Damn… Did I really do all this damage? Nick questioned himself the next morning when he opened his eyes and saw the state of disarray his bedroom was in from his fit the night before. He hadn’t even remembered doing it at first. It was like he had completely blacked out during that time period. Maybe the media is right. Maybe I do need some anger management classes. No wonder they thought I was really responsible for those bruises on Paris.
He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t even notice Alyssa stirring beside him until he felt the warm touch of her hand on his back as she sat up next to him. “Kind of hard to believe you did all this, huh?” she asked, reading his mind.
“Yea… Scary part is I barely remember doing it.” He sighed. “It’s going to be fun cleaning up this whole mess and replacing what’s broken.”
Alyssa just silently nodded her head. “I’ll help,” she promised.
Nick gave her a grateful look. “Thanks a lot… For everything. You must have been pretty freaked out seeing me like that. I know getting angry isn’t the right solution to any problem at all, but I really wasn’t myself last night.”
“I know… And it’s okay Nick. I completely understand why you acted the way you did. I’m not going to hold it against you.”
“Can I ask you a question? Did you really mean what you said last night about moving out here to LA?”
Alyssa looked surprised at his question. Had he really not believed her last night? “Of course I was serious. Why would I agree to it if I wasn’t?”
Nick shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe just to make me feel better I suppose. So, if you were serious I guess the next question is how do we make this work?”
“What do you mean, how do we make this work?”
“You know… Like where are you going to live and stuff?” he asked, getting a little flustered. “I mean if you really want I guess you can stay here. The house is big enough and all.”
Alyssa laughed a little bit because she could tell that Nick really didn’t want her to move in with him, but he was too polite not to offer. She couldn’t blame him though. Given the choice and based upon where their relationship was at now, moving back in with him would be way too awkward. “It’s okay Nick. We’re both so used to living on our own right now and it would be rushing things way too much if I were to move in with you. Remember, we promised we’d take things slow right? I think I’d be the happiest with my own little condo across town. Be prepared though, I’m planning on lots of sleepovers both here and at my place,” she added with a smirk.
Nick grinned as he slid his arm around her. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem with that arrangement.” He paused for a moment. “So, I guess we’ll have to squeeze in some condo shopping huh?”
She shrugged indifferently. “It doesn’t have to be right away. If need be I can always come back out here for another visit after the tour to look at places, but right now we don’t have to waste our time with that. It’s going to be a pretty crazy transition moving all my furniture and everything cross country and then trying to find a job out here…”
While listening to her lament about how complicated the process of moving out to LA was going to be for her, Nick was hit with a brainstorm. His face broke out in a grin as he formulated his plan. After everything she had done for him last night, he at least owed her this much. “Hey, Lyss,” he cut her off. “I’m sorry, but I just remembered that I have a few calls I need to make. You know… Business stuff. So, why don’t you go down to the kitchen and see if you can rustle something up for breakfast and I’ll be down as soon as I can.”
“Okay,” Alyssa agreed, leaning over to give him a kiss on the cheek before springing out of bed. “Have fun with that!”
“Oh, I will!” Nick echoed back as she disappeared down the hall. Once she was gone, he got up and headed down the hall in the opposite direction towards his “office room” as he liked to call it. It hadn’t exactly been a lie to Alyssa. He did have a few calls to make. Only they weren’t exactly business ones.
When Nick came back downstairs about twenty minutes later he found himself quite amused at the sight before him as he stepped into the kitchen. A few feet away Alyssa stood near his stove, still in her boy shorts and tank top, flipping what appeared to be pancakes. She seemed completely oblivious that Nick had entered the room, but that probably had to do with the fact that she had jacked up the volume on his stereo and was now too immersed in singing along with the Black Eyed Peas on the radio.
What you gon' do with all that junk?
All that junk inside that trunk?
I'ma get, get, get, get you drunk,
Get you love drunk off my hump.
What you gon' do with all that ass?
All that ass inside them jeans?
I'ma make, make, make, make you scream
Make you scream, make you scream
Nick chuckled to himself as he watched her swing her hips along to the beat of the music in an exaggerated dance. He knew that once she finally noticed him, she was sure to be very embarrassed. Clearing his throat, he stepped further into the room. “Am I interrupting something?”
Alyssa jumped nearly ten feet as her face reddened. “Oh my God, Nick… You scared the shit out of me!”
He just smirked. “Sorry about that. Didn’t look like you were expecting anyone.” He made his way over to her side to inspect what she was doing. “You cooked?”
“Uh huh,” she nodded, holding up a piece of bacon for him to sample. “Not too bad, right?”
“Mmm…” Nick agreed as he bit into it. “Strangely enough it’s actually edible.”
Alyssa playfully smacked his arm. “You know, I can manage something as simple as pancakes and bacon. Speaking of, the pancakes should be ready any minute now, so have a seat.”
“Yea… Uhmm about that… I actually have to run out for a little bit. I have something that I need to take care of, but I swear after that I’m all yours.”
It was then Alyssa noticed for the first time that he was now fully dressed in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt and was gripping his car keys in his hand. “Can’t it at least wait until after you eat?” she pouted. “I mean I slaved over this hot stove and all…”
“Well, maybe I could just wolf down a few pancakes really quickly.” If there was one thing Nick had always been a sucker for it was her pouting. She was just so cute when she got that look on her face, that he found it hard to say no to her.
“That sounds better,” she told him with a triumphant grin on her face.
A few minutes later, the pancakes were out on the table and Nick had already almost inhaled two or three of them. “Slow down there buddy,” Alyssa teased. “Where do you have to go that’s so important?”
“Just got to pick something up.” It wasn’t exactly a complete lie.
“Do you want any company? I could go along for the ride if you want?”
“Nah… It’s okay. It’s just some more business stuff. You’d be bored out of your mind. I’ll be back before you know it,” he promised.
Alyssa gave him an odd look as if she didn’t quite believe him. “Okay then.”
Oh, oh. She’s onto you Carter. Nick’s mind quickly raced for some way to smooth over her worries. “While I’m gone make sure that you’re all dressed and everything. Then we can go out and do something.”
“Whatever you say.” She still seemed to be looking at him skeptically, but there was slightly less doubt in her voice. “Have a good time, I guess.”
“I’ll try, but yea… You know how business things are.” With that he stood up from the table. “I’ll see you later.”
“Later,” Alyssa echoed as she watched him leave. What the fuck was that all about? she wondered. That man just gets stranger and stranger each day.
With Nick gone and the house to herself, Alyssa wasn’t left with much to do, so she headed upstairs for a quick shower. Once she was finished, she changed into a pair of jeans and one of her favorite t-shirts that read Blondes Tease, Brunettes Please. After she was completely dressed with nothing else to do, she went back downstairs and plopped in front of the TV, searching for something to catch her attention until Nick returned.
She was halfway through a rerun of The Practice when she heard the front door open indicating that Nick had finally returned from his business. She looked up just as Nick walked in with a wide grin on his face. “What are you so smiley about?” she asked him, looking at him strangely.
Nick ignored her comment. “Good, you’re dressed! We’re leaving now. I have a surprise for you.”
Alyssa looked confused. “A surprise? For me?”
“Yep,” he confirmed as he threw his keys over to her. “Here you go. You’re driving.”
Alyssa glanced down at his keys, realizing that they were the ones to his BMW. Her eyes lit up. “You’re going to let me drive the Beemer?”
Nick nodded. “Call me crazy, but yes, I’m trusting my baby in your hands. So you better get moving before I change my mind.”
She didn’t need to be told twice. She sprang up from the couch and followed him out to the garage. “Is this my surprise?”
“Nope. It’s even better than that,” he promised as they reached the car. “Nice shirt by the way.”
Alyssa smirked as she unlocked it and slid into the driver’s seat. “I thought you might like it, being the king of the perverted t-shirts and all.” She reached up to adjust the rearview mirror and push her seat up much closer to the steering wheel. “I’m curious, is there any truth to that?”
Nick laughed a little bit at her flirting. “I think I might have to plead the fifth on that one.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever… We all know that it’s true. Okay… What freakin button do you hit to open up the moon roof?”
“That one over there.” Nick leaned over her lap to open it for her. “It was right in front of your face.”
“Shut up! I’m not used to such luxuries okay? I was lucky my last car had cup holders. Although I do admit… I definitely can get used to this.” She started up the engine and then placed her sunglasses onto her face before beginning to back out the driveway. “So, where am I going?”
“I’ll give you directions,” Nick assured her. “We’re going to need to head over to the parkway, so you’re going to have to make a left out of here.”
“I guess now would be a good time to remind you that I haven’t driven since September before my car was stolen.” Alyssa laughed as Nick’s face turned just a little white. Flashing him a grin she continued to drive. “But, don’t worry. I’ll be careful, I promise. I’m not doing that bad am I?”
“Please just stop speaking and concentrate on driving,” he begged through gritted teeth. “You’re going to make me regret my decision.”
“Nick, I was only kidding! I’m fine. Trust me, how can you be nervous at all driving a car like this?” She frowned once she realized that probably wasn’t the most encouraging thing to say under the circumstances. “Okay, don’t answer that. But seriously this is one amazing car. It runs five billion times better then my old hunk of junk did.”
Nick finally seemed to relax as a proud look came upon his face. “Yea… It’s pretty sweet, huh?”
“It is. You better watch it. I might just steal it on you,” she joked. “Which reminds me… I’m definitely going to need a car out here. One more expense for me. I seriously need to get my ass a steady job.”
“Well, if you really need to, I guess I can loan you this one for a bit until you save up enough money,” he offered. “Maybe I can even help you find a deal or something.”
Alyssa looked shocked. “You’d loan me your BMW? Are you crazy? You love this car!”
Nick shrugged. “Yea, I do, but I have two others. And I kind of owe you for picking up your entire life and moving all the way out here just for me. I figure if I want you around, I’m going to have to pitch in somehow.”
“Well, that’s really sweet of you Nick. You really want me to move out here that badly?”
After considering it for a moment or two Nick slowly nodded. “Yea, I do. After the tour wraps up things are going to be pretty weird. Kevin will be preparing for fatherhood, Brian will be in Georgia with his family, and AJ and Howie are going to be too wrapped up in their own relationships to really be there, so I think I’m going to need someone to talk to.”
Alyssa had to admit that she was touched. How am I supposed to respond to that? “Thank you, Nick. That means a lot to me.”
The rest of the ride passed by uneventfully with the only real conversation being Nick instructing Alyssa on which way to go. About twenty minutes later, they pulled into what appeared to be a modern looking condominium complex. Alyssa could tell just by the salty smell of the air that they couldn’t be too far from the ocean. With a puzzled look on her face, she turned towards Nick. “What are we doing here? Are we visiting someone? Does one of your sisters live here or something?”
Nick just chuckled at her questions. “You’ll see,” he mysteriously told her. “Park here.”
Alyssa pulled into the parking space that Nick had indicated and shut off the engine. The complex really was very well kept and inviting. Sort of like the kind of place that she’d like to live when she moved out to LA. Ha! And can you just imagine what one of these babies probably cost?
“Come on,” Nick told her, already out of the car. “I want to show you something.”
“Okay,” Alyssa responded uncertainly as she followed him towards the direction of one of the condos. To her surprise, Nick whipped out a pair of keys and stepping right up to the doorway of one, he jiggled the key into the lock, causing the door to spring open.
She must have been standing there gaping for a moment because Nick just laughed. “Don’t just stand there. Go inside.” He waved his hand in the direction of the open doorway.
` Slowly she stepped inside looking slightly awed. On the inside the place was completely gorgeous. About three times the size of her cramped apartment in New York City, the living area was spacious and inviting with white walls and wood paneled floors. A pair of skylights hung from the ceiling flooding the room with light. Sliding glass doors opened up to a small deck, barely big enough for two people that provided a beautiful view of the ocean in the distance. The kitchen area was small, but still bigger than what she had in New York City and looked very homey.
She was so entranced by the beauty of the condo that she jumped when she heard Nick’s voice behind her. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?”
Alyssa nodded. “Yea… It’s great.” She was still quite confused on why exactly Nick had brought her there though.
Nick grabbed her hand. “Come on you have to see the bedrooms and the bathroom.”
“Bedrooms?” Alyssa laughed. “I’m used to only one.”
The master bedroom was painted a calming light blue color that reminded Alyssa of the ocean. Again, it was about twice the size of her bedroom back in her apartment, and the walk in closet was a nice touch. Adjacent to the master bedroom was a smaller bedroom that she assumed was meant to be a guest room. Even that room was still slightly bigger than that she was used to. And across the hall was the bathroom, which was a sea foam green color with white tile floors. The best part to Alyssa was that the room was big enough for a bathtub with a showerhead, which seemed a lot better than her cramped, boxed in shower stall in her apartment.
“So, what do you think?” Nick asked her once she had seen all the rooms and they headed back out to living room area.
“It’s a really nice place. Not too over the top, but definitely a lot nicer to what I’m used to,” she confessed, even though she was still a little lost. “Is it yours?”
Nick just nodded. “Uh huh… Just bought her this morning.”
“This morning?” Now Alyssa looked even more confused than ever. “But I thought you were out doing something business related this morning?”
He shrugged. “I’d say that this is pretty business related, don’t you? Especially since I’m obviously not going to be living here. What do I need a condo for when I have a house not even half an hour away?”
Slowly a look of understanding began to appear on Alyssa’s face. “So then what are you planning to do with this place?”
“I’m thinking about renting it out actually,” he slyly replied. “Know anybody who might be interested?”
Alyssa’s expression turned into one of disbelief, but she continued to play along. “I think I know of someone. She’s looking to move out here to the West Coast from New York and a place like this would be ideal for her. Only problem is I think its way out of her budget.”
Nick grinned. “Well, we can negotiate a little bit on the rent. I’m sure that I could strike up some kind of deal with her. So, what do you say?”
“Oh Nick, its perfect! Exactly what I wanted! I can’t believe that you fucking did this. How did you fucking do this? We only discussed it this morning.”
“Must I give away the mystery?” A stern look from her answered the question. “All right, fine. I’ll tell you. A few weeks ago when I came back from the European tour Aaron was looking for a new condo out here and he invited me to come look at a few places with him. This was one of them, which I really liked, but it wasn’t exactly what Aaron was looking for. I think he wanted something a little more pimped out, I guess. Anyway this morning when you mentioned that you would like a condo out here I immediately thought of this place. So, I called up the realtor and as luck might have it, it was still available. This morning while I was supposedly out ‘conducting business,’ I was signing the papers on it and picking up the keys. I didn’t want you to lose the place, so I bought it under my name and figured that I could rent it out to you. That way we could be flexible with the rent since I know that money is a little rough right now for you. And yea… That’s pretty much it!”
Alyssa’s eyes almost filled up with tears. As much as she hated to accept charity, especially from him because she was so paranoid of being considered a gold digger, the thought that he had put into this completely overwhelmed her. It wasn’t something that she would’ve expected from him; that was for sure. “I can’t believe you did this… but thank you. It’s probably one of the sweetest things that anyone has ever done for me.”
Nick beamed. “So, should we start talking business here? Throwing some numbers on the table?”
Too choked up to speak at first, Alyssa nodded her head. “What’s your offer?”
“I know that its going to be a tough time for you money wise between moving and having to get settled in here with a job and then buying a car, so how about $150 a month?”
“$150 a month?! Are you fucking insane!” she exclaimed. “That’s like giving me the place for free! I don’t even think that could cover all the utilities. No way, am I agreeing to that!”
He sighed. “Well, how much do you feel is appropriate and that you can handle?”
“I won’t settle for less than $300 a month. And even at that, I feel like I’m getting away with robbery.”
“Well, it’s not like I need the money,” he pointed out. “I just know you and know what you would insist upon giving me something each month. How about we compromise? $250 a month?”
Alyssa shot him an “are you kidding me” look. Obviously she wasn’t going to give in too easily. “If you’re really that concerned that you’re not paying me enough, I can collect rent in other ways too,” he joked, wiggling his eyebrows. “I’ll gladly accept sexual favors.”
This made Alyssa’s serious glance fall apart and crumble into laughter. “Well, if that’s the case then we might just be able to work something out,” she finally gave in. “$250 it is then.”
Nick stuck out his hand. “So, it’s a deal, then?”
“Deal.” Alyssa accepted his hand, but then pulled herself closer to him and wrapped her arms around him. “This was a wonderful surprise Nick.”
“I thought you might like it,” he told her with a smirk, before tilting her chin upwards for a kiss.
Breaking away, Alyssa looked around the room in excitement. “So, how soon can I move in?”
“As soon as you want. Our tour wraps up on February 2nd, so I should be home within that next day or so. I figured that you’d probably have to be out of your apartment by the first anyway, so you could come right out here, get settled, and it should work out perfectly. You’ll be here just in time for us to celebrate Valentine’s Day together.”
Valentine’s Day? He’s talking about the two of us celebrating Valentine’s Day together? Alyssa was shocked to say the least. Two weeks ago, it had seemed like Nick couldn’t seem to get rid of her fast enough. What had changed? And furthermore why was she complaining? This was what she wanted, right? “Sounds absolutely perfect. I just have one request though.”
“And what’s that?” he asked.
“Do you think that maybe we could stay here tonight? I know there’s no furniture yet, but we can get an air mattress or something and cook dinner on the grill,” she suggested. “I think it would be kind of romantic.”
“Whatever you want,” Nick assured her, before bending down to capture her into another kiss.
As Alyssa lost herself in the moment, she couldn’t help, but wonder exactly what had brought this sudden change upon Nick? Could he possibly be beginning to fall back in love with her too?
