Chapter 5

"So, guess what?" I told Kelly as we sat eating lunch in downtown Nashville. I had called her right after I left the studio & had my latest encounter with Nick. I really liked the guy, but the fact that he had somewhat lied to me was a bit of a turn-off. I didn't want to jump to conclusions to quickly though, so I'd given him the benefit of the doubt & agreed to talk later.

"What?" she asked me.

"Well, Nick Carter is actually Nick Carter, World Famous Musician."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you said that his name sounded familiar yesterday, right?" She nodded. "Ok, well I ran into him again this morning at the studio. He was there recording with his group - the Backstreet Boys."

Her eyes widened. "Are you kidding me? That's who he is? I wouldn't know who those guys were if it weren't for my little sister, but wow. I can't believe he wouldn't just tell you that, what did he think you were going to do, run? You deal with people like him all the time."

Now it was my turn to nod. "Yep. That's exactly what I told him. His true identity doesn't change anything. I still think he's a nice guy & I am still going to record with him. I just wish he hadn't of kept that from me."

"You talk like the two of you are an item," she laughed.

"Well, we're not. I've only known him a couple of days."

"If you want to know my opinion, I think he's got a thing for you & he was really afraid that you'd find out who he was and would want nothing to do with him. He really doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to relationships from what I've heard."

"I didn't ask for your opinion though, did I?" I told her. I hadn't even known Nick for a week yet & Kelly probably already had us picking out china patterns. "It's not like anything is going to come from this. We'll record the song for the album & that will be that. We'll go our seperate ways."

"Except for the fact that he lives on your street, Sara. Seeing him is going to be unavoidable."

I sighed. She was right. I would have to see him. I didn't know if she was right about him having a thing for me though, but I did know that whenever he was around I wasn't myself. I hadn't ever really thought about falling in love, unless you count the songs I've written, until I met him that morning. Now he was on my mind constantly & I found myself daydreaming about what it would be like. "What have I gotten myself into, Kel?"

"I don't know, hun." She said. "It's not the end of the world though. Maybe it's God's way of saying it's time for you to actually live out those songs you've been writing for years."

She did have a point. "I think I'll just take this whole thing one day at a time. I'm supposed to see him tonight to talk. I finished the song & I really want him to hear the final product before we go record it next week."

"I think this is going to be a good experience for you, Sara. I really do."

I laughed. "We'll see."

***

Later that night I received a phone call from Nick saying he was on his way over. It was probably a good 30 minutes before he arrived and we headed down to my studio. I had told him I'd finished the song & he was eager to hear what I'd come up with. Like a couple nights before I picked up my guitar & played along as I sang. He stopped me about halfway through.

"I think we need to practice together. I'll sing my verses, you sing yours & we'll see how it comes out." He told me. I nodded. I began to play again & he began to sing.

Everybody keeps telling me I'm such a lucky man
Lookin at you standin there I know I am
Barefooted beauty with eyes that blue
The sun shine sure looks good on you
I swear

I couldn't help but stare as he sang directly to me. It gave me chills. Then it was my verse.

Oh I can't believe I finally found you baby
Happy ever after, after all this time
Oh there's gonna be some ups and downs
but with you to wrap my arms around
I'm fine

He stared intently at me as I sang. It should have made me nervous, but instead it made me feel something I'd never felt before. Then came the chorus & we both sang it together.

So baby, hold on tight
Don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making
Cause baby when the ground starts shakin
You gotta know when you've got a good thing

Then we started our second verses, first Nick & then me.

You know you keep on bringin out the best of me
And I need you now even more than the air I breathe

Then we went back into the chorus:

So baby, hold on tight
Don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making
Cause baby when the ground starts shakin
You gotta know when you've gotta good thing

We got a good thing, baby, woah
So hold on tight
Baby, don't let go
Hold onto the love we're making
Cause baby when the ground starts shakin
You gotta know, oh you gotta know
Oh you gotta know, you gotta know
When you got a good thing

We got a good thing baby

I'm not sure when it happened but we both ended up standing in front of the couch at some point during the song & at some point we'd gotten very close. If it weren't for the guitar I had around my neck, we probably would've been touching. At the last line of the song he put his hands on either side of my face. He sang the line & that's when it happened. He leaned in and ever so slightly his lips met mine. He quickly pulled away and stared at me. "I...I'm so sorry. I must've got caught up in the song," he said to me. He was still standing just as close. I lifted the guitar strap over my head & gently placed the guitar down on the couch. "Why aren't you saying anything, Sara? Are you okay?" He took a step back. I just shook my head.

"I, uhm, I need to see something," I told him & he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Uhm, okay. What's going on?" I didn't respond to him. I just stepped closer to him, grabbed the sides of his head and pulled his face to mine. I don't know what had taken over me, but I knew I had to go for it. He took the hint & deepened the kiss, we stood that way for a couple of minutes before finally pulling apart from each other. He sat on one end of the couch & I took a seat on the coffee table I had sitting in front of it. "I didn't see that coming." He said, finally breaking the silence.

"I, uhm, I really don't know what came over me. I, uhm..." I stuttered, still breathless from the kiss.

He smiled. "It's okay, I kinda liked it."

I gave him a look. "Kinda?"

He laughed. "Okay, I loved it....a lot." He stood up, standing in front of me, pulling me to my feet. "I'm pretty sure we should try that again." I smiled as he leaned down to kiss me again. If I was dreaming I really didn't want to wake up.

***

Song Lyrics: "When You Got A Good Thing" - Lady Antebellum (YouTube It!)