Ally cautiously tapped on Nick’s door, praying Brian had already left. It was no secret that he hated her. Hopefully, Nick hadn't gone out with everyone else. Then she would be the only one who stayed back at the hotel.
Nick finally answered the door and offered her a friendly smile. “You stayed here, too?”
“I’m nineteen. Not old enough to drink yet!” Ally replied. “Why didn’t you go?”
“Just didn’t feel like it. Do you want to hang out?” Nick asked.
Ally stepped in. “Yeah, sure. What do you want to do?”
“We can watch a movie. We’ve got The Wedding Singer,” Nick suggested.
“Sure.” They settled into the sofa, and Nick casually put his arm around her. She leaned against him as the previews started.
Halfway through the movie, Ally’s cell phone rang. She picked it up and greeted her caller.
“Alexandra, where are you?” It was Craig.
“I’m at the hotel. Why?” she replied.
“Don’t lie to me, Al,” he ordered. “I tried calling your room. You didn’t answer. Now where are you?”
“I’m in Nick’s room.” She looked up. “Excuse me for a moment, Nick,” she whispered as she turned to leave the room.
“What the hell are you doing in there?” Craig shouted.
“We’re watching a movie! Calm down!”
“Who else is there?”
“No one.” Ally sighed. “Craig, I’m not cheating on you. You need to relax.”
“Yeah, fucking, right, you’re not cheating on me, you little skank! You’ve probably slept with every one of those Backdoor Boys!”
Instead of crying, Ally got angry. “Craig, what the hell are you talking about? I would never cheat on you! Get a grip, you psycho!”
“Whatever,” Craig muttered. He slammed down the phone. It was time to make matters into his own hands. He’d show that Carter asshole Ally was his girl.
Chapter 8
Nick waited patiently for Ally to return. He wanted to finish the movie, but not without her. Finally, he heard the door open.
“Hey,” Ally said quietly. The makeup she had just slapped on did very little to hide the tearstains on her cheeks.
“What’s wrong?” Nick asked.
“Craig and I got into a big argument,” Ally whispered, breaking down again. After Craig hung up on her, the sorrow set in, and she realized it was her fault. She shouldn’t have been in Nick’s room in the first place.
Immediately, Nick turned off the TV and pulled her into an embrace. “What happened? What was it about?”
“Oh, just something,” Ally said. “I don’t want to talk about what caused it.” She didn’t want Nick to feel bad.
“Okay. Why don’t you sit down? I’ll get you some tissues.” As she sat down on the sofa, Nick grabbed a box of Kleenex.
“It was my fault. I did something stupid,” Ally muttered. Suddenly, she realized she was doing that stupid thing again. She was about to leave when she decided it wouldn’t make a difference. Craig wouldn’t find out. It wasn’t like he would call to work things out anytime soon.
“Ally, why are you with him?” Nick asked as nicely as he could.
“Because I love him,” Ally replied, unsure where this conversation was leading. “And because he loves me, too.”
Nick grabbed her hands. “Listen, Ally. I’m going to say this as gently as possible,” he whispered. “He doesn’t deserve you. He doesn’t love you. He’s using you because you are a young, vulnerable girl. He doesn’t treat you right.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replied angrily.
“Do you think I didn’t notice those bruises when we started the tour, Alexandra? I’m sure you did nothing wrong to start that fight tonight, but he turned everything around to make it seem like you did. Dammit, Ally you deserve so much more than that! You are a wonderful person!” He stopped when he saw he was only making her cry harder. “I’m sorry.”
Ally buried her face in his shoulder as Nick stroked her hair. Her sobs eventually gave way to deep, even breathing, and he dozed off, too.
Chapter 9
Nick jerked awake and looked at the clock. It was two a.m. His eyes traveled to the angel sleeping in his arms. Careful not to wake her, he carried her over to Brian’s bed and covered her up before climbing into the other. Brian would have to find his own place to sleep tonight.
As he began to fall asleep again, a voice pulled him back. “Nick?” It belonged to Ally.
“Yeah?” he replied.
“Did you put me here?” she asked. “Yeah, I did. You can just stay here tonight. It’s late.”
“Okay.” She hesitated. “Did you really mean what you said before?”
“What?”
“You said I deserve better than Craig and that he treats me bad and all that.”
“Of course I meant it.”
“Can I come lay down by you? I…I just don’t want to be alone right now.” Without waiting for an answer, she slipped under the covers next to him.
He put his arms around her and sighed. If he didn’t tell her now, he knew he’d never find the nerve to do it again. “I have a little confession to make, Ally.”
“What?”
There was a long pause before he answered. “I think I’m falling in love with you,” he finally blurted out.
Again, there was a long silence. Endless moments passed as Nick waited for her answer. However, he didn’t get one. Instead, her lips eagerly searched out his own, then engulfed them.
Nick was surprised, but pleased. He responded by sliding his hand up the front of her shirt before his conscience kicked in. She was in a terrible emotional state, and he was about to take full advantage of it. Quickly, he pulled away. “I’m sorry, Ally.”
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I just…can’t do this, not now.”
“All right.” She settled back into his arms, disappointed, but completely understanding.