It was another hectic morning ritual. Nick was half putting his clothes on and half looking for his car keys while Natalie was tying her shoelaces and reading over her class notes at the same time. They both ran into each other as Nick tried to get past Natalie at the same time as she was trying to get to the kitchen.
"We need a bigger house" Nick commented as he headed for his bedroom.
Natalie laughed at the idea. The house already had more room than they knew what to do with, and she knew if the house got any bigger they'd all be buried by Nick's junk. She stood at the kitchen making a sandwich, while Nick came back looking for a lost shoe.
"You want me to make you something?" Natalie asked while she searched for a paper bag to put her sandwich in.
"Uh-huh, that'd be cool" Nick yelled out from underneath the couch where he still couldn't find his other sneaker.
Natalie finished packing breakfast for Nick and lunch for her just as Nick unearthed his shoe and quickly slipped into it. He grabbed his backpack, and eventually found his keys, all the while noticing he was becoming later by the minute. Natalie stood near the hallway searching for her book in her bag, and stopped Nick as he made his way out the door.
"Here" she said sticking the bag in Nick's face.
Nick smiled, and grabbed it from her. He was in such a fluster that he unknowingly bent down to kiss Natalie on the cheek before they both headed for the door.
"Have a nice day dear" Natalie said to Nick as they both walked out together.
Both stopped mid-way and looked at each other, realising what they had just done.
"Whoa" they said at the same time.
"Freaky flashback to the Brady Bunch" Nick said, looking down at his lunch bag. "I feel like Mike Brady going to work."
"That's it. We have been hanging out way too much with each other" Natalie declared. "It's starting to get scary."
"That and the fact you just called me dear!" Nick laughed.
They both looked at each other and burst into laughter. Natalie quickly locked the door behind her, ushering Nick to his car. "Let's go before we start arguing about the mortgage."
**************
A few months had passed and Nick and Natalie had grown accustomed to one another, so much so that they often got teased for acting like an old married couple. Natalie had always been the first to scoff at the idea, but she had suddenly noticed a remarkable change in how she was starting to see Nick. She'd never denied that she had a small crush on him from the moment she'd moved in, but somehow things were starting to change.
**************
Natlie sleepily made her way out of her room and ventured out to hopefully unearth some form of breakfast from the kitchen. She was greeted by the remnants of what must've been a Nick Carter 'quickie' breakfast as cereal boxes were spread out all over the kitchen counter, and a half empty glass of milk and the empty carton were scattered alongside it.
"I'm gonna kill him" she mumbled as she set to work trying to reorganise the kitchen into a decent state. She picked up one of the cereal boxes and poured some into a bowl, and found that Nick had used up all of the milk. "Thankyou Nick" Natalie sighed, before eating her dry cereal to her discomfort.
The phone rang, interrupting her minimal breakfast. "Hello?"
"Nat it's AJ. Listen I've got a few hours spare this morning cause rehearsal got cancelled. Wanna catch a movie or something?"
"Mmmm, sorry no can do AJ. I've got a class in a few hours and my ever considerate roommate is acting all 'male' and leaving all his belongings all over the house meaning I have to tidy up a bit" Natalie responded as she surveyed the state of the house.
"Oh that's a shame" AJ responded. "But one bit of advice do not clean up after Nick under any circumstances. I shared a room with him once and trust me if you keep cleaning he'll keep leaving his stuff everywhere."
"Really? But I can't not clean. I'll trip over all his shoes and clothes otherwise" Natalie countered as she finished up her cereal.
"Don't worry. He'll trip over a sneaker soon enough and he'll clean cause he thinks he'll break his neck or something. Or he'll lose a shirt or a shoe and he'll feel compelled to clean just so he can find it."
"Have you seen how many shoes he's got! I haven't seen him wear the same pair yet, he keeps bringing out new ones" Natalie laughed, reflecting over the past few months of living with Nick.
"Take it from someone who knows. Just leave his stuff, and he'll do it himself. You may have kids by then, but he will eventually do it" AJ answered jokingly.
"Okay then..I suppose but.."
She was cut off by a knock at the door. "Uhh AJ I gotta go someone's at the door I'll talk to you later."
Natalie yawned to herself, before walking to the front door and opening it to reveal a tall pretty blonde dressed in a tight pink shirt and denim shorts. She looked at Natalie a bit startled, while Natalie gaped at her, wondering who she could possibly be.
"Hi, can I help you?"
"You're not Nick" she said giving a small confused smile.
"Not last time I looked" Natalie laughed.
"That sounded stupid huh? Well it's just I thought Nick was gonna answer. I haven't seen him in so long and..I'm babbling right? Okay I'll stop, before you think I'm a complete ditz, I'm Sarah Ward, Nick's best friend" Sarah stuck her hand out to shake Natalie's hand.
"Natalie Reed, his roommate" she smiled.
"Oh that's right" Sarah suddenly said, slapping her hand up to her forehead. "He said a friend of AJ's was moving in. Why I assumed it was a guy is beyond me."
"Oh I remember him mentioning you, I thought I recognised you. You're in a ton of pictures here."
Sarah gave a wave of her hand and snorted. "Nick's got a thing for photos. I think he thinks if he doesn't take millions of them he'll forget what everyone looks like."
Natalie laughed, already taking an instant liking to Sarah. "Come in, come in."
"Cool, I was kinda waiting for you to say that. Normally I just barge in when Nick answers" Sarah smiled as she stepped through the front door.
"Feel free to do that with me too" Natalie remarked.
Sarah looked around at the considerably tidy house in amazement. She was actually quite surprised it wasn't in its usual bombshell state and that she could actually see the floor in the living room. "I never thought I'd see this place like this again. Nick has got a talent of making everywhere he goes look like a hurricane whipped through it. I mean I know he likes helping people who have lived through natural disasters but I think this place was a victim as well."
Natalie giggled remembering what the house had looked like when she'd moved in. "I think it's a female thing. I always find myself cleaning up after him."
"Exactly why I never stay here. He knows I'll feel tempted to clean then he gets out of cleaning himself."
"I don't have a choice. If I don't, I might break my neck tripping over a shoe or a ball. Then I'll be an invalid who's gonna slowly be buried alive in his junk."
"Don't worry Natalie. You'll get used to it. I've lost count of how many times I've scraped my knee when I used to trip over everything on his bedroom floor. He's a walking health hazard but you learn to keep yourself in one piece" Sarah remarked with a laugh.
"Been there. First week I was her I must've run into enough sports equipment to supply the Olympics."
"That is so Nick. I'm surprised he's managed to stay alive living on his own. Jane used to call me everyday when they first moved to LA to check up on Nick to see if her baby was still in one piece." Sarah said, as she took a seat on the relatively clutter free arm chair by the bay window. "His whole entire family was so worried he was going to be engulfed by his own mess."
"So far so good. Not that bad anymore except for the occasional shoe here and there" Natalie smiled.
The two sat in a friendly silence until Sarah spoke up, breaking the lull in the conversation. "So if you don't mind me asking where the hell is that boy? I've been away for about three months on assignment and he's not even here for my first day back" Sarah inquired with a roll of her eyes.
"I have no idea. All I know is that he left me to deal with a messed up kitchen on my own and he used up all the milk...again" Natalie shrugged as she took a seat opposite Sarah.
"He also used up all the cereal, but leaves just enough crumbs to totally piss you off, right?"
"Got that right, he even tips out the cereal and rummages around for the prize then he puts everything back in again. Once I think he got distracted and he even put a spoon back" Natalie recalled, letting out a small giggle.
"He still does that! Sometimes I wonder if he and Aaron secretly swapped brains or something" Sarah exclaimed. "He acts like he's nine instead of nineteen."
Natalie smiled knowing exactly what she meant. She looked at Sarah, and silently wondered if she and Nick had ever turned their friendship into something more. She felt a twinge of jealousy as she realised they would suit each other so perfectly.
"So have you and Nick been friends long?"
"Since we were kids. I lived across the road from him for so long, but I always thought he was such a dweeb. Until this girl I hated in the 4th grade mentioned that she thought my neighbour was kinda cute, so I had no choice but to go over there and befriend him so I could rub it in her face" Sarah smiled as she remembered the story. "I think from then on we've always been friends. When he starts getting an inflated ego I take it on as my personal duty to remind him of what a total nerd he really is."
"That must be nice to have a friend you've known for practically forever, and Nick Carter of all people too" Natalie spoke up.
"Uh-huh and can you imagine my surprise when Nick suddenly realises he can sing, then suddenly I have all these people bugging me for the dirt on the 'newest teen idol around'. I mean he's just Nick, I've seen him pick his nose and everything so I don't get why everyone is so crazy about him" Sarah exclaimed with a roll of her eyes.
"Maybe cause he is pretty cute. Don't let him know that I said that by the way cause he'll be even more impossible to live with" Natalie said quickly.
"Secret's safe" Sarah said, crossing her heart. "But as for cute? Yeah I guess, but after you see everything it's a bit hard to see him like that."
"You and Nick never thought of..." Natalie trailed off.
"Getting together? I'd rather be fed as bait to man-eating sharks" Sarah laughed. "He's not my idea of Mr Right, but more along the lines of Mr Totally-messed-up."
"Are you serious?" Natalie asked.
"I know there are like a ton of girls out there who think the sun shines out of his butt or something but I'm one of the few who fall down laughing at the idea" Sarah replied with a grin. "Nick's Nick. How come? You're not one of those girls are you?" Sarah said with an over exaggerated expression of surprise.
"Not at all" Natalie quickly saud, trying hard to cover up the fact that contrary to Sarah's opinion she thought he was pretty much close to her idea of perfect.
Chapter Seven
Never Ever Index
Carterfic Main Page
