Chapter 23
"What do you mean, 'you don't know anymore'?" Brian asked her. She tore her gaze away from his icy baby blues and pretended that her nail polish that shown on her fingers was the most interesting thing that she had seen all day. "Riana...." Brian asked again. This time she had no choice but to answer him.
"I don't see him a lot anymore, that's all," Riana said in defense. Brian nodded. He understood where she was coming from; whenever he was away on tour, he often missed his girlfriend and always questioned their relationship.
"It'll all work out," Brian said, giving her a reassuring tap on the knee. Riana nodded and stood up from the bed.
"Wanna come down?" she asked him as she stood in the doorway with the doorknob in her hand.
"I'd be careful if I were you." Brian warned.
"Why?"
"I came up here because of AJ and Leah. They're probably working on their fourth child by now," he joked. Riana laughed.
"Come on, we can try to ignore the raw footage," she said and took a hold of Brian by his shirt sleeve. The two of them tip toed quietly down the stairs and blew a sigh of relief when they saw Leah and AJ watching a movie together quietly on the couch.
"Hey guys!" Leah called over to them. Brian took a running leap and flung himself onto the empty couch.
"B-Rok, calm down man!" AJ managed to choke out between gulps of laughter. Riana sat down in the recliner and made a move for the TV guide.
"Hmmmm....... what's on TV tonight..." Riana said as she flipped through the thick book.
"Can't you see that me and AJ were watching a movie?"
"Watching a movie my ass!" Brian quipped in. They all laughed together and waited for Riana to tell them what was on.
"Well...On HBO Fear is coming on in...twenty minutes," she suggested as she glanced at her watch.
"Go on." Brian urged.
"Showtime is My Best Friend's Wedding, and Starz is....Titanic," Riana finished.
"Fear sounds good. I've seen My Best Friend's Wedding one too many times and I don't think I can watch Titanic again," Leah groaned. The rest of them nodded.
"I'll go get the popcorn," Riana said as she got up off the couch and made her way into the kitchen.
"Don't forget the candy!" she heard Brian yell. She laughed to herself as she reached into the cabinet and pulled out the bag of popcorn. She dropped it into the microwave and listened as the kernels popped overtime while she grabbed a huge bowl from the cabinet. She poured them all some drinks and pulled a stool out from the counter and waited for the popcorn. She sighed as she thought about the four of them.
"It's just like old times," she said outloud. She caught herself with a wide smile on her face as she remembered the time that her and Nick had watched Titanic together. Riana couldn't stop laughing as she remembered the way Nick had cried into the tissue that she had given him in the beginning of the movie. She remembered the night that Nick, Riana, Brian, AJ, and Leah had played truth or dare and Nick was dared to streak down the hall. She didn't think that a person could ever turn that shade of pink that Nick had.
The four continuous beeps from the microwave brought her back from the past.
"Ooh, Ohh," she cursed herself as her fingers burned at the touch of the sizzling bag. She poured the popcorn into the bowl and turned to wash her buttered hands in the sink. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around just as a pair of soft lips landed upon her own. She opened her eyes and smiled at who she saw.
"I thought you were working late," she said as she dried her hands with a paper towel.
"So did I, but I begged for some time off and here I am!" Sean said happily. He pulled her in for a passionate kiss one more time before Riana pulled away.
"As much as I'd love to stay here with you, but I've got a movie to watch," she said as a reminder.
"Sneak," Sean said. He grabbed the drinks and Riana and him walked out into the living room and settled down to watch the movie.
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"I don't care what anyone says, that Mark Wahlberg is H-O-T!" Leah admitted once the final credits rolled onto the screen.
"I second that!" Riana agreed and laid her head down on Sean's shoulder. He placed a kiss on her temple and rubbed a circle on her back with his hand.
"I didn't mind seeing Alyssa Milano's ass," Brian commented as he downed the last of his soda.
"Anytime, anyday," Sean stated and the three boys all laughed.
"Men," Leah said, looking at Riana. Riana nodded and laughed.
"What's on next?" AJ asked as he pulled Leah closer to his body. Leah sighed. It felt so good to feel AJ next to her again. She looked up at him and smiled when she saw him looking down at her. He leaned in and placed a soft, romantic kiss on Leah's lips. She licked her lips once they pulled apart, admiring the temporary taste of AJ that sat upon them.
"They'll be more where that came from later on," he whispered into her ear, causing butterflies to erupt in Leah's stomach.
"Up next is....Eye Of The Beholder," Riana said. Brian shrugged and went into the kitchen to refill his glass. Sean looked at his watch and stood up.
"Riana, it's late and I have to be at work early tomorrow, so I better go." Riana stood up with him and walked him to the door. She wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him for a moment, feeling the goosebumps appear on her skin from Sean's warm breath that grazed her ear and cheek.
"Do you have to go?" She whispered. She kissed his lips and tightened her grip around him.
"I wish I didn't. But we'll make a date for tomorrow, ok?" He said. He held up his hands and Riana laced her fingers through his before bringing them back down to his side.
"You're on," she said. They shared a long kiss before Sean disappeared down the street.
She sighed and smiled to herself. All of the doubts that she had about Sean vanished completely. Riana walked back into the living room and wasn't surprised to see AJ and Leah making out on the couch. She ignored them and walked into the kitchen to find Brian cleaning up the left over mess.
"You don't have to do that," Riana said, disrupting the silence. Brian turned around sharply and smiled.
"Hey, it's no big deal," he replied, sitting up on the counter. Riana walked over to him and stood in front of him.
"He's a nice guy," Brian said. Riana smiled.
"You think so?" Riana asked. Brian nodded.
"Before he went into the kitchen to get you, he talked to us for a while. He's a keeper," Brian told her. She laughed.
"I'm glad he reached up to your standards," Riana joked. Brian hopped off the table and hugged her.
"Of course he has to pass the Big Brother Inspection," Brian said as he put on a tough guy face.
"Impressive Bri, really," Riana said. They finished cleaning up the kitchen together, laughing and joking like old friends the whole time. They flipped off the light when they were done and walked into the living room just in time to see AJ and Leah disappear down the hall. A moment later, Leah came back out and peeked her head from behind the corner.
"Riana, you know you're welcome to stay here for tonight. You know where the spare pillows and blankets are. G'Night," she said quickly. AJ popped his head from behind her and waved goodnight before taking Leah's hand and pulling her into her room, shutting the door behind them. Giggles and appreciative moans came from the room and Brian shook his head. He walked over to the closet and began rifling through the shelves that adorned the top part of the hall closet.
"What are you doing?" Riana asked him.
"Here," he said, returning to her with a pair of ear muffs on his head and an extra pair in his hand. "I don't know about you, but I'm not that interested in hearing them getting it on," he said, motioning over to the door. Riana laughed and took them from Brian's grasp. She placed them over her ears and smiled.
"Is it working?" she asked.
"What?" Brian asked her. She laughed as she made her way over to the front door, checking to see if the door was locked.
"Last one upstairs is a rotten egg!" Brian shouted as he charged for the stairs.
"Hey! You got a head start!" Riana cried as she followed Brian's footsteps.
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"Seriously, how are you doing?" Jane Carter asked her son as they sat down for breakfast the next morning. Nick rubbed his eyes that were still weary from sleep.
"I'm doing fine," he murmured sleepily. He dropped his hands onto his boxers and glanced down at his morning attire. Should I really be wearing this downstairs? Nick thought to himself.
"I'll be right back," he said and dashed up to his room. He through his wifebeater onto the floor and slipped out of his boxers, leaving them in a heap on the floor. He walked over to the suitcase he had brought from Florida to California and pulled on a white tee shirt over his head and a bathing suit. He grabbed a hat that lay on his bed and slicked his short blonde hair into the backwards hat. Much better, he said to himself.
Nick walked downstairs and sat himself down at the table. His whole family sat there waiting for him.
"Hurry, Nick! I'm starved!" Aaron said as he grabbed for the bowl of bacon that sat in the middle of the table.
"Ok, you can eat now," Nick said as he slid into his seat next to his brother. He reached for the bacon when Aaron finished with it. He placed a few on his plate and then plopped one scrambled egg beside it. He cut the egg up and a piece landed in his mouth. He looked up from his food and stopped when he saw his family looking at him with a question on each of their faces.
"Why are you all looking at me like I'm a porkchop?" Nick challenged as he swallowed some of the chocolate milk that filled his glass. His parents exchanged glances at one another.
"We're worried about you, sweetie." His mother said and placed a motherly hand on top of Nick's.
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm fine. Really," Nick reassured them. Nick returned to his breakfast in silence and became mesmerized at the sight of the yellow substance that he was consuming. Were they really worried about him? Nick sighed and excused himself quietly from the table and emptied his plate into the trash can. He cleared his throat and opened the door and walked onto the back porch. Nick sat down quietly on the deck swing that overlooked the family pool that he had yet to swim in. He shook his head and tried to dismiss the thoughts that engulfed his mind. I wonder what she's doing right now, Nick thought to himself as he tried to picture Riana at her home in London. Nick smiled at the mental picture that he drew in his mind. She would be reading a book, cuddled up with a warm blanket. The reflection of the fire that burned in her fireplace would cast an orange shine upon her flawless face and her blue eyes would twinkle from the moonlight that shown through her window. Nick closed his eyes and imagined himself there; holding her, kissing her, just being with her for all eternity.
"You would have had that if you hadn't screwed it up, Carter." He chastised himself as an anger grew within him.
"Screwed what up?" He heard a female voice behind him say. He turned in that direction sharply, a little embarrassed that someone heard him talking to himself.
"BJ, what are doing here?" He asked as he moved down on the bench so his sister could sit beside him.
"It's my house," BJ reminded him sarcastically. She laughed but quickly her tone turned serious. "Nick, you say nothing is wrong with you, but I'm your sister and I know that something is up. You can tell me, you know. I won't tell Mom," BJ said. Nick sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He had to get this off of his chest.
"You see....there's this girl." He began.
"Girl problems," BJ remarked.
"Shut up or I won't tell you," Nick said. He smiled.
"Ok, ok. Continue."
"Well, I met her over the summer and she was.....just...amazing. I mean, everything she did made me feel so....I don't know...I can't even describe it."
"Sounds like you really love her," BJ said. Nick looked up at those words. His heart fluttered automatically and Nick put his head in his hands.
"I did love her. But I broke it off and now I realize that I'm the world's biggest idiot. It's killing me that I don't have her. It's killing me that I don't know how she is or where she is. It's killing me that she's not mine," he mumbled.
"Why did you break it off?"
"Umm....Ibrokeitoffbecauseofadream," he spoke quickly.
"A dream?? That has got to be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard of!" BJ said.
"Gee, thanks BJ. Poor some more salt in the wounds," he remarked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.
"Nick, there's nothing I can tell you. You messed up big time. I hope it all works out in the end, but until then, just hang in there." She got off the swing and walked back into the house.
"You messed up big time," Nick mimicked in a high girly voice. "God help you Carter." He said before running into the house.
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"Oh come on. It'll be so fun!" Brian whined at the dinner table two days later. Riana shook her head and pushed away her plate of her remaining Thanksgiving dinner.
"I can't afford to go there! I'll have to buy a plane ticket and --"
"No need for that! I'll pay for you AND Sean! Please, you have to come," AJ begged. She looked over at Leah for support.
"You know I'm going to AJ's Christmas party, so don't ask me. You should come," Leah advised. Riana sighed. The guys had been begging her to go to AJ's Christmas party at his house in Orlando in about two weeks. Riana at first was a little hesitant to answer, but now she realized that it was no big deal.
"When do we leave?" She asked with a smile.
"Wooo hoo!!" Brian cheered and laughed.
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