Four

The day started with relatively no instances of a problem. Here and there, AJ would steal a look to his eldest friend, wondering how the man would take news that Nicole was indeed fired. Other times, he simply looked forward to that night for when he promised her they would hit a bar or two. Jessica was flashing each of the two men glances, wondering much the same that AJ was. How the men would take the news.

Near the end of the first press stop, Kevin sidled up to AJ and spoke with a low voice. "Where's Nic at?"

AJ glanced around then pointed to his left. "He's over there." Then he took his eyes back to the television he was watching that showed a playback of their interview.

Even with the wording wrong, he still looked in that direction then rolled his eyes. "Nah, I mean Nicole. She's usually here with us on these things."

With a small smile growing, AJ tried to avoid his friend's gaze. But Kevin could hear the grin in the voice. "Somethin' on your mind?"

He shrugged, "Just wondering. It's kinda weird."

AJ looked up and kept eye contact. "Well, things have been weird lately." They shared the look for a good few seconds before he spoke again. "Haven't they?"

Once Kevin began nodding, so did the other man. "Yeah, they have."

"Yes, they have. So, just another weird moment to chalk up."

The taller man sighed then glanced around the area. With a low voice, "You know, I'm sorry."

With a quirked eyebrow, "For what?"

He pushed his hand around through the brief and very vague explanation. "For, you know, the other night."

"I know about the other night… What specifically we talkin' about here?"

Kevin's face soured at the playful expression on his friend's face. "Whatever. I was trying to be mature," and he turned away.

AJ caught the man's arm and pulled him back around to face. "Sorry, man. Alright, apology accepted."

The first steps AJ took through his hotel room later that day were filled with a smile and a loud voice for Nicole to hear. "He apologized." As he walked into the room he tossed his jacket onto the bed and glanced around. "I said," he tried louder. "He apologized!" Still no answer. He took a quick peak into the bathroom while talking again, "Where you at, girl?"

That was where he found her. Nicole was seated on the side of the tub, elbows on her knees. She looked up with a curious glance then looked over to the woman seated at the toilet. Jessica faced AJ with a raised eyebrow.

"There you at," he said in a deflated voice.

"How long were you gonna hole her up?"

Both of AJ's eyebrows rose at the height in Jessica's voice. She certainly did not sound pleased. "Um, as long as she wanted."

"Were you planning on telling me?" she punctuated with a strict point into her own chest.

Slowly, "E-vent-u-a-lly."

She sighed then looked over at Nicole who looked to the ground in between quick glances at AJ. "This kind of shit is not gonna fly with me."

"I'm sor-" he started before Nicole broke in.

"It's my fault."

Jes stood up quickly waving a hand at her past employee. "Nicole, I don't wanna hear any of this right now. AJ does stupid stuff like this all the time…"

He scoffed lightly with an offended look.

"No, really," Nic argued. "I asked him not to tell you, yet. At least until I could talk to you."

The head slowly pivoted to face Nicole and she spoke with a flat tone. "You know you're only further complicating things?"

"What things?" Nicole asked with a crunched face of confusion.

"Between the guys. Things are heady enough as it is and then add Kristin into the mix and then you and it's just too much for me to handle."

With bitter tones, "Well, maybe your new assistant can help to ease your load."

"Okay," Jessica waved a hand in surrender. "I'm sorry for saying what I did. But with what's going on - or even isn't going on - between you and Kevin, I can't deal with hirings and firings just because someone isn't happy with you around."

Nicole quickly pointed a finger in AJ's direction and was insistent with her voice. "I told you that's why I was fired."

He raised his hands in innocence. "Hey, don't drag me into this."

"You've been in this conversation the entire time," she replied.

"Not willingly."

Nicole chuckled. "Yeah, I can see your efforts to move."

AJ only shook his head. Jessica brought around the conversation with a lighter mood. "Alright, so if you stick around, you have got to stay out of their hair during the day."

Nicole nodded, "I got it."

"And I mean that Nic. I don't wanna see you hanging out everywhere. At interviews, backstage, on the buses and talking to people."

"How am I supposed to travel?" she asked oddly.

"I mean talking with specific people." Jes then pointed back at her friend. "Stay away from Kevin."

Nicole's eyes widened at the last statement. "What?"

"I need to talk to him about a few things first. Then you can try to clear the air of whatever is going on between you two."

Tipping her head to one side, "What do you need to talk about."

AJ spoke up, "He doesn't know."

"What? That I'm here?"

He spaced out his words, realizing how weird this conversation was. "That you're even fired."

On a mumble, "Well, this ought to be interesting for a while."

After the talk with Nicole and AJ, Jessica decided it was time to talk to Kevin. She made her way over to the door of his hotel room and with a sigh knocked on the hard surface. It took a few moments for him to answer and in those moments she was mentally running the situation through her mind. She wasn't quite sure of what to expect.

He appeared before her while she was still in her daze. "Jes?" Kevin asked oddly.

She snapped back to face him and smiled lightly. "Hey, Kev, you got a few minutes?"

Jes was starting to edge her way into the room and Kevin jerked away from the door to allow access. "What's up?" he asked with much the same voice.

"Nothin'" She turned to face him and stood in the small alcove of the room. Jessica then asked cautiously, "Is Kris here?"

"Nah, she's having early dinner with a friend."

"She has a friend…" When he faced her she spoke quickly to end the statement. "In town?"

"Yeah, someone from high school moved up here." Kevin walked further into the room then looked to his assistant. "You said nothing's up?" he questioned with a doubtful tone.

With a sigh, Jes followed him towards the bed. "Okay, I lied." He slowly sat on the bed and faced her. She felt very strange having him use such an intense glance. The first thing she could do to try to relieve some of the tension was to hop onto the top of the desk and swing her legs with a smile. "So, it's been a little weird today. You looked kind of out of things."

He ran a hand through his hair and suddenly looked tired. "It's just been a long past week or so."

"Yeah, it has," she nodded. Something then came to mind. Nicole had said that Howie knew she was still there, and most definitely AJ knew. Jessica saw AJ and Kevin talking at one point and she wondered if he knew that she was still around, or other information about her firing. "I saw you talking to AJ earlier this morning. How’s everything with him?"

Kevin’s hand came up and brushed across his face. He now sounded tired. "Are you running mediation here?"

"I was just wondering," she responded lowly and glanced around the room.

After a sigh, "Things are fine. I apologized and whatever."

With a raised eyebrow, Jes eyed him. "And whatever?"

His shoulders sagged then raised in a lofty shrug. "What’s the difference? Everything’s fine, right?"

"No, not everything is fine."

"Okay, then what’s not fine. Me and AJ are talking at a civilized level again, what do you have to worry about?"

"The real reason I came in here, that’ what I have to worry about."

His voice was increasing with the pressure he felt from Jessica and her constant remarks. "And what is that? To run intervention about tempers or something?"

She decided it was best to just say it. "Well, Nicole’s been fired." He fell silent and eyed her with hard, green eyes. "That’s what I came to tell you," then she eased off the desk and headed towards the door.

As Jessica reached for the knob his voice boomed, "What?!"

Closing her eyes, she counted to five then turned back around. She was heading for ten but figured it would be way too long for him. "I said," she started slowly.

"I know what you said," he replied haughtily. "I’m wondering why."

In a calm, nearly condescending tone, "Then maybe you should have said why instead of what."

"Oh, cut with the crap, Jes. You can’t be serious."

"I’m very."

Kevin sounded more calmed after a few moments of thought and of staring at Jessica. "For real?"

She nodded gently. "For real."

His tongue slid between his lips in thought then he looked down to the ground. Hands on hips, he breathed in a controlled pattern before looking back to Jessica. One eyebrow raised quickly before he turned his back on her. She took that as the sign to be left alone and slipped from the room.

Kevin sat at the edge of the bed, staring at the dark wood of the bedside table. He sighed then closed his eyes trying to figure everything out. Nicole had been fired. But, why was what he couldn’t figure out. In an instant some pang of guilt hit him, but he couldn’t come to a reason as to why it was bothering him. He was realizing fairly quickly that he did have some sort of feelings for Nicole, but with Kristin around he most obviously could not follow through with anything. He was more determined to keep his relationship in tact this time around. Especially after other sticky relationships he’d had in the past.

And there wasn’t anything he could do about Nicole being fired. He only had words to calm her, soothe her. And in that matter he was almost more bothered. That he was instantly thinking of ways to ease the situation of breaking off whatever relationship she did have with him.

He picked up the phone but paused in mid-air, not quite sure who he would call. His mind first flashed to call Nic at home, yet he didn’t know that number. So then he tried for information. Kevin obtained her private line at her home in Berwyn and quickly called it. There was a vague message. "You can leave a message, but I doubt with my life the way it is that I’ll get back to you. So, it’s on your own decision on whether you want to waste both my time and yours. Thanks anyways," her voice ended with the sound of a smile.

Instantly, his lips curve into a smile at her voice and the message. The message ran through his mind again and he then frowned. It most definitely made sense. She had just been fired. Naturally, she wasn’t up for much socializing.

After another sigh, he redialed the number, deciding to leave a message. "Hey, Nicole, it’s Kevin," he spoke lowly as if there was no reason to be happy about anything. "I, uh, I just found out. You’re gone and I, uh." Kevin shook his head, trying to figure why he was such a bumbling idiot over his words. He’d talked to her so many times before. He didn’t understand why this was so hard now. "I hope everything gets back together for ya. If you ever need anything, give me a call. See ya."

As he hung up he realized he might not see her again and that message itself was one of the most brainless things he’d ever said.