxi on its way to pick him up.

“Nick, don’t mess this up.  He only has today to meet with you.  If you don’t show up, that’s it. We won’t get this chance again.”  His manager pushed in his ear.

“I got it,” Nick said rolling his eyes as he said good bye and hung up with his manager.

“The time has come, your fork in the road,” The voice of the gypsy wafted through the air around him.  Nick realized this was the moment of his fortune where he must choose his path.  Down one he would have fame and fortune, the other he would have the greatest love of his life.

If he let Lindsey go and went to his meeting his fame and fortune would probably increase, he’d likely become a solo artist and the group he started with would probably fall apart.  If he stopped Lindsey from leaving he would be ruining her career but he would have his best friend and hopefully lover, back.  He wanted both options but each had their pitfalls.

The honking of the taxi horn brought Nick around and he climbed into the backseat of the cab and sat there, still wondering what he should do next.

He sighed as his mind went automatically to one option.  His mind was made. 

“Where do you want to go?” the cab driver asked.

Nick looked up into a pair of green eyes looking back at him in the review mirror.  He laughed and shook his head. ‘Follow the money,’ a pair of similar green eyes had told him.  It wasn’t until that moment that he realized she was telling him what to do in regards to what woman to choose.   

“Well?” the man was growing impatient, he wanted to drive and drop off his fare so that he could get another. 

Nick nodded and smiling he told the man his decision.  “To the airport,” He told the driver. 

To Nick it felt like he spent forever in the cab waiting to arrive at the airport.  He tried Lindsey’s cell several times on the way but she was not answering.  Maybe she was already on the plane?  Nick had no idea where she was going for her training, he had no idea what time she was leaving.

He tried one last time to get her on the phone.

“Hello?” She answered sounding slightly irritated.

“Lindsey,” Nick smiled glad that he caught her.  “What time are you leaving?”

“I am just pulling up to the airport right now,” He could hear the sounds of her opening the door and settling cab fare with a driver.  “Why?” She returned to their conversation.

“I wanted to say good-bye.” He told her.   He grinned broadly as his cab finally turned into the airport lane and pulled up behind another cab.  He saw her standing with her back to the cars; neck cocked sideways holding the phone on her shoulder.

“Thank you, I will miss you.” Her voice sounded like almost a whisper.

He hung up the phone as he got out of the car and watched as she looked at her phone to notice he had hung up.  He could hear her grumbling about him hanging up as he walked up behind her. 

“What a jerk.” He spoke up from behind.  “For hanging up on you…” he added.

“Ya…” She started and stopped when she turned to see him standing behind her.  A smile broke out on her face.

Nick pulled Lindsey close. “Lindsey, I can’t live without you.  I love you.” As he uttered the words he knew just how true they were.  How lost he would be if she left.   “Please don’t go.”

He leaned down and kissed her, holding her tightly against his body he could feel her heartbeat faster.  He broke the kiss and continued to speak.  “All this time I thought the world was working against me.  I felt that my luck with love was cursed.  Now I realize I was the one fighting fate when it took me so long to realize that our car accident was no accident at all.  You were meant to be in my life, please say you will stay with me.”

Tears glistened in Lindsey’s eyes as she nodded and kissed him again. Nick ignored the sound of the phone ringing at his belt, he chose his path, there was no going back.