Chapter Seventeen - Only You

Caraline layed there on top of Nick, straddling him a few hours later, with her head on his chest as he moved his fingertips up and down her back slowly. They had hardly said anything at all – they just made love all night long. She laid there wondering what she should say to him and he thought the same thing, but really it wasn’t like they had anything to say at all.

She moved her lips across his chest slowly, lifting her head up and kissed her way up his neck, to his chin until she reached his lips. They started to kiss each other slowly as he smiled against her lips, wrapping his arms around her tighter, “Caraline –“

”Hmm?” Caraline moaned a little as she moved her hands on each side of his shoulders, propping herself up a little, looking him in the eyes.

”I’m not leaving you,” Nick whispered as Caraline smiled, leaning back down to kiss him lightly on the lips, “I’m not letting you leave me again. I don’t care what happens, you’re not leaving my sight.”

”Nick, you can’t stop what you’re doing to follow me around,” Caraline said as she moved back up, looking him in the eyes, “You have your career and I have mine –“

”And do you need to be with them on every city of the tour?” Nick asked as Caraline shrugged her shoulders, “Like you said before, that maybe you can come to New York and take in some fashion shows since Fashion Week is coming up –“

”And how did you know that?”

”I’ve checked into it,” he said as he smiled, “That way you can keep Faith right on the top of the fashion scene,”

”Nick,” Caraline said as she moved his hair off of his forehead again, “It won’t hurt if we’re apart a few days, I mean, what are we? We’ve got out a few times and we’ve slept together –“

”A few times –“

”Yes,” she said as she smiled, looking away in embarrassment, “But what are we?”

”I don’t know what we are,” Nick whispered as he sat up in bed, so that he was face to face with Caraline, and wrapped his arms around her back, “But I do know something,”

”Know what?”

”That I don’t want to be without you, and if that means that I have to slow do what I’m doing to be with you some, then I’ll do it. If you wanna be with me, you’ll have to do the same. We can work around it,” Nick whispered as he leaned up, kissing her gently on the lips, sucking on them slowly as he backed away, “I want you to be mine,”

”You’re what?”

”My woman,” Nick said as Caraline started to laugh, “I wanna know you inside out and all over again. I wanna feel your love with the touch of your hand,”

”Are you writing a song?” Caraline asked as Nick shrugged his shoulders and smiled, “I’ll be your woman, only if you’ll be my man,”

”I already am,” Nick whispered as they held their heads together smiling, “I’m still sorry about –“

”Don’t talk about it,” Caraline whispered as Nick looked up into her eyes to see that she was looking down, “I’m going to believe you when you say that it’s only me,”

”It’s only you,”

”I believe you,”

”Good,” Nick whispered as he moved his head from hers, looking into her eyes, “We’re just going to have to work around each other’s schedules if we want this to work, right?”

”Right,” Caraline said as she reached her hands down, taking his into hers, entwining their fingers together, “We can do it. If Faith and Tim can, then so can we,”

”Yeah,” Nick said as he moved her over on the bed, hovering over her as she started to giggle, “So what time do you have to be up?” he asked as Caraline looked over at the clock, mouthing ‘nine’ to him. He looked up at the clock to see that it was 6:30 and he smiled, leaning over to kiss her again.

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

”Caraline is supposed to be here by now,” Tim said that morning around 9:30 as he stood there in the hotel suite, “Maybe she overslept? Should we call down to her room?” he asked as he looked over at Faith who was braiding Gracie’s hair.

”I’m sure she’ll be here soon enough,” Faith said as someone knocked on the door, “See, I bet that’s her now,”

”Let me see,” Tim said as he walked over to the door, and looked out the peep hole, “Well I’ll be a son of a bitch,”

”Tim!” Faith yelled as Tim opened the door, and put his hands on his hips as Caraline stood there, holding Nick’s hand, “Oh –“

”Sorry I’m late,” Caraline said as she walked into the suite, as Nick walked behind her, still holding her hand, “I had company last night,” she said as she looked over at Faith and winked, and then looked back at Nick.

”Well how about that,” Tim said as he shut the door and crossed his arms, “And I thought nothing was going on with Nick?”

”Well there wasn’t,” Caraline said as she smiled, ‘But –“

”There is now sort of,” Nick said as he stood there, grinning like a idiot, “We’re going to try to have something,”

”Something?” Faith asked as Caraline smiled at her, winking again, “Oh, a relationship?”

”Yeah,” Caraline said as she smiled, almost wanting to giggle but held it back, “We’re going to try to work around each other’s schedules and stuff so he’s going to stay with me a few days here and then I was wondering if it would be okay if I went back to New York with him for a few days and then came back on the tour and stuff. Kind of like what you and Faith do,” she said, looking at Tim, “If it’s not, I mean, I can understand because I signed the –“

”Oh no it’s fine,” Faith said as she waved her hand in the air and Tim cracked up laughing, “Tim can dress himself after you help him pick out the clothes so he won’t look like an idiot,”

”Thanks honey,”

”Anytime baby,”

”Are you sure Tim?” Nick asked as he looked at him, “I don’t want to get her in trouble or anything, just,” he said as he looked away wanting to laugh.

”You’re whipped?” Tim asked as Faith looked at him, “I mean, you like her a lot?”

”I don’t want her to leave me again,” Nick said as he smiled to smile, shrugging his shoulders, “I tracked her down until I found her here, I don’t wanna have to do that again,” he said as Caraline rolled her eyes.

”I’ll at least give you my cell number this time,” Caraline said as Nick laughed sarcastically, “But are you sure Tim?”

”Yeah, you’ve been working hard lately with Faith since she released her album you need a little time to yourself. That’s why we told you that you didn’t have to take this job of doing my wardrobe on this tour –“ Tim said as Caraline interrupted him.

”I know but I want to,” Caraline said, “It would be good for me,”

”And you can work around it,” Tim said as he laughed, “Like Faith said, you don’t need to be here and dress me every single night. I’m a big boy,”

”That’s for Faith to know,” Caraline said as Nick and Faith cracked up laughing, “But I’d really appreciate if I could do that, work a few days and come back a few days, until things with Faith pick back up that is,” she said as she looked at Faith, “Or until you have to do something,”

”It’s fine,” Faith said as she smiled, “I want you to do that. You’ve worked hard, so you do what you wanna do. You know you have a job here, there’s nothing to worry about,”

”Okay,” Faith said as she looked over at Nick and smiled before looking at Tim, “I know I have to work today so I am, and the tour starts tomorrow night, so after tomorrow night, I can leave for like three says right?”

”Caraline, I don’t want you to leave,” Gracie said as Caraline looked over at Gracie.

”Oh no I’m not going to leave forever,” Caraline said as she let go of Nick’s hands and walked over to Gracie, kneeling down in front of her, “Just for three days, and then I’ll be back,” she said as Gracie looked over Caraline’s shoulder at Nick, “I’m going to go back to the city with the big buildings you like and I’m going to try to find some big pretty dresses for mommy to wear okay?”

”Okay,” Gracie said as she hugged Caraline’s neck and kissed her on the cheek and started to whisper, “I don’t like Aaron’s brother,”

”Why?” Caraline whispered as she started to laugh a little, “You mean Nick?”

”He’s taking you away,” Gracie whispered as she looked over Caraline’s shoulder at Nick again.

”No, he’s not,” Caraline said as she looked back at Nick to see him talking to Tim, “He’s not taking me away,”

”Nick is Caraline’s boyfriend now,” Faith said as she picked Gracie back up, sitting her in her lap, “Like Daddy is my boyfriend? He’s kind of like that to Caraline. He won’t take her away,”

”He’s not going to take me away. Do you remember when I go home and then I come back to you? That’s what it will be like and when I come back we can have this big party okay?” Caraline asked as Gracie nodded her head, “And I’m not leaving for two days so before I leave we can have a little party okay?”

”Okay,” Gracie said as she smiled and Caraline stood up, leaning over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

”Okay,” Caraline said as she looked at Faith who winked at her, “Yes, we’ll talk later,”

”Good,” Faith said as she smiled and Caraline turned around, shaking her head as she walked over to where Tim and Nick was and started to clear her throat.

”Okay boys,” Caraline said as they both looked at her, “Are we ready to go to the arena and get to work?”

”Yeah,” Tim said as he shook his head smiling, blowing Faith a kiss as Caraline opened the door so that they could walk out.

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

[ Nick Narrating ]

I have finally gotten what I wanted, that closeness with someone.

I can’t believe last night actually happened. I’m still sitting back in this car, thinking that it was all a dream that it didn’t happen, but then I look over to my right to see Caraline talking to Tim and I know that it did. Sure, I’m stuck on a country tour for two days and will be for some other days, but it doesn’t matter, because I know that I’m doing the right thing.

I never really thought about falling in love. I never really experienced love. I thought that I have, but then it backfired and I found out that it was only lust and infatuation. But now, I really think I’m falling in love with her and I can’t make myself stop. I don’t really want to make myself stop either.

The only problem is our jobs. We’re just going to have to make it work. I’m going to have to make my manager understand that I have to go be with her every few days and she will do the same with me. That’s how we’re going to make it work. I don’t want to spend another night without her unless I have to.

I’ve just got to figure out how I’m going to tell my family and friends about her.