CHAPTER SIX: Blues For Uncle Gibb
"I drank so much that night and ended up puking on the side of the road because I really couldn't wait to get back to the hotel. When I was done, I still had some spit hanging over the side of my mouth and when I looked up, there's a girl standing there all excited and she goes, 'Oh my god, are you Nick Carter?'" Nick burst into laughter with the rest of us following.
"That was so fucking hilarious! I was seriously about to piss my pants when she said that!" I laughed out loud while burying my head into couch.
"She picked such a terrific moment too." AJ managed to say in between laughs.
"Hands down the best drunken story of the night!" Casey triumphantly declared.
With Casey being back home, we caught up on each other's lives. Talked about work, friends, work and more work. It was really good to see her again that the disagreements we had overtime just vanished. What's paint? But once all that was out of the way, we invited Nick and AJ for an impromptu dinner. Brian returned to his home in Georgia with his family and Howie went on vacation to Puerto Rico with Leigh so our L.A. buddies were available. I love getting together with them because our conversations usually turned into a forum of drunken and debauchery stories from mostly the past, but in my case, the present. Sentences starting with 'oh I got so drunk that time in Amsterdam', 'Back in college when I beer-ponged for a living...' or 'That time I flashed everyone during a live sex show in Germany...’ Everything was going so well until a phone rang.
"Hello?" Casey answered her phone getting up from the couch.
"What about in San Francisco for pride a couple of years ago when you all those tequila shots then you started doing the chicken dance in the hotel lobby?" Nick pointed at me laughing.
"Oh yeah!" I suddenly remembered the event and doubled over in laughter. "Don't accuse me like I was the only one that did it. You were doing it with me like 30 seconds later!"
"Shit, I forgot about that." Nick replied sheepishly.
"WHAT?!" Casey yelled making us jump and sit in silent listening in. "Are you fucking kidding me? I gave Vanessa the presentation to do and you're telling me she can't do it because she caught crabs from some guy she slept with?? Uh huh yeah...... So it's absolutely necessary?.... Okay, okay, fine, bye." Casey hung up and tossed her phone beside her before getting up.
"God fucking dammit!"
"What's happening?" I asked alarmed.
"I have to go back to Venezuela."
"What?" My face fell and shook my head, "No, no, you're not. You can't."
"I have to, baby. You heard what happened," Casey said looking heartbroken about leaving so soon. "I'm the only one that knows how to do it so I have to get back there as soon as I can."
"You just came back 72 hours ago and you're already going back?" I said trying to make sense of it all. I saw Nick at the corner of my eye looking disappointed. "There's no one else besides Vanessa and you that can present it??"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"Not even Jared."
"He's on a romantic getaway with his wife."
"Shit," I muttered. "How long are you going to be gone for - again?"
"They said a couple of days but I think it'll be at least a week to close the deal."
I sighed deeply, "Out of all the times Vanessa whored around, now she had to contract something?"
"I guess it finally caught up with her."
"I can't believe this...." I folded my arms, frowning sadly.
"C'mon guys, don't get crabby." AJ laughed in hysterics making us turn to stare at him bewilderedly then he immediately stopped. Now was not the time for 'I can't believe you said that' jokes.
Sighing heavily and tucking my lips in, Casey knelt down in front of me, "I'm so sorry that I have to leave, I really am. You know this is my job and they need me. I promise that I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?"
I nodded, "Okay." Casey smiled giving me a quick kiss on the lips and stood up on her feet. "Wanna help me pack?"
"Nah, I think I'm good. I'll just stay here if you don't mind." I genuinely smiled.
Casey only nodded knowing that I needed some time to cool off. Before heading out of the living room, Nick stood up, "I'll help you if that's cool."
"That'd be great, thanks Nick."
Once they were out of sight, I walked over and sat where AJ was sitting on the couch across from me, laying my head on his shoulder and said, "They're going to talk about me aren't they?"
"Oh yeah," AJ laughed and wrapped an arm around me. "They are."
"Can you do me a really big favor?" Casey asked kneeling down grabbing her suitcase from under the bed.
"Yeah sure. What do you need?" Nick took the suitcase from Casey and lifted it onto the bed.
"Can you stay with Audrey until I get back?"
"Oh she's going to love that idea." Nick joked.
"I just think it would be a good idea. I know how lonely she gets here being on her own and now that you're back, it would be really great if you could stay with her."
Nick looked at her with skepticism, "I don't know Case. She'll probably think you're doing it out of sympathy and you know how much she doesn't like that."
"This isn't sympathetic at all. I'm asking as her loving girlfriend for you to take care of her while I'm gone. I'm only going to be gone for a week. Think of it as an extended sleepover." Casey smirked.
"An extended sleepover does sound fun...." Nick trailed off and laughed.
"So, will you do it?"
A smile appeared on Nick's face, "Okay, okay."
"Thank you so much!" Casey wrapped her arms around Nick giving him a big hug.
Nick returned the hug and laughed at her relief, "No problem."
"You better ask her first to see if it's okay."
"Oh, we don't have to ask her. Just slip it under the rug." Casey mischievously said.
"So she can't detest?"
"Yup."
"That's very sly of you, but she will anyway."
"I have my earplugs ready."
"I think I would need them more than you." Nick laughed. "I can hear it now, 'Niiiiiiiiiiiiick!'"
Casey and Nick made their way back to the living room with Casey's luggage in tow.
"I called a cab; it should be here in five minutes." Casey setting down her luggages against the couch.
"Do you have everything? Hair straightener? Your seven pounds of make up?" I smiled lightly.
Casey laughed, "I think there's about eight pounds of MAC make up in there. I'm all set."
"What about my naked picture? The one I signed with hugs and kisses?" AJ grinned.
"Oh, that's the most important one of all. You know I packed that first." Casey winked.
Then she turned towards me and saw that I was in deep thought while staring outside in the street. Walking over to me, she touched my hand and said, "Hey, come here."
She pulled me up and led me to the outside patio, closing the screen door behind us. "This is out of my hands, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I know."
"You know I would rather have a Saved By The Bell marathon and stay in our pyjamas eating ice cream than go fly back but this is just something I have to do."
"Don't worry, Case. I understand. It's just a little annoying that's all."
"I'm really sorry, Audrey," Casey caressed my face softly, "When this is all over, how about we take off to Boston for the weekend. How's that sound?"
"Even go to the Museum of Fine Arts?"
"Absolutely."
"Reminisce around Harvard Square?"
Casey smiled, "Sure, anything you want."
A loud beep came from the front of the house.
"I'll call you when I get in okay?" Casey leaned in giving me one last kiss for the road. "I'll see you in a week."
"See ya." I waved slightly.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
She smiled at me before entering back into the house saying her goodbyes to Nick. AJ grabbed her suitcase and led Casey out to the cab. Giving myself a few minutes, I stepped back into the house as AJ walked back into the living room hearing the cab speed away into a distance.
"You alright?" Nick rubbed my shoulders.
"Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just overacting that's all," I laughed lightly. "Just being a drama queen but I'll get over it."
"It's only a week. It's not that long if you really think about." AJ said.
"Yeah I guess so." I mumbled.
"You'll be occupied the whole time anyway." Nick said.
"I guess that's true. I can bring my work home so I can get more things done."
"No I don't mean that." Nick said with such innocence that it made me raise an eyebrow.
"I know that tone of voice, Mister. What do you mean?"
"Because I'm staying with you."
My eyes furrowed in confusion, "Excuse me, what?"
"Oh, Casey and I decided that I'd be staying with you." Nick said nonchalantly.
"Care to ask me about what I would think about that?" I asked raising my voice slightly.
"Nope. We thought it wouldn't matter." Nick replied with a mischievous smile.
"Apparently my opinion doesn't matter around here."
"So that was the evil plan you were talking about upstairs," AJ quipped. "Should've seen that one coming, Aude."
"Niiiiiiiiiiiiiick!" I whined and playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'll be fine here, really. I don't need a babysitter!"
"C'mon it'll be fun, I promise. We can stay up all night, drinking, talking..." Nick began.
"Sing songs around a campfire..." I mumbled rolling my eyes.
"That's the spirit, Aude!" AJ pepped up with enthusiasm.
"I'm here to keep your mind off her not being here. You need me, I know it," Nick pleaded and began to sing. "Let me, let me, let me, let me get what I want....this time."
Sighing deeply, I knew I wasn't going to win this. He used a Smiths song, a favorite of mine, to win this argument? How dare he! But dammit, it totally worked.
"I don't really have a choice I guess, you manipulative prick."
"Aww aren't you sweet," Nick smiled widely and kissed my forehead. "We'll have fun, I promise."
Author's Chapter Notes:
I apologize for my super long absence. Shortly after I posted the last chapter, my computer crashed and I didn't have my story backed up. I've only started to re-work the chapters that I have lost and proceeding on to writing the story. Thanks for reading!
Chapter End Notes:
Contains lyrics from The Smiths - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
