Over the next weeks, Nick and Natalia became good friends. He showed her around Orlando and took her to many a restaurant and they even went clubbing a couple of times. As time went on, Nick realized his crush on Natalia was becoming bigger and bigger. But the thing that deterred him was that he wasn't sure if she felt the same way. The tour would be starting in three days at the Orlando Arena and everyone was getting excited and anxious to get the first show done and overwith. They had moved rehearsal to the O-Arena the week before to see how it would feel the be on the stage and to work out any kinks that could pop up.
Natalia stood on the left side of the stage listening to AJ tell some story about what happened on the last tour to him.
Nick was watching her from the backstage area, he wasn't jealous of AJ or anything like that. He was just so intrigued by Natalia and the way she moved that it was nearly driving him insane. She was standing, her arms crossed in front of her as she paid attention to AJ and the wild story he was surely telling. Her tank top was rolled up a few inches to show her tanned-toned stomach and her navel ring. Nick smiled slightly, never had a navel ring looked so sexy on one person. Her hair was pulled back away from her face and hung down in a low ponytail. She was...beautiful. "Drooling isn't going to get you anywhere.," A deep voice said in his ear.
He jumped and turned to glare at Kevin, who was grinning at him. Nick scoffed and crossed his arms, "I was not drooling."
Kevin just nodded and maintained his eyecontact with the youngest member, "You just about were."
"I was not!"
"Uh huh....you like her, huh?"
Nick sighed, "Yeah...alot more than I thought I would..."
Kevin put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "She's cute."
"Yeah..."
"She seems like a nice girl.."
"Yeah...but I have a feeling she doesn't like me.."
"Why do you think that?"
Nick shrugged, "I don't know...just a hunch."
"Don't know if you don't ask her out."
Nick sighed, "We're about to get so busy we probably won't even average twenty hours of sleep a week Kev...that's no time for a relationship.."
Kevin nodded, "That's probably true...but hey, you don't know if you don't try.."
"I guess...thanks Kev.."
He smiled, "No problem..."
Nick took his position in back of Natalia as they prepared to finish rehearsal for the evening. His mind had been racing with thoughts of Natalia and what to do the rest of the afternoon so he hadn't said much at all. Natalia was beginning to think something was really wrong. They got through the last routine and Fatima told them they could go home. Natalia followed Nick through the backstage area to where her stuff was. "Nick?"
He turned around, surprised she was right behind him, "Yeah?"
"Something wrong?"
"No..why'd you think that?"
She shrugged, "I dunno..you've just been quiet all day..."
"Nothing's really wrong..just got alot of stuff on my mind.."
"Ooohh...with the tour and stuff?"
He hesitated before he nodded, "Yeah..yeah..that's it."
She smiled, "You've done this time and time before...I think you'll be okay."
He smiled, "yeah..I will, I'm sure. You heading to the hotel?"
"Actually, I'm going to the airport, my brother Michael is flying in."
"Really? That'll be cool...need a lift?"
She shook her head, "Nope, I rented a car this morning before I came to rehearsal."
"About damn time."
She laughed as they walked towards the door, "I know."
"He coming to rehearsal tomorrow?"
"I asked him to, but he's also here on business, so I don't really know if he'll be able to make it or not."
Nick nodded and turned to walk to his car, "Well, have fun, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Bye Nick, have a good night."
Natalia waited anxiously for her brother to come off the plane. She had arrived just in time, his plane had landed five minutes before she had gotten there. She couldn't believe it had been as long as it had since she had seen her brother. She didn't think they had ever been apart THAT long. She spotted him the minute he stepped out of the terminal. His tall, broad form, dark hair and pretty damn good looks were hard to miss. He grinned as he caught sight of his little sister. She dodged people and nearly jumped into his arms to hug him. "I've missed you so much Michael!"
He wrapped his arms around her, "I missed you too Natalia."
She pulled back and stepped back, "Let me look at you....you look different.."
"How so?"
She shrugged,"Don't know....Michael..do you have a woman now?"
Michael grinned, "No, Natalia."
"Liar...come on and let's go get your stuff. THEN you can tell me about her."
He followed her to the baggage claim and sighed, "Fine, I met a very nice woman."
"AH HA! I knew it...what's her name?"
"Carolina...I met her at work..."
"She's nice?"
"Yea..real nice. We've been seeing each other for about the past month.."
She nodded, "Ok..I'll have to meet her when we get to New York...can I?"
Michael grinned as he grabbed his bags from the carousel, "Of course..I need your opinion.."
She smiled, "Really?"
"Natalia, you've always been a good judge of character..I've learned to trust that in you.."
"Thanks Michael.."
She led him out of the airport and to her rental car. They got in their respective sides and she drove towards her hotel. "Are you going to come to rehearsal tomorrow?"
"What time?"
"We have a 9 o'clock call time.."
"Sure..my meeting isn't until 1."
"Cool! I can't wait for you to meet the guys...for being such big celebrities, they're amazingly down to earth and really funny and nice.."
"What about the other dancers?"
"None of them..really talk to me....a couple of the girls that aren't dancing with the guys in the group talk to me some..but I wouldn't call any of them friends.."
"Natalia..."
"What Michael? I'm just not capable of making friends, apparently...I've learned to deal with it."
He sighed, "You're not incapable of making friends..."
"Okay..girls just don't like me.."
He smiled, "Natalia..."
"How many GIRL friends have I had in my life?"
"Ummmm...."
"Ummm..that's right Michael, like NONE."
She pulled into the hotel parking lot and got out, pulling the trunk open and retreiving one of his lighter bags. Michael got out and pulled out the rest, "Well..I am interested to meet these guys you say are so down to earth...any crushes?"
"No.," She replied (a little too quickly).
He smiled behind her as she walked up the stairs to the room they'd be staying in. "Uh huh.."
"Shut up!"
"Come on..which one is he? The 'bad boy' or the good old country boy?"
"Neither of them and no one!"
"Natalia, you are so lying."
She threw his bag on the rollout bed that she had ordered this morning. "I am not!"
"Natalia...."
"Don't DO that!"
He smiled and sat down on the bed, "Ok, okay, I'll let it go for now...but sooner or later little sister, you're gonna tell me."
She nodded as he settled in to sleep for a little bit, "Fine, fine...I'm going to go get something to eat..want anything?"
"Ummm..get me whatever you get, k?"
"Alright..I'll be back."
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