Nick rode the elevator up to the floor where the dancers and some of the other crew were staying. The elevator doors slid open and he was about to step out when he saw a guy heading into Natalia's room. He walked towards her room, thinking maybe he just couldn't see and the guy actually walked into someone else's room. He knocked and waited for Natalia to answer.
He was more than a little surprised when the guy he had seen opened the door. He grinned, "Hey..can I help you?"
"Yea...I was looking for Natalia..I do have the right room, don't I?"
She appeared from behind the guy, "Hey Nick!"
Nick waved a little, "Hey Nat...I umm..just wanted to see if you wanted to go get something to eat...or something...with me..."
She smiled, shoving the guy out of the way, "I would..but my dad and Michael are supposed to be on their way...you're welcome to come to dinner with us, if you want."
He shook his head, "No..that's okay..you need time with your family.."
"Are you sure? What's wrong?"
He smiled, "Nothin'.."
"Nick..."
"Well..who's the guy?"
She looked over her shoulder and then the realization dawned on her, "Oh! Shit! You thought-- oh please don't believe I would EVER go out with him."
"Then who is it?"
"That's my brother Chris, you dork!"
"Ohhhh! Okay.."
She laughed before hugging him, "No need to get all protective on me Nicky."
"Sorry..I just...damn..sorry?"
"It's okay..really. Hey Chris, come here!"
The guy, Chris, appeared again. Natalia smiled and put a hand on his shoulder, "This is Nick Carter, Nick this is my OTHER brother, Chris."
Nick held out his hand and smiled at the guy, "It's nice to meet you, I've heard alot about you."
"You too, man."
"Are you sure you don't want to come to dinner or anything Nick?," Natalia asked.
Nick smiled at her, "No..that's okay.."
Chris disappeared back into the room to give his sister some privacy.
She smiled up at him, "Are you suuuure?"
"Yea Nat, I'm sure."
"Well..how about after my dad and brothers leave, I'll come to your room and we can watch a movie or something?"
He nodded, "Sounds good."
"Okay, I'll see you later then.."
"Bye Natalia."
After dinner with her family, Natalia went back to her room to put on more comfortable clothes and then rode back down the elevator to the floor the guys were staying on and to Nick's room.
He opened the door almost immediately after she knocked, dressed in sweats and a t-shirt. "Hey.."
"Hey..it's not too late, is it?"
He shook his head, opening the door wider, "No, you're fine, don't worry."
"Ok.," She replied walking in.
Nick's room was pretty much like every other hotel room. And it was also pretty much like he kept every other hotel room he had been in so far; messy. She smiled, it was so endearing to know someone who was such a 'super-star' like him could be so normal as to be so messy. "So how was dinner with the family?"
"It was good..my dad was pretty silent..which is normal."
"Does he still not believe you should be doing this?"
She shrugged, "Pretty much, I guess. But, Michael has actually convinced him to come to the show tomorrow..so maybe, just maybe, he'll come around a little more."
Nick smiled, "I'm sure he'll be just fine with his little girl dancing on stage practically naked."
"Well it's not my fault that the costumes are like that, now is it?"
"Well..no."
She laughed, "Nah, he knows that those are just costumes, you know? He's not going to like freak out because I show off my mid-drift or anything.."
Nick nodded, "Yea..I know..I was only teasin'."
They got comfortable on the bed and Nick flipped through the channels on the tv until he found the movie channel. "So..what was up with that look you gave me when you came down?"
"Huh?"
She laughed, "I cannot believe you thought Chris was my boyfriend or something!"
Nick blushed a tad, "Well, hello, I didn't know he was coming and I just like saw this guy walk into your room and stuff..it was a little unexpected."
She smiled as he put his arm around her and she snuggled into his embrace a little more. "It's okay...I get it.."
"You just wanna make fun of me."
"Oh HELL YEA!"
He laughed, "But that's okay.."
It was late, the movie had been long over, and the two of them were still up, sitting on Nick's bed, talking. Something had been bothering Natalia and he had begun to take notice. She was now sitting across from him, her legs cross Indian-style, her fingers playing nimbly with the hem of her shirt. "Nat? What's wrong?"
Her head shot up, "What makes you think something's wrong?"
"Well..ever since you went with me to the after-party last week, you've been..well weird...did I do something?"
"No! Oh no, you didn't do anything..I swear you didn't. I've..I've just been thinking about alot of things...and AJ said something to me last week that actually made me start thinking about...stuff."
"What did AJ say?"
She sighed, "Well..he said some stuff that had been in the back of my mind ever since..me and you, you know, kissed. About..what if someone finds out about us? Is there even an us?"
"I think there's something Natalia...I don't know what..but..I think if we tried, you know, things could happen...good things."
"But yea..what if someone DOES find out that me and you have been hanging out a little more closely than we should? And..what if there's pictures of me and you on the Internet and in tabloids?"
"So what Natalia..that shouldn't matter.."
"But it does to those people who have paid over a hundred dollars to see you in concert and scream your name and want to have your baby. I mean, I'm sure I'm hated enough just 'cause I'm on stage with you..but if me and you went serious or whatever..what would happen?"
"I don't know what would happen...I've seen what it's been like for Kevin and Brian and even AJ...it takes the fans awhile to understand and accept it...but I think once they learn that we're happy with the people we're with, then they begin to accept and get it....I can't tell you what would happen every minute of every day Nat...is that why you've been pulling away from me?"
She sighed, "Yea...I have enough people that hate me already..I don't need even MORE."
He smiled, "And that's what you've been worried about this whole time?"
"Well..yeah..."
"Something else is bothering you.."
"How do you DO that?!"
He smiled, "Come on...tell me.."
"Well..AJ mentioned something..that if the press got ahold of the news that me and you are..together or whatever then they'll look into who I am and my family and stuff.."
"Yea..so?"
She sighed, "My dad...doesn't exactly have the cleanest record in the whole world...he's not doing anything illegal..and we're not a mob family or anything like that, like my name would suggest..but...he's done some stuff he's not too proud of..hell, he probably doesn't even know that I know...but I don't want to jeopardize my family's privacy. They can dig into my life all they want, I don't have anything to hide..but my dad and my brothers don't need that..."
"Are you saying you don't want to...go out with me anymore?"
"No! That's not what..I'm saying...but...*sigh* Nick..can't you see where I'm coming from on this?"
"Yea..I see it..I do Nat. I don't want you to ever feel uncomfortable or anything bad because you're around me or whatever...but I do see your point."
She smiled taking his hand in hers, "Nick, I like you, I really do."
"I sense a 'but' coming on.."
"Well..not really a 'but'..."
He smiled slightly, "Then what is it?"
"I don't know..."
"Natalia..."
She sighed, "I feel like I'm blowing you off and that's not my intention at all because I DO like you.."
"And you know that I'm not the type of guy that has like fifty girlfriends and has a groupie every night...right?"
"Of course I know that.."
He smiled again, "Ok..good...I just..I don't want you to think I'm some radical rockstar or whatever.."
"I don't.."
"So..do you feel any better?"
She nodded, "Yea..actually I do."
He leaned forward, kissing her forehead gently, "Good.."
She yawned and looked at the clock, "Shit! We've been talking for like 2 hours!"
"Really? Geez..it went by fast.."
"Yea..it did.."
"I better get back to my room..," She said getting up.
He stood up as she did and followed her to the door, "You wanna grab breakfast later or something?"
She nodded, "Yea..that sounds good."
Nick smiled, "Okay...be careful."
"I'm going up one floor Nick, I'll be fine."
"I know..so, can I give you a kiss goodnight?"
She smiled, "Of course."
He grinned before leaning down and kissing her gently. She ran her hand, softly through his hair before finally pulling away, "Ok..I gotta get back.."
He smiled before pressing another kiss to her forehead, "I'll call your room later, ok?"
She nodded, "Yea..that's fine.."
He watched her until she reached the elevator and got in before he finally closed the door, locking it, and going back to his bed. He pulled his t-shirt off before turning off the light and lying down in the bed. He sighed, knowing sleep wasn't going to come too easy this night.
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