Nick sat on
the cold table, his hands fidgeting in his lap as his foot nervously tapped the
drawer beneath. The room was small. Nearly too small for his likings. It seemed
as though the walls could begin suffocating him at any moment. The only thing
that kept him calm was the small window in the center of one of the walls. It
offered him reassurance of the outside world that he could return to soon. The
door opened, sending in a chilly breeze followed by the doctor.
“Good
morning, Nick. How are you feeling?”
“Fine.”
“Fine as in
you really feel okay or fine as in you’re lying to get out of here faster.”
“Fine as in
I feel good.” He said, laughing nervously. Oh how he hated doctors.
“How’s your
stomach? Any pain at all?”
“Not
recently. It’s sometimes a bit sore if I move a certain way or if I walk around
too long, but it feels really good.”
”Great. Well, your blood count from last week looks really good. Your CD4 cells
are staying high and so are your white blood cells. You’re really doing better
than I expected. Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Did Dawn draw your blood
already?”
“Yeah,”
Nick replied, holding his arm out to show off the cotton ball that had been
taped over the crook of his inner elbow.
“Okay. Then
I’ll see you again next Wednesday.”
“Yeah.”
Dr. Getz
left the room as Nick stepped off the table, relieved to be going back outside.
There was just something about doctor’s offices that he hated.
He dug his
keys from his pocket as he walked out the front door. The humid air seemed
comforting after being inside the stuffy, cold office. His car was parked a
short distance away, looking sleek beneath the afternoon sun. It was his first
attempt at driving a car since the accident and it had gone well so far. He
unlocked the driver’s door before getting in. Starting the engine, he backed
out of the space and put the car into drive before leaving the lot. As he
pulled back onto the road, he rolled the windows down and let the warm ocean
air fill the car. Though October, it was unusually warm, but he definitely
wasn’t complaining, as he wasn’t one for cold weather.
The ride
back home was uneventfully short. As turned down his street, an elderly
neighbor waved cheerfully to him. He laughed, waving back to her as he pulled
into the driveway. He drove it into the garage and closed the door before
getting out. As he stepped into the house, he noticed the extreme silence. He
hadn’t gotten used to it yet. Tossing his keys onto the counter, he saw the
light blinking on his answering machine. He pressed the play button before
opening the refrigerator.
“Hey guys…”
The voice started. Nick closed the door and stared at the machine. “I’m sorry I
haven’t been real good on keeping in touch. I was just calling to check up on
you two and to make sure you hadn’t injured each other yet. Give me a call back
whenever… oh, and AJ, thanks for the card and pictures. Bye.”
Card and
pictures? He looked over his shoulder at the calendar on the wall and saw
Saturday circled on the calendar. He cursed himself. How could he forget her
birthday? Especially since he had been thinking about her so often.
An idea
suddenly sparked in his head. What if he went to see her? Not only could he
give her a present in person, but also he could try to explain everything and
apologize in a much calmer state. But what would he get her for a present? And
how was he going to sneak out of the country without being yelled at by one of
the guys?
~~
By three am
Florida time Saturday morning, Nick was seated rather uncomfortably on a flight
to Paris. The flight seemed endless, but thankfully, it was almost over. The
credits of a movie played on the screen a few seats in front of him, but no one
seemed to be watching it. Most everyone had slept throughout the flight, and
was just now waking up. He shifted in his seat, hoping the next half hour would
go by very fast. His stomach ached from sitting for such a long time and his
legs were becoming cramped from the tight seating accommodations.
Rather than
tell the guys he was going out of town, he called his brother. The last thing
he needed was Kevin calling him every five seconds to make sure he was okay, or
even worse, calling Riley and telling her he was coming. With only Aaron
knowing, he knew he was safe for at least a day or so.
He hoped
she would be okay with seeing him. He didn’t want to show up and have her still
mad and not want to see him. If that was the case, he’d be finding himself back
on a plane this evening.
The flight
attendant suddenly appeared in the middle of the aisle and announced in French,
then English that they would be landing within the next the few minutes.
Nick made
sure his seatbelt was tight against his abdomen before closing his eyes and
sinking back into the seat. The plane jolted a bit as the wheels came out. Before
long, it bounced off the runway before settling gently onto the pavement. Only
then did Nick reopen his eyes. Butterflies had risen into his stomach. Why was
he nervous? Its just Riley.
As the
plane slowed to a stop, everyone began to unbuckle their seatbelts and gather
their belongings. Nick slid his backpack over his shoulders before following
the woman beside him into the aisle.
Once inside
the airport, he followed the mass of passengers to the baggage claim. Rather
than join into to the rush, he stepped back and waited for the crowd to thin
out. As it did, he found his duffel bag on its second time around. Looking
around, he followed the English signs that said ‘exit’. As he stepped outside,
a cold wind blew past, causing him to shiver. Thank God for the Weather
Channel, as he had made sure to pack warm clothes for the trip. He stepped off
the curb and hailed a cab. A white cab pulled up and stopped. Opening the door,
he climbed in and tossed his bag beside him.
“rue d
Buci, please.” Nick said, naming the market near Riley’s office building. He
hoped he had pronounced it right and wouldn’t end up lost in the middle of
nowhere. Thankfully, within about ten minutes, the cab pulled to a stop at the
market. He handed the driver a few bills before stepping out of the cab. “Thank
you.”
He closed
the door and looked around. A fine mist fell from the sky, dampening his skin
as he took in the view. A large, white building sat on the corner; the top two
stories nearly all windows. A huge sign was lit up in the windows of the second
floor with the name “Vergara” in pink lights surrounded by sparkling white
lights. He crossed the street and entered the building. A large desk took up
most of the area on the first floor. A woman sat behind it, answering the phone
and directing calls. Elegant chairs lined the walls along with coffee tables,
complete with a coffee maker in the corner.
“Can I help
you, sir?” The woman behind the desk asked, a thick French accent in her voice.
“I’m
looking for Riley Vergara.”
“She’s in a
meeting right now. Can I have you take a seat and I’ll tell her you’re here
when she is finished?”
“Actually…
could you just tell me where her office is? I’m a friend of hers and I want to
surprise her.”
“Sir, I’m
sorry, but I don’t think I can allow you to do that.”
Nick
decided to use his celebrity status, in hopes she would allow him in.
“Ma’am, I’m
in a band called the Backstreet Boys. I’m so busy with my band that I never
have time to see Ms. Vergara. Today is her birthday and I haven’t seen her in
nearly five years, and I would owe you my life if you just let me wait for her
in her office.”
The woman’s
eyes widened.
“Well, I
guess you can go in, then. Take the elevator up to the third floor and her
office is the first one on the right.”
“Thank you
so much.”
He smiled
to himself as he walked to the elevator. Well, most of it was true. He followed
the woman’s directions to the third floor. As he stepped off, he went directly
to the right where a pink door stood slightly ajar. He pushed it open slowly,
thankful to find it empty. Going in, he set his bags in the corner as he looked
around her office. Floor to ceiling
windows covered an entire wall, while the remaining three walls were painted
white. A bright orange couch set against one wall with a coffee table in front
of it. Near the windows, a large desk set. A computer sat atop it, along with
stacks of folders, papers, and scraps of material. She had several framed
pictures on her desk. One was of her brother and herself. The other was the two
of them. Nick remembered when it had been taken. Denise, AJ’s Mom, had taken it
of them while they were on tour during Christmas. They were both wearing Santa
hats with huge, goofy grins. They looked as if they hadn’t a care in the world.
But then again, they didn’t back then.
A huge
pictures of the Boys was on the wall from the 1999 Grammy’s. She had designed
each of their outfits, so in return, they gave her the poster-sized picture for
her future office or house. They had each autographed it across the bottom and
then had it framed. A few more pictures lined the walls, mostly of models or
celebrities she had designed clothes for.
He walked
around the desk and sat down in her chair. He swiveled around in it and looked
out the window. It was an amazing view. In the distance, you could see the
river. Buildings old and new lined the streets, which were full of people and
cars. The markets were all busy, but it seemed as though no one was in a hurry
as they meandered down the street.
“Excuse me?
Can I help you?” A voice came from behind him. He turned around in the chair to
see Riley standing in the doorway, her arms full of swatches of fabric and
notebooks. Her eyes widened as she saw who was sitting behind her desk.
“I just
wanted to apologize again..” He started, afraid she was angry. Instead, she
dropped her belongings on the couch and ran towards him. As he stood, she
nearly tackled him with a hug.
“I’m so
sorry, Nick. I can’t believe I was just a selfish asshole just to leave like
that.”
“Hey now.
You’re not supposed to be the one apologizing. I am.”
”Well, yeah, but I’m really sorry too.” She offered a smile as she pulled away.
“I felt so terrible after I got home. I wanted to call you so bad, but I didn’t
think you’d want to talk to me much. I talked to AJ sometimes, and that just
made me feel worse.”
“Don’t feel
bad. You had every right to leave. I probably would left if I were you, too.”
“Don’t ever
let me be selfish like that again, okay?”
“As long as
you don’t let me ever be dishonest like that again.”
“Deal. So
you came all the way over here to see little ol’ me?” She asked, picking up her
things off the couch and adding them to the mess on her desk.
“No, I came
for the food. Why else would I come, Rye?” He laughed.
“Shut up.”
She glared teasingly as she went to the other side of her desk. “So how long
are you here for?”
“That
depends.”
“On?”
“How long
you can deal with me.”
“Better get
comfy.”
He went to
the corner where his bags were and dug into the side pocket of his backpack.
“I was
going to save this until later, but I want you to have it now.” He handed her a
small box. “Happy birthday.”
“Oh my
gosh. I forgot it was my birthday. I’ve been so busy here, I totally forgot.”
She picked
up the box and slid the ribbon off the top of it. A confused look was on her
face as she lifted the lid to it.
“A key?”
“Yep.”
“To what?”
“To your
new office building.”
“Excuse
me?”
“You now
own a brand new state-of-the-art office building in Marathon. Now you can
expand your business to the US without complaining about no where to start.”
Nick wasn’t
sure what she thought as her eyes began to water. Did she hate it that much?
“Thank you
so much, Nick.” She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.
“I even
talked to a few of our fashion people. When you’re ready to open up, give them
a call and they’ll hook you up with a few experienced people to work for you.”
“Are you
serious? Jeez, Nick, this is too much.” She sat down in her chair, unsure of
whether she was dreaming or not.
“So… you
like it?”
“Like it?
Nick, I love it!”
“I figured
this way, it’d be easier to talk you into moving back to the States.”
“Well, now
I definitely can. I might have to fly back to Paris occasionally, but if I can
expand my company there, it’d be awesome. And now, I can be closer to you and
my family and the guys.”
“You’ve got
a good head start in the States. You’ve done designs for celebrities.
Especially five very important ones that are willing to be guinea pigs if need
be. Well… four maybe.”
“He’ll come
around eventually. Anyways, I’m done here for the day. Let’s get out of here.”
She grabbed
her jacket from the back of the chair as she stood up. She linked arms with his
and led him from the room.
“How are
you feeling?”
“Good. A
little sore from the plane ride, but then again, after that, who isn’t?”
After a
short ride in the elevator, they came to the bottom floor. She led him from the
elevator to the receptionist desk.
“I’m
leaving early today. Would you call Karenina and ask her to give me a call when
she has a chance?”
“Yes ma’am.
Have a nice day.”
She slipped
her jacket on before they went outside.
“Just so
you know… I told your receptionist that I hadn’t seen you in five years.” He
snickered. “It’s the only way she would let me go to your office.”
“You used
your celebrity status, didn’t you?”
“I had to!”
“Uh-huh.”
She laughed at him as they walked through the market. “Let’s go to my
apartment. We can at least drop off your stuff. Have you eaten lunch?”
“Nope.”
“Good,
because I’m starving.”
Arm-in-arm,
she led him through the crowded market before coming to a stop in front of an
old brick building. She used a key to open the front door and then made sure to
lock it when they were both safely inside.
“What? No
elevator?” Nick teased as they began climbing a stairwell.
“It’s only
a three-story building. I think we can manage.” They climbed all the way to the
third floor and went down a short corridor. At a white door, they stopped and
she unlocked it with a different key. It clicked and she pushed it open and
ushered him inside.
“Nice.” He
said, setting down his bags as they walked in. It was quite small, but perfect
for a single person. She had decorated it with bright colors, all accented with
white furniture.
“You can put
your stuff in this closet.” She opened a closet door, showing that it was
fairly empty inside. “My room is right through there and the bathroom is right
beside it.”
A bar
separated the kitchen from the living room. Across the room were large windows
and a balcony.
“It’s not
much but it’s been home for almost two years. Then again, I’m hardly here so it
doesn’t really matter.”
“Gee, and
to think you’re going to have to leave it all behind for boring old house in
the Florida Keys.”
“I don’t
think it’s going to hurt too much.” She said. “I’m going to change real quick
so I don’t freeze my bum off.”
She
disappeared into room and closed the door, leaving Nick alone in the living
room. He peered out the window, the view amazing from only three stories up.
She emerged
only a few minutes later in jeans rather than the skirt she had worn earlier.
She also wore a form-fitting black shirt with a knitted green poncho atop it.
“Okay, I’m
ready. Did you want to change or anything?”
“No, I
think I’m okay.” He said, looking down at his jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt.
“It’s not going to get much colder out right now is it?”
“Nah, not
until the sun goes down.”
“Then I’m
fine.”
“Alright.”
Digging through her purse, she slipped her cell phone into her back pocket, and
then some cash and change into her front pocket. Flipping off the foyer light,
she led him back into the hallway before closing and locking the door.
“So where
shall we go?” She asked once they were outside.
“I don’t
know… you’re the one that lives here. Somewhere with food, perhaps?”
“There’s a
great little deli down on the pier.”
“Okay,”
They walked
together, chatting occasionally, but keeping it quite friendly and light. They
needed to talk, obviously, but neither wanted to ruin the moment. Or the day.
“So does
anyone know you’re here?” Riley asked once they had gotten their food and sat
down at a table overlooking the water.
“Aaron.”
Nick smiled sheepishly as he sipped his soda. “If I would’ve told anyone else,
they wouldn’t have let me go.”
“True. How
are you doing anyways?”
“Good.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. My
blood count is good and my stomach is doing great.”
“Good. I
just didn’t want to have to lug you to the hospital or anything.” She teased as
she bit into her sandwich.
“I don’t
plan on ever going back to one.” He said sincerely. “I don’t care if my leg is
hanging on by a single tendon. I’ll stitch it back on myself.”
“That’s
really gross.” Riley made a face. “Please, if your leg ever is hanging off like
that, make sure I’m not eating.”
“Yeah, I’ll
just wait until your done eating before I go and hurt myself.”
“Thanks.”
They
finished lunch and then walked around the city, going in and out of boutiques
and through the open-air markets. Finally, as the sun began to set, they
returned to Riley’s apartment, their arms tired from carrying their shopping
bags around. They went upstairs and nearly dropped their purchases onto the
floor. Riley had managed to talk Nick into buying several shirts for himself
while he had made her try on a dress, and then bought it for her, even against
her protests. On the way en route to the apartment, they stopped at the market
and bought a few groceries to make dinner and last through the next day.
As Riley
put away the groceries, Nick sat at the bar and watched. From beside him on the
counter, the phone rang shrilly, startling him.
“Hello?”
Riley asked, placing the receiver to her ear. She snickered, looking at Nick
before putting some fresh vegetables into the refrigerator. “Thanks, Kev. I
nearly forgot it was my birthday except a friend mentioned it.”
Nick
watched her as she spoke to Kevin. He loved the way she was so animated when
she was happy.
“He’s not
home?” She looked at Nick again, barely able to contain her laughter. “You know
what? I’m not going to lie. He’s sitting right across me. Yes, I’m serious. I
know. It amazed me that he flew by himself, but he did. He’s fine. Do you want
to talk to him?”
Riley
pulled the phone away from her ear and handed it to Nick.
“Thanks,
babe, get me in trouble now, why don’t you?”
“Look at it
this way. You’re in Paris. He’s in Kentucky. He can’t physically cause harm to
you right now.” She ducked beneath the height of the cabinet before he could
say anymore.
“Hello?”
“Hey. Nice
of you to tell us you went somewhere.” Kevin said.
“Kev, I’m a
big boy. I didn’t know I had to have permission to leave my house.”
“I know,
but you could’ve just called one of us to tell us you were leaving so we didn’t
have to worry.”
“I didn’t
want to get yelled at for going.”
“Why would
you get yelled at?”
“Be
careful. You’re not ready to travel yet.” Nick said, attempting to mock Kevin’s
voice. He could almost see Kevin rolling his eyes on the other end of the line.
“Whatever.
When are you coming back?”
“I’m not
sure yet. I’ll let you know when I know.”
“Okay. Just
be careful.” Nick snickered at the comment. “I’ll talk to you guys later.”
“Bye Kev.”
He hung up
the phone, replacing it onto the cradle.
“Sometimes,
I feel like I have too many parents.” Nick said.
“They just care
about you.” Riley replied, placing two strips of salmon into a pan.
“I know.”
He leaned forward onto the bar, resting his head on his arms. “How long until
dinner?”
“At least a
half hour.”
“Mind if I
take a quick shower?”
“Not at
all.”
“Thanks.”
Riley watched as he left her sight. It’s Nick. Just
Nick. Your best friend, Nick. She sighed, shaking her head at her self. Why
couldn’t it just be easier?