She was barely aware of the door behind her shutting, a loud latch clicking into place to lock her in. A man had just left her, but she couldn't remember why he had come. He had asked her a couple questions, but she couldn't remember what they were. Her mind wouldn't let those truths out. She was sinking, sinking so quickly, but she wasn't fighting it. She was welcoming it.
Julia felt the hazy fog settle over her again. She was conscious, she knew. She had to be. The sunlight streaming in through the bars turned blurry somehow, yet it sparkled.
She was no longer tied down. Or, was she? At that point it didn't really matter. Nothing mattered except the haze, except the fuzziness.
She laid on her side, letting the soft pillow beneath her head cup her face. She thought she heard the door open once more, but she ignored it. She was still sinking, sinking and yet floating.
She breathed in and her heart immediately skipped a beat. She was surprised, and yet, at the same time she wasn't, to suddenly take in the familiar scent of the cologne that she loved so much. She didn't move. She couldn't. Was it a dream? It could have been, but how could a dream be so vivid?
She breathed in again, wanting to savor the moment. And then she felt it - a presence behind her. Soft, solid, real. It had to be real.
She could feel him. She could sense him.
And then there he was. His arm slid around her waist, his face nestled in the back of her neck. She felt his warm breath on her skin and it made her shiver. She closed her eyes tight, feeling her body freeze up. Hot tears sprang to her eyes.
She couldn't speak, she couldn't move. She was too afraid. One breath, one inch of movement, and he would be gone. He'd have to be. She couldn't risk it. She couldn't bear it.
"I love you," he whispered ever so softly in her ear.
She couldn't hold it in any longer. She let out a shaky breath, her tears overflowing from her closed eye lids. She reached down and oh God, she touched him. He was there. He was right there! Right here beside her, holding her like he had done so many nights before.
"Nick," she managed to breath out.
"I love you," he repeated. "So much."
Her heart shattered. She never thought she'd hear those words again. Could this be real? How could it?
"I love you," she replied desperately, still terrified that it would disappear. It. Not it. Him. She frantically wanted to turn and face him. She had to see him, but she was too afraid.
She felt his nose nestle the back of her neck like he had done hundreds of times before. She loved it when he did that. She felt safe when he did that.
More tears seeped out. Tears of joy, tears of heartbreak.
"Don't leave me," she cried out.
"I can't," he replied. He sounded so sad.
"Don't leave me," she whispered again.
There was a pause, before, "Open your eyes Julia."
"I won't," she refused. "Please don't tell me that."
"Open your eyes," he whispered softly against her ear. She shivered as his breath floated across her face.
She couldn't resist him. But she was so afraid.
She opened her eyes and-
...he was gone.
4 Years Earlier
“And what, may I ask, was that about?”
Julia jumped slightly at the unexpected voice. She tore her eyes away from Nick’s retreating figure, and turned to her friend and co-worker, “What was what?”
Beth smirked, “Did he really charm you that much?”
Julia scowled, “Of course he didn’t.”
“What did he want then?” she asked curiously.
Julia debated if she should really tell Beth the truth, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret. Beth always seemed to find out everything. The girl was amazing in that regard. So Julia sighed, and turned back to organizing the clothes on the wall, “He was in the neighborhood and thought he’d stop by to say hello.”
Beth’s eyebrow rose in skepticism, “He was in the neighborhood and just happened to get the urge to just waltz in here and say hi?”
Julia nodded and Beth continued, “To you?”
Julia nodded again.
Beth stomped her foot, “Jules, don’t sugarcoat this! Nick fucking Carter just came in here to talk to you. Not me, not Mel, not Sophie, but you. Now what the hell did he want?”
Julia groaned, “You’re so damned persistent, you know that?”
Beth leaned against one of the table displays, “That’s what I’m told.”
When Julia saw the determined look on her friend’s face, she knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She sighed once more, trying to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal, “He asked me out to dinner alright?”
Beth’s mouth immediately fell open, “No way.”
“Yes way,” Julia rolled her eyes.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
Julia let out a laugh and stared at Beth, “You’re begging me to tell you what happened and when I do you don’t believe me. What’s so hard to believe anyway? Am I really not that appealing?”
“It’s not that, it’s just… wow,” Beth was blown away. Julia didn’t understand the gravity of the situation. It wasn’t that big of a deal in her eyes.
“If you run after him, I’m sure he’d take you to dinner,” Julia muttered.
“Yeah, right,” Beth breathed out. “He wanted to take you! This is so crazy Jules. And exciting! When are you going?”
“Going?” Julia asked absentmindedly as she hung up another set of clothing.
Beth let out a sigh of exasperation, “I feel like I’m talking to myself. When is he taking you?”
“He’s not,” Julie said simply.
Beth’s smile immediately vanished, “Wait, why not?”
“Because I turned him down.”
“You turned him down?” Beth was stunned. She quickly snapped out of her trance, “Why the hell would you do that?”
“Come on Beth, you know me better than that. You’ve heard just as much as I’ve heard about his little escapades. I don’t want to be just another one of those girls,” Julia explained.
“How do you know that’s what he was looking for? Maybe he genuinely likes you,” Beth countered.
“He doesn’t even know me.”
“That’s what a date is for moron! You’re passing judgment before you even give him a chance,” Beth exclaimed.
Julia frowned slightly. Beth did have a point. Julia tried to reason more with herself than with Beth, “Seriously, even if I wasn’t passing ‘judgment’, can you really see little ol’ me lasting with him? It’s a ridiculous thought.”
“It’s not ridiculous at all. Celebrities date non-celebrities all the time!”
Julie bit her bottom lip, looking down at the clothes in her hands, “It’s not a big deal. It’s over and done with.”
“Yeah, now it is. He’ll probably never be in here again,” Beth pushed off the table she was leaning on. “But anyway, that was fun while it lasted. I guess I should get back to work before Matt comes out and bites my head off.”
Julia smiled at her, trying to make it seem like her mind wasn’t elsewhere. Should she have accepted his invitation? Beth was making her doubt her decision.
“Have fun,” Julia teased.
Beth let out a harsh laugh, “Yeah, you know I will.”
Beth started walking away, but then stopped, her face contemplative. She let out another laugh then and continued walking away. Julia called out curiously, “What?”
Beth turned and walked backwards slowly, “You know, you’re probably the first and only girl that’s turned Nick Carter down. You’ve always been a freak Jules. It’s good that you didn’t change your colors now.”
Julia watched as Beth turned back around and made her way across the store to help a customer. Julia couldn’t even reply to Beth’s comment, because she barely even heard the last part. She was too focused on what Beth initially said. Could she really be the only girl to ever turn the guy down? She found that highly doubtful, but it was an intriguing idea all the same. She wasn’t the only girl in the world that had enough sense and willpower to stick to their morals, but still. He was definitely charming, and he seemed genuinely nice. Would going on a date with him really have hurt anything? Probably not, but she couldn’t help that now.
The Next Day
“It’s beyond dead in here today,” Beth whined.
Julia spun a pin across the counter, watching it twirl and smack into a necklace display. It careened off the side and went flying off the ledge to the floor. Julia watched it sadly, too lazy to walk around the counter to pick it back up.
“Tell me a story or something,” Beth demanded.
Julia groaned, “You do this to me constantly. How many stories can a girl have? I can’t entertain you all the time.”
“Why not? It’s in your friend contract.”
Julia laughed at this, “Is it now?”
“At the bottom, in small print. It says ‘Must entertain Beth whenever demanded upon’.”
“I never agreed to that,” Julia continued to chuckle at her friend.
“Yeah, I guess not, but still. I’m bored!” Beth leaned her chin in the palm of her hand. Julia followed suit, glancing over at Beth with a smile on her face. Beth saw the look out of the corner of her eye and turned to look, “What?”
“I adore you, you know that?” Julia beamed.
Beth rolled her eyes, unable to stop the huge smile that spread across her face, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, and I adore you just as much. I’m glad I can amuse you with my whining.”
“You amuse me always,” Julia announced.
“Oh great, that’s good to hear. Now why can’t you amuse me like that?”
“Are you saying I’m boring?” Julia asked.
“Well, if you want to get technical…”
Julia opened her mouth to retort, but suddenly stopped when she heard the entrance door open. Both Beth and Julia turned their heads, eager to assist a customer, any customer. Who knew that a Friday could be so dead?
It was to Julia’s dismay that the man that entered the store wasn’t a customer, but a delivery boy. The man spotted the two of them by the check counter and made a beeline for them.
“What the hell?” Beth muttered. “Is he lost?”
Julia shrugged, “Beats me.”
Beth spoke up, “Can we help you?”
The man finally approached them and he reached out, setting down the contents in his arms onto the counter. He then looked down at a piece of paper crumpled in his hands, “Yeah, uh, is there a Julia here?”
Julia was immediately taken aback. Beth quickly glanced at her with her mouth slightly open, a small smirk suddenly appearing on her lips, “Indeed there is.”
“Perfect. We’ll here ya go,” the man announced and then turned on his heel to walk away.
Beth and Julia looked at each other in confusion. It was Julia that spoke up now, “Hey, wait!”
The man stopped and turned towards them. He waited, and Julia continued, “Who are these from?”
He shrugged, “Says here that it’s anonymous, but there’s a card.”
Julia nodded, turning her attention back to the object on the counter. She didn’t say another word, barely noticing that the door had opened and shut once more, leaving Beth and Julia alone yet again.
Beth stared at Julia expectantly, and when she saw she wasn’t getting the desired response, she quickly reached forward and plucked the card from the bouquet of roses. Julia didn’t object. She was still caught up on the fact that they were even there in the first place. She’d never received flowers before, and she couldn’t think of a single soul that would go out of their way to send them. And they were so beautiful.
She heard Beth gasp and then chuckle, forcing her to tear her eyes away from the blooming roses to her friend’s mischievous grin.
“What’s it say?” Julia asked.
Beth handed the card over to her slowly. Julia reached to take it from her, but Beth quickly snatched it back. They played this quick game of tug-a-war before Julia screamed, laughing, “Dammit Beth, give it to me!”
Beth giggled and finally let Julia take it. Julia quickly scanned over the card, not yet reading it. She didn’t recognize the handwriting at first, but then... it happened. Her stomach suddenly lurched, her face turning bright red.
She dropped the card and covered her cheeks with her hands, turning away from the scrawl of words glittering up at her.
“You have to call him!” Beth exclaimed.
Julia couldn’t help it, but she was embarrassed. She didn’t understand it. Why would he do this? She was a nobody. She was nothing special. Why would he take the time, effort, and money to pursue her when she had already declined him?
I told you I’d try again…
Please, come to dinner with me.
And his number was scrawled just as perfectly below that simple little request.
Julia shook her head, mumbling, “I can’t.”
“Jesus, why the hell not?”
When Beth wasn’t getting an answer, she shoved Julia in the side, “If you won’t, I will! I’ll set this thing up for you.”
Julia saw Beth reach for the phone and she yelled out, “Don’t!”
Beth sighed, “Come on Jules. He sent you flowers. How sweet is that? Just go to dinner with the guy.”
Julia pursed her lips, staring at the gigantic roses in front of her. She barely had time to think. This was entirely unexpected. It was moving all so fast, “What if this is some sort of elaborate seduction?”
Beth rolled her eyes, “You’re being ridiculous.”
“Maybe I am, but I already told him my answer. I’d look like an idiot if I went against that now,” Julia explained.
“Don’t be a drama queen. You’re pride has nothing to do with this. When’s the last time you went on a date?”
Julia eyed Beth carefully. Julia’s silence was enough of an answer and Beth continued, “Exactly. Now call him.”
Julia pondered this for a moment, before sighing. Maybe it was shyness, maybe it was stubbornness, but she softly said, “I can’t.”
Beth about screamed in frustration, “You’re absolutely hopeless! I love you Jules, I really do, but that doesn’t mean I understand you. You’re a complete mystery to me.”
“I don’t even think I understand myself,” Julia kidded.
Beth drummed her fingers across the counter, glaring at her friend. She was completely flabbergasted at this entire situation. If it were her, she’d be jumping at the chance to go out with him. He was a celebrity! Stuff like this didn’t happen to normal girls like them often. And besides, he was cute, and seemingly sweet and romantic. What was so wrong with this? She just didn’t get it, but she wasn’t about to push the subject.
“Well, shit, I’m taking a flower for myself then,” Beth grumbled.
Nick set down his beer and glanced down at his silent phone yet again. He pressed one of the front buttons to light up the screen, hoping to find a new message, though he hadn’t felt it vibrate. He was disappointed, yet not surprised, to find that there was nothing. He sighed and turned back to the table, glancing down at his cards yet again.
“What the fuck do you keep looking at?” AJ demanded.
Nick shrugged, fiddling with his cards, debating what to do, “Nothing. And I fold.”
“Nothing my ass. You keep checking your phone like the world’s about to end.”
“Seriously, it’s nothing. Just wondering what time it is,” Nick tried to sound casual. The fact of the matter was, it had been 9 hours since he had sent flowers to Julia, and he had yet to hear from her. He had been hopeful, but his confidence was diminishing by the minute. He thought that flowers would do the trick, but apparently it did just the opposite.
Not only was he frustrated from not hearing from Julia, he was frustrated with himself. He couldn’t understand why he was so wrapped up in this girl. All he could think about were her eyes. He couldn’t seem to get away from them, and it was driving him crazy. But the fact that she was resisting him was another thing entirely. It made him feel something he wasn’t used to feeling. He wasn’t used to rejection, so it was no wonder that he wasn’t taking it well. He felt nervous and antsy. He felt… hurt.
“You sure you’re not waiting for someone to call?” Brian asked softly.
Nick looked over at his friend over the cloud of smoke that hung over the table, “Of course not.”
Brian eyed him skeptically. Brian could see through a lie so damned easily.
“Wait, who’s he waiting for to call him?” Howie asked, setting down his cigar.
Brian shrugged and Nick rolled his eyes, “Am I invisible or something? I said I’m not waiting for anything. I was just wondering what time it was.”
“You gotta be somewhere or something?” AJ asked.
“No…”
“Then why do you need to know what time it is so bad?”
Nick groaned loudly, “Just deal the cards AJ!”
AJ chuckled, “Touchy touchy.”
“It’s that one girl isn’t it?” Brian asked suddenly.
Nick’s head snapped up and he looked at Brian in surprise. He tried to act dumb, “What girl?”
“The girl you were talking about yesterday.”
“Shut up Brian,” Nick said through gritted teeth. He wasn’t in the mood for AJ’s reaction. He knew he would jump on this the first chance he got.
“Wait, what girl?” AJ perked up.
Howie was even curious, “Yeah, what girl? You dating someone Nick?”
“No, I’m not,” Nick grumbled.
“Wait, what girl?” AJ asked once more, sounding more frantic.
“There’s no girl!” Nick exclaimed.
Brian rolled his eyes, “Come on Nick, it’s not a big deal. You don’t have to hide the fact that you actually like someone for once.”
“I hate you,” Nick glared.
Brian chuckled and AJ looked between the two of them in frustration, “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“He met some girl the other day,” Brian scrunched up his forehead in concentration. “Julia… right?”
“Julia who?” AJ immediately asked.
“Oh hell, do you not remember anything?” Nick asked. He was giving in. It was pointless to keep anything from these guys. They were like vultures.
AJ stared at Nick blankly. Nick continued, “Gucci, shoes…”
A light seemed to dawn on AJ then, “Pretty little thing with green eyes?”
Nick’s heart fluttered. He replied quietly, “Yeah, her.”
“I remember,” AJ grinned. “I cock blocked you.”
Howie choked on his drink in laughter and Brian let out a loud laugh.
“If that’s how you want to put it,” Nick stated lowly.
“Sorry man, I didn’t know. So what, did you slip her your digits when I wasn’t looking?” he asked.
“Do we really have to talk about this?” Nick asked, looking from face to face.
“No, but why not talk about it? It’s harmless and we’re interested. It’s clear you like the girl,” Brian commented.
Howie jumped in, “It’s actually refreshing Nick, to tell you the truth. She must be something if she caught your eye.”
“She was something alright,” AJ winked. Nick reached over and punched his arm and AJ threw his hands up in surrender, laughing, “I’m just joking with ya.”
“Did you ask her out?” Howie asked.
Nick nodded, “But she said no.”
“You’re kidding,” Brian asked in surprise.
“Nope,” Nick said simply.
“See, I knew I liked her!” AJ exclaimed happily.
“You didn’t even talk to her,” Nick countered.
“We introduced ourselves,” AJ argued.
“Why’d she say no?” Brian asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
Nick glared at AJ one last time before turning to Brian. He couldn’t believe this conversation was happening right now. It was making him uncomfortable, “She thought my intentions were different than they really were.”
“Different how?” Howie asked.
Nick looked at Howie knowingly, and it only took Howie a second to figure out what his look meant, “Oh. Right.”
“Okay, so she said no. So why are you staring at the phone waiting for her to call?” AJ asked.
“Because I asked her again,” Nick said simply.
“Stalker much?” AJ mumbled.
It was Howie that hit him this time, “Shut up! Give the guy a break already.”
“Alright, alright, sorry.”
“How’d you ask her this time?” Brian asked.
Nick sighed, “I sent her flowers. Left her a note to call me.”
Brian nodded, not saying anything.
“You think she’ll call?” Howie asked.
“Doesn’t look like it,” Nick said sullenly.
AJ, Howie, and Brian all exchanged glances. Was this seriously happening?
“Jeez Nick, what’d she say to you to get you so hooked?” AJ asked sincerely. He hadn’t seen Nick like this in years.
“That’s the thing. It’s nothing she said. I think I was hooked on her even before she said anything.”
“So what if she doesn’t call?” Howie asked.
Nick thought about that question for a moment. As much as he’d like to say that he’d let it go and move on to his next prospect, he knew he couldn’t. Without even thinking about it, he knew that he would keep trying. He just had to get her out to dinner. He had to show her who he was, and not what the media portrayed him to be. She would have to like him, cause how could he like her so much and not have some of that reciprocated? She even admitted to liking him, maybe not like that, but him as he had presented himself to her those two times he had talked with her. That was a good starting point, and he was completely capable of branching off from that. She was just hesitant. She was nervous. He just needed her to say yes and until then, he would keep trying. He had to.
"I'll just send her more," Nick smiled slyly.
