She looked up from her magazine when he entered the door and smiled at him,
�Hey, how was your interview?� She knew as time went on he hated interviews more and more. It wasn�t that he had to deal with people, he said, it was the same questions that required the same answers.
�It was the same old thing just another person asking.� He didn�t look particularly thrilled and she didn�t want to push him about it because she had other plans for them. She walked over and hugged him noticing that his body was warm and below his eyes were bags big enough to carry his luggage in.
�I can�t believe you didn�t even go downstairs yesterday to hang out with the fans on your birthday.� He had made it very clear he didn�t want his birthday to be a big deal. He didn�t want a party, a special night out at the clubs or even a dinner. He frowned and looked at her,
�Would you rather I hung out with them instead of being with you?� She shook her head,
�No, especially after the night we had. I�m just saying you didn�t even get your gifts. Tim and some of the other tour people brought them in while you were at your interview.� She pointed at the chair and table near the balcony,
�They�re over there.� He didn�t even bother to look he just sat down on the bed and kicked off his shoes,
�I didn�t want a fuss being made over my birthday this year. It�s going to be enough with the fans and the concert tomorrow and the next couple of cities for the next week. And I haven�t been feeling well remember?� She followed him to the bed, sat down next to him and ran her hand through his hair,
�Yeah, I remember. I was your nurse.� He looked over at her and smiled. She exhaled a sigh of relief. He hadn�t smiled or even looked happy since he walked through the door. Here goes nothing she thought. He didn�t want to celebrate his birthday but she bought him a few gifts and planned a nice early dinner anyway. She wasn�t sure how he was going to take since he never wanted to skip his birthday before. She stood up and walked into the bathroom calling out before she re-entered the room with him,
�Close your eyes.� She peaked around the door and saw he wasn�t complying with her orders,
�Come on Nick. Close your eyes.� The frown on his face irritated her and she cocked her head to the side and gave him a �do it� stare before he did as she asked. She walked out with her gift for him and stood before him,
�Ok, open them.� He looked down at the golf clubs in the white and gray golf bag with a big red bow on the side,
�What's that?� She hoped he liked them,
�What do they look like silly? I know you didn't want anything and didn�t want us to even mention it but I couldn�t help it.� He didn�t look thrilled at all and she continued to hold her breath waiting for some clue that he liked her gift,
�Where did you get these?� She pulled one of the golf clubs out and placed it on his lap,
�When I went shopping with Kristin and I put them in Brian�s room. He said they were the best.� She walked back in the bathroom and pulled out bags from the golf shop she had to bribe Kristin to accompany her into,
�I didn�t have time to wrap them but here you go.� He looked through the bags and nodded,
�Oh ok thanks.� Her heart dropped when he didn�t bother to take the clothes and the shoes out of the bag. Instead he lay on his back, his legs dangling over the edge and closed his eyes,
�I�m going to lay here for an hour.� They had dinner reservations but if he only slept for an hour maybe she could convince the restaurant to push their time back just a little.
�You and me; dinner for two at six thirty ok? I already made the reservations.� He opened his eyes and she could tell he was about to say something but he simply nodded and closed his eyes,
�Alright.�
It took all she had to get Nick to wear a simple sweater and a pair of slacks. He wanted jeans and a plain white T-shirt but she had to tell him, sooner than she wanted, that the restaurant was a little more structured than that. She followed him through the lobby and the fans began to scream. Between Nick�s battle with his germs, lying in bed with her and the interview they hadn�t really seen him. It was probably the first time they had seen him since they arrived in Philadelphia. She glanced over at him and she saw a smile and if she didn't know better she would have thought it was genuine, but she did know better and she could tell by the corners of his mouth that it was a forced smile. One brave soul stepped up as they made their way towards the exit,
�Nick, happy birthday.� He looked at her and took the gift bag from her hand,
�Thank you sweetie.� He opened it up and took out a colorful beanie baby. He hugged her and Shayna wanted to roll her eyes but she knew all eyes were on her. It had been so long since he bothered with those things. He still had them but he didn�t actively collect them like he had in the past. Once the other saw his reaction they felt a little more comfortable and stepped closer. The next fan was a little older, about her age and she handed Nick what looked like a jewelry box. He took it from her hand and opened it. She couldn�t see what it was but it must have been something for him to hug her the way he did. He didn�t react with as much zeal when she gave him his gift from her. He didn�t even pretend to like them, didn�t bother to comment on it. He cared more about his fans� feelings than he did for her. She felt like she was being taken for granted already in this relationship and on this trip however she didn�t have time to dwell on those feelings for long. She felt the pang of jealousy as this girl ran her hands up and down his back as she hugged him. Rubbing him the way that she, his girlfriend, had hugged him so many times before. It was a little too intimate for her and maybe if the girl weren�t in some short low rider skirt showing off her flat stomach it wouldn�t have bothered her so much. They pulled back and in typical Nick fashion as they did so he used the time to look her up and down. She knew he would approve of what he saw because that was his kind of girl. She wasn�t Cindy Crawford but she was cute and she was thin, that�s what he always liked and probably always will. He was inundated with cards and other gifts and before she knew it she spoke aloud for the first time,
�We need to go.� Tim stepped up,
�Ok girls, we�re out of here. Leave them the gifts with the front desk and they will make sure they get up to Nick�s room safe and sound.� The groans of disappointment were loud and clear and if looks could kill she would be dead many times over. The girls weren�t happy that they couldn�t give Nick their gifts personally and she was the reason in their eyes. At that moment she didn�t care. She looked down at her watch and they probably could have spent another ten minutes or so without any danger of being late for dinner but she didn�t want to. She didn't want to share him at that moment. Why should she have to? He belonged to her; she belonged to him and nowhere was other women, regardless if they were fans, in the equation. She already shared him with them enough she had the right to be selfish. They groaned their displeasure with her and she knew Nick heard it but he didn�t say anything or even take her hand in support. He just walked quickly out the door with Tim right behind him leaving her to look like a puppy following behind her owner. She settled into the car and looked over at him as he looked out the window. She glanced up front at the driver and Tim, who were busy discussing their destination and route, before leaning over to Nick and whispering,
�Are you mad at me?� He looked over at her and she wished she hadn�t asked. He sighed,
�Why would I be made at you? What did you do?� She shook her head,
�Nothing, you�re just quiet.� He shrugged,
�Maybe its because I don�t have anything to say.� He turned his attention back to the world outside the car as she sat there trying to figure out why he had been so short and irritable with her. When she first arrived on the tour in Charlotte he was thrilled, he couldn't stop talking about how great it was going to be. Now, almost everything she said and did was met with a frown and attitude.
