�Took ya�ll long enough,� Zeke quipped.
�Traffic,� AJ muttered.
�Yeah, I�ve heard that one before,� Zeke replied jokingly.
Nick continued to keep his distance from me. He would speak to me and be polite but that was about it. I was really missing him. It was obvious that he was leaving this all up to me. If I was going to do something it would have to be that night.
About five minutes later the stage manager flew into the room yelling at everyone. �Come on! Come on! Let�s go! Let�s go!� he screamed. He was flipping out because the show was an hour late. He was already on pens and needles because that night�s show was being filmed for an HBO special which would later be released on DVD and VHS. The Boys being late was enough to send him over the edge.
�I wish he would calm way down,� Cookie said. Hearing her he replied,
�I wish you would hurry way up.�
�Hey, can we help it if there was traffic?� I asked winking at Nick who was seated in my chair. I was greeted with the faintest smile.
�We were here. We were ready to go and everything. Where were the Boys?� Cookie asked. He shot both of us a dirty look and left the room to terrorize the dancers.
�Alright hon, you look good enough to faint over,� I said to Nick.
�Thanks,� he said with that ghostly smile. Cookie had just finished Kevin and Zeke was done touching up AJ�s mustache. Brian and Howie were done and waiting for the others. They were preparing to leave as we wished them a good show. It was then I made my move.
I stepped in front of Nick blocking his path and smiled slightly at him.
�Have a good show, sweetie,� I said and to the shock of the entire room, I leaned forward and kissed him. That kiss was enough to make them all take notice. It wasn�t overtly passionate and it wasn�t a peck on the check either. It was simply sweet. When we broke apart all eyes were on us.
�Oh yeah. . . I forgot they were here,� I muttered to Nick.
�I guess this means you�re ready to tell everyone,� he whispered. I smiled and turned to face the incredulous faces. Brian spoke first,
�Uh. . . . what was that?� he asked. We didn�t know how to answer that.
�I think you should be asking, �What�s going on?�.� Kevin said in his slow southern drawl.
�What�s going on?� Brian asked.
�Oh uuhh. . . . well. . . ,� Nick started.
�Nick, let me tell them,� I said.
�Go ahead.�
�Nick and I are seeing each other,� I said with a giant smile.
They all just blinked at us, letting it sink in. Once it hit them they all started talking at once. AJ and Brian joked that it was about time. Howie congratulated us both. Kevin played hurt and said he thought I liked him best. I assured him I still did and would leave �the blonde one� at the least provocation from him. Nick hearing this said, �Actually, you can have her now if you want.�
Cookie told me we made a great couple and that she was glad we both �ceased being idiots�. Zeke caught my eye because he was off to himself at his station cleaning up. I looked at his face in the mirror and I thought I saw a glimmer of anger or disappointment. He masked it quickly before I could figure it out. He looked up at me through the mirror and gave me a smile which I returned. I wondered if I had imagined his first reaction.
�What in the hell is everyone doing in here? Come on, we�ve got a show to do! We�re late as it is!�
The Boys and a few dancers that were hanging around began to file out of the room. Nick stalled. He pulled me aside.
�You planned that little performance, didn�t you?�
�Me? I don�t know what you�re talking about. I was only wishing you a good show.�
�Yeah, yeah I�m glad you did it. It wasn�t bad at all. You probably thought they�d be weird about it.�
�I did but only a little. I�m glad. . . the secret is out.�
�You know what that means, right? We can do stuff like this,� he said kissing me on the nose. �This,� he kissed my chin. �And this�� he captured my lips in the most sensual kiss I had ever had. Kisses of boyfriends past flitted through my mind and were wiped clean from memory. ��in public and no one can or will say a thing.�
�Well I don�t know. They might yell, �Get a room!� or something along those lines.�
�Funny. . . very funny.�
�Ok, I�m sorry. That sounds like fun,� I replied gifting him with a sensual smile.
�It will be. I won�t have to dance with the entire room when we go out in a group either. You should be happy about that.�
�That�s one of the reasons I decided to let the cat out of the bag. I didn�t like seeing that little Britney Spears wannabe pushing all up on you on the dance floor,� I said referring to one of the dancers.
�Jealous?� Nick asked but before I could answer we heard someone bellowing from the hallway,
�Carter! Are you trying to drive me insane?! Get your ass out here, now! Places. . . . places everyone! The show is starting!�
�Well, I have to go. Duty calls.�
�Ok, you�re not moving. Don�t you think you ought to get going?� I said as Nick still had me encircled in his arms.
�Ok, ok I�m going now,� he said reluctantly pulling his arms from around me.
�Alright, have a good show, hon,� I called after him.
�Thanks,� he said as he ran out of the room. Not even a half a minute went by when he came running back into the room.
�One more kiss!� he said. He gave me a quick kiss and a squeeze and he was gone again.
�You better get out there before he comes back and kills you,� I called after him.
�Ok this time I mean it,� he replied as he ran down the hall. The strain of having to be so careful and so secretive lifted from me immediately. Nick and I could go on with our relationship and best of all we had everyone behind us.
�So this is it?� I asked.
�Yeah, pretty simple huh? After this though there�s no turning back.�
�I know. I�m a little scared. . . and worried.�
�You are the most nervous woman I know. There�s nothing to be scared or worried about. I�m right here,� he said raising our hands which were clasped together. �And if I can�t protect you big guy here can definitely keep you safe.� Nick�s bodyguard Ron, was going with us as a precaution. He smiled at me reassuringly.
�I�m not a nervous person but I�ve never been in a situation like this.�
�Look, you said you wanted to see the sites, I�m going to show them to you. It�ll be fun.�
�I know. I know. We�re still going to do some shopping right?�
�Yeah. . . a little.�
�Good, I�ve wanted to get my hands on your wardrobe from the moment I saw you.�
�Hey, I thought we were shopping for you.�
�We can do that, too. Even though, I want to see what my credit card feels like in Vegas, we�ll shop for you first.�
�Right. Anyway, what are we waiting for?�
�Nothing, let�s go,� I replied.
Together, Nick and I accompanied by Ron walked hand in hand out of the hotel. We were almost immediately besieged, not by the flashing cameras of paparazzi but by the squeals of a small group of adoring fans. They were all very sweet. I didn�t notice any daggers thrown in my direction although I didn�t notice anyone acknowledging my presence, either.
When one boldly asked, �So Nick, who is this?� I thought I�d faint but Nick shot me a smile and replied,
�Well. . . this is Alexis.� I smiled and waved. They smiled and waved back, some of them did anyway. Some just stared back at me.
One asked shyly, �Is she. . . . is she your girlfriend?� Nick smiled at me again and I smiled back. I could hear all the girls holding their collective breathes. I suddenly realized I was holding mine as well.
�Yeah she is,� he finally said. I could see some girls looked happy and some disappointed. A few of them groaned.
�Well you know, you guys can have him. I�m not all that attached to him, yet. I�ll sell him to the highest bidder. Any takers?� The girls all laughed. Nick poked me saying,
�Very funny, Lexie.� I just smiled, I knew I had won them over. . . . that little group anyway.
�She�s one of our stylist so if I look bad today you can blame her.� The little group laughed again, a few of them assured Nick that he looked fine.
�Whatever,� I said. �Believe me he put this together all by himself.�
�You�re just full of jokes today, aren�t you?�
�Just a little bit,� I replied with a mischievous grin.
Once every autograph was signed and every picture taken we went on our outing. I couldn�t help but smile. On that day I was officially Nick�s girlfriend.
Nothing prepared her for Nick and nothing would prepare her for what they would face together. . . as a couple, as friends, as a black makeup artist and a white pop star who happened to fall for one another.
'Harder To Understand' the sequal to this story.
