"It went good. They said they had a few more people to interview. He said he'd call me around 4 to tell me if I got the job or not," she said while slipping her heels off and joining him on the couch. "What about you? Enjoying the comforts of MY home for a change?" she asked, laughter in her voice.
She looked sheepisly at her. "Sorry Annie. It's just we always hang out at my house. Thought we could hang here for a change."
"Oh, it's ok Nick. I forgive ya. Where's the rest of the guys? Did they head home?" she asked.
"Yeah, they wanted to spend some time with family before rehearsals started," he explained.
"Nick, what about your family? Don't you wanna see them before you tour?"
"Well, I figured I'd head over there maybe tomorrow. I just wanted to be here to see if you got the job or not,"he said.
The rest of the afternoon was spent lazily lounging on the couch, watching a movie, just enjoying each other's company. Annie felt very much at ease and totally protected by Nick. She knew deep down in her heart, he'd never hurt her. She was starting to get scared though. She wasn't really sure if she could handle another relationship right now, but it was becoming harder and harder to resist her growing feelings for Nick. The incessant ringing of the phone broke her out of her thoughts. She glanced at the clock, which read 4:30. She looked at Nick nervously and answered the phone. "Hello? This is she...uh-huh....thanks for calling....ok, I will....b'bye."
Nick studied her face, desperately hoping to see a good reaction light up on her face, but never got one. "Well?" he asked anxiously, bouncing up and down like a little kid. "Did ya get the job?"
She sighed heavily. "Dammit, and I just got unpacked," she said, finally letting the smile spread across her face.
"Kick ass!!!! I knew you could do it!" he said, giving her a huge hug.
"Thanks Nick. From what your management said, it sounds like I'm gonna love this job."
"You're gonna have a blast. But ya know what , we need to celebrate. I'm gonna go get ready, and you better too, cause I'm taking you out to dinner," Nick said.
"Nick, you don't have to do that!"
"Will you hush for once? I'm gonna do it cause I want to, ok? Now go get that pretty little face of yours ready and I'll be back here in a half hour," he said, before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and bolting out the patio door.
True to his word, he was back in 30 minutes, looking damn good Annie thought. He had on a white button down shirt over a white t-shirt and a pair of khakis. Annie had chosen to wear her black stretch flares, and a silver shimmery tank top underneath a button up black sweater. Nick walked up to her, taking her hand and giving her a sweet kiss on the cheek. "Annie, you look gorgeous," he said.
Annie teasingly looked him up and down. "Damn boy, you clean up nice," she replied, unable to keep the smile from her face.
Nick extended her an elbow. "Well, shall we?" he said in a horrible British accent.
"You goofball, let's go," she said, as they headed out to Nick's truck.
The dinner was filled with great conversation and pleasant company. Nick stold glances at Annie when she wasn't looking, but she did the same thing when he wasn't looking. Dinner was soon over, and they found themselves heading out the door. "Well, what do you want to do now?" Nick asked.
Annie looked at her watch and saw that it was only 8:30, but from all the excitement from the day, she found herself a bit exhausted. "Well Nick, why don't we just change into some comfy clothes and hang out. I gotta go sign the contracts at 9am tomorrow, so I don't wanna stay out late or anything."
"That's fine by me Annie. It'll just be easier to go to your house, since you have to be up in the morning, k?"
"Okies," she said, as they headed back to her house.
Once at her house, Nick excused himself to use the bathroom. Annie walked out to the patio. The moon was glistening off the dark water. She strolled out onto the beach and sat down, staring out at the water, lost in her thoughts. She was broken from her thoughts when she saw a shadow behind her, but she realized it was Nick. Wordlessly, he sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her, bringing her to his chest. "Annie, is there something wrong?" he asked, the concern evident in his voice.
She shook her head. "No Nick, everything's right," she simply stated.
"Penny for your thoughts then?"
"Oh, where do I begin? I guess I'm just amazed at how quickly my life can change. Just a month ago, I was up in Boston, happy with Cory, thinking that my life couldn't get any better. But then everything happened, and I came down here. Then I met all you guys, and got this wonderful job doing what I love and being around the people that have helped me so much, helped me to forget about someone who hurt me so much. Without you guys, I don't know what I would have done. I just don't really know how to thank you guys," Annie explained.
"Annie, we have you to thank too. You bring out the best in all of us. You've even gotten Kevin to loosen up. I've been trying to do that for eight years!" he said laughing. "But in all honesty Annie, I can't imagine my life without you in it."
Annie sighed. "Me neither Nick. Whenever I think about my life now, only one thing comes to mind, and that's you, and honestly, I'm scared to death."
Nick wondered what she was getting at. "Honey, what are you so afraid of?"
Annie breathed in deeply, trying to gather as much courage as she could. "I'm falling in love Nick, and I'm just afraid. Cory promised he would never hurt me, but he did. I don't think I'm ready to trust anyone again, but I can't help feeling the way I do." She turned around to face him. "It's not fair to me. And it's not fair to you."
Nick blinked in surprise. "To me?"
"Yes Nick. Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. Whenever I think of you, I get this warm, content feeling. I feel so safe and loved around you," she said, her head lowering, her voice getting softer and softer, hoping what she was saying was something he wanted to hear.
Nick hooked a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. He placed a soft, sweet kiss on her lips. "Annie, I feel the same way. I've fallin in love with you too. I can't promise what will happen in the future, but I will do whatever I can to make sure you're happy. I just know I need you in my life. That's why I was going crazy thinking about the upcoming tour. Then when Brian told me about the meeting they had with management, I was so happy, because it meant that you could possibly tour with us."
"So what now Nick?" Annie asked.
"This is strictly up to you. I will be here. Whenever you feel like you're ready, I'll be waiting. I don't wanna push you into anything until you're ready."
"I don't wanna wait any longer Nick. If I can trust anyone, it's you. I don't wanna waste any time trying to get over my fears. I want you to help me get over them. Will you help me?" she asked, looking up at him. His face was illuminated by the moonlight, and instantly Annie knew she was doing the right thing.
"I most certainly will. Anything I can do to make you happy," he said, smiling.
"Then kiss me."
Nick smiled, tucking some of her hair behind her ear. "I can't think of anything else I'd rather do." He leaned down, placing his lips on hers. His tongue snaked out, running itself along her lips. Sighing, she parted her lips, welcoming the intrusion. Annie sat there in Nick's arms, content on knowing she's found herself a new love.
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