"Oh, hi AJ," I causally greeted. Judging by his body language, he was geared up to fire questions at me, a dollar bill was hanging from his left hand, his billfold in the other. "So.. um, what s new?"
"You ass, why did you have to go and ruin the only vending machine that had Munchos in them?!" AJ demanded.
"How the hell was I gonna know you were gonna go up a freakin floor to get snacks?"
A smile slowly crept up on AJ s lips as he looked at Lizz and I. "Obviously you two didn t plan on anyone catching you in the act!"
My body stiffened at AJ's accusation. I could feel the heat rise into my cheeks, the feelings of embarrassment coupled with anger filled my mind. I felt that Lizz surely didn't have the feelings I had and to have AJ point it out so bluntly made me want to sink back towards the ice machine and hide. I couldn't look at Lizz, I knew she had to be feeling humiliation having AJ throw that in her face. Granted I was about to kiss her before AJ rudely interrupted us, but that probably was just the heat of the moment and she more than likely would have slapped my face after I kissed her.
"What are you talking about?" Lizz piped up.
AJ chuckled. "It's obvious, you two are in love, admit it so we can get on with it."
Before I could answer, a hotel patron entered the vending machine room, ice bucket in her hands. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at the three of us standing in the room.
AJ cleared his throat. "You might want to go to another floor, the snack machines been sabotaged."
I rolled my eyes at AJ.
"Oh.. oh, no, I just wanted," the woman stammered and then held out the green hotel bucket, "I just needed ice."
Feeling stupid and at a loss for words at the moment, I grabbed the bucket from her and held it under the ice spout. The ice poured out rather noisily than I had ever noticed before. "Here ya go."
She smiled sheepishly and nodded and said a quiet thank you before turning away and walking back towards her room.
Mercifully, my pager went off just as AJ opened his mouth to continue his discussion. I glanced at the numbers. "Hey, I gotta go, my mom's paging me. Come on Lizz."
We made it back to our floor, but not without difficulties. Evidently the woman that caught us in the vending machine was a fan and word was leaking out as to what hotel we were at.
"I can't believe how quick that spread," Lizz stated as I slammed the door shut to our hotel room.
"Never takes long," I replied as I laid the room card on the table and threw my body onto the bed.
"I guess I'm gonna slip into the shower, okay?"
"You know you don t have to have permission," I snapped. I saw the hurt look on her face and I immediately regretted my mouth. "I'm sorry, that came out wrong, I guess my nerves are getting fried."
"It's understandable."
Sighing, I laid back onto the bed after the bathroom door clicked shut and the water started running. Staring at the ceiling, a million thoughts were floating in my mind. I wondered if Lizz felt about me like I was feeling towards her. I looked at my life and wondered why the hell would anyone want to share it with me? Was I capeable of having a relationship?
"Nick you re being stupid! Knock it off!" I mumbled outloud to myself. I couldn't second guess her thoughts. I had to confront her with my feelings. I had to take the risk. But how? How could I do this?
Dragging my body off the bed, I approached the bathroom door. A playful part of me wanted to go in and join her in the shower, the sensible part of me mentally slapped my brain for even thinking such things. "I love you Lizz."
There, I said it.
"What did you say Nick?" Lizz called out of over the sound of the shower.
"I said I'm going to Brian s room, I should be back in a few minutes, okay?"
"Okay," she called back.
Grabbing the room card off the dresser, I mentally kicked myself. "Nick, you're such a coward."
"How much farther to Raleigh, Momma?" Terri called out from the back of the rickety stolen van.
"Oh not too much further baby, right Vinnie?"
Vincent only smiled and grinned with a gap-toothed grin, compliments of one too many fights in the prision. "You know we all have our reasons for hating Carter and lemme tell you, I'm the first one to get him, not you!"
Agnes shook her head. "Vinnie, your stupidity only laid you in the slammer. If you had been smart you would have kept your mouth shut and did that girl and his friend in when you had the chance. That would have made that boy suffer for quite some time before we tortured him to death."
"Well I beg to differ Momma, look at me!" Terri seethed as she slammed her fists onto her numb thighs. "I can't walk anymore and I need help doing anything I want. He broke my back and he needs to pay for this!"
"Well, he not only paralyzed my baby, he killed my boy and took your lover in the beginning. He needs to have justice served!" Agnes spat.
"Yeah yeah yeah....alright shuddup! We all have reasons for hating Carter. I sent them a package to that fancy place in that one hotel to shake things up a bit for them, make them keep looking over their shoulders," Vinnie grinned and then belched.
"I hope it was poison!" Terri laughed.
"Good idea, but no we will save that shit for later, this was a mind game I was playing on his little friend that Brian freak...whoops, almost lost it," Vinnie laughed as he steered the van back onto the pavement from the shoulder of the road.
Agnes smacked Vinnie on the back of the head. "Watch the road you fool, we can't draw attention! What did you send to that kid?"
"When he lost his voice and used that one magnet board, I sent him a new one," Vinnie laughed. "I bet they were squirming wondering where in the hell that came from!"
"Good idea! We can play some more cat and mouse until the time is right and then.....bang! We got em," Terri grinned as she held a clenched fist into the air.
"Vincent! There's the exit, turn here!" Agnes barked.
"Oops, okay then, we find a hotel to lay low in and then we wait for the perfect time and the perfect place. According to the schedule, they're supposed to be here for three days! Besides, I want to hear pretty boy's reaction to the latest little gift I sent to him!"
"Three days to mess with their heads," Terri grinned. Soon she was joined in with Agnes and Vincent's malicious laughter.
"Okay Nick, just do it, that's easy according to Brian, he said to just tell her," I coached myself as I walked back towards the hotel room that Lizz and I shared.
"OHMYGOD! NIIIIICK!
I turned to see a cluster of girls standing in the hall. My only thought was escape, but I knew that would be silly to try and outrun a group of twelve teenagers. If I gave them the complimentary autographs and smile for some pictures, I could escape back into my room. I pasted a smile on my face. Okay, I guess judging by their reaction that wasn't a good idea.
"Hey, calm down, please!" I pleaded as some of the girls started screaming. We were in a freakin hotel hall for crying out loud! My eyes darted, praying I would see someone from detail in the hall to save me. No such luck. "Okay, I can only sign some autographs and some pictures but we have to----" oh god I was blinded by a camera that flashed into my eyes only inches from my face. I put my hand to my eyes and I could still see the blinding flash and the voice of one girl saying "oh great Rachel, you blinded Nick Carter!"
"Nick? I want you to have this," someone from the cluster hollered and thrusted a small box at me.
I clumsily grabbed at it, missing it at first but then managed to connect with it. "Thanks."
My vision was coming back and I could see that the crowd was growing. I suddenly realized that if I didn't make a move for my door, there would be a security issue happening in a matter of minutes. Clutching the box I bade my apologies and quickly pushed my way through the sea of disappointed faces only to have a few more cameras being flashed into my eyes and someone screaming into my ear.
"What the heck happened with you and Brian? You look like you ve seen a ghost," Lizz questioned once I managed to slam the door shut behind me.
"Girls," was all I managed to spit out.
"Girls?"
"There s a mob out there," I replied as sank on the corner of my bed.
"You're afraid of teenagers? Since when?" Lizz snickered.
I could thankfully hear the sounds of men's voices and walkie talkies which indicated that detail was now on our floor and clearing out the commotion of fans that had gathered. Lizz noticed the noise as well, her eyes widened.
"Go out in the hall and find out," I grinned.
"Um, no thanks, I think I can take your word for it," she replied. Her eyes focused on the small package that was laying next to me. "What's that?"
I looked at the small box. "Oh, something one of those girls out in the hall handed me."
Lizz's face grew serious. "Throw it out!"
"Huh?"
"Don t open it, throw it out," she insisted.
"Oh come on, don't be silly, it's from a fourteen year old girl, I'm sure it's harmless, I stated as I picked the package up and tore at the decorative paper. See, it's harmless, a bottle of bath wash. She must of thought I smelled funny."
"I'm sorry, I get paranoid sometimes..." Lizz remarked, her voice trailing.
I walked over to where she was standing and cupped chin with my hand, trying to get her to look into my eyes. "Hey, I have the same thoughts, but I seriously don't think we have to worry about a fourteen year old fan, okay? Those people are in prison, far, far away from....where are we again?"
"Raleigh Nick, Raleigh, North Carolina," Lizz smirked.
I smiled. "Yeah that too." I turned and scooped up the bottle of body wash. "Okay, I'm going to take a quick shower with this bottle of sea breeze scent and when I get done, I want to sit down and have a talk with you, okay?"
Lizz smiled and nodded.
"Okay, see you in a few, don't go missing me."
Her only response was giggling. God, I how couldn't I not love that?
