Nick and Brianna played phone tag for the next few days. Each successive message the other left got sillier and sillier. By the time they actually managed to connect the worst of it was over, and they were able to say I’m sorry and move on.
Apologies out of the way they managed to talk on the phone once or twice a week. Nick listened as Brianna stressed over classes. She mentioned a few parties to him, but also left out a few. Besides she really was trying to pull up her grades. Nick would tease her about being a brainiac and that she was worrying for nothing, but he didn’t know how much of the first half of the term she had blown off. Now she was paying for it.
Eventually, she told him she was dating this guy who was really sweet and a lot of fun. She didn’t, however, tell him that the guy was no other than her high school boyfriend John. They had run into each other at Frat party and started talking. This was of course, while she and Nick weren’t talking. She couldn’t find a real reason why she felt uncomfortable telling Nick it was John, but felt that it was just something she needed to keep to herself for a while.
She’d ask Nick if there was anyone and he always said no. She knew he said no in the interviews, but she hoped maybe he might have met someone and was just keeping her secret from the press. He always told her if there were any girls. She had long gotten used to his tales of “love”, “lust”, the road, whatever. Up until recently they had always been able to tell each other absolutely anything. But lately it seemed they both were keeping secrets.
Case in point, Brianna could tell Nick was stressed, but when she asked about it, he just blew it off as the tour and being tired. Nick wasn’t ready to talk about AJ, not even to Brianna. He wondered when the big things became so hard to talk about with her. Maybe it was just THIS particular big thing, he reasoned. Instead he told her, well, not a lie; it was the truth, just not the complete truth.
“We always got somethin’ goin’ on, some place to be, or I’m stuck on this tour bus. Some times I think it feels more like an asylum than a bus. I thought these things were supposed to get easier as you did them, not harder.” Blowing out a puff of air he looked out the window at the passing scenery. He couldn’t even remember where he was going.
“Nick, I have a few days after finals and before summer session starts. Why don’t I come visit? No parties, just you and me talking and laughing like we used to.” She hoped he said yes. She missed him, and once summer session got under way, except for the July 4th holiday she wouldn’t have any free time to take off, not even a long weekend. And the guys were supposed to be heading overseas for some dates. She definitely wouldn’t be able to go there.
“God, that sounds so good. You’ll have to let me know the dates. I mean, we may be stuck on this bus all day or I’ll be trapped in interviews or somethin.” He had always been thankful for her visits. Usually her parents got her back and forth; neither she nor they liked the idea of him paying for stuff. But this time, if she’d agree to come he’d gladly pay for it. Maybe an all-night movie fest, or a long day on the road playing video games was just what they needed to completely heal things between them.
“Nick, I don’t care. I’ll check the dates and you just let me know where I need to fly to meet you. I miss my best friend. You’d think we’d be used to this being apart thing by now. But I swear, the longer I know you; the harder the long periods apart become. All my girlfriends tease me about it, about the fact my best buddy in the whole world is in fact a guy.”
“Yeah, I’ve gotten some pretty heavy teasin’ on this end too. But, I just blow it off. I can tell you things I can’t tell the fellas. Something’s are just easier to say to a girl. So, you’ll come then? How soon till end of term?”
They laughed a little and each checked their respective schedules. Brianna would fly out to meet Nick on a Tuesday. She’d make it just in time to see the show. They’d head back to the hotel and pick out some cheesy movie and talk. The next day was a road day, so they’d have all day to sleep, talk, play games, just whatever. Thursday he’d have a busy day, interview, meet and greet, sound check and show. But after, they’d stay in because the next morning he had to be on the road early and she had an early flight home.
<~ Chapter 12 or Chapter 14 ~>
In the End
Karina 2003