Chapter One - The Start Of Something

[ Nick Narrating ]

Have you ever wanted to get to know someone so well that you want to just take their heart and soul out of their body, and examine all over, so that you know everything that they have ever been through and felt? Usually, I never, ever feel that way about anybody. I have met millions of different people, everyday, for the past ten years, and none of them have intrigued me.

I see different girls every day. I meet them, talk to them, and sometimes I get to know them, pretty well if you know what I mean. I admit, sometimes, I do have one night stands because I need to feel that closeness to someone, even if it’s not going to last forever, but only for a few hours before I fall asleep and wake up, waiting for them to leave. I’ll be honest, I’m ashamed of it. I hate doing that. Sure it’s fun sometimes, but there’s nothing worse than the feeling, waking up to someone that you could really care less about. You don’t love them, and you don’t actually care about them. The only thing you’re doing is using them. You use them for a night. I use their body and their feelings and then they’re gone.

And I’m all alone - yet again.

This has been going on in my life for the past 10 years. Well not necessarily the one night stand’s part of it, but never getting close enough to someone to actually feel their soul wrapped around your little finger. Sure, I’ve had girlfriends, and I’ve had serious relationships, but I’ve never had that feeling of wanting to see life through another person’s eyes and feel what they’re feeling.

But I want to.

I want to feel that with someone. I’ve wanted it for a while, but I just haven’t found the right person. I want that closeness with someone. You know, that kind of closeness where you can look at them and you will know exactly what they’re thinking. The closeness where they have this look on their face and you know something’s wrong with them. You want to hold them in your arms so tight, that you’re becoming one with that person, that’s the kind of closeness that I want.

Maybe I’m going through this whole transitional period. I’ve been going through it for the past few months. I want to be with someone so bad that I lay there in bed at night, thinking about having someone that I really love, lying next to me and me having my arms wrapped around her. I guess what it is, is that I want a little stability in my life. I’m tired of the one night stands, and the endless partying with my so-called friends. I want something that will last with someone that intrigues me.

There’s only one person that has ever really intrigued me.

I met her for the first time a few months ago in Los Angeles. I went to my production companies’ offices because of a meeting and she was sitting in the waiting area with a little girl. I will never forget that first meeting.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Three Months Earlier

“Hi,” Nick said as he walked up to a receptionist desk, leaning his elbows on the top, smiling at the young, blonde receptionist, “The name’s Carter, Nick Carter,” he said as he smiled even more, “I’m here for the meeting about The Hollow, at 2:15,”

“Hi, Carter, Nick Carter, just have a seat,” she said, pointing over to the seats. She looked back at him, rolling her eyes. Nick rolled his eyes back and looked over at the reception seating. He hated receptionist like that. He was just trying to be nice. He shrugged his shoulders a little to himself, walking over to a seat and sat down, picking up a magazine with Justin Timberlake on the cover. He closed his eyes, ripping half of the cover off of the magazine, and then tossed it back over on the table and looked up to see a tall, slender, brunette walk back from a bathroom, holding a little blonde girls’ hand.

“Here Maggie, sit back up here” she said in a slow, Southern accent, as she sat the little girl up in a chair beside her and looked over at Nick who was staring at her, “Hi,” Nick smiled a little at her and looked back over at the receptionist who was too busy twirling her hair, and talking on the phone.

“When are we going to leave?” the little girl asked as Nick looked back over at them, “I’m ready to go,” she said as she sat back in the chair, as the brunette gave her a lollipop to suck on.

“Here’s a sucker,” she said as she handed the lollipop to the little girl, “We’ll be leaving soon. You wanted to come so badly. Just count to fifty okay?” she said as she crossed her legs, looking back over at Nick, “Kids,”

“Yeah,” Nick said as he laugh a little, “Is she yours?” The girl looked at Nick and started to laugh hysterically while he sat there confused as hell, “What?”

“No, I’m just watching her,” she said as she leaned over, sticking her hand out to shake his, “I’m Caraline.” Nick reached his hand out, shaking hers as he watched her smile.

“I’m Nick,”

“I know,”

“Figures,” Nick said as he stopped shaking her hand and she leaned back in her chair, pushing a strand of hair out of her face, “Not too many people that don’t know. Sometimes I wish that I could meet someone who had no idea who I was and never knew the Backstreet Boys existed,” he said as he watched her, look over at the little girl and then back at him, “So where are you from?”

“Mississippi,” Caraline said as Nick looked at her questionably. Mississippi? What the hell was she doing in Los Angeles of all places? “You can probably tell by the accent huh?”

“Just a little,” Nick said as he smiled a little, “So what are you doing here in California? Are you an actress or something?” She nodded her head, telling him ‘No’ as a man walked out in a suit, looking over at Nick, “Scott,”

“Come on back Nick, we’re ready for the meeting,” the man said as he walked back down the hallway to the room that he came from. Nick stood up, putting his hands in his jacket’s pockets and looked down at Caraline and the little girl, smiling.

“Well it was nice meeting you,” Nick said as he started walking down the hallway as Caraline waved and smiled goodbye to him. Nick started walking down the hallway slowly, looking over his shoulder at her as she leaned over, talking to the little girl and he smiled, running into a opening door, “Fuck,” he muttered as he rubbed his head. He looked back at Caraline, who was sitting there trying not to laugh at him.

“Bye Nick,” Caraline whispered, waving goodbye to him. He smiled, looking at the lady who had opened the door and closed it, walking past it to the other door that he had to go in. He looked back at Caraline again, and pushed the door open to the office that he had to go into. He sighed, walking over to the table and sat down as the other guys in the office were busy talking and smiled, leaning back in the chair.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That was the first time I met her. Her smile alone intrigued me. It wasn’t one of those meetings where I would usually go ‘Yeah, I wanna do her’ or ‘I so want a piece of that’. It was one of those rare first meetings where I just stared into her eyes and felt like I had known her for years. But I didn’t know anything except her name and that she was from Mississippi.

She had the sweetest voice. It was slow, but adorable. She had the warmest smile, that usually when women smile at me, I become nervous, but her smile never made me feel like that. It made me feel comfortable. Her hair and her legs, and her eyes, everything about her was almost perfect. I admit, I really wanted her. I was just mad at myself because I didn’t get to know her better, but real life called and I had to go into my meeting for my movie.

It always seems like real life calls in when something great and unexpected happens like meeting someone that intrigues you. It never fails, anytime and anyplace. That sounds familiar and I have no idea why. But it’s true, it always happens.

The one thing you want so badly never comes, so you figure you’ll get over it and move on. There’s always other girls and there’s always other cities. You keep thinking about that one thing or that one person still and you try to fight what little thoughts and feelings you have about wanting to get to know them and you tell yourself that you’re crazy. The whole situation is crazy and you’ll wait for something better. What if that something ‘better’ never comes and that is your something better and you missed out, and you’ll never see that person again. But then, the unexpected happens again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Four Weeks Earlier

“Here you go sir,” the waitress said as Nick sat there in the hotel restaurant in Los Angeles. She sat down his burger and fries as he smiled at her. She smiled back and walked back towards the kitchen, and he began instantly eating his French fries. He leaned his elbows up on the table, looking down at his cell phone on the table seeing he had a text message from someone. He didn’t really care about whom it was from, he didn’t feel like opening his phone right now.

“Hi,” Nick heard the host of the restaurant say as he looked down at his plate, picking up another fry, “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” said as slow, Southern voice, “I was in here last night with my friend and her daughters and I left a pink jacket,” she said as she started to laugh, “It’s kind of suede looking, a light pink color,”

“Yes, I remember it,” the host said as she laughed, “Let me go to the back and get it for you,”

“Thanks,” the Southern voice said as Nick looked over his shoulder, seeing a brunette stand with her back to him. He looked at her as she tucked her hair behind her ears and turned back around, seeing him staring at her, “Hey,”

“Caraline right?” Nick asked as she smiled, nodding her head. He smiled in return. He knew that was her voice. That was pretty scary that he recognized it, “What are you doing here?” he asked as he she walked over to the table slowly, crossing her arms across her chest.

“I’m here with my friend again,” Caraline said as the host walked up to her, handing her the jacket, “Oh thank you,” she said as she looked back at Nick, “So what are you doing here?”

“Just finished the movie,” Nick said as he smiled at her, “Can I be honest about something?”

“Sure,” Caraline said as she looked down at her watch and then back at Nick, “What’s up?” She felt a little uncomfortable so she pulled out a chair beside him and sat down, crossing her legs, looking at him.

“I know I don’t know you,” Nick said as he looked down, laughing shyly, before looking back up at her, “And this is so not my usual type thing, but I think you’re pretty cool and I’d like -”

“Caraline!” another little blonde girl yelled throughout the restaurant as everybody looked at her, “It’s time to go!”

“Okay Gracie, I’m coming!” Caraline said as she looked back at Nick, “I’m so sorry. We’ve got to catch a flight to go see their father. My friend and her husband never spend more than three days a part so we’re always flying. I’m in the air more than a bird,”

“I completely understand,” Nick said as he laughed as she stood up, “Maybe I’ll see you some other time,”

“You never know,” Caraline said as she smiled, folding her jacket over her left arm, “Take care okay?” she said as Nick smiled, nodding his head.

“You too,” Nick said as she smiled, mouthing ‘Bye’ to him as she turned around, following the little girl out of the restaurant. Nick turned around in his chair, watching her as she walked out of the restaurant with a tall blonde lady, the two little girls and a baby, wondering who she was with. He watched them, getting into the limo, never seeing the others ladies’ face and turned around in his chair, leaning back in, “Well at least I almost got to talk to her some more,” he thought as he reached for a French fry, tossing it into his mouth, almost chocking on it. He started to cough, finally catching his breath and looked around, making sure nobody was watching him.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

That was the last time I saw her. It was four weeks ago and I haven’t seen her since. I guess I could blame that with being stuck at home, doing nothing, but maybe since I’m going back to work I’ll run into her again. It’s not likely though because I don’t really believe in fate and destiny, and with my luck she’ll run off and marry Justin Timberlake since he seems to be stealing all of my other thunder, might as well steal a girl I like.

Or maybe I can steal her for myself? I just have to find her again first.