Nick came home to Natalie's giggles eminating throughout the whole house. He smiled to himself thinking of how cute he suddenly found everything she did. "Nat!"
"Oh you didn't" she continued to laugh, not hearing Nick call her name. Natalie was sitting on the couch in her pyjamas with the phone cradled against her shoulder and tears of laughter falling down her cheeks. "Oh hey Nick" she said briefly.
"Nat we need to talk."
"Uh-huh Nick. Just hang on I'm talking to Rob" she managed to gasp out inbetween her fits of laughter. "Just give me a few more minutes."
"Nat.." Nick persisted, feeling a twinge of jealousy when he heard her mention Rob's name.
"Okay Nick, I'll be right there" Natalie dismissed with a wave of her hand.
Nick sighed before heading to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. He heard Natalie's excited chatter and wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. She'd never sounded so happy talking to anyone.
He walked past her and motioned to Natalie "I'm having a shower, I'm still gross from the concert" he said pulling a face and looking down at his messy appearance.
"Okay Nick" Natalie smiled. "I can't believe you haven't changed out of your concert clothes."
"I was a bit injured Nat" he said.
"Uh-huh" Natalie nodded before returning to her conversation with Rob. Suddenly Natalie jumped up as Nick was heading out of the room. "Hey your mom rang and she told me to tell you to go to the doctor. Apparently she talked to the paramedics and they said to get yourself checked out tomorrow."
"Let me guess she thinks I've got permanent brain damage now" Nick remarked.
"Too late, you already do" Natalie giggled. "Oh sorry Rob, yeah I was passing on a message."
Nick lingered a moment longer, wondering why it had taken him so long to notice her.
**************
Settling into his bed Nick was staring up at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened at the concert. He replayed the whole scene remembering Natalie's tear stained face when he had opened his eyes. "Nat" he sighed.
"Hey Gene open up" Natalie teased as she knocked on Nick's door.
"What the.." Nick said to himself. "It's open."
Natalie came in flashing Nick a smile. She pointed at him and laughed. "No offence but you've got a sucky middle name."
"First off my mother would kill you if she heard you say that, and secondly your middle name ain't that crash hot either" Nick retorted with a laugh.
"Alright alright" Natalie conceded as she brought her hands up in a mock surrender. "I was just trying it out. My middle name does not leave this house ever, got it?"
"Yeah, got it" Nick grinned.
"It really does make you seem like a wimp though" Natalie shrugged. She put on a fake deep voice. "Stick with Nickolas it's much more manly."
"Shut up" Nick laughed, throwing a pillow at her.
"I'm kidnapping this, I'm missing a pillow" Natalie smirked, clutchin onto the pillow tightly. "Mmm and oh man I can't believe even your pillow smells like Gravity."
Nick smiled to himself, happy to see Natalie holding his pillow so closely and the fact she was planning to sleep with it made him smile even more. "You should be used to it."
"I guess" she replied. "So what did you want to talk about?"
Nick sat up, motioning for Natalie to come closer. "Sit."
"Nuh-uh it's probably contaminated" Natalie joked.
"Sit" Nick insisted more urgently.
"Oh alright" Natalie said as she jumped onto the foot of Nick's bed. "So talk."
"I wanted to say I'm sorry again" Nick began sincerely.
"It's fine really. That killer of a black eye you've got is compensation enough" Natalie said cheekily.
"Well even though I just wanted to make sure we were cool."
"Yeah we are. Don't worry that pretty little head of yours, your fans might kill me for giving you wrinkles on your forehead" Natalie remarked.
"Glad to hear it" Nick responded. "Next thing I had something to ask you before at the concert but you had to leave."
"So ask" Natalie shrugged.
"Are you and Rob well you know" Nick asked almost afraid to hear the answer.
Natalie raised her eyebrow. "You're cruising for another black eye aren't you?"
"No I just wanna know."
"What does it matter?"
"I need to know."
"Sort of. Well almost, he hasn't asked but he probably will" Natalie grinned. She felt happy knowing that she'd reached a point where she had managed to put to rest her feelings for Nick and find someone else. "Why?"
Nick was startled. He hadn't expected her to give the answer she'd given. He never really thought Natalie was taking Rob seriously. "I..I..nothing it doesn't matter."
"Crap on, it does matter or else you wouldn't have been bugging me since you got home" Natalie remarked. "So tell me."
Nick was dumbfounded. After resolving within himself that he did have feelings for Natalie that he had been denying, she had ended up falling for someone else in the meantime. "I was just gonna ask you about going to this awards thing" he quickly covered up.
"The ball?" Natalie asked.
"Yeah, how'd you guess?"
"AJ kinda already asked me" Natalie replied.
"AJ?!" Nick said in surprise.
"Uh-huh a few days ago."
"How come I didn't know?"
"I wasn't talking to you" Natalie shrugged simply.
"Oh" Nick said with a hint of disappointment. Nothing was working out as he had imagined.
"Sorry Nick" she said. "So was there anything else?"
Nick looked up at Natalie, suddenly wishing he had handled things so differently. He wished he hadn't pushed her away when they'd almost kissed. He wished he had realised sooner how important she was to him. He looked at her, with the grin on her face. He knew the smile wasn't because of him, or for him and it hurt to know she had Rob in her life. "Uh no I don't think so" he said softly, deciding not to confront her about his feelings anymore.
Natalie suddenly jumped up. "Okay well I gotta hit the sack cause I'm going out early tomorrow, but I'm so glad you're alright. You don't know what would happen to me if I lost you. You're one of my best friends in the whole world."
Friends? Nick had never been so disappointed to be called someone's friend in his life. "So am I."
"Alright, goodnight you big klutz" she said, giving Nick a hug. "That was for before, but I couldn't do it cause Cassie was on the rampage. Speaking of which what are you gonna do about Cassie?"
"Oh do not give me another headache. I'll deal with it tomorrow." Nick replied.
"Split or what?"
Nick looked at her seriously. "Split. Cassie and I should've been over a long time before any of this happened but I was too afraid to say it."
"Goodluck, I'll be praying for you. I hope you odn't come home in a body cast or something" Natalie said teasingly. "I can't handle you being an invalid and a pain as well."
Nick tried to smile at her. "I'll try."
"Okay Nick goodnight, don't forget to go to the doctor tomorrow. I'll call you to check up so don't try to get out of it."
"Yes ma'am" Nick saluted. "I didn't realise you cared so much" Nick joked a hint of truth and hope in the statement.
"Yeah neither did I" Natalie smiled, as she leaned over and kissed Nick on the forehead, glad that everything was okay again, before leaving clutching Nick's pillow and leaving Nick more confused than ever.
Chapter Twenty Four
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