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Chapter 8

(Told by Sara)

"Nick, I'm not going to lie. I'm nervous as hell right now," I told Nick as we sat outside the recording studio waiting to go in and record. Rick hadn't arrived yet, so after checking in with Ellie we had walked back outside to sit & wait.

He put his arm around me & pulled me close to his side. "Sara, you're going to be amazing, okay? Trust me. I've heard A LOT of singers & you are by far the best."

I smiled at him. "You're too good to me, you know that?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know." Then he chuckled. I playfully slapped his arm.

"You're not supposed to agree with me, Nick!" I pouted. He just smiled. Over the past couple of days we'd grown remarkably closer. I have to admit that I couldn't believe we'd only known each other a couple of weeks. It seemed like it had been years. We weren't official or anything, but I think we both knew it was only a matter of time.

"Hello Sara, Hello Nick. Nice to see you both of you again. Are we ready to do this?" Rick said as he approached us.

We both stood & nodded. "I think so." I told him. We followed him inside & began the recording session.

The first song Rick had me record was the one with Nick. I was so nervous I was shaking. Nick came up to me in the booth, put his arms around me & whispered in my ear. "You're going to be amazing." He pulled away & placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. He'd given me the inspiration I needed.

We ran through the song several times before Rick signaled that he felt we'd gotten it just right. "Sara, that may just be the best song I've heard you come up with yet."

I smiled. "Thank you, Rick. You really think so?"

"Yes, I do & I feel like the record execs will too. Now let's get a couple more cut today."

I nodded & headed back into the booth to cut two more songs I'd recently written. One I'd titled "American Honey". A semi - autobiographical song about myself. The second was a more uptempo song, "Stars Tonight". In total I think we ended up spending about 7 hours at the studio.

Needless to say I was exhausted when we were finally finished & ready to head home. Nick dropped me off at my house. I'd offered to let him come in and stay for a bit, but he'd insisted I needed my rest. I had to agree with him there, I'd gotten very little sleep since he'd come into my life. Not that I was complaining one bit. I loved every moment I got to spend with him.

***

(Told by Nick)

"So I feel like the album should be released in September, so we need to get to work on promotional dates & then setting up the tour," Howie said to us. He'd called a meeting with all of us before they were all flying back to their respective homes.

I sighed. "Guys, I just...I don't know that I'm going to be ready."

"Nick, just because you've found a new flavor doesn't mean you can put off the tour." AJ told me. I gave him a dirty look.

"Sara is more than just a new flavor, J. Plus, she & I just recorded that song together. I don't know what's going to happen with that.

"Look Nick, we think it's great that you're pursuing a career outside of the guys, but the new album is almost complete. It's going to be released & we're going to be expected to tour. That's just the way it is."

I rolled my eyes. "Maybe Sara can open for us. She is amazing after all. I'm sure you all would love her."

Brian shook his head. "I don't know if that's such a great idea."

"And why the hell not?" I asked. Sure, I was getting pissed off. Why wouldn't I?

"Now, just calm down, Nick," Brian said. "I just don't think that having your latest girlfriend as the opening act on the tour is a wise idea. You know how your fans can get, do you really want to put Sara through that?"

I thought about that a moment. It would be a nightmare for her. "What if our relationship isn't made public? We'll keep it hidden, at least until after the tour is over."

They all looked at each other. "Are you sure you can do that?"

"I'm sure we can."

"Then we'll give her music a listen, Nick. No promises yet though." Howie said.

I smiled. It was better than nothing & it meant spending more time with her. I could handle that. "Thank you guys. I really appreciate it."

"Alright, well, I don't know about you guys, but I have a plane to catch. I'll be in touch & let you all know when we'll be meeting up again," Howie explained.

We all said our goodbyes & parted ways. I couldn't wait to go over to Sara's to tell her the good news.

***

Chapter End Notes:

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