Nick looked down at the papers in his hands, his brow furrowing in concentration ... not to mention, confusion. He'd never exactly understood all of the legal mumbo-jumbo that comes with being in the business. While with the Backstreet Boys, he'd always just let everybody else take care of anything that didn't involve singing and dancing. He simply showed up at the studios and let those who knew what they were talking about tell him where to go and what to do. It had worked for a long time ... until he grew up and simply got sick of being bossed around. Now, with his solo album coming out, he was doing it all. And he loved it ... even if he didn't understand half of it.
A door opened and a blast of cool air came into the room, startling Nick. He looked up from his papers, his eyes meeting hers. She was more beautiful than he had remembered. It wasn't even a glamorous beauty. It was simple and ... well, just simple. And he loved it. He wondered, for a moment, if he would have even given her a second look, a second thought, if he had just seen her walking down the sidewalk like every other normal, simple girl. He doubted it. It wasn't because he had a suspicion that he only liked her because she was famous ... of course not ... he was famous himself and he hated when people were merely star-struck. No, it was because you had to stand in her presence to really begin to appreciate her beauty. Two minutes ... that's all it took ... two minutes ... but nevertheless, passing by her on a crowded walkway, one could not possibly begin to cherish her smile and the way her eyes lit up when she did so.
"Hey," Nick managed to croak. What was wrong with him? He had not been this in awe of her before. He'd shrugged her off and hadn't thought about her for more than two minutes after each time he'd seen her. It was almost like, without Zack in his arms, without Zack in the room, without Zack anywhere in the vicinity, Nick was jelly in the hands of a woman ... again ... and he hated it. "Paige, right?"
Paige smiled at him ... a sincere smile ... a smile that was so enthralling, so luring, so amazingly wonderful, and she had no idea. "Yeah ... You're Nick; correct?"
Nick nodded and stood from his chair, offering his hand. He felt a tremor run through him as they touched. Gosh, her skin was soft ... so incredibly soft ... as soft as a baby's bottom.
Zack, Nick thought, Think about Zack ... Zack ... Zack.
And yet, all Nick could think of was the woman standing in front of a him, a hesitant smile on her face, her hair cascading softly over her right shoulder and just barely covering the side of her face. He just couldn't help but stare at her. And suddenly he was wondering what she was doing there. He was told he was to wait in the room so that he could meet somebody ... somebody that his manager had set up for him to bring as a date to an upcoming awards show.
"Did I get the wrong room?" Nick asked, glancing around, suddenly worried. Gosh, he did not want to make a fool out of himself. "I'm sorry; I thought that-"
"...you were meeting your date for the Teen Choice Awards?"
"Well, yeah. How'd you-"
"I'm her."
Nick's face turned red. Holy cow. If he could stop time, it would definitely not be in this moment. Now, if he could rewind time ... he would; all the way. Couldn't he have placed two and two together a little sooner and not made a complete dork out of himself?
"Oh."
Paige studied him with a careful gaze. Why did he seem so nervous? And was that disappointment she'd heard in his voice? Please, God, don't let it have been disappointment. She did not want to spend an evening with a man that hadn't wanted her to be his date.
"Oh?"
"Oh!" Nick paled. "Sorry! I didn't mean it that way. Honest. I'm sure we'll totally hit it off."
Once I figure out how to talk in front of you, he thought, trying hard not to scoff out-loud at himself.
"Well, anyway," Paige smiled, "since we've met ... twice, now ... I guess I'll be going."
Nick nodded and pulled the door open, tossing the papers down onto the conference table. There was no way he was taking those home with him ... he wouldn't understand them there either. "I'll walk you to your car."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, why not?" Nick shrugged and followed her out of the room, closing the door behind him.
