Chapter 2!
Joanne Bailey
bsbgrrrls@aol.com
Click on the link below to go to chapter 3!
https://www.angelfire.com/pop2/bsbfanfiction/chapter3.html
bsbgrrrls@aol.com
Nick walked down the corridor hoping that he had some asprin left and that Elise hadn't packed it yet. He walked up to the door to his room and tried to decide whether to knock or not. He gave the door three sharp taps and opened it. He couldn't see Elise at first but then he caught sight of her sitting over the other side of the bed looking at him with an amused expression. Next to her was Nick's half full suitcase and a pile of clothes that she was folding neatly. She smiled as he looked at her and he smiled back weakly.
"Asprin?" She asked softly.
"You read my mind." Nick sank down on the bed thankfully and took the pill bottle from her. She went into the bathroom and came out with a glass full of water. Nick took it gratefully and swallowed three asprin, drinking the rest of the water thirstily. He watched her packing his things from his position at the bottom of the bed. "You don't have to fold it all so neatly ya know." He commented giving her a lopsided grin. "Most of it needs washing."
"I know." She replied. "It'll just be easier for you to sort it out for washing when you get home."
"You never did show me how to use the washing machine." He told her reproachfully, hoping to bring up the subject of her staying with him. "You'll have to show me tomorrow. The airmail's costing me a fortune to keep sending it to my mom." Elise smiled at him.
"Why don't you just get a full time house keeper?" She asked. "You have that part-time one when you're away so why don't you just take her on full time?" Nick screwed up his nose.
"I don't like having people in my house snooping around." He told her. "I only have her at all coz when I get home after being away for a few months everything's covered in dust and my bed smells funny." Elise smiled again and resumed his packing. She wasn't surprised that he didn't want a full time house keeper he was a deeply private person and she knew that having a house keeper that he actually saw would worry him. He worried about them finding something out and telling the press. When he was there there was more to find out she guessed. What he had to hide she didn't know, he just didn't seem to like the fact that the housekeeper would know about people's comings and goings to the house and waking up to the sound of a stranger hoovering or doing the dishes just didn't appeal to him. He usually managed, however, to rope someone into helping him clean up and the kitchen was always spotless just in case his mom decided to "drop in" without warning.
She hadn't taken the bait about where she was going to stay so Nick decided to do an AJ and just blurt it out.
"Where are you gonna stay?" He asked looking at her fully. Elise's face clouded over and she shrugged.
"I don't know." She replied simply." I called my mum and spoke to her about going to stay at the hotel in LA." Nick looked confused.
"But I though that you had some modelling to do in Orlando." He said his voice sounded questioning.
"Yeah," She replied. "and I could do with going to the studio just to check on it but it'll all have to wait. My house has no water or electricity yet and nowhere near enough security. So..." She trailed off and tried to figure out how best to fold one of Nick's shirts that he hadn't worn.
"You could stay with me." Nick told her, his voice was quiet. She looked at him and smiled.
"Yeah coz your mom'd love that." She said laughingly. "And AJ'd hit the roof. You saw what he was like when we went to that movie so I hate to imaging what he'd do if I moved into your house even if it was only temporary."
"I'm serious." Nick said, slightly offended that she was laughing at him." The guys have decided to tell my mom that I'm ill coz she'll go mad if she finds out I've been lying to her again."
"How long have I been telling you that?" Elise asked.
"Since I first got sick." Nick admitted smiling. "So anyway, she'd be glad that there was someone there and so would I coz she couldn't insist on flying in from Cally to look after me. You could get everything done that you need to and show me how to work the washing machine and dryer while your at it." She looked at him.
"That still doesn't solve the problem of AJ." She reminded him. Nick sighed and tried to think of a way of getting round that obstacle.
"I'm not gonna lie to you anymore he told her after a few seconds. Elise looked at him in surprise.
"I wasn't aware that you were lying to me."She looked hurt. Nick got off the bed and sat down next to her on the floor.
"Sort of." He admitted. "But I'm gonna tell you the truth now coz then when you find out you can't say that I lied to you and that I'm not really your friend and that sort of crap." Elise looked confused but he just carried on. "AJ asked me to ask you to stay with me coz he thinks I can keep you out of trouble and keep you safe." He told her.
"He asked you to baby-sit me?" She stood up and looked at him, her eyes flashed angrily. Nick noddded silently. "This is just what I was saying to him this morning. He's always trying to run my life, he thinks I'm still just the little girl next door who he can play with when he wants and drop as soon as someone cooler comes along."
"Nah, he's just trying to look out for you that's all, I mean he's not very likely to ask me for a favour unless it's something important not after he.." Nick just remembered to stop himself in time. "Anyway I would probably have offered to let you stay anyway and you'd be doing me a favour really. I just didn't want you to think that I only let you stay with me coz AJ asked me to and that I was only pretending to be your friend. I mean I know that I haven't been very nice to you in the past but we're past that now right?" Elise nodded, she could see that he was telling her the truth. "I don't like secrets and I know you hate people lying to you so I just wanted you to know the truth. But don't rush in there while your still angry with Bone from this morning and start screaming at him because he's honestly just trying to look out for you." Elise calmed down and sat back on the floor.
"When's he gonna learn that I'm not a kid anymore Nick?" She sounded upset. "He scares away guys, hates the fact that I have a successful career and treats me like I'm twelve."
"Tell me about it." Nick said. "We've been together for seven years now, I'm twenty years old and those guys still see me as the twelve year old kid I was when I first met them. They still try to shield me from things but at least I know that they'll always be watching my back." Elise knew that he was right. Nick had a good head on his shoulders but it had taken a long time for the others in the band to respect him as an adult, especially because of his tendency to behave immaturely when things didn't go his way and to fool around with Brian. Recently they had started to listen to him more, even Kevin and Nick had had a lot more imput into this album than the others.
"Come on El." He said coaxingly. "I know you want to stay with me. Just think of all the sunbathing you could do." She pushed him over. The fact that she liked to sunbathe topless was a great joke amongst their group of friends although she never did it when any of the boys were around for fear of AJ punching them if their gaze lingered for too long. "Pleeeeese! I need you." Nick pouted at her and she melted.
"How can I resist those baby blues?" She asked laughing. Nick grinned.
"Gets 'em every time." He placed his hands behind his head and lying back. She laughed at him and poked a finger into his ribs. He squirmed away and she resumed packing. Half an hour later when Leigh-Anne came to see how she was getting on she was lying on the bed reading a play station magazine of Nick's.
"Where is he?" Leigh-Anne asked concernedly. Elise motioned her to be quiet and pointed to the side of the bed. Leigh-Anne walked over and smiled as she saw Nick curled up into a tight ball and sleeping peacefully, covered with the heavy quilt off the bed.
"He's got half an hour left and then we've got to set off for the airport." Leigh-Anne informed Elise. She passed her two tickets. "Your's and Nick's. You're sitting next to each other. Where are you going to stay?" She asked curiously.
"Nick said I can stay with him but I'm not sure what AJ'll think." Elise said knowing perfectly well that Leigh-Anne knew that Nick was going to ask her. "On the other hand though it'll mean that there's someone there to keep an eye on Nick." Leigh-Anne nodded in agreement.
"Brian was planning on talking him into staying with us for a while." She told her. "You could both stay with us if you think AJ'd prefer that." Elise shook her head.
"That wouldn't be fair on you or Brian. You need some time together. AJ'll just have to grow up a bit." Elise said standing up and putting the magazine in Nick's book bag.
"Well the offer still stands if he drives you crazy and you want to get away from him." Leigh-Anne said laughing. "What happened with you two anyway? He used to hate the sight of you and now you're like best friends."
"I don't know." Elise said. "One day he just decided to be nice to me. I'm glad though. I never did figure out why he used to be so stand-offish with me."
"Don't ask me." Leigh-Anne told her. "Brian'd probably know. It was good timing anyway. He needed someone when he broke up with Kelli and what with me and Brian planning the wedding and the other guys all off doing their own thing it was a good thing that he had you to turn to."
"He handled it well though didn't he?" Elise commented.
"Yeah," Leigh-Anne agreed. "I think he knew that it was over a long time before he admitted it to anyone else so when he finally decided that it'd be best to break it off with her it wasn't as bed as he expected. They'd been like strangers for so long. Do you know exactly what happened?" Elise shook her head. "Me either, I guess Brian does but I don't like to ask in case he's not supposed to say, you know?"
"Yeah I know what you mean." Elise agreed. "At least Nick has someone to talk to about things, he doesn't bottle things up like he used to. I don't know why he's so off with AJ lately, do you?" Leigh-Anne's response to that was just to shrug and Elise knew that she wasn't going to tell her anything. "I better go and get my case and bring it in here." She said standing up. Leigh-Anne nodded then without warning she hugged Elise. Elise hugged her back.
"What was that for?" She asked surprised at this sudden outburst of affection.
"Just for being you." Leigh-Anne grinned. "I'll see you two in the lobby in about ten minutes ok." Elise nodded and followed her friend out of the room.
Fifteen minutes later the five men and two girls were in the people carrier on the way to the airport. Nick could hardly keep his eyes open and Kevin was chattering excitedly to anyone who would listen about getting to see his wife. AJ was starring sullenly out of the window and Brian and Leigh-Anne were discussing what colour to paint their guest bedroom, Howie as usual was on the phone as was Elise. Nick was watching her with an amused expression as she tried to explain to his mom that she'd be fine looking after Nick and that Leigh-Anne and Brian were close at hand if they got stuck for anything so she needn't come all the way to Florida, really, he was just tired and she could make sure that he slept. She handed the phone to Nick after a while and his mother reluctantly agreed to stay in California as long as Nick took some time out to see her soon. It wasn't that Nick didn't want to see his mom he just prided himself on being independent and having his mother running around after him didn't help when he was trying to prove this to the guys and his friends. Nick breathed a sigh of relief as his mother finally hung up. He handed the phone back to Elise who laughed at the expression on her face. The people carrier pulled in at the airport. The guys looked round in bewilderment at the screaming fans.
"I never can get used to this." Howie said fixing on his smile. Leigh-Anne and Elise were supposed to wait until last but because of the way the seating was set out they had to get out to let out Kevin, Howie and one of the security guys. Elise found herself being hearded along past hundreds if not thousands of screaming fans all holding banners or connfessing undying love to one member or another. Trapped between Brian and Nick she was surprised to hear people shouting her name. Nick smiled at her as she looked round in amazement.
"You're a star now remember?" He teased, knowing that she hated being called that. She grinned at him. They were all relieved to reach the quiet serenity of the first class lounge. Nick lay down upon Leigh-Anne's instruction. Elise had dissapeared to find a drinks machine and AJ had followed her.
"Think they'll make up?" Kevin asked Brian who was looking worried at the way Nick was breathing. Brian nodded.
"Don't see why not." He replied. "They usually do."
"What were they actually arguing about this time?" Kevin asked sounding suddenly tired.
"This and that." Brian replied nonchalantly. "The usual I guess." He added, quickly as the door opened and Elise walked in, laden with cans.
"Where's AJ?" Howie asked, surprised that he didn't follow her into the room.
"How should I know?" Elise sounded indifferent. She lowered her voice noting that Nick was sleeping. "I'm not even talking to him. He's just pig ignorant." Brian smiled at her. "What're you smiling at?" She asked frowning.
"Nothing." Brian shook his head and held out his hand to take the can of Pepsi that was being offered to him.
"We better send someone to look for him." Kevin said, not actually sounding that worried. One of the security men got up and said that he would go. Elise breathed a sigh of relief thinking that she was going to be sent herself. She used to always have to do those kinds of little erands and it was hard for her to remember that she now needed security almost as much as the boys did.
