"Got any 8's?" Ashleigh asked. Nick made a face and sighed. He took the card and tossed it on the table.
"Aww man!" he cried.
"Yes!!" Ashleigh cheered as she won the game. She laughed at Nick's disappointed face.
"That's the third time in a row!" Nick said.
"Yeah...can you say...LOSER?!" she screamed. Nick flicked a card at her and she laughed even harder.
"Go fish...what a dumb game anyways," Nick pouted.
"Aww you're just mad that I beat ya," she said. She hopped up and slid into the booth next to him. They started cleaning up the cards that were everywhere and their hands brushed against each others. Nick looked up into her eyes. Ashleigh loved his eyes and felt herself get lost in them. She tried to look away but Nick gently tipped her chin back to face him. He leaned in and she could feel his breath against her cheek. They were about to kiss when the bus came to a halt.
"Pit stop!" the driver yelled back. Ashleigh jumped up quickly.
"Good, I need to walk around," she said, running off the bus. Nick just sat there in shock as everyone piled off the bus. Gwen passed him and stopped.
"What's up Nicky?" she asked, when she saw his daze.
"Nothing," he shrugged and stood up to leave.
~~later that night~~
After their almost kiss, Ashleigh couldn't make eye contact with Nick. She snuck onto the band's bus to talk to Mindi. Everyone was now at the arena in Charlotte getting ready for the show and Ashleigh was no where to be found. Nick needed to talk to her before he went on. He made sure he was the first one to get make-up and hair done so he could look for her. He walked around the backstage area asking everyone if they've seen her. He knocked on Mindi's dressing room door and she let him in.
"Hey Nickers," she greeted.
"Have you seen Ash?" Nick asked her. She shook her head.
"Nope...she could have gone out to the audience already," Mindi said. Nick thanked her and left. He then knew exactly where she was but there was no way he could go out to get her. One of their dancers walked by and he stopped her.
"Regan!" he said. The brunette turned around. She was already in make-up and costume.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I need you to do me a favor. Can you go out in the audience and get Ashleigh for me?" he asked. Regan was a new dancer to the tour and no one would recognize her. She agreed and left to get her. Nick paced back and forth waiting for her in his dressing room. He then heard the door quietly open and close. He turned around to see Ashleigh.
"Ash!" he said. She smiled.
"Hey," she said.
"We have to talk," he said.
"I know..." she whispered. He was about to talk when they heard over the loud speaker, "Attention: all band, dancers and boys to the stage please. We're on in 5 minutes."
"Shit," Nick mumbled. Ashleigh looked relieved to have time to spare.
''You better go," Ashleigh said. Nick nodded.
"Yeah..we can talk when it's over," Nick said.
"Can't wait," Ashleigh grumbled under her breath.
"What?" Nick asked.
"Nothing...good luck," she said, forcing a smile. He smiled slightly and left.
~~~
"Thank you Charlotteeeeee!!!" AJ screamed in his mic before he ran off stage. The guys had put on another great show. AJ cooled off and went in search for Gwen. He walked backstage and stopped dead in his tracks.
"Hello AJ," Amanda said, standing next to his dressing room.
"Amanda!" AJ said, shocked that she was there. He hadn't seen her since she left him about 11 months ago. "What the fuck are you doing here?" he asked, looking around to make sure Gwen wasn't around.
"I was in town and heard about your concert on the radio," she said. "I thought I'd come to say hi..." she said, noticing him looking around, "Don't worry...she didn't see me."
"What?" AJ asked.
"I know about your new girlfriend, and she didn't see me," Amanda told him.
"Oh.." he said. He didn't know what to say to her. He had nothing to say.
"I miss ya J," she said.
"That is bullshit Amanda," he said. He noticed more people coming in the hall and quickly pushed her into his room and shut the door. He didn't want Gwen to know she was there.
"Come on AJ. We've both moved on...I'm not here to get you back," she said. She was the one who left him for another guy she met. AJ glanced at her hand to see a shining diamond rock on her finger.
"Are you engaged?!" he said, almost screamed.
"Yeah...that's what I came to tell you," Amanda said. AJ starred at the ring. He couldn't stop thinking how that ring should have been his.
"Well...I guess we are moved on," AJ huffed.
"You still don't have feelings for me, do you?" Amanda asked. It was sure that she didn't.
"No.." AJ said, as he took a deep breath.
"I mean you have a great girlfriend AJ. She's your one," Amanda said.
"I know," AJ said, looking at his shoes.
"AJ, we can beat the lie that says we have to hate each other after we break up," Amanda said. AJ was silent.
"I love Gwen..I love her more than anything," AJ said.
"I know," Amanda smiled. "I just wish we could be friends." AJ knew Amanda didn't want anything so he trusted her. "And I hear she's making you wait," Amanda said, with a light laugh.
"Yeah," AJ said.
"So that's why you've been saying you like kissing better than sex in interviews now," she said.
"That's not all true," AJ defended.
"Well, I gotta get going," Amanda said. "Keep in touch," she said. AJ opened his door and gave her a hug. He kissed her cheek.
"Good luck," he said. She smiled and walked away. AJ knew it was the last time he'd see her in a while and felt good that their relationship was completely done. He stood out in the hall and saw Regan standing near by.
"Hey Regan, have you seen Gwen?" he asked.
"Yeah, she's down in the costume room," she answered. AJ smiled and walked off.
"Asshole," Regan muttered under her breath as he walked away.
~~meanwhile~~
Regan ran off stage and grabbed a bottle of water. She was talking to the other dancers and looked over to see AJ talking to another girl. She saw him look around and push Amanda into his room. Regan didn't know everyone really well, but she knew about AJ and Gwen. At that moment, Gwen walked by.
"Hey Regan, have you seen AJ? He usually comes to find me after shows," she asked.
"uh...yeah, he went to drop off his mic in the tech room and look for you in the costume room," Regan lied to keep Gwen away. Regan didn't want Gwen to find AJ with another woman. Gwen nodded and thanked her and left.
~~~~~~~
After the show, Nick quickly ran off stage. He saw Ashleigh standing near by.
"Great show," she said.
"Thanks.." he said. There was silence between them.
"Nick, I..."
"Ash..." they both said at the same time. They smiled and Nick spoke first.
"Ash, I'm sorry if I was moving too fast," Nick apologized.
"No, it's okay. I was just caught off guard," Ashleigh said. Nick noticed her biting down on her lip and he knew she did that when she lied.
"Ashleigh, what's going on? Are you having an affair with Howie or something?" Nick asked, to lighten the mood. She let out a small laugh.
"No, it's not that," she laughed. "It's just that...it's a long story."
"Well, after we get to the hotel, I have all night," Nick said.
~~~~~~~
"Gwen!" AJ shouted. She turned around and ran to him.
"There you are!" she said, jumping into his arms. He hugged her and gave her a long kiss.
"Sorry, I was helping Kev take down his keyboards," AJ lied. He wasn't ready to tell Gwen about Amanda yet. She nodded and kissed him again.
"Great show," she said. He kissed her again and it was a very passionate kiss. When they pulled away, she smiled.
"Wow," she laughed.
"I love you," he said, starring into her eyes.
~~~~~~~
Everyone piled off the buses and went their separate ways into the hotel. Before they knew Ashleigh was coming on tour, AJ and Gwen decided they'd room together. But Gwen didn't want Ashleigh alone in a hotel suite in an unfamiliar city with people she didn't know. So for the first couple weeks, Ashleigh and Gwen were going to room together. AJ grumbled his way up to his suite alone.
"Damn," he cursed. He was looking forward to being with Gwen but he understood her sisters' needs. He swiped the key into his door and walked in.
Gwen and Ashleigh carried their night bags up to their room and Gwen unlocked the door. She also was upset she wasn't with AJ but she knew her sister needed her.
"Gwen, you don't have to baby-sit me," Ashleigh insisted as they walked into their huge suite.
"I know but I don't want you alone on your first week of touring," Gwen said. They went into their separate rooms and put down their luggage. Gwen walked into the kitchen and turned on the coffee maker. Ashleigh looked in the mirror and grabbed her copy of their key.
"Where are you going?" Gwen asked, afraid of the answer.
"To Nick's room," Ashleigh said, trying to avoid a lecture.
"Whoa whoa wait," Gwen said, grabbing her sisters arm and pulling her back into their room. "I dunno if I'm okay with this," Gwen said. Even though Ashleigh was 18, Gwen was in charge of her.
"Gwen, we are just going to talk. I'm not going to do anything dumb," she insisted.
"Ash...you already messed up once," the second Gwen said that, she saw the pain in her sisters eyes. "I don't want you to mess up again." Ashleigh looked at the floor.
"I don't need to be reminded of my faults 24/7, Gwen. I know I messed up and I've learned better. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. And last time I checked, I'm an adult and I don't need you running my life," and with that, Ashleigh left slamming the door.
~~~
Nick heard a knock on his door and went to open it. He saw Ashleigh standing there. He smiled and brought her in. He smiled at his body guard who sat outside his room at all times, and shut the door.
"Hey," Ashleigh said.
"Hey." Their was an odd silence between them.
"Wanna sit?" Nick asked.
"Sure," Ashleigh agreed as they sat facing each other on his couch.
"Ash, I really like you. But I want you to trust me completely and if you don't feel comfortable about something, then tell me," Nick said.
"Nick, the reason I'm on tour with you guys is because I made a mistake back home and I didn't want to go back," Ashleigh said. Nick could see the pain it was causing her to talk about and felt his heart melt for her.
"If you don't want to tell me..." Nick said.
"No. I need to tell you," Ashleigh said. "I really like you too and it's only fair if you know my background." Ashleigh took a deep breath. "When I was a junior in high school, I met this guy named Cole. He was the most popular guy in school...you know, all that crap. Well he liked ME and I was absolutely dumbfounded by so-called 'love'. Well, we dated off and on junior year then straight on senior year. I thought I was in love. My parents loved him, my dad took him golfing, he was the perfect son he always wanted. Well, like Gwen, I vowed I'd save my virginity for my husband and it was very hard to do that around Cole. He was always very affectionate. He was never clear about my absence because we never talked about it. I never told him I wanted to wait and treasure it. So, on our year anniversary, he picked me up and took me to this amazingly beautiful hotel. He had told my parents we were going camping with a bunch of friends so I could stay with him overnight. He had rented the sweetheart suite and it was beautiful. It had a Jacuzzi that was encircled with candles and he had them all lit with rose pedals all on the floor. I was breathless. I thought I was so in love with him and he was the guy I was going to marry. So that night...I gave myself to him. I don't know why I did...it was just so romantic and beautiful. It wasn't like a one night stand type of thing. It was this...commitment. Or so I thought. So afterwards, everything was fine. Then he started abusing our love by wanting to have sex all the time. I only did it with him a couple more times after that and I couldn't do it anymore. I told him I didn't want to do it anymore and if he'd pressure me, I'd break up with him. And I thought he loved me and he'd wait again. He didn't. He dumped me that day and broke my heart. He only used me for my body and made me feel worthless," tears began to run down her cheeks. "Well, I went through such a hard time. I couldn't sleep or eat and this was literally tearing me apart. I didn't tell ANYONE what had happened except I wrote it all down in my journal. My journal was my escape because I could write forever about how hurt I was and I couldn't trust any of my friends with the stuff I wrote in my journal. Then one day, about 3 weeks ago, my mom was cleaning my room while I was out and my journal fell out under my bed and she read it. She knew everything and when I got home, my parents threw me out. They said I made them disappointed in me. So I called Gwen and that's how I got here," Ashleigh explained as tears now streamed down her face. Nick was speechless. He wasn't expecting this. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back as she sobbed into his sleeve. She pulled away. "I'm sorry...you must think I'm a nutcase or something.." she sniffled.
"No. Never," he said, pushing back her hair. "I'm just so sorry this had to happen to you," Nick said. He couldn't believe the jerk that did this to her. He could see all her pain in her eyes.
"I felt so used and dirty...and my heart isn't ready for anything like that again. I'm sorry," she said, starting to cry again. Nick got up and pulled her into his lap and held her.
"No...it's not your fault. It's okay," Nick said, rocking her. "I'm not like that at all. And I'm not going to pressure you what-so-ever," he swore. He grabbed a tissue off the coffee table and handed it to her. He could feel himself falling in love with Ashleigh but he wanted to be there for her before anything.
"And the fact that I disappointed my parents kills me," she said, starting to cry again.
"They don't run your life Ash," Nick said, holding her tight. She felt so safe with Nick and it was the first time someone had understood her like he did. She never really had a real friend until she met him.
"I know but..they hurt me just as much," Ashleigh said. Nick held her tighter.
"Ashleigh, you're human. You made a mistake and the most important thing is to make sure you learned from it. And you did. And that is something your parents can't teach you about life. You have to experience it," Nick said. He was completely right and Ashleigh felt her heart melt. He held her in his arms for awhile, not saying anything. There was nothing to be said. They completely understood each other and to them, the silence was beautiful.
~~~~~~~~~~
After Ashleigh left, Gwen picked up the phone and dialed to AJ's room.
"What's up?" AJ said, picking up his phone.
"Hey baby. This whole rooming thing is worthless because Ash just left," Gwen said.
"Where'd she go?" AJ asked.
"Take a wild guess."
"Nick's?" he asked.
"Bingo," Gwen said, less than enthused.
"Well maybe Nick is what she needs. They both went through some bad break-ups. They could be what each other needs," AJ said.
"Who's side are you on anyways?" Gwen laughed.
"Hey, I'm just sayin' what's true," AJ defended himself. "Well then sexy, what do you wanna do?"
"I dunno. Movie?"
"Nah, we watched two on the bus today."
"Food?"
"I'm not hungry, are you?" AJ asked.
"Not really," Gwen said.
"Wanna go..."
"Swimming?" Gwen finished. AJ laughed.
"Yeah, I'll meet you at the pool in 5 minutes," AJ said, as they hung up. Gwen dug around in her suitcase for her swimsuit and put it on the bikini top and boy cut shorts. She grabbed a towel from the bathroom and wrapped it around her waist and put on flip flops. She grabbed her key and shut the door. The pool was on their floor so she saw AJ walking toward her in the hall. She ran up behind him and jumped on his back. They laughed as he gave her a piggy back ride to the pool. His body guard was behind him. Since it was 12:30 at night, the indoor pool was empty. They walked into the huge room and Gwen threw her towel onto the lawn chair with her key. Being still on AJ's back, he got an idea and crept to the side of the pool.
"Don't even think about..." Gwen warned, but it was too late because AJ let go causing Gwen to fly into the water. She came up to the surface and AJ was standing their laughing hysterically. She grabbed his arm and pulled him in while he was laughing. He came to the surface and looked shocked.
"Aight Matthews, you're dead now," he said. She shrieked and started swimming away from him.
